#gosh I wanna put them under a microscope

[mikuyuuss]

As much as I love to hate on Walt, there's also a part of me that can understand his frustrations of not being able to share his """"achievements""" with his family. Walt always felt like an underachiever. He is an overqualified highschool chemistry teacher. His students don't even respect him. He struggles trying to make ends meet just to provide for his family, and not to mention his regrets surrounding gray matter.. (which is kinda his fault, like Eliott offered to work with him again but he refused 🤷‍♀️) but the thing thing is, all of it served to make him feel humiliated and emasculated.

And then he got into the Meth Business and he is finally excelling at something that he is good at. He finally sees himself becoming the capable breadwinner of his family. Ofc he would be proud of it, I mean who wouldn't want to share your achievements with your loved ones and be recognized for it?

Except he can't, because his family would hate him if they knew he's a drug dealer. Rather than being the capable provider that he wished to be seen, Walt thinks that he is still very much the poor and helpless dad in the eyes of his family. I remember when Jr opened a website to help fund Walt's cancer treatment even though the latter is more than capable of paying for it. Then Jr gets featured on the tv for it and the whole time the focus was on him even if Walt was the one who secretly paid it. It was kinda funny ngl, but the point is Walt WANTS to be recognized but he couldn't and that frustrates him.(Except he is. Poor Flynn, he genuinely loved and looked up to his dad as A PERSON only Walt doesn’t see that.)

This is where Jesse Pinkman comes in. Jesse knew the side of Walt that his family doesn't, someone who he can share his criminal achievements and be recognized for it. They are partners after all, except Walt is the one in control.

I think its interesting how they put so much emphasis on Jesse being Walt's former highschool student. It already establishes the imbalance between them. Walt sees his job as a highschool teacher to be humiliating already and Jesse happens to be one of his inattentive students. So the fact that Jesse grew to admire and respect him is probably something that Walt views as an accomplishment. Jesse addressing Walt as "Mister White" is very telling. It's definitely the first step to fueling his ego, and it validates his want for power.

and I feel like as Walt became more and more estranged from his family. He starts projecting those frustrations to Jesse. His students don't take his classes seriously? well at least his former student Jesse does. His own son still thinks he is "helpless"? well at least Jesse doesn't. His wife hates him? At least he still got Jesse-

Walt wants to keep Jesse around him at all times to fuel his ego. He projects not just a teacher-student relationship with him, but also a pseudo son in him, and when its convenient for him, a pseudo mistress. (Like let's be real for a second, the Skyler and Jesse parallels are too obvious. One of the creators purposely mirrored some of their scenes, the actors even joke about it) Walt is just messed up like that.

and thus poor Jesse was dumped with fulfilling all of these different roles for Walt all at once (bc most of the important people in his life couldn't give that to him) It so happens that Jesse is a lonely and impressionable young man, who also seeks for validation, but in a mentor figure. This makes him susceptible to Walt's manipulations. All of these is what led to their relationship becoming as codependent and as toxic is we know in the show. By keeping Jesse around, Walt gets to have the sense of recognition that he always wanted.

[justanotherfanfolks]

Guys saw this post and it set off the part of my brain where Cater Diamond lives rent free.

@krenenbaker you inspired this.

Gosh, I wanna throw Cater under a microscope.

Like he is such a fascinating character, it's so sad that people just see him as the "social media character." I remember a few months after I got the game I was reading through his vignettes and he was just setting off the gears in my head. Especially his Halloween vignette. I've talked about it before, but it gives us so much insight into Cater. How he doesn't like letting people in and keeps everyone at arms length, even Trey. When Trey was a Starsender, he wouldn't tell him his actual wish. And he was the same before when they got visited by a previous Starsender the year before. Trey knows there's something about him, but he is Trey "But That's None of My Business" Clover so he never pries. He's the closest to Cater, but maybe that's what makes Cater so wary. And how when his mandrake threatened to pull down the curtain, he shoved it back, he changed the subject. We also almost never get Cater by himself. He's always surrounded by people, always performing. And it's hard to tell what he's thinking because he's always brushing stuff aside with a smile on his face. But his Halloween vignette is one where we actually get to see some cracks in that, we actually get a peek into his brain. He's scared of getting too close to people because every time he lets someone in, he has to leave. He clearly cares about the people around him, but he has a track record that prevents him from showing too much of that. And by extension, we as an audience don't get to see too much of who he is behind closed doors. We know he puts on a show, he doesn't like showing when things get to him. When he mentions moving around a lot, he doesn't mention the struggle of it out loud. He says he likes Magicam for the casual connections and how it helps him keep in touch with old faces, but in his vignette when he actually gets messages from one of these faces he doesn't want to engage. In Silver's Halloween vignette he says his life has taught him to live in the moment. But it also taught him to not get comfortable, to keep walls up. He didn’t even tell his dorm something as simple as how he doesn't like sweets for years. Back on Halloween, he watches Diasomnia with something like envy. How they can be there for each other, be close. How they couldn't understand. Not knowing how someone there actually can understand.

Book 7 spoilers mentioned:

I also have a side tangent about him being multifaceted and always blending into what he expects people want. In Book 7, Cater is the only one we see truly struggling with the internships. Like, it is painfully relatable, I feel so called out. We go around the Juniors and see them feeling confident in their plans and here Cater is with his head on a desk feeling more confused and uncertain the more people he talks to. He's spent so much time following what other people want, putting on a show, he doesn't know where to go now. Let's not even mention how this is the moment he knew was coming for the past 3 years: that inevitable goodbye. I feel like Cater could be so interesting for the conflict going on in Diasomnia, but I'm not sure if they'll use him.

Tangent closing: I really like Cater. He's really well written and I don't think he gets enough respect on that front. He gets really good dialogue lines, but he also gets so much more. To me, he's one of the best characters in the game.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Cangst is real people.

[dadweebking]

Black Heron Returns: Part 2

Part 1 (x)

The four ducks wandered around the island aimlessly, Scrooge and Beakley focused on trying to find anything that could help them find Black Heron’s base while Webby looked around along with them while occasionally glancing over at Dewey.  Every now and then, he’d begin to fall behind because he wasnt really paying attention to where he was going, Webby would sometimes call to him to help him keep focus. Though he was happy that Scrooge allowed him to tag along, he didnt really seem to enjoy it as much as he had hoped, since nothing exciting has happened yet, but kept those thoughts to himself.

The 4 then wondered into a cave-like place that goes into the mountains, with multiple openings on the sides that view the whole island.

“We’ll stay here for a bit longer. I have a feeling there might be something here.” “Agreed, 22. Kids, watch your step. There could be trap doors around.” Scrooge and Beakley began cautiously looking around, while Webby glanced at Dewey again, this time with a frown on his face. She noticed it a few times earlier and chose not to say anything, but she just couldnt stay quiet any longer.

“You ok, Dewey?” “Hm? Oh, yea, i guess. Its just so boring.” “Well, thats what a lot of these kinds of missions are. They’re not all action packed.” “Well i wish i knew that before i snuck on this trip.” Webby giggled, as Dewey walked passed her towards an opening.

“You know, it may be boring, but this is one heck of a view.” Webby then walked up to his left side and looked out and was stunned. The view was gorgeous. There wasnt a single cloud in the sky, the sun’s light being reflected on the rippling ocean water. Distant sounds of crashing waves could be heard, and a soft breeze rattled the leaves in the trees. Nothing from towns like Duckburg could be seen. It was just nature doing it’s thing, and it was beautiful.

“Oh my gosh, you’re right. This is so beautiful.” Dewey smiled then took out his phone, and took a picture of the scene. He then turned around and took a selfie with the scene, then pulled Webby closer, put his free arm around her shoulders and took another selfie with both of them. “Perfect.” He said as he leaned against the wall to look at the photos.

But it wasnt a wall.

As soon as he leaned against the wall, it got pushed in, like it was a loose panel or a button. A giant crunch was heard, as he and Webby looked around frantically. Scrooge and Beakley also heard the crunch, and ran to where the kids were. 

“What ‘append?!” “I don’t kno-AAAHH” “KIDS!!”

The ground fell from underneath the kids’ feet like it was a trap door, and they fell through, much to the horror of the adults. The kids were sliding down a rocky surface, with Dewey in the lead and Webby behind him. It wasn’t long before the kids reached the bottom, Dewey rolling to a stop on the ground, and Webby gracefully landed upright in a fighting stance. She saw Dewey slowly getting up, holding and shaking his arm, and went to help him. Rocks could then be heard clogging up the slide, blocking Scrooge and Beakley from going down the slide. They called out to them. 

“Kids, are you ok?!” “Yeah, I’m fine!” Webby called. “Dewey hurt his arm-” “It’s just sore, i landed on it weird. It should go away soon, Uncle Scrooge!” “Children, stay put, we’ll find another way down!” “Ok, Granny!” 

Dewey walked back and forth, still moving his sore arm around, trying to make the pain go away. While doing so, he caught something from the corner of his eyes. He turned fully to see a white light glowing on the wall, but it didn’t look like it was natural sunlight. While still moving his arm, he began slowly walking towards it. Webby then turned to see him walking away. 

“Dewey, where are you going?” Dewey turned to her and pointed to the light on the wall. “There’s something there, I wanna see what it is.” Webby didn’t know whether to follow him, or stay put until the adults arrive, but against her better judgment and her fear of Dewey falling into sudden danger, she hesitantly followed him. They walked side by side down the cave, and it wasn’t long before they were able to see what caused the light, and it made them gasp. 

A giant open space with a bunch of desks and flasks with chemicals and berries along with a lighter, several microscopes and a big screen and projector with a camera right in the middle. They looked around the room, and Dewey spotted multiple flasks with a liquid inside of it. “Webby, what is this?” He walked towards one of the flasks that had a substance that was a completely different than the others. Webby walked next to it, and picked it up. “Wow, this is the bouncing potion. And it looks like it was mixed together very recently!” She then quickly put the flask in her pocket, and then grabbed a whole bunch of flasks in her arms. 

“Whoa, Webby, what are you doing?” “Making a mess. If we get rid of the remaining liquids in all the flasks, she can’t make another potion!” “Ooooooh I like your thinking.” Dewey smirked as he joined Webby in smashing flasks and pouring out the liquid from said flasks. When it was all set and done, they cheered and high-fived each other, but their joy was soon short lived. 

They soon heard mumbling coming from the cave, making Webby’s eyes widen as she pulled Dewey by his hand and dragged him behind a desk. “Webby, what are you-” “Shhhhhhhh.” She covered his bill with her hand, and peaked to see Black Heron coming. She looked towards her lab and gasped, making Webby hide her head. “That’s Black Heron!” Webby whispered. “Really?!” Dewey then turned to peak around the desk, and quickly pulled his head back upon seeing her for a split second. “Why does she have a robot arm?” “I don’t know, she had that when i first met her.” They soon saw her shadow making their way towards them, so they quickly and quietly moved away to hide again from a raging Black Heron, still going on about asking herself what happened to all her berries and the one finished potion. She then stopped, as the kids wondered why she did so. 

“I bet they’re here again.” The kids listened intently as she continued. “That painstakingly annoying Agent 22 and her wreckless partner. Maybe even she brought her grandchild again.” Now Dewey felt something weird inside his chest. It began to beat fast as she kept insulting Beakley, Scrooge and Webby. Everything else seemed to fade away, the only thing he could hear being Black Heron’s venomous voice. “…and she even defeated me at my previous base. That no-good, mischievous, nosey, idiotic child!” 

That was enough to set Dewey ablaze. No one insults his best friend like that. NO ONE!

In rage, Dewey rose up, but was quickly pulled down by Webby. “Dewey, what are you doing?!” He said nothing as he tried again, but Webby held him down, knowing what he wanted to do. “Dewey, take it easy, she’s too strong for you, she’s out of your league!” “No one’s out of our league, Webby. We can take her!” He pushed her arm off him, and hopped over the desk towards Black Heron. “DEWEY!” She whispered out to him. 

“HEY!” 

The Heron turned around, and saw Dewey standing tall and determined. “Who are you?” “I am Dewey Duck. Nephew of Scrooge McDuck, and close friend to Agent 22’s granddaughter!” He stated bodly, as Webby facepalmed, not believing what he just said. 

“Oh really?” “Yea! And no one talks badly about the people i care about as long as I’m around!” He said as he ran towards her and went for a punch, but Heron dodged it, seeming to have fun with this. He tried again and again to no avail, even having Heron lightly wack him on the head, treating this like a game. Dewey was now furious as he faked a punch, but then suddenly kicked Heron’s legs from under her and pounced, both rolling on the floor before Heron used enough force to hurt him a bit and throw him off her. He landed on his stomach, and turned his head to face Heron, who was now standing before him. 

“Poor Child.” She said as she lifted her arm and turned it into a blaster. Dewey rolled onto his back. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.” She said, as Dewey glared at her. Suddenly a cry was heard, and Black Heron was knocked to the wall hard. So hard, that her vision was blurry and she felt dizzy. Dewey looked from Heron to his savior in front of him, which was none other than Webby herself.  He quickly got up, and walked towards her, cheering. “Webby, that was si-” “ARE YOU CRAZY?!” 

Dewey stumbled back as she yelled at him. Her face was red and her face had a furious look as well as… a worried one?

“I told you she was too strong! You could’ve gotten really hurt just now!” “I know, i know, but she was insulting you, Scrooge, and Beakley, and i wasn’t gonna let her talk trash about any of my family, most especially my best friend.” Her face got redder, but her furious look softened a bit, making Dewey slightly confused, but he quickly dismissed it. Webby sighed, and stepped back a bit. “Just…don’t be so reckless, ok? I appreciate you looking out for Granny, Mr. McDuck, and I, but don’t go in blinded by anger. That just works against you.” Dewey walked slowly towards her, and put his hands on her shoulders and smiled, saying “Ok, Webbs. I’ll try to think logically next time.” causing them both to giggle. 

Black Heron was just coming to, and her vision cleared to see Webby and Dewey laughing together, and she silently scowled at the scene. But then her eyes widened, as an evil smile was etched upon her face. She was focused on nothing except the smiling faces of the two ducklings as she slowly got up, then quickly charged at the children, slamming Webby off to the side hard. They weren’t expecting this at all as Webby was blindsided and cried out, with Dewey’s face growing terrified at what just happened so quickly. “WEBBY!” Dewey cried out, as he was then grabbed by the neck from Heron’s non-robotic hand. She lifted him up, by the neck, and slammed him onto the wall, keeping a firm grip on his neck, choking him. He grabbed her hand with both of his and tried everything he can to make her let him go while straining to try to get some air into his body but failed, coughing and gagging as a result. 

Webby shot up, and began running towards them. “Ah-Ah-Aaaah.” sung Heron as she turned her robotic hand into a blaster again, and aimed it at Dewey’s chest, making Webby stop dead in her tracks. She looked at Dewey, and he looked back at Webby through tear-filled eyes, shattering Webby’s poor heart. 

“DROP HIM, NOW!” Yelled Webby. “I don’t think so, Girly.” Heron replied, as she turned to face the girl and saw her look back at Dewey. She then turned to see Dewey look at her, and Heron smiled. “You two seem very close indeed.” She said to Dewey, who glared at her through gritted teeth. She then turned to Webby. “Boyfriend?” She asked. Webby said nothing, as a sickening feeling made their way to both the kids’ hearts. Even in a life-and-death situation, they feel embarrassed at that assumption.

“What do you want?” Black Heron began to think, before she looked to Webby’s side pocket, seeing the only remaining flask that contains the completed potion. “I want that flask in your pocket.” She said sternly. Webby was taken aback by this, before pulling out the flask and held it in her hand. 

“That’s right.” Black Heron sung, as she held her hand out, motioning for Webby to give her the flask. She took a few steps forward before, “W-Webby... no.” She heard this and looked at Dewey, who was looking at her with a pleading look. “Don’t... give in! Figure something else out!” “Quiet, you brat!” Heron’s grip around Dewey’s neck tightened, causing him to cry out in pain. Webby gasped, hating seeing Dewey suffer like this, but couldn’t force herself to look away. 

“I’m waiting girly.” Webby looked at Heron, then at the flask, then at Dewey. She was at a loss. Heron could be deadly with the potion against the world, but she just couldn’t leave Dewey in her clutches! For the first time in a long while, she didn’t know what to do, and it drove her insane. Save the world? Or save her best friend’s life?

Webby took so long that when she looked back at Dewey, she saw his struggling begin to cease, his eyes slowly shutting as his hands that gripped Heron’s arm slipped off, eyes closed as his body fell limb. 

To Webby, everything fell silent. 

She saw Heron look back at Dewey, and seeing him unmoving, she just dropped him onto the floor. Webby didnt even notice Heron walking towards her, as she was focused on Dewey, until Heron hit her off to the side, making Webby’s senses come back to her. She looked at Heron who went to reach towards her before, “HERON!” 

Scrooge came in and knocked her away towards Beakley, who began duking it out with Heron. “Granny! Mr. McDuck!” “Forget about us, lass, go help Dewey!” Webby didn’t even think twice, as she got up, and bolted towards Dewey while Scrooge and Beakley dealt with Heron. Webby slid down by Dewey’s side, and rolled him over, before shaking his body. “Dewey?! Dewey, please!” Dewey didn’t move a muscle, causing Webby to fear the worst. “Come on Dewey, not like this! NOT LIKE THIS!” She tried to shake him awake again to no avail. 

Heron could barely get a hit on Scrooge and Beakley. They both we’re fighting differently, and Scrooge had a ferocious look on his while he fought. Beakley hit Heron back towards Scrooge, and Scrooge wasted no time in showing her what she deserved. “You come up with a plan to lay havoc on the world, trash my house, and mess with me and both my partners, but when you seriously hurt one of my nephews?! That’s when things get personal!” 

He landed a couple of blows, and hit her back to Beakley who gave the finishing blow as she punched Heron across the room. Heron, looked up at the two, before noticing something at the corner of her eye. She viciously smiled, as she reached up and pressed a button, causing the whole area to shake with an alarm going off and a voice saying, “Self Destruct Sequence Initiated.” 

“What?!” They both looked around before Scrooge saw Heron making a run for it. He was about to chase after her before Beakley pulled him back. “We can deal with her another time, McDuck, we have another serious problem at hand!” She pointed to Webby still holding a limp Dewey, making Scrooge realize what it could mean. They both ran towards the kids, Webby looking up with teary eyes as they arrived. Quickly, Beakley scooped up Dewey in her arms, and Scrooge turned to a dress both of them. “Beakley, carry Dewey out and Webbigail, stay close. Follow me!” 

Scrooge led the way, with the two females right behind him. He managed to find a way down to the kids, but it wasnt short, so with the self-destruction sequence activated, they had to run fast, or else they wouldnt make it. Beakley really had no trouble running while carrying Dewey, and Webby focused up ahead, but every so often would quickly glance at Dewey. He was still unmoving, and she still couldn’t shake the sickening feeling, but had to focus on running if they all wanted a chance to survive. 

Finally, they rounded one last corner to arrive back at the area where the kids initially fell through the floor. They then ran towards the beach, where Launchpad was waiting with the sub. He could see them and waved before Scrooge’s voice reached his ears. “Launchpad, start the sub!” He was about to enter the sub before his eyes caught Dewey in Beakley’s arms, and his eyes widened in shock. “Wait! What happened to Dew-” “No time, just get in!” Shouted Beakley, and Launchpad did so without hesitation. The engine roared to life, as the 4 hopped into the sub and closed the hatch tightly and quickly. With that done, they sailed off before diving under the ocean, the island exploding before they did so. The sub shook, as the force of the explosion pushed it outward at a faster rate, Launchpad barely able to keep the sub under control. 

Once things were steady again, no one wasted anytime to lay Dewey down across the seats. “How is he?” Asked Scrooge. “His heartbeat was faint when i got to him, but thats all i could hear.” Whimpered Webby. Beakley laid her head sideways upon Dewey’s chest, and emitted a long sigh. She lifted her head, and smiled at Webby and Scrooge reassuringly. “His heartbeat is still there. He just needs a lot of oxygen.” 

“Right. Lass, come with me, i might need your help.” Webby followed Scrooge to the storage closet at the back of the sub, with Beakley looking over Dewey, and Launchpad still piloting the sub, but couldnt get Dewey out of his mind. He turned around and asked Beakley, “Mrs. B., what do i do?” “Just keep driving, Launchpad. The sooner Dewey gets home, the better.” She smiled at him, as he saluted her, and focused on the open ocean up ahead. Scrooge and Webby then came out with an oxygen take and mask, and placed the mask on Dewey’s bill and the tank right beside him. His chest was moving up and down, so that calmed the nerves of everyone to an extent. 

“Now, all we have to do is wait.” Said Scrooge. They then pulled Webby off to the side, and questioned her about everything that happened before they came to their rescue. Webby explained about the lab and the flask in her pocket, completely forgetting about it before they brought it up. She also explained how he took Black Heron on the way he did was because she was insulting the three of them, and managed to actually knock her down before she got the best of him. Then she knocked her back and grabbed Dewey by the neck and literally choked him unconscious, causing Webby to slightly sob as she explained that part. 

The adults hugged the young duckling in reassurance, and smiled down at her saying that everything will be alright. “Give him time, and he’ll wake up soon.” Her granny said to her. “He’ll be fine, lass.” She looked up to Scrooge. “Whether be it fortunate or not, it’ll be hard for anyone to finish him off.” They all let out a small chuckle before dispersing around the sub. Scrooge and Beakley went off to the side to talk about some things while Webby sat by Dewey’s side, waiting patiently for him to wake up. 

About two hours go by before the black finally gains some color. 

Dewey’s eyes slowly blinked as he tried to get his vision to focus while also trying to ignore the soreness of his throat. He noticed a mask on his bill, and took it off while sitting up. His eyes could see clearly again, as he looked around and soon realized he was back in the sub. He could see the back of Launchpad’s head, then turned around and saw Scrooge and Beakley sleeping on the chairs they were sitting. He then looked straight from where he was, and saw Webby’s head resting on the arm rest of his seat, but was actually on the floor. He wondered why she was like this, tried to breathe in to speak before his throat began to hurt badly, and he started viciously coughing, startling Launchpad and waking everyone else up immediately. 

They all swarmed around him, bombarding him with questions about his well being, if anything hurts, if he needs anything, etc. With a bit of a straining voice, he quieted then down, only asking for some water. Scrooge was about to go get it, but Webby was gone and back with a flash, a water bottle in hand. 

Dewey took a sip, thanking her, before walked towards him, putting his mask back on saying, “might be a good idea to keep this on you for a while longer.” Dewey didn’t argue and nodded his head. Scrooge and Beakley went back to where they originally were, leaving Dewey and Webby by themselves. 

Dewey nervously turned to look at Webby, expecting her face to be fuming, but when he did, his eyes widened. She looked at him with her eyes threatening to tear up with her bill quivering, yet she look extremely happy and relieved. 

“Uh, W-Webbs? You goo-oh!” He got cut off with Webby embracing him into a very tight hug. He could feel her body shake and a few tears stain the back of his shirt. He didn’t care about that though, as he was still confused by the sudden action, and she then pulled back, still holding on to Dewey’s shoulder with one arm, and the other to wipe her eyes. 

“You really scared me, you know.” 

“I, um...”

I thought you... I thought that...” she stumbled with her words and turned away from him, as he then scooted closer to her and put an arm on her shoulder this time. 

“I thought I failed you.” She whispered as more tears fell from her eyes.

“Hey, look at me. Look at me.” He pushed against her shoulder, and used his other arm on her other shoulder to gently make her face him. “I’m still here, aren’t I? I’m fine as can be. A bit sore on the neck, but probably not the worst thing that’s happened to me.” He quietly chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, and it seemed to work, as she giggled right next to him. 

“My point is, don’t think you’ve ever failed me from now on, ok? You’re my best friend, Webbs.” He then embraced her and she hugged him back. “You can never fail me.” 

The hug lasted way longer than it should’ve, but honestly, the kids didn’t mind. The only thing that seemed off was that Webby felt a tiny pang in her chest as soon as he called her his “best friend,” but she was too happy that he was still alive, she could care less about anything else at that moment. She shoved that feeling to the side, dismissing it as nothing big. 

Or was it?

[grovyrosegirl]

MCSM Countdown Day 8

Hiya everyone! Oh gosh can you guys believe we only have ONE MORE DAY until season 2? Crazy right? I just want to say that this has been my first time particpating in a countdown like this, and it’s been great! Everyone in the community have been making such great things, it’s so much fun. I know I don’t  talk much and I’m not the most active blog, but being in this community has been a blast. And I really do appreciate all the feedback I get on my writing, it really means a lot to know people enjoy it! You guys are all so nice and amazing! I hope we all have even more fun with the arrival of the next season! Alright so enough of my rambling, here’s a little something I wrote for day 8 of the countdown. Today’s theme: A Journey’s End? I hope you enjoy!

After days of trying to get the bare minimum of sleep that was possible in between portals, Jesse thought a bed would be a blessing. And true, the soft mattress and warm blanket in the dormitories was a step up from the cold stone floor of the hallway, especially for her still sore back. Give Hadrian the smallest, most microscopic bit of credit that was even remotely possible to find, at least he’d given the prisoners still full of false hope something nice to sleep on. But she still couldn’t make herself fall asleep that easily.

Jesse turned over on her side, allowing her to catch a glimpse of her friends in the remaining beds nearby. All of them were fast asleep. Harper and Petra both lied on their backs, the ladder having tossed her bandana onto the floor. Lukas slept on his side, his blond hair a complete mess with frizz and out of place strands, probably from it being under his goggles for so long. Ivor appeared to have shifted sideways and kicked the covers off in his sleep, and his snoring filled the otherwise silent room. The fact that neither Petra or Lukas hadn’t woken up from it only proved how exhausted they were. Jesse didn’t blame them. She’d never felt so tired in her life.

The room they were in belonged to the former red team, according to Harper. The same team she had unintentionally eliminated from the games entirely during Spleef. Before the group went to sleep their first night here, they’d looked around the room. Jesse had felt a small painful sting in her chest when she’d uncovered some belongings left behind by the team, including an unfinished book, a couple of dandelions, and a cookie that someone on the team must’ve been saving. Judging from what she’s seen so far in this place, the Gladiators most likely shoved them all into the mines before even bothering to clean out the dorm.

Jesse looked over to Lukas again, something popping up in her memory. Right. Still had to find a way to get his journal back from Slab…

She turned over to the other side in the bed, her face now looking out a nearby window. A light snowfall was just ending. Some snowflakes were still stuck to the glass window before melting into water drops. Her drowsy eyes drifted to the Nether portal where Facemeat stood guard the other day. She felt her hand grip a corner of the pillow, as a voice in her head hissed a chilling reminder.

You mess up tomorrow, and that’s where you’re all getting thrown in.

The answer to this insomnia became clear. It wasn’t where she was sleeping. It was where other people were sleeping. Here she was in a warm building, tucked into a bed, and at the same time, her two best friends (and one unlucky bystander who happened to share the same name as someone she missed) were crammed in obsidian cages. Also at the same time, more people were stuck in the quartz mines. The Nether in her world was risky to just travel in, and from Lukas and Ivor’s descriptions, the Nether here was just as bad, if not worst. She shuddered at the thought that the miners might actually be forced to sleep in that inferno. Especially if that old urban legend about beds exploding in the Nether were true…

Jesse sat up and quietly let out a sigh, hugging her legs close to her. The slim hope that her speech encouraged the other competitors to rise up tomorrow wasn’t bright enough to put her thoughts to rest. She frowned and placed her palm against her forehead.

Oh sure, let’s tell them all that their idol who keeps them going is a fake. Nice job, idiot.

There were times where Jesse wanted to tell herself to shut up. This was one of them.

 Deciding that some fresh air was her only chance of clearing her head enough to fall asleep, she stood up from the bed. Jesse tiptoed across the carpeted floor of the dorm room to the door. She slipped out into the dimly lit hallway, slowly as possible as to not wake up her friends, and closed the door behind her. 

Jesse found herself on the third-floor balcony of the building. It was the highest one and gave her a decent view. The snowfall before had ceased, and the night sky was once again clear of clouds. She exhaled and watched the cloud of her breath dance around in the air as she rested her arms on the railing.

From the spot, she could see two of the Gladiators on patrol below. Although the two seemed far too immersed in a game of rock-shears-paper to notice her watching them. She glanced up ahead at the snowy landscape outside the walls of the Competitors’ Village. Seemingly it appeared to be completely untouched by any building, with the tall snow-covered pine trees, a crystal waterfall flowing into a frozen river, and a polar bear resting on a hilltop with her cub snuggled up next to her. Jesse couldn’t help but find it nice to look at, snow biomes were rare and far to travel to back home, if she wasn’t in the current predicament, she probably would’ve wanted to explore it a little more.

“Sup?”

The sudden voice in the quiet night caused Jesse to jump up slightly. To her surprise, it hadn’t come from behind her, but rather above her. She leaned back slightly to meet two blue eyes and blonde strands of beaded hair staring down at her from the rooftop, “Nell?”

“Jesse, dude!” She whispered excitedly, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a night owl? I would’ve invited you up here, like, way sooner!”

Jesse raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing up there?”

“Stargazing,” Nell extended out her hand, “wanna join the party?”

Jesse took a quick look back down, the two Gladiators now squabbling with each other about the other cheating in their round, and then back up at Nell, accepting the offered hand, “Sure.”

She climbed up the side, Nell now using both of her hands to pull her up. Jesse planted her feet firmly on the rooftop with a small oomph, as Nell released her and brushed off some snow next to an already clear patch. She looked up at Jesse with a grin and patted the empty spot next to her before lying flat on her back. Jesse moved to the spot, awkwardly trying to lie down in a comfortable position. The clear sky now full of stars, Jesse stared up.

“Don’t you get cold up here?” She asked Nell, whose eyes were glued on the sky.

The girl gave a shrug, “Meh, not really. These team uniforms are super toasty.”

Before Jesse could respond, Nell’s eyes lit up. She nudged Jesse’s arm and pointed upwards, “Check it out! My favorite one’s out tonight, Major Shovel!”

Jesse blinked, trying to connect the dots of the group of stars Nell pointed to. No matter which angle she tried, they didn’t seem to make a shovel, “I uh…didn’t know there was a constellation named that.”

“Oh well, I guess it’s not like an official one. I don’t actually really know the constellations that good, so I make up my own,” Nell explained. She directed Jesse back to the sky, her finger moving from spot to spot, “Okay, okay, so that’s Major Shovel, the Big Beetroot, Enderman Minor, the two crossed bones…”

She trailed on and on with different names. Jesse gave up trying to see the images in the sky, but smiled and nodded as Nell continued. The friendly green team member’s lighthearted antics were relieving in this environment. Just for a moment, Jesse could keep her mind off of everything weighing on her. At least until a realization entered her head. With all these constellations, made up or real, Nell remembered them all. Which just begged the question; how long had Nell been here?

“Oh,” Nell’s voice perked up, her finger stopping at a small cluster of stars, “I haven’t named that one yet.” She turned her attention back to Jesse, “You wanna give it a shot, brah?”

Jesse tilted her head up, “You want me to name it?”

“Yeah! You’re like, the first person who actually wanted to do this with me,” Nell explained. “Em and the others usually just tell me to go back to bed. I did get Herzog up here one time, but the dude fell asleep after five minutes.”

“Hey uh,” Jesse began, a look of uneasiness forming, “speaking of Em, how are things between you two? I mean, you know, after what happened in the race. Are you guys okay?”

Nell’s smile dropped, her gaze shifting away from the girl next to her and moving to stare at a nearby pile of snow, “Uh, yeah, I mean we’re not exactly cool with that thing she did, but like, I’m not really that mad. Don’t tell her I told you this, but I think Em’s more bummed about it than me,” Nell paused to let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “And I’m the one who almost fell into lava. So that’s saying something, I think.”

“Yeah?” was all Jesse could muster.

“Yeah,” Nell said with a nod, her voice became quieter, “Em’s not a bad dude, Jesse. She’s just, like what’s a good word? Tired, I guess. Majorly tired. She’s been here way longer than I have. And, don’t tell her I told you this either, I think there’s some bad blood with her and the Gladiators. They’re big jerks to everyone here, but Em, man do they like to pick on her.”

Jesse recalled the race just a few hours ago. Now that she thought about it, the Old Builders sure used that “Former Gladiator” title a lot. She didn’t doubt that Em could’ve qualified to be a Gladiator, seeing how the girl had been a powerhouse back in the few minutes she was Jesse’s “ally” during the race. But why in the world would Hadrian reduce someone that strong to a competitor? Or, now that Jesse was fully aware of how low the creeper-in-a-purple-suit would stoop, maybe the better question was; what did Em do that made him angry enough to make him want to do it? 

Nell continued, “I think I just sorta figured that Em needs a friend. Someone’s who not gonna leave her. So I’ll be that brah to her.” Her blue eyes darted to the side as she quickly added, “Even if she does dunk me off a wall to my doom. Like I said before, I want to help people.”

A minute of pure silence came. Jesse couldn’t stop looking at Nell, who now tried to distract herself with the starry sky once more. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something in Nell that struck a chord in Jesse. She could’ve easily held a grudge against Jesse for the hostility she’d shown after thinking Lukas and Ivor were dead. Instead, she’d apologized and generously given Jesse access to her wheat stash. Perhaps, beneath the lax nature and strangeness, was a person who had the simple yet pure motivation of helping others just because it was the right thing to do. In an odd way, Nell felt like the girl that Jesse used to be. The girl that Jesse wished she could be again.

Looking back up the sky, Jesse raised her arm. She used her pointer finger to play connect the dots with the star cluster, finally making a shape out of it. After using her free hand to tap Nell on the shoulder, Jesse smiled and said, “That constellation right there? Let’s call it: the Mighty Pickaxe.”

The cheeriness returned to Nell’s expression as she glanced up, “I like it! Righteous, brah.” 

Slowly the young leader sat up, moving to get up, “Well, I think I’m going to try and head back to bed. Thanks for everything, Nell.”

“Sure thing, dude. Tomorrow, we’re all so gonna be like Tim- wait, not real, right. We’ll be like…like…uh…” The blonde tapped her chin as she trailed off.

Jesse got back on her feet, “Look, I’ll be like me tomorrow, and you be like Nell tomorrow. Do that and I’ll know we’re going to win.”

“Kinda weirdly-worded, but sounds good,” Nell gave her a wave. “Night Jess.”

The ravenette returned the wave as she walked back to the edge of the roof. Before climbing back down onto the balcony, Jesse caught one last glance of Hadrian’s Palace, peering over the village like an eye built into the cliff. Her brows furrowed, knowing that he was lounging around while her two friends sat behind obsidian. She could picture the arrogant smirk he probably had right now, expecting Jesse to throw the match tomorrow so he could return to pulling the strings of this nightmare he called a game. She would prove him wrong. Oh so wrong. Jesse was no Tim. She was no Nell either. But she was Jesse, no matter what. And Jesse never goes down without a fight.