#he didn’t have a choice it’s not entirely his fault but oh my GOD OH MY GOD OH MY G

[rosemary-bells]

[messylustt]

obsessed ( believe me ) — ethan landry + reader ( scream ) : scream after ethan revealed himself as ghostface to you, you try to tell the group, hoping they’ll believe you…but ethan has other plans.

contents : surprisingly nothing sexual. a kiss. this is mainly the repercussions + plot after ethan’s reveal. wc 2.1k.

pt one pt two pt three

you had locked your door tight every night whenever you’d be home. you couldn’t let a ghostface get in, you couldn’t let…ethan get in. god, the concept that he’s a killer now confuses and scares you at the same time. if ethan can kill then christ, everyone should be wary of everyone.

you aggressively mix the cupcake batter. you had grown guilty and…well…confused. you hadn’t told the group. though you haven’t had the time—you haven’t seen them since the party. so, it’s not entirely your fault. you need to tell them. they could die if you don’t.

with a final whisk you begin to pour the batter into the cupcake tins. there’s no harm in giving them something tasty as you drop the charming bomb. You place the tin in the oven, already preheated. clicking the timer you pause. what if they don’t believe you?

the carpenter sisters and martin-meeks twins have known you the same length as they have ethan. shit, you should have gotten proof, something that would show your not just pointing the finger. you rest against the counter, watching as the cupcakes begin to bake.

you can feel your heart pick a pace at the thought of ethans words. he kissed you, he wanted to kiss you. what were you thinking letting him? no, you think to yourself. you didn’t have a choice…but it’s not like you absolutely hated the idea. shit.

what if you saw ethan in class? how the fuck should you act? you run your hands down your face, growing agitated and fidgety.

;;

“y/n!” mindy called from across campus. your carrying a box full of your cupcakes, as you take a heavy breath. it’s okay.

you wander over to her, smiling, only to falter when you see chad and ethan reach her side too.

you catch ethan’s gaze and freeze. ethan tilts his head, acting like an innocent shit. you gulp as you notice a ghost of a smirk on his face.

“mindy, can I talk to you for a moment?” if anyone’s gonna believe you about ethan, it’s mindy. she already thinks ghostface is him.

“uh, sure. is it real private?” she seems confused, since this group barely kept anything from each other. you clutch your cupcake box a little tighter, and that’s when chad notices.

“hey! are those cupcakes?”

you smile, offering them to him. “yo, thanks y/n.” he opens the box as you turn back to mindy.

“it’s girls sorta stuff.”

“oh.” she smiles, grabbing your elbow. “we’ll catch up with you later!” she calls back to ethan and chad, as she brings you farther away.

as you stop by a tree, you can't help but glance back at the two boys. chad is stuffing one of your cupcakes in his mouth. you hate the shiver that racks your spine, as you watch ethan take a bite, keeping his gaze on you. he tilts his head down in thanks, and you can spot the mischievous glint in his eyes. he knew they were bribe cupcakes for your point on him being the killer, to make it sound more appealing. but he only finishes the cupcake with a hum.

you whip your gaze to mindy, your expression desperate. “mindy, you know how you're always saying that ethan is ghostface?”

mindy scowls, glancing at him. “yeah, i swear it's him.” She narrows her eyes, before shifting her gaze back to you. “why—do you think the same?”

“i don't think, i know.” you stare at her earnestly. “i saw him. he attacked at my apartment. there was this other ghostface there, who tried to first, and then…” you weren’t going to mention that Ethan kissed you. it was irrelevant. “then he took off his mask.”

mindy is staring at you as your words spill out in a rush. “wait, you're saying ethan attacked you in your apartment, and then revealed himself?” she hisses.

“well, no, he didn’t attack me. he attacked the other ghostface—”

“wait, what?!”

you shush her, glancing around. ethan and chad weren’t there anymore and you were relieved.

mindy stares at you. “why would he attack the other ghostface?”

“i don’t know!” you exasperate.

mindy spins in surprise. “what the fuck?!”

you grab her arm. “but you believe me, right?”

“i believe ethan could be ghostface, but…attacking his fellow ghostie, and then what— revealing himself to you?” she sighs. “it's a little hard to make that make sense.”

“i know, i know. but i swear. that’s what happened.” you're growing desperate, especially as you see hesitance flash across mindy’s face.

“mindy, i wouldn’t make this up.”

she sighs. “but if ethan—as ghostface—went to your apartment not to hurt you, then why was he there?”

you pause. he couldn’t have just been there to…kiss you, right? that doesn’t make sense. you go to explain more about him attacking the other ghostface when you stay silent. ethan saved you from getting killed. would Mindy interpret that as you being on the same side. no. if you’d tell her that, then she’d know you weren’t one of them.

“y/n?”

you meet mindy’s gaze, as her eyes have grown wary. you shake your head. “i don't know why ethan was at my apartment dressed as ghostface. all I know is that he is one of them.”

“i– look i want to believe you, y/n. i like you! but it's just—” she cuts herself off, breathing. “you could be lying because your…ghostface.”

your shoulders slump. this is what you were scared might happen. “mindy, i swear.” you go to grab her arm, but she steps back.

“ethan is still on the top of my list, but…let me just think.” rhen she leaves.

shit. this was supposed to go so much better.

“you should have given her the cupcakes.”

you jump, and whip around to see ethan standing with an almost smug expression. you gulp, stepping to the side. “get out of my way.”

ethan just chuckles. “didn’t work?”

your silence makes him grin. “she already thinks i’m Ghostface, but like you, has no real evidence.”

“i–” you cut yourself off, because he’s right. you have nothing on him. and it turns out your word isn’t enough. “just leave me alone.”

“so cold.” he comments. “we’re in the same lesson.”

your whole body is tense. “come on.” ethan turns, heading to the large building of blackmore.

you both make it to the hallway, bustling with students heading to their respective classes. you stay a decent way behind ethan. you will not be seen with him. that would only contradict everything you said to mindy.

then just as you're about to squeeze past the students to get inside the lecture hall, a hand tightens around your wrist, yanking you to the right. you gasp as you get dragged into a small broom cupboard.

“ethan, what the fuck?” you spin to face him. he stands his back to the now shut door of the cupboard, trapping you in.

“i was kinda hoping you wouldn’t go and be a tattle tale.” he steps closer and you immediately step back, your hand out in warning. “but your cupcakes were very good, so, i guess that’s a plus.”

“ethan. let me out.” you were growing worried, the hairs on the back of your neck spiked.

“and i know i said i’ll leave you alone and all. but, wouldn’t it seem strange if we ignore each other.”

“if you wanna act normal in front of them—fine.” you were scared, and ethan could tell. “but there's no reason for us to see each other alone.” you gesture around the closet.

“that kinda hurts, y/n.” ethan says. “i mean i’m not too much of a fan of PDA, but if you're into that, I’ll settle.”

“what?”

ethan steps closer, and your grip finds a broom. “i like kissing you. and if you don't want to do it alone, then we can do it in front of our friends.”

you gulp, holding your pathetic excuse of a weapon out in front of you. “i’ll keep your secret, they don’t believe me anyway. so, please. there’s no need to kill me.”

“kill you? gave you listened to a word i've said?” wthan brushes his hand across the brustels of the broom. “i’d rather kiss you then, then kill you.” he steps closer. “and the broom’s cute.” he’s trying not to laugh.

“ethan, seriously.”

“i’m being dead serious, y/n.” he says, tapping down the broom as you shake his fingers off. then he backs away. “i’ll see you in class.” then he’s out of the closet, leaving you standing there, breathing hard and even more confused.

;;

you’re standing, talking to tara, as you wait for the rest of the group to be done with classes. mindy and chad come out first. slowly followed by ethan. you stay close to chad, as he tells you about this dick in his lesson.

ethan notices your “subtle” move to be “safe”. chad couldn’t protect you. and not from getting hurt, ethan’s already been clear that that's the last thing he wants to happen. just from him in general. he likes you. he thought it was obvious, but he guesses you're still reeling from him being ghostface.

you all talk and walk, until you’ve reached the carpenter sister’s apartment. ethan then digs in his pocket to retrieve a ring he stole from you in the closet. tara, Sam, and quinn are heading to their apartment.

“uh, y/n?” ethan calls to you, making you glance behind your shoulder. “i have something of yours.” he holds up the ring, as you hesitantly step closer, your hand out. you think you must have dropped it on your walk.

but ethan strides over, passing your hand and grabbing your chin. before you can say a word ethan is pressing his lips to yours, you stumble slightly back, along the gravel. chad is watching, mouth hanging open. “holy shit,” you catch tara say, as ethan pulls back, with a grin.

you're staring at him agape, as you hear a few hollers from chad. if only he knew. ethan then whispers in your ear. “i’ll call you.”

;;

you're staring at your phone in your apartment, scared for it to ring. and when it does, you hesitate grabbing it.

when you do, you take a reassessing breath. you had to end whatever this was. “hello, y/n.”

ethan’s using the ghostface modulator. prick. “ethan, you don’t have to use that. i know it's you.”

“and where’s the fun in that?” the deep voice breathes a chuckle.

“stop playing games, ethan. stop all of this. i’m not interested.”

“in me?” he inquired.

you hate the fact that you falter. you shouldn’t be fucking faltering! “yes.”

“you're a very unconvincing liar.” ghostface speaks mockingly.

“and you can’t take a hint.”

“tell me y/n,” ghostface speaks, as you pace your living room. “what's your favourite scary movie?” he jokes.

you scoff. “i said no more games ethan.”

“just one.” ghostface half begs. “i promise.”

“you gonna make me another deal?”

“i can.” ghostface shuffles on the other end. “if you play this game with me and win…i’ll reveal myself to our friends.”

you pause your pacing. “what?”

“doesn’t that sound fair?” ghostface probes.

you gulp. would he really? you wouldn’t look like a fool to mindy, and worse a betraying ghostface. you lick your lips. “what’s the game?”

“that’s my girl.” ghostface praises breathlessly. you stand a little straighter, ignoring the butterflies swarming your stomach.

“we’re going to play a simple simon says.” ghostface breathes through the phone.

“simon says?” you repeat.

“mhm.” ghostface hums.

you run your hand through your hair, gathering your thoughts, and a seeable decision. fuck it. all you had to win was simon says. easy. “deal.”

you can almost hear the grin forming on ghostface—ethan’s—face. “let’s get started, then.”

© messylustt.tumblr please don’t steal, copy or translate my work onto other platforms.

[julesthequirky]

The Choice: Chapter Four

All my work is purely aimed at those 18+ so minors kindly, DNI.

Summary: You find three of your favourite characters in your home. It shouldn’t be possible, but there they are. In the flesh. How the hell did they get there? And surely there’s a way to get them back? But as you get close to each one, the thought of sending them back proves difficult to comprehend.

Characters/Pairings: Fem!Reader, Dean, Beau and Soldier Boy/ Ben (and Eric the black cat.)

Warnings: Language, mentions of divorce, mentions of manipulation, typical Soldier Boy behaviour.

A/N: If you've noticed continuity errors regarding the divorce timeline, that is entirely my fault. I write these chapters on the fly, with the bare minimum on how the chapter will end, and the scope of the story. Excuses aside, I am making amends as I go. If you see any continuity errors, please let me know. Sometimes I just forget.

W/C: 1,726

Feeling lighter, thanks to Beau, you headed down after him. Checking your phone, you almost baulked at the time. It was half eleven at night. Where were they all going to sleep?

Two spare guest bedrooms were left free. One had been your ex-husband’s gaming room, and the other you’d wanted to turn into a nursery, but your ex had shot that idea down not long into the marriage. You’d talked about having kids, and he’d agreed. You’d show him cribs and strollers, and he’d smile and comment pleasantly. He fed into your dreams only to destroy them. You’d kept the gifts from family and friends, hiding them in boxes, unable to part with them no matter his insistence.

He had decided to sleep in that room during the separation. Out of fear of him finding the items, you hid them in your room, only to return them once he had left.

Now you had two guest rooms, both with double beds. You were sure none of them would share, and why would they? They were grown men, for God’s sake. That left the couch, which would not fit any of them on. You could barely fit on it. It was more of a loveseat and not a comfortable sleep. You knew from experience. It taxed the back if slept on for too long. This left you with the final option—your bed. And you hadn’t had a man in your bed since your ex a year and a half ago.

You scratched your chin lightly and walked with purpose towards the kitchen. You stopped in your tracks when you saw Ben. He sat at your table, a half-empty bottle of rosé clamped in his fist, and the rest was quickly following down his gullet. You knew for a fact it had been full the last time you’d checked your fridge.

After finishing the wine in mere seconds, he clunked the bottle down and belched loudly, then pronounced—

“You’ve got God awful taste in wine. A nun couldn’t get pissed offa that. Don’t suppose you’ve anything stronger?”

You blinked in astonishment.

“Uh, no. Only rosé.”

His lip curled, and he huffed but stayed seated. What could you do? You didn’t have the time to go to the store. He could wait.

“I’ll pick something up tomorrow.” You said pulling open a drawer.

He replied with a grunt as you were taking out paper straws. All equal in size, you cut one in half, then tucked them into your sweater pocket when you were finished. Behind you, a chair scraped back, and when you turned, Ben was rising to his feet, shield in arm.

“C’mon, I need to figure out where you’re all sleeping.”

“Oh,” His voice perked up. “Bet you’ve never slept with three blokes at the same time, eh?”

His eyes twinkled, and a smile slipped out. God, he was an asshole, but that smile…that smile made your stomach flutter.

“Lemme guess—one for each hole, right?” You said deadpan.

“You guessed it, sugar.”

You shook your head and patted his arm, striding past him to the living room. Dean was still inspecting the box, lips moving silently as he attempted to read the inscription. Working this whole thing out without his hunter contacts would take much longer. Beau had his fingers deep in Eric’s fur, who was purring loudly on the cowboy’s lap.

Ben sauntered in, smirk on his lips. He propped his shield down and perched against the couch’s arm, crossing his arms against his broad chest. Out of the three, he was the one that intimidated you the most.

You wiped your hands along your lounge bottoms. This needed sorting. It couldn’t wait any longer. You turned slightly, pulling out the straws, making sure the tops were of equal length, before presenting them to the boys.

“Pick one. This is gonna determine your sleeping arrangements.”

Dean looked up from the box, and Beau’s brows raised in wonderment. But they both reached forward, picking a straw. Each one was long, which left—

“So, what’s the short straw? The couch?” Ben inquired as he plucked the remaining straw from your hand.

“No.”

It was damn typical of him to get the shortest. It meant bunking with you. In your bed.

“The short straw is my bed. With me.”

“Ohoh.” Ben rubbed his hands together in glee. There was that twinkle in his eye again.

Oh, brother. You took the opportunity before something else came hurling out of his mouth.

“Lemme show Beau and Dean to their rooms, and tomorrow we’ll head into town and pick up some essentials.”

“Skin mags and lotion,” Flew out of Ben’s mouth. He nudged Dean beside him. “Gotta clean those pipes out, amirite?”

You sighed and scrubbed a hand down your face. Damn that man. Dean chuckled lightly but otherwise didn’t engage.

Before Ben could say anything more, you spoke up. “Why don’t I show you to your rooms.”

All three stood up. All right then. You picked up the box sets from the coffee table, quirking your eyebrows at Dean with a smile as you held the heavy set to your chest. You turned off the light and made your way upstairs. You showed Dean and Beau to their rooms, told them where the bathroom was and if they had any problems, told them which room was yours.

Then you retired to your room with Ben following.

“Betcha never slept with a Supe before, eh?” There was that teasing tone again.

He closed the door behind him and instantly started stripping. You looked away, heat rising in your neck and cheeks.

“Whatsa matter, sweetcheeks? Never seen a specimen as fine as myself before?” He chuckled lightly.

The box sets were getting heavy in your arms, so you dropped them onto the bed. Sighing, you knelt down and pulled out a suitcase from under the bed. In one of the pockets was a TSA-approved padlock.

Ben huffed a small laugh. “You think that piddly ass of a lock is gonna keep any of us out? I’m sure if we wanted, we could get past it. Real fuckin’ easy.”

You looked up. He only had his Supersuit pants on, top stuffed in his hands. He was in peak physical form. Perfect abs and pecs you wanted to run your hands over. Hard and toned, with thick biceps that could crush heads.

Damn.

You swallowed thickly.

He smirked.

“You wanna put your eyes back inside your head unless you’re lookin’ to ride the stallion?”

You closed your mouth and resumed your task—zipping and locking the suitcase.

“It’s a matter of principle. And respect. I wouldn’t delve into your belongings, so you won’t do it with mine.”

Ben snorted. “Believe what you wanna believe.”

“Well, I’m asking you not to.”

You pushed the suitcase back under the bed.

“Why you hiding them away anyway? Afraid we’ll watch our own shows?”

You rose to your feet. Now he had his Supe pants off and stood in his boxers.

“You know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat.”

He raised his eyebrows as you snatched your pyjamas off the bed and headed for the ensuite. No way were you comfortable with changing in front of him.

“I don’t bite. Not unless you want me to.”

He laughed as you closed the door on him. Sitting on the toilet, you rested your head in your hands. Oh, why did it have to be him? He was so toxic, so destructive, but dammit, he was so fucking hot. You’d thought about him in the worst ways, and they’d always give you the hardest orgasms.

But this wasn’t you and your imagination. He was really in there, almost naked, teasing and testing you. The sight of his body conjured all kinds of things and would be used when appropriate.

You changed, did your business and brushed your teeth before heading out. Ben was sitting in bed on your side. He had his hands behind his head, wearing a smirk.

“That’s my side…but I guess it doesn’t matter.”

You dropped your clothes in the laundry basket and slipped into bed beside him. Now, how were you going to do this? Form a pillow blockade? No. He’d most likely laugh at that, and you didn’t have the pillows for it.

You shuffled your pillow down a little bit and laid down, making sure the back of your head only just touched the mattress and pulled your hair up in a pony. You turned to see Ben giving you a strange look.

“What the fuck? You special or something?”

You frowned. “No. I’m just��particular.” You had the duvet up to your chin, lying dead straight.

“You look like Dracula in his fucking coffin.”

“We all have quirks.”

He quirked his eyebrows.

“That’s saying something.”

He pushed himself from sitting to lying down, causing you to sway as he did. He leant on one arm, looking your way.

“You look like you haven’t had a shit in a week. You nervous?”

“Little bit, yeah. You’re a bit of a wild card, and it’s been a while since a man has been in the same bed as me.”

“Like how long?”

“A year and a half.”

“Wow. You must really be gagging for it, huh?”

You huffed a small laugh.

“Contrary to popular opinion, no, actually.”

“Well, despite what you may think of me, I’m not gonna jump on you. Though if I knew I’d be picking the short straw, I’d have asked you to go to the store sooner. Dry rubbin’ fuckin’ hurts.”

Huh?

Ohhh.

You pulled a face and stared up at the ceiling. Ben laughed at your reaction and turned out the light, finally putting his head on the pillow.

You laid there, staring at the ceiling and minutes later, you heard his snores. They were loud, like a bulldozer. You stuck your head under your pillow desperately trying to sleep, but, God, were they so fucking loud. In the end, you gave up. You slipped out of bed and headed for the linen closet. You grabbed extra blankets before going down to the living room. You made yourself comfortable on the sofa. Eric meowed quietly, jumped up, and you kissed his soft head. He curled up, and you closed your eyes, waiting for sleep to take over.

Tags

@deans-spinster-witch, @curlycarley, @angelbabyyy99, @sassy-pelican

[shawnaise]

oh my god. holy shit. deez nups. the entire buttering-up of seeing lassiter happy the whole episode only for the shules event at the end..? the look on shawn’s face is horrible. just seeing the moment where he realizes that nothing he ever did was good enough for anybody; that his life and choices in life aren’t worth the effort he put into them. where no matter how much good he does- how many murderers he catches; he’s a failure above all else. it’s a direct parallel to his relationship with his dad; the way that he has to choose profession or love and neither way is a good option. where love sculpts you into an ugly vision of self where you only live to please others; and profession offers you joy but only at the expense of never being able to be yourself. shawn doesn’t win in either of these scenarios and he can’t because there’s no way to. no matter what happens after this episode; I don’t think shawn will ever be fully redeemed as a concept; as a character? sure, they need to keep the plot moving. but as a person? in real life that kind of thing doesn’t just disappear after a couple of filler episodes, it lingers and reminds you that people love you until; until they meet a part of you they don’t like, until they figure out a part of you that they didn’t want to. and it’s your fault for being broken; it’s your fault for having that part; that indescribable part that even you aren’t too sure you’d like to share. but they see it, and all the time before that is only until.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Hi there, i love your writing alot!!

https://www.tumblr.com/gay-dorito-dust/729892805178261505/reptilesyzith-hc-with-a-gender-neutral-partner?source=share

If asks are still open, can i request this but with the lin kuei trio? i wonder how their reactions are gonna be.. 👀

Oh yeah! Absolutely!

This is based off of this x reader who can respawn like in a video game but died for a bit but just with the Lin Kuei trio.

Character ooc? More likely than you think.

Tomas Vrbada

Distraught and ashamed of himself.

He promised you that he’d be better but upon hearing news of your passing had struck him deeply as thoughts began stacking onto one another, clustering his head with the what ifs and the what could’ve beens had he been there to prevent it from happening. Yet he wasn’t and that was Tomas’ biggest issue throughout all this, that he wasn’t there to prevent your death from happening, and that he failed in every doing that was enough to knock the air out of his lungs and for his knees to buckle.

So in response to loosing his family and now you was to overwork himself until he physically couldn’t take it anymore, and or distract his mind from further speculating that everyone also believed that your death was his fault. Something Kuai Liang would always say otherwise to but he could tell his brother knew that but wanted to feel as though they were as some weird form of motivation to get stronger.

He would even stay up late at night, unable to remember a proper nights sleep seeing as how he had grown accustomed to sleeping with you tightly in his arms, in hopes that one day he’d catch you coming back home. Only for Tomas to end up sleeping at his windowsill disappointed and tear streaks on his cheeks that he would wash away before leaving him room, though not before casting one last look behind him in hopes that you would’ve appeared in his room; just to be proven wrong again as he would then sigh sadly and close the door behind him to work himself to the bone once again.

Imagine the look upon his face when he opened the door to his room, only to find you stood there, looking as though you had been there the entire time. ‘Tomas? I-‘ before you could even get to finish your sentence, Tomas had already had you in his arms with his face shoved into the crook of your neck, his grip tightening as tears touched your skin. ‘You’re here, you’re really here. Thank god.’ You heard him say into your neck and you couldn’t help but hug him just as tightly, having severely missed his warmth.

‘Yes. I’m here Tomas, I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through I should’ve-‘ once again you were interrupted by Tomas who pulled his head from your neck to push it against yours instead. ‘You can explain later,’ Tomas said softly. ‘All I care about right now is that my wish came true, you finally came home.’

Kuai Liang

Seething with anger and filled with guilt.

Kuai Liang was a whole mess of emotions and didn’t have much choice when it came to healthy outlets for him to choice from, so instead he just worked himself tirelessly into finding whoever was responsible for your death.

He, much like Bi-Han, had more or less suppressed any and all emotions that weren’t either an insatiable blood thirst or rage but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have days where he’d express guilt over the fact that he had let you go out alone, thinking that you would come back, only to be told by Tomas that wouldn’t be the case.

Kuai Liang didn’t get much sleep that night becuase he was too busy being enraged with himself and the events leading up to now, trying to recall if he missed something pivotal, but couldn’t a trace which only proved to piss him off even more and allowed for his grieve to become anger then finally to revenge. He has loved you so deeply and so much that he knew that he wouldn’t rest until he had simultaneously brought both peace to your soul and had avenged you.

Yet even when he had achieved what he wanted, he still didn’t feel accomplished, Kuai Liang felt as though he was still missed something, missed something important. He thought that when he had his revenge he would feel somewhat better but as it had become more and more apparent to the pyromancer, the loss of a loved one was like an unsealable wound, destined to bleed forever with every mention of their name.

All that bloodshed, all that he felt, was for nothing…or so he had thought…

‘Kuai Liang?’ He perked up at your voice but didn’t dare look over his shoulder, feeling himself extremely unprepared for this moment. ‘I’ve heard that you’ve become a vengeful man, I guess I can’t blame you but none of this would’ve happened has I been straightforward with you from the beginning.’ You told him, fiddling with your hands.

‘How do you mean my love?’ Kuai Liang questioned, now looking at you as he stepped towards you, hands instinctively grasping your arms gently, tugging you closer to him so that he could see that this wasn’t some dream by feeling your body warmth against his own. ‘I should’ve told you not to mourn me because I have this ability to respawn.’ Kuai Liang still looked confused so you continued. ‘It means that if I were to die, it’ll only be a short while before I came back but this time I stayed dead a lot longer then supposed to…when I came back I heard that you had gone on a killing spree.’

You saw that Kuai Liang was still silent and decided that it were best if you left him be and not hurt him any further but found that his hold on your arms had grown tighter before being pulled into his chest, where his arms then quickly caged you in, preventing you an escape rout tl but you didn’t care; his arms were where you wanted to be.

Bi-Han

Eerily silent is how Bi-Han was when news of your unsuspected death.

Showing absolutely no visible emotions whatsoever but behind that ice cold dementor was a broken man who rejected the notion that his dearly beloved could be dead. So he then chooses to isolate within himself and essentially reverts back into being the unfeeling and unrelenting Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, completely forgoing the man he had become upon your arrival within his life, Bi-Han could handle physical pain; but it always seemed that the emotional and mental kind left the most scars upon his mind and soul.

Repressing and shoving his emotions down, Bi-Han would then act like he wasn’t all that affected by your recent passing, but with his gradual ruthless and dwindling patience, it was safe to say that loosing you had somehow made Bi-Han an even colder man. No one would dare say so as they valued their lives to ever think to accuse their Grandmaster for ever being soft, nor question his leadership: after all Bi-Han only wanted the most loyal and faithful within the Lin Kuei under his command.

So imagine his surprise when he saw whom he presumed to be you suddenly appear within what was once your shared room one day, completely unscathed.

‘Bi-Han!’ You sighed in relief. ‘I’m so glad to see you my beloved. I have so much to explain that I probably should have told you from the start!’

Bi-Han’s eyes narrowed as his heart and mind were at war with one another, for on one hand he wants to truly believe that you have come back to him and that the news of your death were vastly exaggerated but even if that were to be true, then you had left him to believe you were dead and you haven’t been as truthful to him throughout your entire relationship. Bi-Han had given you his trust and yet all you’ve given him in return was half truths, he should have thrown you out by now or killed you himself but even as his grip on his ice dagger tightened, he knew deep down that he had made his choice long ago in what he wanted to do if you should ever come back to him.

‘Then I suggest you speak quickly.’ Bi-Han said as his brows furrowed deeper. Your smile melted off of your face as you noticed his stance before your eyes fell to the ice dagger within his hand, you should’ve known that Bi-Han wouldn’t act so kindly to you suddenly showing up as though you were never killed in the first place. To Bi-Han, it probably felt like you had decided him because you didn’t love him anymore which couldn’t be further from the truth; You loved Bi-Han but even you must admit that hiding your powers from him was quite possibly the most stupidest thing you’ve ever done.

‘We’ll be here a while.’ You told him sheepishly as you sat yourself down on the edge of the bed before gesturing for him do to do so as well. Bi-Han sighed, cursing himself as he gave in to your invitation to sit down but whilst doing so, he remembered to put a bit of distance between the two of you as silence befell the room. You cleared your throat and began, ‘I have powers that prevent me from dying per se. So for example if I were to get fatally wounded, I’d be dead for a bit but would ultimately come back without a single trace that I was ever hurt, or you could say that I respawned as though I’m in a video game.’

Needless to say after your long winded explanation, Bi-Han felt as though he received some closure from it all, but don’t expect him to fully give over his trust to you again, that’ll take some time to mend but thankfully you were patient, and Bi-Han was glad to not have to say goodbye to you just yet.

[xmads-omensx]

CHAPTER 2 - PLAY WITH FIRE AND YOU'LL GET BURNED

Word Count: 5,558 Content warnings: Swearing, angst, weapons, enemies to lovers, discussions of kidnapping, mentions of being chased

Tag List: @dominuslunae

VANIA

The shrill ring of the incoming call pierced the electric silence that had fallen between Noah and myself. Both of us breathing heavily following out screaming match.

Karius was calling. Fucker saved Noah’s life calling when he did.

I answered the call and K’s booming voice echoed in my ears. Noah was invited on the call too. I was guessing the other OMNS guys were as well.

“I take it you all survived that ordeal with ERRA then?” Karius questioned.

“Yep. No thanks to this bitch you stuck us with.” Noah snarled in reply. 

“Oh fuck you!” I spat back.

“Shut the fuck up!” Karius screamed back through the call.

A beat of silence.

“Thank you. God. It’s like working with unruly children.” K continued. “Look, I’m just checking in after what happened and to let you know that ERRA has tightened their security tremendously since Vania’s job at the  warehouse.”

“See. You’re not as slick as you think princess. You got caught.” Noah smirked smugly.

“No I didn’t asshole.” I barked back.

“No she didn’t Noah.” Karius sighed. “They suspect my boss was behind it and know that she works for me so they were going to go after her regardless of if it was actually her who stole the chip from the warehouse.”

I smirked at Noah. I had won.

A shocked look crossed his obnoxiously perfect face. Asshole.

“Anyway.” Nick entered the conversation with a sigh. “They have definitely upped their game. I couldn’t hack that pretty basic turret earlier. Now I can’t even access the weakest part of their database. We are going into this completely blind.”

“Fuck.” Noah and Jolly muttered.

“We could try and get into one of their allied crews’ systems and infiltrate that way?” Matt suggested.

“That would work except for the fact that ERRA wiped them out like two months ago.” Nick replied with a sigh.

“Fuck.” Noah muttered.

“Any ideas K? Or any useful intel?” I asked.

“Sadly, V, I got nothing for you.” Karius replied.

“Shit.” I muttered.

“Shit is right V.” K continued. “Look, guys, I need this job done no matter the cost so please can you get this mess cleaned up? I don’t care who you have to short circuit as long as the job is done. Got it?”

“Loud and clear boss.” I answered.

A chorus of “yep”s  and “yeah”s echoed in my ears. Noah still glared at me as if this mess was all my fault.

The beep signalling the end of the call apparently gave Noah the go-ahead that he needed to berate me yet again. But instead, he shut his mouth and stormed away from me.

I followed him through the door and up a set of stairs. Neon graffiti decorated the dark walls and multicoloured LED lights hung above my head. It wasn’t what I had expected but I guess the OMNS guys might actually have some taste after all, despite their poor choice of leader.

The staircase led to a corridor with three doors on each side. At the end of the  corridor, where Noah was heading to, was another large open-plan room with a huge table in the centre of it. The table had a holographic map of the entire Concrete Jungle on top of it and it looked as though Matt, Bryan and Jolly were inspecting it closely. Nick sat on one of the chairs by the massive one-way windows that encased the entire space. It looked like he was trying to find other ways to infiltrate ERRA’s operative system.

“Hey you two.” Matt called over to us as we entered the room.

Noah ignored him and walked straight over to the table.

“What are we looking at?” He asked the three men already there.

“We are trying to see where possible turret spots might be. Or other traps.” Bryan answered.

“Would they still use the turrets if they know that we know they have them? Would they not just hide them somewhere we don’t expect?” I suggested.

“Don’t ask stupid theoretical questions, Vania.” Noah sighed.

“I’m just trying to help. That’s what I would do. If my enemy knew for a fact that I had access to turrets and mines, I wouldn’t put them just in high risk areas. I would put them in the defensible areas too. And on top of that, I would place them sporadically with no real pattern to make it harder for my enemy to get in.” I suggested with a shrug of my shoulders.

“God you really seem to have all the answers don’t you princess?” Noah snarled.

“No she has a point Noah.” Matt defended. “Why would they put them in places we would expect? That would make our job so much easier.”

“Fine.” Noah caved. Not wanting to talk back to his crewmate. Matt was the logistics guy after all.

Matt zoomed in the map onto Electric Twilight, the club ERRA owned. “Let’s focus on getting in here before any of us make any rash decisions, okay?” Matt suggested, gesturing at the map in front of us.

Electric Twilight was quite possibly the most exclusive club in the Concrete Jungle. Only the elite got in and even then it was slim pickings. None of us here were wealthy enough to even dare dream about what it might be like inside the club. And besides, ERRA knew who was after them now and would most likely be on the lookout for us.

“Are there any other entrances besides the front door?” Jolly questioned Matt who had enlarged the club on the map.

“Looks like there’s just the one.” Matt began, “Nick! Can you come check this?”

Nick looked up from the wall in front of him and walked over to the table the rest of us had surrounded. His purple eyes glowed intently as he inspected the map in front of him.

“Looks like there is a back entrance through the drain in the alley behind it.” Nick explained.

“Great. So we can go through there?” Noah clapped his hands together.

“Not quite.” Nick started, “We would have a  better shot at this if we split into two groups. Half go through the back and half go through the front.”

“But we can’t get through the front. There’s a bouncer on the door who will, quite literally, kill us if we try anything.” Noah let out a sigh.

“Do we know anything about the bouncer?” Bryan questioned.

“Yep. Looks like he’s full droid. Not a single human cell in his body. But he looks difficult to hack.” Nick explained.

At least he wasn’t a human. He could be controlled more easily.

“Hang on.” I began, “We don’t necessarily need to hack too far into his brain drive.”

“Go on.” Nick replied.

“What if we just alter his optic perception filter? We would go unnoticed. There aren’t any cameras in the club. ERRA don’t want  any lingering evidence of anything that goes on in there.” I explained.

“That actually might just work.” Matt replied. I couldn’t help but smile to myself a little bit. My plan was good.

“Okay so that’s one option. What backups do we have?” Noah questioned, obviously not wanting to go along with my suggestion.

“None.” Matt replied. “We can’t all go in the back and leave the front unwatched. And we can’t all go in the front without getting caught. Vania’s plan seems like our best bet.”

“We will split in two groups. Nick and Jolly take the back, Vania and Noah take the front seeing as Folio is out of this one?” Bryan suggested.

“We need to wait till this ERRA shit calms down slightly. Maybe Folio will be back in business by then?” Noah added. Of course he didn’t want to be alone with me.

“Yeah that’s a good point.” Jolly agreed. “We can’t go in there while this shit is still hot.”

“That does leave us with plenty of time to perfect out strategy.” Matt stated.

“So I guess it’s agreed then. When are we blowing this joint?” I asked.

Noah rolled his eyes.

“Well there’s that big ass party there in about two weeks. That looks like the perfect cover for us.” Matt shrugged.

“That’s perfect.” Nick beamed. “Noah and V could pose as guests and get in on a forged invite?”

“Is that easy to sort?” I questioned.

“It’s easier than just reprogramming the optic perception filter. But I will need to get my hands on an invite chip to see what they look like so I can perfect my forgery.” Nick explained. “I will also need identities that are already on the guest list so I don’t have to hack the optic perception filter as well.”

“So what? We take out two guests and take their place?” I asked. Slightly taken aback by his quick planning.

“Well obviously princess, how else do you expect us to get in there undetected.” Noah snarled sarcastically.

“Great.” I said, completely ignoring Noah. “How do we decide how to take out?”

“Well. We need a man and a woman. Both need to be planning on attending the party together.” Nick elaborated.

“GOT THEM!” Matt exclaimed.

“What?” Noah and I asked in unison. He sent me a murderous glare.

“Persephone and Jaxon Martinez. Both attending together. Big spenders. Very flashy.” Matt went on.

“Great. Where are they?” I questioned.

“Right now, it looks like the are in their shared penthouse over in The Grey.” Matt explained.

Fuck. The Grey was an area of the Concrete Jungle that was largely lived in by the elite. They were tall, flashy buildings but surprisingly had weak security. The problem with this was that what we were going to attempt to pull off was risky and The Grey is a highly populated area and someone would surely notice if two of the elite living there went missing.

“Not tonight. We go and take them out tomorrow night. They will be asleep so we can hit up Bad Decisions before we go.” Noah sighed.

“Better. We can get a solid plan together by then no problem.” Matt agreed with a thumbs up directed at Noah.

“Bad Decisions?” I asked.

“It’s my club.” Noah sneered at me.

“Your club?” I questioned.

“Yes. My club. Jobs don’t keep us working all the time. Jolly co-owns it with me. Folio has the garage and Nick has his tattoo shop next door. Matt and Bryan run a cab service.” Noah explained with a bored tone.

“Oh.” I said quietly. How did I not know Noah owned Bad Decisions? Fuck.

“Oh?” Noah mimicked. “Cat got your tongue princess?”

“Fuck you.” I spat out. “I don’t need your mockery right now. I’m exhausted.”

“Lucky for you, you’re on the couch until this shit show is over.” Noah laughed at me.

“Seriously?” I stated.

“Yes, princess, seriously.” Noah smirked.

This man was going to be the death of me.

Morning broke through the windows and awoke me from my slumber. The couch was surprisingly comfortable, but obviously I would never tell Noah that. The plan was to meet up later on today to plan our mission to take out the Martinez’s so I needed to find something to occupy myself with until then.

I decided to go and check in on Folio and see how he was doing. The only problem was that I didn’t know what room was his. And on top of that I only had the clothes that I was wearing the night before, a tight black zip-up bodysuit that covered my arms and went up to about mid-thigh, a pink cropped sleeveless jacket, knee-high black boots with pink laces and my oversized black jacket just in case it was cold.

Before I even  thought about asking where Folio’s room was, I went down into the garage and got onto my bike and began my journey back to my own apartment.

The daylight made the Concrete Jungle look like an entirely new place. The neon lights no longer emitted the same glow that they did when blanketed in darkness. The tall skyscrapers that were once glowing a rainbow of colours , now stood tall and grey. The light now dulled significantly, but very much still present.

Cars sped along the road alongside me as I sped towards my apartment. It took me about thirty minutes to arrive at my sanctuary. Nowhere felt like home here, but this was as close as I ever came to feeling like I had one. It wasn’t anywhere near as flashy as where OMNS lived, but it was enough for me.

It was a one room space on the top floor of a run-down apartment block closer to the centre of the Concrete Jungle. The kitchen sat to one side with a island that was miniscule in comparison to the one at OMNS’ place. Two of the walls were basically massive windows, giving me a perfect view of the entire cityscape below me. Opposite the kitchen sat a long L-shaped couch with a glass coffee table in front of it. I slept on the sofa as it pulled out into a small bed that was somewhat comfortable. A door next to the main door into my apartment led into a small bathroom.

I pulled out the drawer from under the couch and pulled out clean clothes and grabbed some toiletries from the bathroom as well. As shitty as it was, I was going to miss this place whilst I was away on this job. Like I said, this was the closest to home I had come to in a long ass time.

With one final glance around the space, I mentally said goodbye to this part of my life. This would be the last bit of peace and quiet I would be getting for a long time.

Then, I walked back down the stairs of the building with my bag slung over my shoulder and made my way back to my bike. Closing the building’s front door behind me, I suddenly felt a presence that hadn’t been there before. I was being watched. Careful not to look over my shoulder just in case, I made my way over to my bike.

“And bang. You’re dead.” A deep voice said from behind me. God I would know that insufferable voice anywhere. “It was a stupid idea to come here on your own you know that right, princess?” Noah stated.

“Yeah, well I’m still alive aren’t I?” I replied. Stretching my arms out beside me and dramatically turning in a 360 circle to prove to him that I was very much okay.

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t a stupid thing to do.” He sneered.

“God, Noah, I am fine. Nothing happened. I don’t need your goddamn approval for everything I do.” I sighed in response to his idiocy.

“In case you haven’t noticed yet, princess, I am in charge here. You have joined MY crew. You follow MY rules. And MY rules mean you can’t go anywhere without my say-so.” He said.

“So what, you’re a fucking dictator now?” I crossed my arms.

“To you, yeah. I am.” He replied, also crossing his arms across his chest. Mirroring my actions.

Ignoring him, I swung a leg over my bike and moved to put my helmet on.

“Hey! Don’t fucking ignore me.” He yelled at me.

“What, Noah? I’m heading back now. Is that not what you wanted?” I shouted back.

“For fuck sake, princess!” Noah rolled his eyes again. “What I want is to know where everyone is so I don’t have you going rogue and spilling our shit to ERRA now do I?”

“Is that what you think of me?” I began. “You think that I’m a two-timing bitch?”

“Well you did ditch us on that bridge last night.” Noah muttered under his breath.

“I can hear you asshole.” I shouted back at him.

“Good.” He laughed. “Maybe then you won’t pull that shit again.”

I ignored him and put my helmet on.

“Don’t you dare start that engine princess, we aren’t done here.” He said with an edge to his voice.

Ignoring him for  a second time, I smirked to myself and started my bike before taking off again. Noah got into his stupidly flashy car and followed after me. I can have some fun with this, I thought to myself. Instead of going straight on, in the direction of OMNS’ place, I turned left. Noah followed. Brilliant, I thought. I turned a mixture of rights and lefts. Going in circles and just blatantly in the wrong direction. After about forty minutes of my fun, I got bored and headed back to go check on Folio.

Arriving back at OMNS headquarters, I noticed that Noah wasn’t back yet. The peace that had enveloped me was shortly broken by the revving of an engine behind me. Noah was hot on my tail. When will this hell end?

The driver’s side door of the car opened and a very angry Noah stormed towards me.

“Stop fucking with me, princess.”  He snarled.

“God, Noah it was just a bit of  harmless fun.” I laughed.

“Yeah, sure, because potentially risking your life by pulling a stunt like that is fun?” Noah yelled at me, crossing his arms yet again.

“Seriously, Noah?” I laughed again, rolling my eyes at his ridiculousness.

“Yes, seriously, Vania.” Noah went on. “I don’t want you short circuiting before the job even gets started.”

“Ooh careful hotshot. You’re almost starting to sound like you care about me.” I mocked.

“Oh princess. You couldn’t pay me to care about you. Even in your wildest dreams.” He sneered.

Not wanting to continue this ridiculous conversation, I turned away from him and entered the garage. Matt greeted me in the kitchen.

“Hey V.” He smiled. Nice to see one of these idiots was capable of smiling.

“Hey Matt. Which room is Folio’s? I want to check on how he’s healing.” I asked.

“Yeah sure, it’s the second door on your left upstairs.” He offered with a grin.

“Thanks.” I made my way up the stairs just as Noah entered the kitchen.

The second door on the left was covered in graffiti and shitty drawings of motorbikes. God they had a lot of time on their hands. I raised my hand and knocked, not wanting to surprise him by barging in on him. A faint “come in” sounded through the empty hallway. I slowly opened the door, which creaked as it went, to reveal a dark room that was lit up by orange LED lights. Posters covered a large portion of the walls, all with images of motorbikes and half-naked women. I wasn’t sure what I expected but somehow that still surprised me.

“How you feeling?” I asked lightly.

“Eh. Been worse.” He replied with a weak smile.

Folio sat up in his bed that was shoved into the corner of the room, leaving space for him to leave mess everywhere. Dirty clothes littered the floor. His desk that lined the right-hand wall was covered in disassembled guns that either he had been cleaning, or using to build something.

“That’s good to hear. Mind if I take a look?” I gestured towards the bandages that were wrapped round his middle. His blue and green eyes glowed in the darkness.

“Sure. Have at it.” He lifted his left arm in compliance.

I unwrapped the bandages and dressings to reveal his wound. It had already started healing nicely thanks to the meds we had pumped him with the night before. Bryan had gone on a run to the Underground to grab some crap to make Folio’s injury heal quicker, and it looked like it was working.

“Looks good.” I assured him. “But I would rather you didn’t do anything crazy for the next few days. Take it easy. No jobs till I say so. Got it?”

“You got it doc.” Folio replied with a laugh.

He was so much nicer to be around than Noah.

“Need me to grab you anything?” I offered.

“Nah I’m good, thanks doc.” He answered with a bright smile on his face.

“How long are you going to call me ‘doc’ for huh?” I asked with a jokey side-eye.

“Forever probably… doc.” Folio replied with a smug grin on his face.

“You guys really love nicknames don’t you?” I laughed.

“Keeps shit light I guess.” He said.

“Yeah I guess so.” I replied as I got up to leave. “I mean it Folio. Nothing crazy.”

“Aye aye doc.” He laughed with a mock salute.

I closed the door and headed towards the room at the end of the hallway to meet the others. We still needed to plan tonight’s job.

I could hear a muffled conversation as I approached the room. It seemed heated. Entering the room, it became apparent that Nick and Matt were trying to calm down a very angry Noah.

“What’s going on?” I shouted over the arguing.

“Wow. This just gets better and better.” Noah yelled angrily with a fake laugh.

“What?” I asked again.

“Iris and Jaxon Martinez. Ring a bell, princess.” Noah directed at me.

“Yes, the people we are posing as to get into ERRA’s party, right” I replied.

“Exactly. Now, when were you going to share with the group that they are a MARRIED COUPLE?” Noah changed his anger back towards Matt.

Oh fuck. This was going to massively suck.

Silence fell in the room as what Noah just said echoed through.

“Wait. So does that mean that Noah and I have to pretend to be married?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” Matt answered after a pause.

Shouts of protest from myself and Noah filled the room.

“It’s not like you both have to do anything. Just go in together and stick together. That’s it.” Matt tried to diffuse the tension.

“Sure. Except from the fact that they are constantly touching each other. And the fact that their faces are constantly attached to each other’s.” Noah argued.

“That would have been nice to know before I fucking agreed to this dumbass plan Matt.” I yelled.

“I am not going anywhere near her like that.” Noah shouted in disgust.

“I am also not going anywhere near HIM like that.” I agreed.

“At least you guys are agreeing one something.” Matt suggested timidly.

“Go fuck yourself, Matt.” I screeched.

“We need a new plan.” Noah decided.

“There is no other plan. I have already fixed the invite.” Nick announced.

Fuck.

“Fine. We will just have to find a way around this.” I suggested.

“I cannot believe you are actually agreeing to this.” Noah yelled.

“Get your head out of your ass. It’s for one night then it’s done and we can move on.” I shouted in reply.

“Fine.” Noah caved.

“Great. Now let’s focus on tonight.” Matt sighed.

Noah had a white-knuckle grip on the edge of the table trying to calm his anger and focus on the plan.

Matt pulled up the map from last night again, focusing in on The Grey and zooming in on the second tallest building there. The top floor was lit up blue, indicating the penthouse apartment the Martinezes lived in. It looked like a larger version of how my own apartment looked from the outside, obviously significantly more luxurious than mine was.

A penthouse like this would be difficult to infiltrate as we would have to go up to that floor hopefully avoiding any security cameras that they might have installed and any security guards they have. It appeared that they didn’t own the entire building, which should play into our favour as they wouldn’t be allowed to CCTV the entire building with access from their penthouse suite.

“They don’t have access to the cameras except for the ones directly outside their front door.” Nick told us.

At least that helped us.

“If you go up first, Nick, would you be able to scramble the feed before they notice?” Bryan asked.

“I should be able to, depending on the type of system they use.” Nick answered.

“That’s still too much of a risk.” Noah sighed. “I don’t want to get up there and not have a way to scramble it. We would be asking to get caught by that point.”

“What if we just walk in?” I suggested.

“What do you mean?” Noah asked with a frustrated groan.

“Well, what if one of us knocks with a rouse to get in. Then we grab them.” I explained.

“But what rouse would we go with?” Matt asked.

“That’s the part I haven’t figured out yet.” I sighed.

Noah sighed loudly and pushed himself off of the table. He ran a hand through his perfect hair and began pacing the room in long strides. I was surprised he didn’t make himself dizzy with the amount of laps he did.

“What if you went up and asked for help, V?” Jolly suggested.

“Help with what?” I questioned.

“I don’t know, but people would want to help a young woman in need right?” Jolly went on.

“But these people are assholes Jolly. They wouldn’t give two shits about Vania, and I wouldn’t blame them.” Noah groaned in frustration.

Low blow. Thanks Noah.

“You are going in a good direction though, Nick.” I complimented. “But I don’t have the manpower on my own to take down two people on my own.”

“What if Noah was chasing you?” Matt broke the silence.

“Huh?” Noah and I said in unison. Sharing a glare with each other.

“What if he chased you up the stairs and barged into their apartment? Then you would have the manpower.” Matt elaborated.

“Yes I like that plan.” Nick replied with a snap of his fingers.

“So what, princess here gets a head start and I chase after her?” Noah asked.

“Exactly.” Matt and Nick answered in unison.

Noah and I shared a wary glance before agreeing to the plan. Nick would scramble the feed remotely from the armoured car outside after Noah and I were in the room so that there wouldn’t be any evidence of what we had done.

We explained the plan to Folio as well so he wouldn’t be out of the loop, then began getting together our equipment for the job ahead of us. Luckily for us, we wouldn’t need to bring any extra weapons in with us thanks to my mantis blades and Noah’s weaponised arm upgrades. That would save us a lot of trouble getting out rouse to be convincing enough for me to get into the apartment.

The armoured car was almost completely packed once all of us had taken a seat. When the time came for Folio to join us, there would be no room to breathe. I was sandwiched between Jolly and Noah. Nick and Matt sat opposite us and Bryan was in the front  driving.

The plan was pretty basic. I would run up to their door, looking out of breath and bang on the door saying that I was being chased. Noah would run up after me ‘chasing me’ and hopefully the Martinezes would let me in, and Noah would barge in after, then we would take them out once the door was shut. Sure, there was a lot that could go wrong, but we had planned ways around them as best as we could.

We went over the plan several times on the ride over to The Grey. Noah seemed anxious. His hands twitched, his knee bounced up and down and his brow was furrowed.

Nudging his foot with my own, he looked up at me. You okay? I mouthed at him. He leaned closer until his lips were beside my ear, “Like you care.” He whispered angrily.

I glared at him angrily. God he really was insufferable. I honestly had no idea what I had done to offend him so much, besides the beef he had with my old crew. But the others seemed to have gotten over it, so why couldn’t he?

I turned away from him and looked out of the front window. We were almost there after twenty minutes of driving through the centre of the Concrete Jungle. Now, we were surrounded by skyscrapers and other buildings belonging to the elite. God that life must be incredible. Literally having credits to burn because you were so rich. That would be insane. I could turn away from this crime-filled life forever. No more dealing with Noah. No more pain. Only peace.

My daydreaming was rudely interrupted with a jab in my side from Noah’s freakishly pointy elbow as he shook his head at me. We had arrived at the building where the Martinezes lived. Much like the surrounding buildings, this one was tall. From the ground, it looked like it touched the sky, which was beginning to darken rapidly. Perfect. The building’s purple glow was getting progressively brighter as night encroached on the Concrete Jungle. It was time.

Nodding to the guys in the car, Noah and I began our journey into the building. The plan was to take the elevator halfway up the skyscraper, then walk the rest of the way so we both looked appropriately out of breath.

“This is a dumbass plan, princess.” Noah complained as we scaled the staircase.

“Yet here you are, asshole.” I breathed heavily.

“Not like I exactly had a choice.” He mumbled.

“I didn’t hear you suggest anything better.” I scoffed angrily. I was really starting to get tired of his moaning.

“Not like you gave me a chance. You barged into my life and fucked it up.” Noah snarled.

“Jesus Noah. It’s not exactly like I had a fucking choice in the matter did I?” I whisper-shouted at him.

“You didn’t have to sign that damn contract, princess.” Noah argued back.

“No, Noah. I did have to. One million credits is a big fucking deal.” I retaliated, hoping he would drop this.

“You could have taken a different job.” Noah huffed.

“Noah. How often has an opportunity like this crossed your path?” I snarled back at him.

Silence.

“That’s what I fucking thought asshole.” I finished.

We walked up a few more sets of stairs in silence. The stairwell was brightly lit, with white LEDs encasing us in an almost sterile light. We looked very out-of-place being here. The silence wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was enough. That was before Noah felt the need to ruin it.

“Why do you need one million credits?” He asked.

“None of your fucking business asshole.” I replied flatly. He didn’t need to know anything about me. It wasn’t like we were friends.

“Just curious that’s all. Wondering what you were going to do with it. I need ideas on what to spend it on.”  Noah replied calmly.

I had never had an interaction with him that wasn’t an argument.

“I don’t know. Rent I guess?” I replied bluntly.

“That’s boring, princess. I mean like something fun. Something cool. You could do literally anything you want with the money and your first thought is paying rent? Just seems boring.” Noah laughed.

“What if I want to save it?” I suggested.

“Why not invest it instead? Buy a business. Start a company.” Noah stated.

“Because I don’t want to, Noah. I just want to survive. Ill worry about having fun later.” I  sighed. Already sick of this conversation.

“You are going to die bored, princess. Live a little. Go crazy.” Noah laughed.

“Since when do you care?” I threw back at him.

His expression changed.

“God, princess I was just trying to lighten the mood.” He snarled at me. Back to classic Noah.

“Well, don’t. We’re almost there.” I finished bluntly.

We both stopped walking and looked at each other for a second. There was a hint of something in his chocolate eyes that was different. I couldn’t quite place it.

“I’ll wait here for a couple seconds then chase you.” Noah stated plainly.

“Sounds good.” I answered.

“Get ready to run, princess.” He said menacingly.

With that, I turned on my heels and began running up the last three sets of stairs. I was completely out of breath when I got to the door at the top of the stairs. I stepped forward and started frantically banging on the door.

“HELP! HELP!” I screamed. Trying to sound as terrified as I could. “He’s chasing me!”

The door opened to reveal a woman about my height with bright blue hair. Iris Martinez. A man stood behind her. He was tall and well built. His hair was orange. Jaxon Martinez.

“Honey, are you okay.” Iris rushed.

“He’s going to get me. You have to help.” I begged, hoping she was buying the act.

“Who is sweetheart?” She knelt down next to me.

“I am.” A deep voice growled from behind me. That’s not Noah’s voice.

I looked up and both Jaxon and Iris wore a smirk on their faces.

I turned slowly and who I saw before me shook me to my very core. I knew this man well. He had made my life hell since before I had joined my last crew with Davis. He had hunted me for years at this point. JT Cavey. ERRA leader Jesse’s right hand.

“Hello again, Vania. It’s time to come home.”

Chapter 3

[melodygatesauthor]

Chapter 12: Black Ties, White Lace and Birthday Cake

prof!Steven Grant-Jake Lockley-Marc Spector X f!Reader

Edited by: @whatthefishh

Mood Boards - Book Cover - Masterlist

Chapter Summary:

Steven is coming back to class, and you're feeling off about the way he presents himself in class versus the evenings you spend together in his car.

Tags/Summary (these are for the ENTIRE fic):

college AU, no powers/not in MCU/no Khonshu (as a deity), talk of mental illness, Marc has DID, forbidden relationship, age gap, reader is 21y/o, Boys are 38y/o, reader attends college in America but isn't necessarily American, smut, sex, masturbation, p in v, creampies galore, reader is on birth control, dubious consent due to identity issues, ANGST, romance, fluff and smut, oral sex, falling in love, reader is not race coded, minor mentions of alcohol addiction and depression.

Word Count: 2.8k

SPECIAL WARNING - DUBIOUS CONSENT. READER DISCRETION ADVISED.

----

It took days before Marc and Jake finally broke through to Steven, and they got to him just in time. It was Sunday afternoon, and Marc was on his ninth, or maybe it was the tenth rerun of Steven’s favorite documentary on Egyptian mythology. He said it was the most accurate one he could find and the corny jokes littered throughout seemed to make him laugh. Marc was eating another bowl of Steven’s favorite cereal, hoping that something would give, when finally…he was there.

“Oh my…” Steven dropped the bowl on the floor with a thud, soy milk and cereal spilling all over the hardwood floor. He stood up from where he was seated fast, touching all over his body as though to make sure he were really there. “I’m…I’m back. What did…what happened?”

“Steven, thank god,” Marc said, sighing in relief.

Steven ran to the three piece mirror and looked at his reflections, Jake on one side and Marc on the other. He looked at himself, hair slicked back the way Marc liked it. How long had he been gone for? It was like he totally blacked out. The pain he’d felt after the breakup pushed him so far back he didn’t recall anything from the past three weeks.

“Tell me what’s happened.”

“There’s nothing to tell, you got upset and then you just…you disappeared,” Marc sounded a little choked up as he continued to feel the warmth of Steven’s return. “I’m really glad you’re back. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure–”

“Not interested in talking to you, or you,” he spat, looking over at Jake. Steven wasn’t the angry type, but if looks could kill, Marc and Jake would cease to exist on the spot. “This is all your fault. All of it. Both of you.”

“Oye, what did you expect us to do hermano?” Jake crossed his arms defensively, as though he weren’t just as guilty as Steven.

“I expected you both to leave me alone like you promised, yeah?” Steven walked away from the mirror but he could still hear them chattering while he started getting clothes together for the day.

“You kinda messed that up when you started sleeping with your student, Steven. Trust me, we don’t wanna be here either, but you left us no choice.” Marc retorted, “you think I don’t feel guilty every damn day for what we put you through? It eats away at me but that doesn’t mean I can just stand by while–”

“Enough!” Steven yelled, looking at the mirror in the bathroom as he stepped inside, “I get it, don’t worry. I’ll behave just the way you want me to yeah? I’ll live my life the way you both want me to. The way I always have.”

There was silence while Steven brushed his teeth and showered. He stepped out of the tub and glared at his reflection in passing, noticing that they were still there despite his wish that they’d disappear. He never thought the day would come that he would be able to say that he hated them, but he felt like he did. They’d ruined everything for him, and even now they were still ruining everything for him.

“Steven I–”

“No, Marc–”

“I’m sorry I know–”

“No, Marc!”

“—if you’d just let me explain I–”

“Fuckin’ HELL!” Steven said, dropping onto the bed and burying his face in his hands, “I don’t care what you say, there’s nothing to say. I’ve spent my entire life takin’ care of you, sitting back watching you and Jake do your thing.” He slumped over and started to feel the tears flow freely, “I finally found somethin’ that made me feel like I was living. Like I was real and not just an accessory to you two.”

“Buddy, you’re not just an accessory, okay? I probably wouldn’t be alive without you.” If Marc could, he’d give Steven a hug. The guilt was killing him.

Jake remained silent, as he often did, afraid to say much in this situation. He was torn, like Steven was, knowing that Marc was making perfect, and logical, sense. It didn’t change the fact that he felt the same way as Steven did though. You reminded Jake that he was alive, and that he mattered. Even if it was wrong, he knew that he was helping you through a tough time and he hoped you appreciated that much at the very least. He had a purpose because of you.

After a long bout of silence, Steven sniffled and sighed, deciding to change the subject,  

“How long has it been?” Steven finally picked his phone up off the nightstand, “it’s been…it’s been nearly three weeks.”

“Yeah, that’s why we’ve been trying so hard to get you back, the head of the history department isn’t exactly happy with a new professor who isn’t showing up to his job.” Marc sounded irritated.

Steven saw your texts…the ones where you were drunk and begging him to come back. He felt a pit in his gut before he put the phone back on the table harshly. He took a deep and shaky breath, feeling himself wanting to disappear again but he knew he couldn’t. He grabbed his chest and walked away from the phone, realizing that he’d left the mess of cereal on the floor from earlier.

“I’ll go back tomorrow. Wouldn’t want to ruin this silly little life you gave me. This meaningless, poor excuse for a life.”

“Steven that’s enough, your life isn’t meaningless, pendejo,” Jake said softly, “this is your life now, we just want to make sure you don’t make it worse than we already have.”

Jake’s words seemed to help calm Steven, despite the fact that they meant nothing. Sure, Steven’s life wasn’t meaningless, of course it wasn’t, but Jake wasn’t going to stop seeing you behind both of their backs. He was going to join Marc in keeping Steven away from you, while still seeing you on the side. He was just as much a disaster for the system as Steven was.

That night, when the other two were out, Jake fronted and picked up Steven’s phone. He had to tell you that he was coming back. He had to make sure that you didn’t say anything stupid that would ruin this little thing the two of you had going in secret.

Steven: Hey love, I’m coming back to school tomorrow. I think it’s time. Make sure not to speak to me or even come near me, alright?

Steven: Can’t even have you asking for help with class. Just pretend you don’t know me at all if you want this to continue.

----

You looked at your messages on Monday morning, shaking as you looked down at your phone. Steven was coming back to school. You didn’t know how to act. 

Normal, you thought to yourself, you have to act normal, just like he said in the text. 

But that was easier said than done. It was simple enough to dress modestly, not wearing anything that might make him, or yourself, too uncomfortable, but walking into his classroom and seeing him there for the first time in weeks made your legs feel weak. He was still so handsome, and he looked just like the Steven you remembered.

His hair was a little disheveled and his eyes were surrounded in dark circles like he hadn’t slept for days. He wore a dark blue button-down with a black tie. He still hadn’t noticed that you walked in. Even his facial expression was back to normal too, not like the man you’d been meeting with at night. It took everything inside of you not to rush to him, and tell him how much you missed him. How much you missed the real him…but you obviously couldn’t do that.

His breath caught in his throat when looked up and he saw you.

‘I can’t do this,’ he thought, ‘one of you has to–’

“Steven,” Marc started, “come on buddy, you gotta pull it together.”

Steven tried, and somehow managed to succeed. He spent most of the class looking at the whiteboard, the floor, and anything else other than you. He tugged on his collar, feeling hot, noticing the damp perspiration under his armpits. He was more nervous now than he’d ever been with you. How was he supposed to go on like this? He was positive that he wouldn’t be able to relax in his class ever again until you were out of it.

When the lecture finished, he glanced up at you for a split second on your way out. You looked back, feeling the sharp stab of his gaze through your gut. He looked so different from the man you’d been meeting in the black car late at night. His eyebrows were turned up and eyes glistening when he looked at you. He was back to the Steven you knew and loved…no…he was just the Steven you thought you knew…

You weren’t even sure if you really loved him anymore. You thought you did, despite everything that had transpired, but part of you knew this was wrong…like something was off. The sneaking around, the undeniable change in behavior, the way he hardly ever spoke to you and refused to face you when you were alone together. You were starting to get fed up with it, but you threw it all out the window when he texted you that night and the following night asking to meet up.

You were an emotional slave for him, letting him hold power over you like no other. You asked yourself what you would say to a friend if they were in that same situation. You’d tell them to cut their losses. No questions asked. Time to move on. Yet, you still found yourself in that same damn car, bent over at the hips the same way being ravaged by the same man night after night until you were a panting, wet mess in his back seat.

Tomorrow was his birthday…at least that’s what the note read on the unmarked package you received at your dorm on Wednesday night.

It’s my birthday tomorrow. I’d be thrilled if you wore this for me. Meet me at the car at 11pm.

S

It was a beautiful white and lacy lingerie set. You gulped, holding it up to yourself in the mirror. It was stunning and must have cost a pretty penny, and you had to admit that it looked good on you the next night when you put it on. You bit your bottom lip, feeling your cheeks flush with excitement as they often did when you knew you were meeting up with Steven. You wondered if he was as excited to see you every time you were supposed to meet up too.

Steven, of course, had no idea that was happening when he thought he was asleep. He’d spent his birthday evening, prior to Jake meeting up with you, messily stuffing his face with a store bought cupcake while watching a bad movie on cable television. Marc made a comment about Steven getting the frosting all over his shirt, and told him to go wipe his mouth, but he ignored him.

It wasn’t abnormal these days for Steven to spend his nights looking like a zombie in front of the tv, just waiting for the time to pass by. Sometimes he even hoped Marc would take over and let him sulk, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen. Marc was still trying to take the back seat like he’d promised he would so many times before. Steven, still slumped over, walked to Gus’ tank and gave him a few extra flakes of fish food.

“S’pose you can celebrate with me, yeah? Not like I have a girlfriend to wish me happy birthday.”

“Steven, can you stop makin’ the snide comments already? Hate to break it to you buddy, but not every birthday is going to be a big, special thing,” Marc was truly trying to stay patient with Steven, but the moping was constant, and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

“She would’ve made it special I bet.” His face contorted with sorrow at the thought of you. “Bet she would’ve done something real nice f’me.”

Steven, with heavy sobs, dressed himself for bed and crawled under the blankets. The voices in his head ceased, but they were both right there with him while he drifted off.

Jake felt horrible…worse than he’d ever felt before. There he was, sitting in the car, waiting for you to walk outside to meet with him. When would this end? He knew he couldn’t string you along forever. He also knew he couldn’t possibly continue watching Steven go through the pain of missing you while he bent you over the hood of his car in that delicate little number he’d bought for you.

How was Jake meant to end this though? How was he supposed to convince himself to stop making you whine every time he thrust between your pussy lips, stretching your hole out around him? He was starting to worry that he wouldn’t be able to end the facade. He felt addicted to you, like if this were to end he might never be the same. He needed you, and he was still holding out hope that one day he’d be able to hold you, and cherish you the way he felt deep down in his heart.

He pulled out of you, flipping you onto your back. You let out a sharp gasp in surprise when he did. Steven didn’t look at you when he fucked you, not anymore anyway. There he was though, looking down at you, cock still dripping with a combination of your juices and his precum onto the ground. He grabbed the backs of your thighs, right below the pit of your knees, and he pushed them up. Your wet cunt felt chilled in the crisp night air.

Jake lined himself up with your hole again, plunging his thick cock deep into your wet heat. There was your sweet voice again, whimpering while you adjusted to his size once more. Jake tossed his head back, still trying to avoid your gaze. It was obvious that you were suspicious of him, and he started thinking that turning you on your back was a bad idea, but he wanted to see you. It was his birthday after all, he should allow himself a little something special…right?

You leaned up, grabbing him by the tie, and pulling him close. His head snapped forward, eyes full of surprise at the sudden motion as they met with yours. You hadn’t kissed him in a while, and you missed the way he tasted, so you closed your lips over his quickly before he could pull away from you again. You noticed his movements slowed, hips rolling at a more lazy pace while you stole the gravelly moans from his lips. His pleasured sounds were almost like a growl while he kissed you.

He rutted forward, any regrets he had about flipping you over, or for being there in the first place, dissipated with every pass of your tongue over his. You reached up your hand from his tie and carded your fingers through his curls. His mouth got stuck open, hot breath punching into you while his hips started moving faster again until suddenly they stopped.

Steven’s moans echoed off the trees that kept you both hidden from the street. You felt his cock gushing his hot spend into you, making you feel full of him once more. You kept your mouth on his while you came too, coating his tongue in your sounds while your cunt clamped down over him in waves. To your surprise, he didn’t let go right away to cover himself up with his hat and high collar jacket. Instead he stayed in the embrace, kissing you long after both of your orgasms ended.

Jake decided at that moment that he loved you, of that much he was certain. It was the only explanation for this feeling that he couldn’t shake. He wished he didn’t. He wished that he could just walk away from this and let Steven heal without the residual memories that Marc had mistaken for dreams. He couldn’t though, because while holding you there when he pulled back and looked into your breathtaking eyes, he knew that he couldn’t imagine living a day of his life without you.

----

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Moon Knight Masterlist

[rogueddie]

oh my god season one steve defender, hello

am i glad to find you because i’ve ben rewatching stranger things and the fanon version of steve before the upside down seems on the harsh side now. and the way the show was comparing him to jonathan who was dealt a shitty hand in life made people a bit biased.

like, he was asshole, not refuting that! but also he was a moody teenager who didn’t know better and peer pressure is a bitch even without people making assumptions about you and your big empty house. (i think a big part of steve being so gone on nancy was because she didn’t treat him like he was an asshole. unlike others who made it seem given.)

also he tried to rectify his mistakes. didn’t try to run from that. went to jonathan to apologize, even when his face was still fucked up from the beating he got and not knowing what jonathan was doing with nancy, exactly. he trusted nancy. he was jealous and lashed out in the worst way possible but he chose to trust her—like she trusted him before he went and hurt her. didn’t want to disappoint her again.

also he made the right choice at the most important time. running back to nancy after she threatened him with a gun and a literal monster jumped out? most teenagers—hell, even adults—would not do that, not even the kind and mature ones.

he wasn’t involved with the interdimensional monster shit, unlike nancy and jonathan who each had a person they lost to it and were in deep. he chose to be involved. like. people seem to think that the upside down and its subsequent trauma was what made steve a good person. he was good to begin with, he just needed a push. the upside down didn’t happen to steve, it was the other way around. that’s a big part of why i love his character: his choice to be involved. a lot of people understate that. like.

steve isn’t connected to anyone in the party. he’s there for them all nonetheless. a rich kid just inserted himself into danger to save people, how come he catches so much heat from others?

he wasn’t bad, is what i’m getting at. he acted bad. he was innately good and just had to practice that goodness outside the influence of mouthbreathers.

Oh, people are definitely too harsh on Steve. But that's entirely the Duffers fault, I'm convinced. Most people won't have watched s1 for a while so things like Robin insisting that Steve used to be an asshole will be informing their perceptions of early Steve, or Steve telling Nancy that he really needed that knock to the head like he was the worst person before that.

He was definitely problematic, majorly so. It was his friends who were the assholes but he didn't try that hard to stop them- we see him trying to scold Tommy for going too far, but it's only after he implies that Jonathan is responsible. He initiates it too, even if his comment isn't necessarily that bad.

And trying to make up for his mistakes? That was almost immediately afterwards as well. With the implication of his father cheating, obviously he's going to be paranoid about that type of thing happening to him just like his mom. It makes sense that he'd overreact and went way too far. He was upset and a kid!

Plus, on the point of him choosing to go back- isn't he the only one who really chooses to keep getting involved in the Upside Down, even though he doesn't really have any personal stakes in it?

Like, s1 he's given an out. Nancy pointed a gun at him and Jonathan isn't exactly a friend, but he goes back anyway. And in s2, he could've told Dustin no. He didn't need to babysit or agree to help him, he had no real reason to and it's heavily implied that the two aren't close at all. Then in s3, he could've turned Dustin away too. Why would Steve want to waste time on translating Russian? He had a job! S4 is the only time he has any personal stakes bc at that point he's good friends with Dustin and it's a clearly dangerous situation.

He's always had a very clear pattern of behavior that is the same now as it was in s1. Considering he's a rich kid, it would make sense that hed get stuck in a certain crowd too and of course theyd be assholes.

[coolguypluiplup]

Flower Husbands Florist AU

have a flower husbands oneshot loosely based on this tumblr post :)

word count: 1228

full fic under the cut!!

It had been a long shift. Jimmy wasn't normally one to complain (he's lying about this) but he feels like he deserves it today. His boss had booked him in to make 20 flower crowns for a hen party happening tonight that he didn't find out about 'till this morning, he had couples in and out all day for valentines' flowers and had to do the displays for tomorrow. And no one else was working this week! What a joke.

He was slumped against the counter, face pressed to his palm and eyes fighting to stay open. He had 10 minutes 'till closing and was practically counting down the seconds. The flowers in the display case glistened against the rim lights pointed at them causing a ripple of light against the wall facing Jimmy. He should really turn them off. No one had come in for 20 minutes and it's not like anyone's gonna come in at quarter to 10-

“Oh thank god. I've been searching for a place still open.” A man entered hastily, the doorbell ringing as he did. Teal hair stuck to his forehead in clumps and eyeliner ran down his face. He put his collapsed umbrella onto the counter. “I need a bouquet to tell someone I hate them.”

“Hm?” Jimmy spoke- nearly asleep.

“It is valentine's day tomorrow, right?”

Jimmy sat back on the stool, trying to avoid the rainwater pooling near the cash register. “Yeah.“

”Okay, so I need, like, a reverse 'I love you' bouquet.“

Jimmy stared at the man. He sighed and pulled out his floriography book.

”Anything in particular you fancy?“

”Nah. You're the flower boy, anyway.“

Jimmy made a noise of disagreement but started flicking through the pages of the book anyway. “I might need a bit more context to pick the right thing.”

The man sighed. “It's gonna take a while, you sure?”

“Mhm.” Jimmy said, instinctively. He was still exhausted but this was more fun than sleeping.

“Well, tl;dr or whatever, My ex is in town. She still has a thing for me, and I don’t.

He stopped flicking through the pages. “That's... a story. Not normally what I make this time of year,”

“Yep. And I'm gay, which I don’t even think she knows yet.”

“Hm.”

”So. Flowers?“

Jimmy flicked through the pages briskly, scanning each page for something suitable. ”I'm intrigued now. How'd that all go down, then?“ He was never one for small talk.

”Well. We met in year 9 and dated that entire time 'til uni. She was getting fed up that we'd never done any of the romantic stuff our friends did. I genuinely had no clue that that was kinda strange, so I didn't see the problem. And before I knew it, she'd run off with the ex of my best friend. They weren't exes at the time, but trust me, after this it was fallout. I was angry, naturally, and she told me that it was my fault for not trying to fix our relationship before it got too bad. So, I broke it off. Hadn't seen her since.

"Until last week, when my friend told me she was in town. So I invited her round our house. Me and Cleo thought 'no harm done now. We're over it, we know why me and her were having problems, should be fine now'. Couldn't be farther from the truth. She comes round and immediately starts talking about how much she misses me. Says that now we're 'more mature' we can work it out like adults and that she still has feelings for me. Didn't even get to tell her I found out I was gay after I left her.” 

The man had been looking at the displays while speaking, so he probably didn’t catch Jimmy’s jaw dropping before he could catch himself. He turned around to face him. “So, any good picks for the bouquet, then?”

Jimmy hesitantly flips to a page he dog-eared and turns it to face the stranger. They both move closer to the page to read it. ”Foxglove might be a good pick. 'Means insincerity. In older things it even means secrets and complicated situations, which seems fitting. And it's quite pretty, but that's more an aesthetic choice.”

“I like them.“ He stared up at Jimmy. Their faces were mere inches apart. His eyes were a light hazel with gold flecks nearly colour matched the piercings running down his ears. ”You alright?“

Jimmy blinked and moved back. ”Uhm, yeah. Sorry.“ He picked up the book and moved to the greenhouse door behind him. ”I've got a few picks that'll go great with the message. Should take, like, 20 minutes?“

”Okay. Thanks for doing this, by the way. I know it's, like, nearly ten right now,“

”No, don't worry, really. Uhm, can I get a name for the order?”

“Scott.”

Jimmy smiled as he spoke. “Scott. That name suits you.” He shut the door before Scott could respond.

The bouquet was placed on the counter with a thud, shaking Scott from his thoughts. The florist he was just thinking about stood with a smile. He got up and tried to shift his hair from his face (a pointless effort, he knew. Scott had checked how he looked in his phone camera while the guy was making his bouquet, and by god did he look dreadful. Make-up pouring down his face and clothes soaked through. Rained on just wasn't his look.) and walked towards the counter. ”Wow. These are beautiful.“

Scott wasn't lying. The foxgloves he'd recognised from earlier framed intricately placed white flowers. The vase the florist put them in was stunning too, glass patterns mirroring the stems of the flowers fractionally across its surface. 

”Thank you. The purple are foxgloves, like I said, and meadowsweet is the white one. It means uselessness in floriography. Um, I would've put more flowers but I guess not a lot of people need 'I hate you' flowers.” He laughed awkwardly at that last bit.

His laugh was nice. It was higher pitched than normal, but fit him perfectly. Scott smiled along, pretending like he wasn't just staring at him. 

Scott paid for the flowers (Jimmy gave him money off, not that he would find out until months later) and picked up his bouquet. 

”Wait. Uhm,“

Scott turned to face the florist. ”Hm?“

”I have, uh, something else to give you,“ He held out a singular poppy with a slip of paper wrapped around it. ”'s just- Don't take it if you don't wan' it, but-“

Scott took the poppy before he finished speaking. He unravelled the piece of paper and read it carefully. ”'Jimmy'. That name suits you, you know.“

He blushed and turned away from him. ”Aw. Don't use my own words against me!“ He feigned anger but was smiling too much for it to have any bite.

Scott put the piece of paper with Jimmy's number in his pocket and took the poppy and tucked behind his ear. ”Thank you, Jimmy. I'll call later to tell you how the flowers went down.“

”Don't spare any details, I'm properly invested.“

Scott laughed as he opened the door. The moonlight had illuminated the wet concrete. When had it stopped raining? He couldn't have been in there that long. Scott turned to face Jimmy. “See you later, Jimmy.”

”You too.“

[starry-blue-echoes]

so guess who Actually Managed To Finish Another Snippet :D

I've been Pondering exactly how the arrival to Air Supplena in Joseph's part of Star Swap would go for a while now, and it's kinda funny because going into planning for this one my initial idea was "Joseph Being Way Too Chill About Terrifying Things." However, then I realised that 1) with how I set up the time left, this was going to be in Joseph's last 24 hours of presumed life and 2) he's been repressing hard this whole time and I think he deserves a chance to actually express it all :)

so without further ado, here's 2.3k words of Joseph Having A Fucking Breakdown Breakdown

-----------

“I’ve used Moody to check the whole island. No one’s been here for weeks.” Abbacchio glared, arms crossed. “So spill, Jojo. If this is where you’re supposed to meet someone, where are they?”

He……

He didn’t have an answer for that.

For whatever reason, no one was here, and they hadn't been here for a while.

There weren’t any Hamon Users.

Sure it had been nearly a century but……

Surely they would’ve taught more people.

They couldn’t- Surely he and Caesar hadn’t been Coach’s last students.

Coach was dedicated and Caesar was stubborn, and the two of them had basically dedicated their entire lives to the art. Sure, given how long it’s been Lisa Lisa could be…… but Caesar had also mentioned Hamon could extend life spans! Surely he would’ve been able to make it to his 80s. They wouldn't just up and abandon Air Supplena without a really good reason-

But then from a small, dark corner of his mind he’d been trying to keep quiet ever since he woke up here, a thought reared its head.

……

Un…… unless……

Unless they didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Up until now he’d been assuming Giorno had swapped places with him but……

But he didn’t know for certain.

What if he didn’t.

What if the body of Joseph Joestar remained uninhabited.

What if the day of the fight came and he wasn’t there for the Pillarmen to battle.

What if they-

Oh.

Oh god-

They couldn’t- No, no, they were- Caesar and Coach were stronger than he was, plus they had Messina and Loggins as back up, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to fight them one on one-

But Joseph didn’t know.

“Jojo?” distantly he heard someone call out to him but their voice was insignificant to everything running through his head.

They were-

They-

They-

“FUCK!”

Abbacchio let out a curse as he scrambled back, just barely managing to avoid the small explosion of rubble as Joseph slammed his fist into the wall. Beneath the cacophony from the newly made (and rather sizable) dent in the wall Joseph could hear the snap of broken bone and wet sound of split skin, could see the blood staining the stone where his hand had connected, but he didn’t even have time to feel the pain before the Hamon sewed his wounds back shut.

“This- This is just PERFECT.” Joseph hissed, his still slightly bloodied hand combing through his hair and tugging at his scalp.

His last chance, his last hope, not only was it gone but so was everyone else, they were gone and it was probably his fault, he didn’t know what was happening, the Pillarmen weren’t here but they might’ve been, they clearly knew the location of the island and there was all the damage he’d seen down by the training rings that couldn’t have been possible for a Hamon User to cause-

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Bucciarati beginning to step toward him.

“Jojo, whatever’s wrong, I’m sure we can think of something to-” Bucciarati began, but the rage the grief flooding Joseph’s veins was too scalding, too bubbling, too consuming to even entertain the idea of listening.

Because hearing Bucciarati say those words, hearing offers of a solution, that suddenly made everything real, it wasn’t in his head, something was wrong wrong wrong it wasn’t supposed to be this way-

Deep down, Joseph felt something inside him, something that had been growing strained ever since the rings were placed deep inside of him, break.

“WHAT, BUCCIARATI?!?” He shouted, whipping around. “WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY DO?!?! YOU CAN'T FIX EVERY PROBLEM AND GUESS WHAT, THIS IS ONE OF THEM!!!!!”

The man flinched back, eyes wide and obviously shocked by the outburst. He blinked as if he’d never seen Joseph before, and something Joseph could only describe as recognition settled behind the man’s eyes.

“Hey-!” Mista stepped forward with a slight glare on his face, no doubt in defense of Bucciarati, but Joseph just barreled through whatever he was going to say.

“MY TEACHERS ARE DEAD,”

He’d never gotten along with them but he could respect them, they were just doing their jobs, just trying to keep him alive even though it was now going to be useless in the end

“MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD,”

Caesar, Smokey, Suzie, he hadn’t known them for very long but he’d never felt so much comfort around another person near his age before, never had to watch his words or act prim and proper, he could just be himself and now they were gone gone gone

“MY FAMILY IS DEAD,”

Oh god he wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye to Granny or Uncle Speedwagon was he. He was going to die without ever getting a chance to say “I love you” and “thank you for raising me” and “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble and worrying you” and

“I’M GOING TO BE DEAD IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS,”

He was going to die he was going to die he was going to die he was going to die he was going to die he was

“AND IT'S ALL! MY! FAULT!” 

His shout was punctuated by a crackcrackcrack beneath him, spiderwebs opening up in the stone beneath his feet.

Bucciarati held his hand out to stop Mista and looked at Joseph with a confused frown on his face. “What do you-”

“I was supposed to BE HERE!” Joseph continued, beginning to pace. Hamon crackled and popped off of his skin, hungry for some enemy to attack but finding nothing but the open air around him and the hard stone beneath his feet. “I’m the one they took interest in, I’m the one they made a deal with, I’M the one they wanted to kill, so if I wasn’t here when they arrived for our fight, who KNOWS what they did-”

“Jojo, stop.” Bucciarati interrupted. “Who wants to kill you?”

A manic laugh tore itself out of his throat. “It’s not like it fucking matters any more-”

“Jojo.” Bucciarati said, his voice was firm, firm like when he was giving orders, firm like when they were on the boat fighting Zucchero, firm like Granny’s. “Who-”

But then Bucciarati made a mistake.

He tried grabbing his shoulder.

It was for barely a second, maybe not even that long. 

But it was enough.

The man let out a cry of pain, hand recoiling as though he’d been burned he had, he had, he’d hurt him, he hurt the man who’d shown him so much care, so much kindness, this was how he was repaying him. 

Joseph should’ve cared.

Joseph should’ve cared that he accidentally hurt someone, should’ve cared about the way the others bristled with shouts of alarm and Stand Energy hovering above their skin, should’ve cared that he had so little control that something little as a shoulder touch set him into fight or flight.

But drowning in his spiral of grief and rage and terror it was barely a blip on his radar.

“What could I POSSIBLY tell you that could make things right?!?” he shouted instead.

He was weak weak weak he hadn’t been strong enough before, wasn’t strong enough now-

“Do you want to know about the fact I was weak?” he continued, and if glares were enough to kill he wouldn't have been surprised if Bucciarati dropped dead right then and there. “Want to know I was a fucking IDIOT who didn’t realize how out of my depth I was?!? That in the end the best I could do was lead them away before they dealt the finishing blow to my friend and Uncle?!?”

It had hurt, it had hurt, it had hurt so badly to leave them behind but it was for their own good he was luring him away they’d have a chance to run, to flee, to get to safety

“Do you want to know how 33 days ago, I made a stupid agreement to save my own skin?!? How they sealed the deal with fucking poisonous rings they shoved into my heart and throat that would only come off if I beat them in a fight?!??” His voice should’ve been hoarse but the rush of Hamon through his veins still ran strong, flooding and filling every inch of him to the brim, yet it still couldn’t warm the cold phantom weight in his chest. “How I trained and trained and trained for week after week with a death sentence hanging over my head?!?! How if I didn’t fight I would die, how if I did fight and wasn’t good enough I’d die anyways?!?!?!”

The stone under his feet cracked again, this time much larger and much louder. The only thing that kept him up was the Hamon beneath his feet suspending him in the air, just like he practiced in the destroyed dead gone practice fields.

“How it was all WORTHLESS in the end?!?!?” His eyes hurt, his eyes were burning like twin suns in his face. “How I woke up in the middle of fucking Naples with no idea how I got there and a ticking clock for my death?!?! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, BUCCIARATI, AND BECAUSE I WASN’T EVERYONE MIGHT BE DEAD AND NOW I-!” 

But his traitorous voice broke and shattered before he could continue, cracking like glass into nothingness.

But he was scared, he was so scared, so scared to die, he didn’t want to die, please he didn’t want to die-

His eyes burned and it finally hit him just how wet his cheeks were.

How uneasy and broken his breathing had become, bad enough he was now standing at the bottom of the cracked hole he’d inadvertently made.

“……I can’t do anything,” he whispered, and despite the change in volume it felt so much louder than anything he’d said before. His chest wouldn’t obey his commands, shuddering up and down with only a fraction of the air he took in staying inside before it was forced out. “This….. this was my last hope. But they’re all gone and I…… I can’t do anything to stop it.”

I’m going to die and I’m going to be helpless to stop it.

The silence was crushing him.

It was big and heavy and loud god how could silence be so loud it was supposed to be the opposite but here it was filling his ears filling his head, it hurt the quiet hurt someone say something please please please don’t let it be quiet quiet quiet like the empty halls that might as well be filled with the ghosts of the dead-

He turned to the others, desperate to find something there, some kind of confirmation that they weren’t gone too-

And Abbacchio looked like he’d been struck by lighting and Mista’s eyes were so wide they looked about ready to roll out of his head and Fugo looked ready to join him in smashing the floor and Narancia looked ready to cry with big shiny eyes and Trish was crying with silent rivers running down her cheeks and-

And Bucciarati was looking at him with a face so blank that was impossible he wasn’t using it to hide something

And the emotion filled haze in his mind cleared, the world snapping back into painful clarity like that, and suddenly everything Joseph had just said hit him in an instant.

Shit.

Shit.

“I shouldn’t have said all that.” He said to no one in particular, eyes wide and a new spike of terror clawing its way up his throat.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, of course they would react this way, they think he’s just some 15 year old and not a time traveling body snatcher, oh god oh fuck he’d just shouted at Bucciarati, the man just wanted to help and he got angry at him, he fucking shocked him-

“H-Hey it-“ his voice cracked again, the smile plastered on his face felt so fake it was almost painful and no matter what he did he couldn’t get the tears to stop. “It’s not all bad. At least I- I’ll be able to meet everyone soon!”

His words were painful to hear to his own ears and so very obviously the wrong thing to say yet nothing else came to mind to fix it. The grin on his face felt almost manic as he forced it to stay straight, but it still wobbled at the corners and his lips threatened to let loose a scream. His hands were shaking and no matter how much he willed them they wouldn’t stop-

Bucciarati started walking toward him.

“B-Bucciarati,” he stuttered out. “Hey, I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell, I shouldn’t have hurt you, you just wanted to help, I-”

Warm arms wrapped around him.

Joseph’s breath hitched.

He was an adult. He was 18 years old. Giorno’s body and all the jabs Caesar made about his immaturity be damned, he was supposed to act like it.

But right in this moment, gently held in Bucciarati’s arms with his head tucked under the man’s chin, he couldn’t help but remember all those times Granny and Uncle Speedwagon would do the same when he was younger.

How long had it been since he was small enough to be held like this? Since he’d been small enough for his whole body to be enveloped in the warmth of another person, completely shielded away from the harsh world all around them.

“I’m so sorry, Jojo.”

It was four words. Four simple words barely spoken above a whisper and meant for no ears except for his own.

And yet, they held the weight of the world itself.

His knees buckled and shook under the weight until they gave out, all but collapsing in Bucciarati’s arms, the sound he made more reminiscent of an injured animal than a person. 

But the man’s arms held firm, easily supporting his weight and tucking him closer into his warmth.

He was going to die.

He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

“……Bucciarati?” 

The whisper felt like it was scraping his throat raw as more tears dropped down his face. The warmth from Bucciarati’s body wasn’t enough to stop the cold, cold, cold weight wrapped around his heart. 

“I’m scared.”

[space-apples]

saying this on here because the azi hate is seriously (not a big deal, im a theatre kid and im being dramatic) driving me insane.

buckle up because i have fucking things to say <3.

good omens 2 spoilers ahead, obviously/lh

i hate the coffee theory. and before you click away, please read my post <33

i like the lie theory better, but i enjoy the integrity (for lack of a better word) of it being about religious trauma and how that affects different people.

azi is so religiously brainwashed that he still believes heaven can be good. he is an angel, he is good. but since he got kicked out, that meant he wasn’t good enough. as much as crowley sees and recognizes the things azi does, azi does the same for crowley. he sees and recognizes how good crowley is. he is so incredibly good that— in azi’s mind— it doesn’t make sense that he’s a demon.

additionally, he also sees that crowley is lonely. and azi is also lonely. and the whole point is that theyre lonely together. but if they both become angels, then they don’t have to be lonely, and they can be together.

we also know that azi knew crowley before he fell. he saw what could happen to him if he did something wrong. it’s why he is so worried about whether or not he’s doing good.

overtime, ofc, we see him growing into himself a little bit more because he’s no longer surrounded by heaven officials. but then a very powerful one— his boss’s boss— came up to him and said that he was the best. angel. for. the. job.

that he couldn’t think of a better angel than aziraphale. and he just wants to be good so badly. he wants to be with crowley so badly. and with this, he can have both.

i totally see it from crowley’s pov too— he’s been building up a relationship with the closest person he’s ever had. they were on the same side because they didn’t have a choice to do otherwise. and then azi actively chooses the very thing that was making both of them suffer and feel like they can never do anything right ever. like i definitely see why and see how crowley is upset. it’s justifiable. /gen

i dont think either of them are at fault here except for heaven and hell. i think all of this comes down to communication. and though i think azi should do the “you were right” song, i don’t inherently think that this is something he is at fault.

aziraphale is still operating in the good vs bad system, he hasn’t fully deprogramed his indoctrination. he’s trying to convince himself that he’s right. if the institution you were in your entire life ended up being bad for you, of course you wouldn’t believe it at first. azi is actively choosing between what he wants to do, and what he has to do. and since he is so fucking afraid of heaven and consequences of defying that, he would say yes.

he’s searching and hoping for validation— and his boss’s boss came up to him and it not only gave him that toxic validation, but it put him back into that “oh i can be / do good.”

but to crowley, aziraphale was saying, “i want to make you good enough for heaven.” and aziraphale was trying to say, “i want to make heaven good enough for you. i want to make myself good enough for you.”

and people are comparing azi to gabriel because ineffable bureaucracy (i just spent a very long time trying to spell that LMAO) happened in like a week, and it took our aziraphale more than 6000 years. to that, i am here to remind people that gabriel was probably contributing to the fears that aziraphale had, and he didn’t ever experience that type of trauma because the only people that were above him was the metatron and fucking god.

plus, this type of institution affects people variously and not every person reacts or behaves the same :):)

this whole thing is just how religious trauma affects people differently :):):):)

another reason why i hate the coffee theory is just because it undermines aziraphale’s intensely complex character. the end lol. i hope you have a great day <33

[runningfrom2am]

“After the games, it would be so easy to point the finger at you and call you dangerous and insane.” MY GIRL IS THE LEAST DANGEROUS ONE IN DISTRICT 12- HOW DARE THEY!! (unless she has “salt”, i can’t really blame her)

“you didn’t have much of a choice if you wanted to live.” hmm, isn’t that just the best?

i mean this in the most affectionate way possible, i love seeing coryo blaming himself for things that happened to her when he was only partially responsible.

she went from treating coryo as coriolanus to treating herself as coriolanus and i love that.

she really has all the plays memorised, hasn’t she?

sejanus, my beloved <3 he will never get the jokes and the quotes but that’s okay. in his defense, how was he supposed to know that referencing and talking about plays help her?

“Okay, now, this is the hard part.” [that “what do you mean?!” jennifer lawrence video]

“Political Science” disappointed but not surprised.

on one hand i know lennox learning that his sister is leaving for capitol with coryo would be a problem even though he’s more likely to understand the reason why, on the other he didn’t get to say goodbye 🥲🥲.

she didn’t include cole to her thoughts about mayfair and billy taupe- i seriously need to know what happened with him.

lucy gray crying for billy taupe is making me emotional for some reason. she didn’t deserve that.

coryo, for the love of god, please stop progressing the games in moments of panic. please.

well, money solves everything.

hiiii bestie i’ve missed you!! (sorry again ab your phone btw omg)

1. SHE’S LITERALLY THE SWEETEST LIKE THEY WOULDNT DARE (but commander hoff absolutely would if they couldn’t find anyone else to blame, it would either be coryo and spruce bc fingerprints or HER, and coryo couldn’t have either as an option)

2. story of her damn life at this point 🥲

3. no bc ME TOO. he keeps flipping on it too bc he’s like “yeah i kinda ruined your life but now at least we have each other, right?” and it’s the sweetest and scariest thing (for both of them). once again, i feel bad for him 😔

4. SHE TOTALLY HAS OH MY GODDD. like babe pls for just a moment consider that things you can’t control are not your fault 🥺

5. literally and apparently i have such a thing for writing r with a near photographic memory, i.e ‘in this life or the next’, the entire concept of this series too,,, omg idk what it is i just love it it’s so fun

6. sejanus is just trying his best HAHAHA. he’s like “okay so as far as i know we’re in a bit of a rush… why are we telling confusing jokes?”

he’ll get it someday, just that day is not today hahaha

7. BAHAHAHA NO LITERALLY

8. yeah 😔 my apologies but he literally only has one goal in life and when coryo sees something he wants, he’s gonna have it.

9. LENNOX BABYYYY

listen,, i had a large internal battle about whether or not he would wake up this was SO hard to decide, but i do think he literally would have put himself in the way of her getting on that train and it would have ended very badly for all of them. but don’t worry, she’ll write them every day :) (will he respond? that’s another question. i feel like it will take him a while to not be angry)

10. the good news is you’ll find out in the next part 🤪

11. okay thank you bc i can’t honestly see lucy gray being like “im done with his cheating ass fr” and then being genuinely unmoved by his death. she talked a big game, but even when she said that r knew that it wasn’t true. he was so much more than an ex to her and i think that’s a little glossed over in the movie

12. THE WORST PART IS HES SO GOOD AT IT LMAO. he literally does it again in a future chapter i’ve already written lol

13. sejanus is like *sigh* “if it works, it works.”

[cookieblobber]

The Dependence of Miles “Tails” Prower in Sonic Frontiers

Tails is probably the character that’s gotten the most flack for how he’s been written, but I think it isn’t exactly because he’s had it way worse than the other characters that I’ve talked about. Rather, it’s the one players had to put up with the most.

Personally, I wouldn’t say he’s been written poorly for years, mostly just being boring and kind of nothing besides “Sonic’s Sidekick™️”, (which I think is a flaw in it of itself but, we’ll discuss more later), which I think only gave Tails more expectations on how he should be written since well, he’s following Sonic in every game at all times, makes sense for him to not be annoying. It was until Lost World where issues really started to arise with his infamous demeanor towards Sonic because he wanted to have Eggman around to help stop whatever he created, and of course the infamous eye rolling angry groaning tired snoring depressed mourning moment in Forces

Tails folds like a lawn chair towards the weakest version of Chaos

I don’t think I really need to explain what went wrong with this scene, you’ve heard it a million times by now. Honestly though, there could’ve been a simple explanation of how because Sonic was gone, Tails completely lost all hope and confidence in himself since the guy who brought him that confidence was pronounced dead. I feel like that was the intention when Classic Sonic shows up and suddenly Tails is up ready to working with him and all but it was conveyed and presented poorly.

I know btw I keep referring back to Forces in these Frontiers character essays, but can you blame me? When the last big original title had a story that in concept should’ve created such wonderful rich storytelling and character interactions, only to be very mid and leave people with nothing satisfying or interesting story and presentation wise and reminding people how certain aspects of it have been done better in the past, of course I’m going to be compare it to the current game that actually attempts to have real genuine character moments and interactions.

Admittedly, making a long drawn out essay for Tails just like how I did with Amy and especially Knuckles won’t be easy, as there was how Amy’s character helps introduce a lot of what is there to come with the game, Knuckles had his own special animated short that took a whole section of his own to talk about, Tails is kinda just around. Now, that’s not to say this is the fault of the writers or something, it’s just a personal issue cuz I’m not the brightest person when it comes to making essays 😅

Regardless, I still have some stuff to say about Tails and what makes his arc probably the best out of the other two. Without further ado, we fast forward back into Frontiers era.

—————————————

Tails

is found in Chaos Island, the third island of the game. Same deal as last time, Sonic collected all emeralds in Ares Island, fought the big titan with the objectively best vocal track in the whole game, and upon heading to the next one, the emeralds get shot out of him and now it’s time to search for emeralds once again. With how Tails has always been the little bro sidekick that follows Sonic everywhere, it’s interesting how he’s the last friend you save. Beta content shows he was most likely going to be the first friend you meet up with in the game, but hey I already explained why Amy was the better choice in my essay on her.

This island btw, probably has had the biggest glow up ever out of the entire game when Update 2 came out. By the game’s standards, it was the least liked out of the whole game, as the whole mountain volcano setting created a lot of bumps which could lead to some janky physics here and there running around, but what was the main offender was how a lot of the little obstacle courses for memory tokens were 2D (personally I didn’t have an issue with it all, but I see why others did). But when the spindash introduced, oh my god Chaos Island went from being considered as the worst island of the game, to the best island of the game, as the spindash helped you easily fly around and make you really feel like you were in a playable Sonic CD Opening. And with the spindash’s new physics, it helped avoid a ton of 2D sections to reach the tokens; truly, replay this island in New Game+ with the spindash, if the whole game in general with the spindash isn’t convincing enough, Chaos Island will be.

————————

When you free Tails from his cyber capsule thing, Sonic starts clearly suffer taking in all that cyber energy. Tails’s intelligence (aka using big articulate words) and their big bro little bro dynamic immediately established, already reminding everyone what the usual pairing is like. Tails being a more cautious type of character, showing worry for Sonic’s physical state from all the adventuring he’s been doing, but Sonic says it’s no big deal. It’s easily noted Tails is a little bit bothered by something: as he points out how Sonic has saved him once again from some trouble he got into. It’s easily brushed aside as just some little pattern he’s picked up on, as he immediately drops his thoughts and is ready to try and return the favor.

I love these faces they keep making by the way, I really hope more expressions like these are made in the future 💀

After more lore discussion of the ancients later, we meet the main Koco of the island, being the soul of a little apprentice of an ancient pilot (I assume this pilot being one of the ancients who controlled the titans way back when they were defending their home from an unknown force), finding parts to finish building their weapons.

And like other Koco, it strikes a noticeable resemblance to the character following it, that being Tails; being the little mechanic of this piloting ancient who helps out in building machinery. If you recall, the Tornado (the plane Tails uses through the games) was originally owned by Sonic before he met Tails, and in later games like Adventure, Tails would modify it to become the Tornado 2 (though for some reason they went back on the design later on), he would also go on to help build other stuff for Sonic, like a Wisp Translator or a fake Chaos Emerald, to help out with his journey.

What strikes out the most in terms of similarities is how after retrieving parts for the Koco, it starts to get upset, with Tails explaining how the ancient they’re an apprentice of, being called a hero, hasn’t shown up yet. Tails, all of the sudden, trauma dumps brings up his crisis he dealt with back in Sonic Forces, where once Sonic was gone, he felt useless; this leading Sonic to be concerned about what he’s thinking, but Tails tries to change topic and focus once again on the matter at hand.

I think it’s starting to become obvious he’s trying to show he can be helpful to avoid feeling like he’s useless after what happened last time. However, as much as he tries, the seed of doubt continues to be planted into his mind.

Around one of the side story cutscenes, Tails asks Sonic if he’s able to change, explaining how in this cyber space state he was in before being freed, a copy of him was essentially chastising him about who he is as a person: being a follower who depended way too much on Sonic. This presumably seems to be Tails’ subconscious, his deeper feelings, messing with him. Sonic tries to tell him that whatever the copy said wasn’t true, as he’s seen him become more than a follower for him.

In the next main cutscene, he tells Sonic to help follow the Koco somewhere has he studies some ruins. Sage phases through and begins questioning Tails’ faith in Sonic’s ability to help make everything right again, asking if he really does trust Sonic with his life being in his hands. With him explaining its not faith, as he has all the evidence from past adventures to prove he can once again come out on top and save everyone. Sage is fascinated that he’s very loyal to Sonic and willing to trust him that much for a task so big, but like in the rest of the game, keeps taunting on the idea that everything he believes in about Sonic, the inspiration he’s had about him and what he can do will amount to nothing in the end. Tails gets worried and tries to ask more questions, but Sage’s inability to share info with the enemy team leads to her disappearing.

Now Tails isn’t just doubtful about himself, but he’s beginning to become doubtful about the person who has brought him the confidence way back when. If he can’t believe in Sonic, the guy who has helped him throughout in becoming a braver person…it ultimately starts to make him feel once again like how he felt when that guy who helped him disappeared back in forces: he starts to feel useless.

————————————

And this right here, is where the best moment of the game happens.

Tails is following the Koco and Sonic, when he brings up a question. “Am I a burden to you?” Sonic, of course, doesn’t believe that one bit, and asks what’s making him feel that way. Tails starts explaining that any time something goes on, he runs away or stands back, leading Sonic to be doing all the work and rescuing him from danger, with him just always tagging along. This is an understandable concern, as if he’s always needing to be rescued by Sonic, he’s feeling as if he’s wasting Sonic’s time by having to take a detour to save him. Sonic refutes by reminding him of the times he’s helped Sonic or the world, taking on Eggman himself, saving Sonic from captivity in prison or from being captured by the Deadly Six.

Tails straight up admits, “then I’m wildly inconsistent!” However, Sonic reassures him of his powers, and that it’s ok to need help, as he’s still young learning how to fight on his own, with Tails accepting the response and deciding to keep moving forward.

——————————

Now, why do I consider this to be the best moment of the franchise, and why do I consider this to be the best arc of the game?

As you can probably guess, this is such a vindictive moment for so many Sonic fans, as the biggest issue with Tails in Forces was how he immediately cowered in fear from being attacked. It wasn’t just that he curled up in a ball from Chaos 0, but as well as in the beginning of the game where as Eggman was about to attack citizens of Sunset City, he just starts backing up like everyone else until Sonic shows up. Not to mention after Sonic gets beaten down by Infinite and his clones, it’s presumed he ran away from everyone, leaving Sonic to be picked up by Eggman, not even at least telling the rest of the gang what happened as they don’t even know where Tails went after Eggman took over. While I had my complaints about how Amy and Knuckles didn’t really do anything very notable in Forces, for the most part they were ok. How Tails was handled however, as you can already tell, felt like character assassination in a way, and it’s extra damning as he’s basically around Sonic constantly compared to Knuckles and Amy. You can imagine how annoying it would get having to put up with Tails and his problematic characterization constantly if he’s supposed to tag along in every adventure.

They could’ve easily went about pretending Forces never happened, I mean if it was so disliked by many, no point in acknowledging it ever happened, but they do not shy away from the faults in Forces. And while it may seem like this whole thing just done to acknowledge what Tails did in Forces, you gotta understand: the issue of Tails being sidelined wasn’t just a Forces issue, it’s been an issue since arguably in Sonic Unleashed.

When was the last time Tails had a proper playing role in the mainline 3D games? Sonic 06. But after that, he was kind of just diluted as “Sonic’s Sidekick,” where yea he would help him out in stuff, but he was just…there. He would guide us around stuff but he never actively stepped in to fight with Sonic or stepped away from Sonic to do his own thing. In Unleashed, he was being surrounded by dark monsters, and Sonic came in at the nick of time to protect him. In Colors, he was just following Sonic with the wisp translator and pats himself on the back way too much in the final cutscene before endgame for having it. In Gens, he’s kidnapped with his friends by the Time Eater, and needs to be saved. Classic Tails even shows up with Classic Sonic, but he doesn’t really do anything to stray away from him either. In Lost World, he ends up building forced drama with Sonic wanting Eggman’s help in fighting the Deadly Six. In Forces…you can already guess. He has his appearances in box art and official renders and such, but he’s never playable and doing his own thing besides being right behind Sonic.

Again, he was there to help, sure, but he was always directly behind Sonic, without forging his own path of some kind. He was no doubt just viewed as “Sonic’s little brother sidekick” by the more casual players compared to Knuckles and Amy just being looked at his friends, and the franchise kept pushing Tails in that direction.

So you can probably imagine how many felt seeing Frontiers fully acknowledge how Tails is, like he stated, “wildly inconsistent,” and try to rectify things by not just having Sonic reassure Tails is capable of doing things, but reassuring to the players that Tails can do more than just be “in the sidelines.”

—————————————

The Koco they were helping finally completes it’s unfinished business, and it’s soul ascends, leaving it’s stone body behind. As Sonic and Tails watch, he assures Tails that he’s proud of him, and to not forget that.

—————————————

Later on, Sonic checks up Tails, with him feeling better. He surprisingly starts to explain that he wants to go on his own for a while after this whole adventure is over, in order to try and become more independent, showing that even with the help he gets, he wants to still try to face issues on his own. This is definitely setting up for an eventual Tails spin-off game but, who knows 💀

———————————

With all that, this concludes my essays on Frontiers for now. These were all being made before Update 3 comes out (currently a few hours before it does), so who knows what it might introduce for these playable characters. I will touch on other characters like Sonic, Sage, Eggman maybe, eventually, but since Update 3 is looking to better realize the end game and have a better conclusion for the characters, it’s best I wait for a while for the full picture. If any notable additions are made on Sonic’s friends or just really explaining how their arcs are shown off in the final update, I’ll try to make a post about them. I had more planned like defending that infamous Rhea/Ouranous Island cutscene or discussing the final boss, but I got caught up with a lot of work lol

It’s been great seeing these characters once again taken with the seriousness that was needed in their writing, and trying to show how much they matter just as much as Sonic. And I absolutely cannot wait to see what else is in store for them in the future.

[wordsofrowan]

From Ashes to Embers

Chapter 9 - Fate Gives Second Chances

I walk alone through the deserted streets, my footsteps echoing in the emptiness, each one blending with the rhythmic pitter-patter of raindrops. The weight of the Cat Miraculous clutched tightly in my trembling hand matches the heaviness in my heart.

Tikki and Plagg, huddled together in my pocket, seem to sense the somberness that hangs in the air. Plagg, usually the embodiment of mischievousness, now wears a pained expression. His voice quivers as he speaks, his words heavy with guilt. "This is all my fault," he confesses, his tears merging with the rain. "I should've stopped him from leaving."

My steps falter, and I raise my eyes to the stormy sky, raindrops mixing with the tears that stream down my face. "Plagg," I whisper, my voice barely audible, choked with sorrow. "He made his own choice, Plagg. We couldn't force him to stay, no matter how much it hurts."

Plagg's tears continue to fall, his small form trembling with grief. "But he was my Kitten, Marinette. We were supposed to be there for each other, always."

My heart constricts with pain as I turn to face Plagg, my gaze mirroring the depths of my sorrow. "I know, Plagg," I murmur, my voice filled with a heavy sadness. "I know and I’m so sorry, I wish things didn’t happen this way."

I continue my solitary walk through the pouring rain, each droplet a reflection of the tears that fall from my eyes. Thoughts whirl in my mind, replaying everything that just happened, the hurt and confusion still raw within me. The rain washes over me as if attempting to cleanse the wounds left by the shattered unity we once shared.

As I make my way to the hotel, the weight in my heart grows heavier with each step. Just as I reach the front steps, I notice Adrien standing there, his expression reflecting the same inner turmoil that consumes me. From the corner of my eye, I see our classmates rushing out of the hotel.

A black car pulls up beside us, and the door swings open. "Adrien, get in the car immediately. I should never have listened to your friend. This city is far too dangerous," a stern voice commands. I watch as Adrien approaches the car, his hand resting on top of the door, his eyes lingering on us.

"Come on, dude!" Nino calls out. "You have to stay!"

"I'm sorry, Nino. I have to go," Adrien responds, his gaze shifting toward me. "And I'm sorry, Marinette. You fought so hard for me to be here. I wouldn't have minded being stuck here a little longer with a friend like you."

Adrien slides into the car, taking a seat. "My father was right. I should have never come to New York," he murmurs, his words carried away by the sound of the rain. The car door closes, and he disappears into the night, leaving me behind.

A single tear escapes my eye, joining the raindrops that fall around me. First, Chat Noir, and now Adrien. What more would I have to endure? I feel a pair of arms on my shoulders and I raise my gaze to meet Alya's eyes, filled with a mix of sadness and anger.

"What is wrong with you, Marinette? Couldn't you see that he was waiting for you to ask him to stay?" Alya's voice is filled with frustration.

I clenched my fist at my sides, my voice tinged with bitterness, “What do you want from me, Alya? He made his choice what did you expect me to do?!”

Alya's anger flares up, her gaze piercing. "It doesn't matter what I expected you to do! What is Adrien to you? Just a friend or something more? Now is the time to be honest with yourself, Marinette! Do you want him to leave or do you want him to stay?"

"Oh my god! Can you just shut up and actually listen to me? I couldn’t do anything in that situation. Whether he left or stayed, was entirely up. to him, there's nothing I could've done. You keep insisting he's more than just a friend!" I hissed, my voice trembling with frustration, "But he's not! I've moved on, I'm not hung up on Adrien anymore! I have my own life, my own identity, and my world doesn't revolve around some guy. And while we're on the topic of blaming, take a good look at yourself. If you hadn't pulled that stupid stunt back in the museum, maybe we wouldn't be trapped in this mess now. Maybe if you actually listened to me from the beginning then Adrien wouldn't be leaving. But no you're so wrapped up in this idea of me and Adrien being together that you can't see through this stupid fog you've surrounded yourself in."

I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the tears welling up in the corner of my eyes. "You know what, Alya? I'm exhausted. I'm tired of you dismissing my feelings about Adrien and trying to push us together. I can't handle this anymore. I can't handle you anymore."

Gently pushing her arms off my shoulder, I turned away from the girl who used to be my closest friend. The New York City streets stretched out before me, raindrops starting to fall, mirroring the sadness within me. I walked away, each step heavy with the weight of our broken friendship. The rain washed over me, blending with the tears that finally escaped. At that moment, it felt like the world was echoing the ache in my heart.

I treaded through the desolate streets of the city, the intensity of the night weighing heavily on my mind. The relentless rain drenched my clothes, causing them to cling uncomfortably to my body, but my focus remained fixed on the turmoil within me. Each step I took was a testament to the determination that burned within my soul.

As I continued my solitary journey, a flicker of light caught my attention. I turned my gaze towards an electronic billboard, and my heart skipped a beat as the image of Hawkmoth materialized before me. His menacing presence loomed over the city, his voice echoing through the rain-soaked night.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! I am in New York too," Hawkmoth's image taunted, his voice filled with malicious intent. "If you don't want the party to be ruined, your only option is to hand your Miraculous over to me!"

The weight of Hawkmoth's threat bore down on me, threatening to crush my spirit and shatter my resolve. Rain mixed with my tears as I stood frozen in the midst of the downpour, feeling utterly helpless against the forces that sought to undermine everything I held dear.

The ring in my hand felt like a symbol of both power and vulnerability. It represented the miraculous abilities that had been bestowed upon me, but it also symbolized the immense responsibility and sacrifice that came with wielding such power. The tears streamed down my face, mingling with the raindrops, as despair threatened to consume me.

It was at this moment that Uncanny Valley appeared before me, calling out my name. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, New York needs Ladybug!" Uncanny Valley's voice resonated through the chaos, commanding my attention.

My voice trembled with doubt as I responded, "I-I'm sorry... I-I-I can't help you. I don't know her!"

“​​Your suit's quantum masking is meant to confuse-” As Uncanny Valley's form shifted and transformed, their disguise fell away, revealing Aeon in her full humanoid form, “-human minds, Ladybug. I am not human!”

Beside me, Tikki and Plagg gasped in astonishment, mirroring my own astonishment at Aeon's revelation.

Aeon continued, their words resounding in my ears, "The Miraclonizer is no ordinary villain. He is an akumatized Techno-Pirate, a creation of Hawk Moth himself. And if Hawk Moth is here in New York, we cannot defeat him without the girl who possesses the power to fix everything.

Doubt crept into my heart as I grappled with the enormity of the situation. Could I truly step into the role of Ladybug without my partner, Chat Noir, by my side? The thought of facing the challenges alone was daunting, and I struggled to imagine a world without him. “I don't know if I can do this... I can't imagine being Ladybug without him.”

"This, I can fix!" she said with a smile. 

A faint smile curved my lips as I extended my hand, offering the Cat Miraculous to Aeon, trusting them with the weighty responsibility it held.

"Okay," I declared, my voice firm with newfound resolve. "Take it. I trust you with the Cat Miraculous."

Aeon accepted the Miraculous, their wings fluttering with renewed purpose. With a nod, they soared into the night sky, disappearing from sight, ready to fulfill their mission.

Left standing alone, a mix of uncertainty and determination swirled within me. Though I still felt the weight of doubt, I reminded myself of the unwavering love I held for my city and the unwavering belief that I could overcome any obstacle that came my way.

"I may not have Chat Noir by my side," I whispered to myself, my voice carrying a hint of determination. "But I am Ladybug, the protector of Paris. I will do whatever it takes to keep this city safe." With that, I called out my transformation and swung through the city. 

It didn't take long for my keen eyes to spot Sparrow, frantically evading a barrage of rockets. Without hesitation, I leaped into action, extending my yoyo to snatch him from the clutches of his pursuers. Once we were safely out of harm's way, my mind raced to formulate a plan.

"We've got to break the object where the Akuma is. I bet it's in his handcuffs. He already had them on at the museum!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with determination as I pieced together the puzzle in my mind.

But Sparrow had more revelations to share. "Something else has changed! He was wearing the necklace Lafayette gave to Washington!"

The realization struck me like a bolt of lightning, and a gasp escaped my lips. "A Miraculous!" The pieces fell into place, unraveling the source of Sparrow's newfound powers.

I heard a soft thud behind us and saw AstroChat and Uncanny Valley appear behind us, their presence adding to our resolve. With a brilliant flash of light, AstroChat transformed back into Chat Noir, his confident stance reaffirming our unity.

"That would explain his power upgrade! Good insight, M'lady!" Chat Noir's words carried a mixture of relief and admiration for Sparrow's keen observation.

Relief flooded through me as I stood before Chat Noir, my loyal partner, my unwavering support. Without hesitation, I closed the distance between us, enveloping him in a tight embrace. With gentle strokes, I wiped away the tears that had welled up in my eyes.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" I pleaded, my voice trembling with a potent blend of relief, concern, and an undeniable affection that bound us together.

Chat Noir's features softened, regret etching across his face. "I'm sorry. I was so afraid to disappoint you that I didn't dare to tell you the truth. I was so stupid."

In that intimate moment, unspoken words filled the air, a silent understanding passing between us. It was a bond forged through countless battles, a testament to our unwavering trust and unbreakable friendship.

With a quiet but resolute fist bump, we sealed our unity, a symbolic gesture affirming our commitment to each other and our duty as heroes. Together, we would face the challenges that lay ahead, safeguarding our city, seeking the truth, and putting an end to the chaos caused by the Akuma.

Hawk Moth's voice filled the air, a sinister ultimatum hanging in the balance. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! If the rocket takes off because of YOU, a world war would be declared! Unless you give me your Miraculous of course! You have five minutes! Tick-tock, tick-tock," Hawk Moth's taunting words echoed through the room.

Time was running out, and the weight of our responsibility pressed heavily upon me. I turned to Chat Noir, determination burning in my eyes.

"The first thing we need to do is seize Miraclonizer's Miraculous. That way, we'll be able to break the spell and free the adults' heroes, and in turn, they'll help us de-akumatize him!" I outlined our plan, my voice steady despite the urgency of the situation.

Sparrow, with his deep voice resonating, interjected, "But we can't get anywhere near him!"

Chat Noir, ever the optimist, retorted, "Nothing's impossible for Ladybug!"

"Lucky Charm!" I called upon the power of my Miraculous, my mind racing as I awaited the arrival of the chosen object.

To my surprise, a keychain materialized before me. Uncanny Valley, observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but comment on the peculiar item.

"So we're supposed to defeat the most powerful superheroes with a keychain? Interesting!" Uncanny Valley remarked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Undeterred, I clutched the keychain, determined to unlock its hidden potential. "Yes, well... as soon as I figure out how to use it."

The pressure intensified as Miraclonizer's countdown continued. Time was slipping away, and we needed a breakthrough.

A sudden inspiration struck me, and I turned to Uncanny Valley. "Uncanny! Can you show me how the Statue of Liberty is built?"

With her powers, Uncanny Valley presented an image of the iconic statue, revealing a crucial detail. "Look! There's a ladder inside the arm that leads to the platform!"

Chat Noir's excitement was palpable. "Awesome! But how are we gonna get inside when there's an army of superheroes attacking us?"

Sparrow and I exchanged a knowing glance. "Doorman!" we said in unison.

With his unique ability of tele-doortation, Doorman could be the key to our success. But there was a problem – he had withdrawn from his heroic duties, driven solely by his own curiosity.

Undeterred, I formulated a plan. I spotted a cardboard box and a newspaper nearby, and I gestured to Sparrow. "Sparrow! Grab a cardboard box and that newspaper and make a wrapped gift box!"

Sparrow swiftly complied, constructing the disguise we needed. Meanwhile, I turned to Uncanny Valley. "Uncanny, unlock the door to the Statue of Liberty with your powers."

As Sparrow and Uncanny Valley took their leave, reverting back to their civilian forms as Jess and Aeon, they captured a final moment of unity in a selfie.

"Dear sir," Jess began, holding the gift box, "we got you a little gift to thank you for our day at the museum! We hope you enjoy the surprise!"

I bid them farewell, wishing them luck as they flew off to Liberty Island. Our plan was set in motion.

In a serendipitous turn of events, Doorman emerged through a portal, drawn by the curiosity sparked by the gift box. His eyes lit up as he read the note. "Kids? 'We know how fascinating you think keys are, so we hope you like this.' Signed, Jess and Aeon! Of course! That's where I should've started!"

He opened the door with his power. 

In the heart of Paris, Chat Noir and I found ourselves inside the iconic Eiffel Tower, our determination driving us forward. We searched for the key that held the power to unlock the hidden safe within the Statue.

"Here it is! That key! The one that opens the safe hidden in the Statue!!" Doorman's excitement was palpable as he grabbed the key and made a beeline for the door. Using his power he made a portal to the Statue of Liberty. We quickly followed him. But there was no time to waste. Chat Noir and I swiftly intercepted him, our focus unwavering. We immobilized Doorman, ensuring he wouldn't interfere with our mission to protect Paris.

"NO!! At least let me see what's inside the safe!" His plea fell on deaf ears as we pressed on, driven by our duty to safeguard the city.

"Only a few seconds left!" I called out, my voice filled with a sense of determination.

Meanwhile, at the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Sparrow and Uncanny Valley soared through the sky, their focus fixed on Miraclonizer perched atop the statue. His presence was a constant reminder of the looming threat we faced.

Back on the stairs of the Statue of Liberty, Chat Noir and I pushed ourselves to the limit, our shared determination propelling us higher and higher.

In a pivotal moment, I managed to seize the Eagle Miraculous from Miraclonizer's grasp. The villain was unmasked, his true identity revealed as Techlonizer, stripped of his malicious powers.

With the Miraculous in my possession, I proclaimed, "I'll take that! SPARROW!" I swiftly threw the Eagle Miraculous to Sparrow, who landed with remarkable agility. Liiri, the kwami of the Eagle Miraculous, materialized before us.

Liiri greeted Sparrow with a playful tone, "Hello, fledgling! All you have to say is Liiri, wings of Liberty!"

Sparrow, now Jess, embraced her newfound power, uttering the transformation phrase with unwavering resolve.

"Liiri-" Sparrow started as Jess reverted to her civilian form, her name hanging in the air, "-Wings of Liberty!"

 Jess transformed into the mighty Eagle, her wings unfurling with grace and strength. The power surged through her, uniting us in our shared purpose. Eagle called out her power phrase turning all of the heroes back to their normal selves. 

As the battle reached its climactic peak, the moon cast its ethereal glow upon Majestia, illuminating her as she transformed back into her true self. Her radiance pierced through the darkness, signaling the restoration of her powers.

At the same time, amidst the bustling streets of New York City, Knightowl emerged from the shadows, his heroic form giving way to his civilian identity. The sight of his return instilled a renewed sense of hope and security in the hearts of the city's inhabitants. They found solace in his unwavering dedication to their protection.

As Techlonizer's menacing ultimatum hung in the air, my heart pounded with determination. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood side by side, united in our refusal to surrender our Miraculous. His demand echoed, but our resolve remained unyielding.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! This is your last chance to give me your Miraculous!" Techlonizer's voice reverberated, attempting to shake our determination.

With unwavering eyes locked on each other, Chat Noir and I exchanged a silent understanding. Our commitment to protecting Paris and its Miraculous was unbreakable. Together, we responded, our voices filled with unwavering conviction, "Never!"

But time was against us. The rocket, a symbol of impending chaos, loomed closer to the moon, threatening to unleash havoc upon the world. Panic threatened to grip us, but we couldn't afford to falter. We needed a solution, and we needed it quickly.

In a breathtaking twist of fate, Majestia emerged from the depths of space, her presence radiating immense power. With incredible strength, she intercepted the rocket's path, diverting its course away from disaster. Chat Noir and I watched in awe, inspired by her unwavering determination and resolve.

Refocusing our attention on Techlonizer, we launched our coordinated attack. Chat Noir summoned the cataclysmic power within him, aiming for Techlonizer's gauntlets, while Knightowl swooped in to aid us. Our combined efforts left Techlonizer defenseless and bewildered, revealing his true identity as Techno-Pirate.

As Techno-Pirate stood vulnerable before us, Knightowl swiftly swept me off my feet, carrying me to safety. In his strong embrace, I felt a surge of gratitude and reassurance. We were not alone in this fight; we had allies who stood beside us, ready to support and protect us.

With the villain's transformation unraveled, it was my moment to seize. With my yo-yo in hand, I skillfully captured the malevolent akuma, its presence bound by the strength of my will. "Time to de-evilize!" I declared with unwavering determination, releasing the akuma and watching it transform into a delicate butterfly, free from its corrupted state.

The miraculous magic surged forth, its radiant glow sweeping through the city. In its wake, the once-broken fragments of Paris were restored, the wounds healed, and the chaos brought to an end. The city breathed a collective sigh of relief, the harmonious melody of its revived spirit echoing through the streets.

Techno-Pirate, now stripped of his ill-gotten powers, stood defeated and disoriented. Justice had prevailed, and the consequences of his actions awaited him. He was led away, his reign of chaos coming to an end.

The battle had come to an end and the four of us watched as the adult heroes dealt with putting away Techno-Pirate. Eagle turned to look at me and then began removing the necklace. “I should probably give this back.”

I shook my head and held out my hand signaling for Eagle to stop. "Keep it. I know you'll use it well," I said, my gaze meeting Eagle’s. 

Eagle, now revealed as Jess looked over at Knightowl. Her eyes filled with uncertainty, and she voiced her concerns, "I've disobeyed again, which means... I'll never get my weapons back, right?"

Knightowl, whose support for Sparrow had grown, stepped forward, dispelling her doubts. "With the powers of the Miraculous, you won't need them anymore. And I was wrong. My little Sparrow is ready to become a fearsome Eagle," Knightowl reassured her, a glimmer of pride in her eyes.

Gratitude washed over Sparrow's face as she embraced Knightowl. The deep-rooted bond between them was evident, even as Sparrow quickly corrected herself, "Thank you, Mom! I mean, thank you, sir."

Knightowl's response was filled with acceptance and understanding. "It doesn't matter anymore. With this new suit, everyone now knows Sparrow is a female, not a male. And that the legendary original Knightowl and Sparrow are long gone," she explained, removing her mask and revealing her true self.

Her voice shifted from its deep tone to a normal one, a symbolic transformation mirroring her acceptance of her identity. "Maybe it's a sign. That the time has come to embrace who we really are," Knightowl continued, her words resonating with newfound freedom.

Majestia, watching the scene unfold, expressed her gratitude for the inspiration Sparrow had provided. "And even though it still worries us, the only way for you to grow is for us to let you take chances. Thank you for inspiring them," Majestia acknowledged, her regal presence radiating warmth.

Knightowl, humbled by her own misjudgment, humbly apologized. "And please forgive us for misjudging you," she implored, a tinge of remorse lacing her words.

Watching Jess and Aeon, I felt a sense of unity and pride well up in me. Chat Noir, Eagle, Uncanny Valley, and I stood together, recognizing the power of forgiveness and growth. The unspoken bond we shared, forged through countless battles, was reinforced by the collective realization that second chances could pave the way for transformation.

With a shared determination, we raised our fists, our hands colliding in a resounding pound. It was a symbol of unity, acceptance, and our commitment to face the challenges ahead as a united front.

Perched atop the Statue of Liberty's torch, my thoughts swirled with a mix of relief and uncertainty. Uncanny Valley stood beside me, her powers of illusion and memory manipulation offering a solution to our secret identities conundrum.

"Uncanny, what about our secret identities?" I voiced my concern, my voice tinged with a hint of worry. The weight of our responsibilities as superheroes always loomed over us, and the thought of our true identities being exposed filled me with a sense of vulnerability.

Uncanny Valley flashed me a reassuring smile, her eyes brimming with determination. "Don't worry! Once we say goodbye, I'll erase this information from my memory," she assured me, her words laced with the unwavering commitment we shared as allies.

Gratitude welled up within me as I pulled Uncanny Valley into a tight embrace. Her presence had been instrumental in bringing us back together, reuniting Ladybug and Chat Noir as a formidable team. I held onto her momentarily, cherishing the bond we had formed, before releasing her with a heartfelt "Thank you."

AstroChat, reverting back to his regular self, landed beside us, his usual charismatic demeanor shining through. His words carried a mixture of lightheartedness and sincere loyalty as he bid me farewell. "I'll see you back in Paris, M'lady!" he exclaimed, a twinkle of excitement in his eyes.

With a nod, I acknowledged AstroChat's words, acknowledging the distance that would soon separate us. We had a shared understanding, knowing that our paths would cross again, but for now, duty called us to different corners of the world.

As Uncanny Valley and AstroChat took to the sky, their forms disappearing into the distance, I watched them go with a mixture of emotions. Parting ways was bittersweet, yet the knowledge that we had each other's backs gave me strength.

I decided to head back to the hotel. Once I got there I saw the Parisian news was on, and my attention was captured by the familiar voice of Nadja. Her words echoed through the air, highlighting the heroic efforts of Ladybug and Chat Noir in a city far from home. The sight of a magnificent statue, depicting Ladybug, Chat Noir, Uncanny Valley, and Eagle, filled me with pride and a sense of accomplishment.

XoXo Rowan

[depressed-teacup-inc]

Kwami’s choice is making me want to scream

Ok first half of kwami’s choice is out, kudos for glob for actually not posting the second half first (they’ve been releasing the season all over the place) and this would be episode 10 of season 5

So finally we have some context on what changed so much in two episodes that Marinette is back with Adrien and forgot completely about Chat Noir, and… THERES LITERALLY NO EXPLANATION!!!

I am telling you, the show legit just makes marinette depressed and crying about her love life again (again, somehow her abandoning all the Kwamis is an afterthought because “love” and not “yeah you fucked up because you refused to treat your partner equally and chose to keep secrets and make dumb decisions on your own and you’re literally digging your own grave”) marinette being “completely in love with chat” for nine episodes was never even mentioned beyond one line, AND ADRIEN TAKES THE BLAME FOR MARINETTE BEING SAD.

YOU HEARD IT HERE FOLKS THE GUY THAT REFUSED A RELATIONSHIP WITH A CIVILIAN BECAUSE OF THE UNHEALTHY POWER DYNAMICS THAT WOULD RESULT FROM SAID RELATIONSHIP DESPITE HIS EMOTIONS IS THE ONE AT FAULT HERE BECAUSE HE “FLIRTED WITH MARINETTE AND BROKE HER HEART”

…I swear to fucking god, ANYWAYS-

Marinette further digs her own grave with Adrien telling him they could never work and that’s blamed on the “iDEnTItY rULe” (which still for some reason matters even tho it legit doesn’t but ok)

Adrien is almost akumatized by his own fucking father TWICE (the only fucking reason Gabriel didn’t akumatize Adrien the first time was because he didn’t have a fucking alliance) I HATE THAT MAN IF THEY EVEN TRY TO JUSTIFY HIM IM OUT

And Tikki and Plagg choose to revoke the miraculouses from Marinette and Adrien for them to be togetherrrr.

Now listen, I understand where theoretically this could be a bittersweet, allowing kids to be kids so to speak, but like. The reasoning is driving me crazy

Like the way the Kwamis and show really decided that romance and teenagers dating is more important then the fate of Paris (especially when that entire relationship sucked to begin with and had so much stalking and red flags) but also the way there’s literally no nuance?

Like what happened to Adrien’s entire “chat noir is the only time I truly get to be me and escape from my constricting life” shtick? What happened to Marinette’s… well I would say her commitment to Paris and saving the Kwamis, and also caring about chat noir, but literally none of these end up sticking in the end, BUT THERES LITERALLY NO NUANCE ANYMORE!

Like the minute the kwamis leave with the miraculouses the only indication we get of Adrien (not even marinette) being sad about not being a hero anymore is his abusive dad saying “his sadness has gotten greater” for a few seconds, AND THEN THEYRE INSTANTLY HAPPY?!

Adrien just rushes to confess to Marinette, and Marinette is suddenly super in love with Adrien, WHICH PROVES NOTHING THAT THEY EVER HAD GOING ON WITH THE HEROES EVER MATTERED?!

Adrien no longer cares about his freedom or his image OR PLAGG because “oh yeah I have marinette so I’m complete!” And Marinette NEVER CARED FOR THE KWAMIS CHAT NOIR HER MISSION OR ANYTHING!!! These two are suddenly as happy as they ever were with no fucking problems in their life!

While the new heroes (yeah btw Alya and Zoe are the new heroes, it’s kinda bland, Zoe is only there to show how much better she is in comparison to Chloe, and her design IS UGLY) are fighting, Marinette and Adrien don’t even show a glimpse of worry, or paranoia, or even an instinct to go fight or “call the heroes” as they do! They legit don’t fucking care and CUDDLE!

The show legit said “yeah all these seasons of these heroes fighting for Paris and truly being influenced by their hero lives? YEAH THAT NEVER MATTERED LOOK GUYS THEYRE HUGGING!”

And I would even be ok with it if the show wanted to go down the road of “yeah being a hero is awful and no one in their right mind would ever want to do it but would rather have the messed up compulsion to help others” BUT THEY DONT DO THAT!!! The show is still like “they’re meant to be!”, they’re still heroes in the next episodes, and literally it seems the only reason they’re still heroes in future episodes, is because the new heroes instantly got tracked down! So they have no motive to be heroes, and no compulsion to be heroes and they don’t seem to be affected from their hero lives, so none of it matters!

There is literally no more nuance or care put into being a hero in this show (the new heroes were pretty much randomly selected teens again, rather then i don’t know, ADULTS? I get that this is a magical girl show, but it would be so cool to show adult heroes handling their emotions and powers better then teens and being role models) and the show legit sacrificed any chance of nuance or character motivation it had for the love square! That’s just bad writing!

But yeah I’m going to go scream into a pillow, call me when part 2 is out

[moondancer35]

Soooo I watched the Miraculous movie.

I have some thoughts.

(Spoilers under the cut)

First, my pros:

1) The animation. Oh my god the animation. It felt too good to be true in all honesty. It took me a minute to get used to it, but once I did, I was in love.

2) The character designs of Adrien, Marinette, and Gabriel are all BEAUTIFUL and so are their hero counterparts. Plagg and Tikki are also adorable and I love them.

3) Ladybug’s yo-yo is gorgeous. All of the gold detail work makes it look so much more alive and charming. I fell in love with the promo featuring it the second it came up on my feed.

LIKE LOOK AT IT ITS GORGEOUS WHAT EVEN?? If they ever make a display yo-yo that looks like that I’d lose my everloving mind. I love the yo-yo :)

4) Canon footage of Gabriel actually caring about Adrien’s well being??? No way!!! When we saw that hug, me and my friend freaked the fuck out because Gabe was actually being a good dad?? But seriously, the Gabe rewrite was very necessary in my opinion. He shows real, genuine remorse for his actions for one of, if not the first time in the entire cinematic universe and having him regret what he did in the movie was very, very needed. Especially with the shorter run time.

5) Fu is a weirdo and I am living for it. The way he chases Marinette through the street after she saves him is hilarious to me. He was an absolute delight to watch and he managed to make me laugh more than once.

6) The sparring scene on the rooftop? Best scene in the entire movie and I will fight someone if they try to argue with me. You can practically taste LB/CN’s chemistry as the scene unfolds. The way they’re fighting against one another yet still working together?? Ugh. Brilliant.

7) The instrumentation was amazing. All the little motifs and parts tying the music to one another? Absolutely brilliant. I wasn’t a huge fan of the singing, nothing against Lou and SQVARE, it was just jarring to hear the Marinette voice drop. Thank god Bryce didn’t do the vocals for Adrien though I would have cried.

Now, it’s time for my issues (oh boy)

1) The entire movie felt rushed, ESPECIALLY the second act. They should have just committed to 2 hours in my opinion. Just 20 more minutes would have helped IMMENSELY with the pacing.

2) The character designs, overall, were quite jarring. Especially for background/minor characters. Something was always off. There are a few of the design choices that became sort of running jokes with my watch party. (Alya’s eyebrows, Gabriel’s chin and his long hair.)

3) A couple of the character rewrites were great. Some of them? Not so much. My specific gripes are as follows… Marinette falling for Adrien because he helped her up and called her weird. Same goes for Ladybug reluctantly helping Chat up during the fight. They could have done so much more with both of those scenes but they had to be rushed because of the cut run time. Also they butchered Plagg’s character and I am NOT here for it.

4) Most of this movie felt like a montage. It kinda was since they were trying to fit the entirety of the Gabriel arc into an hour and 40 minutes. I keep saying this, but they needed that extra 20 minutes in all reality.

5) I love the fact that the movie belongs to LadyNoir, we needed some good LadyNoir content because we get none in the show. What I don’t love, however, is that Adrien and Marinette didn’t really have any screen time at all. Just showing them interacting a little more would have been nice.

6) They cut The Wall Between Us. This is just a personal bias. I’ve been in love with this song for literal years. I’ve learned how to sing it in French simply because it brought me so much joy. I’m so upset they cut it but I don’t fault them for it. (At least it’s still on Spotify 😭)

Final thoughts:

This requires a bit of a storytime. My sister isn’t that into Miraculous. She watched the movie with me (and one of our friends) last night and she overall liked the movie. She brought up a good point about it though. “I feel like you have to know the show to see the movie but if you’ve seen the show it’s a little underwhelming because you expect it to be a certain way and it’s not.”

I fully agree with this sentiment. The first time Adrien’s name is even said is around 30~ minutes into the movie and that’s not really good storytelling for people who haven’t seen the show. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adored the movie, I can tell it’s going to be a comfort film for me. There were just a LOT of plot issues, story inconsistencies, and overall just weak writing. But that’s okay! The plot is really simple compared to the show and that’s also okay! My gripes with the movie are just because I want the best for these silly little animated superheroes.

Overall, this movie will always be a 10/10 in my heart, it makes me so freaking happy that the movie finally released, but if I’m being fully objective it’s gotta be a 7/10. The pacing issues and some of the awful characterization really drags the movie down, but that’s just my opinion.