#i think that would have tracked a little bit better instead of suddenly throwing 'btw his daughter was assaulted

[vicsuragi]

okay i finally watched an episode from the correct season of ordinary lies and i am so fucking confused that was such a 90 degree turn they took in the last 10 minutes.

[lover-of-trash-and-people]

bittersweet netflix shadow and bone finale (s1 e8) rewatch; accoutrement: white wine with ice cubes in it (no YOU'RE a mom drink shh)

my wine's like fruity I love her

light and darkness title card we love to see it

Inej looking at Alina before she goes below deck to hide <3

okay that 'what can you really do on your own' was like not fun that shit hurted

okay but Jesper's 'not enough'? <3

oh no my baby Zoya's first inkling that Darkles does not really care

omg Helnik just appeared and I remembered how much heartbreak I have to face in this episode

gods I love Danielle as Nina so so much

'this can't be it' said she with her pleading smile with downturned eyebrows MA'AM I-

don't break my dumb little heart

I might hate Calahan's little accent but they're making me tear up

oh gods I literally cannot keep a hold on myself when Dani's accent bleeds through with full force, it's like she comes more alive or smth

'I will keep you warm' SIR WHAT-

I am surprised they showed a leaning in for a kiss so soon but I'm not mad about it

her little eyebrow twitch at 'what are waffles'

when that rando said 'i hunt slavers now' a dread settled into me because I knew what was about to go down

Matthias looking somberly at the stuffed wolf's head </3

I am so incredibly entranced by this exchange between Fedyor and Nina and what it represents, it's very interesting that they pushed up their storyline to match with the timeline

damn it's kind of jarring to be back in the Fold

'REMEMBER WHO'S DRIVING'??!!!! *you better stop* meme, *i am, disgusted* meme, *oh wow, oh wow* meme

Mal you fucking idiot you could never take the crows by surprise

the music rising as Kaz starts explaining his thought process, fucking perfection

haha Mal bitchass Inej caught you

'Because if he isn't with Kirigan's crew, he's with ours' WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREAMED

'And why would we destroy the Fold? It's the greatest weapon we've got' valid point at the moment but you know I don't necessarily agree with your methods

the use of the light tunnel in the show instead of Alina just being a super flashlight in the books is quite an interesting addition as well

is this an inappropriate time to point out how pretty Ben Barnes is

okay I kind of love the depiction of the shadow powers okay sue me

'they are traitors who tried to kill you' why are you suddenly making valid points despite having kind of committed low scale genocide

'i never said I was smart' YES MAL BE THE VOICE OF HIMBOS EVERYWHERE

Kaz's face going from 'can you believe this idiot' at Mal to 'fuck me I'm gonna do the same thing aren't I' at Inej

'For who would oppose us now?' *himbo romantic rival appears out of nowhere and shoots at him* god I love this show

him standing calmly in his ridiculous all black attire after nodding at his soldier to stop the himbo in his tracks, i fucking can't

could she summon light without the Darkling making her after he put the collar on her until the uhm moment in the books? idts but in the show she can hmm

'only because I'm not in the game' you tell him Jesper

not me snickering at 'you'll be seen not as a saviour, but as a heretic' LMFAO

'Shame. I'll have to give that speech again now.' THIS SHOW IS A FUCKING COMEDY AND YOU CAN'T PROVE ME WRONG

YES LET'S FUCKING GO SULI SOLIDARITY

Darkles casually whipping the Cut out like a shuriken or a throwing knife at Jesper because he shot at him lmao I can't

INEJ FUCKING GHAFA STABBED ONE THE OLDEST AND MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THAT WORLD AND THAT IS VERY TELLING OF HER POWER

that moment where you actually think that affected him despite having read the books and watched the show

and then he has to go and fucking say 'it will take more than this' and I can't be help but be a little bit impressed at this old fool's resilience

throwback to when he said 'the king is a child' sir you make some valid points sometimes and it does make it difficult to hate you

I would just like to inform everyone that it is currently 6:09 am IST and I am sipping my second mug of wine while watching netflix sab for the second time instead of doing my three papers that are due tomorrow

I'm sorry but Inej jumping to check on Zoya after she gets knocked over by the volcra? first class display of solidarity and sisterhood as well as Inej's inherent kindness

Kaz jumping in front of a FUCKING VOLCRA AND STABBING IT WITH HIS CANE to save Inej, you best believe love is true, kids

god the volcra are so ugly and gross, they did such a good job with them

they kind of remind me of these creatures (I think they might have been called Hollows or smth) from the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie

STAG VISION TIME

despite my dislike for the callous nature with which the stag plotline was handled, I kind of dig the stag vision scene

'It's just me and you now, Alina. And we're all we need, anyway.' I actually feel bad for this old fool simping for this wonderful gorgeous powerful woman despite lying to her and manipulating her and exploiting her power

okay 'I never needed you' *stabs the bone fragment out of his hand* beautiful power move I fucking love you so so much

alright ben looking like ✨ that✨ not only in physical pain but also emotional pain at what the Darkling clearly considers another betrayal from this girl he wants to give the world and maybe? loves? maybe? or at least has feelings for makes my fucking heart hurt while simultaneously soar at Alina taking back control and reclaiming her power as her own and stepping into her own

'how do you claim such power' okay could have had better dialogue there writers

the fucking score lifting as she says 'you cannot claim what was not given to you' good people my heart is full

one day I'll talk about my defense of the chosen one trope because god damn I kind of love it

hmm I wonder was that brief hesitation that we saw on Alina's face due to her thinking about the 'you chose to betray our people' comment or the 'i was trying to save us' comment because that will define some of her actions in the later seasons (hopefully god if we get some, I honestly don't know what with this stupid brownface debacle)

I'm not saying talking about brownface and pointing out that it is wrong (for further context, I am actually brown) and harmful is stupid btw I'm talking about the incidents involving brownface in question

I don't wanna talk about this anymore but I might feel like I need to and end up posting about it idk

goodness Ivan actually believing in this cause makes me so sad because he too has been victimized by the system that ostracizes Grisha and he has every right to feel the way that he does

Ben actually fighting in that ridiculously heavy cloak and kefta when he's about to turn 40 this year makes me super impressed because I as a 19 year old sometimes wake up with muscle pulls after weeks of inactivity it's weird idk

also I understand that this Mal Darkling fight is completely fanservice and serves nearly no purpose to the plot in general but like I? love it?

'I don't have to kill you Darkling. Your past will do it for me' YES HIMBO GO OFF YOU TELL THAT OLD MAN GODS THAT WAS SEXY AS FUCK

maybe it's because I know Darkles will survive and will come out of it more powerful but I can't get myself to feel bad for him at the moment

Inej and Mal tearing up at Alina's condition made me almost feel something despite it being super obvious she was gonna be fine and save their asses at the last moment

HER POWER

a solitary Kaz in spotted on the western side of the newly expanded fold in his signature all black emo boy look

okay but the crows with zoya and malina is such an adorable team? I literally love them so much?

INEJ'S FUCKING SMILE AT ALINA GIVING HER THE DAGGER AND KAZ LOOKING AT HER AGSGSGSHSJSJSK MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE

SHE KNOWS JUST WHAT TO NAME IT WELL GIRLIE I KNOW IT TOO AND MY FUCKING HEART IS LITERALLY GONNA BURST

okay I know they had one interaction but Mal and Jesper would be besties in another universe

Kaz glaring at Jesper when he answers ''course not' to Alina's 'will you still be trying to kidnap me?' tell me one fucking adaptation that got the dynamics between characters this perfectly

okay why do I love that Alina kept the jewellery as maybe a small nod to she has the wits to, um, you know, I don't wanna say steal, but, um, yeah, steal it because she knew she would need money to survive on the run

oh Jessie I love you so much I wish you hadn't said those things on you ig story about the brownface

it's like every single celeb I grow attached to god's like nope that one is going to do or say something problematic (hey btw im not reassigning blame to god for stuff people have done out of their own free will, 'twas a joke)

AAAAAAAH them saying 'the deal is the deal' in the show even though they didn't have to but like they did and I love them for it

Inej literally not being able to not stare at Kaz's face and smile after this <3

'I didn't expect it to burn at all. But it can be destroyed in the end. Just like him' babe you're not wrong but like um just you wait

god Mal being on supportive boyfie mode is well, absolutely adorable, obviously, but I wish we got to see more of him as a person outside of his attachment to Alina

kaz my little demjin I wish you hadn't have had to suffer so much to meet the crows and find your calling

fastforwarding Zoya's arc is also an interesting choice to me

I wish the hug hadn't been done though, it didn't feel earned

maybe Alina awkwardly and half-heartedly (remember, at this point the alliance is fresh and they still don't entirely trust each other) reached for a hug and Zoya avoided her? and then the rest of Zoya's lines followed? that would have made more sense to me at least

I love Sujaya as well, she brought life into Zoya with whatever little screentime and scraps of writing she got

inej asking kaz 'what's your angle?' beep bop bleep morp I sense another incoming embarrassing love confession

'but we do need you' *stares at her face intensely* 'I need you' ah look at the clock, look's like it's time to screech and flap your arms like you're a volcra because you're incapable of containing your emotions

NO YOU CAN'T GO DIRECTLY FROM KANEJ PROGRESS TO HELNIK BREAKUP (TEMPORARY, MIND YOU)

helnik my loves you don't deserve this I'm so sorry for both of you

Matthias fucking smiling ruefully while he says 'this was... just a cruel joke all along' THIS IS NOT FUCKING OKAY

omg hellgate

AAAAAAAAH NINA IS ON THE SAME FRAME AS THE OG CROWS I CAN'T HANDLE THIS

CAMERA PAN FROM KAZ SAYING 'JUST HOW THIS ALL STARTED... WE'RE GONNA NEED A HEARTRENDED' TO NINA OVERHEARING HIM AND LOOKING OVER?????!!!!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING THIS TO ME?!

Nina genuinely being curious as to the status of the sun saint because she obviously still cares

Also, 'But she is a Saint' okay Kaz trying to earn brownie points you have succeeded

DID THAT SAILOR JUST SAY 'GOED MORGEN FENTOMEN' TO MALINA BECAUSE I AM NOT OKAY WITH THEM JUST THROWING THAT IN MY FACE ALL OF A SUDDEN

gods I know I'll probably see them again but my heart is full of sorrow as my eyes drink in the sight of my crows for the last time for a while

I know people were annoyed at the meadow flashbacks but guess what? as a darklina, I loved them

'now that the Darkling is dead' could have phrased that a little differently my dudes that line needed to hold more weight

am I glad that they showed Darkles in this state with his nichevo'ya as a tasty little cliffhanger despite not being entirely true to the source material? maybe but only because Ben Barnes saying 'follow' and the nichevo'ya doing exactly so sent a chill down my spine

well, that's it for now, I'll have to move on I guess, get back to my real life which I'm obviously not ready to do

thank you to whoever actually read these things

I probably should have just made reactions or commentary videos instead but I'm lazy

my tumblr will probably go into inactivity once more as I emerge from my stint in the grishaverse

it was quite short (less than 2 months), considering the length of my other obsessions but it was definitely more intense than the other ones

[amintyworld]

For the prompts! “Where WERE you?! Are you… okay…? Goodness, you’re burning up!” With Anxceit?

Hot and Cold

A/N: Hey Anon! Sorry, this took a while, but I finally got some motivation to finish it, and I hope you enjoy it! BTW, I forgot to add in part of the prompt, and I’m sorry, but I still hope you enjoy it anyway! - Minty

Summary: After an argument breaks out between Janus and Virgil, Virgil quickly leaves out into the incoming snowstorm. 

TW: Hypothermia, mention of cheating, unconsciousness. (As always, tell me if I missed anything!)

-------------------------- 

Virgil was stupid.

There was no other explanation for the reason he was walking down 11th Avenue beneath the bright streetlamps, rubbing his arms and shivering like a drowned cat. Tears slipped down his cheeks, turning a bitter cold as they left wet droplets on the sidewalk. 

Virgil Ingram was an idiot, there was no doubt. Only an idiot would run out the door without a jacket. A cold gust of wind left a cold chill in Virgil’s bones. His teeth chattered slightly as he tried in vain to get warm. 

It all started with a simple disagreement, a simple argument over some dishes, and within a few minutes, it turned fiery. The couple shouted at each other for hours, yelled at each other. It was Virgil’s and Janus’s first-ever argument as a couple, and Virgil was more than a little scared. 

Fear did always get the better of him. Virgil guessed that’s why he ran. That’s why he ran away from the person he loved more than anyone else in the world because he was afraid with a few words it was all over. It had to be over, right?

Janus’s face - twisted into a pure rage, his yells loud and sharp. No one could love him after a blow-up like that. Virgil’s heart burned with heartbreak, and his nerves rocked his body. Though he felt like going back, his mind urged him forward. He didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was that he was too ashamed and anxious to return. 

Suddenly, another chill blew through his bones, making him shiver. His head pointed down, he noticed the wetness of the sidewalk in confusion. He looked up - snow. It was snowing and he was wearing nothing but a T-Shirt. 

Awesome.

----------------------------------

Janus paced the living room, his cellphone in hand. He tried following his boyfriend when he booked it away from the house, only to quickly lose track of him and find his jacket on the ground on their doorstep - he hadn’t even noticed it when he chased after Virgil. 

The jacket he’d gotten for his boyfriend - hand-stitched, black with white sewn purple patches. Janus would never forget the look on Virgil’s face when he opened the present - that smile that made his heart melt. It was their one-year anniversary.

The jacket lay sprawled across the couch. Janus’s mind was worried for Virgil, making it spin like a top. He regretted every word, his anger dissipated all too quickly. It didn’t matter anymore, the argument, the anger, the back-and-forth - none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered to Janus was Virgil. He tried not to think about Virgil getting hurt, or kidnapped out in the cold and in the streets. 

Janus’s eyes checked his phone for the 15th time that evening. He’d called Roman in a panic after a few hours and Virgil not returning. Roman tried to calm him as he promised his friend to search around and make sure the emo was safe. Silence engulfed the small house. Janus huffed as he sat back down on the couch, his phone face up on the coffee table in front of him. His leg shook nervously as he waited for a sign, a signal… anything.

His eyes snapped toward a sound, the vibrating phone on the wooden table.

--------------------------------

Virgil doesn’t remember what exactly happened. All he remembered was the numbing coldness seeping so deeply in his bones, making every fluid motion feel like knives digging into his skin. He remembered he was going to try to make it to the nearby bus stop for some kind of relief from the wind and snow. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he rushed into the night, but...

He remembered someone… calling his name?

Then… warmth. Comforting, warm warmth… Virgil’s mind began to grow tired as his body went limp and he heard a panicked voice mumble ‘Shit-’.

---------------------------------

Roman rushed toward Janus’s house, holding Virgil in his arms - his body freezing cold. He didn’t know whether Virgil was dead or alive, the only thing that told him otherwise was the small heaving in his chest as he slept in his arms. The snow was heavily falling on his car, coating his window and roof in a thick layer of white within seconds when he found him.

Virgil was shaking, shivering, looking paler than normal as the snow coated his head and shoulders, turning his warm brown locks white. He got out of his car quickly, calling for him and running over as he began to slowly plummet toward the ground, Roman dashing quickly and managing to catch him in his arms. 

Roman rang the doorbell six times, and when Janus opened the door he rushed inside, trying to find the warmest area possible. “Where WERE you-?!” He saw Virgil and his voice dropped. “Is he… okay?”

He beelined for the small fireplace in the corner of the living room, scrambling to remember what Logan taught him to do in those first-aid classes, all he knew was that he needed to get warm and get warm now. He turned to Janus quickly. “You got matches?”

“Uh… I… yes…” Janus was looking toward Virgil with concern, not knowing what was wrong as Roman carefully set him down next to the fireplace. 

“Grab them, now!” Roman yelled, nervous as all heck.

Soon enough, Roman lit the fire, leaving Virgil unconscious on the floor. Janus took a deep breath to calm his nerves as Roman explained the situation. “He got hypothermia, I dunno what to do, he nearly collapsed in the snow-”

“What can I do to help?” Janus asked, and Roman tried to recall his training. 

“Just, uh… you need to get him warm! Warm drinks, blankets… oh! He needs to get out of those wet clothes.” Roman said, and Janus just nodded. 

“I’ll get him out of those clothes and in some blankets. You should make some tea.” 

Janus rolled up his sleeves and walked over toward the roaring fire, Virgil still cold and now wet from the heat, looking weak from the cold, and Janus couldn’t help but chastise himself - this was all his fault, he shouldn’t have yelled. He moved Virgil’s limp body closer to his own, pulling up the soggy t-shirt and throwing it to the side, moving to his jeans, then socks and shoes. He grabbed a soft blanket and held Virgil’s cold body close to his, wrapping the blanket around both of them. 

He was still breathing. Thank god for that.

Janus positioned Virgil against his chest as he ran his fingers through Virgil’s hair, feeling his heartbeat with his own. Virgil’s wet hair soaked Janus’s white shirt, and he reluctantly opened it up to get it dry, leaving Virgil asleep on his bare chest. He felt his face flush as Virgil sighed, leaning into his chest more, being cute again.

The more Janus thought about it, the more he realized that his boyfriend was naked to his undies sleeping against his chest, the closest they’ve ever gotten thus far physically. His boyfriend was almost-naked cuddled up against him, and his blush deepened. 

He’d never really seen him shirtless before, and it never occurred to him up until this point that this was… Virgil was shirtless. He tried to remind himself it was for his health, that he was freezing, but… for some reason, the blush never left his cheeks. 

Maybe it had to do with the fact that their chests were touching, or Virgil’s sleepy cute sigh, or that fact that they were cuddling next to a fire...

Roman walked over with three steaming mugs, more relaxed knowing everything was under control. “Alright, I made tea and hot chocolate for Virge, you know how he doesn’t like tea that much-” A grin spread across his cheeks as he looked to Janus’s blush. “Should I… leave you two alone for a bit? Wouldn’t want to be interrupting anything-”

“NO- I… you’re not… everything’s fine, I’m just trying to keep him warm-”

“I see. Well, I’ll be in the kitchen if you guys need anything, seems you two need some time alone-” Roman smirked, walking away with a steaming mug toward the kitchen once more, a knowing look on his face. If looks could kill, Roman would be dead right now with the way Janus stared daggers at him as he left. 

Janus sighed as he shifted to grab his cup of tea and began to sip, his fingers fumbling through Virgil’s hair, content, trying to relax from the tension the evening brought. The clock ticked by, and Janus just sipped his tea, trying to figure out what to say to him when he woke up. Eventually, Virgil stirred, his eyes slowly beginning to open, looking up and around him with confusion, and Janus’s hand wormed into his. “Hey.”

“Uh...hey,” Virgil said awkwardly, a smile on his face. “Uh… I…”

“I’m sorry. I never should have yelled, I never should have gotten so upset, you should be able to have your own privacy-”

“No, I’m sorry. I… I should have told you what was going on instead of just running away, I…” Virgil bit his lip. “I got fired.”

“Oh,” Janus said. “I’m so sorry, Vee.” He squeezed Virgil’s hand, making Virgil look down, a blush sneaking on his face. 

“Uh… please tell me this is some kind of weird nightmare-”

Janus laughed. “Sorry to say you’re not dreaming. You were freezing up, I needed to make sure your wet clothes were off so you could get warm again.” Their eyes met again. “You really scared me. Please, don’t run out on me like that again.”

“I thought you were done with me for good,” Virgil said softly, and Janus held Virgil’s cheek as he met this with a warm smile.

“You are the best, most amazing person in the world, Virgil,” Janus said softly, his fingers running through Virgil’s hair. “A little argument won’t change that, I promise.”

“Hm…” Virgil smiled softly, both hearts beating as one at that moment, wrapped in blankets by the fire, and soon enough they found their lips together, happy to just have each other.

[dindjarindiaries]

Hi! from the prompts list Can i request the 1 + 41 with Din? Oh and the reader can have some cute interacción with the Kid. btw, I looooooove your stories, they are awesome. I'm in love with "Security" thank you so much

character: Din Djarin

prompts: 1. There’s people chasing us and I pulled you into the alley with me and wow you’re close, 41. Overhearing they have feelings for you (via this list of clichés) 

warnings: a little bit of angst, minor sexual tension, fluff

rating: PG-14

masterlist

You can’t stop running. You lost Din a while back, somewhere amongst the huts that lined the small city. When you’d both heard the blaster shots of the paired-up bounty hunters, Din had told you to run—and you’d done just that. You hadn’t realized that he wasn’t around you anymore until you’d weaved through the huts and into the crowds of the city.

Yet, you don’t stop doing what Din had told you to do. Your feet practically fly over the ground, diving around people and leaping over random obstacles. You’re not even sure if you’re still being pursued, but you can’t risk it—not until you get back to the Razor Crest, which is still on the other side of the small city’s walls. The child’s currently alone there, and if neither one of you make it back quickly enough, he could get snatched up.

“Watch it!” someone exclaims after you brush their shoulder with additional force. You’re typically the kind of person to stop and apologize extensively, maybe even offering them something in return for your harmful actions, but you can’t be that person right now. You now feel almost more panicked for Din’s safety than your own, and you just hope he’s been able to beat you to the Crest.

Suddenly, you hear another blaster shot from behind you. A few of the city folk shout out in terror, and you look over your shoulder to see both of the hunters hot on your trail. Your gaze snaps back to the ground ahead of you, and your chest heaves both in effort and in panic. Great, you think to yourself. They’ve probably already managed to get rid of Din, and now I have to run from both of them.

The thought of Din possibly already being dead at their hands is enough to get you to collapse on the spot in utter grief, but remembering the promise you’d both made to each other to save the child no matter what, you keep going. You can’t imagine how afraid the poor thing is, probably already having woken up from its nap to realize that it’s locked in the ship with neither one of its protectors around it.

Knowing you need to at least try to throw your pursuers off your track, you rapidly turn a corner, heading down a side street. You then turn back onto a main road, hoping it’s put you at least a block away from the hunters. Your head whips around to see if it’s worked, but in the process of distracting yourself, you soon find yourself getting completely torn off your trail altogether.

A firm grip seizes your arm and pulls you into an alleyway you didn’t even notice. Before you can get the gasp out, a gloved hand covers your mouth, suppressing any sounds you can think of making. You expect your body to hit the hard wall of a building or the ground, but instead, it hits cold metal—beskar.

“Stay still,” Din’s modulated voice murmurs into your ear, and you practically feel frozen as you stand there. You’re suddenly well aware of how one of his arms still has yours in his grip, and the other continues to cover your mouth. Your back is against his front with not a lot of room to spare, if any at all. His grips on your body force you against him, both of your chests rising and falling from the previous chase—and you wouldn’t be surprised if the sudden tension of your close proximity also made your chests heave just a bit more than usual.

You close your eyes as you hear the footsteps of your pursuers approaching. You tense up when they get closer, and Din gives your arm an extra squeeze in response. Your eyes fly open again at his unexpected gesture of comfort. You and Din are close, yes, but you’ve had yet to see or feel him actually show any signs of possible affection—which is something you’ve been waiting for. You want to believe it’s more, but you convince yourself it’s just the adrenaline of the situation.

By the time you pull yourself out of your thoughts, you realize that the footsteps have now gone past your current position. As soon as the sound of them fades completely, Din releases you, but doesn’t give you any time to go anywhere. He spins you around and grips your shoulders, keeping you at the same proximity—but now facing you directly.

“Are you alright?” Din asks you, and you can’t help noticing the edge of concern in his modulated tone. His helmet jerks in a few small directions, as if he’s observing you for any injuries.

Your heart softens, but you remind yourself that it’s all a part of the companionship and nothing more. You give him a nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Din nods at you. “Then let’s get to the Crest.”

You nod yet again to agree, but neither of you move for a moment as your chests continue to practically touch. You’re looking up at him, entranced by the imagination of what his eyes must look like underneath that visor, staring down at you and absorbing your close presence. You wonder if he’s also feeling the sudden electric charge in the air, feeling reminiscent of a storm’s humidity on a jungle planet. You just hope he’s feeling all the same things as you.

And then you realize that the reason he hasn’t moved yet is because you have to move first.

You clear your throat, stepping away to let Din lead the way out. He separates from you slowly, only quickening his pace once the distance reaches a point where that tension between you both finally snaps. Although you don’t feel the charge anymore, you still remember its effect—and you can’t stop thinking about it. Is it all in my head? Your mind is fighting with itself. It must be. I know who I’m talking about here.

For the many months you’ve been working with Din to protect the child, you’ve been able to observe his hesitance to be vulnerable in any way—and affection was a huge one. Even with the child, he only comes out of his beskar-cladded shell inch by inch, never revealing too much. You were shocked the one time you got him to talk about his past. That’d been after a dangerous job, one that almost took away both your lives. That night, you’d spilled a lot to each other—but not everything you’d wanted to.

Your thoughts distract you throughout the trek back to the Crest, during which you neither see any of the hunters again nor pick up the resources you came to buy in the first place. When Din closes the hatch and heads for the ladder up to the cockpit, he stops, turning around to see you following him.

“I want you to rest,” Din says softly. “That chase was… grueling. I’ll get us to another planet for resources.”

“Din—” you try to insist that you’re fine.

“Please,” Din begs you. You decide to give in as soon as you hear the desperate tone in his modulated voice. “If not for you… then for me, and my piece of mind.”

You give him a nod, patting his shoulder. “Alright, Din. But you better not be far behind me.”

Din nods, his attention only drawing away from you at the sight of the child waddling out from where he’d escaped his hiding place. Din bends down to pick him up. “I’ll keep him with me,” Din assures you. He then climbs up the ladder, leaving you to do just as he requested.

You lay down on the cot you and Din take shifts sleeping on, but sleep won’t come easily to you. Your mind is still buzzing with thoughts of what happened before, and your stomach is a fireworks show at the possibilities of what Din’s actions and words could have meant. You’re sure you’re just overthinking, but you let yourself wallow in the feeling, nevertheless. No matter how long you lay there with your eyes closed, your body refuses to sleep—and suddenly hearing Din’s modulated voice floating down from the cockpit doesn’t help, either.

Who’s he talking to? Your curiosity grows, and you find yourself rising from the cot to start heading for the cockpit. As soon as you reach the ladder, though, you freeze, taking a minute to actually listen to what he’s saying.

“I just… I need to tell someone, kid.”

Your heart softens immensely when you realize what’s happening. He’s talking to the child.

Upon earning a coo, Din chuckles and then continues. “I don’t know how to tell her.” Your eyes widen when you hear him refer to you. “I’m not good at this stuff.” He pauses, and you find yourself easing onto the ground in a crisscross position as you continue to eavesdrop. “What would you say?”

The child coos. Din laughs slightly at himself. Your heart soars at the sound of it.

“Right. You can’t say much, yet.” There’s a pause. “I was really worried about her, kid. I thought I lost her. It reminded me of… all this.”

You hear him sigh, and your heart pounds in your chest as you wait for him to speak again.

“I just don’t want to mess this up. I have no idea how to tell her I love her without messing something up.”

Your heart nearly stops on the spot.

“Love her?” Love me? Din loves me?

You can’t believe what you’ve heard. You’re in such shock that you almost miss what comes next.

“I don’t know why I’m asking you, kid. It’s hefty advice. Maybe I should just keep it to myself.”

You shake your head, needing to do something about this. You leap to your feet, ascending the ladder into the cockpit with urgency. Din instantly turns in the pilot’s chair, the blue flashes of hyperspace reflecting off his beskar. You remain in place for a moment, simply staring at the man who loves you—and who you love in return.

“Hey, you okay?” Din asks, rising from the chair. “I thought that you were—.”

Din’s cut off by you, as you can’t hold back any longer. You walk up quickly to meet him, reaching your hands up to grip the sides of his helmet as you pull his forehead down to meet yours. You close your eyes as you absorb the intimate touch, relishing in what you’ve heard is a typical Mandalorian kiss. You can tell Din’s shocked by your action, but after a few moments, his gloved hands also come up to meet the sides of your face. At that, you reopen your eyes, swearing that you can see at least the outline of the eyes that lie behind his visor.

“I’m… going to assume that you overheard my conversation with the kid.” Din’s voice is soft, yet you still catch its hint of amusement.

You chuckle, running a thumb over the metal of his helmet. “I did.” You pause, looking at him more seriously. “And I love you, too.”

You can tell Din’s not sure of what to say or do, but after a few moments of you both standing like that, he begins to draw you in closer. You finish the action for him, letting your head rest against his chest as your arms wrap around him. He eventually figures out how to comfortably get his arms around you, too, and you close your eyes as you simply stand there and absorb the affection you’ve both been craving for much too long now.

You only reopen your eyes when you feel something touch your leg. You and Din both look down to see the child standing at your feet, his little arms trying to hug both yours and Din’s leg. You both chuckle, and your heart practically explodes at the sight. You look back up at Din, seeing his helmet looking at you as well—and the word “family” instantly comes to mind for the both of you.

thank you for your kind words about my writing and “security!” you’re the very sweetest.

[thorinkingoferebor]

24 hours later: i'm still outraged as ever & i've found a couple of new things to be outraged about that i somehow just missed yesterday. which is understandable. hard to keep track of all the fuck ups!

what was the point of euron fighting jaime? also how did they even end up together? that was another case of characters just conveniently appearing at the right time at the right location (which is like euron’s mine character trait at this point: randomly showing up without any real reason just to fuck shit up in the most annoying way possible). Also: why didn't Jaime just go for this route the first time around?! he might have even made it in time. why is euron so obsessed with killing jaime? why is euron in general? what's his point? was he ever meant to be anything but a cheap plot device? everyone deserved better than this

the fact that the unsullied officers just left tyrion with jaime no questions asked is probably the dumbest moment of the entire episode. dany has often and loudly questions tyrion's loyalty but nothing suspicious about tyrion (THE HAND OF THE QUEEN) wanting to stand guard outside the tent and sending everyone else away. like what's he gonna do? free the person he clearly loves most in the world with a key that just magically appeared in his hand while davos somehow sneaks past the entire greyjoy fleet to leave a boat at the foot of the red keep? naaah (how did davos get back from there btw? did he tow another boat? was he not alone? why am i even trying to make sense of this we all know this plot was written on a piece of toilet paper)

and what's with dany never learning of jaime's escape?! someone must have checked on such a high profile prisoner in the morning? someone must have noticed and told dany who just hours ago threatened tyrion with death should he ever betray her. why did noone come up with the idea to use jaime as a hostage??? but guess everyone just forgot about him, just like the writers forgot about his arc :))))))))))))))))))

where did all the dothraki come from? why are there still so many unsullied left? it sure looked like 90% of them died in winterfell. then we see a significant number in episode five and in the trailer for episode 6 it looks like thousands??? do they just respawn? are we following video game logic now? (btw remember when soldiers had actual personalities? when was the last time an unsullied beside grey worm or a dothraki did anything to remind us they're more than npcs. what do they think about all of this? what did they think about the army of the dead? how are they coping? why was everyone suddenly ok with senseless violence against children even though dany has been saying for years she doesn't want that. yeah sure, she started the kings landing BBQ but she was in a completely different part of the city. there was no way for the foot soldier to know that she was indeed butchering civilians and not just wiping out the last remainders of the lannister forces that hadn't put down their weapons. i’m glad though that they all apparently learned to communicate with each other telepathically otherwise they would be as freaking lost as me rn

one thing the books and previous seasons have been really good at is small little world-building elements that pay off later. and they could have used that in season 8! there wasn't any need to introduce new stuff they could have just used what's already there. they did well on that account with lyanna, jorah and theon. Theon probably had the best arc this season tbh (not a tough competition but it's something) and died a stark and a greyjoy. His identity was the major theme of his journey and seeing it played out this way was satisfying! Lyanna and Jorah both embodied "Here We Stand" in their final moments (Jorah quite literally) and that was wonderful! Why couldn't we get something like this for the Lannisters? Why couldn't we get one final, brilliant scene with cersei trying to turn the tide (backup plan? never heard of it). Don't get me wrong, Lena's acting was fantastic but why couldn't we get a "Hear me roar" moment? Her arc was tide to house Lannister more than any other and yet we didn't get anything? Why didn't we get any rewarding rains of castamere parallels? if they're set on wiping house lannister off the map why not show the tragedy and irony of it. why not remind of us tywin's fantastic speech in season 2? they could have used any of those themes but they didn't???

i'm still not even ready to begin to vocalize my opinions regarding jaime. every time i think about it i can feel my life drain out of me. what a fucking waste you guys

what i can vocalize now however is how much i do hate cersei's end and how they treated lena. I cannot get over that. like i realize she is a villain and i realize she is not meant to be a sympathetic character and she never had a chance to get redemption or get out alive but the show treated her like dirt in the end and just like jaime she was eventually reduced to the incest plotline. she started this show out as someone completely at the mercy of the men in her life (her father, her husband) and while jaime was a big part of her arc her main objective was always throwing off that control and taking it herself. sure she overdid it massively and became power hungry but that power hunger is a direct result of the way she was brought up and everything she was forced into/everything she was denied. weirdly, her conflicts are very similar to brienne's. both women didn't want the roles their peers tried to force them into, both women wanted to escape and both women assumed to do so they would have to take on male traits. brienne did that by rejecting her womanhood completely for 7 seasons and aspiring to be a knight. cersei took a very different route. maybe because she had that option (brienne couldn't mould herself into a proper lady unlike her) or maybe because that was literally her only option (imagine tywin's reaction to cersei putting on armour...). in the years that follow cersei and brienne obviously take very different paths and they have very different personalities but just as brienne deserved her knighthood and the affections and acceptance of the man she loves, cersei would have deserved to be free of men trying to decide her fate for her. but she never was. first it was her father, then robert, then her father again, then the high sparrow and when she finally wiped them all out she had to let another man she despised into her bed to maintain power. brienne managed to escape the confines of male-dominated society forced on her, cersei never did. they could have either shown her finally free before her death, free of the men that tried to control her all her life, free of the power hunger, free of societies expectations or they could have had her face her ugly deeds. i doubt she would have ever regretted any of it but it would have been so much more satisfying to see her properly outsmarted, to see her face off either dany or sansa or jon (or even tyrion or jaime had his character arc not been ruined before that). she was a fantastic, complex villain until she basically just started to stare off into the distance. it would have been so satisfying to see her face reality before the end. Instead, we got rocks. but even that scene (as beautifully as it's acted) isn't satisfying. cersei, who has never been one to just weep helplessly, is first reduced to begging jaime for her life & to save their child (AGAIN WHAT WAS THE POINT! I WILL NEVER GET IT!) and then she keeps freaking out because she doesn't want to die at all and certainly not this way (very self-centred as always whereas jaime is much calmer and at peace with what's about to happen and ready to take care of her even though he’s worse off) . i don't know if this was intentional or just a happy accident but even in those final scenes it's very obvious that the love cersei has for jaime is not the same kind of love jaime has for her. i guess they both ended up wanting to die in each others arms seconds before it happened so there’s that. but it’s a cheap ending for the best actress in the show before they robbed her of all opportunities to shine

oh and lena's instagram combined with her body double’s yet unseen work on the show has now convinced me that we're incredibly likely to see cersei's and jaime's mutilated bodies/heads next week. can't wait to see their characters disrespected on a whole new level jfc i’m so tired

i can't even think about brienne these days. absolutely seething. at this point i would prefer it if the brienne/jaime romance had never happened in ep. 4. if they'd stuck to glances and meaningful gestures at least it would have made more sense. brienne would have been his "what if" when they erased jaime's character development and made him return to cersei (which i maintain could have made sense because no matter what jaime will always love his family no matter how much he also hates them IF ONLY THEY HAD PUT IN THE FUCKING WORK). but she's not a "what if" now is she. she is his "this happened and it was good and important" but we're just going to forget this. we're just going to forget that the last 8 seasons have been leading up to this point. we're gonna forget that for the entire first half of season 8 jaime didn't even flinch at the thought of cersei dying. four episodes of jaime glued to brienne's side and then we're just expected to believe he doesn't care after all. then we're just supposed to believe she is never mentioned again and no thought of her crosses his mind or anyone else's for that matter (looking at you tyrion). I genuinely don't get what the point of that romance was then. to keep jaime in winterfell for a bit longer so him getting captured would make more sense? i feel like there were like a million ways to get the same outcome without throwing brienne under the bus. brienne and her entire arc were used as a cheap plot device for jaime and it wasn't even worth it cause they then butchered jaime's arc. god i'm so angry.

remember the last time a tv show fucked up in the last episode? yeah, dexter!  i'm calling it now: got will end exactly like dexter in terms of plot and level of satisfaction. jon will kill dany (a family member/romantic interest) and then go north to spend his day in the wilderness (lumberjacking away miserably)

the more i think about it there is not a single thing about this episode that actually makes sense. this goes beyond plotholes, this is just a plain hole

[justkeeptrekkin]

For the prompts... Hizashi and Shouta's reactions to each other immediately after the end of chapter 9 of Kogane no Kami (I ADORE that story, btw). If you want something more casual, umm, something something mutual pining and keeping warm. Tbh, I'm just excited to read anything you write ♡

Hello listener~Thank you so much i’m really glad you liked my fic!! I would absolutely LOVE to do a chapter 9 follow up but, just in case anyone out there hasn’t read it and doesn’t want major spoilers, i’m going to stick to the second half of your question. Thanks for the prompt

Hizashi lies under his duvet and two blankets. He is wrapped up in his dressing gown, beneath which he’s wearing his winter pyjamas. He has two pairs of socks on. His head is buried under the covers.

How is he still cold?

The sound of his teeth chattering sounds oddly loud under the roof of blankets. And even though he’s really- really really- tired, he can’t sleep. Instead, all he can do is stare at the underside of his duvet, and the bluish light of the streetlights peeking through the gaps that Hizashi’s missed whilst making this cocoon.  

His eyes are cold. How is that a thing?

After about ten minutes of trying to sleep, it becomes too much. With a loud, frustrated growl, he rips himself out from under the duvets and blankets. It brings on unpleasant consequences.

“Shit! Oh my God why is it so cold-”

Hizashi dances on the spot for a moment as he decides whether to run a hot bath, make a cup of tea, or a hot water bottle. Of course, he knows why it’s so cold. He and Shouta have the worst landlord in the universe and they haven’t fixed the heating in time for winter, despite the fact that they’ve told him multiple times that it’s caput. Shouta’s been moaning about it far less than him, but it’s reached the point now where they’ve both lost their patience.

Hizashi instinctively looks to the wall on his left. On the other side, Shouta’s in bed. They’ve lived together for years, and yet the thought of him being just on the other side of the wall sometimes makes Hizashi’s stomach flutter. Still.

After all this time.

Maybe Shouta is cold too, he thinks.

“No,” he warns himself, because he knows where this is going.

But his mind betrays him. Maybe Shouta could do with some extra warmth, like I could.

Hizashi measures this thought that drifts into his mind, looks down at his feet as he does so. They’re covered in fluffy, cat shaped bed socks. They even have little ears. And his pyjamas have Doraemon on them. Running a hot bath would be much more sensible than what he is considering doing next. But then, no man wearing a combination this silly has ever done anything sensible.

He looks back at the wall.

There is little point pretending to argue with himself, he realises. He made his choice as soon as the idea popped into his head.

Hizashi’s feet transport him to Shouta’s door, and then he’s knocking. And no one’s answering.

He’s asleep. Of course he is, it’s Shouta. Hizashi huffs to himself, watches his breath form a cloud in front of his face. Pretends not to be upset or frustrated. Paces around in front of Shouta’s door for a moment, feeling a bit like a lost puppy. Then, gritting his teeth against the agonising, illogical feeling of rejection, he-

The door opens. “‘Zashi.”

Hizashi stops in his tracks and spins round to face the man standing in the doorway. His arms are wrapped around him, and he’s wearing a turtle neck jumper. He’s unrolled the neck so that it covers his chin and mouth.

“Shou, sorry man, I just- it’s freezing.”Shouta doesn’t respond immediately. “Yes.”

Hizashi feels warm for the first time in hours. His cheeks, unmistakably, are hot. “You’re cold too?”

Again, Shouta doesn’t seem to know what to do with this. He’s never been good at small talk, and Hizashi isn’t exactly making this easy. “Obviously.”

“Cool, yeah. Obviously. No, I just came because- uh-”

Because I want an excuse to cuddle you?

Thankfully, Shouta doesn’t give Hizashi any more time to talk nonsense. He disappears into his room, leaving the door open for Hizashi to follow. He smiles to himself and takes the invitation.

And then he looks at Shouta’s bed. He’s been in here plenty of times, and never has his bed ever felt daunting. Hizashi combs his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit that he never seemed to be able to kick as an adult.

“Which side do you want.”

Hizashi’s heart stops at how casually he asks this, but, as ever, his mouth is on autopilot. “Right! I always prefer right.”“Thought so.”“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Remember when we were in second year and we went on that class excursion, we had to share a bed then too.”Hizashi does remember, but only now that he brings it up. Back then, it hadn’t felt so weird. They’d stayed up half the night eating junk food and talking about everything and nothing. Hizashi is usually the one with the good memory. He wonders what made Shouta remember that trip now.

“You kick in your sleep.”“Do not!”“Do, too. If you kick me tonight I’ll throw you out the window.”Hizashi makes an unconvincing sob. “OK,” he moans. “I can’t help what I do in my sleep though.”“Not my problem.”

Shouta gets back under the covers. When Hizashi doesn’t move at first, he stares at him blankly. Hizashi startles, joins him in bed without further hesitation.

“Oh my god it’s so warm. How are you so warm. You’re a little radiator.”

“Hmmm.”

Hizashi lies on his back and shuffles down the bed, so the lower half of his face is covered by duvet. Whenever he breathes his face feels, irritatingly, too warm. Shouta lies still, turned towards him on his side.

“What are you doing.”

Hizashi peers over at him, wide eyed. “Huh?”

“I thought the whole point of this was sharing body heat.”

Hizashi swallows. Trust Shouta to say something like that out loud and not be embarrassed. Never freak out or make things weird.

Hizashi, on the other hand: “Errrrrrrrrrrr-”

“Come here.”An arm suddenly wraps itself around his waist, pulling him towards Shouta. Hizashi yelps in surprise but allows it; is suddenly pressed up close against Shouta.

In his bed.

He can feel his breath at the back of his neck. Shouta’s hand lies against his stomach, although he can’t really feel it through all the layers he’s wearing. If he weren’t absolutely freezing, he’d be wishing he wasn’t wearing any pyjamas under his dressing gown.

And that’s exactly the kind of thought that’s going to get you into trouble. STOP IT.

Shouta wriggles, moves his other arm so that it lays beneath Hizashi’s head, rather than being bent awkwardly between their bodies. There’s something even more intimate about that, and it takes all the will power Hizashi has to steady his breathing.

“You remind me of that cat. Have you seen that gif of that cat?”“I’ve seen every cat gif ever made,” Shouta says seriously, and Hizashi laughs. His voice is quiet and low. “You’ll have to be more specific.”“You know, the one with the mummy kitty pulling in the little sleeping baby kitty in its arms. Like it’s a soft toy or something. That’s basically what you just did.”

“Hmm,” Shouta considers. There’s a suspicious pause. “Hizashi, do you consider me a parental figure in your life?”“Wh- No!”

Shouta laughs, and Hizashi playfully, and without much conviction, tries to escape his embrace. Shouta holds him there tightly.

“God, you’re so annoying!”

He can imagine the smirk on his face right now, even though he’s turned away from him. Hizashi’s breath forms clouds in his vision.

“This isn’t fair.”Shouta sighs. “What?”

“You’ve got the better end of the bargain. You can warm up your face-”

-By burying it in my neck? My hair? Is that really what you’re going to say, Hizashi, you MORON?

“I mean- you know- my nose is cold,” is what Hizashi eventually decides on.

Shouta snorts. He plants his hand directly on Hizashi’s face.

“Better?”“Eugh- God you’re in the weirdest mood tonight-”

“And you won’t stop complaining. Just turn round, Hizashi.”He does as he’s told, and finds himself just below Shouta’s chin, eye-level with his clavicle. It’s warm. Shouta is warm. His arm is draped over him under the covers, and Hizashi’s leg instinctively finds it’s way between Shouta’s. He doesn’t have time to regret it, because Shouta shuffles closer.

“Oh,” he says out loud.

“Hm?”“Nothing,” Hizashi croaks.

Hizashi can feel Shouta’s heart racing through his sweatshirt.

It’s enough confirmation that maybe- just maybe- Hizashi’s not alone in feeling like this. Whatever this is- he hasn’t found the word to describe it yet. He shuffles down and presses his face against his chest. He doesn’t miss the shakiness to Shouta’s deep, slow breath.

By the time Shouta’s heartbeat has settled, they’ve both fallen asleep.  

[pickalilywrites]

I was suddenly struck by the headcanon that Zophia liked Falco (who never noticed bc of Gabi), and after 101 i need warrior cadet feels. Feel free to put this off until you're less busy, btw, I know it's kinda a crack ship anyway

They’re cute but thinking about it makes me a bit sad >.

Catch

Zofia x Falco. Canonverse. 

1539 words. 

He plays catch with his older brother and War Chief Jaeger every morning before school starts. She notices that he’s not very good – he drops the ball more than he catches it – but there’s a fire in his eyes whenever he sees that it’s coming in his direction, already extending his mitt even though it’s far too early and he’s not reaching far enough.

Zofia stands rooted to the spot for longer than she knows she should, but it’s not like he’ll know if he finds her watching him.

He’ll just turn and smile like he’s doing now, raising his gloved hand to wave at her. “Hey, Zofia!” he yells like he does every morning when he sees her.

She’s never been the type to raise her voice, so she just gives him that tired, awkward smile she has before he turns back to his game and ignores her like she was never there at all.

She doesn’t blame him for not noticing her. She’s dull and has a strange expression on her face most times. She’s tried to smile more, but she’s just accepted that it’s just the way she is.

It makes sense that Falco is drawn to someone like Gabi. Gabi, who’s bright and vibrant like the sun. She’s the top of the class when it comes to combat, a clear choice for inheriting a Titan in the future. She overflows with confidence, constantly wearing a grin so wide that it would crack Zofia’s face if she tried to mimic it.

She watches him watch her in class, notices every quiver of his lip whenever he wants to speak up but can’t. At least he’s trying. She’s an even bigger coward than him, only observing him from a distance because she’s too scared to even extend her hand to touch him.

He never notices her watching, not really. The one time he does, he becomes flustered. “I wasn’t staring,” he tells her hastily even as his eyes glance quickly back at where Gabi is laughing with Udo.

“I know,” she says, turning away from him and looking instead at her notebook because she knows he wants to escape from this conversation as quickly as possible. She pretends to not care, drawing unintelligible symbols in the margin of her notes, but she watches as Falco releases a relieved sigh beside her.

She’s not sure if Falco has improved since the first time he picked up the mitt and began to train with his older brother Colt and Chief Jaeger, but he tries hard. She likes the determination on his face, brows knit together as he watches for where the ball will land next. He fumbles with the ball a lot, sometimes only able to have it brush the tips of his fingers, but there are a few instances when he does capture it. There’s always a look of surprise on his face, like he can’t imagine that it has actually happened even though the ball is clearly in the palm of his hands with his fingers curled tightly around it.

It’s rarely ever that he misses the ball entirely. Sometimes it’s because he reacts too soon or because he’s miscalculated where to throw up his arm to catch it. And, occasionally, it’s because his brother has pitched too far.

When the ball whizzes past him, Falco lets out a frustrated groan, angry that he’s let this ball fly past him without even touching a fingertip to it. “I’ll get it!” he says, already running towards it even though its barely just hit the ground.

“Don’t worry about that one!” Colt calls out to his brother. “It was my fault! I wasn’t aiming properly!”

The ball bounces on the ground a few times before rolling on the ground and stopping at Zofia’s foot. Should she throw it back?

Zofia looks up to find Falco still awhile away, but he’s stopped in his tracks. He’s looking at her, really looking at her now and not distracted by someone else. He holds his gloved hand towards her.

“Hey, Zofia!” he yells. “Throw it over here!”

Gingerly she picks up the ball, feeling the weight of it in her hands. It’s much heavier than she thought the small, spherical object would be, but she doesn’t think it’d be impossible to throw. She just has to do it like she’s watched them do it, doesn’t she? Just curve her arm back and swing it in that arc, releasing it at its height and have her hand follow through.

The ball soars through the air and Falco’s so surprised by how well Zofia’s thrown it that he nearly misses it. He just barely catches it but he doesn’t look as unhappy about it as he normally is. In fact, he looks thrilled and runs towards her instead of back to his brother.

“Zofia! You threw that? That was amazing!” Falco says excitedly. “You don’t practice, do you?”

She’s not used to him being so close to her, not used to him actually looking at her instead of past her and at someone else. She looks down at her feet and mumbles, “No, it’s just from watching you guys practice every morning. I was probably lucky just now.”

“Well, you’re really good!” Falco tells her. “Do you have a mitt or anything? Maybe you could practice with us too! It might be easier if we have four people instead of just three. I think Zeke told me he has an old baseball or something, so maybe we could use that and practice together while he practices with Colt.” Zofia can only shake her head. “I don’t really have those kinds of things,” Zofia replies. “It’s not really something I do…”

“Well, okay then,” Falco says, frowning. He’s already taking steps backward, probably hoping to get back to his brother and Zeke instead of wasting his time with her. “I’ll see you later then, Zofia.”

She should probably be thankful that he’s taken notice her even if it’s for a brief second but all she can think about is how pathetic she feels.

The next morning she walks along the same path but this time she promises herself not to glance over at Falco playing catch with Colt and Zeke. She doesn’t even know why she got up at her usual time when she knows they’ll be here. She probably could have stayed in bed a couple of extra minutes instead of being up so early.

“Hey, Zofia!” Falco calls like he does every morning.

Zofia lifts her hand to wave at him but when she looks up she finds that he’s running towards her instead of staying with Zeke and Colt. “What is it?” she asks, startled.

In a gloved hand he clasps a ball that’s more worn out than the one they had been throwing around yesterday. In his other hand he has an old glove that’s clearly seen better days but not totally unusable. He has a wide grin on his face and when he stops in front of her he stretches out the old, worn glove towards her. “This is for you!”

Confused, Zofia takes the glove carefully in her hands and turns it over. The material is a little thin now and it’s been stitched and re-stitched several times already, but he looks so happy to be giving it to her. She has to admit that she’s a little happy about it even though she doesn’t really know why he’s giving her a baseball mitt. “What’s it for?” she asks him.

“To practice!” he says as if it’s obvious. He tosses the ball from hand to hand as he continues to explain. “Because you’re really good. I told Zeke and Colt and they said if you could throw then you should practice. If you want, I mean. Zeke dug out this baseball and Colt gave me this new glove. He said he was going to give it to me anyway since my old one was a little worn.”

She does notice that the glove he now wears is brand new, much newer than the one he gave her. “Then is this one your old one?” she asks as she slides her hand inside the glove. It’s a little bit bigger than her hand, but she likes the way it fits her anyway.

“Er, yeah,” Falco says, looking a bit embarrassed. “Is that okay? It’s a little old. It used to be Colt’s before it was mine, but I’ll save up for a new one for you!”

“It’s fine!” Zofia says quickly. “I don’t mind it. It fits nicely anyway, so I don’t need a new one.”

Falco looks at her strangely, wondering why she’d turn down a new glove, but in the end he just shrugs. “If you’re happy with it then I guess it’s fine,” Falco says. He takes a few steps back, tossing the ball up and down. “Let’s see if you’re as good at catching as you are at throwing then!”

If it’s anything like catching him looking at the one he likes most, she’s probably better than him at catching too. That’s okay though. She’s fine with it just being like this anyway.

[tweakerwolf]

Cain Ending 4

This was a really cool ending but it took me forever to find! There’s a very fine line you have to walk in order to trigger this ending... I’m still not 100% sure why you need to follow this path in order to trigger it but... I know that this is how you get it so I’ll share it with you (some endings I know that you need to piss him off a certain amount, or play into the ‘slave/pet’ role but for this one, I’m not 100% sure.... it bothers me! I know like 2 semi-different ways to get it... but still am not quite sure HOW it works...)

Cafe:

The café seems like a great place to go, laid back, friendly, maybe a bit high class, perfect! Lovely piano music pulls you inside, it’s trance-like. A beautiful man tells you the name of the song and invites you to sit with him. He’s so beautiful that you can’t help but stare at his face while you sit there. He teases you and asks if he has something on his face. You tell him that he’s just amazing on the keys and he chuckles, surely you didn’t come all this way just to hear him play? Say “Maybe I did just come here for the music. Is that a crime?” because like lordy, he is THAT good. He laughs and comments that you might want to reevaluate your priorities, coming to a café of all places just for music? How about some coffee, it is a café after all. He gets up and orders you something, how sweet! Then he officially introduces himself and hands you your drink. Now, it was sweet of him to order something for you but, be honest, “I don’t really like ice cream.” Cain takes it in stride though, realizing that it’s his bad; he takes your order and swaps it for the coffee he had. You enjoy your stuffs and then Cain sees what time it is and excuses himself, commenting that he hopes to see you again. Tell him “Have a good night!” and comment that he doesn’t seem like the type to have a bed time. He makes a comment about his age that intrigues you but doesn’t give you a straight answer on just how old he is… interesting… He leaves and you find a feather! But as soon as you touch it, your heart starts to pound and you don’t feel good (screen starts to pulse). You decide to head home, hoping the fresh air would help but by the time you rush to your apartment, you feel even worse! You crash, wanting to just feel better.

Cain’s House:

You eventually wake up because the sun is warming your face and you realize that it can’t be coming from your bedroom window. You open your eyes and yea... this isn’t your bedroom at all! There’s a note on the bedside table that says ‘Meet me in the living room’ but it isn’t signed... You don’t really have much choice so you get out of the bed and notice that you’re down to your underwear even though you don’t recall undressing earlier... You can’t help that though so you find your way to the living room, which is super fancy btw, and see Cain! He asks how you slept but considering he’s kidnapped you, why does he care? You don’t answer. You ask how you got to his house instead. He starts to laugh at you and then his body starts to change (static-y screen effects as Cain changes). His pretty boy features are gone, now he has black/red hair and yellow eyes. Cain answers you truthfully, saying that he brought you here. And you decide it’s time for you to leave; you start to back away, getting ready to run. As soon as you turn around, you run into an invisible barrier and hit the floor. Cain tsks and some invisible force grips your throat, choking you as you lie on the floor. He tells you that you can’t escape and you’re his new plaything, better accept it. Then he comes over and picks you up off the floor, wings suddenly spreading out from his back! Cain gives more detail on what exactly might be happening to you while you’re at his house, all of it gruesome and it’s pretty much whatever the fuck he wants. Sounds like a great time. He’ll also kill you, after you beg for it and he’s tired of you, so there’s that to look forward to! The invisible force is back as Cain forces you to sink to your knees; you struggle but it’s too strong. Cain comments that he can’t wait to see how long you’ll last.

Ask “Why me?” since, might as well get some answers. Surprisingly he answers you, kinda... he claims that humans are a dime a dozen and that none of us are as unique as we’d like to believe. So he just... picked you, you were the one that sat by him in the cafe. Really, you should feel honored that he felt like you were interesting enough to take. He gives you one final warning to keep him entertained and then he walks over to his chair and sits down. -Look around- since, you don’t want to hear any more about what he might be doing to you... if he’s leaving you alone, that’s great! For the most part, his house seems pretty normal, if a little on the fancy side. Cain is sipping coffee and looking out the window... he said to keep him interested in you so... do you say something? Try saying something, “it’s nice out”, maybe he’ll appreciate that. And he does? He comments about how being locked away for a long time can make one appreciate the sky. You focus on the ‘locked away’ part... like... a convict? Cain comments he was in a prison of sorts, but we humans know it by a different name. His tone pretty much tells you that it’s a serious and unhappy topic. You have a ton of questions but you don’t ask any of them. Eventually he goes back to his book and you just kinda stare at him. He calls you out on it too, saying that it isn’t polite. Oops. -Back off- since you don’t want any of the ‘flaying’ to start... no thank you. Since he’s being pretty chill, might as well explore the house a little more. Head to the -bedroom- and spy something on the desk! -Click on the phone- because omg a phone! And right as you pick it up it rings... you answer it because why not. Some blonde guy is yelling at you all of a sudden, he thinks you’re Cain... tell him the truth before he yells some more “I’m not Cain”. That gets his attention at least; he questions just what you’re doing with Cain’s phone since, it’s not like Cain to let other people use it. You tell him that you don’t even know how you got here and that you’re scared. Thankfully the guy on the other end isn’t like Cain, he seems to be friendly! He introduces himself and asks you to explain, but quietly. So you explain the situation as best as you remember and Damien tsks. He doesn’t have time to really do anything though, telling you to call back tomorrow, he needs his tools in order to track the call. He assures you that he’ll get you out though. You’re thankful but you better not risk staying on the phone any longer, so you hang up. Just in time too, you manage to erase the call and flop onto the bed just before Cain walks in! He asks what you’re doing and you comment that you’re just lying down... He wonders if he heard you talking but dismisses it (obviously he thinks you aren’t interesting enough to be snooping... Cain, gullible, what?). Cain leaves, you snooze a bit and then it’s evening.

Head to the -living room- and you happen to catch Cain as he’s cooking. You ask him what exactly he’s cooking and he tells you steak, from a cow. He was a human once and he apparently likes cow, go figure. Suddenly you’re lifted up and slammed onto the nearby table, where he tells you to stay put. Cain sets the hot meat on your stomach and you stifle a scream of pain- which was the right choice since he tells you not to scream. He stabs the meat with a fork and then picks up a sharp dagger. Yell out “ WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” because like... that is going to cut you! He just sighs and tells you to shush before cutting into the meat. You do feel the sharp blade cut into your skin and you whimper. Cain, ever the smartass, comments that the meat is over cooked but still bloody... har har... yea because it’s your blood that’s on the steak. He noms on the steak and then asks you if you’re hungry, how considerate. He doesn’t wait for you to answer, brutally cutting into your thigh with the dagger (I take back what I said about him being considerate....). You can’t hold back your scream this time and Cain covers your mouth, focusing on pulling off a chuck of leg meat. He holds up the fork (CG of blood muscle on a fork) and tells you to open your mouth. Do so, -open mouth- because you don’t want to upset him. You want to throw up but you do your best not to think about it, swallowing it...a piece of yourself... Cain asks how it was, tell him “it was good” and you even manage a smile in the hopes he’d fix you... Cain is pleased with that answer, calling you a good pet before cleaning up the food and pressing a napkin against your leg. All he comments is to hold the napkin there until morning, it does feel a little better.... then you pass out.

He must’ve moved you to the bedroom at some point because when you come to, you’re back in bed. You get up and look around (your leg must be feeling a lot better!), Cain is nowhere to be seen. You head to the kitchen but then you remember you need to call Damien! -Look in the bedroom- since Cain is maybe gone at the moment, and there’s the phone! -Click on the phone-, it might make Cain mad, but that just means you’ll have to ensure that he doesn’t find out that you’ve been using it. You find Damien’s name and call; he answers roughly but as soon as you reveal that you aren’t Cain, he softens. He quickly sets his tools up, whatever those might be and asks you to stay on the line. You ask him for info about himself so that way the wait isn’t awkward. Damien reveals that he’s a priest and that Cain is actually his half-brother, wut... He isn’t a fan of Cain though, he wants you to know that. Hell, apparently Cain has tried to kill Damien in the past so... no love lost. Thankfully he seems to be able to trace the call, asking an associate of his to write down some coordinates. Then Damien promises that they’ll be there soon, just hang in there! You hang up and curl up on the bed, crying... That’s where you are when Cain comes into the room. He sits next to you and suggests that you start calling him master. When he snaps his fingers, a leather collar appears around your neck, lease in his hand. You crawl over to him, conceding and calling him Master. You rub your head against him and he pets you; when you open your mouth to speak, you moan instead. He asks if you like it as he strokes his hand further down your body. Eventually he pushes his fingers inside you, you moan again. Cain mentions that you could have this all the time, don’t you want to be his pet? His fingers move faster, deeper, and you continue to moan, eventually orgasming. He kisses you and tells you to think about it before leaving the room

You feel lonely all of a sudden, listless... really you just want to sleep all of a sudden... But don’t do that, -look for phone- because Damien is supposed to be coming. You look for it but you don’t find it... maybe Damien isn’t coming after all... But then you notice that something feels... different. You call out and Damien appears! He’s here to get you out... you’re safe... You start to hold your hand out but then... you recall how things have been with Cain, how he makes you feel. You have no idea what Damien wants... what he might do to you. Cain asked you to keep him entertained and so far he seems happy with you, doesn’t that mean he’ll treat you better? If you leave now, Cain will be disappointed. His half-brother is in his house and he should know about it!

Ending 4:

  -Call for Cain- (with a heart). Step back from Damien and call out in as loud of a voice as you can manage. Hopefully he’s home... you didn’t stop to think about the consequences if he is not. Damien can’t believe it, what the hell-! He doesn’t get to finish his thought, his arms is suddenly flying away from his body (CG is a bit brighter than the previous frame) and Cain is in the room (rosy heart). He’s surprised to see Damien and he kicks him across the room. Then he thanks you as you seek cover behind him. You confess that the priest was trying to ‘save’ you... Cain scoffs at his half-brothers, commenting that he’s failed again. Really, to just walk into Cain’s domain! But then the room feels with smoke and some cloaked figure hurries into the room and grabs Damien. Damien promises that it isn’t over and they glare at you... Cain comments that they won’t get away but .D was prepared for the worst and the two of them disappear. Cain doesn’t try to follow, instead he just uses his wings to clear the smoke out of the room. He knows that the priest will be back... but at least now he is down an arm thanks to you. Cain tells you that you can call him anytime, as a favor. You reach for him and he hugs you. You thank your master, nuzzling him. The fallen angel admits that he doesn’t want to let you go and you quickly second that thought, you don’t want to leave. Cain has a proposition for you- you can stay with him, he’ll make you a demon and you can be his pet forever. Do you want that? It only takes you a moment to decide, yes, you do. Cain kisses you, his eyes changing color; you feel your body growing hotter and hotter. You aren’t sure if he’s killing you or not as you fall to your knees... your body starts to shift and Cain wonders just what kind of demon you might become. As you shift, your vision changes and you can see Cain’s horn and tail now. Your heart races and you feel pleasure at his touch. You’re his now. Survived- Cain made you into a demon.

[gilly-jilly]

JackScriptedEye Day 5

Just two dudes trying to understand each other. Some Fluff. Not a lot, but a healthy dose of it.

Btw, you might want to read Day 4 in case you want some background info on some Anti HCs. You don’t need to read it to understand the story, but some parts might make more sense :)

Day 5: Write an adventure with Jack and a companion of your choice. It could be another youtuber, Sam, or an ego from anyone.

Jack raised his eyebrows as he returned to the living room.

Anti was crouched in front of the sofa where a sleeping Signe currently lied, the palms of his hands resting firmly on the tops of his knees to steady himself. Wearing an unreadable expression, his face hovered merely a few inches away from her own, silently watching the way her chest rhythmically rose and fell as she slept.

It was then that Jack noticed the thin, beige blanket that had been draped loosely over Signe’s figure. It was done rather sloppily and didn’t quite reach her shoulders, but the intention was clear. He smiled to himself. It definitely hadn’t been there when he’d left the room.

Throwing the now damp hand towel over his shoulder, he sauntered over to where Anti had positioned himself to stand wordlessly next to him.

Jack gazed fondly as he studied Signe’s peaceful features alongside Anti. The way her lips just barely parted while she breathed. The flutter of her eyes every few moments or so. Her hair was a complete mess and her arms were positioned in an uncomfortable way, a sight he couldn’t help but mentally chuckle at, but even in that moment she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

Tearing his eyes away from her, Jack shifted his head to glance at Anti from out of the corner of his eye, taking in his blank expression. He frowned in contemplation. 

He and Anti had been together for quite some time, almost eight months now. Whether or not that decision was by choice is still up for debate, but he couldn’t deny the connection they shared with each other. He’d seen what Anti could do, felt what he could do, and despite how close the two of them were, both on physical and psychological terms, he knew that nothing was guaranteed with Anti around. Especially safety.

Still…while he didn’t fully understand what went on in Anti’s head sometimes, in moments like these he liked to think that deep down, buried beneath all of the malice and resentment he felt towards the world, there was a bit of a soft spot that he let show every once in awhile.

Almost as if having read his mind, Anti suddenly commented, “I’m not completely heartless, you know.” Jack now faced Anti fully, taken aback by his statement. Nonetheless, the corners of his mouth quirked.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he said jokingly. 

Anti let a smirk slip from that remark, but it was gone before the gesture could be registered. He removed his palms from his knees and opted to crossing his arms over them instead, letting his chin rest on top of both. His eyes never left Signe’s face. Jack turned away from Anti and looked over at Signe once more, letting a semi-comfortable silence fall between the two of them. The moment only lasted briefly before Jack decided to speak up about. Something was bothering him.

Looking over at Anti hesitantly, he mustered up the courage to interrogate him a bit. “Hey, I don’t mean to pry…” Jack started, sticking his thumbs inside his pajama pants, “but, what are you doing here?” Jack knew that it took a lot of effort for Anti to exist separately from his body for too long, so him being there definitely raised a few questions. Anti gave him a weak glare from the corner of his eyes. 

“Sounds a lot like prying to me,” he said accusingly. Jack averted his gaze and rubbed his toes uncomfortably against his ankle. He wasn’t sure where to go with this, or even if he should, but the question was already out. There was no point in backing down now.

“Look, I know my girlfriend is pretty and all,” he exclaimed, rolling his eyes to glance back at Anti, “but you’ve never really been one to fancy humans, or much of anything for that matter.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “A guy can’t help but wonder.”

Anti stared hardly at him and frowned, obviously annoyed with being questioned. Jack didn’t blame him. Because the two of them shared a body it was hard to keep certain things to themselves. An unwanted thought or feeling would sometimes slip into the other’s mind without their consent, more often than both would like to admit, so it came as no surprise that they both wanted to have at least some sense of control of their privacy. But even Anti couldn’t deny that his sudden interest in Signe was peculiar. 

Sighing to himself, Anti shifted his gaze to the floor.“There’s no real reason behind it,” he confessed. “I’m just…” he went silent for a while, squinting his eyes and clamping his teeth shut to try and find the right word to use. A few moments passed before he finally grumbled out a quiet, “learning,” in response. Jack quirked an eyebrow at this.

“Learning,” he said blankly, unsure of what to say to that. He didn’t know what kind of answer he was expecting, but ‘learning’ certainly wasn’t it. Blinking in confusion, he continued, “…for what?” 

Suddenly, Jack felt a faint rush of frustration from his chest, no doubt from Anti, accompanied by the flickering of the ceiling lights. Anti rose from his crouch and turned to face Jack, the edge of his form beginning to glitch out and the sound of tv static filling the room. He was very annoyed. 

Raising his voice, he bellowed, “F O R  L E A R N I N G  S T U F F ,  O K ?  J U S T  D R O P  I T!” 

Signe began to shift in her sleep, letting out a small groan and shifting her tangled limbs into a less compromising position. Her legs kicked the blanket even further down her body until it rested just below her armpits. 

Anti froze in his tracks and Jack felt the wave of frustration disappear, along with the tv static and flickering lights. Unsure of whether or not this sudden change was caused by his outburst or just perfect timing, Anti made an attempt to cool himself down.

He took a sharp breath through his mouth and released it slowly, keeping his eyes tightly shut to better control himself. Before long the glitching stopped and he regained his composure. “Sorry,” he said a little quieter than necessary, “didn’t mean to snap like that.”

Jack, slightly reeling from the sudden frustration that Anti flooded his system with, massaged his temple with a single hand and tiredly waved him off. “It’s fine,” he said tiredly, “ it was partially my fault.” 

The two stood in an awkward silence, Anti slowly but surely reverting back to his crouched position while Jack did his best to keep his distance from Anti. Seeing how he reacted to Signe’s response he was almost positive that Anti wouldn’t let himself have another outburst, but he couldn’t help but be wary. This wasn’t the first time he’d lashed out.

Then again, he was kind of the one to blame for imposing on his personal business, so he’d let this one slide.

Suddenly, he heard Anti audibly sigh from next to him, the sound being slightly muffled by what he could only assume was his hands. Before he could turn his head to see his expression, Anti mumbled quietly, “I’m learning to see what you see.”

Jack’s brain went blank, not fully registering what Anti said. Turning his head to him, he let out an airy, “What?”

Anti closed his eyes and let out another audible sigh, this one sounding more tired. He repeated himself more slowly. “I’m trying to learn what you see. Not just in Signe, but in…everything.” On the last word he outstretched his palms to gesture to the space around him.

Jack was struck into silence, unable to formulate a proper response. Here was Anti, an apathetic, otherworldly entity with a lust for murder and destruction, trying to learn how to feel. He didn’t know how to react. He wondered if Anti could feel his astonishment.

Anti frowned, his eyes shifting to his lifeless hands lingering in the space in front of him. He stared fervently at his blindingly pale skin, taking in every bump and crevice with a hard stare. After a few moments, he let them fall casually to his side.

“I’m not human, Jack,” he said lowly, turning his head to look at him. “I’m not meant to understand things like this. Human life. Human emotions. I shouldn’t be able to feel anything." 

He gave Jack a piercing stare, all sorts of emotions swimming in his golden eyes. Anger. Confusion. Frustration. None of it directed towards Jack in particular. However, his expression turned soft as he turned to look over at Signe again. He reached out to give her a gentle pat on the arm, almost making contact with the top of her wrist, but he decided against it and instead placed his hand on the edge of the sofa. He lowered his head and sighed.

“But I do feel things, whether I want to or not.” He paused for a moment, mulling over his next few words. “So then…if I am feeling things, human things, then the least I can do is try to understand them, right?”

Lowering his gaze to the floor, he quietly muttered, “I’m trying to, Jack. I really am.” 

Jack stared in awe at Anti, watching him shift his head to silently stare at Signe once more. He then glanced at the beige blanket that lay messily draped over her body, the edge now even farther away from her shoulders. He saw the way Anti looked at her while she slept, still no real expression on his face, but no look of desire to harm her either. He noticed the way his body was tensed and the restraint he showed to keep some distance between them, almost as if protecting her from himself.

He didn’t see a human, but he saw something, someone, trying his damned hardest to understand what it meant to be one.

Looking over to Signe once more, Jack smiled softly and hoped that Anti could feel the the warmth that swelled in his chest.

"I know you are.”

[impurelight]

Watch Dogs 2 - I Used To Be A Hacker Like You Until I Watched Arrow Season 3

I just beat Watch Dogs 2. And it’s fine. It’s not revolutionary like Watch Dogs 1. But it’s not a crappy [open world driving sim ](open world driving sim) with no story like GTA 5. It’s just in between.

So what’s new in Watch Dogs 2, you ask? A few more enemies, one of those ‘alternate view’ things that I hate, a bunch of side missions. But nothing really great. In fact I’d argue Watch Dogs 1 was the better game.

So let’s start with the story. This is the most disappointing aspect of Watch Dogs 2. For most of the game you’re doing these stupid missions that, quite frankly, feel more like expensive illegal pranks on companies. There’s just no staying power.

One mission tasks you to steal a robot? Why? So we can hack it. Why? Because we get followers on our app that basically turns people’s phones into a botnet. Yeah, doesn’t really make sense.

It does get better in the end where you actually feel like you’re doing something good but it’s just too little too late. Even the side missions are better than the main missions until very late into the game.

Also the game is quite frustrating. Not from a technical side, although I encountered many crashes playing the game. Sometimes it’ll play fine but sometimes it’ll crash every 10 minutes. Oh, and the game has it’s own blue screen I think. At least it doesn’t look like the Windows blue screen.

The difficulty is also a bit off. You might have seen Marcus’ flashy jump and his takedown. They’re very nice but they’re too slow. The take down in particular just takes ages to do. You know the one where he uses what everyone calls a yo-yo?

In the time to do one takedown it’s possible for Marcus to go from full health to zero health. Seriously it’s so annoying. You want to do a takedown because it’s fun and flashy but you know if you do one and another enemy is nearby you can die before the takedown is complete. Come on Marcus, why can’t you just stab enemies to death like a normal person?

So this is definitely not a stealth game. I know that the developers said you can play the entire game using stealth but this is incredibly frustrating due to the ‘one person sees you everyone sees you’ effect. Maybe if you used the stun gun the whole way through, but I didn’t do that.

The problem is the enemy ‘tagging’ system. Basically once the enemy sees you you’ll hear something like ‘sending description of the target’ and then your cover is completely blown. And it happens a lot. If you shoot a guy facing away from you? You’re tagged. If a dog sees you? You’re tagged. Seriously. Freaking dogs.

Also enemies have a tendency to respawn. I know right? Weird. Well it only really happens in later missions but it is so annoying. Once the only way to beat a mission was to spam the Jam Coms equivalent in this game and while everyone is stunned by their headsets waltz past them to the mission objective. It’s actually quite funny. But at the same time so so sad.

Couple this with infrequent checkpoints. As in checkpoints at the beginning of a building and maybe one near the end. And you don’t have enough health. Especially as there’s now heavily armoured guys in this game. And those things are cheap. They take like an entire clip to take down and unless you have some distance between you and them you’re going to die. And they’re actually quite common unfortunately. I believe there’s actually 3 enemy types: normal, armoured, and heavily armoured.

So let’s talk about some of the good stuff. This game has some striking similarities to [Far Cry Primal](Far Cry Primal). For one you can pet dogs and, my personal favourite, you can make enemies fight each other.

It’s not like in Primal where you throw a berserk bomb and all the enemies go crazy. But you can call in cops or gang members to arrest or kill your enemies respectively. Just don’t get caught up in the cross fire.

Speaking of the enemies their AI is pretty terrible. Why is it that only Splinter Cell can have remotely realistic AI? Anyways, it’s not always clear why enemies start attacking you. For cops if you hit their car with your car or do anything aggressive at all you’ll be wanted.

I actually once hacked a cop car to veer off a cliff because I was not sure I would be able to overtake it without hitting it. Yeah, so hacking a car to go over a cliff no consequence. Lightly tapping a cop car with your car? Instant wanted ranking.

Apparently the wanted system, oh and BTW gangs also have their own wanted system but it’s even less well implemented than Saint’s Row 3 as in gangs are so incompetent they’ll never send people after you, can activate before anyone sees you. And then when someone sees you they’ll suddenly start attacking you. It’s like they have this mental checklist of people they’re supposed to be attacking and check it every time they see anyone. It’s weird.

And the police in general are much more difficult to lose now. In the original Watch Dogs there were 101 ways to lose the cops such as riding the subway and going out to see. In this game cops are a much bigger problem. For one they’re now out at see. And there’s no reputation in this game so there’s no reason not to mow down waves of officers. In the original you never wanted to actually fight police because it would tank your reputation so hard but I did try once and the police are more aggressive in this game. Especially once armoured police officers start showing up. Well this game is much harder than the original.

Also I like how there’s a lot more music in this game. In the original there were like a few tracks that would just cycle over and over. In this game I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song repeat which is nice.

Well, those are all the good things. Now I guess the new alternate view is worth discussing. It’s just so… unnecessary. Basically when you hit a key you can see any hackable object through walls… and everything turns blue.

I like how it’s focused only on combat. You actually can’t use it while driving. But seriously? You couldn’t think of a better way to identify things to hack? And it’s not like the system from Watch Dogs 1 was broken or anything.

Oh, I should probably mention the hacking is basically the same from 1 except some objects have different options. Like exploding things can now be set for proximity detonation, attract people to them, set them as mines or shut them down temporarily. You can also hack cars and make them move. My new favorite way to kill someone in a video game is hacking a car to drive into them. So fun. The forklifts and ‘rc vehicles’ are a little different though. Instead of having a few canned movements you can control them as if you’re actually driving them (so the WASD keys). And you can’t kill people with them, unfortunately.

Also the cool hacking things you can do in this game? They’re mostly locked behind skills. The one thing I didn’t like about the original Watch Dogs was unless you had the ‘burst pipe’ skill enemy pursuits are incredibly annoying. Unfortunately it looks like all the cool stuff here is once again locked behind upgrades. To add insult to injury now some of the cooler skills need you to find a collectable item to find. Most people are not going to get these items and sadly will not experience the joy that is dropping IEDs from your drone.

So how’s the dialog. It’s OK. I mean the immature stuff doesn’t bother me. Nerdy people are incredibly immature surprisingly so I’m sort of used to it. What bothers me is the tech dialog.

I took a computer security class last term so I know a little about computer security. So I think I’m qualified to say the technical dialogue here is atrocious. Once I heard a character say something like ‘I’ll just set up a man in the middle attack’. And I was like ‘that line tells me absolutely nothing’. I mean it sounds good. A man in the middle attack. Which sounds nice but once you know what that actually is the line makes no sense. There’s no way a hacker would be like ‘How do we hack into this?’ ‘oh, we just do a man in the middle attack’. Well, maybe if your hacker friend wasn’t good socially. Which would be likely… ok, fine. I take that back.

Another really big problem I had is the escape button. When you press it, it gets you out of the conversation. It is also used to get out of pretty much every menu. And unfortunately when you use it to get out of a menu while someone is talking to you over the radio it’ll exit that conversation.

And the mission tracking is terrible. It’ll make one of those pretty paths of arrows on the ground but it’ll only do it for the first part of each mission. If you need to go to more than one place during a mission location, for oh I don’t know, basically every quest in the game no arrow to the destination. Just have to follow a vague minimap that points you in the general direction. But wait, it gets worse. Let’s say you want a trail of arrows to follow. You open your minimap and place a waypoint on your destination. But for some inexplicable reason when you left click the location it takes you to the mission screen. You have to right click it to place a waypoint. Why? Did anyone even test this? It makes no sense and Ubisoft should be ashamed of the lack of quality here.

Finally I’d like to talk about the things the devs promised. Watch Dogs 1, and to a lesser extent every other Ubisoft game, has fallen victim to people disliking it solely because it was marketed at having better graphics/gameplay/whatever than it actually has. I sort of - no actually I don’t care about these kind of complaints. I think it’s just a way for people to justify why they don’t like a game. But this is worth discussing as I have been hyped for this game since it was announced.

I’ve already talked about the stealth. It’s not that great. Or maybe I just suck at it, I don’t know. The devs talked about how the world is unpredictable and how anything can happened. I just saw a lot of people get arrested for no reason. Oh, and people randomly getting mad at me. But I just shoot them and laugh at myself.

And the driving. It’s… OK. In the original Watch Dogs some cars just drove perfectly and some cars just drove terribly. In this game every car is like at 90%. They do what you want them to do but they have this weird thing that happens if you try to turn too sharply. So is this what passes for good driving mechanics these days? Guess so.

In Watch Dogs 2 it feels like the devs actually listened to the fans. And when the fans speak louder than the devs that’s the worst thing that can possibly happen. Fans always want some feature or scenario because it was in Overrated-Open-World-Unlikeable-Protagonist-Game #48 or maybe it was in a good game but porting over a single feature without looking at the game as a whole or considering if that feature even fit. The point is fans are stupid. I remember someone wanting the ending of Life is Strange to go all over the town saving every single person from he tornado. Seriously? Seriously?

I feel like Watch Dogs 2 went down this path as well. Every possible thing you could dislike from Watch Dogs 1 was addressed, well except for the skills grrr. And so Watch Dogs 2 just feels generic. It feels bland. It feels… or it doesn’t feel like Watch Dogs.

[rmkhealth]

Is it just your age?

Age is the destroyer of youth, eerily creeping up on us and stealing our joyous life energies, age makes our joints ache, our minds slower, age piles on the lbs around our waist and leaves us feeling more and more knackered until eventually it takes us to a cold dark and damp grave.

Or are we wine? Could we get better with age? More knowledgeable and experienced of the World and how it works and appreciative of what we have? Could age be the substance that makes people have a better time?

If age is to be accused of such treacherous crimes against our bodies, let’s us consider the evidence.

Does ageing make you fat and weak?

As I sat on my in laws couch and tried my best to pretend I was watching T.V rather than engage in conversation with my brother in law my view was obstructed by a large gut followed by his apple like soon to be diagnosed with diabetes shape.

He patted his belly and told me that I too, could expect to be fat in ten years’ time, it’s just age he told me, it’s what happens.

That was 10 years ago, I’m still waiting for age to add on the lbs as I sit here wearing the same size trousers I could fit into then.

Of course, there is still time, I’m only thirty-five, other people tell me it’s all downhill from here. Perhaps I am not even the right person to write this article? It’s easy for me to generalize on something I haven’t yet experienced, but then as a Personal Trainer I must have worked with hundreds of people older than me over the last 12 years, including clients in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s.

What follows is a mixture of what I believe to be solid facts, my own personal opinions and general advice based on my own experience. I wrote this article for myself, because I’m curious about the future, I hope that in reading this people might gain a better understanding of aging and how to manage this process like a boss. Let’s start with some of the processes that occur as we age that may affect our weight, muscle and fat.

Sarcopenia affects all adults from about the age of 30 onwards. Up until that point, our muscles are still growing and getting stronger. From then on, we can expect to lose around 3 to 5 % of muscle mass per decade, which means at some point you’ll struggle opening jam jar lids.

From about 75 onwards it really speeds up, leading to the fragility and weakness often associated with the elderly and dramatically increasing the risk of falls and fractures with much more devastating effects than when this happens in younger people. Autopsy results from eighty year olds have shown a 25% reduction in Type II (strong type you would use for sprinting) muscle fibres in the quadriceps compared to sedentary younger people.  

In case you’re wondering, this also affects active people, most athletes are in their prime in their twenties and retire around their thirties.

So, what impact does this have on weight gain?

Lean body mass (muscle) burns calories without you having to do anything.  Muscles need to be fed, which means more muscle, more calories you can consume without getting fat (to a point)

Here is an example of how this works,

Sarah and John are twenties somethings who don’t work out, they enjoy the weekends as they are blissfully free of children and whilst they eat mostly healthy, they have a fair bit of junk from time to time.

Sarah can pull of skinny jeans and John likes to put on tight T-shirts (even though he has puny arms)

Sarah consumes about 2500 calories a day, John about 3000, neither of them know this as they don’t track their intake (which is fine btw)

The fact that neither of them are overweight, and their weight is stable, suggest that they are burning roughly the same number of calories each day as they consume.

Fast forward a lazy inactive decade and they have now lost 5% of their lean mass, which means instead of burning 2500 and 3000 respectively their bodies are now burning up about 2375 and 2850.  It’s only a marginal decrease, but it’s enough that in a month they are consuming an extra 3500 to 4500 calories above their needs.

Add that up over a year and factor in a further reduction in lean mass and subsequently lower level of metabolism and it’s easy to see how the weight begins to pile on year after year.

Even if a person’s weight doesn’t go up, most likely their body fat will. So instead of being 10 stone and 12% body fat John might be that same weight and start to develop flab around his waist as his body fat increases to 18%

In addition to this your hormone system begins to shake, shudder and splutter like an aged car that just wants to rest up its final years in the scrap yard with all its friends.

In men, we see a decrease in testosterone production, think lower sex drive and less able to gain muscle.

In women, we see a much more complex change that brings with it potentially higher risk of osteoporosis, disrupted thyroid and mood swings that would be enough to scare Putin into handing back Ukraine so long as you agree to stop throwing plates at him.

In both sexes, there is a decrease in growth hormone, which plays a significant role in metabolism, brain function, energy levels and muscle growth.

Depressed yet? There’s more!

Does age cause increased joint pain?

Arthritis affects people of all ages, but is by far more common the older you get, meaning more swollen, stiff and painful joints.

Flexibility is reduced year on year, especially in the hips, spine and shoulders, one study on loss of range observed around 8 to 10cm of reduced hip flexibility in the sit and reach test in 50 to 60 year olds.

Also, there’s stenosis, the age-related narrowing of the holes in the spine where the nerves pass through causing increased pain sensitivity, in other words, everything hurts from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed.

The body is breaking down year on year, disc in the back dry up, they become thinner, bones become more brittle, ligaments and tendons suffer with long periods of strain and muscles get tighter, alongside this people get more grumpy and intolerant. It’s hard to be happy when you hurt most of the time.

We’ve already mentioned the loss of muscle, naturally this is accompanied by more unstable joints leading to higher risk of injury and lower ability to balance.

That lack of balance means more likelihood of falls, and the decreased muscle means less ability to handle that fall and impaired recovery.

Here’s a cute Labrador slowly falling asleep, thanks for reading this section, watch this before the next section, things only get worse.

  Does age make you more tired?

Ever noticed that childlike energy that… well children have.  My kids have so much energy they insist they must literally jump up and down constantly whilst shouting for three straight hours whilst their Mum and I smash our heads hard against a wall.

There are plenty of good reasons for this, for one thing my kids don’t have the energy draining life issues we have such as paying bills on time, cooking meals, keeping the house clean, earning a living, raising kids, pretending to friendly to people etc etc.

My kids also get plenty of sleep, the youngest goes to bed about 7pm and gets up about 6am.

That’s 11 straight hours of sleep compared to my usual 7 hours! I think if I got that much sleep I too would be buzzing with energy!

But adults don’t just get less sleep because night time is the only chance they can catch up on the Walking dead, as we age we experience a decline in sleep inducing melatonin levels which corresponds with a disruption in our circadian rhythms, meaning we have less quality deep sleep, the kind of sleep which completely revitalizes you. My son can literally fall out of bed and carry on sleeping whilst I wake up when I hear a mouse quietly turning the page of its Library book in the next room.

There’s more too, remember that loss of muscle mass I mentioned earlier?  That makes everything more fatiguing. Suddenly going up the stairs becomes an effort, as does everything else that isn’t sitting down watching television. That muscle you lost contained Mitochondria, a little energy factory that gives you a big dose of fuel when you want to move more.  The loss of mitochondria is also a factor in decreased energy.

Now factor in any of the issues that people older than me must face, most of my friends and family are still alive, whilst I have had a few occasional tough times, I haven’t had more than a few decades of them, and then there is the respect that diminishes with age. Some see old people as a burden, many fear them, they don’t want to even look at the wrinkled skin or hair loss because it reminds them what is coming.

Many old people when interviewed say they feel invisible, they get ignored at the makeup counters, advertisers have stopped trying to sell them sexy clothes and now bombard them with funeral financing plans and home mobility help.

If you’re ready to start googling Euthanasia clinics in Switzerland rather than face all this peril then read on, because there is hope, so much hope!

The good News!

The truth is far from the bleak picture I have thus painted so far. Although to some people getting older it might feel that way, because perception is crucial in how we perceive life.  

As a Personal Trainer, I may hear “it’s my age” from clients aged 30, 50 or even 80, and conversely, I have worked with clients in their 70s who are strong and go through workouts that put many younger people to shame.

It’s easy to see age as the terrible stealer of youth if we are not actively engaging with life as we age.

Whilst there is no escaping sarcopenia, it seems likely that active people are less affected by it and those who train later in life can still regain muscle or even experience gains they have never known.

I wrote earlier that most athletes retire in their thirties, but that isn’t always the case

“The Iron Nun” sister Madona Buda is a 86 year old Nun who has completed 360 Triathlons and 45 Ironmans (an event which consist of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride finished by a full Marathon)

She says

“The only failure is not to try, because your effort in itself is a success.”

You might have seen her in the Nike advert, if not check it out below.

Aerobic training such as running, walking, Zumba or just anything that gets a person out of breath, is important for the heart. This means less risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and certain kinds of cancers. It’s also going to improve sleep, which in turn means more energy.

Aerobic exercise can even make dramatic changes to your brain, in this study fifty-nine sedentary people aged 60 to 79 took part in a randomized 6 month trial, they found that the group who did cardiovascular work showed significant improvements in their brain volume with increases in both white and grey matter.

It’s never too late to start either, just this year Fauja Singh ran the Mumbai Marathon aged 104. He ran his first one in 2000 aged eighty-seven.

These are cardio examples, but there are plenty of strength examples too, another British athlete Dr Charles Eugster looks pretty good as a ninety five year old bodybuilder, but then I suppose he should be, he’s being doing it for 8 years since he took up the sport up at age 87!.

If elderly people start lifting weights, they have the potential to gain more muscle than that of a twenty something who just sits on their arse all day. Lifting weights also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, and has a greater impact on strengthening bones than cardio.  When people build muscle, they need more calories, which means they burn more calories too, on top of this a total body resistance program will produce muscles with higher insulin sensitivity which will massively help reduce risk of diabetes or help those with diabetes control it better.

Another elder athlete who’s holding his own is British Competitor Mark Felix who’s been a regular in Worlds Strongest man for the last decade, he competed this year aged 50.  He set a deadlift record that wasn’t beaten in for seven years, here he is setting another record.

What about flexibility?

Do joints get tighter? Perhaps age does have some impact for sure, but there isn’t really such a thing as a tight muscle.  The range that any person has in any given movement is determined by the comfort that persons brain has in allowing them that movement.

The brain is naturally cautious, it wants to protect you, it won’t allow you to squat deep if it doesn’t think your strong enough to stay stable when you get there or to get yourself back up again.  If squatting deep isn’t something you often do (why would you?) then over time the brain will feel less and less confident about allowing you to go to such depths.

This is kind of a use it or lose it phenomenon. Most kids can do cartwheels, but few adults can even attempt them, and it isn’t because of age, it’s because they haven’t even tried to do one of those things for years.

In 2015 ninety-six year old Tao Porchon-Lynch appeared on Americas got talent with this amazing dance routine. (which starts around 3:30 into the vid)

 What about injuries?

The longer we are around on this earth, the higher the probability that we will experience pain.

If you exercise you’ll most likely experience an injury at some point, and if you don’t exercise then it’s also likely. At least with exercise you stand a better chance of a quicker recovery, stronger muscles and tendons with a good cardiovascular system means less time to heal.

Exercise reduces injury risk by several mechanisms such as enabling better balance, therefore less risk of falls. Also, when you put your body through rep after rep of tough exercises, you get better at being able to handle pain, which means you’ll have an increased pain threshold.  

Research has shown that even when people have painful conditions such as chronic arthritis, exercise helps to manage that pain much better, even though the exercise itself is painful.

Let’s also consider the affect that a phrase such as “arthritis” or a “slipped disc “might have on a person’s psyche. Not to diminish the very significant impact that medical conditions do have on a person’s life, but note that where there is a lack of understanding between what a phrase means between the patient and the doctor there is an increased likelihood of fear and subsequent movement avoidance and physical degradation.

I have arthritis, most of us do, every day thousands of people walk around with slipped disc (which isn’t a disc poking out the back in case you’re wondering) without even knowing it. They have no discomfort, they feel fine, many of them are athletes.

Any injury should always be assessed by a qualified physio therapist, they can advise on the best treatment and help get you back to climbing trees and swimming in lakes in the quickest time possible.

Health, Nutrition, Exercise and aging

Here are just a few thoughts on how we should approach exercise as we age.

First point of consideration is activity, a gym session may just be an hour or two a week but activity is something that can be done every day.

Everything from taking the dogs for a walk to cleaning the house plays an important role in maintaining or even improving the function of our bodies.

When it does come to exercise, simple principles apply, seek a professional, make sure you find someone who can help you exercise safely and in a well-structured progressive manner.

If your keen to just get started then a simple gym program is a machine based leg press, chest press and lat pull down. Do 10 to 15 reps of each, 2 to 3 sets. Do that 2 or 3 times a week and in a month you’ll begin to see a difference. Add in some cardio in the form of walking or swimming or playing knock door run and you’ll be getting both strong and aerobically fitter.

I believe the following are of primary importance to be addressed in a program to help keep us living well into old age.

Good movement through whatever the body will allow and progressively and sensibly trying to achieve more movement and range.  Exercises such as squats, lunges, lifts, presses and pulls in various forms.

Balance movements such as 1 leg work or even practising falls.

Power movements such as jumps, hops, throws. It’s amazing how many people are scared to jump onto a low height step having never had to do such a thing for a long time. It’s always a case of building confidence using a safe environment to practice and progress.

When I was a Teenager and throughout my mid-twenties I trained like a mad man. I would push myself hard, past pain barriers and then some. Plenty of people couldn’t keep up with me.  As I get older I’ve began to realize I get more out of taking a step back, leaving one or two reps in the tank instead of pushing to failure. Starting with just a few sets and adding more in over a few weeks.  It’s a long term sensible and sustainable approach to exercise.

Because inflammation becomes an issue as we age, we should try to lower inflammation through diet by reducing the amount of processed foods we eat (although not necessarily eliminating the tasty stuff!), eating plenty of vegetables, and consuming foods naturally higher in omega three such as oily fish, nuts, seeds etc. It’s also worth adding in natural anti-inflammatory foods such as ginger, turmeric and blueberries where you can.

In addition to anti-inflammatory foods, it becomes even more important as we age to ensure we have enough protein, since muscle loss is of primary concern, any net deficiency in protein will result in wasting away.

So regular consumption of meat, fish, dairy, eggs, tofu, soy, quinoa etc is paramount.

Studies have also shown that elderly people lose muscle much quicker than younger people, so there is a need to ensure training frequency, getting at least 2 to 3 sessions a week may be necessary to not just gain but keep muscle mass.

An important way to look after yourself as you age is to regularly check in with the doc, if you have a pain, it could be nothing, but get it checked out, because if you leave it too long and it is something, you may have lost crucial weeks to treat it.

It’s also super important to have a social group, join a gym, go on group walks, make sure there are people who regularly ask how you’re getting on and help you out when you need it. Isolation can sneak up on people and lots of elderly folk get forgotten about.

 In Summary

I believe that age is a feeling, people feel old, they think they are weaker, they put themselves down in the mind and the body follows suit.

Along with the elderly athletes you’ve seen in this article, there are other examples of achievement at an older age. For example, philosopher Emmanual Kant did most of his best work between 60 and 80, Kernal Sanders didn’t start his KFC chain till he was 65.

Other research has shown that people get much happier with age, the New York times ran a great piece on this. Other research has shown the elder people have better sex lives, happier marriages, more job satisfaction and sharper minds!

From the moment, we are born we are dying, every day on the march towards death our bodies will go through changes, we never wake up two days running in the exact same body!

Age might well be tough, no doubt there are many challenges ahead for us all to contend with in our lives and in our bodies.

But it my opinion, age is a blessing, we all know people who never get to receive the chance to grow old and there are too many daily tragedies involving the loss of life to speak off. whilst I may only be thirty-five I have already seen the passing of many people I knew who were either my age or much younger than me.