#it brings much better luck than a red comet

[fandomsbyladymelodrama]

@salzrand - ohhhh sailor Jaime, don't give us that look ;)

[huenjin]

soulmate bruises.

you could have been stuck with any other soulmate mark, so why specifically did it have to be the soulmate scars theory?

pairing | lee juyeon x reader (ft. a few of the boyz) genre | fluff / soulmates!au, high school!au word count | 1,654 words warnings | mentions of bruises, swear words author’s note | reposting of an old fic, edited specifically for lover boy here.

"That looks like a real bad bruise," Haknyeon mumbles. His thumb traces the corners of the bruise and you wince, the pain scourging through your nerves, tingling and rushing through your brain furiously.

"Your soulmate must have gotten hit badly," Chanhee chuckles, looking through the photographs in your camera. You frown and curse under your breath. Haknyeon looks through the papers by your side and you look around the photography club you started with these idiots for the school magazine.

"I’ve got an idea," Changmin's eyes glint mischievously as he walks up to your table, having overheard your conversation. "Let's hit Y/N to inflict pain on her soulmate for having hurt her. It's the perfect plan."

Chanhee raises an eyebrow at Changmin but Haknyeon seems to be all in for the plan. Your forehead scrunches in annoyance, your eyebrows furrowing together as you pinch the skin to distract yourself. You groan, mumbling, "Shut up for a second, will you?"

"Fine, spoilsport," the one who suggests the plan says, pressing his lips together in disappointment. He soon began, "My idea was great. All you low lives will never understand."

"I'm going to find this nasty motherfucker," you stand up, determined. The chair pushes back and the table jerks forward as you press your hand down on it firmly. "And he's going to pay for hurting me so much. These bruises take forever to fade away."

Haknyeon stands up soon after, "We just have to find another individual in this city that has the same ugly bruise on their face as she does."

Chanhee and Changmin follow suit, albeit reluctantly. The latter chuckles sardonically, "This is going to be easy. How many people do we even have to search? Yeah, just mere tens of thousands in this city."

Chanhee digresses, "Let's cancel all the nice-looking dudes because our girl here doesn't have good luck."

"You're an arsehole, dude. An arsehole, I say."

"What's with the weird We're Avengers formation you guys have on?" 

Younghoon walks into the room with a cup of coffee and Ray-Bans like he's making an entrance and you roll your eyes. He places the glasses on the table and sighs, "It's cool and everything but Juyeon's hurt, Chanhee. He won't tell it out loud, but yeah, he's hurt and he needs help. The nurse isn't in yet."

"He's hurt?" Chanhee asks, concerned.

"Hurt, oh yes. This is perfect." Changmin chirps and Younghoon raises an eyebrow.

"You're Team Rocket now?" He furrows his eyebrows and glances over at you disappointed, almost as if it is your stupidity that has nurtured them into these. "Anyhow, Chanhee, follow me. The rest of you stay put."

Haknyeon, Changmin and you listen because Younghoon was a mere acquaintance. He was, however, Chanhee's childhood friend, and since he is Chanhee's friend, you have seen Lee Juyeon around — at parties, at the basketball court, in the hallways. And that is it. 

So, why would you care if this man was hurt?

Unless he got hit like a bitch on his face.

Later that night, you hold yourself close, tears threatening to spill from the corners of your eyes. It feels like your ribs are being slammed into something and the pain is unbearable. It leaves you breathless and a little shaky on the ground. You scream at one point and slow winces leave your lips as you try to hold it in.

Haknyeon knocks and walks into your room when you don't reply. He shifts you slightly, his hands rubbing your back slightly as you lightly cry, "I hate that bitch but he must be in so much pain if I'm feeling this much." 

Haknyeon's angry. In all honesty, he gets the soulmate mark and how that should help people be happy but never has it led you to your soulmate, only providing pain along with the entire experience. Soulmates are not supposed to bring pain.

Your teeth clench in pain as you sit up. Your feet dangle for a while before it touches the ground and you stand up, ignoring the pain that seers through your body.

"I'm finding that motherfucker, that's it."

Haknyeon chuckles at your resilience. He helps you stand well and watches your determined expression, mumbling, "The boy's dead meat for sure. Either in your hands or the one that's hurting him."

Finding him is easier than you expected. Haknyeon helps you and the two of you leave the house in pursuit of the man with injuries — a bruised face and now, bruised ribs. You have always wanted to meet your soulmate for, a) he was nasty enough to get himself hurt without bothering about your well being, b) he is your soulmate, and deep down, you want to care for him, heal his wounds, and. . . slap some sense into him because it's a connection and he should respect it. 

You message Chanhee, knowing if you should start anywhere, it's the closest person you know who has an injury.

You: chanhee? [11:23 PM] Chanhee is a hoe: Juyeon's number? here. [11:23 PM] Chanhee is a hoe: [Juyeon's contact] [11:24 PM] You: what the fuck? [11:24 PM] Chanhee is a hoe: thank me later. [11:24 PM] Chanhee is a hoe: don't kill him. but if it makes you feel better, i'm shipping you two and that his bruise is nastier. [11:30 PM]

"It's Juyeon, isn't it?" Haknyeon pipes and you watch his smile curve upwards. "Turns out Chanhee isn't that useless."

"He is. That arsehole didn't tell me till I asked him of it. What if I didn't? Would he have let me go on a wild goose chase?"

Your phone pings again and you groan, albeit very grateful for his existence 

Chanhee is a hoe: [Juyeon's address] [11:36 PM]

Haknyeon laughs, "Knowing him, yes." He drums the bonnet of the car, waiting for you to hop in and when you do, he enters, igniting the engine and zooming away to the address Chanhee has sent you.

Upon reaching his place, Haknyeon wishes you luck and tells you that he'd rather wait in the car and that if you planned on staying the night, then, you should text him so that he could leave. You smile and storm away, trying to build up the rage within you to lash out at your soulmate.

"Lee Juyeon," you slam at his door. "Lee Juyeon, open your door." 

You hit the steel door as hard as you can, unbothered by the pain that now seers through your fist. At this rate, you'll be hospitalized with your soulmate and you could have your first date there. How nice; not.

"Y/N?" he opens the door, and you notice the redness around the sides of his fist. Your eyes widen and the air is taken away from your lungs as you stare wide-eyed at the man before you.

Lee Juyeon is gorgeous. He leaves you feeling dazed like a comet hitting the earth's crater, strong and hard. He is tall enough to tower you and his eyes sparkle with hope. You notice the bruise on his face under the dim street light by his house and you gape.

"It could be you."

"Huh?"

You run back to the car, tapping at Haknyeon's glass. He pulls it down and hands you a paper cup of hot coffee. You look at him with a snug expression. You notice Juyeon watching you with confusion. You take big strides towards the man and open the cup, only to throw the hot coffee onto his chest, in the same area that had you wincing moments ago.

It hits you a second too late. You drop the cup, holding your upper abdomen, your fingers digging into the underside of your breasts as you fall on your knees. You definitely did not think this through. Juyeon merely clenches his teeth tightly, and you realise that with all this experience you both shared, he's the only one who knows how to deal with the pain.

Haknyeon chuckles at the sight, and almost on cue, he pulls his car back and drives a bit away, parking it by a big tree. Juyeon kneels along with you and helps you up, "Let's put some ice there."

"That was a very bad idea. 0/10 would not recommend."

You're holding your chest and your abdomen messily and you're cursing at Juyeon, "Are you a gangster? A thug? Why do you keep getting hurt?"

"A boxer, actually and I keep getting hurt because Sangyeon will not go easy on me. I'm sorry. You must have been through shit," Juyeon's voice is soothing. Like a fresh warm bath with your favorite soap bombs and a ducky. He helps you into his house, lays you on his sofa carefully as he goes to grab ice.

"Maybe this wasn't all of a bad idea," you shout, and Juyeon chuckles. He even laughs beautifully; how? He asks if he could lift your shirt up as he comes back to your side with a bag full of ice. You nod and he lifts your shirt up, grimacing at the purple bruises that have formed by your abdomen and the area under your breasts. Juyeon is too worried to let his eyes stray anywhere else as he mumbles apologies after apologies.

"It's okay," you chuckle nervously, feeling conscious and slightly bad for your soulmate. "At least now I have you. We'll get through this pain together. You can take care of me and I can take care of you."

Juyeon feels his insides bubbling, his chest tightens, and his heart bloom. If this is what a soulmate's love feels like, he could get high on it. His face gets close to your skin and his lips slightly trace the bruises, before placing kisses on it and then, the ice, all while mumbling, "I'd like that. I'd really like that."

[clonewarslover55]

May I please request Boost relationship headcannons? I love all of your work! Thank you!!!!♥️♥️♥️

Boost relationship headcanons (SFW and NSFW)

Masterlist

You absolutely can!!! I did some for Comet and Sinker so why not for Boost?!

Notes: Remember when Sinker said Boost smells? He was right.

SFW

Boost, as we all know, is a sarcastic boi who does not shower enough

His red hair and gnarly scar draw attention easily to him

Not that he is really complaining ;)

Similar to Sinker, he’s a flirt, just not nearly as smooth.

You most likely meet this handsome scarred clone at 79’s

He goes there when he's on leave with his brothers

They all deserve time to relax, plus it’s either that or stay at the barracks

Where he’d just clean his gun, annoy Wolffe, nap, etc.

He likes to keep busy, he never really stops

So he keeps himself entertained when he can

Boost is a very sarcastic man, so when you meet him you’re in for a surprise

Sarcastic remarks? Flirting? Handsome smirks? You bet your ass

Eventually you and Boost jump into a relationship and things really get started

Boost wants to spend as much time with you as possible

He tries not to be clingy; but it's hard, he’s addicted to your touch

Please give this man a hug

And a shower

“Not showering that often helps keep my hair dye from fading too soon!”

You scowl at that and offer to help him keep his dyed hair maintained if it means he’ll fucking bathe more often

Boost, of course, agrees

Anything to keep you close and touching him

Boost is more sarcastic than a joker, but he still has his moments

He never fails to make you smile

Especially out in public

Boost has no shame, I mean like at all, so he is all for PDA

Holding hands, kissing your cheeks, etc etc etc.

In front of his brothers he is always touching you

You’re his and only his, and the Pack needs to know that

The Wolfpack loves you though!

They love it when Boost brings you to 79’s

Mainly so they can tell you embarrassing stories about him

(Boost has reached across the table at Comet once)

You enjoy the stories even if he doesn’t!

Boost tries his hardest at being romantic

He isn’t the best, but damn does he try

Boost will secretly learn how to cook, and attempt to make you dinner!

He attempts, which is all that matters……

You end up mostly cooking when he’s on Triple Zero(Coruscant)

Boost is a good kitchen helper though!!

He’s willing to help you cook, wash dishes, etc

This man has never washed a dish in his life, so you have to teach him

You have to teach him many ways of being a clean person

Dirty stinky bastard man I am telling you

He’s the type that smells his clothes to make sure they’re not “Too dirty” before he throws them on

You will never break him from being a stinky boi

No matter how hard you try

He slowly gets better as you two progress in your relationship

But he is definitely not perfect. He still does the shirt smell

At least he showers once he gets back from missions!

He always brings little trinkets and such back for you as well!

It is mostly things like animal teeth or anything that draws his attention (So a really cool rock)

Boost has a big thing for animals

Especially their teeth, bones, skulls, etc. So he brings those home!

Seriously good luck getting him to not do that if you’re not into that

Boost loves cuddles, but he is the big spoon

He is obsessed with holding you in his arms, especially after being away from you for so long

Like all clones, he has nightmares, but he tells you he has them before you two stay together whenever he’s on Triple Zero so you’re prepared

After a nightmare he wants you to hold him, his head on your chest so he can hear your heartbeat

He is no longer self conscious about his scar, similar to how Wolffe doesn’t give a shit

So you’re welcome to trace it and ask about it!!

Boost’s love language is definitely sarcastic remarks, poking you, bear hugs, etc.

Give this sarcastic little shit any sort of attention and food and he’ll love you forever

He won’t let you forget it either

So expect many forehead kisses and pokes!

NSFW

Boost is experienced, like I said, he likes to keep busy ;)

So he knows what he’s doing in the bedroom for sure

Similar to Sinker, he sure knows how to dirty talk

He doesn’t run his mouth quite as often though

Boost speaks more through his actions, unless you ask for dirty talk

Plus his mouth is better for other things ;)

His kisses are ones that leave you craving more

His mouth always has to be on you, licking, biting, nipping, sucking

Boost loves marking you up, in many ways of course

When he gives you oral expect many hickies in many fun places

Boost, being great with his mouth, loves to give you oral

He loves to receive it too!

Please give him some kisses for the love of god

Mark him up too, he loves showing off that he’s yours!

He will take a bath/shower if it evolves you ;)

Sadly the only way you can get this stinky motherfucker to bathe sometimes

Boost is a clone, so he is a king of self control

Therefore foreplay is a fun time for you both

He’ll tease the fuck out of you, leaving you begging for him

Eventually he’ll get riled up himself, but not after dragging a few orgasms from you

Boost does enjoy a bit of teasing himself, but it just causes him to get a bit rough and worked up

So tease Boost if you want some rough sex ;)

Boost is definitely in for most things, but more so on you then him

He’ll try everything at least once for you, which means he really loves you

Public sex is a big yes for him though! So be warned

He’ll tease the fuck out of you in public, he just wants people to know that you’re his!

Quickies are a yes if it means public sex. But behind closed doors he wants to take his time with you

He wants to hear you scream his name all night long after all

Boost may enjoy some rough sex, but he’s quite gentle when it comes to aftercare

He makes sure to take good care of you, cleaning you both up

Boost will absolutely try to clean you up with his mouth, even after a long session

But after everything, he makes sure you fall asleep in his large scarred arms, your head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat.

Taglist: Currently making a new one so stay tuned!

[birdkujapropaganda]

my completely biased and official rating of every keyblade ever:

Kingdom Key: absolute classic. excellent design for the like, mascot keyblade. very simple, vaguely key shaped. i hate the mouse head though it's so stupid and makes no sense. and i hate mickey. 9/10 minus a point for the weird mickey keychain

Oathkeeper: wonderful. amazing. never boring. excellent design love the heart and wings and all the significance. and that the keychain is kairi's charm? terrific. 10/10

Oblivion: brilliant. awesome. phenomenal. again excellent design the wings and chains and purple crystal are absolutely perfect. love the crown keychain. 10/10

Ultima Weapon 1: literally just a sword with some filigree on it. nice. too much yellow and i don't like the weird cyan gradient on the guard. 7/10

Kingdom Key D: d for disgusting. i don't have any other comments i just hate it. 2/10

Keyblade of Hearts: yeah that sure is an anti-keyblade. love the simplicity and the heart in the negative space of the teeth. and that it doesn't have a keychain, that fueled a lot of theories for 12yo me 8/10

Lady Luck: i think i don't like this one bc to get it u need to use a white trinity but you can't do that until near the end and i have way cooler blades to use. the design is pretty ok, don't really get the card keychain tho. 5/10

Olympia: oh the sight of this one makes me irritated because the kh1 strategy guide uses this in one of the pictures for the fight against possessed riku. it did not help me win. and i hate short keyblades. love the clouds and columns though 7/10

Jungle King: kinda ugly but i appreciate that it looks kinda handmade. also like the butterfly keychain bc it doesn't look like it fits but it Does. also the first good alternate blade u get in the game so. 8/10

Three Wishes: not bad but it doesn't stick out to me either. also doesn't scream agrabah to me but also it does? 6/10

Pumpkinhead: NICE. very long and very cool. the teeth looks like bat wings and a pumpkin so very epic. 9/10

Wishing Star: so pointless i already have pumpkinhead. also short. cute design though i like the gears. 5/10

Crab Claw: i never used this one because it stuck out so ugly in Halloween Town </3 i love blue and crabs though so 8/10

Fairy Harp: I HATE YOU DIE. short and stupid. does NOT remind me of neverland at all. 1/10

Divine Rose: pretty nice but short and lategame. always thought its existence was kinda weird?? like thanks belle but why. i have oblivion. 7/10

Spellbinder: for some reason i really don't like it. i like blue and the circles are neat. the handle looks really painful though. 4/10

Metal Chocobo: kinda ugly lol. love the holes and chocobo keychain. 8/10

Lionheart: oh i am so biased by recoded. absolutely excellent keyblade. design's kind of weird tho where are those lions going. 9/10

Diamond Dust: so i was really confused because i thought this was khux-only or maybe bbs keyblade but apparently it's kh1 final mix only. you know what i got as a reward for fighting the ice titan? sephiroth. you know what i got for fighting sephiroth? NOTHING. it was my favorite khux blade though so grrrr 7/10

One-Winged Angel: grr bark bark final mix again fuck you. kinda weird design though like what is the teeth? a meteor? should've been a wing. nice guard though there's not enough hand room. excellent keychain obviously. 8/10

Ultima Weapon 2: very similar to the first but blue and symmetrical. very good learn from your mistakes. 9/10

Way to Dawn: YEAAAHHHHHHH BOY HERE IT IS PERFECT EXCELLENT GREAT DESIGN WONDERFUL LORE. HAS WINGS. THE EVOLUTION FROM SOUL EATER. THE LACK OF THORNS ON THE HEART. 10/10

Destiny's Embrace: very cute!! my favorite part is the name. i wish it wasn't so like. stereotypically girly though. like you look at the destiny trio's keyblades and can immediately pick out which one is The Girl's. 9/10

Star Seeker: i wanna hate it because it's mickey's/yen sid's but honestly it's so nice. the stars and moons and comets and gradients and colors... wonderful 9/10

Rumbling Rose: oof. weird and ugly and gross. keychain looks like a ladybug from far away. 3/10

Hero's Crest: bring the clouds back. i don't really get the design but i like columns. 5/10

Monochrome: super cute!! i don't like Timeless River but this fits it so well and has cute hit effect. 8/10

Mysterious Abyss: i always get this one way late in the game so it's always pretty pointless oops lol. also the design doesn't really say atlantica?? 3/10

Follow the Wind: another weird miss but i like this one more. nice wheel shaped guard, and that the keychain is a cursed coin. 6/10

Wishing Lamp: now THIS is the agrabah keyblade. very nice and elegant. looks like the palace! 7/10

Decisive Pumpkin: THIS ONE 😭😭 it's so ugly but it's so strong so i have to use it but it's so ugly. it does look like jack's idea of christmas so points i guess 😭 4/10

Circle of Life: also pretty ugly. and short. sorry simba. 3/10

Sweet Memories: shrek voice it doesn't even have attack. i don't like winnie the pooh so that's definitely influencing me. makes cute noises iirc and looks pretty cute. 4/10

Photon Debugger: this one should look pretty cool but my brain is saying it's bad. i think the giant red ball by the teeth are throwing me off. love the neon blue tho 5/10

Gull Wing: why the weird space in the name. anyway. i really want to love this keyblade bc i love X2 but it's really bad. i'm so sorry YRP kh did you so wrong. excellent keychain choice though. 2/10

Guardian's Soul: MUCH better thank you. auron my beloved <3 the lines are very appealing and i like how simple it appears. also looks like auron's swords. 8/10

Sleeping Lion: wayyy better than lionheart. looks kinda like a gunblade! again though what are those lions doing. 8/10

Fenrir: my car key got in a fight. 1/10

Bond of Flame: looks like a bad first draft of axel's keyblade. either the teeth or the guard should look like a chakram, pick one. love it though. 7/10

Two Become One: MY BELOVED <3 excellent design, so so so roxas i think he should use it. very excellent i love the little twist at the top. checkered handle is a little weird. 10/10

Fatal Crest: lol i was so mad when i first saw this because it looked like one of my oc's keyblades. i like it now though, it's a dragon!! pretty neat bro 8/10

Winner's Proof: oh this one is so cute. if it wasn't a reward it would be really weird and bad. surprisingly elegant! and there's even 13 mushrooms on it! 9/10

(shoutout to portadorx on deviantart for the 358 keyblade refs)

Missing Ache: YOU. interesting design, though it says roxas more than ventus to me. great first alt keyblade. 7/10

Ominous Blight: very edgy names in this game <3 looks like guardian's soul, which is interesting. i don't like yellow but it works bc blight 6/10

Abaddon Plasma: what a cool fucking name. so many yellow keyblades. but very cool looking i love roxas' aesthetic 8/10

Pain of Solitude: this is just pink missing ache. 8/10

Sign of Innocence: SO COOL. idk what's going on in most of these blades but i love it. 9/10

Crown of Guilt: come on. it doesn't look like a crown. big disappointment. very cool though 6/10

Abyssal Tide: so cool!! i love blue and fighting in midair <3 the teeth kinda looks like waves 8/10

Leviathan: weirdly furry looking. very cool guard 6/10

True Light's Flight: looks like two become one if it was only one. the top kinda looks like the nobody sigil 9/10

Rejection of Fate: SPEAR. epic name too, but i think it should swap names with true light's flight. very cool but i don't remember seeing it in name. kinda awkward bc it looks like it should be a spear 7/10

Midnight Roar: sooo cool. the orange handle pops without looking wrong... nice. also the teeth kinda look like a bat. 9/10

Glimpse of Darkness: ugly. weirdly bulky and hollow. short. 3/10

Total Eclipse: weirdly bumpy sword. i like how the orange looks like it glows. 5/10

Silent Dirge: GoD but purple. 2/10

Lunar Eclipse: TE but purple. 4/10

Darker than Dark: Hello 😳TLF but purple 10/10

Astral Blast: Abyssal Tide but yellow. interesting choice, but kinda clashes with the blue accents 7/10

Maverick Flare: Ominous Blight but red... excellent. very nice. 8/10

Twilight Blaze: Abaddon Plasma but red... also excellent. very epic. 9/10

Omega Weapon: props for not looking like any of the ultima weapons. very interesting and spiky but i kinda don't like it. 6/10

Aubade: kinda weird. "draws forth its wielder's personality"... ok. looks light elemented. 7/10

Wooden Stick: lol 10/10

Umbrella: not what i would've chosen but lol 10/10

Zero/One: WONDERFUL, EXCELLENT, AMAZING. i can't really explain why i love this one so much it's just very good. 10/10

Earthshaker: very solid design. not much to say it's just nice. love the colored guard. 7/10

Ends of the Earth: love that it is so clearly an earthshake upgrade. makes u realize how incomplete the first one is. 9/10

Dreadgnaw: kinda silly looking lol those are teeth. love the red bit in the center. looks very similar to earthshaker in a good way. 8/10

Chaos Ripper: looks like EotE but in a bad way. i don't like the weird teeth. it's also almost impractically long but i'm here for that. ALSO THE EYE. NICE. 7/10

Rainfell: oooo i love this it's so simple but so nice. very elegant 9/10

Stormfall: less nice. looks like a rainfell upgrade though. also kinda looks like master's defender which makes sense but i don't like it. 6/10

Brightcrest: GORGEOUS. PERFECT AND WONDERFUL. SO PRETTY. i wish it was kairi's. kinda looks to ornamental for aqua? but good for her. 10/10

Wayward Wind: none of ventus' blades look very ventusy to me. this one looks like an extra training one they had sitting around. cool shape though 5/10

Frolic Flame: NICE. looks like lea's frisbees! i like fire and fire designs so but it's a little awkward looking 8/10

Lost Memory: ok so first off WINGS. EXCELLENT. love that the only color is the heart. very cool and epic but i don't understand why it doesn't have a reverse grip handle. or the pointy bit at the tip. but still 10/10

Void Gear: hiii vanitas :) so anyway in my totally unbiased opinion this is the best keyblade ever obviously. love the gears and red accents and it's just super cool. the eyes and chains... vanitas character development keyblade when <3 10/10

Void Gear (White?): still very cool, love the simple contrast going on. 10/10

No Name: i didn't know this one was also called no name which is kinda lame. but i love the keyblade it's very cool. super glowy and i love the time design. 9/10

Crown Unlimit: I almost really like this one. very neat design, love the crowns and twists and glow. 7/10

Master's Defender: literally so plain and boring. i don't care if that's the point give it some frills. nice design though :/ 7/10

Broken Xblade: love the broken bits and the weird rust color. wish one of the kingdom keys was more broken and i think the top bit should be broken too. 7/10

Wooden Keyblade: sobbing and crying and tears. this is literally so cute and good and i love that it looks like Ends of the earth. or the kingdom key i guess. 10/10

Treasure Trove: i never expect to like this one but it's actually pretty nice :) wish the gems looked like they were spilling from the top and not leaking from the bottom. 8/10

Stroke of Midnight: also surprisingly nice! the guard kinda looks like a pumpkin which is cute. just a very cute design. 8/10

Fairy Stars: rad as hell. absolutely love this design very appealing. like how point the stars are. 9/10

Victory Line: i hate this one. maybe bc i don't like the world. kinda ugly and the teeth look awkward. 3/10

Mark of a Hero: ok we brought the clouds back but the weirdly buff trophy arm fucks this up. the blade is also just kind of a column, nothing going on there. 4/10

Hyperdrive: super cute!! love how the blade looks like laser fire and engine streams. the teeth are weird again though, and the handle looks like a bee 8/10

Pixie Petal: SO much better than fairy harp. this one is very cute and these teeth actually fit with the rest of the design. kinda short though >:/ 7/10

Sweetstack: oh this is so cute. a bunch of ice cream scoops!! why are the teeth oranges and what are some of those flavors. why are cones on the guard soft serve. 8/10

Ultima Weapon bbs: NICE. A SWORD WITH SOME FILIGREE BUT ALL IN BLUE. LOVE the wayfinders on it, very good for them. wish it wasn't just blue since it seems so aqua-centric but it looks nice soo 10/10

Skull Noise: LITERALLY SO PERFECT. THAT'S SO TWEWY. INCREDIBLE. the headphones and mr mew keychain... wonderful. only thing is that the name is kinda weird. like it makes sense but sounds weird. 10/10

Guardian Bell: i like it more than i think i would. elegant looking, and i love the gargoyles on it. hate the sentient gargoyles tho. 8/10

Dual Disk: VERY cool! looks like it has a reverse grip. the teeth are really cool and i love the bright blue. 9/10

Ferris Gear: eh. pretty cute but i think my pinocchio bias is acting up. the gears are nice, reminds me of wishing star. 5/10

Knockout Punch: SO COOL. really love the spikiness and colors and that the guard looks like the monkey. unfortunately for it, i don't like monkey. 8/10

All for One: the design's nice and it matches the world... but eh. 5/10

Counterpoint: so fun!! the violin guard is great, and the blade looks so cool. the teeth are a little awkward looking, it goes up too much. 9/10

Divewing: RAD!. just a sword with a heart on it and i love it. just so fucking cool. and the guard looks like a wing so 10/10

Sweet Dreams: so cute :) in love with the meow wow on top, but the teeth go up too much again. and i think there should be some komory wings on it. 7/10

Ultima Weapon DDD: NICE. almost identical to the kh1 blade, but blue and BETTER. the wings above the guard and the crown coming out of dream eater sigil... brilliant. 10/10

Unbound: not a hit 💔 just kinda weird and unfinished looking? and the lime green bit is off-putting. the hear at the top is nice. 2/10

End of Pain: ok mood shift hello. looks like it should be one of terra's evil blades. at first i was thrown off but looking closer it's so cool. the wings and eye at the top... the horns above the guard... the butterfly and gazing eye (buttereye) keychain... magnificent. the blade reminds me of x2 dark knight paine's sword. 10/10

Ocean Rage: looks pretty cool at first but the monstro mouth guard is literally horrifying i don't want to look at it anymore 1/10

YMX's keyblade: apparently has no name and is different than the one in bbs. nothing new really to say since it looks pretty similar but the goat head on top is super interesting. how much did No Name (luxu) influence young xehanort... 9/10

Mirage Split: absolutely perfect. i can't think of anything that isn't positive to say. the stained glass, the heart by the teeth, the thin lines, the gradient, wings, pointy, the keychain, literally all perfect. 10/10

Nightmare's End: also utterly perfect. i don't like yellow but it works here and looks great. the cyan gradient is startling but matches MS so i love it. all the colors in the stained glass are wonderful. 10/10

Starlight+: a little guady. but i love how the stars look like comets. the twisted blade looks neat too, but what's the point of the pointy bit on top. 7/10

Treasure Trove+: love that it looks golden and gem encrusted. very rich looking, but the cart is still leaking gems. 8/10

Lady Luck+: NOW the card thing makes more sense, i love how its incorporated throughout the design. more more interesting than the original. 9/10

Three Wishes+: looks like fire?? which is way cooler but why??? i like it more but where's the agrabah. 8/10

Olympia+: CLOUDS. like that zeus is in the clouds, but they took my columns. and the cyan handles are really weird. 7/10

Divine Rose+: excellent. what it should've been all along. the iridescenty guard is suuuper pretty and all the leaves and vines are great. 10/10

Moogle o' Glory: a lot happening here but i love smacking shit with a moogle head. there's so much happening and i don't really get it. 7/10

Fairy Stars+: i didn't know it could get better, the teeth is super cool looking but i wish the twisty blade was more visible. 9/10

Sleeping Lion+: love that it turns that metallic light blue color, very pretty. and the handle looks more like the gunblade! very nice looking and i used it a lot but the top is very weird. 9/10

Counterpoint+: let's take all the fun and exciting bits from the original and crANK IT UP TO ELEVEN. wait. stop. go back it's too much. very pretty still i love colors. 8/10

Fenrir+: my car key recovered from that fight. looks wayyy cooler and looks like ff7. hate the cyan glow though it feels weird. 6/10

Darkgnaw+: took me forever to find an image bc i keep calling it dreadgnaw. much cooler than the original, it looks like it's gonna bite you. the purple is also very nice. 9/10

Missing Ache+: POINTY. super cool but how does ventus twirl it around without poking himself. the colors are fun and it looks rad. 10/10

Diamond Dust+: i used this one the most <3 very pretty i love shades of blue and purple :) looks kinda icy but the top is weirdly flat. 9/10

Bad Guy Breaker: there's so much happening calm down 😭kinda nice but there's a lot to look at. also this world irritated me. 4/10

Gula's Keyblade: #leopardus4ever. as you can see, this keyblade is perfection. fun and spiky and lightningy. i think the whole blade should be lightning tho. 10/10

Aced's Keyblade: do any of these have names. anyway what a dreadgnaw ripoff 🙄 it suits him but guess what. i don't like him. 5/10

Ira's Keyblade: i don't like ira either but his blade is fucking great. love the teeth so much, and the colors. very pretty and cool 8/10

Invi's Keyblade: absolutely gorgeous. i love the flowing lines and little vines. love the colors and also it's super long. 9/10

Ava's Keyblade: girl this hurts to look at on a white background. very pretty though, i love how wispy and cloud-like it is. looks delicate which is great considering she'll kick anyone's ass. 8/10

No Name: unfortunately, this is absolutely wicked. look at it. it's wonderful. the goat head looks so much cooler than the other animal heads somehow, and i love the hollow center of the blade. and the teeth look like a claw, a little. just so fucking cool but i hate everyone who uses this. 10/10

Shooting Star: super pretty, i love how this one flows. i wish the blade went down to wrap around the guard though, instead of cutting off. 8/10

Hero's Origin: they took away my clouds again. i like that half of it is just. zeus. the lightning bolts are cool, but the handle and guard don't really match. 6/10

Favorite Deputy: you are not my favorite deputy fuck you. i don't like toy story but i do like cactuses. 3/10

Ever After: this one's nice :) the guard is super pretty, but i wish there was more going on with the blade. 7/10

Happy Gear: this one's kinda ugly but i like it soo. the energy canister guard is cute. 7/10

Crystal Snow: i hate it so much. it's boring and the keychain is olaf and i don't like frozen. 1/10

Hunny Spout: pretty cute :) the honey jars remind me of sweetstack. i like the wooden handle. 7/10

Wheel of Fate: cool as hell that's my boat. love that the blade looks like a mast that's so cool. wish it wasn't so gray though. 8/10

Nano Gear: ah, here's the color. i like everything except how the nanobots look at the top. it's just kinda gross. 7/10

Grand Chef: oh this is so cute. but why is remy the teeth. poor rat :( but it looks very nice i like how the Tower goes into the guard 8/10

Classic Tone: fuckyoufuckyoufuc. i hate this one. pretty ugly and i don't like it. 2/10

Starlight: SO GOOD. very simple but i like that. looks mysteriously similar to the kingdom key? i love it but it needs a little more going on. 9/10

Ultima Weapon 3: LOOK AT IT. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE THEY CAN'T MAKE A BETTER ULTIMA WEAPON. the silver and red look so good and it's spiky and cool. and the red is glittery!!! why? i don't care it's phenomenal. the spiky heart teeth. that it looks like it's moving. i wish i could break my rating scale. 10/10

Braveheart: riku kingdomhearts stole my fucking car key. we've all heard the complaints i'm not repeating them 1/10

Star Cluster: it's really nice >:( mickey switch with riku pleaase. the star theme is really cute and the colors are nice but why does it look so similar to the kingdom key. 8/10

Flame Liberator: i don't like the name but ok i guess. the keyblade is so fucking cool though. it's what bond of flame wanted to be. i love fire and it looks like it moves so hell yeah. 9/10

Xblade: still can't decide if i like this or not. How do you hold it comfortably. Love the glistening spiky bits. 8/10

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

This is a bit random but if characters from your fics lived in the Atla universe what element would they bend? Personally I think Lily would still have all her powers which would result in people thinking she's the avatar even though she's not, Obito would be a firebender, Minato an airbender and Lenin dearest would be a waterbender/bloodbender/maybe the avatar?. This is just the vibe I get tho-

Who needs bullet points when we can do a far too thought out AU that spans multiple fandoms/recursive works that will never happen? 

More to the point, elements in AtLA is a mix of personality (we see earth benders as often brash and stubborn, water benders as adaptive, etc.) but also simply genetics. So, while I get that’s kind of the point of this post, it’s a bit weird to me to assign an element solely on personality. 

So with that, let’s get started.

The Setting

Just to make things fun let’s make our AU take place sometime between Sozin’s first comet and Roku’s death and Aang awakening from that iceberg. The air benders have been wiped out, seemingly with no survivors, the South Pole has been invaded and the water benders from there captured and brought back to the Fire Nation, many of the colonies in the Earth Kingdom have been established, but the North Pole and great cities in the Earth Kingdom still stand.

The Avatar hasn’t been missing for one-hundred years yet, but he’s been missing for decades and people are coming around to the idea that maybe he’s really not going to show up. 

Wizard Lenin/Tom Riddle

In this AU we’ll give Tom Riddle a slightly more traditional shitty background. Since we can’t really have a Tom in the AtLA universe he’s going to have the AtLA generic equivalent name that canon even jokes about: Lee. Lee is the mixed heritage son of a Fire Nation lord and a water bender from the south pole who grows up in a Fire Nation orphanage. And yes, this does happen in the absolute worst way you can possibly imagine, one of the imprisoned water benders from the south pole is raped.

As for Tom (Lee, you get the idea) arriving at an orphanage instead of being imprisoned/taken in as a son, well I’ll leave that to imagination but we can imagine a relatively compassionate guard, a dash of luck, or perhaps someone being an idiot and thinking “oh just dump it in an orphanage, there’s no way it will turn into a water bender too”

So, Tom grows up in an orphanage and looks just a bit... different from everyone else and is clearly not purely from the fire nation. I’m imagining much darker skin (and POC Tom Riddle is the weirdest thing in the world to contemplate, but here we are) and the pale blue eyes.

Tom grows up, dreaming probably of entering the military and winning himself glory, prestige, honor, and clawing out of this impoverished life he was born into. He undoubtedly desperately hopes he’s a fire bender, as not only is it cool but they have the best chance of making it in the world, and probably stays up late for many nights fruitlessly attempting to shoot fire out of his hands.

Unfortunately for Tom, sometime when he’s probably around eight or so, turns out he’s actually a water bender. Naturally, Tom has a huge meltdown and existential crisis as this means something’s terribly terribly wrong. More, all his hopes are ruined, as while a non-bender can make it a bender who is not a fire bender is a foreigner and traitor to the state.

Tom runs away and being a precocious child is able to make it on his own and about the country probably pulling off Toph-like scams. Eventually he runs into a much younger Hama who has just escaped prison and not yet started on her scary old lady adventures of imprisoning random villagers in caves. Hama goes, “of course, yes my child, I knew your mother” and gives Tom the whole horrible rape tale along with “I will teach you everything I know including my scary blood bending”. So Tom learns scary blood bending, probably stays with Hama a few years, and then realizes Hama isn’t going anywhere.

Hama’s content kidnapping random people into caves. At this point, angry and suddenly very pro-water bender Tom wants to murder the Fire Lord and his entire goddamn family and put himself in charge. Go big or go home, am I right?

So Tom leaves, Hama probably saying, “Come back any time, my beautiful murder child” and probably goes exploring the world in search of how the hell he’s going to bring down the Fire Lord. He also probably murders his entire father’s family and steals all his money, but that’s a different story. I imagine he goes to the North Pole where he learns that, as much of a water bender as he is, that he’s the son of someone from the Fire Nation closes pretty much every door to him. He’ll always be an outsider and the North Pole is very frosty towards him.

According to Hama, the South Pole is in shambles, so Tom probably doesn’t even bother going. 

So Tom probably goes and bums around the Earth Kingdom, loitering in Ba Sing Se and Omashu, looking for that damned Spirit Library in the desert, etc. for a good number of years as he works to perfect his water bending and make himself an instrument of death.

And then he meets an alien and everything changes.

Lily

Tom probably manages to wander around the spirit world at one point in his late teens and probably almost gets eaten by something terrifying. While he learns much it’s not really anything useful and is more in the “too cosmic horror for Tom” variety. More than that though, something follows him back out.

When he comes to back in the real world there’s this thing sitting next to him that looks enough like a person but also like someone told a gifted artist what humans look like and they got it mostly right but also went a little nuts. It’s a girl, a few years younger than him, who has flaming red hair, absurdly green eyes, pale skin, and facial features he can’t recognize for the life of him (Lily still looking western in this to up the ante of ‘she’s an alien folks’).

Tom sacrifices his dinner to it and hopes it doesn’t eat him.

It explains that it’s a tourist from another dimension, beyond even the Spirit World, and that it’s come to see what the mortal world is all about. Tom is naturally very weirded out but at this point decides to roll with it.

Except it doesn’t leave and clearly expects Tom to play tour guide.

He does, reluctantly, because he doesn’t want to be eaten but he also sort of gets used to the thing. Then, one day, it starts bending multiple elements with utter ease and Tom is at first flabbergasted and horrified (only to remember that spirits can do what they want and aren’t like lowly mortals who can only bend one element) and then he gets the idea.

The Avatar, lazy bastard that he is (and Tom might be a little more than slightly bitter that he himself is not the Avatar), appears to be MIA and not coming back any time soon. The entire world it seems is waiting for the Avatar to come and save them. But, Tom says to himself, who needs the Avatar when you can just have an Avatar. An Avatar and, of course, her water bending master.

Thus, the scheme is set, Tom will teach this weird alien thing how to a) act like a goddamn human in public and b) water bending and together they will pretend she’s the Avatar and got lost in the spirit world a few decades ago (which accounts for the youthful age and the weird appearance) and use this to gain allies, topple the Fire Nation, and eventually give the throne to Tom.

Lily, who doesn’t know the difference between being a tourist and taking over a nation, goes along but is basically this story’s answer to Uncle Iroh always getting distracted by Pai Sho.

Haru/Dead Last

Given that they’re in the Earth Kingdom, and that Lee picks up water bending insultingly quickly which makes Tom fume in rage, they go to pick up an earth bending master/spread the word that the Avatar has returned from her multiple decades long vacation. 

Along the way they probably run into Haru, who is the world’s most useless excuse for an Earth Bender. As always, he’s so average looking you can barely remember what he looks like beyond “generic earth bender”. 

They probably watch him for two seconds, Lily asks if this is it, and Tom Riddle says, “what a joke”. 

Minato Namikaze

Given that all the air benders are dead we’re going to make Minato a very talented earth bender (it is also very weird to imagine a dark haired/dark eyed Minato, but I suppose we’re going to roll with it). This also, to me, does fit his personality a little better as while he is a leaf on the wind kind of guy he also does dig his heels in and get very stubborn now and then.

Minato’s young, younger than Tom (Lee), but he’s incredibly talented and clever. To keep his shinobi background mostly in tact I imagine that Minato is a swiftly rising member of the Dai Li, stationed in Ba Sing Se, but who occasionally goes on intelligence missions to the other feudal powers in the Earth Kingdom.

So I imagine Lily and Tom run into him unnervingly frequently, probably first meeting him off duty in Omashu where he does his “extremely polite and friendly local guide” routine to show the pair the city (never mind that Tom insists he’s been to Omashu plenty of times goddammit). Despite this, Lily and Minato become friends, Lily easily confessing she’s the Avatar (which Minato at first thinks is a joke, even if she looks strange, then goes ‘oh my god, it’s not a joke). 

Eventually Minato is stationed to spy on them under the guise of teaching Lily earth bending. So he joins the gang. Tom, who knows exactly what’s going on, is not amused while Lily is just happy to collect another friend who will actually play Pai Sho with her. 

Kushina Uzumaki

Kushina is a earth bender, hands down. I debated making her a water bender (because whirlpool) but that personality is just pure earth bender material. Besides, I can just picture her so easily coming from Kyoshi. 

So Kushina’s an earth bending Kyoshi warrior, who while ten times as powerful as Minato, also lacks any of his control or cleverness. Kushina has undoubtedly left Kyoshi, abandoning their neutrality, to join the war and kick some fire bender ass.

She does this but along the way frequently runs into the gang where she annoys the ever loving shit out of Minato (her new rival) and claims that Avatar Lily is her new idol.

Rabbit

Rabbit is a mysterious spirit from Lily’s past that she refuses to talk about except in the darkest of terms promising doom and destruction the likes of which the world has never seen.

No one knows how to react to this. Or what a plain old ‘rabbit’ even is.

Tobirama Senju

Because no story’s not complete without Tobirama, I imagine he’s a stuffy waterbender and scholar from the North Pole who Tom is miffed at as the man refused to teach him even more water bending. Tobirama naturally feels that the day he teaches a blatant spy is the day he goes and drowns himself. 

Later, when Tom has picked up the Avatar and Tom rubs it in his face, Tobirama probably reluctantly spends a day or so teaching them something/fighting off the hordes of Fire Nation soldiers on their tale (it’s not Avatar if the gang isn’t constantly chased by fire benders).

Obito Uchiha

Obito is the answer to a fire bending instructor. Obito’s a firebender and the youngest son of a wealthy Fire Nation lord. However, Obito’s the black sheep of the family that everyone hates, a late bloomer when it comes to his bending, and is seen as bringing dishonor on the family.

Itching to prove himself, Obito becomes a soldier and goes to the Earth Kingdom, and eventually decides the best way to earn recognition and restore his honor is to capture the newly resurrected Avatar. Congratulations, Obito, you’re this story’s Zuko. 

Obito, while not the most talented fire bender at first (though as he gets older he gets dangerously good at it) is extremely clever and becomes the largest threat to the gang. 

That said, Obito actually does grow to like Lily quite a bit and begins to realize honor doesn’t actually mean that much to him and he doesn’t even really like his family. He doesn’t even dislike the concept of the Avatar and thinks the world probably does need one right about now.

So after a whole bunch of chasing them around the globe, thinking about his family, and being forced to almost kill the Avatar now and then he eventually defects and volunteers himself as fire bending instructor.

This is met with suspicion on all sides but he and Lily are bros so he wins.

Avatar Roku

Needing to pick up air bending, Lily probably fakes it until she makes it for a while, but eventually runs into Avatar Roku’s wandering spirit taking vacation from an ice cube.

He’s alarmed, but Aang’s trapped in ice, so if someone’s going to substitute then great.

To everyone else it just looks like Lily’s constantly talking to herself, playing Pai Sho with herself, and miraculously picks up air bending out of absolutely nowhere.

Also anyone close to Lee probably figures out she’s not really human/the avatar at this point, but they’ll take what they can get.

And This All Results In

Lily learns all the elements, there’s probably some big battle, then Lily gives some ridiculous speech about world peace that has nothing to do with anything and while the Fire Nation is defeated, Tom is not in fact made Fire Lord and remains merely the Avatar’s humble water bending instructor.

Instead, if he’s alive at this point, the crown goes to Iroh and he’s given a council of angry Earth Kingdom people who tell him to behave or else. We can give Iroh niceish things sometimes. That, or, hilariously, Obito becomes hokage/Fire Lord being distantly in line for the throne and doesn’t even know how that happened or what his life even is right now.

The colonies are the same mess in canon so something like Republic City probably eventually comes about.

Still, there’s peace, and probably statues to the gang all over the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes (while the Fire Nation grumbles and remembers the good old days when they controlled the world). 

And then Aang eventually wakes up extremely confused and confronts Avatar Lily noting, “Hey, I’m the actual Avatar” and Lily after a suspiciously blank pause explains, “I said an Avatar, never said I was the Avatar”

So, that’s that. If anyone wants other specific characters added into this mess feel free to comment. 

[darkestwolfx]

Impact - Re-Review #35

“This is going to be a close one.”

“Isn’t it always?”

Hello everyone! So I’d just like to say a massive massive thank you for all the recent comments and reblogs on the Re-Review Series. Being busy with work this week I haven’t had the time I like to reply to everyone, but be aware that I have read every single response and if I haven’t replied to you, it’s not meant unkindly! I’m incredibly grateful for all your support with these, and glad to know you’re enjoying them - it motivates me to continue writing them.

Now, before we dive in with today’s installment - I can’t believe we’re on number 35 already! - I’d like to give a little note on Fanfiction works (which I know have been lacking from me lately!).

So tomorrow there will definitely be one piece to upload, I’m hoping it could extend to three, maybe four, but I’m working on the numbers I can guarantee I can deliver - which is an irrelief2020 prompt that I have loved from the moment I saw it and been desperate to write - so I’m hoping it will be well received! Hopefully I can bring you more works too, but if not, bear with me (like you all are, and I massively appreciate it)! If I can take any good screenshots from my chat with Australia (and the Red Pandas) [which by the time this goes up will only be hours away and I will have been awake from about 3AM UK time) I will throw them up for you all to see as a reward.

Anyhow, back to the Re-Review Series;

It’s EOS! It’s actually EOS, and she’s in the opening shot and we get to see her travelling around Thunderbird Five! I love it so so much. Look at those little red dots of... is that jealousy there, EOS?

“Lucky shot!”

“That wasn’t luck; that was skill.”

“Yes, I’ve studied it in college. It’s supposed to miss Earth by millions of miles.”

“However, it has apparently changed trajectory. And the probably of a collision with Earth is now one hundred percent.”

“What could possibly knock a comment that far off course?”

You’re about to be very sorry that you asked that, I’m afraid, John.

“We have a situation.”

“Uh... you always say that.”

Scott swiping Alan’s feet out of the way is absolutely perfect brotherly interaction once again.

“Something The Mechanic could have done?”

“Good guess, but no.”

“Langstrum FIschler.”

Uh oh... Scott is mad. Scott is very mad. The face said it all.

“Nobody said gear up’s were fair, Virgil.”

So, Alan is on form (as usual) in this episode, and we get to see Virgil’s first trip in Thunderbird Three! This makes sense as we were shown Virgil piloting Three  up to Five in TOS ‘Ricochet’.

“Any luck tracking down Fischler?”

“Not yet. That guy changes addresses more than I change socks.”

Um... I don’t know which part of that sentence to be more worried about...

“Hello, this is Langstrum Fischler, inventor and visionary!”

“And this is International Rescue.”

“Ah... Yes... so it is.”

You know what, I’ve been awake for too long now and am a little too tired to sit here and write the essay I would love to write on Fischler and his idiocy and made up names and processes. But I will have to write that another time when I am more able to write something which isn’t a load of prattle. So for now, let me just express my heartfelt feelings that said man is a liability. The epitome of liability even.

“John’s right. We do have a situation.”

As I have said before Alan; we wouldn’t have a show if you didn’t.

“What are our options?”

“We could try to steer the comet away from Earth.”

“Because we’ve seen how well that’s worked for Fischler.”

“Ah, yes, point taken.”

New catch phrase, maybe? FAB and RAD are totally outdated.

“I say we blast it to bits!”

Of course you do, Virgil, seems to be an area of expertise of yours, after all: demolition.

“I’ve loaded up enough demolition charges to do the job.”

“Wait, you put explosives on my ship?”

This is another of those traditional Alan lines that only Alan can ever really get away with saying.

“Alan, you fly a rocket. It’s already an explosive.”

“Point taken.”

I still adore this scene.

“This is Thunderbird Three. That was a rough ride.”

“But thanks to Alan, we’re ok.”

“Which is more than Fischler’s gonna’ be when I’m done with him.”

Yeah... it’s probably a good thing that Scott can only reach Fischler by holographics... the man would have a broken nose else.

“Better you two stay on task and blow up the comet.”

Not everyday we hear that from International Rescue!

“And Fischler’s rocket.”

“Especially Fischler’s rocket!”

Yes, we get it Scott. We get it.

“Meanwhile, I’ll break the news to Global One.”

Which of course happens to be where Ridley is based.

“Ridley, you may want to sit down.”

“Not so easy in zero gravity.”

Does she not know by now that John really struggles with humour and works in a high pressure environment where if he’s calling you, it’s probably because you’re in life-threatening danger.

“Ok, you have my attention.”

“Good, because all of you on Global One are in serious danger.”

“Only the last shuttle was short one seat.”

So, I highly doubt any space based organisation would miss-run a potentially life threatening calculation like that for one.

“Besides I thought you could use a hand with the towing operation.”

“What towing operation?”

“John, I’ve did the calculations. My maneuvering jets aren’t powerful enough to push Global One out of the way in time. So I’m counting on you to save the space station.” 

Secondly, that was the whole point of why John told you to leave Global One - there was no plan to rescue something which could be rebuilt. (Yes, I am aware here that the boys often try to rescue their own ships, but emotional attachment is the reason for those calls - I’m well aware Ridley’s call could be put down to the same reasons, but it’s a call that annoys me. One I don’t think a Captain should have made).

“Ridley, I’m not a tow boat Captain. I rescue people.”

“Ok, I’m people. Rescue me.”

So, thirdly, (and I’m aware I’m about to say some things that might not be well received, but), who does she think she is? I thought the character of Ridley was going to be a good addition to the show, but in this episode, I kinda changed my mind on that a bit. John is the sort of person who - whilst capable of remaining incredibly calm under pressure - does have a massive heart. I mean, look how he took in EOS after she nearly killed him (and potentially Scott, Brains and Alan) and gave her a second chance. Ridley knows he would rescue anyone because that is his job. Emotional blackmail doesn’t sit well with me - and whilst many might not see her actions in that way - that’s how they always come across to me. This entire conversation makes out very clearly that she stayed because she wanted IR to save Global One, but knew there was no chance of that occurring if it was just the ship in the comet’s way. So she stays, and then trips every switch that John has - because he (like most of the Tracy family in the odd world of 2060) has a conscience - and makes herself need rescuing when it could have been avoided. Maybe I see it more this way because I’ve always had a soft spot for John - up in space, all on his own - but even if this isn’t blackmail, it’s manipulative. And even if it wasn’t intended that way, it definitely works that way. With Alan and Virgil on the comet, the only other option is for John to act and - like Scott says - put himself in danger, all for one person who didn’t listen to him in the first place, someone who you would have expected should have enough knowledge (and apparent care) to listen to him. It just annoys me that she acted that way.

Right, potential discussion-opening opinion out there, but I felt it needed saying (although hopefully I’ve written that argument well and not done any tired prattle). Now to move on.

“John, what are you doing?”

“Trying to save Captain O’Bannon’s life.”

“Oh. Well then, carry on, Using Thunderbird Five?

“That’s the general idea.”

“John, come on! If things don’t go your way, we could lose Global One, Thunderbird Five and you!”

“Love to hear about a better plan.”

Unfortunately I have to now return to my above essay. You see my point?

“There may not be time to pull Global One clear of the comet. I’ll rescue you first, then we can try.”

“No! It’s like we discussed. Save me, save my station. Package deal.”

“Ridley, be reasonable.”

Yes, be reasonable, and don’t put people (i.e. John) needlessly in danger.

“John, this is my command and I am not about to abandon it. Would you give up Thunderbird Five if the boot was on the other foot?”

Already discussed this as well, so won’t repeat myself too much, but really, manipulative is the only word which struck me for all of this. There was (other than for the sake of expanding the episode) no reason for Ridley to put John in this position.

“Score one to you, Captain.”

See? Forgiving John (or maybe blind John) all over again. And wait for it;

“Just like climbing  set of monkey bars.”

“If the monkey bars are twenty-two thousand miles high.”

“John.. don’t help.”

Okay, really now, make your mind up because you cannot have everything, and I definitely believe that you cannot treat someone who is risking their life for you (job or not) - and who you might have considered a friend - like that. Seriously, she irks me in this episode, a lot (if you hadn’t already guessed). But yeah, I’ve seen the real life effects of emotional manipulation like that, and I personally believe Ridley was really out of order, and even after she became trapped, and John risked coming out to rescue her there still wasn’t any apology.

I’m with EOS on this one, not jealous maybe, but angry. She stands to lose a lot as well if she loses John and/or Thunderbird Five, remember.

“Did I see Thunderbird Three sticking out of that comet?”

Yes, yes you did.

“This is us leaving... Except the grappling arms won’t retract!”

“What?”

“I’m not thrilled about it myself!”

I told you Alan was on form, did I not? He did really well to get them out of that situation then. He really is a skilled pilot.

“They did it!”

“I never doubted them for a moment.”

Of course not, Brains. We’ll just never speak of it, shall we?

So, apart from the fact this episode was in space (key point that one) and was called ‘Impact’, it still shared many similar elements with the earth-based TOS episode ‘Edge of Impact’, alongside the soon to come ‘Weather or Not’ TAG episode. Combined, ‘Impact’ and ‘Weather or Not’ sum up many elements featured in ‘Edge of Impact’ quite well - the high tower, the endangered lives, the near-misses, the potential loss of life, entrapment, the technological failure... anything I’ve missed?

Oh, and I really love the above poster.

[sdpafanblogofsupremefunk]

Season 1, Episode 1: A Different Place

Where better to begin talking about a show than the beginning? Like most shows, Sítio do Picapau Amarelo has a pilot episode.

...Okay, in this case, “pilot episode” is just a fancy way of saying “first episode”. Much like Rick & Morty and DT17, SDPA doesn’t really have a pilot episode that isn’t just the first episode (unless you count Doc and Mharti as R&M’s pilot, which I’d rather not), so to begin the series, we kinda have to jump right into the mess of things.

It’s like A Quiet Place, but not stupid.

As the episode begins, we are introduced to a two men on a horse-drawn cart. The man in the red box is a book salesman who’s a little down on his luck in terms of profits.

A little.

This guy isn’t really given a name, and I don’t want to call him “The Salesman” the whole time because that’s stupid. So I’m going to give him a name. Mr. Simmons will do nicely.

Anyways, Mr. Simmons falls out of the cart when it hits a patch in the road, and when he picks himself up, he sees a quaint little house on a farm, with an old woman knitting on the porch.

Here, we are introduced to the first of our main cast, Dona Benta, a kind elderly lady who owns this little patch of heaven known as the Yellow Woodpecker Farm. Yeah, didn’t take us long to get there, huh?

So Mr. Simmons sees this old woman in the middle of (what he believes to be) nowhere, and decides it’s the perfect opportunity to make a quick buck believing that:

Which, I dunno, man, she seems pretty comfortable just sitting in her rocking chair, knitting. Like, even as an outsider who doesn’t know a lick of what goes on in this farm, I’d say she’s content as she is, but anything to make some cold hard cash, I guess.

Also, I would not ever call this place a desert, even for the sake of exaggeration. There’s grass everywhere, bushes, trees, flowers, the works. If this where anything like a desert, I do not think this woman would be here, to put it simply. But, I digress. And I hydraulic press, but we won’t be seeing that.

So, Mrs. Benta goes inside to call for the kids, and here we meet 3 of our other actors:

Here, we see Pedrinho (or Little Pete, the boy in the blue overalls) and Narizinho (or Lúcia “Little Nose”, the girl in the red dress), cousins and Mrs. Benta’s grandchildren. They’re playing tag, I think, but they’re stopped in their tracks with their Grandma in the way, and-

Hang on, I feel like we’re forgetting something.

Oh, right. I almost forgot Emilia. She’s basically the reason I watch this show, no biggie.

Anyway, she’s in a race with the kids, when they’re blocked by Grandma. Emilia makes the smart move and cuts right under Mrs. Benta. It looks like this:

Another reason I like this show so much, it’s rife with smears, which I feel like any good cartoon should have. Like here, where Emilia friggin’ nyooms right under Mrs. Benta like a comet.

Emilia reaches the finish line at the bookshelf, where we see the Viscount of Sabugosa, a puppet made out of an ear of corn who’s very smart and polite. (His name is a pun, “sabugo” means corncob in Portuguese, and it’s a parody of the Count of Sabugosa, of which there were 9, the first being Vasco Fernandes César de Meneses in 1729- but everybody calls him Viscount and so will I because blah)

In this show, the Viscount is the actual size of an ear of corn, which makes sense, he is, after all, a puppet made out of one. I think it’s really funny that the cartoon is slightly more realistic than the live-action show it’s based on in this regard, because in the 2001 series, for whatever reason, the Viscount towers over everyone:

And he has a sick mustache.

Like, I don’t get it, out of all the characters, you made the guy made out of corn the tallest one in the cast? I get that the technology to make him actually small probably wasn’t all there yet, Grandpa in My Pocket was still 8 years off, but you really couldn’t find a guy that wasn’t the same height as Shaq?

Yeesh, only 2 minutes in and I’m getting sidetracked this often. Well, I guess it’s better than having nothing to talk about.

Anyway, Emilia wins the race, but the other two kids run into her, smooshing her against the bookshelf-

-and pwning her so hard she briefly grows fingers on her hand (and turning it into a left hand apparently, because the thumb is on the wrong side)

Mrs. Benta explains that Emilia and the other mystical beings must hide from the impending salesman.

Oh brother, I was wondering when we’d get to this guy. This is Marquis of Rabicó (Portuguese for Short-tail). Literally the first thing you read about him on the show’s Wikipedia is that he’s fat (which you think would be a given cuz he’s a pig), and his part of the Characters section isn’t much better, stating that he’s a “gluttonous, selfish, cowardly and lazy pig” and most of his episodes involve him getting himself and/or others into trouble by being a gluttonous, selfish, cowardly and lazy pig. He’s only ever onscreen to cause problems, either directly or by proxy. If I were to sum him up in one meme, it would be this:

Now, I don’t hate Rabicó, I’m actually quite indifferent towards him, but he does bring down a lot of the episodes that he’s a major part of. Thankfully, there aren’t too many episodes featuring him in the first 2 seasons, but from what I hear, Season 3 goes ham with that shit (pun intended) and it brings down the quality of the season as a whole, so it’s a good thing that’s as far off from now as it is. I want to enjoy the lack-of-pig while it lasts.

But hey, at least he doesn’t look like this:

Don’t do drugs, kids.

Rant over, Mrs. Benta explains that she wants things to look normal because the Yellow Woodpecker Farm is a very peculiar place, where all kinds of weird and wacky stuff goes on, and if word gets out about it, the place will be filled with tourists wanting to get a peek of the action.

Something that Mrs. Benta probably didn’t consider is that there’s a bigger threat to being exposed than just filthy tourism. That’s right, I’m talking about the GOVERNMENT.

I mean, think about it. How many movies have you seen where the government tries to hunt down an unnatural being? E.T., the Sonic Movie, a third one I can’t think of right now, etc. (Lilo & Stitch does not count) Now, I can’t speak for Brazil’s government compared to the U.S., but I know there’s gotta be a division dedicated to dealing with unnatural things that would no doubt arrest Emilia, Rabicó, Viscount, etc. and run experiments on them. Then again, maybe this cartoon takes place in a world where the government doesn’t even exist. I mean, we never really see any urban settings in the show (aside from a brief mention of “the city” in the finale), so for all I know, the world of Sítio do Picapau Amarelo is run by Vermin Supreme.

Real talk, you should all be ashamed of yourselves for not voting for this guy back in 2016.

Initially, Emilia won’t go into her box, but then she gives in and is dragged there by Aunt Nastácia, the housemaid of the farm with a knack for making dolls (so she’s essentially Emilia’s mom). She doesn’t really do much in this episode, but the Fat Bastard does even less, and I still mentioned him.

So Mrs. Benta lets Mr. Simmons into the house and he does this whole spiel about how great the books are, how they can take you to worlds you never imagined, fantasy and action, yadda yadda.

Meanwhile, the kids are off to the side and they’re all like “Well, we met the actual Hercules, get on our level scrub”. And of course, Emilia is watching with them, instead of in her box.

As Simmons keeps on rambling, Emilia is being a little peeping tom, not realizing that one turned head could lead to her being dissected like a high school frog.

Apparently, Emilia thinks she’s a regular Bart Simpson, with shit like spitballs and pulling out the man’s leg hairs. She’s really pushing her luck here, and for little reason. Sure, Simmons called the place boring, but that’s how it’s supposed to be to him.

Of course, Pedrinho and Narizinho are nice enough kids that they bail her out on this one and pretend it was them.

And before Simmons can ask what the hell is going on, Mrs. Benta gives him the money for the books and sends him out the door. And once he’s out...

I’ll give you a hint: it rhymes with go.

Of course, they’re not out of the woods yet, cuz Simmons is getting a little suspicious.

Busted. The truth is revealed, all laid out for Simmons to see. A talking rag-doll? Inconceivable! And yet, there it is.

Come on, Viscount. I would expect you of all people to uphold what Mrs. Benta said and stay hidden. You’re smart enough, you should already know what’s at stake, or at least that something is at stake. I mean, I understand that the cat is already out of the bag, but you’re not helping.

Also, you’re thumb is clipping into your bowtie, you should get that checked out.

Rabicó, I hope you get turned into salami. Not out of spite or anything, but just because I like salami.

Naturally, Simmons believes he’s struck gold and found the ultimate tourist trap. But when Emilia points out that if he tells anyone, he’ll sound like a crazy person-

-he straight up Villager Neutral B’s her,

hails a horse, and books it.

Wow, Viscount. Dick move mangling Mrs. Benta’s glasses like that. And all for an impromptu magnifying glass, which is pointless-

-because we can see the horse tracks perfectly fine without them.

(The Viscount isn’t this much of a jerk in the rest of the series, I swear.)

So, the gang follow the tracks until there are no more, which leads them to a corn store.

Wait, a... corn store? As in, a store that mainly, if not exclusively, sells maize and maize accessories? Compared to vegetables in general, that’s quite a niche market, I can’t possibly imagine finding a success in building an entire business around one type of vegetable. Corn is simply not as versatile as something like chocolate or cheese.

Oh no, wait, it’s just a bar. I guess this cartoon takes place in the middle of Prohibition 2: Return of Jafar, and the whole “corn store” thing is just a set up for a speakeasy. (I mean, you could also argue that it’s a diner, but I’mma go with bar because it’s funnier.)

And I’m guessing Simmons expects the place to put all of the meals on his tab, considering he’s going to get the money later with all the tourism. But then, why doesn’t he just pay with the money he got from selling Mrs. Benta those books? So he pulls Emilia out of his bag to show everyone that he has a talking doll and...

Hm. Probably should have put some air holes in that bag.

Anyway, the gang comes in, and Mrs. Benta asks for the doll back, with Narizinho hamming up her Oscar-worthy performance:

So everybody’s giving Mr. Simmons a mean glare:

Including this gentleman who looks like someone just insulted his favorite MHA character (it’s probably Tsuyu):

So Mr. Simmons desperately tries to convince everyone that the doll indeed does talk, and that she comes from a wacky place, but Aunt Nastácia intervenes and says that it’s just a normal doll.

She just straight up roasts Emilia, who (big surprise) does not take it very well. To the point that she is very visibly angry, which you think the barflies would notice.

I mean, look at that and tell me that you wouldn’t notice anything weird.

But anyways, they get the doll back and we get this cute group hug.

D’awww.

So they leave with Emilia-

as Mr. Simmons is beaten to death offscreen for stealing from a little girl.

As the gang walks home, Viscount bends Ms. Benta’s glasses back to normal. Took you long enough, ya jerk.

Not even close, my dear. This is only the beginning.

Well, that was a very good first episode. It introduces the world and many of the main characters very well. And while there were a few issues I had with it, they’re really just nitpicks that don’t detract from the episode as a whole. Overall, a good effort, 8/10.

So, yeah, that’s the first episode down. Join me next time when we watch episode 2, and meet a very vile villain.

Very vile indeed.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Evil Taming Evil

Collection Title: Under Comet's Tale||Title: Evil Taming Evil Characters: Juudai, Evil Heroes||Ship: N/A Collection: 5-6||Story: 1-1||Words: 3,093 Genre: Drama||Rated: G Challenges: Diversity Writing, GX canon, I24, 1-shot collection centering around 1 person: Juudai Notes: Again, during Juudai’s rule over Dark World. Summary: It’s time for Haou to acquire the Evil Heroes. But do they want to be acquired?

Golden Pegasus wasn’t a servant. Golden Pegasus was transportation. At least that was what Golden Pegasus told Juudai when he made arrangements to depart from his castle and locate the hidden village of the Evil Heroes.

“If they’re going to complain because you didn’t walk every step of the way, then destroy them. Don’t let them set the rules. You are Haou. You rule this world and you’re giving them the chance to help you do it. If they don’t know that, then teach them. Now get on.” Golden Pegasus stamped one hoof, his tail swishing magnificently as he stared at his liege.

Juudai considered that for only a few moments before he indicated for one of the local stable-hands to bring the saddle and other equipment. Golden Pegasus brought his own gear when he’d arrived at the castle, bluntly announcing that he would carry Haou-sama anywhere that he needed to go.

Once the riding gear had all been cinched into place, Haou swung himself into the saddle. He’d never ridden any sort of horse before coming here and didn’t bother questioning why he could do it now. If he thought on it too hard, his head ached, and he had enough issues without starting a migraine.

He knew the stallion wasn’t the most offensive of warriors, but Golden Pegasus did have the advantage of flight. If anything happened, he would be able to get out of there quicker than almost anyone else, and take Haou with him.

So now Haou soared over the land, watching for the landmarks that indicated his destination, and circling the area where his targets waited for his arrival, knowingly or not. He could feel the Elemental Heroes in his deck; they weren’t very happy but they weren’t protesting. Maybe they knew better, after seeing what he’d done to the Neo-Spacians.

He didn’t like his deck being upset with him, since his bond with it meant his ability to win duels in this world was at risk. But they weren’t protesting and so far they hadn’t really let him down.

He put those thoughts to the side as Golden Pegasus landed in front of what seemed like a long stretch of pale, shadow-dappled woodlands. A tiny stream rippled through the area, with random rocks poking up here and there through the ground. To the ordinary eye it seemed bland and uninteresting. None of the trees carried the slightest bit of fruit, and at best might have served for shade or firewood. The stream might have fish in it – he didn’t feel even the slightest urge to check – but given how slender it was, he doubted it.

Golden Pegasus leaned forward, dipping one wing to allow him to dismount. “This is it,” he murmured. “Best of luck, Haou-sama.”

Haou stood straight, tugging his cape around himself before he strode a handful of steps forward, the corners of his mouth turned downward. He wanted to deal with this as soon as he could.

“Evil Heroes,” he declared, voice echoing faintly from the surrounding territory. The words tumbled forth naturally, as if he’d been born to come here and claim them. “I am Haou. I’ve chosen you to add to my deck.”

Nothing but silence responded at all. Haou’s eyes narrowed. He’d not come here to be ignored. Shadows curled and danced around, then lashed forward to a place some distance in front of him, cracking against something that he couldn’t see.

But not seeing it didn’t mean it wasn’t there, and he sent the shadows to strike again. A huge booming sound resonated, then a sudden crack whistled around. Haou could see something now. It required more attention, but something hung broken in front of him.

A gate. He stared harder at it and then called on the shadows once again, now to slide themselves in between the gates to grip and twist. A little more effort resulted in the gates shattering, torn wide apart, and tossed to the side.

He wasn’t certain on how he was able to do this, but he wasn’t sure if he cared. He vaguely recalled a few words the Neo-Spacians said back when he first met them, but he wasn’t sure if that really applied here. It could just be this world.

Anyway. He could do it. He’d done it. Now he moved forward to cross into the area hidden by the gates. Golden Pegasus stood where he was, but Haou clearly heard him chuckling under his breath. If he hadn’t wanted to get this done, he would have wanted to know what was so amusing.

He saw them the moment that he crossed the threshold of the gate. One moment they weren’t there, the next he crossed and there they stood. One of them stood to the forefront – a female monster, garbed all in red and black, but not quite like Burst Lady.

“Evil Heroes.” His gaze rested on each one for a few seconds.

The one in the front tilted her head forward. It wasn’t much of a salute as it as a mild sort of acknowledgment of his existence.

“Haou.” Her gaze flicked over him before turning away to her companions, the faintest of quirks to one eyebrow. Whatever silent question she asked, Haou didn’t care. He’d come here for a purpose.

“I want your cards. You’ll be a part of my deck.”

The first of the Evil Heroes moved forward a single step. “Is that so, Haou-sama?” Her lips curved into a quick smile, her words laced with mocking laughter. “I would ask that you duel us to convince us, but we would rather not die – or kill you.”

Haou brought his shoulders up high and strong. “There are more ways than one to fight.” He didn’t wait for another second. He’d presumed all along that he would have to do something of this sort before he managed to claim the Evil Heroes.

Again the shadows darted forward, this time cracking across the one who stood before him. She spread her wings and leaped into the skies, avoiding his attack before it could contact. She spun a heartbeat later and feathers flashed forward, striking at him.

He let them. His armor protected him and he hadn’t yet lifted his visor. Those feathers that struck the ground and rocks sent up shards of stone that would’ve torn into him if he’d been unarmored. Again his shadows surged, this time coiling forward to wrap around the Evil Hero, or attempting to. Again she swooped out of range.

Haou needed to think fast. The shadows twisted and he sent them arching down to the other Evil Heroes. They scattered quickly, some more than others, and he just managed to catch one or two of the dozen who stood there. He tightened the grip to the point that they cried out, and wondered at how he’d rather enjoyed that.

A shriek of rage caught his attention and he looked up in time to see the first Evil Hero diving toward him and another one – a slender blue-armored one with two sets of sharp viscous claws – charging over the ground. In the space of a heartbeat Haou caused the shadows to surge up, wrapping around these attackers, too fast for them to get out of it this time, given how hard they focused on trying to get to him.

This wasn’t all of them by any means. The ones he hadn’t yet caught milled a little farther back, murmuring to one another. None of what Haou could hear assured him they planned to do anything pleasant.

That didn’t surprise him, either. They wouldn’t be easily tamed. Haou realized perhaps a bit belatedly that he liked that. He’d never fought like this before to get a deck or an addition to his deck. Before, he’d just.. picked the cards from a pile of purchased packs. Or he’d met them in Neo-Space and they’d joined his deck willingly.

But not like this.

“You call this a fight, Haou?” The first evil Hero demanded. “Not allowing us to fight back?”

Haou didn’t bother to smile. He wasn’t in the mood for it. Not that he ever was anymore. Instead, he stared at this creature, eyes bright as twin suns.

“You’ll be a part of my deck. I’ve chosen you.” He waited no more, but crashed every one of them that he’d captured as hard as he could against the ground, before calling on the shadows stretching before him to strike those Evil Heroes who hadn’t yet been caught, sending them spiraling against the rocks and trees he could see there.

He could hear the cries of pain and murmurs of agony and paid them no attention. These were Evil Heroes. This was the language that they understood.

Step by step he moved farther into their village, eyes flicking around, a sudden thought occurring to him before he released all of the Evil Heroes. The moment the first one caught her breath, she surged towards him. Haou stopped that with a look, before he turned his gaze onto the village he could see here.

If they don’t have anywhere else to go, they’ll come to me.

A simple, very effective plan. He’d used it before in other places. He’d never done it alone before, but now it seemed like the easiest of actions to have the shadows within each cottage rise up and begin to rip the places apart from the inside out. Moment by moment the shadows reached out to one another, joining together and shattering the village until there wasn’t anything left of them.

This happened so fast that there wasn’t any time for the Evil Heroes themselves to react. Haou didn’t want them to react – only to see what he was capable of doing and what he’d done.

As the noise from shattered stone died off, replaced by most chilling silence, the Evil Heroes stopped moving. Haou stared at them in silence, waiting for what he knew was coming next.

“I am Evil Hero Inferno Wing,” she said at last, bending her head with far more respect than ever before. “We’ve been aware of your presence since you entered this world.” Her eyes met his directly. “Yuuki Juudai.”

Haou pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Don’t call me that.” He didn’t need to hear that name ever again. Yuuki Juudai spent his time fooling around and got almost all of his friends killed. Haou wasn’t going to do that. Haou didn’t have friends and the ones that had been his friends wouldn’t like him anymore.

Which wasn’t going to stop him from protecting them no matter what. That brought it all back to claiming the Evil Heroes for himself anyway.

Inferno Wing bent her head again. “As you say. But you wish our deck. You do have Elemental Heroes. We can feel them.”

Again he bent his head. He didn’t bother to mention the Neo-Spacians.

Inferno Wing gestured to herself. “I am the result of a combination of Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burst Lady.” She indicated another one. “This is Evil Hero Infernal Sniper, created from Elemental Hero Clayman and Burst Lady.” The one with blue armor and claws subjected himself next. “This is Evil Hero Malicious Edge.”

She introduced the others – Evil Hero Hell Brat, Evil Hero Dark Gaia, Evil Hero Hell Gainer, and several others, almost all of them the twisted mirror images of the Elemental Heroes that he knew. Each of them slowly and reluctantly knelt before him, murmuring his title.

“There are other cards that you’ll need for us to work with your deck,” Evil Hero Inferno Wing told him. She tugged a small stack of cards from somewhere underneath her armor. “This, especially, will be the key card of your new deck.”

He looked to see a fusion card he’d never seen before: Dark Fusion. Power seethed through it; not quite on the same level of Super Fusion, though. Super Fusion’s power resonated with the sense of all the lives that pulsed into it. Dark Fusion’s energy was something else altogether, the feel of darkness.

Haou took the cards and added them all to his deck. He would have to sort through them to get a feel for the way this new deck would work and to consider his new strategies.

“We did have someone for you to fight,” Inferno Wing said at last. “But I think you had other plans.”

Haou didn’t think he actually smiled. It came a little close, though. As close as he ever came. “Who?”

“This.”

Inferno Wing held out one more card to him, face-down. Haou accepted it, staring at it for a breath before he turned it over, wondering who their champion might be.

What he saw startled him. It had been weeks – maybe even close to months – since he’d seen this face. There were differences, of course. The one that he remembered had been mature and wise, with blond hair and warm eyes, even when he was at his sternest.

The one that he saw now had blue-tinted skin and brilliant scarlet eyes, hands with long, sharp claws, white hair, and armor of black and gold instead of silver and gold, the cloak a darker shade of green.

But the name written across the top was heartrendingly familiar.

Freed.

Dark General Freed, not the Brave Wanderer. There was a difference of age, but enough similarities so that Haou could see one in the other. His breath caught in his throat as he touched the card.

But there wasn’t a spirit there at all. He raised his eyes to meet those of Inferno Wing.

“He’s not there.”

“So I’ve noticed.” Inferno Wing’s lips wrinkled in a gesture that wasn’t any more of a smile than his own. “One of the other reasons he couldn’t fight for us. But the card itself turned up when Hell Brat traded for some cards a few weeks ago – before you came to this world. There were others that you might find useful as well.”

That got a bit of a quirked eyebrow of his own. Inferno Wing cleared her throat in an imperious fashion and slowly folk began to gather, emerging from the mountain rising behind the ruined village. He recognized quite a few of them.

Dark Elf – perhaps Heather would want to speak with her. Dark Valkyria – perhaps she’d make a good scout or spy, with those metallic wings. She resembled Yubel as well, and Haou didn’t want her anywhere around for that alone. There was also a huge feathered creature that he learned later was Darkness Simorgh, kin to Simorgh, Bird of Divinity, that Birdman used against him.

He’d not forgotten Birdman’s final words to him. They seared into his mind as much as Shou’s did, if only for different reasons.

The three of them all made their obeisance to him and he nodded. It would be quite pleasant to bring these back with him.

Though his eyes kept drifting back to the card without a spirit and he wondered time and time again what would happen if the card’s spirit found it. Or perhaps found him.

I don’t think it’s possible. Freed’s dead. At least the one that I know is.

He put the card away before he turned back towards Golden Pegasus. “Let’s go,” was all he said.

One by one the Evil Heroes vanished, sliding into the space wherever card spirits who had a duelist lived when they weren't in a duel. Dark Elf leaped aboard Darkness Simorgh, while Dark Valkyria joined the black-feathered bird in the air.

“Think you can keep up?” Golden Pegasus taunted as he spread his wings. Haou didn’t reprimand him; Golden Pegasus hadn’t had to carry him here and wait for him. That earned him a perk or two.

Dark Valkyria’s wings twitched in a clatter of steel and a quick smile flickered over her lips. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

“Nor do I,” Darkness Simorgh agreed.

“I do. Because I know where I’m going and you have to follow me,” Golden Pegasus teased – after he’d already leaped into the air. He pumped his wings and soared forward, the other two following as quick as they could.

Haou wouldn’t have allowed such frivolity but other thoughts occupied him for now. The presence of the Evil Heroes in his deck gave him something more to think about. How were they and the Elemental Heroes getting along? Had the Elemental Heroes ever known the Evil Heroes existed? They’d never known about the Destiny Heroes, or at least not mentioned them, or the alternate fusions.

He didn’t think he’d ever asked, really. What didn’t he know because he didn’t know what or who to ask?

Should he try to figure that out or should he just do as he’d always done, barreling ahead to plow through all of the obstacles in his path? So far he knew that hadn’t worked too well. It led to everything he had to deal with now.

He’d work through it later. When he didn’t have so much to do and so much to worry about. When he’d crushed every scrap of resistance to his rule in this world and no one dared to do anything that he’d not granted permission for.

When it came to the myriad of matters that he didn’t want to think about, the point of this new Freed came first and foremost. It upset virtually everything else that he chose to ignore so very much – such as where Yubel might be, if they still existed at all, let alone where Shou, Jim, and O’Brien wandered off to, or the true nature of his powers and if he’d ever return to Earth.

That last one he’d already decided he never would. How could he face anyone that he knew there without the ones that he’d lost?

Instead he kept his mind on what he’d gained. The Evil Heroes. Three new servants that he could assign to important positions.

Yet of all that he acquired on this trip, it was Freed that refused to slip out of his mind the most. He told himself that it meant nothing; any attraction was only because of his experience with Freed the Brave Wanderer – the warrior who for the briefest of moments stood by him to defeat Zure.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that while there wasn’t a soul in that card, the spirit of Dark General Freed wasn’t all that far away, waiting for the chance to arrive.

The End

Notes: So, next week, the last story of the set. The arrival of Dark General Freed. And perhaps an explanation on where he went so that he wasn’t around when O’Brien, Ryou, Edo, and Shou stormed the castle.

[roanoaks]

BRUCE THE SUN

Bruce was the sun. He was warm and a light that gave life to everything important and bright. He was everything and nothing, for he was what most took for granted, and were most grateful for when they realized what he could do. He was the sun as a destructive force to, for he had the power to destroy planets, but he had the control not to. Even if he did, he was the light that would bring them back. He was not a beast, but he was a sun. PETER THE STAR SPIDER

Peter was a star, planets could revolve around him, people see him everyday, and they would never know how bright he was. One had to look closely to see just how bright he might be, and one had to be close to him to know how truly warm he could be. Even when glancing from far away, his light never dimmed. He was a star, but he was also a spider, for he could be quiet. He could be quiet, and he was able to spin webs. Peter was aware of the bright light he emitted, and he knew how to spin it.

WADE THE ERUPTING MOUNTAIN

Wade was a mountain, not only a mountain but he was an erupting one. One never knew when he would blow, but when he did it was hellfire and chaos. But he could control it, for he was a mountain, and mountains could never moved. He was all in glory and he was bright but he burned, and only others who burned could ever touch him. TCHALLA WAS THE SKY CAT

T’challa was a cat. Graceful and proud, he cared for what he cared for in ways people would not understand. He had claws and a bite he rarely used, and the ability to land on all fours no matter how far the fall. He was discreet. Not unlike a spider, but where a spider chose to be small enough to go unnoticed, or bright enough to scare, T’challa simply belonged anywhere. To tell him otherwise was a challenge he could accept. He was the sky in that sense as well, an embodiment of protection from outer harms but also the indifference to leave people lightless and in the night should he choose.

TONY THE CoMET

Tony was a comet, a bright, burning streak in the air. Though one rarely saw it’s true brilliance, it lived on in memory for years. And it always came back, for it would not leave those it truly cared for. He was colorful, a beautiful that made all that saw realized he was brilliant, more than that, he could leave his mark.

STEVE WAS THE WINTER SOLDIER

Steve was the winter soldier, all though Bucky bore the title. Steve was a soldier, carved and born of ice. He lived for the war and though he longed for the warmth of a normal life, he could never touch it. He would melt. But even ice has a warmth no one can recreate, and even ice can burn.

BUCKY WAS THE FALL LEAF

Bucky was the fall leaf, originally part of a tree. Green and strong it obeyed the tree’s commands to keep it alive. But it fell, and though the tree lived on it caused the death of Bucky. But it still held beauty and allowed the wind to push it where it needed to go. Despite not knowing where he was, he still held strong to a resolve that made it impossible for him to crumble. Even if his colors changed and he know longer felt part of a tree; His life moved and lived on.

CLINT WAS THE STORM CLOUD

Clint was the storm cloud. He was dark and fierce, unleashing pointed rage. He was stubborn, determined, but he also followed the wind where it took him. His bouts of temper were often short-lived, eased by the arrival of his lighter other side: Phil. PHIL WAS THE CALM CLOUD

Phil was the calm to Clint’s storm. He was lighthearted, his pale greys soothing to those around him. He cast a cool shadow, providing shelter from the sun’s burning rays, a layer of protection between others and the world’s harshness. WANDA AND PIETRO WERE SUNSET/SUNRISE

Pietro is the sunrise. He approaches quicker than you’d like, bringing with him joyful tunes and daytime energy. He banishes the darkness, encouraging you to rise and fight and play. He’s pale blue and bright yellow, a blur that stirs you and leaves you grinning.

Wanda is the sunset. She’s calmer than her elder, fraternal twin, and casts darkness across the land. But it’s a fiery darkness, born of vivid hues that flare with one last bit of life before the stars come out to shine. As much as she is a death, she is also a rebirth into a different type of life.

VISION WAS THE TREE

Vision was the tree. He was strong and sturdy, and had wisdom. But he was still growing, sill learning. He was naïve but he was also old, old with the power he came with. He was a guardian of knowledge even he didn’t know, and belonged in a forest surrounded by the plants and life of a world he helped create. His roots stretched deep and into the earth, which helped give him the knowledge essential to live.

FURY WAS THE DORMANT? GUARD? MOUNTAIN

Fury was the mountain. He was a steadfast presence, just always there. He was strong and silent and unmovable, standing firm in what he believed in. He was a massive obstacle between enemies and what/who he deigned to protect, and could rain hell down upon those enemies, be it with icy coldness, raging lava, or stony determination.

NAT WAS THE WATER SPIDER

Nat was the water spider, she was calm and still. Even see through if she si chose, but her wrath was to be feared. She could create waves and and drown you in seconds. But she was also a spider, quiet and stalking. She could build webs from anything and create ripples with simple words. Her touch could be blessing or death, but her bite was poisonous and it would be truly only luck if you survived it.

THOR WAS THE OCEAN

Thor was the ocean. He roared, striking out with all his strength should he need to. He could wipe you out with hardly a thought, and was a force to be reckoned with. But he was also gentle, nurturing the lives he saved and the kingdom he ruled. LOKI IS A FUCKING ANGEL TBH NATURES?

Loki was an angel of nature, though he would thoroughly disagree with being called an angel.

Thor might’ve agreed with his denial, but he knew of the young boy hidden within the trickster shell, the broken little child that had only ever wanted his family’s approval. Loki was unarguably nature, however, at least it was what he believed. He was unyielding, resisting anyone’s attempts to control him. He was even similar in the aspect that he could destroy anything, so long as he was left unattended. He was sharp and brutal alone, but when with the right person, he had a streak of something softer. Not many have seen it, but those who did were undeniably more inclined to believe him an angel. Valkyrie, for one, saw it in the way he protected their people, standing between them and his sister’s army almost without hesitation. Bruce, another such person, could see it in Loki’s eyes when he spoke of or saw things he cared for. Thor, of course, was privy to a far more hidden side of him, that youthful brightness that sometimes came out when the brothers were alone, a part of him somehow unscathed by all the bitter years since those innocent days. Peter saw it in the protection Loki had begrudgingly given him in the longest of battles, all because he was “Too young and only a child”. Wanda heard it more than saw it when they had a moment to banter about their annoying but beloved big brothers. Tony understood it whenever he witnessed those moments with Loki where he prattled on about awful fathers and how much greater was simply for the sake of getting rid of the self-loathing he carried, he understood it because he also did it. Natasha intimately understood it as well, recognizing the particular flavor of negative memories swimming through his eyes when he glanced at the Avengers he had once attacked, in the way he echoed her own words back at her: “I have red in my ledger, and I’d like to wipe it out.”. Clint saw it as well, though he would rather disagree, because Loki had been in his head, in his mind, and he could feel the good coated in a coping mechanism of bad, for he truly had wanted good for Midgard, in a twisted way coaxed into him through whatever had happened to him in the void. And that, Bucky understood; he didn’t know the details, but he saw that familiar look in Loki’s eyes when he saw Thanos, the expression of someone whose mind had been twisted by unspeakable horrors. Steve could even admit it, when he had watched Loki save kids that no one noticed, or when he offered advice when he thought no one would notice. Even Fury, ever the pessimist about human (or Asgardian) nature, saw the ex-conqueror’s similarities to the other man he had taken under his wing, one Tony Stark, whose heroism, although hidden beneath sarcasm and ego, was undeniable to anyone with one good eye. Even Vision, naïve as he was, could understand it once he had seen Loki risk his life for Clint, someone who would have undeniably killed him the first chance he got. Phil’s belief in the prince was bittersweet, because in Loki he saw a reverse Ward, a transformation that still pained him, but this time it should go better for everyone involved. Even Thanos, the one who had ruined and hurt and tortured Loki and thought so little of him, could see it in how very strong and calm Loki remained through it all - and how the facade had only cracked once he’d given Loki to his mind. And, if Loki was being honest with himself, maybe he could see a teeny tiny bit of angel in himself, at least compared to such an evil being as Thanos, but it was mostly because he could see the others believing in him, and maybe it was finally time to fulfill Thor’s perpetual ember of hope that Loki wasn’t really evil at heart. Besides, if Loki was being honest with himself, (Something he rarely is), he was beautiful, and Angels were beautiful, weren’t they? Maybe he didn’t have a glowing halo and majestic white wings, but there was a certain appeal to the golden helmet and vivid green magic paired with the darkness he had accepted was part of him.

Hey this is a drabble me and @howlingdawn did, it’s also on her ff.net account and my ao3 account!

[simplyrali]

Hope Chapter 5 (Jameron fanfiction)

Chapter 4 --> https://simplyrali.tumblr.com/post/167732216645/hope-chapter-4-jameron-fanfiction

Chapter 5

 A black Porsche 911 stopped in front of the Phoenix’s building. Today Joe decided to drop off Cameron for work on his way to SF University. He killed the engine and looked outside through the window. There were only four other cars at the parking lot and honestly the place looked dull from the outside.

So much history was behind these walls – excitement, happiness, tears, hope, broken dreams, memories. Nothing lasted here, no business survived for long and yet all of them kept coming back. He listed in his mind every company that saw its end on these grounds – Mutiny, CalNect, Comet, and now Phoenix was here. But for how long? His life has been a string of failures in this business, everything grew so fast and passed so quickly that made it impossible for someone to be at the top for long. But in exactly this deadly environment the magic happened, ideas were born and progress was made, not only in technology but for people and their way to each other.

The thing that gets you to the thing.

Did he believe in Cameron’s vision and talent? Yes, of course. What she created was unique and had potential to grow in many directions. Joe was more worried that her shortsightedness and stubbornness at the moment might be the things that will bring her down. AI was more than just games. To be honest he had his doubts about Phoenix’s future, but he would never tell her that. Right now her bubble was still intact and that was what mattered, as Gordon had said before all there is is now, he’ll let her enjoy the ride.

Joe handed to Cameron her bag from the back seat as she was fixing her hair in the review mirror.

“Got everything you need?” Joe asked.

“Yep. Thanks for the ride.” Cam put her bag on her shoulder with one hand and with the other she held her steaming coffee. One last look in the mirror and she was ready to go.

A new car parked next to them. A red Toyota Tercel’95. From her got out a plump man with baby pink T-shirt and dark sunglasses. He almost passed them but stopped in his tracks and turned completely towards them, took off his glasses, his jaw dropped and a loud gasp left his mouth. He opened it a few times trying to say something but no words came out. The man pointed with two fingers at his eyes and then pointed Cam with them in a gesture that spoke “I see you”. What followed could only be described as a small happy dance which included a series of uncoordinated movements with his arms. He then burst into laughter and hurried up the stairs.

“Oh boy, here we go…” Cam was not looking towards the explanations she’d have to give inside after this spectacle.

Joe looked at her with amusement.

“A colleague, I assume.”

“Yes, that was Jerry from Graphic Design. He’s genius in his field but the guy loves to gossip way too much,” Cam shook her head. “That was so not what I wanted after skipping work for two days.”

“He seemed cool, I liked his shirt.” Joe gave her a smirk.

“He is. Anyway, good luck today with your interview! ” She kissed him on the lips, a quick peck.

“Thank you, you too with your…” he waved a hand at the building, “ …thing. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Yes, bye. Oh, and call me to tell me how the interview went. Love you.”

“Sure. Love you too.”

Cam stepped out of the car, closed the door after her and inhaled deeply before heading towards the entrance.

As he watched her climbing the stairs Joe started the engine again.

Time for new a start.

The black Porsche drove down the road leaving a cloud of dust behind.

Catherine Howe hated explaining herself, she was never good with words or with people for that matter. And as she stood in front of the door of her company, she knew she had to do exactly that. She could already hear muffled conversations from inside followed by a series of laughter and whistling. Damn Jerry!  

Let’s do this.

She opened the door and every pair of eyes in the main hall fell on her. All conversations died and suddenly everybody was super busy.

“So, the lady boss is finally back! How was the vacation? Did you get some… rest? Met someone new?” Jerry spoke with a big smile on his face and gave a high five to the guy next to him – Nathaniel.

Someone laughed and badly tried to cover it with coughing.

“None of your business. Everybody back to work!” Cam took off her coat and passed them. Although she really couldn’t hide the growing smile on her face.

Cam walked in her office and plopped onto her chair. Her glass doors closing behind her. Actually she kept all the glass from Comet’s days. She liked it, it gave transparency to things. There were no barriers like before in Mutiny.  Her six employees were all in the main hall with desks put in a circle. That way there was always communication, sharing ideas and obviously… gossip.

She sighed.

A knock on the door.

“Can I come in?” It was Mike, her assistant. He was in his late 20s, tall with short brown hair and he always dressed way too formal for their laid back work environment.

“Sure.” He was already halfway in.

“You didn’t tell us you’re going to take some days off.” He started.

“Oh, that… yeah, I wasn’t really planning it. Did anything important happen that I should know about?” She asked him as she sipped from her coffee.

“Well, Simon Cornwell called to discuss the new marketing strategy, a few calls - none of them of importance… Oh, miss Emerson called Monday morning.” Mike answered as he looked at his notepad.

“Donna? Did she say anything?”

“To call her back. Also she said if you didn’t come to work that we shouldn’t disturb you and you’d probably show up soon… Now we know what she meant.” He grinned and raised his brows meaningfully.

Cam gave him a look. “Not you too, Jerry is bad enough.”

Mike raised his hands defensively.  

“Hey, we’re all happy for you. I don’t think I ever saw you with someone or heard of you being in relationship. Honestly I thought you had no social life, with all this work and deadlines… ”

“Well, thanks. I guess.” She turned on her computer. “Hey, did you fix the bug with-”

“Yes, we did.” He gave her a proud smile.

“You’re awesome.” She returned the smile. “Which reminds me, give this to Yuki on your way out,” she handed him a disk. “That’s the new upgrade, I finished it Saturday, it should run smoothly but she can double check it.”

When Mike opened the door to leave, Jerry popped his head inside with a grin on his chubby face, which now was red from all the laughing, his eyes glistening.

“Hey, boss… I saw his Porsche! I didn’t see his face but he looked like a catch!”

“Don’t you have a job?!” Jesus, he was so annoying.

“I’m waiting for Nathaniel to finish the coding for the new features so that I can continue... and in the meantime… When will we meet him?”

She sighed loudly.

“Probably soon.”

“Is he hot?” Jerry made a fanning motion with his hand.

“Out! Now!”

John Bosworth was a happy man. These days he enjoyed every minute of every day and grabbed with full hands of what life had to offer him. The married life was better than what he remembered from his first marriage, or maybe the person was better. He and Diane had clicked right away, they both knew what they wanted, had their priorities straight and were ready to find someone with whom to share life.

It wasn’t easy, but nothing in life ever is. Diane was strong and powerful woman and the fact that she did better in business than him hadn’t helped but at the end none of that mattered. It took a tragedy for them to realize that they had no time to waste and life was too short to worry over meaningless things. They had to enjoy every second of what they had left. So he stopped fighting to stay in the business and found pleasure in his retirement. Bos had a good life, not everyone got a second, a third and even a forth chance like Bos did. And along his journey he created connections with people he now was proud to call a family.

Bosworth was driving to Cameron’s house, he was singing along to Conway Twitty’s “Red neckin', love makin' night” and tapping with fingers on the steering wheel.

Well it's a red neckin', love makin' night You ain't had much 'til you been touched in the moonlight You feel it the most when you get real close and you hold on tight It's a red neckin', love makin' night It's a red neckin', love makin' night

Stars in your eyes, the wind in your hair Oh, what a down home love affair

Hell, he still missed Texas. All of the traveling in the last couple of years made him a little homesick, maybe he and Diane should visit his son soon…

John finally arrived and parked his truck. What he saw next surprised him, right next to Cameron’s car was Joe’s shiny black Porsche. What was he doing here?  

Oh, well, past is always lurking behind us…

Bos wasn’t expecting anyone to be home, he knew Cam must be at work, but that wasn’t a problem since she’d given him a key a long time ago. Last week she asked him for a favor and of course he agreed, that’s way he came.

He got out of the car and took his tool box from the trunk.

Bos knocked on the front door.

Joe opened.

Pause.

“John?” Macmillan was visibly surprised by the guest.

“Well, hell… glad to see you too.”

“Um, yeah… Cameron’s not here but if you want I can give her a call.”

“That’s alright, that’s alright. I didn’t expect her to be home. She asked me to take a look at the bathroom on the second floor, it kept drippin’ she said. ” Bos explained lifting his tool box.

“Oh.. come in then.” Joe stepped out of the way.

Bos made two steps inside and took a look around.

“Beer?” Joe asked, obviously not very comfortable with the whole situation. They saw each other at the dinner for the Haley’s birthday but never really had a chance to talk.

“Sure, sure.” Bos took of his jacket and watched as Joe opened the fridge. The younger man was wearing jeans and a loose white t-shirt. He looked… at home. “So, you two…?”

“Ah, I guess…” Joe handed him the beer.

“Heh…” Bos shook his head. “I’d tell you I’m surprised but not really. Life has a funny way, you know, you think something’s over for good and then it turns back right at you and bites you on the ass. Didn’t take you long, did ya? ”

“It’s hard to live just with pictures and memories, John. It wasn’t easy for either of us…”

“I’m sure… ” Bos gave him a look. “Listen, Joe, I know you and I know Cameron. Things with you are always complicated but you care for each other. I told you before, you’re a changed man. I know why you let her go, you didn’t want to hold her down, did ya? You wanted things but she looked in different direction, so you let her pursue her carrier. Now, I didn’t like the way you did it, because I know how hard it was for her, but I get it.”

“I wasn’t ready to… not after… I needed time…”

“Hey now, I know. It hard to stay and it’s hard to go, but you make choices and live with the consequences. It comes a time when all you can do is to hope it will get better and at the end you make compromises with yourself… I’m glad you’re not a stranger, Joe.” Bos smiled and patted Joe on the back. They never were best buddies, but behind the tough mask Bosworth could recognize his good soul.

“Yeah, you want things but in chasing them you lose what you already have... It was hard to let go of the future that I wanted, that’s why I searched other ways to fulfill this… need, but it was harder to live without her. So, you’re right, you learn to make compromises with yourself and put your needs aside and hope this time it will work out. And I’m not getting any younger so…” Joe said and clinked their bottles.

“I wouldn’t go that far. You both just needed time because back then you were at different places. Now… it’s different. Time changes people and age has a way of tempering us all. So who knows… maybe she’ll surprise you. ”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Joe gave a sad smile. “Cameron will always be Cameron, she’s a free spirit and I always loved and admired that about her. Maybe it was wrong of me to try and put her in a box…”

“Well, Joe, time will show. For now enjoy the present and deal with problems one at a time. You know what recursion is?” Bos asked as he put down his bottle on the kitchen table.

“Yeah…” Joe took his last sip of the beer.

“Great. But just so you know, I don’t care how much she loves you, if you hurt her again or force her into doing something that she doesn’t want, I’ll break your legs.” Bos patted his tool box. “Come on now, let me see that bathroom. I miss the old days when the water pipes used to be high quality, what they do now…My God!” he shook his head with disapproval.  

Bos started climbing the stairs. “You know anything about plumbing, Joe?”

“No, not really.”

[witchymarvelspacecase]

REQUESTED -- The Importance of Knife Training

Word Count: 1587

Warnings: Swearing, fighting scenes, hospital trip, angst-ish, fluff-ish??

A/N: this is my first request! I hope I did it justice! Please let me know what you think and send me more requests, I had fun!

Posted: 7/13/17

Doing laundry had never been this long of a task for Bucky before.

“Doll, you can’t just keep-” but before he could finish his sentence, the shirt he was trying to put away, was snatched from his hands.

“But I can keep taking your shirts from you,” you teased, now on the other side of the room, holding the t-shirt you’d swiped from his hands.

“I’m not gonna have any clothes left at this rate,” he grumbled good-naturedly. Moments later, when the entire basket of his laundry was gone in a streak of purple, he regretted speaking.

“Darn,” you mock pouted, “guess you’ll have to go around naked then.”

“Really? You’d be okay with Natalia ogling me?”

“Pfft, she can ogle all she wants, she already does anyway. It’s Sam I’m worried about; I can just imagine his face now.” A fit of laughter broke out as F.R.I.D.A.Y called the team to the hanger for an emergency mission.

You threw Bucky a wink, dropped the laundry basket, stashed your stolen shirt, and grabbed your suit all before he’d even crossed the room. He was stronger than you in every way, but you could out run him by miles, an advantage you used to it’s fullest potential, not just to steal his shirts.

As usual, you were the first to the quinjet, having run there at super speed. You checked your weapons while you waited for your teammates; Tony had made you special guns. They could reload and fire almost fast enough to keep up with you. You also kept several throwing knives and a short sword in your gear. Swords and knives didn’t run out of bullets, and they moved as fast as you wielded them so they were your weapon of choice. But Tony, being the mad invented he was, made you the guns anyway, so you’d carry them even if they didn’t get fired, because he made them just for you and you appreciated it.

When everyone was on board, the jet took off and Steve began the briefing. A group of insurgents had taken a village, civilians were stranded in the schoolhouse, there were wounded, and at least one of the insurgents was a mutant.

Nat and Clint were tasked with getting the civilians clear with Wanda running interference for them. The rest of the team was dealing with the insurgents; Steve with Vision, Bucky with Sam and Tony with you. One person on the ground, and one in the air.

You and Bucky rarely partnered together, knowing that if you were together, you’d be more likely to make stupid mistakes trying to watch the other. You have Bucky a quick kiss for luck and then you separated as soon as the hat touched down.

“You and Frosty are gonna give me cavities if you get any sweeter,” Tony griped in your ear.

“Whatever you say Inspector Gadget.” Chuckles from the rest of the team filled the coms, Tony snorting, but soon enough, there was silence on the coms.

—–

There were more insurgents than expected, and there was definitely a mutant among them; one who could turn invisible.

“Civilians are almost clear. Y/N, how bad is your area?”

“Well Clint,” you grunted as an unseen force caught you around the middle, “I can’t see anyone, but since I am still getting thrown around, I’ma guess I’ve still got some guys over here.” You turned and ran as soon at the hands slipped off you. You couldn’t fight what you couldn’t see, but you ran at human speed. You were heading for a small stream that ran parallel to the road you were on. If you could get into the water, you could track your attacker's movement through the ripples. The attacker in question didn’t seem to have a weapon, you guessed they probably couldn’t turn that or anything but themselves invisible, so they’d have to approach you to hurt you.

Once your feet hit the water, you stopped and turned, just in time to see the water ripple unnaturally to your left. Using your super speed, you reached out and came into contact with an arm; you latched on and your fingers dug into flesh.

“Show yourself you coward,” you spat as they fought to free themselves.

“Hey Tony? You got something to tag the “invisible man” with?”

“Sure thing Comet,” he replied. You saw something shoot from his suit and you pulled your captive into its path. It turned out to be a paint comb, in bright pink; you almost doubled up laughing.

“Oh that’s just precious! You should add glitter next time!” You turned to the now sputtering, and no longer invisible, pink person in front of you, “so, how’s visibility treating ya?”

Apparently not well, they launched themselves at you with a banshee like screech, but since you could see them, they posed no real challenge anymore. One good, super speed shot to the temple and they were out.

“Barring anymore invisible people, I’m clear. Who needs me?”

“We’re not clear,” Steve shouted.

“We’re very not clear,” Sam confirmed. You looks up, spotted Sam’s wings and sprinted towards them.

“‘S’cuse me asshole,” you said as you plowed through several shooters before stopping in front of Steve, “you called?”

Steve chuckled and dropped his shoulders before sighing, “thanks Y/N.”

“No problem, that’s what I’m here for; just assisting the elderly.”

“You earning your merit badges Y/N?” Nat laughed over the coms. You laughed in response, but before you could reply, a glint of metal over Steve’s shoulder caught your attention. As fast as you could, you shoved Steve aside, and flung one of your throwing knives at super speed, straight at the sniper. The sniper’s bullet missed Steve entirely, and imbedded itself elsewhere, in your left shoulder. Your knife hit its target, but you didn’t notice.

The force of the bullet spun you around, and you fell, face first into the ground. You tried to catch yourself, but your left arm gave out and your face felt asphalt as you tasted blood; you’d bitten your tongue.

“Motherfucker!” You shrieked. The bullet wound burned and you couldn’t catch your breath.

Steve was shouting orders to the team, receiving the notice that all the civilians were clear and telling everyone to return to the jet, that you were down and needed a hospital. You didn’t hear any of this though. You couldn’t hear anything other that your heartbeat and each breath you took over the ringing in your ears. You didn’t even process Steve picking you up and carrying you to the jet until you felt the jet take off. You were vaguely aware of someone holding your hand, and of being held by someone, but it all blurred together as everything went black.

—

Bucky held you in his arms as the team flew back to the states. Wanda held your hand and Vision monitored your vital signs. Wanda knew what you felt and relayed it to Bucky, she told him that you could feel him holding you and Bucky tightened his grip on you, as if that could heal you faster. Once you were out of his arms and in surgery, he paced. Steve tried to talk to him, as did Sam, and even Tony. Bucky didn’t blame any of them. They couldn’t have known the sniper was there, and even if they did, you would still have pulled Steve out of the way; Steve was like a brother to you, you wouldn’t let him get hurt. He just wished you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, blamed himself for a few hours until Wanda caught the tail end of one of his thoughts.

“You think that’s what she wants? To know that the person she loves more than anyone else blames himself for her getting hurt? You know how much that would hurt Y/N, James. The only fault lies with the sniper, and he’s dead.” Bucky felt pride welling up inside him, overtaking the self-loathing; he’d been the one to teach you to throw knives. He’d given you the tool to take down your attacker and protect your team.

—

It was hours later that you were moved to a private room and Bucky was allowed a few minutes with you. Then a nurse came and shuffled everyone out; visiting hours were over.

Bucky was at the hospital every day after that; he’d bring blankets from your room, or pillows. He even convinced the nursing staff to let you wear one of his t-shirts instead of the hospital gown, knowing you’d be more comfortable that way.

It was day 5 when you woke up. Bucky was at your bedside, his head resting by your hand, which he held in both of his, his face turned towards you.

“Bucky…” you said, voice soft, and gravelly from disuse, but he heard you.

His head snapped up, one of his hands moving from yours to better support himself has he stood up. His red-rimmed  eyes met yours, a watery smile on his face, “hey sweetheart.”

“Did I get him?” Bucky smiled, what you called his “hero smile” at that, his one hand tightening around yours and his other moving to cup your cheek.

“Of course you did.” you smiled back, closing your eyes for a second before opening just one and peaking up at him.

“Bucky?”

“Hmmm,” he hummed in question, his thumbs rubbing your knuckles and cheekbones.

“Am I wearing one of your shirts?” His laughter could be heard from down the hall.

Perma Tags:

@buckyappreciationsociety @17marvelousfreak @melconnor2007

People I’m tagging cause I can ;):

@hello-sweetie-get-the-salt

@imhereforbvcky

@writingwithadinosaur

[unholyhelbiglinked]

Bite Me | Night of the Comet

The cold morning air bit at my lungs, the warm coffee in my hands doing nothing against the late September weather. The smell was almost intoxicating, though, distracting me from how chilled it was. People rushed around us, trying to get to their destinations. We walked slowly though, enjoying what we could of the time we had.

"He's a mess about it." Elena mumbled into her coffee, her voice muffled and strained. Almost like she had been crying. She probably had been- the whole town was reeling from another animal attack.

I nodded slowly, adjusting my thumb around the strap of my backpack "Anyone would be," I said soothingly "Do you know how she's doing?"

Elena shook her head no, her brown eyes glancing up at Matt. The blonde haired boy stared down at his hands, not giving a second thought about anything around him. He was worried about his sister, that much apparent.  

"Matt hasn't said much other than..." She trialed off "It's rather insane really. He said Vicki woke up screaming the other night, said something about Vampires."

I stopped in my tracks, cocking my head to the side. Shit. This could be a problem, in fact, it would become one very quickly. Vicki seemed like a smart enough girl- one to know that what she saw wasn't fiction. Her attacker had fucked up, leaving her alive after a brutal feeding.

"Really? Vampires?"

"Mm" Elena nodded taking another big gulp of coffee. "Weird right? Maybe it's the morphine."

"I'm sure that's exactly what it is" I gave her a smile "Come on, we should get to class."

The screaming was something that quickly took me off guard, making my hair stand up on end as the loud sound of struggle pounded against my eardrums. I halted, my heart pounding against my ribs. The sweet scent of the flowers was thick in my lungs, contrasting with the rough dread of the atmosphere. I never really understood why people brought flowers to hospitals. They reminded me of death, especially with the amount of them littered across marble headstones.  

I pressed my back against the corner of the hallway, holding my breath as Matt darted past, his signature scent tickling my throat as it mixed with the flowers. He was screaming for a nurse, hoping that Vicki would stop this incessant episode.

"It was an animal attack-"

I cocked my head to the side at the words, the voice smooth as it repeated the exact lines I was going to to feed to the girl. I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips as I leaned against the door frame, letting Stefan finish his little compelling act.

"We really need to coordinate better if we'll be working together." I told him simply, a smile tugging at my lips as he glanced up from the now calm girl. Despite the large bandage covering the wound on her throat, the metallic scent of blood still reached my nose.

Stefan glared at me, his emerald eyes filled with a bit of anger "Who said we're working together?"

I shrugged, giving an innocent look "I just figured I would compel the girl to forget, considering we're both fighting the same force here."

He scoffed, shoving past me as Vicki laid dazed, a bit aloof really. She looked content, forgetting all about the big bad that roamed Mystic Falls. "How do I know that?"

He didn't give me much of a chance to answer, hearing Matt's footsteps rushing back up the stairs with a nurse. I grasped his wrist, pushing him up against the wall with a small thud "I told you, Stefan. I'm here to protect Elena. I can't very much do that if the town is sent on another witch hunt."

Stefan continued to stare at me, weighing out his options.

"Sorry, Rowan. I work alone." He shoved me off, starting down the hallway again.

"We both know you're not strong enough for that compulsion to hold." I said loud enough for him to hear. He stalled for a moment, ultimately shaking his head as he continued to walk away, leaving me with a bouquet of flowers and a concern. I knew this would backfire on him.

I was lost in thoughts, my mind racing as I kept my gaze on the floor as I sat down on the bench right near the corner of the hallway. Stefan could be so difficult. I could of course waltz into that room right now and compel Vicki, but that wouldn't teach him to trust me. If anything, I'd be undermining his decisions.

"Rowan?" Matt's icy voice caught my attention as I glanced up from the flowers I held, not exactly thinking I would need it.  "That's your name isn't it?"

"I, uh, yeah- sorry, I"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, stare hard. His eyes were rimmed in red, his nose running a bit.

I swallowed a little roughly, standing in front of him- his minty scent was fresh in my lungs as I held the daisy's out in front of me, waiting for him to take them, he eyed them skeptically, his facial features softening a bit as he finally grasped them from my hold.

"I just figured that hospitals suck enough, you know? If you two are going to be stuck here for a few more days the least I could do was bring you something to brighten up that dull room." I scratched the back of my neck nervously, seeing a smile form on his lips.

"Thank you," he said, "That's really sweet of you, honestly. I'm sorry I snapped at you a bit earlier. It's just, this is a lot for me right now." His blue eyes were almost breathtaking, even in the bright lights of the hospital.

I nodded softly, giving him the flowers with a small smile. "Good luck," I told him before starting my long walk back to my car. I could tell he wanted to say more- his air catching in his throat as my boots tapped against the floor, but I wasn't much for conversation. Not with the amount of problems suddenly stacking up with the Salvatore boy.

"All we did was talk," Elena sat back in her chair, the metal creaking as she set the flyer down. The air was crisp, it's fall nature biting at my lungs as I focused on the glass of soda that sat in front of me, watching the bubbles maneuver through the ice that rested at the top.

"mm" Caroline folded another program, crystalline eyes darting to me for a second as I mindlessly pushed my finished stack to the side. "Sure, whatever you say Miss Gilbert."

"It's true!" Elena said desperately letting out a huff as she looked towards Bonnie and I for help. I was still focused on my drink, half listening to their conversation. Sure, my mind was on Stefan too, but for different reasons. I needed to get him to trust me, but it would have to result in some big gestures. The Salvatore's always relished in feats of loyalty.

Elena started to move her leather bag onto her shoulder, drawing me away from my own thoughts. Caroline had a triumphant grin on her lips- like she caused some sort of a breakthrough.

"You're right!" Elena smiled widely, standing up as the chair legs screeched against the cement. "I'm going to go see him."  She gave me a quick wink, acknowledging my presence as I returned my attention back to the the conversation.

She started to walk away, her boots taking an odd hollow sound with it as Caroline let out a sigh and slumped back in her seat, playing with the papered edge of the pamphlet. "God, if I had a man like that I would fuc-"

"Caroline," Bonnie warned, a hint of disgust in her voice as she began to stand, her amber eyes flicking my way "Care for a refill?" she asked, her hand reaching out for my nearly empty cup. I shot her a grateful smile, fully aware the only thing keeping me awake right now.

"That'd be great," I told her simply handing her the white mug that took a slight chill in my grasp. My palm brushed against hers momentarily, warmth hitting my skin where is shouldn't have been.

She pulled back, her eyes flashing in what I could only describe as a chilled terror. Bonnie's breathe caught in her throat, the two mugs falling form her grasp as they crashed to the cement ground in a burst of sound. Shards of glass scattered across the ground as she wrapped her fingers around my wrist with her now free hand.

"What happened to you?" She whispered, a sound of malice and curiosity.

I shook my head, confusing pressing against my features as I glanced at Caroline, the blonde's gaze staring ahead in intrigue at the frozen Bonnie. She finally released her grip, shaking her head as she drew back.

"Whoa," She said, letting out a breath.

"Clumsy much?" Caroline scoffed, losing interest in the situation quickly as I continued to stare at Bonnie. She ran her hand through her hair shakily as Caroline went back to staring at her phone.

"Sorry... that was... that was rude," She let out a small puff of air. "I have to go. Sorry..."Her hands went straight to her bag as she threw it over her shoulder quickly, scampering away with more haste than I had seen in awhile.

I swallowed, knitting my eyebrows together before leaning over and picking up the shards of glass that I could manage, piling them on the grated table as Caroline watched me. "That was weird."

"Eh," She shrugged, flicking a strand of golden hair over her shoulder "She's been running that whole witch thing into the ground lately. Don't take it personal."

I shook my head, leaning back in my own chair "What witch thing?"

"Oh," The girl leaned forward now, a bit of gossip better than whatever was on her phone "Her grandmother is claiming that she's some type of witch, says all the women in her family have a gift. But really, I think the broad is just off her rocker."

"Huh," I lifted my chin, staring at the black screen at my own phone. The Bennett witches have been around since my first stay in Mystic Falls. It would be nice to have a witch around, but after that little display Bonnie just pulled, I wasn't so sure. She was inexperienced- that much was for sure.

"I gotta go," I told Caroline, throwing a twenty on the table to pay for the meal, Caroline making a move to object but decided against it. "I'll see you tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah," She smiled softly "Thanks for lunch Rowe,"

Tyler's eyes flashed my way as he crouched low, his iris's such a deep amber that they almost took on an inky color. He let out a low sigh, the scent of mint mixed with liquor pressing against the air as I leaned against the wall.

he took his shot, the tip of the cue scratching against the green felt. Glass balls banged against each other but none found a way to a target. "Fuck!"

Matt scoffed from his seat on the other pool table, raising his drink to his lips "Ty, you might want to quit while you're ahead."

"Yeah," Elena said from her seat next to Matt "I'm pretty sure she owns half of your college fund."

"Right," Tyler shook his head, fishing out a twenty from his pocket and pushing it into my palm "I didn't know you were so good at pool."

"You don't know a lot of things about me," I winked, causing him to laugh as Elena rolled her eyes, amusement on her features. Her shoulder was close to Matt's, a warm smile on his face. He had feeling in his eyes, kind feeling that was indescribably longing for the girl that he loved.  

The crowds outside were getting to be too much, the Mystic Grill almost as full, but a lot warmer than the town square. I had been introduced to a lot of people tonight while handing out flyers, but most of them left my mind. For once I wasn't having the worst time in Mystic Falls. The group of friends that had gathered by the pool table had little weight to them.

Elena glanced at me, raising a brow as she shook her crystal glass. The ice cubes hit the side of the cup "You wanna get another drink?" She asked simply. Her hair pooled around her shoulders as she jumped from the table.

I lifted my chin, nodding along as Tyler fell into a slack conversation with Matt. It was something about Vicki, that much I was sure of. She had been released from the hospital just after I left. She felt fine, but probably wouldn't for long once her memories started coming back. Stefan wasn't strong enough for this- I just needed him to learn how to trust me.          

Elena grasped my wrist and started to drag me through the crowd of people towards the bar. I looked around, recognizing a few people, but ultimately being met with confused stares. I felt the cool edge of the counter press against my ribs as Elena ordered us two more sodas.

"How'd your talk with Stefan go?" I asked, realizing that I hadn't sooner during the night. I thought she would be with  him, after all, a comet passing over the sky was a romantic setting.

She let out a small sigh, shaking her head "Good,"

"yeah, that's a blatant lie."

Elena scoffed giving me a slight smile as the man behind the bar handed us our drinks, I raised mine to my lips, trying to do something to stop the ever lingering burn in my throat "it was fine, I guess. Well- bad at first. I met his brother, which I didn't even know he had. Stefan got all distant, but he apologized later."

The soda got stuck in my throat, a bit moving past my lips as I stared to choke. Stefan's brother in Mystic Falls? God, the Salvatore family was just relentless when it came to this town. The burn in my throat seemed to multiply with the extra bubbles that rushed against it. Elena let out a small chuckle as she patted me on the back.

"Are you okay?" She asked between giggles.

"Yeah," I drew in a breath "yup, just great. Ah, what did he look like?"

Elena cocked a brow, her boots making a loud noise against the wooden floor of the bar as we slowly walked back towards the pool tables. I glanced up at the group we had just left. Elena's little brother, Jeremy, was standing with them. Tyler's stance was hard, rigid even.

"Dark," She responded with a small scoff "He seemed charming though. Stefan got weird around him, he wouldn't even look at me Rowan."

"He wouldn't?" I asked, my focus shifting back to Elena as the group seemed to disperse. "He seems so head over heels for you, you'd think..."

"He's not that head over heels," she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear "Either way, he apologized tonight. I just... he's so guarded you know. There's some obvious family issues. I just don't know what to believe. He won't open up-"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, a warm one. The smell of Matt's cologne filled my lungs as I glanced behind me. Matt's crystalline blue eyes looked worried- scared even. Elena halted mid sentence "What's wrong?"

"Vicki, Jeremy can't find her." He said, letting out a breath "I looked all over the grill, and Tyler is checking out the square but-"

"Say no more," I held up my hands "I'll start heading downtown, see if she's anywhere near there."

"Thanks Rowe, I appreciate it." Matt let out a sigh as he spoke, visibly relieved that someone else was willing to help in his hunt. I had a deep feeling in the pit of my stomach though, not about Matt, but about where his sister could have vanished to.    

The night had gotten colder as the town continued to wait for the comet. I didn't expect the biting wind, or the glossy streets that came with the rain from earlier that night. I was the only one on the street; everyone else was busy at the town square. Admittedly I would be too if I hadn't seen the comet pass through the atmosphere more than once.

It was quiet, other than my feet upon the ground and my breath in my ear. That didn't seem to last long though- voices soon carried down the street from a building just to my right.

"I got you, I'm not going to drop you." There was a hearty laugh, one that made my skin crawl. I glanced up, the sight of a familiar leather jacket catching my gaze. Damon Salvatore.

God, he was the player of any century, his blue eyes and side swept hair was enough to make any woman swoon, including Vicki Donovan who was now held in the balance of a homicidal man with a napoleon complex.

"Let her go." Stefan's voice was smooth compared to his brothers. It was enough to get me to stop staring, enough to get me to flash up to the roof. I couldn't let Damon see me. I was sure he knew I was back in town, but I didn't want to face him right now, I couldn't.

"Really?" Damon asked, moving Vicki back towards the edge of the building. She squirmed, her breath quickening as her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Stefan started to protest, stepping closer to his brother and the edge. "Relax, I don't need her dead."

He threw the girl down, tears falling from her eyes as the pavement scratched the palms of her hands. "But you might." He hopped off the ledge, "What attacked you last night?"

"I-I don't know.. an Animal."

"Really think about it." He knelt softly "What attacked you?"

Vicki stared at her shoes for a second, her jaw clenching as she slowly began to lift her gaze to Damon, her heart picking up the pace again. "a vampire."

"Who did this to you?" He shouted now, a bit of a smile on his thin lips

"You did!"

"Wrong!" Damon grasped Vicki's arm, pulling her back up as he moved her in front of him.

"Damon don't, please." his brothers voice was calm and collected, on edge like he was talking someone down. Hell, he was.

"Stefan Salvatore did this to you." Damon ignored Stefan's plea's "He's a vampire."

I felt my skin crawl. Damon made it feel hot and always sent a surge of unrelenting anger through me. The brick under my nails burned and pressed against the pads of my fingers. I was crouched somewhere low, a small structure that rested at the top of the roof.  

Vicki began to repeat what Damon had so effortlessly put into her head. I stood slowly, making sure he couldn't hear me. I felt a cool blast of wind against my cheeks as I pushed off of the wall behind me. It had gotten easier to run at the speeds that we did after awhile, but I would never get used to the cold.

Damon glanced up from his hold on Vicki, his grey eyes widening as he clenched his jaw. A small breath leaving his lungs as he tensed up. I was too fast for him, his chin soft against my hand as I the rooftop filled with a loud pop. He fell to the ground, his eyes fluttering shut as Vicki let out a small shout, collapsing as tears ran down her cheeks, wetting her collarbone.

Stefan let out a small huff, his eyes meeting mine as I lifted my chin slightly, kneeling down in front of Vicki as she shook hard enough for her teeth to chatter. My chest burned slightly from the cold, the hunger taking a toll on my throat. Damon had ripped the stitches out of her neck, something that I'm sure was more than painful.

"Who are you?" Vicki asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I placed my hand on her knee, she flinched but I kept my face straight, kept it calm. "My name is Rowan." I spoke softly, moving my hand up to her chin, she didn't flinch as much, but kept her gaze on mine as I forced her to look at me. "You were just looking for a good place to watch the comet."

"I was looking for a good place to watch the comet." She repeated, almost monotone.

"You ripped your stitches by accident. Your stitches from an animal attack."

"An animal attack."

"That's right," I nodded, breaking eye contact as Vicki shook her head of the haze I had just created. She scratched her head, my gaze meeting Stefan as I stood up, holding my hands out to my side. "I told you that I was on your side, Salvatore."

He stared at me, his breath quick as it formed in front of him. "Are you okay?" he wasn't asking me, but his gaze stayed firm.

"I took some drugs man," Vicki laughed, "I'm more than okay."

"Take her back to the grill," I told him with a scoff "I'm sure Elena needs to see the hero that comes with the hair."

I shook my head as I started to walk towards the door that lead to the roof, his hand coming out and grasping my wrist gently. "Thank you." He took a small breath "We'll talk later."

My chin lifted slightly, "He'll wake up soon. See if you can talk some sense into him. We don't want to resort to anything yet."

"Okay," He moved his hand off of my wrist, but still held it in front of me "Partners?"

"You trust me enough to shake on it?" I gave him a small smile, knowing that Stefan never broke his deals. Not with anyone I knew anyway.

"I trust you a little bit more than I did fifteen minutes ago."

"That's good enough for me."

[i-amusemyself]

Every and all space things👍

AAAAaaaah omg ty!!!!! (I did it once and then it deleted in case you were wondering why it took so long)

Planets: Life

Mercury: What’s your full name? I don’t even know my first name at this point

Venus: What’s your first language? English (though you wouldn’t know it some days)

Earth: Where’s your home? Not my house ~I’m not sure I’ve found it yet.

Mars: What’s your sexuality? Technically I’m bi/pansexual but I doubt I’d date a guy sooo

Jupiter: Do you have any siblings? Only step sibs but we’re not v close

Saturn: Any pets? Two very old rabbits that I adore and Borris the cocker spaniel who is currently trying to sit on my laptop and winning 😂

Uranus: What’s your hobby? Self loathing and meme farming 👌

Neptune: When’s your birthday? 6th october

Pluto: What time is it right now where you are? 18:57

Moon: What are you currently studying/hope to study? I’m doing a levels atm, and with any luck I’ll be off to uni in september to start a masters in biochem

Stars: Experiences

Sun: Have you ever had alcohol? I’m doing a levels so ofc

Sirius: Have you ever failed a class? I do p well generally though I almost failed gcse art last year

Rigel: Have you ever gone on a rollercoaster? yh

Deneb: Have you ever been out of your home country? yup!

Arcturus: Have you cried out of something other than sadness? I cry with any emotion if I feel it strongly enough but if it it’s not sadness it’s usually because I’m happy.

Betelgeuse: What’s something you can never forget about? I don’t remember many things to be honest. I suppose the way people have treated me and what they have said (in good and bad ways).

Aldebaran: What’s something you care desperately about? There are a few specific good people who I desperately want to see happy and will do anything to see them finally get what they deserve 💖

Canopus: Have you ever broken a bone? A couple

Bellatrix: Have you ever been forced to lie/keep a secret? Lmao I’ve been pretending to be a straight girl for 18 years 😂

Alphard: Have you ever lost a friend? Yeah, both in the growing apart and passing away sense. It sucks.

Vega: What’s something you’ve done that you wish you hadn’t? Everytime I speak I beat myself up about it later tbh

Constellations: Favourites

Centaurus: Favourite holiday? Halloween!! 🎃

Orion: Favourite month? October or July

Cassiopeia: Favourite book? Ugh I don’t read enough it’s so bad. I’ll say the 5 people you meet in heaven again.

Delphinus: Favourite study? …..I don’t have one. Though the first thing that popped into my head was the study of fire🔥 

Hercules: Favourite instrument? I’m always a slut for piano covers breaking my heart

Gemini: Favourite song? It changes so often but I’m really digging To Build a Home (by the cinematic orchestra) and Rats (by motionless in white) rn. Bit of a difference between the two 😂

Pegasus: Favourite place to be? There’s a couple of houses I feel chilled in but my fave place atm is just in the corner of this field watching the world go by and just escaping for a little while. I need to go back there.

Libra: Favourite colour? Like, a blood red or black.

Phoenix: Favourite thing to wear? I spend my life in Depression Sweatshirts^TM and jeans atm and I keep telling myself I’ll make an effort at some point but honestly I don’t even know what I like wearing anymore

Aries: Favourite movie? Deadpool/shrek (2)/hot fuzz/my sisters keeper/the life of brian

Cygnus: Favourite weather? I like it warm because I’m always freezing but The Ultimate is when you’re lying in bed watching a thunderstorm

Hydra: Favourite sound? Thats a bit… erm 😏? Let’s go with rain.

Galaxies: Love/Friends  

Milky Way: Who’s your oldest friend?  I don’t really have one. I’m still on pretty good terms with a girl I’ve known since I was literally a baby I suppose

Andromeda: Do you consider yourself social? I like socialising and being around people if they’re the right people but I’m anxious af 

Black Eye Galaxy: Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah, attraction though

Cartwheel Galaxy: When was your first kiss? I’d prefer to say I’ve never had one

Cigar Galaxy: How’s your flirting skills? 👏Fucking terrible judging by my relationship status 👏

Comet Galaxy: Have you ever had to leave a relationship because someone changed too much? No, but then again I haven’t ended  that many relationships.

Pinwheel Galaxy: Would you date the last person you talked to? My dad? No.

Sombrero Galaxy: Do you have a crush right now? Yhhh smh

Bode’s Galaxy: Have you ever had a secret admirer? It was quite a few years ago now but yeah, it was super cute. I still wish I knew who it was!

Sunflower Galaxy: Would you date/make friends with someone out of pity? I once dated someone because I didn’t want to be mean and say no again (for like the 10th time) and it was one of the worst decisions I’ve made. So no, I won’t be doing that again.

Tadpole Galaxy: Would you deny a relationship/friendship? Only if it wasn’t safe or my s/o wanted me to

Whirlpool Galaxy: Have you ever cried over a breakup? Yeaaah

Other stuff: Wishes

Comet: What’s your big dream? To be happy and to be able to look back on my deathbed and go “you know what, that could’ve gone a lot worse!”. Regrets are the worst too, so I’d like to minimize those.

Asteroid: What does your dream life look like? I’d like a stable job and to settle down with someone who genuinely loves me. I don’t know about the rest, I’m hardly the sort to make a life plan!

Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t? There’s people I wish I could tell them how I feel. People I wish I could tell them who I am. People I wish I could tell them where to stick it.

Nebula: If you could undo one thing in your life, what would it be? I can’t answer that, for starters because I’d freak out over the butterfly effect of it

Shooting Star: If you could bring back one thing, what would it be? (I’m guessing this means from the dead because I hardly have a burning desire to bring back VCRs or ought) I’m torn between Carrie Fisher, some people who died too young or a certain dog. 

Pulsar: What do you hope to do in the next 10 years? Oh wow nope I can’t think about the future! In a better place than I am now, with more experience and understanding.

Supernova: What’s one thing you want to do before you die? I mean there’s so many things, but tbh I’d like to ride a giant zip wire

Quasar: If you could spend the rest of your life with only one person, who would it be? Dont make me choose?!!?! Imma just say Lexa Kom Trikru lmao

Wormhole: What’s something you wish would happen, but know won’t? Me finding someone who isn’t out of my league and also a labour majority government (in the near future at least).

Black Hole: What’s the last thing you want to see? The stars!! The moon!! 🌟🌘

[renlyisright]

Season 8 Episode 1 - A Hearty Welcome, A Hearthy Farewell

I may have done a goofy. The first seasons I DVR’d as they came to the Finnish public TV. Then I upgraded to DVD’s, and now I bought the last season on Blu-ray. The problem being that I have no way of getting screenshots from them, as my computer doesn’t have a Blu-ray-player. And I’m not going to get one just for this, streaming is the future and so on.

But if I take a screenshot from an earlier season and just CGI it to look like this latest season everything should be fine, right?

That’s what I thought. Let’s start.

Oh, a new opening. Super cool. With only three places of importance to show, it can spend its time showing lots of details and fresher events in the sun things. Rings. Whatever they are.

The thing showing the rebirth of the dragons shows also the comet. Back when it showed up in the sky, everyone had different explanations to what it meant. Apparently at the point in history where this model is made, its connection to the dragons has won out. It makes sense, nobody cares about Stannis becoming the Lord’s Champion anymore. If he had won, then maybe, but he didn’t.

The season starts with a kid running in a forest. I have absolutely no idea how much time has passed since the beginning, but this kid must have been a toddler, if not even that, when King Robert came to Winterfell.

Now it’s a different time. A different queen. Daenerys Targaryen, first of her name etc etc, rides North with her armies and dragons.

There’s a lot of allusions back to the first episodes. The elders have fallen and now the young generation have grown into their roles. I have started to rewatch the show from the beginning while I exercise, and some things in those early episodes are just painful to see. Littlefinger did his absolute best to get Ned killed so he could make his moves on Catelyn. Earlier I said that without Littlefinger the war may have been averted, but the cat of Jaime and Cersei was already out of the bag and Jon Arryn would have soon told Robert, and that man would have been furious.

Oh, and Cersei saying “We have another wolf” makes me stop feeling any way sorry about her. Well, there wasn’t much sorry left anyway, she has been busy digging her own hole, but come on.

She is not taking abandonment well. Her entire family (not including unseen cousins and other kin) has either betrayed her or died. Now she plans to add the rest of the first group to the second. After letting Jaime go, she thinks again and now sends an assassin after him.

An assassín, which is Bronn. Out of all possibilities. Of course, she feels like that’s a poetic way to do it, but really. If he feels like the dragon lady is more likely to win, whoops, suddenly a desertion happens. Cersei may have planned this like “If he deserts, then I have found another weak point and can just send another assassin to take care of him too”, but Cersei hasn’t been that good in actual political intrigue. If she can’t just murder her way out or can’t bribe someone to do it for her there’s not much else in her playbook.

Oh, and time to breasts: 20:57. As this is the last season, here’s a fancy graph:

I have no idea if there’s any correlation with anything else that can be seen here and what it can mean. Remove the seventh season and it’s symmetrical, that’s about it. I don’t even remember why I started to mention them. It’s a graph. I have several in my Master’s thesis, too. They seem to be something you have to have.

I really like Daenerys’ white dress with red fabric under it. Looks warm and fancy.

Sansa has called all banners to Winterfell. They are making their stand there, with everyone in one place, leaving as few people to be picked out by the dead as possible so there’s not another Hardhome. The dead get more soldiers with every win, and they don’t need to worry about supplies or logistics. Good thinking, but the people of the Last Hearth, the closest settlement to the Eastwatch, haven’t arrived yet. Oops.

Well, they’ll arrive. Oh, they will. But if the Dead have intel (do they? Once again, how much do the Walkers plan?) what they should do is just siege Winterfell and continue killing everything they find in the North. The dead don’t need food, and they don’t catch illnesses. They can just wait. It’s the living who have a deadline to a battle, or they don’t have enough food to feed their army, as Sansa points out.

The Golden Company arrives at King's Landing, with a new character, Strickland, commanding them. Not Daario, but that was a bit crack theory, as he already commands the Second Sons. Maybe he’ll cross later, with Yara’s fleet, perhaps. There’s so little time left that I doubt we’ll see Essos again outside of a possible ending montage. So if Faabio Naharis wants to be seen (and likely killed), he has to get himself over here.

The Company didn’t bring elephants. Not suitable for long sea voyages, they say. That’s a disappointment, but I understand them not wanting to risk it. Cersei, being Cersei, doesn’t. She wants those elephants. Well, I want them too, so for once me and Cersei are on the same side.

Euron gets to share a bed with a queen. That achievement done, is he more likely now to just skip it if the situation gets bad for Cersei? I’d say not. He’s always been ready to skip it, and he seems like a person who wants more when he gets some.

Yara is rescued by Theon, very quickly. Euron is still in the Red Keep and so can’t confront them. So their eventual confrontation is delayed. I’m as sure about it happening as I’m of anything in this show (which, let’s be fair, is not much). But if there’s a fleet battle before the end, who else could there be but the only ones who still own fleets? Salladhor Saan?

Yara leaves for the Iron Islands, she plans to retake them while Euron is busy. And Theon wants to go to the North to try to pay back for his crimes. Commendable, let’s hope that the dead wait until he gets there.

This episode is full of scenes telling of how much characters have grown during their years of adventuring. Theon now respects the upbringing he had with the Starks and seeks redemption, nobody underestimates Sansa anymore, and Arya respects and protects her. Jon has the loyalty of the North and the Free folk. The dragons, having grown the most during the story, are full grown and can be ridden by people other than Daenerys. (And then we have Cersei, who has learnt nothing, except perhaps how to be a mini version of Tywin, and that playbook doesn’t work anymore).

Flying a dragon bareheaded in winter seems like a great way to freeze your ears off.

“Lord Glover wishes us good fortune, but he’s staying in Deepwood Motte with his men”. I’m not at all surprised. Not at all. As being wrong runs in that family, this was expected. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lord Glover still comes to Winterfell, but he’ll likely walk.

Sam didn’t hear about his family yet, but now he does, and from the executioner herself. It’s a one-two-blow, and really upsets Sam. There’s this super cool new queen who Jon loves and who has come to rescue everyone, and whose followers say they follow her out of love, and also she has executed your brother and father. Sure they walked into it themselves, especially Randall who decided that he can betray Olenna, but he will put a line to Cersei. Grrr. Still, it’s not any easier to Sam. Hopefully Daenerys learns something about this.

And then there’s Bran, who has spent the episode watching everyone. That’s why he’s also in this post at several points looking at you. He knows what you did.

Now he talks Sam into telling Jon about his mother. Sam does it right near Ned Stark’s tomb. “The next time we meet, we’ll talk of your mother.” 

At this point Sam thinks that Jon should be the king, because he would be much better at it than Daenerys. But, once again, they have the Night King to worry about, can they allow themselves to worry about this now? Jon just had a talk with Sansa that any of this doesn’t matter as long as the Dead are marching.

Speaking of the Dead, Tormund and Beric did survive the break of the Wall, and have arrived to the Last Hearth with the other survivors of the Eastwatch. And it’s dark. Super dark. Welcome to the winter. It’s summer on this side of the screen and so I can’t see a thing.

They find trails of fighting, but no bodies, which tells immediately which side won. Beric finally flames his sword so I can see, and they find Edd. Is it Lord Commander Edd now? And does it matter at all? They find the Umber boy, dead, in the middle of an art installation. So the Walkers a) can figure out who is the leader, and b) are sadistic enough to leave messages like this. It’s not a trap, as one dead who is stuck to the Wall isn’t much of a trap. It’s for morale, so the Walkers do understand things like that.

Edd is confident that they can get to Winterfell before the Dead. Something this optimistic coming from Mr. “We are all going to die”, I take as a certainty.

The whole world comes to Winterfell. It’s the place to be now. One hooded character arrives among refugees. It’s Jaime, here to seek redemption in the apocalypse as well. He can start with the familiar-looking person looking at him from a wheelchair.

Good luck. But this person is able to watch your whole life, to see if you deserve a chance or not. Hope for the best.