#just perish outta nowhere

[william-austin]

heads up (y'all most definitely don't care but anyway) I'll be dead tmr because school, obv but then directly after school I have BAND rehearsal for 2 hours and then directly after THAT I have PLAY rehearsal for another 2 hours 😭😭

[revserrayyu]

2.1 Penacony thoughts [part1]

**Mild spoiler warning** until the first moment we switch to Aventurine’s POV in the story and I don’t think much has happened yet, but if you haven’t reached that point yet, then turn away anyway if you wish I’m just gonna ramble a bit here and toss my thoughts into the void for my own reference.

Firstly, the return of the odd yellow text and Aventurine calling us ~fuh-riends~ in that hilarious and exaggerated tone of his.

Makes me wonder whom else has perished during their time in Penacony, and if it’s true, then the Family certainly has experience with covering such things up which raises many other concerns. Also gives me another reason to not fully trust Sunday.

Oh teehee~ We got Aventurine’s number. And some extra credits due to my responses, HA. sugardaddy

As we learned from a beautifully animated dance animation, Black Swan certainly knows how dangerous Acheron can be.

he whole flashback with Duke & Acheron was pretty good. It at least gives us more context rather than us being told he was killed offscreen, but still confirms the dude is dead, though he mentions the kids are alive, somehow. Duke also guessed that Acheron’s an Emanator (though he’s wrong about which path), then there was some important music box that gets brought up later on, and Acheron speaks of her sword that has indeed been sheathed this entire time, even during the 2.0 story.

At the very end of the scene it fades to black and Acheron full says: “May death be the end of your boundless dream, guiding you back to the waking world,” which I remember is the exact thing she said after witnessing Firefly’s death.

Sweetie, you’re a big mystery but it does not surprise me in the slightest to learn that you’re wanted by the IPC after witnessing your power in your many trailers. Hearing her speak about the Stellaron Hunters though made me think back to her character trailer, since I wondered if she even knew who was attacking her in the first place, but perhaps she did, even if the trio was nothing but Sparkle’s tricky illusions.

It was kinda funny seeing her get lost occasionally in the hotel during the previous story update, but now I feel bad knowing that she has horrible memory. Having to rely on your emotions seems quite challenging if you don’t have a good control of them, but she seems to be fairing well enough.

Tell us your suspicions Acheron! I mean, I have my guesses as well, but I’d take your word over anyone else’s.

It was at this moment where I had a real random idea and thought, “huh, could this be Boothill?” I found it strange how they revealed him to us when we haven’t even met the dude in game yet, like he really came in outta nowhere for me. But seeing Sam again and realizing how both of them have robotic bodies.. I dunno. I thought it could’ve been an extra set of armor or something.

Of course it makes no sense, since Sam & Boothill have different voice actors anyways, but still, the way Acheron speaks so familiar to him, as if they were both truly galaxy rangers, gave me second thoughts for just a brief moment. Nothing more. Just a small silly idea.

The return of the worrisome red text, capable of causing anxiety even through such a small word. With her horrible memory, I assume she’s not even sure what she’s supposed to be doing in life, so asking about Elio’s script and if she’s included made me think she’s trying to learn about her purpose and her own goals.

Say it loud, mom! We shall NOT. TRUST. ANYONE! And at this moment I seriously don’t. If they ain’t from the Express then you’re sus. Case closed.

Glad to see Danny boy lending us a helping hand from the train, but red text begone! First learning about how Acheron has terrible memory and now we can’t even remember her well? That can’t be good.

I firmly believed that if you die in the dream, you would just wake up in real life, so thank whatever Aeon you fancy that we’re finally getting the idea to head back into reality to confirm if Firefly and Robin are still alive. Maybe we should check up on those couple npcs that passed away during side quests too.

The way I held my breath.. I don’t even know much about HI3 but I’m aware our grandpa is more or less the same guy, so seeing him interact with some like Acheron, oh dear. The way Acheron still didn’t reveal her true name to him made me more wary too. I get she might not even remember, because poor memory, but hmmm.

I can understand her having some Stellaron Hunter knowledge because she’s wanted just like them, but ma’am why do you know this?? especially since the Family doesn’t even know the truth about Welt’s cane apparently.

Can’t lie, a fight between him and Acheron would be a spectacle. Who do you think would win?

Again, how does she know this? Has she been chatting with Aventurine? because he figured out our stellaron last patch too.

First thought: yay, she’s worried about us. Second thought: why would she be concerned about Black Swan? Shouldn’t it be the other way around after their dance? Third thought: What exactly is Black Swan capable of and how frightened should I be right now? Fourth thought: Acheron, why do you know so much about others??

So this music box.. why exactly does Black Swan have it now? Didn’t Acheron snatch it from Duke Inferno? Was she planning to give it to BS, or did memokeeper steal it off her? I dunno.

Is it me or does it feel like she’s talking to someone else? Another memokeeper? Or just to herself for dramatic effect? Either way, who exactly are we expecting to show up?

I honestly was getting a bit creeped out during this scene, from the weird camera angles the game was giving is to seeing Black Swan not understand what was going on or who was speaking to her. I actually started fearing for her life and I made a stunning realization that if they killed off BS I would actually freak out. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too upset over Firefly (we didn’t spend much time with her), but it feels like we’ve know BS for longer you know? Ever since that trailer about all the Aeons.

I can hear Luocha somewhere in the distance going “the dead return!” I tease, but actually hearing one of those from Ever-Flame Mansion call out to BS was a bit confusing? Duke said his kids were alive, sure, but BS is looking at past memories attached to the music box, right? So I’m still a bit on the fence regarding who out of the kids are actually alive. Maybe some, maybe all. Maybe I’m being played for a fool and thinking about it too much.

How many of y’all got excited to see Ratio interact with Aventurine again? I know you people are out there. Anyways, hearing about how Robin had a stand-in leads me to believe her death was planned, which would upset me greatly because what did that precious lady ever do to anyone??

It’s crazy this man has actually tried several times to end himself inside the dreams, like bro what if you actually succeeded?? At least this shod bring us some relief that Firefly and Robin are okay? Hopefully? I’ll believe when I see them.

I freakin' knew there was something wrong with her voice!! The first couple times we meet her you can tell her voice sounded off, like it was glitching out or something. It’s not very easy to hear, but the difference between the real Robin and Sparkle impersonating Robin towards the end of the last patch sounded different. No wonder Sunday picked up on Sparkle’s trick so easily.

Soooo, that’s pretty much everything I went through after the update hit. Unfortunately it isn’t much but adulting is a drag. Of course I’m looking forward to continuing the story later on. Starting with these men again will be a treat too.

(originally written on 3/27)

[zoidbergstan]

personal sorry lol

I'm in a really bad place right now and to be tbh honest? actively reaching out for help and getting no response is One Of The Greatest Pains this heart has felt lol! I'm a huge god damn mess haha

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Yuma [BRUTE ENDING]

ー The scene starts in the hallway at Eden

Yui: ( Standing behind Yuma-kun is... )

Mertz: ...

Yui: That guy...!

( It’s Mertz-san. He’s standing somewhat off to a side so it’s difficult to tell, but I’m positive it’s him! )

( Why is Mertz-san here? Also, the thing in his hand, is that...? )

...A gun!? 

Mertz: ...Perish, Mukami Yuma.

Yui: Yuma-kun, watch out...!!

Yuma: Kuh...!

*BANG*

Mertz: ...He evaded the attack...? Fuck...

ー Mertz runs away

Yui: ( I’m so glad Yuma-kun is unharmed. But Mertz-san is getting away... )

Yuma: Ya lil’...! Wait!!

ー Yuma chases after him 

*THUD*

Mertz: Guh...

Yuma: Quite the way to greet someone after showin’ up out of nowhere, huh? 

However, I’m sure this reunion happened for a reason. Lemme repay ya for what ya did the other day.

Take this!!

*THUD*

Mertz: ...Ugh...

*Thud*

Yuma: What? Done already? For someone who was out for blood, ya sure lack fightin’ spirit.

Yui: ( As to be expected of Yuma-kun...He completely overpowered Mertz-san... )

( But I wonder why Mertz-san attacked him in the first place? )

( I thought I was supposed to be his target...? )

*HOOOOOWL*

Yui: ...!

( Right. We have to run soon, or the Founders will... )

ー Yuma runs up to Yui

*Rustle*

Yuma: Finally caught ya. I panicked there for a sec ‘cause ya nearly got swept away by the crowd. 

Yui: Yuma-kun...!

Yuma: Let’s get outta here.

Listen up? Don’t let go of my hand, no matter what, ‘kay? 

Yui: Yeah...!

( I wonder what will happen now? Have those Founders come to kidnap me again? )

( We don’t have a clear grasp on the situation yet, but for now, we just have to run. )

( The two of us have to get out of here safely...! )

ー They run away

Mertz: ...Ugh.

...I won’t let you...get away...My...My precious...

...Cordelia...

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Yuma: Haah...Haah...We’ve made it this far, so I guess we should be fine for now.

Yui: ( Thank god. Seems we somehow got away unharmed. )

( Nobody tried to chase after us, and I don’t hear any howling of wolves anymore either. )

Anyway, what a surprise that was. I never thought those Founders would go as far as to ambush Karlheinz-sama’s castle...

Yuma: Right? ...With the situation bein’ as is, it might be better to just leave the Demon World for now.

The Lunar Eclipse has come to an end as well, so I see no problem in returnin’ to the human world. 

Yui: Good idea. Let’s go then. 

*Grooowl*

Yui: Ah...

Yuma: Aah? What was that sound just now?

Wait, if it wasn’t me, it had to be comin’ from ya, right?

Yui: I-I’m sorry...

( Uu, I can’t believe my tummy would growl at this exact timing... )

Yuma: Geez, guess I can’t blame ya. In the end, we never got to try any of the food at the party ‘cause of the shit that went down...

Come on, open yer mouth. 

Yui: Eh? ...Nnh!

( H-He pushed something into my mouth... )

( ...It’s sweet...Something hard is slowly melting, spreading on my tongue... )

Is this...A sugar cube, perhaps?

Yuma: I’m sharin’ my precious Sugar-chan with ya. Better savor it thoroughly, ‘kay?

Yui: Yeah. Thanks.

( Fufu. Yummy~ Having something sweet always helps me cheer up. )

( I’ve been tense this whole time, but I might feel a little more relaxed now... )

Yuma: ...Ya finally smiled.

Yui: Eh? Did you say something just now? 

Yuma: Nothin’. ...Ah.

Yui: ...? What’s wrong?

Yuma: Darn! I only brought one piece of Sugar-chan with me. Since I gave to ya earlier, there’s nothin’ left for me.

Yui: Ah...I-I’m so sorry. What now...?

ー Yuma steps closer

*Rustle*

Yuma: I mean, we gotta do it like this then, right? ...Nn.

Yui: ...

( Wha...He’s licking my lips... )

Yuma: Come on, open yer mouth. ...There’s still some left inside, right? Share some with me. 

Nn...Phew...Nnh...

Yui: ...Nn...

( Oh no...I can’t think straight, I nearly find myself leaning against him...Out here in public... )

*Thud* 

Yui: ( ...? Did something fall just now? )

...Huh? Is this a sugar cube? 

Yuma: Ahー ...I’m busted.

Yui: Busted...?

Ah! Were you lying earlier!? You said you had no sugar cubes left...!

Yuma: Don’t get so mad. I would have kissed ya either way, so it’s fine, right?

Yui: It’s not...!

Yuma: Come on, let’s stop dawdlin’ and get goin’.

Ah, right. Imma kiss ya even more once we’ve safely made it to the human world, so ya better brace yerself, ‘kay?

Yui: Uu...

( Geez...He always decides these things by himself! )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to Yuma’s room in the Mukami manor

*Tweet tweet*

Yui: ...Nn...

( ...It’s morning? Right. I must have dozed off at some point. )

( Um, if I recall correctly, last night weーー )

Kyah...

*Rustle*

Yuma: Ya finally woke up, Sow?

Yui: Yuma-kun...!

Yuma: Honestly, ya just kept on snoozin’ away forever. Do ya have any idea how fuckin’ worked up (1) I was while layin’ besides ya? 

Take responsibility. ...Nn. 

Yui: Hyah...!

( He kissed the back of my nape...? )

Hold up...Stop, Yuma-kun. It tickles...

Yuma: Aah? If I was gonna stop, I wouldn’t have bothered doin’ this in the first place. 

Come on...Don’t move. Let’s continue where we left off last night...?

Nn...Haah...Nnh...

Yui: ...Nn...

( ーー It’ll soon be one month since we returned to the human world. The lunar eclipse has finally come to an end, and we’ve gone back to our old lifestyle. )

( We’re spending peaceful days together, almost as if everything that went down in the Demon World was just a bad dream. )

( Both the Mukami and the Sakamaki brothers are doing well, and Yuma-kun is right here with me. )

( I’m very happy about that, but I’m not sure if I can deal with this first thing in the morning... )

Yuma: By the way, have ya heard yet? 

Yui: Eh?

Yuma: The Familiar Ruki had sent off to the Demon World made his return yesterday. Seems like those Founders have finally been defeated. 

Yui: Really? Carla-san and Shin-kun were so strong though...

Yuma: I bet Karlheinz-sama stepped up or somethin’. His own castle was attacked too after all, I doubt he’d just stand around silently and watch.

Well, guess we can consider this one case closed. 

Yui: Exactly...

( However, something just doesn’t feel quite right...It doesn’t make sense for such a large issue to be solved so easily... )

Yuma: Ah? Why do ya suddenly go quiet?

Yui: Well...I can’t explain very well, but I’m just wondering if this is the best outcome...

Yuma: Aah? ‘Course it is? You’re just overthinkin’, honestly. Just be happy. 

Yui: Yeah...

Yuma: Haah...God, guess I have no other choice. Lemme tell ya somethin’ good.

Yui: Something good?

Yuma: Yeah.

...Let’s get married. 

Yui: ...Eh?

Yuma: Again! Let’s get married!

Yui: Married? ...Who?

Yuma: Haah!? The two of us, duh! Ya really are an airhead, aren’t ya?

Yui: ( Yuma-kun and I...married... )

...

Yuma: Whatcha cryin’ for!? ...Don’t tell me, ya don’t want to? 

Yui: That’s not it...Uu...

Yuma: Then why...?

Yui: Because I’m just so happy, obviously...!? 

You idiot...How dirty of you to catch me off guard with a proposal... 

( What now? The tears won’t stop flowing... )

Yuma: Geez...You’re the idiot here. I said it to bring a smile to yer face. Now my efforts have gone in vain. 

Let’s get married, Yui. So we’re never separated again...

Yui: ( I’m so happy. I get to be a bride. That has always been my dream...On top of that, I’ll get married to the man I love the most in this whole world... )

( I’ll continue to be able to spend my life with Yuma-kun, forever...and ever. )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the Church

Yui: ( ーー And so, the day of our wedding ceremony rolled around. There’s not even a Priest around, it’s just the two of us. )

Yuma: I always thought God didn’t exist, but I don’t mind believin’ in him for just today. The two of us were able to find each other after all. 

Yui: Yuma-kun...

Yuma: I lost my friends and family in that fire. Meanwhile I lost all of my memories, and was turned into a Vampire. 

Now that I look back on it, I really had a shitty life. 

But ya know...Right now, I don’t feel that way in the slightest. 

I’m sure that’s ‘cause I have my eyes set on just the future right now. 

Only on you, standing right in front of me... 

Yui: Me too. We’ve been through a lot so far, but right now, you’re all I can see. 

( As long as I can be together with Yuma-kun and spend our lives together, I won’t wish for anything else. )

( Right now, I feel that way from the bottom of my heart. )

Yuma: ‘Kay, let’s exchange our vows. 

Well, not that I remember how they go.

Yui: Eeh? You can’t just forget!

Yuma: Then do ya remember? 

Yui: Um...’in sickness and in health’...Something like that?

Yuma: See? Ya barely remember either!

Yui: Uu...

Yuma: Who cares ‘bout the damn words anyway? We’re obviously sayin’ yes at the end!

In good and bad times. On sunny or stormy days. I’ll always be right there with ya.

We’ll be together, at all times.

ーー I love ya, Yui.

Yui: Yuma-kun...

Me too...I also love you...Yuma-kun...

ー He leans in

Yuma: ...Close yer eyes.

Yui: ...Okay...

ー She closes her eyes

Yui: ( His lips are moving closer... )

( I didn’t think this day would ever come. I couldn’t have even imagined it back when we met. )

( We finally made it this farーー )

*Thud*

Mertz: ...I found you...

Yuma: ...Mertz...!? 

Yui: Why...are you here...?

( I thought Yuma-kun had defeated him on the day of the evening gala...? )

( But, something is off...He is clearly a different person from the Mertz-san we’ve met before... )

Mertz: Aah...Cordelia...I’ve missed you so much...

Yuma: The fuck are ya sayin’...!? She isn’t Cordelia!

Mertz: Who are you...? Why are you with Cordelia...?

...Don’t tell me...Do you intend to take her from me...!? 

Yui: ( Does he perceive me as Cordelia perhaps...? )

Mertz: ...ll ...I’ll kill you...I’ll kill you...

I will kill anyone...who dares take Cordelia away from me...!!

Uwaaaah...!!

Yuma: Ugh...

Yui: Watch out...!!

ー Yui jumps in front of Yuma to protect him

*Rustle*

*STAB*

Yui: ...Uu.

Yuma: Wha...!? 

Mertz: No way...Cordelia...

Oh no...What have I done...? I can’t believe...I stabbed the person I love most...with my very own hands... 

...Fufu...

...Haha...Hahaha...

ー Mertz walks away

Yui: ...Ugh...Uu...

( My consciousness...is slowly fading...I’m growing numb and...I can’t even...feel the pain anymore... )

Yuma: Oi...Oi! Hang in there, Yui...!!

Yui: Yuma...ku..Thank god...You’re safe...

Yuma: ...Don’t be worryin’ ‘bout me right now!

Why...Why did you protect me!? Why...!? 

Yui: Isn’t that...obvious...? Because...I like you so very much...

Because I love you...

Yuma: ...You... 

Yui: I’m truly glad...I was able to protect you...

...I’m so happy...

ー Yui passes away

Yui: ...

Yuma: ...Oi...Whatcha fallin’ asleep for...? Wake up, open yer eyes...!

Yui: ...

Yuma: ...You’ve gotta be...kiddin’ me...This just can’t be happenin’...

What ‘bout yer vows? ...Ya said you’d be with me at all times...

And that we would be together forever...

Yet...You’ve...

...Uu...Aah...Aaaaaaah...!!

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room at the Mukami manor

Kou: ...Ruki-kun...

Ruki: How is Yuma doing?

Kou: It’s no use. His memories are gone. Not only has he forgotten about her, but he doesn’t remember who we are either.

Azusa: He said...he doesn’t even know his own name...

Ruki: I see...The woman he loved died right in front of his eyes. So we can hardly blame him. 

Kou: I asked her once, remember?

Say she had lost her memories, would she want to remember them...?

I personally...wouldn’t. If I was Yuma-kun, I would rather just forget about everything...

Azusa: I think...I would too...

Ruki: It might be better for Yuma to simply live on as a different person. With a blank slate, and a new name...

ー Ruki walks away

Kou: Ah...Ruki-kun, where are you going? 

Ruki: I will go inform Karlheinz-sama of this. 

That today will be remembered as the day ‘Mukami Yuma’ passed away...

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) The expression 悶々 or ‘monmon’ usually means ‘anxious’ or ‘worried’ but it can also be translated as ‘horny’ in a colloquial context. 

[pinkyhaert]

Nutcracker month 2020 by @artsynoova

Day 28: { Hans Arlo }

After taking a wrong turn from the last world; Hollyberry didn't have much time to comprehend what was happening as he immediately fell into the next. Landing on what appeared to be a cannon- he found himself inside a dungeon surrounded by knights not too pleased to see him.

Hollyberry: " Ah- hello.." Evil!knight: "Insolent fool! You dare interrupt the execution of a tratior?!" Hollyberry: "execution!?" the knight pointed his blade behind holly, directing the little brave's attention to the nutcracker strapped to a giant target. Holly's eyes widened as he had stumbled upon yet another new nutcracker in need of his assistance.

Hans: " Help! I'm Not a traitor!! Please! Don't blow me up!!" D: Evil!knight: "He failed to conform to our ways, and for that the punishment is death!" Knight Horde: " DEath! dEaTh! DEATH!" Hollyberry: " That's a bit extreme don't you think?!" Evil!Knight: "If you do not conform then that is your fate! Do you dare challenge us puny knave?" Hollyberry; Glaring back at him: " Well I'm not going to just sit here and let you blow him up!" Evil!Knight: " Then You Shall perish alongside him! En garde!"

——— Hollyberry: "Talk about a hectic evening.. You doing okay?" Hans: " I'm much better Thanks to you...?" Hollerberry: "Holly." Hans: "Holly. um.. My name's Hans." Hollyberry:" A Pleasure." Hans" what i don't understand is what was up with them. Those knights just came out from outta nowhere and overpowered me!" Hollyberry: " It isn't uncommon for monsters to pop up around for the time being. i've already crossed paths with many even worst then those knights." Hans: " worst then them o.o?" Hollyberry: "fraid so, And there's still more for me to find.. but unfortunately i don't know how to get outta here.." Hans: " Well if your trying to leave, i can take you to the edge of the forest." Hollyberry: " Really?" Hans:" It's the least i can do after you saved my life after all." Hollyberry: " Heh, i'd save anyone who needs me. but i appreciate your help, Lead the way my friend."

———

Hans Arlo belongs to @ariflorarts

Hollyberry belongs to me :3c

[chisinpink]

The Only One: A Mastermind!Nagito AU Story - PROLOGUE

Hello lovelies, I’ve posted a *lot* about my Mastermind!Nagito AU on tiktok (I’m @chisben there as well if you wanna check it out), and I rly wanna share it here so here’s the prologue! Special thanks to @servanthaji for helping out with the planning of this whole story in general!

(Content warning for mentions of bombs and bombings, swearing and crying.)

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JUNKO: Yep, that’s the day that it happened. The day everything started getting… pretty scary, if you ask me! I’m just glad you were outta town for that, and baby was home sick. That’s, like, the only reason she’s here today, too!

HAJIME: Wait, wait, slow down! What are you even talking about…?

JUNKO: Uhh, I’m getting to that? Besides, don’t you know that guy too? Nagito Komaeda?

HAJIME: Not really… I mean, I knew of him, but I was in the reserve course. I didn’t really talk to him or anything until I went to school that Monday, and… there was nobody there except him.

JUNKO: Oh, yea? Did he tell you anything?

HAJIME: Not really. After I got shot at and ran in the school, I asked him what the hell was going on, but it was like I wasn’t there either. He just changed the subject to hope over and over again, like I asked a totally different question, and eventually I just walked away. I still don’t know what he was doing there.

JUNKO: Then maybe he doesn’t want you to know, y’know? You’re so lucky you have me, then~!

(She smirks playfully. Hajime stares at her blankly and her face drops. She stares at a map with a pen in hand.)

JUNKO: Come ooon, I’m coping! This is pretty stressful for everyone, y’know, I use humor to forget about all this stupid shit.

HAJIME: Whatever… just… tell me what’s going on.

JUNKO: Well, what happened that day… that was the start of The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History… in my opinion. And that’s saying a lot, because this world is filled with despair! And, like, his whole class helped him do what he did to the country! No idea why that is, but we can all fill you in on the rest, I guess. Preeeety sure we were all there in some way, ‘cept my baby.

(She gestures to the entirety of Class 78 of Hopes Peak Academy, standing and sitting in the basement of the school, as well as Mikan Tsumiki, who has a timid smile on her face as Junko looks back at her. Hajimes face drops.) 

HAJIME: Wh… what?? That can’t be it, that can’t be what happened…! The whole class?? The whole country?!

JUNKO: Eeeyup! They evacuated the school by putting a bomb under their teachers desk, and apparently all around the school, and I have NO idea how that lady didn’t croak! Anyways, everyone had to leave, and… that’s basically all I know. They just repeated that ooover and ooover on the news, it made me sick!!

(She threw her pen at a tiny radio propped up on a few cardboard boxes.)

HAJIME: Wh… this doesn’t… but… but, I...

(Kyoko steps forward and faces Hajime.)

KYOKO: I have some more information on what happened that day. After we were trapped here in the basement, all we had was the radio to inform us of the true nature of what happened. This is what I wrote down from those broadcasts.

(She hands Hajime a folder that contains three sheets of paper, all three of them hand-written notes. He begins reading.)

KYOKO: The class of 77-B was, most likely, all apparently under some sort of drug-induced psychosis. Most witnesses reported that they were acting strangely or out of character before they planted the bombs, and their eyes were hazy and… 

HAJIME: ”swirled”, “mixed”, “terrifying”, “comforting”, “light and dark” ...none of these make any sense.

KYOKO: My thoughts exactly. This entire event is bizarre and without any logical reasoning behind it… if you’d only heard about it on the news. But I think Makoto and I know more than any news outlets.

HAJIME: How?

(She looks over her shoulder to Makoto, signaling him to stand up.)

MAKOTO: Well, about a month ago me and Kyoko were going to one of the computer rooms to print something, but it was kind of out of the way, so we didn’t expect him to be there. N-Nagito, I mean. We saw him talking to Chihiro, and, uhm… I didn’t hear that part.

(He looks up to Chihiro. They stand meekly and fold their arms.)

CHIHIRO: H-he had been asking me to collaborate with him on a personal project, but… I didn’t have any spare time, and I didn’t even know him that well! So I finally just told him no, and he left me alone for a day or two… but t-then…

(Tears form at the corners of their eyes.)

CHIHIRO: H-he told me that… he was gonna… destroy the sc-sc-school if I didn’t-!

(They cover their face, and Makoto reaches out to rub their shoulder.)

MAKOTO: It’s not your fault, Chihiro. It’s nobody's fault but his. B-but anyway, after we heard about that, we decided that we had to keep an eye on him, but… basically the next day is when the bombs went off.

HAJIME: Why didn’t you just… tell a teacher what he told Chihiro?

MAKOTO: In hindsight… yeah, that would’ve been the safest thing we could’ve done. But Kyoko thought that we couldn’t keep an eye on him if he was expelled for that, a-and he could have been doing anything at home, so we fo-

KYOKO: Makoto, please, don’t. I was a coward, and I didn’t trust anybody else to investigate the matter. This whole situation could have been de-escalated dramatically if I had told school faculty.

(Kiyotaka stands from his spot next to Mondo.)

TAKA: You DIDN’T inform a teacher, or the Headmaster?! Miss Kirigiri, the school faculty always knows what is best for us!!

MONDO: Yeaaaah, is that why they all jumped ship and fucked off to who-knows-where so we could fight like dogs in the basement?

AOI: Hey, they did what they could, okay?? They had to protect themselves like everyone else! We’re not any better by hiding in the basement.

MONDO: Where the fuck ELSE were we supposed to go?? Candy land?!

YASUHIRO: Hey hey hey, Chihiro was right to lead us here the day the bombs went off! But I hear ya, maybe we coulda moved out of Japan together or somethin’ instead of hiding in Japan!

TOKO: I-I see why you’ve had to retake this year as m-much as you did now, you dumbass! He could b-be expanding anywhere now!!

BYAKUYA: As much as I hate to agree with her, I do. Nowhere is truly safe, and for all we may know, we’re being actively searched for. It’s only a matter of time before we have to relocate.

SAYAKA: I-I can’t stay here another second!! 

CELESTIA: Oh, so do you two suggest that we run out into the streets and expose ourselves to the predators? Play Nagitos game of cat and mouse?

LEON: Hell NO, I’m not playing that freaks game! But if he’s got his little possie out there looking every which way for us, then we gotta at least try and delay it!

SAKURA: On the other hand, we don’t know what they might want from us, if anything, or how bad the situation has escalated since we decided to hide.

HIFUMI: We don’t even KNOW what’s out there w-waiting for us anymore?! There could be giant mutant spiders wanting to turn us into baby food by now! I’m staying right HERE.

YASUHIRO: ...okay, I’m officially lost. Are we moving or staying?

SAYAKA: Moving!!

BYAKUYA: If you all intend on surviving, then you’ll all relocate. If you intend on being brutally murdered, then by all means, feel free to stay for a bit longer.

LEON: What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?? 

MAKOTO: H-hey, everybody calm down!!

SAKURA: We cannot make a decision until we know more about the outside world. AOI: But isn’t it because of what we don’t know that we have to go out there by now?

SAYAKA: Maybe some of us could go and some of us could stay?

TOKO: W-what if that reveals the hiding spot f-f-for everybody else??

MIKAN: (wiping away tears and hiccupping) N-nooo!!

YASUHIRO: Then we all have to come to the same decision, then.

CELESTIA: Yes, good luck reaching a peaceful consensus during the middle of an apocalypse!

BYAKUYA: I never said that it had to be a peaceful decision. If needed, you will all follow me kicking and screaming so I don’t perish thanks to your idiocy.

MONDO: I’ll knock some idiocy into ya if you keep runnin’ your mouth like that!

TAKA: Remember to take deep stomach breaths, bro! I think we can all solve this by utilizing a popular vote!

HIFUMI: But wouldn’t whoever’s the most popular win anyway??

HAJIME: SHUT UP!!! EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!!!

(Everyone stops talking and stares at Hajime, who’s trembling and has his face in his hands.)

JUNKO: Daaaaaaamn, rookie’s kinda bold to be screaming at us like that, huh?

MAKOTO: Junko… you’re not helping. He’s obviously overwhelmed and you’re just teasing him.

JUNKO: C’mon, I’m nowhere near him! Hahah!

(Makoto sighs, sitting down next to Hajime on the floor. The rest of the students talk amongst themselves.)

MAKOTO: ...I’m sorry. I know you didn’t ask to be here, but… for what it’s worth, I’m glad that you’re still alive somehow.

HAJIME: … 

MAKOTO: You know… when Mukuro found you unconscious in that class, we all thought you were one of Nagitos’ friends. You seemed too peaceful in your sleep to have been running from anybody, or hiding from anything.

HAJIME: ...then why did you help me?

KYOKO: We thought we could get some information about the outside world. But apparently, you're just as lost as the rest of us.

MAKOTO: A-and because we didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Even if you were one of his people, we didn’t want you to just be out there. I’m glad that you weren’t, though… it feels nice to meet someone new again.

(Hajime lifts his face from his hands, palms and face covered in tears. He looks at Makoto with a faint smile.)

HAJIME: Yeah… feels nice.

☘️ TO BE CONTINUED☘️

[ophiebot]

MAMA MIA ! AU

NOTE: So I did a little one shot for @llamagoddessofficial​ for this little Mama Mia AU. I figure the Skull, Sans, and Red would show up a few days before MC’s birthday (so soon in relation to this snippet) and I just wanted to explore a little bit of what Hit and MC’s dynamic would be! pardon if there’s any spelling errors i wrote this pretty quickly and only looked over it like once LOL.

***

You were sitting out on the porch of your modest cottage that was tucked into the woods about a mile from the beach. It was almost summer, but a good number of the trees were still pink or light green with their first buds and flowers. You took a deep breath.

The island smelled the same every year, fresh and floral with the occasional salty breeze blowing in from the ocean that was so close by. It was like a dream, and you’d never get sick of it.

A skeleton monster was sitting on a porch chair across the deck table from you, looking out to your front yard as well where your 12 year old was running around trying to catch frogs. It had stormed pretty terribly the night before so the ground was wet and muddy. Worms were wiggling around in the grass and crawling onto the driveway just to perish in the now emerging afternoon sun. Your daughter, Ellie, was also trying in vain to place them back in the mud so they wouldn’t dry up. These two very important tasks had her splashing about in her rain boots and getting all kinds of muddy. She was definitely in for a scrub down tonight when she finally tired herself out all the way. But you decided you’d worry about it later. She was having too much fun now. Your skeletal companion took a drink from his glass of lemonade. The pitcher you had made after lunch was sitting ice cold on the table between the two of you. Hit always dressed smartly. Even now in the creeping heat, but you figured maybe it didn’t bother him on a account of his lack of skin. He was wearing a button up and slacks , casual compared to his usual attire, an two of the buttons were undone to loosen his collar. You took a sip from your own glass. Your daughter disappeared into the woods in front of your house, probably retreating to the impressive fort she had built back there a couple summers ago. Hit finally spoke up. “You gonna be busy this week?” You shrugged, glancing over at him “I’ve got a couple day camps to run down at the library but other than that not really” “Yeah? What about Friday” he leaned back a little bit in his seat and raised a brow bone at you. “....I told you I don’t want a big party or anything.” “Oh come off it it’s not everyday you turn 33” “Im serious, hit” “So am I” You sighed and rolled your eyes, looking away from him briefly. “Like, sure. A cake would be nice. I’m just not in the mood to....I dunno” you sighed, rubbing at your temple and leaning your elbow on the arm of the deck chair. “....no yeah. I get it. It’s your mid 30s. Came outta nowhere and now you feel like you’re gettin old” “Wow thanks that makes me feel so much better” you snorted. “You know I don’t mean it like that. But hey. Why don’t we just get a cake. Me you n Ellie can celebrate. It’ll be nice” “....well” you tapped your fingers along your glass thoughtfully “I...I guess that would be nice. Couldn’t hurt” “Well don’t sound so enthusiastic about it now” he chuckled. “No I would totally love to hit ! Really. I just..... You know I don’t wanna put you out” “Hey. Look at me” He leaned over the table a bit. You flicked your eyes up to meet his, your stomach twisting a bit anxiously. His eyes always did that to you. But you were good at hiding it. “I always tell ya, I like doing this kind of stuff. It’s not even a big deal. And I’m always here for ya. So don’t go talking like that ok?” His voice was soft. You Were quiet for a moment. Before relenting and tearing your eyes away, looking down “yeah. I know. And I really appreciate it, you know that” He sat back again, relaxing into his chair. “I know ya do.” Of course you appreciated Hit. He had been your main support and source of income when you first came here. No family to claim as your own any longer and no revenue of any kind. He was right there to pick you up and put you on your feet. He even bought you this house. It was all incredibly.....kind. Yeah. That was the word wasn’t it? Kind. He was kind and thoughtful. But there was a tension in your relationship with him. He had made it abundantly clear what the nature of his feelings towards you were, even if he didn’t come right out and say it. You didn’t need it laid out in front of you to get it. It’s just....you weren’t ready for that kind of thing!! The things he wanted from you....you weren’t sure you could give. And you’d already given a fair bit. A few lapses in judgement and he ended up warming your bed on more than one occasion. It hadn’t happened in a while. You had made a habit of it a few years ago, but there was a point where you simply had to set a few unspoken boundaries. It wasn’t good for you. But you had to admit when the nights got especially cold or lonely you considered calling him, only to remind yourself it was a cruel cycle of regret. All for reasons you couldn’t quite put your finger on. You did care about him....of course you did. But part of you constantly told yourself to keep him at arms length. So you did. You had learned to trust most of your instincts. That being one of them. Your daughter emerged from the woods again, running and brandishing a huge frog she was carrying in both hands....Wait....no that was a froggit. And it looked particularly distressed. Ellie was giggling like a madman. Hit burst into a fit of laughter as well when he saw her. You quickly stood and hurried to catch her before she could do any terrible psychological damage to the poor small monster. She evaded you for only a few more seconds before you snatched her up . “Get over here you...troublemaker!!” The girl was still giggling in your arms but lost her grip on the froggit. The monster leaped from her hands and hopped off to the woods again. Your daughter wiggled out of your grip and dashed off to the porch to show hit the handful of worms she had also been holding in her dirty little hands. He lit up a bit and scooted forward in his chair to listen to her ramble about her expeditions of the day. You watched from the yard, mud smeared and....damn near content. It was your chest twisting now as you watched him dote on your daughter. It was moments like this that brought your walls down. And you thought maybe you should just dive in and not think too hard about it. That was your problem nowadays. You just thought too much. You longed for the you that existed on this island 12 years ago. With your feet in the sand and.... Your hand clenched lightly in your skirt. Thoughts of that summer always made you feel a little foggy. And melancholic. You shook your head. Collected yourself, and headed back up to the porch. It was bath time.

[viostormcaller]

Stringbound Chapter 3

A/N: I really really hope this works... sorry if it’s formatted a bit weird! EDIT: ohmygod I forgot the fucking taglist I am so sorry XD EDIT 2: I forgot amidst my frustration of trying to post this here that I was supposed to edit in all the italics. So I did that. Whoops!

[TW: nausea/vomiting mention, blood, death mention]

Chapter 2

The first thing Marvin noticed behind the darkness of his eyelids was the headache, its ever-persistent pounding and squeezing against his skull as agonizing as it had been since the fight, if not more so. Next was the stomachache, not enough yet to be nauseating, mostly just sore for the time being. Third was the heat; he could tell blankets had been piled on him again -- the same ones from before, no doubt -- and despite how much he was sweating, he also found himself shivering. It was harder to breathe, as well, though it wasn't because of the blankets. However, he didn't feel the need to worry -- he could feel a mask against his mouth and nose and felt significantly cooler air entering his body when he inhaled. Henrik must have put him on an oxygen machine. He also felt that one of his arms was outside of the blankets, and while he couldn't feel it he could tell by the way his arm was positioned that there was an IV there. He could tell he was on the couch instead of in a hospital bed, and he could hear soft murmuring close by. After he felt like he'd done enough assessing of the situation, Marvin slowly opened his eyes, squinting and letting out a quiet, pained groan as the bright daylight entering the room agitated his headache further.

At the noise he heard, Henrik quickly turned around from the crouched position by the couch that he had placed himself in, eyes wide and curious. "Marvin?" he prompted. "Are you awake?"

"Y-yeah…" Marvin got out. "Yes, I'm awake…"

"How do you feel?"

"Awful," Marvin stated plainly. It had been years since he'd felt this sick.

"What symptoms are you having?" Henrik then asked, grabbing the notepad and pen from off the table.

"Headache, chills… I feel warm and cold at the same time. And it's still a bit hard to breathe."

"Any lightheadedness?"

"No."

"Dizziness?"

"Thankfully, no."

"Are you having any pains in the chest at all?"

"No. Aside from it feeling a bit tight, of course, but it doesn't hurt."

"Do you feel nauseous?"

"No, not… not yet, anyway. I'm unsure if I'll be feeling sick later, though…"

"Hm, alright… I will keep the eye on it, and the bucket will be close by, just in case." Henrik proceeded to write all of Marvin's answers down on a piece of paper. He would transfer them to a proper document later, but this will do for now. Actually, while they were on the subject…

"Oh, Marvin?" Henrik spoke up, not looking up from his paper quite yet.

"Mmh?"

"I have some more questions for you, about your reaction to the medicine, yes? Would you mind if I asked them now, or do you want to answer them later, when you are feeling a bit better?"

"We can…" Marvin took a moment to think. It didn't take long to come to a decision. "We can answer them now, but… can you dim the light in the room a bit? It's… making my head ache horribly…"

"Oh! Oh, of course! I apologize, I did not even consider that! Jackie, do you think--?"

"Yup, one step ahead of you," cheerfully replied Jackie, who had been standing by this whole time. He pulled all the curtains closed and dimmed the kitchen light some. "How's this? This good?" he called to Marvin.

Marvin fully opened his eyes, finally able to see without painfully squinting. His headache hadn't gone away, but this was definitely an improvement. "Much better," he sighed. "Thank you."

"No problem, just doin' my job."

Henrik just chuckled, shaking his head as a small grin tugged at the corners of his lips. Then he cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, refocusing himself. "Right, yes. The symptoms. What did you notice after you had taken that medicine?"

Marvin hummed, thinking for a moment. "I remember feeling… nauseous first. The ironic part about that is, after you injected me, it actually helped to ease the nausea. However, when I was talking with Chase, it… came back. The headache followed."

Henrik nodded, writing this down. "Alright, what else?"

"While I was, er… being sick, I remember looking up and the room was spinning. Everything was blurry -- I couldn't tell you if I was seeing triple or more than that. And then I found it harder and harder to breathe in, and from there I began to experience what I can only describe as delirium…"

"Ah, yes," Henrik interjected, looking up. "I remember you mumbling nonsense at me. Do you remember what it was you were saying? Or, well… trying to say?"

Marvin just shook his head. "My guess would be just as good as yours. I haven't a single idea. Heh, I am at the very least grateful I wasn't mumbling any spells. That could have made things a bit… chaotic."

Henrik hummed in agreement, nodding, before continuing. "The only thing I did understand was when you said you felt as if you were going to pass out."

"Ah. Yes, I remember saying that," Marvin confirmed. "I felt very lightheaded seemingly out of nowhere and I was almost positive that I would pass out. Though in my half-conscious state, I couldn't tell if my warning was in my mind or if I'd spoken it aloud. I'm grateful it was the latter."

"Was that all you felt?" Henrik inquired, looking up from his notes once more.

"No, there is one more thing I remember… every vein in my body seemed to ache not long after those first symptoms appeared. At the time I'd no clue what was happening to me, but looking back it could have only been a side effect of the medicine."

Henrik nodded, continuing his furious scribbling on the paper. Finally he let out a breath and put the pen and notepad down on the coffee table. "I thank you for your help, Marvin. One, for being so cooperative, and two, for being my unintentional test subject. I am glad we did not give this to any patients… I am not sure a higher dose of this would be very safe."

"So… does that mean our original plan is a no-go?" Jackie spoke up, a concerned look in his eye.

"I am afraid so," Henrik replied sadly, turning back towards the hero. "The dose I gave Marvin was small, and you can see what it had done to him. In a higher quantity, it could potentially kill someone, and we are trying to avoid that, yes?"

Jackie muttered a curse under his breath, looking away.

"What are you going to do now?" Marvin asked, glancing between them both.

"When Chase returns, we are going to talk more deeply about this. We need a new plan."

Marvin's eyebrows furrowed. "Chase is out? Where did he go?"

"Oh, just to pick up some supplies. Non-perishable food items, medicine… that sort of thing. Is good to be stocked up, yes? Especially now that we have a new person on board."

Marvin slowly nodded in understanding. Yes, that was a smart move. He then looked up, seeing Jackie nearing closer with a grin on his face. Uh oh.

"Hope you didn't lose one of your "nine lives" while you were fighting the effects of the medicine, because we're gonna need you for this. You think you're up for it?"

Marvin just narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you always this utterly idiotic?"

"Hey, be nice!" Jackie protested, placing a hand on his chest and feigning hurt. "I'm the one who saved your life, remember? You'd probably be dead right now if it weren't for me! You better be grateful I stayed home, too, Sourpuss. Had I gone on patrols, there'd be no one to carry Schneep's medical equipment up to you. So there!"

Marvin rolled his eyes and looked away. He'd cross his arms, but one of them had the IV sticking out of it, so that wouldn't be the best idea. Henrik could only laugh to himself, shaking his head. It was easy to forget how much of a child Jackie still was, until they had moments like this.

"Do you need anything, Marvin?" Henrik asked, pulling himself from his thoughts.

"A… a cloth over my head would be appreciated," Marvin admitted.

"I'll get it!" Jackie announced.

"No, I will get it," Henrik quickly interjected, rising from his spot on the floor. "You have bothered Marvin enough for one day, I feel."

As Henrik turned to stretch, Jackie stuck his tongue out at him when he wasn't looking.

Just then, the door swung open, startling everyone in the room. It was no other than Chase, of course, carrying a few bags of groceries, but… he was covered in splatters of… blood?

"Before you ask, no, the blood isn't mine," Chase spoke up, gently kicking the door shut behind him and setting the plastic grocery bags down on the floor.

"Holy shit, what happened?!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Dude, it's like a war zone out there!" Chase said. "Have you seen the news? God, there's fuckin' people everywhere! All scramblin' around tryin' to stock up. He's got his puppets on the loose. I was fuckin' lucky to get outta there alive…"

Jackie let out a curse, quickly snatching up the remote sitting on the coffee table and turning on the TV, switching it to the news channel. The four of them watched as the woman on the TV explained the scene unfolding downtown, showing an aerial view of what was going on. There weren't that many puppets, but just enough to cause havoc.

"I gotta go," Jackie got out, tossing the remote down and already heading for the door. He was grateful that he was already suited up.

"Jackie, wait," Chase called, reaching a hand out to him.

Jackie paused in his tracks, turning to face Chase with a hum. The determination and urgency in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Are you… sure it's safe to go out there? Like… alone, I mean?"

Jackie just huffed, almost like he'd laughed. "I mean, it's not, but who else is gonna do it, if not me? Marvin's out of commission, and you know as well as I do that the police do fuck-all."

Chase just looked away with a thoughtful hum. Jackie had a point, he couldn't deny that.

"I gotta go. See you in a few hours, alright?"

"Stay safe, Jackie," Henrik said.

"Yeah, man… be careful out there. Shit's a mess." Chase agreed.

Jackie huffed, a smile growing on his face. "No need to worry, guys. I'll be fine, trust me." And with that, he was out the door.

Henrik turned the news off with a sigh, recalling his ever-present fear of watching the news on a late night only to hear that the city's famed vigilante, Jackieboy Man, was dead. Every time he left the house, he mentally prepared himself for that day, and every time he hoped it never came.

"Well…" Chase spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence. "I'm gonna go shower. Gotta get this blood off me."

"Yes, good… good idea," Henrik nodded, clearly preoccupied.

"Um, Chase, if you don't mind my asking, how did you get blood on you in the first place?" Marvin asked.

Chase looked to Marvin with saddened eyes. "Had to witness a puppet killing someone… was too close when it happened. I'm never gonna forget that… the look on their face… the way they screamed…" Chase could only sigh, hugging himself. He shook his head, turning towards the stairs. "I… I need to be alone for a while…" With that, he left to go grab some clean clothes and a towel from his room so he could get cleaned up.

There was a heavy silence lingering in the room after Chase left, thick as the blankets covering Marvin and twice as suffocating. Finally, letting out a breath as if to push away some of the fog-like tension to give himself a little breathing room, Henrik turned away from the TV and headed towards the closet under the stairs. "Marvin, you said you wanted a cloth for the head, yes?"

Marvin perked up at his name, looking towards Henrik. "Er, y-yes, uh… yes, that would… help…"

Henrik nodded, fetching a small washcloth and heading towards the kitchen sink. He turned on the faucet and let the water run over his hand, adjusting the temperature between hot and cold until he was sure that it was cool and not cold. He then grabbed a spare bowl, filled it with the water, and headed back over to the couch. He took great care in dipping the folded washcloth in the water, wringing it out, and placing it over Marvin's forehead, though Marvin expected nothing less from a doctor.

"How does that feel? Good?"

"Yes, thank you. I appreciate it," Marvin answered with a nod.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, not at all. Thank you, though." His answer was honest, but even if he did need something, he wouldn't dare ask. Not right now.

With a simple nod, Henrik rose, heading for the basement. He wasn't gone for very long, but when he came back up, Marvin noticed that he was now wearing gloves. He watched with intrigue as Henrik went about setting down some paper towels on the kitchen floor. Then, Henrik began to set the grocery bags on the paper towels, carrying as many over as he could at one time until all the bags were moved. It was only then that Marvin was able to see the blood splattered on some of the plastic bags. He'd been previously confused, but now what Henrik was doing made sense. He continued to silently watch as Henrik took off the gloves and set them aside, grabbed a new pair from his pocket, and put them on. He began to sort the groceries, putting away the food items and setting aside the medicines and Band-Aids and the like to be stored downstairs with the first-aid supplies.

Once the food was put away and the medicine separated, Henrik grabbed as many medicines as he could in his arms and headed for the basement stairs. It took him two trips to get everything down, though when he came back up he brought with him a biohazard bin. All the plastic bags, paper towels, and the first pair of gloves were tossed in. He then grabbed some more paper towels and a bottle of some sort of cleanser Marvin didn't recognize right away and began to spray and wipe down the area by the door where Chase had dropped the bags. Once everything was clean and put away, he headed back downstairs with the bin, and when he came up he was empty-handed and no longer wearing his gloves. He settled himself into the armchair with a sigh, letting himself get lost in his thoughts. Not a word was spoken between him and Marvin. Eventually the pair heard Chase come out of the bathroom, the opening and closing of one door, and then the opening and closing of another. Chase didn't come back downstairs after that. Eventually Henrik, too, excused himself, mentioning he was going back downstairs to check on Jack for a bit, leaving Marvin alone in the living room.

That thick duvet of silence never truly left, but as the number of people within the room dwindled, it grew ever heavier, threatening to swallow everything that remained there, Marvin included. With a heavy, tired sigh, however, he decided he wouldn't let it, instead allowing his mind to wander, to silently fill the space with his own muted noise. And he simply waited, waited for Henrik to return, for Chase to come back downstairs. For Jackie to come home.

Taglist:  @jade-orade @taizu-lazure @bupine @innocent-angel3 @immabethehero @wowowgoodurl @n-anon @g-rexthedino @scarletender @coconutpillow05 @friezzzboiii (Ask if you would like to be tagged!!)

[sunriseoverastorea]

Dreams

♬ Hans Zimmer - Aurora

Rajya spreads out a map on the table, unfolding it with care, smoothing down each corner thoroughly, though they immediately curl back up. Marea sits across from her expectantly, a contented smile on her youthful, gaunt face.

“We are here,” Rajya begins, placing one hooked claw in the circumference of Divinity's Reach, where Rurikton would be. “And I came from around—well, here.” She slides her claw to the Black Citadel, and then encircles all of Ascalon, even Ebonhawke. Marea gazes at the map, rapt.

“You've lived everywhere in all of A—Ascalon?”

“No, no, I mean that all of Ascalon was my home. To call a place home, you do not specifically have to live there. The land was all I needed, so wherever the land was, was home to me.”

“Oh. So, does that mean that, that, just because I live in the city doesn't mean it's my home?”

“If you do not feel at home here, then no.”

Marea tilts her head, gently poking the Reach on the map. “It does feel like home, now. But not the city, just this place. And not even this place, more like—y—you. Just you.”

Rajya lifts her eyes from the map, meeting Marea's for a moment. The little girl's eyes seem to overflow with kindness, round gray wells that nourish her own, for now, for a time. But tomorrow the wells will fill with anger, and pages ripped from books will burn to ashes in the fireplace.

“I am glad you think so, Marea.” She tenderly begins to fold up the map, handling it as if it were glass, when Marea smacks her hand down on it with aplomb.

“Wait!” she exclaims, pushing the map flat and running her hands over the western edge. “What's out here? Beyond the sea?”

“Nothing. Did I not just teach you to read? It's the Unending Sea,” Rajya counters with a playful huff, patting the pouting Marea on the head, before pulling the map out from under her hands.

“It can't really be unending, can it? There's no s—such thing. There's no, no unending islands, or woodses, or lakes.”

“It can be whatever it wants to be. However, it is true that we only call it 'unending' because we do not know how long it goes on for, and what lies beyond it. There is enough mystery in Tyria without sacrificing lives to the unknown.”

“I guess so,” Marea concedes, sitting back in her chair and biting at her thumbnail. “It just seems—it—I dunno what I want to say.”

As Rajya wedges the map between two books on a tall shelf, she looks back at Marea, fallen silent. The girl looks right back at her, though her pale eyes are distant now, unfocused.

The charr goes about her nightly routine, extinguishing candles with the barest puff of air, nudging dust over the cinders in the fireplace, opening the front door to dump buckets of water into the street, then replacing the buckets under leaky sections of ceiling.

“Rained a lot this week, huh?”

She blinks at Marea, nodding slowly.

“I wonder what the rain looks like over the Unending Sea?”

“Most likely just as all other rain does, though I suppose we will never know.”

Rajya snuffs the last candle between her claws, and then only moonlight gives the room a faint bluish glow, punctuated by the glistening gems of crimson in the fireplace, struggling to breathe through ash. Marea gets down on her knees and blows on the ashes, making space for the dying flames to flicker once again.

Pen Yfan watches the stars, perched on the railing of the ship. It bobs gently in the sleepy sea, soothing, like the arms of a mother she never had. A mother Rajya never saw, a mother Marea never knew. Perhaps Marea is luckiest of them all, in that regard—she was tossed aside, and found by someone who would love her, in time. A time too long to undo what had been done to her, but perhaps she was softened by it.

Pen thinks it must be strange to grow up. To have been a child, incapable of understanding how a wide glass of water and a tall glass could hold the same amount of liquid. In that regard, she is the lucky one—she never had to grow up, she simply was. And she needn't spend as much time learning about the hardships of the world as her kin, thanks to Rajya. Thanks to Rajya, she already knew, she had already lived a sorrowful life with a heart full of hope, and all that was left to do was continue that life, kindle that hope in her own soul, and kindle it in Marea's.

So Rajya was the unlucky one. Coming to the aid of others, however unlikely and unusual, and lifting them up from their own personal ignorance. And she received nothing in return, nothing but fire and fury. For what greater offense to a Separatist could there be, than a pacifist charr with a human daughter, writing treatises on peace and surrender?

Muffled footsteps catch her ear, and she looks over her shoulder, watching the hunched silhouette of Captain Bashere make his way to the bow of the ship. White sails flap languidly about his head, the wings of great birds beckoning him onward into the sea. He stops, planting his feet firmly on the deck, and slips his hands in his pockets, gazing wordlessly over the undulating ocean, like black glass under the gaze of the opalescent moon.

“Captain,” Pen says softly, coming up on his left side. “It is very late. Should you not be sleeping?”

He gives her a long sideways glance, sniffing once.

“Aye, in time. What're you, my mother?”

Pen perks up at that, her gentle smile broadening.

“No, do not be silly. I only worry because I have seen you out here so late many times these last few weeks. Does something trouble your dreams?”

“Nothing of that spiritual sort, not me. I'm firmly grounded in the present.”

“Yet you search the Unending Sea for a giant squid?”

“And you look for a girl who's barely human riding around in a blue and white airship. How you expect to see that from down here, eh?”

“I have eyes, sir—oh, I did not mean for that to sound so sassy!” She covers her mouth, giggling for a moment. “I am sorry, I was aiming for just a little bit sassy. You know how these things are.”

“Do I? I've never been a fourteen year old girl, can't be too sure.”

“Neither have I, so we're in the same boat—oh!”

Bashere finally turns his head to stare at her, face blank.

“You think I've never heard that pun before? Goddamn sylvari, acting like they ain't never stepped outside the jungle.”

“You got me. Those darn sylvari, so excitable.”

He shifts his gaze back to the sea, the weathered wrinkles on his face filling with silver moonlight. Pen steps a little closer, peering up at him earnestly.

“Sir, please forgive me for prying, but I have wanted to ask since we left port, and there has never seemed to be a chance—what are we doing out here?”

“Giant squid, said it yourself.”

“No, really. Why would you care about some squid? Has it done something to you? Did it kill your family?”

“Oh yes, my family lives on the open sea, just floating about on a raft, and one day--”

“--Come on, Captain! Throw me a—a bone, is it? That is the expression, correct?”

Bashere moves suddenly, knocking on the side of her head with his fist, as if she were a door to be answered.

“You're a marvel, the walking talking echo chamber.”

“It is a gift, truly, when I get a moment's peace from the voices in my head.”

“I don't wanna hear about that weird Pale Tree stuff.”

“I have little experience with the Pale Tree. Her voice has always been the softest among the din.”

Bashere raises a brow at her, and Pen does her best to raise one back, though both brows go up at the same time. Finally, with a scoff of distaste, Bashere pulls a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it in one smooth motion and touching it to his lips.

“Fine, you wanna know what I'm doing out here? I'm chasing stories.” A crisp, salty breeze blows his long gray hair back from his face, and the sails of the ship flap steadily behind them. “Stories I been hearing all my life. Come from fishermen, so the sea is all my family knows. My great uncle was lost in the Unending Sea, on a damned stupid quest to find sunken treasure, but his brother made it back to tell the tale. Told us all about a squid the size of a house, how it came outta the sea in a raging storm and swallowed their ship from beneath.”

“And you believe this story? It sounds rather far-fetched.”

“Aye, why shouldn't I? Old man like me, got no wife or kids, no friends. Just a crew that wants to chase my family legend. Not a bad way to die.”

“You, you think we are going to die out here?” Pen's eyes widen, and she leans in a little closer, trying to get him to look at her.

“No, not we.” He shoos her with a wave of his hand. “Me, myself and I, and all my men that want to come with me.”

“But why? Why would you want to perish in the middle of nowhere, with such a frightening death?”

“Because I want to experience something!” Bashere snaps, suddenly whipping around to face Pen. She shrinks slightly at the anger in his tired eyes. “Not everyone's life is adventure and endless wonder, you know! Most of us wake up, work, go to bed, and do it all over again, every single day. We ain't like your friend up in the sky, with her personalized airship and metal arms. When a man like me loses an arm, a million blessings don't fall with the rain and remake me better than I was before. No, I suffer, and I age, until life has passed me by and I've never done a damn thing.”

“Oh,” Pen breathes out, sympathy softening her shoulders. “So, what you are thinking is, perhaps your great uncle was not such a fool after all?”

“What makes you say that?”

“He lived his life how he wished, and then he died. Now, you are doing the same. You are your own mechanical girl in the sky.”

“By the Six, why would Raigar ever hire a dunce like you?”

Pen shrugs, smiling lopsidedly. “I asked him very nicely, and would have persisted if he did not take me on.”

“Hmph. Stubborn women. Same whether they got skin or bark.”

With one last breath, Bashere flings the cigarette into the sea, brushes his hands off on his trousers, and turns back to the ship, staring for a long moment at the cabin, looming darkly against the grain of the stars.

“Bet the squid is a woman. We'll find her, soon enough.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Pen chimes helpfully, missing the way he rolls his eyes as he saunters off, disappearing between the ghostly sails.

Once she's sure he has left, Pen turns back to the bow, to the bobbing cradle of the sea, and wraps her arms around her chest, closing her eyes and listening to the crush of the waves. Rajya sleeps, wandering in the Mists far from Pen's mind, and Pen, not even on a map where a child can point at her head, fills to brimming with a strange peace, an emptiness, a delicate but certain sense of self that she has never felt before.

In the soothing surge of the unknown, she is Pen Yfan, all alone and nothing more.

High above and not so far off, Marea lies on her back on the deck of the Horizon, watching her own stars glide by. In them she sees her vision from between the standing stones, she sees the void and the twinkling lights that fill it. It chills her chest, but sets her mind afire. The possibility in each little light—endless possibility—endless chances for freedom, for escape, to find the life she was meant to live. By day, she scans the seas and does her best to track the winds and search for storms. At night, she can hardly sleep, seized in her dreams by that primal terror of the nothingness that lies somewhere beyond her reach. So instead of sleeping, she makes up her own dreams, awake, and sometimes she forgets if they are dreams or not. It has been a long time since she went so long without sleep. But years ago, when she avoided it at all costs, she does vaguely remember seeing things that were not there.

Eyes are upon her. She sits up, pouting with displeasure, and comes face to face with Evelina. The woman squats on the deck before her, red hair falling loose around deep green eyes, brown skin seeming to shimmer under the moon. They stare at each other, silent, unblinking, until Marea has to blink, she just has to, and then her lover's voice appears in her mind, clear as day and sultry as the blanket of night that hovers over them.

“What don't you have? Am I not enough?”

The thin strap of her dress slips down her shoulder, and Marea reaches out a hand as if to touch it, but she stops short, fingers twitching, a sigh escaping her lips.

“It's not you that's the problem. It's me. I told you that.”

“You wrote me a letter. We're not fifteen, you can do better than that.”

“I didn't want to tell you,” Marea whispers, leaning in closer, staring at those unblinking emerald eyes. “I didn't want you to be mad at me for doing what I have to do.”

She jumps as another voice suddenly calls to her, cloying, deep and comforting, the song of a spider as it winds you in its web. She looks to her left, and there is a familiar face, one that she hasn't seen in months—Noctis, scarlet eyes to match her own, dark hair resting perfectly at his shoulders. As she stares at him, wide-eyed, he slips on his sunglasses, and his face becomes unreadable. The handsome jaw and cold smile of a stranger.

“What do you have to do? You're just a kitten, after all.”

“And this is why I broke up with you, you goddamn fuck face,” Marea exclaims without hesitation, throwing her arms in the air. “I'm not just a toy for your amusement. You forgot that somewhere along the way, huh?”

“Don't avoid the question. You're just like me. Your desire to go to the Mists is more important to you than your love for your girlfriend. Even more important than your love for Raigar! A brother to you, and you would just leave him behind. What a bad kitten. Ungrateful. Should've stuffed him in the cargo bay and taken him by force.”

“Oh, shut up. Nobody invited you,” Marea snaps, waving her hand in his face.

She stiffens at a sudden pressure on her wrist. The rough scrape of bark, tugging at her gently. She swings her head around to her right side, and her chest aches with guilt at the sight of Nobu. Ridged brown bark barely illuminated by its own glow, his slender, tall frame like that of a child beside Noctis and Evelina, he doesn't touch her, yet she feels his hand against her skin. Black eyes meet hers, and she swears she can hear the flutter of wings, far off in the sky.

“Why do you have to do this? You have a choice. There is always a choice.” His imperious sylvari accent suddenly sounds foreign in her ears.

“And I made my choice. What're you even doing here? You don't care about me anymore.”

“I will always care about you, Marea.”

“Well aren't you a saint.”

“You have a home now, Marea.”

“Do I? Do I though? Could I really ever be at home in a place called Tyria?”

The visions disappear in the blink of an eye, as one last voice speaks up behind her.

“What do you want, little one?”

Slowly, she gets to her feet, turning to face Raigar. He stands with his back to the bow, arms crossed over his broad chest, gazing down at her with a kind smile. Despite that smile, sadness sits heavy in his eyes, haloed by golden hair that gleams in the light of the stars. Marea bows her head for a moment, looking at their feet, nearly toe to toe.

“I want to be free.”

“Free from what?”

She feels his hand tilting her chin up, and this time she sees it, too. Gently, she places her hand on his, brow furrowing as she meets his gaze.

“I'm—not sure. A lot of things.”

“Hm. Is that all?”

“Shackles. I feel like I'm in shackles, no matter where I go. And I just want to fly. And I want to be alone. And I want to know what it's like to, to feel, to feel at peace.”

“You want to know peace?” His gaze shifts past her, into some great, impenetrable distance. “Peace doesn't exist. Not in this life. It's not too late to turn back, Marea.”

“I won't give up,” she says suddenly, forcing his hand away from her face, but holding tight to it still. “You may have given up, but I won't. Rajya taught me that the world outside the city was a place of wonder, and hope. For a time it was, but that time is long past. Now I have to go farther. Farther, and I know I will find the place I'm looking for, I know it. It's your place. With the hills and the rivers and the horses.”

“Rohan,” the word drifts on the wind, so soft and faint amongst the whisper of the waves she almost thinks she imagined it, “My homeland. I hope it meets your expectations.”

“If I can ever get there,” she whispers back, her fingers suddenly closing on air.

Raigar's smile fades, the starlight dulls upon his hair, and shade falls upon his blue eyes. He nods once, before he turns away, taking two steps to stand upon the bow.

“You'll get there. And then you'll know what home is.”

She lurches forward to grab him as he takes a step into the constellations. And instead of falling, he fades away, like mist caught by the golden eye of the sun.

She stays like that, hand hovering, as if waiting for him to return and take it. Eventually, the sky lightens on a new day. On the horizon, steel gray storm clouds gather, stacked high into the heavens, and a single streak of lightning pierces the ocean, like an X, marking the spot. She returns to the cabin, to the wheel. And she clenches it tight as she puts the ship on a course to the eye of the storm.

[brittywritesstuff]

Could you possibly write a destiel New Years fic?

Y’now, I think I can!

Dean has never been much for celebrating New Year’s. Every year, with the change of the clock came the promise of a new threat, more pain, and more of the same unending suffering. This year, though… this year is different. Sure, there’s always a threat on the horizon. As a hunter, there will always be pain and loss and suffering. But this year in particular, he has something new to look forward to. Because this year, Dean’s not alone.

In the week between Christmas and New Year, Dean racks his brain to devise the perfect plan. It’s his first with Cas, and it needs to be good. No, not just good. Perfect. Sam teases him, of course, but when he points out it’s Sam’s first with Eileen, he shuts up pretty quick.

Dean and Sam debate a quiet night at home, just Sam, Eileen, Cas, and himself. But then he thinks… why not go all out? Why not go big? He gets to ring in a New Year with the love of his life — the angel who defied Heaven for him — and a quiet night in the bunker just won’t do it.

He has to find something better.

On his various grocery, coffee, and beer runs, Dean perished the cork boards with local flyers for any ideas or possible leads. What the fuck could make New Year’s spectacular in the middle of Kansas. Every time, he came up empty. Until December 30th, when he came across an ad for a massive party over in Kansas City. It’s a little over four hours, but it’s close enough for them to make the drive and far enough away for a motel. And, to boot, its theme is Great Gatsby. Dean’s a sucker for a good theme, so he snatches the flier and heads home to inform everyone of the news.

+

“A what?” Sam’s incredulous, staring at Dean likes he’s speaking gibberish.

“A Great Gatsby party! C’mon, Sammy, I’m sure Eileen doesn’t wanna sit on her ass in the bunker on New Year’s! Let’s get dressed up! Get outta here. Do somethin’ fun!”

Sam sighs, and Dean can tell he’s mulling it over. Finally, he shrugs. “Fine. Yeah. I guess it could be fun.” He moves toward the hall, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll tell Eileen.”

+

Dean finishes straightening his tie, and takes a deep breath. “Not bad,” he says, giving himself a once over. He smooths his hands down the front of his wine-colored jacket and nods. “Not bad at all.” Lebanon might be the middle of nowhere, but at least it’s near civilization. A quick trip out of town yesterday evening produced a tux for each of them and a dress for Eileen. They’d all split up, picking their own things, before they headed home together.

With a deep breath, Dean opens the door, and meets Cas on the other side. His hair is only slightly disheveled, and he’s wearing the most ridiculous tux. But Dean’s damned if it doesn’t look incredible on him. “Hey, Cas,” he says softly, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Hello, Dean.” How is it possible for his eyes to look that blue? It takes Dean’s breath away. “You look nice. That,” Cas is speaking and pointing to him, and Dean has to bring himself back, “is a good color for you.”

“Yeah,” Dean breathes. He can’t help himself, and grabs Cas’s lapel, dragging him in for a heated kiss. “You, too.”

Sam arrives behind Cas a moment later, dressed smartly in a black tux. Eileen’s at his side in a shining, emerald gown, her hair swept back behind one ear. “Alright, guys, save it for the ball drop. Let’s get going.”

Dean pulls back, but keeps his hands on Cas’s hips. “Eileen, you look stunning. Way too good or my little brother, y’know.”

Eileen flashes Sam a loving smile, and nudges him gently. “I know.”

+

The location, Dean finds, is absolutely fitting for a Gatsby party. It’s a gorgeous, grand mansion, and they can hear the music from the street. The lights are shimmering as people mill around, coming and going.

Dean buttons his jacket as he steps out of the car, and he can’t seem to wipe the smile from his face. “Hell yeah,” he says. “This is awesome!” He doesn’t hesitate in reaching for Cas’s hand, and nods to Sam as they lead the way to the door.

Dean eagerly exchanges cash for tickets and the foursome step into the mansion. He watches Cas as the angel looks around in awe.

Dropping Cas’s hand long enough to grab two glasses of champagne from a passing tray, he hands one to Cas and turns to him with a bright smile. “Here’s lookin’ at us,” he says, clinking his glass against Cas’s. They knock back a swig of the champagne and Dean pulls him in for another kiss.

It’s a new thing for him, the publicity of their relationship. But if the way he feels right now is any indication, he won’t be subduing it any time soon.

“I love you,” he murmurs against Cas’s lips, and grins as he pulls back. He doesn’t wait for Cas to respond. “Let’s check out the rest of this place.”

The organizers of this party have, seemingly, spared no expense. Champagne seems to flow endlessly, the music is perfect, and the atmosphere is intoxicating in itself. He’d made a great choice, he thinks, looking on with a smirk as a guy is tackled into the pool by a girl in a flapper costume.

They meet up with Sam and Eileen once an hour later, and Sam grudgingly admits he’s having a great time. Eileen is elated.

It’s nearing midnight when the music slows to a ballad. Dean pulls a reluctant Cas to the dance floor and they sway together, lost in each other’s eyes. “You make it worth it, Cas,” he says, carding his fingers through the angel’s hair. “The miserable life we lead. The stupid new year. I’m excited for it this year. ‘Cause I have you.”

Cas smiles, his eyes lighting up. “You’ve always made everything worth it, Dean. Even before I knew what it was to love. You’ve always been worth it.”

Ten!

“Worth more than Heaven, huh?”

Nine!

“Heaven, Hell, creation itself.”

Eight!

“Now you’re exaggeratin’.”

Seven!

“I’m not, Dean. Pulling you from Hell… it was the greatest achievement of all.”

Six!

“Because through you, I learned more than just taking orders. I learned about hope.”

Five!

“And forgiveness. And joy.”

Four!

“Art. Love.”

Three!

“In you, Dean, I learned what Home truly meant. I learned what it’s like to be loved and to feel meaning.”

Two!

“Cas, I—“

One!

“I love you, Dean.”

Happy new year!

Dean sighs. “And forever beyond.” He leans in, capturing Cas’s lips in a deep, languid kiss, and they cling to each other, oblivious to the world as the partygoers cheer, and confetti rains down.

In the new year, in their life together, and all the possibilities of the future, they have each other to come home to — to quell each other’s fears and make the other feel loved.

With a smile, Dean brushes his thumb along Cas’s jaw. Happy new year, indeed. >

++

A note: They’re wearing the tuxes J2M were wearing in the Halloween Entertainment Weekly shoot!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY LOVES!

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: The Eye of the Storm - Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Sadie picked at her dinner, listening to the clock ticking. The room was silent, and she felt rather uncomfortable. Outside the sun was setting, the sky turning a dark violet colour.

Barb put down her food and looked at her daughter.

"Okay," she said, "What's up?"

"What do you mean 'what's up?'" replied Sadie, "I'm fine, mom."

"You've hardly eaten your food," Barb pointed out, "Is it something Clancy said to you? Because if it is, I'll wring his-"

"Why did you and Dad split up?" asked Sadie.

There was a long silence.

"Because he turned out to be good for nothin'," Barb grunted at last.

"Yeah, but you must've seen something in him once, right?" said Sadie.

Barb nodded soberly.

"When I met Clancy," she said, "He was a little twig of a man with awful social skills and an obsession with the stars. I guess thought he was endearing. It was college, everyone was allowed to be dumb sometimes. We ended up getting hitched too early and everything fell apart from there."

"But what did he do to you?" asked Sadie, "What actually happened?"

Barb furrowed her brow, biting softly on her lip.

"He walked out," she said at last, "Decided some fancy government job was more important than...than his family. Left Beach City and never looked back - heck, he handled the whole divorce through his lawyer. And good riddance, that's what I say."

"So it had nothing to do with...I dunno, aliens?" asked Sadie.

For a split-second, Barb's eyes widened. Then she shook her head and laughed.

"The closest Clancy's ever gonna get to outer space is eating at Planet Kansas," she declared, "I mean, aliens? Where did you get that idea?"

Sadie sighed.

"Nowhere, mom," she said, "Just...thinking out loud."

"That'd be good for your band!" chuckled Barb, "Deadbeat Dads From Outer Space! Think it'll work?"

Sadie didn't answer, going back to picking at her food.

The sun had long gone down and Lion had taken Connie home. Steven had reheated a few slices of pizza he'd found in the fridge and was sitting on the couch playing Mad Libs with Amethyst and Peridot.

"Peridot, I need a name," he said.

"Percy," replied Peridot.

"Great!" nodded Steven, smiling, "Now Amethyst, I need a body part."

Amethyst grinned.

"I'm gonna say a-"

There was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" mused Steven, getting up.

"Boo!" grumbled Amethyst, "My word was gonna be great!"

Steven walked to the door and opened it, finding Sadie standing outside.

"Sadie? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I asked Mom about Dad," replied Sadie.

"Oh," said Steven, "Did...did he do something really bad?"

"I don't know," replied Sadie, "Because she lied to me. Can I come in?"

Steven nodded, letting Sadie enter.

"What's up, ex-Donut Girl," said Amethyst, waving.

"Look," said Sadie, "Sorry to bother you this late, but something really weird is going on."

"It's Beach City," shrugged Amethyst.

"Yeah, but weirder than normal," replied Sadie, "Okay, so Dad left his wallet at the library and the librarian gave it to me to send back to him, and I went through it..."

"Sadie!" exclaimed Steven, scandalised.

"...yeah, I know, not the right thing," said Sadie, "But then I found this."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture, showing it to Steven and the two gems.

"Is that a Roaming Eye?" gasped Peridot.

"A roaming what?" asked Sadie.

"It's a ship from the Gem Homeworld," replied Steven.

"We stole one!" added Amethyst, "It was great until they stole it back!"

"That was purely through Navy's mastery of deception," sniffed Peridot, "I was not responsible."

"Homeworld?" mused Sadie, "That's where you and Lars went, right? What's a ship from Homeworld doing on Earth? And what're my parents doing next to it?"

"Beats the heck outta me," replied Amethyst.

"Are you sure?" asked Peridot, "It seems implausible that a Homeworld ship could arrive without the Crystal Gems knowing about it."

"We can ask Garnet and Pearl about it when they get back," suggested Steven, "I'm sure they'll explain everything, right?"

"I hope so," sighed Sadie, "Because I really need answers right now..."

Roughly halfway between Beach City and Ocean Town was a small access road. Once upon a time, it had led to a cannery by the sea - but times had changed and the cannery had been closed and demolished, the road to nowhere its only remaining legacy.

A short distance down the road was a small depression in the landscape. It was about forty square metres across and ten metres deep - the earth had been covered with abundant grass which made this dip easy to miss from a distance. Only a select few knew what it really was - a crater left by a crashed alien ship.

A black car pulled up next to the hole. Agent Clancy Miller stepped out. He looked around, satisfied himself that he was alone, and sat down at the edge of the crater.

He remembered that day well.

It had been a Saturday. He and Barb had been dating for three months, and neither had really decided whether or not they were taking it seriously. The biggest thing on his mind was whether or not he was going to commit to an astronomy major or not. Those had been simpler times.

They had spent the day by the sea in Ocean Town and were driving back to campus when the enormous object crashed to earth. He being the space nut he was, he immediately turned off onto the access road, hoping to find a meteorite at the impact point. Instead, he had found the Roaming Eye.

Barb had been apprehensive about approaching the wrecked ship, but Clancy would not be deterred. He took a photo for posterity first, using the roof of his car as a makeshift tripod. Then he had walked right up to the ship with merry abandon - these days, as an OSS agent, he would have known to check for background radiation and other hazards first, and it made him cringe to remember how unprofessional he had once been.

In the soil around the ship, he had found the shattered remains of a green gem, and had excitedly picked them up to examine them. He would later learn that these were the shards of an unfortunate Peridot that had perished in the crash.

While he was shouting unrealistic and fantastic theories to Barb, the Crystal Gems arrived on the scene.

He remembered his awe upon seeing them. Pearl, graceful and fearless and fiercely protective of her leader; Garnet, stoic, mysterious and powerful; and then there was Rose Quartz herself, perhaps the most remarkable of them all, gentle and compassionate but the greatest warrior of them all. To an amateur Ufologist like himself, it was like walking in the presence of Caesar, Napoleon or the Quarrymen. He had so many questions of them - there was so much he needed, needed to know.

Rose walked past him, instead walking over to Barb. She had picked up a deep red gem - it was cracked but intact. Gently, Rose had taken the gem from her, holding it in her hands. She looked down upon it and wept a single tear.

There was a brilliant glow. Clancy had watched as the light around the gem seemed to shift, morphing into a short, humanoid shape. It fell to the floor, landing on its face - the light dimmed, revealing a red figure with square-shaped hair. He heard the Garnet's whisper - 'a Ruby.'

She began to try to stand out - Barb offered her hand to help, which she took. She began to babble - "What planet is this? What happened to my ship? I need to report to my supervisor!"

Barb put her hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"It's okay," she told her, "You're safe now..."

And there he was, standing off to the side, forgotten by everyone.

"Why did I come here?" Clancy asked himself, staring solemnly into the crater, "Nothing good ever came from this place..."

"Because you couldn't leave without coming back first."

Clancy got up and turned around. Garnet and Pearl were standing next to his car.

"Really, Garnet?" sighed Clancy, "We talked about this earlier. I have my orders."

"You're going to regret taking it, Clancy," said Garnet, "You know that."

"I've regretted everything I've done in this place," replied Clancy, "What's one more thing?"

He shook his head.

"What exactly are you hoping to achieve?" he demanded, "If I don't take it, they'll just send someone else to get it. And they'll be clumsy about it because they won't have my experience and they'll probably get somebody hurt. If I do it, it's done quietly and cleanly."

Garnet shook her head.

"Garnet, why don't we just stop him now?" demanded Pearl, "It's hardly like he deserves a chance!"

"Because they'll send another agent, Pearl," replied Clancy, "Just like I said. And that other agent might start looking into things - your things."

He walked back towards his car. As he passed her, Garnet put a hand on his arm.

"Make up a lie, Clancy," she urged, "You can tell them it wasn't here."

Clancy narrowed his eyes.

"I. Have. My. Orders," he snarled.

He got into his car and drove away.

There was a pillar of light as the warp pad activated. When it disappeared, Garnet and Pearl were standing in front of the temple door - they were immediately approached by Steven and Sadie, with Amethyst and Peridot hanging slightly back.

"Oh! Sadie, right? What are you doing here?" quizzed Pearl.

"What do you know about a ship that crashed twenty years ago?" asked Sadie.

Steven helpfully held up the photograph for them.

"Oh...that," said Pearl, "Uh..."

"It's a Roaming Eye," said Garnet, calmly, "It was probably here to check up on something Homeworld left behind..."

"In hindsight, probably the Cluster," Pearl interrupted quickly.

"Yes," nodded Garnet, "When we found it, it was damaged beyond repair. There were no survivors."

"Why didn't I know about this?" demanded Amethyst.

"There was a Lil' Butler marathon that night," replied Garnet, "You were with Greg."

"Yeah, that makes sense," admitted Amethyst.

"Sure does!" exclaimed Pearl, "And oh my goodness would you look at the time! I'm going back to my room to bed! Goodnight!"

She turned around and walked briskly into the temple.

"So there's nothing weird that could have happened with my parents, right?" asked Sadie.

She looked up at Garnet, trying to catch a glimpse of her eyes through her visor. She failed.

"Nothing," said Garnet, her tone final, "Goodnight, Sadie. Goodnight Steven."

She walked to the temple door.

"Don't I get a goodnight?" demanded Peridot.

"Goodnight, Peridot."

Garnet entered the temple and disappeared.

"Okay, quick question," said Amethyst, "Since when does Pearl have a bed?"

"She doesn't" replied Steven, clenching his fists, "They lied to us."

He turned to Sadie, whose expression was unreadable. There was a long silence.

"Library," she said at last, "Tomorrow. We're gonna ask Dad..."

[dangansuffering]

Them’s the Breaks || Ch1 Event

It’s been two hours since you all woke up in this place to that unpleasant announcement, when once again something terrible happens. No matter where you are, or what you’re doing at the time, you find that your ElectroID starts to vibrate and chime to get your attention. It only gets louder and more insistent if ignored, making a ruckus until the moment you tap it to see what’s happening. The screen turns on immediately.

A video starts to play.

Onryo and Cue stand in the middle of one of the dorm rooms, presumably Room 2. The feed appears to have cut in at the tail end of a conversation. Cue’s mouth is twisted in frustration, her hands balled tightly into fists. Just what were they talking about before this?

The moment Onryo turns away from her to leave, Cue lunges forward. Her right fist streaks through the air towards the back of their head. It connects. Or, at least, you could’ve sworn it did. But the moment her knuckles should have touched them, her fist bounces backwards off of them like a rubber ball off of a wall. “Motherfucker!” Cue hisses in pain as she tries to rebalance against the force threatening to knock her over. She glances down at her hand before shooting a dark glare at Onryo, clearly plotting her next move.

Onryo, meanwhile, appears unphased by the attack. They don’t even turn around all the way, speaking half over their shoulder, half towards the wall, although their wide sharp-toothed grin is just as obvious in profile. 

“You really shouldn’t have done that. It’s not like you had a hope of succeeding, an approach like that, but you know what? I may as well nip this in the bud, I’m not about to end up like Corvid. So. Attacking your host is an extremely rude thing to do. It merits punishment, if only to make sure no one else decides to be stupid about it…” Onryo reaches into one of the concealed pockets in their cloak and draws out a tablet, skimming their fingers over the surface. A fancy ring on their finger lights up, and the tablet does as well, syncing up, and then a small keyboard ejects from the bottom like an old fashioned disk drive. They tap a few keys, head not even tilted towards the screen, but they seem to know what they’re doing.

“Half should be good enough, right? Right. That was rhetorical, you don’t get a say.”

“What the fuck’re y’talkin’ ‘bout?” She asks warily, dread starting to spread across her face. Cue’s ElectroID starts to buzz in her pocket and she reaches down down retrieve it. She glances up to Onryo before turning it on.

In sync with hers, your screen then splits into seven additional partitions, each displaying a dark grey colored room. The rooms are more like small hotel suites than prison cells, but judging by the single occupant in each, it’s not hard to connect the dots and realize their purpose.

In one cell, a young but frail woman with long yellow-black ombre hair sits crouched on the solitary bed, her head lowered and her pale thin arms curled around her knees. Her shoulders gently shake with her sobs.

In the next, another young woman stretches as high up as her short legs will allow her as she runs her hands along the wall. Her bright blue hair twisted into devil-horn shaped buns on her head don’t even come close to the ceiling.

The next partition shows a dark skinned woman with wild raspberry colored hair scratching roughly but diligently at the space of wall next to her bed with her sharp acrylic nails while she bounces her head to a beat no one but her can hear.

The fourth window nearly mirrors the third, where a heavier-set korean woman in goth lolita attire and bobbed pastel purple and blue hair struggles to do the same with a bobby pin.

The next shows a younger man with spiky orange hair with blonde highlights in the midst of a breakdown. His face flushes from pain, rage and exertion as he repeatedly slams his scarf-wrapped fist into where one might assume a door should be.

In the following cell, a tall dark man with green hair and a black undercut lays still in his bed, asleep, although he tosses and turns restlessly.

[TW: Self-Harm]

The final partition holds a woman with her red tipped black hair tied up with red and gold ribbons into long ponytails. She stands in front of one of the walls, her mouth twisted into a distressed frown as she traces her fingertips along the surface of her cell. Each movement leaves behind a smear of red as she writes a message in bloody kanji. When her ‘ink’ runs dry, she simply raises an unblemished fingertip to her mouth and bites it before continuing. “Please don’t hurt Akira. You can do anything you want to me, but let them go”, the message reads.

[END TW]

Cue’s face blanches. “No, no! Y’son o’ a bitch! Leave ‘em the fuck outta this! They did NOTHIN’ t’ya!” She yells in both panic and rage. Her hands clench along the outside of her ID, knuckles pale and fingers shaking. She’s ready to jump them again, but when she looks up they’re nowhere to be seen. Apparently they’d walked away while she was distracted with the screen - all of a sudden there’s a hissing sound from the speakers, drawing her attention down again.

[TW: Effects of Gas, Poisoning, Choking/Difficulty Breathing]

Most of the room’s occupants pause at the noise, while others fail to notice it in their pitiful attempts to break free. A stream of pale pink gas sprays from hidden nozzles in the walls. It doesn’t take long at all to settle down and blanket the room in a thin layer of fog… nor does it take long for its effects to become clear.

The man in the fifth window is the first to go, taking too deep of a breath and immediately coughing out a thick spray of blood onto the floor before collapsing. He lays twitching on the ground, convulsing for only a few seconds before he goes still and his window goes black. The man in the sixth window suffers a similar fate, although he doesn’t even have time to wake before he’s dead.

The first woman perishes immediately afterwards, not even able to hear the sound of the descending gas over her crying, as does the woman in the third window, her heartbeat quickly falling out of sync with her scratching and quieting into nothing.

The woman in the last window looks up at the swirling pink before abandoning the end of her message. She sits down on the ground, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth as she coughs, but dies with a sad smile on her face.

The woman in the fourth window struggles admirably, holding her breath for as long as she can. Unfortunately, her breath runs out long before the gas will dissipate, and soon she lies spasming on the ground like the rest.

The blue haired woman in the second window is the last to die. The moment the gas starts to spray, she darts to the bathroom and rips off her outershirt. She dunks it into the toilet tank before wrapping it around her nose and mouth and climbing on top of the appliance, struggling to remain above the sinking layer of gas. Despite her efforts, seemingly fresh air remains just out of reach. Oh, if only she was a few inches taller. The gas effortlessly glides through her improvised protective mask and she begins to choke. She teeters and falls from her perch and collapses in a heap, blood soaking through the shirt and dripping onto the ground.

[END TW]

Each of the windows showing the cells goes dark in turn as each of their seven occupants die, leaving only the view of Cue’s tear streaked face as she screams in grief. She sinks to her knees, sobbing and clutching the screen to her chest.

The video cuts out.

[bts-sky-blog]

Police Officer!Jungkook

prompt: you’re speeding and you get pulled over by this guy... what do you do?

you speed a lot, it’s a total vice and a habit you’ve been trying to curb since you started driving

so it’s not fully a surprise when you get pulled over by an officer at 10 pm as you’re driving home from work

but actually, it is, but we’ll get into that later

it’s raining and the visibility is terrible, but, surprise surprise, you are not driving too badly!

however, you get pulled over by an officer who seems to be sitting in the best place for a speed trap

and this officer, who doesn’t look a day over five yeaRS OLD, has the audacity ,,, to pull you over after you’ve just broken up with your terrible boyfriend (it was a long time coming but it still hurts) and tbh you’re crying a lil bit

to add insult to injury, you were only going 5 miLES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT like honestly who iS HE

and he’s a rookie cop, and it’s probably his first day on the job, and it’s raining and he’s so nervous

he doesn’t know what do to bc he’s the golden maknae and everyone expects him to know what to do 25/8 so no one told him how to deal with this situation

so he kinda just knocks on your window to get you to roll it down and like,,, your mascara wasn’t waterproof that day and you kinda look a mess so you roll the window down super slowly 

he just kinda stops and stares and you just cry harder bc it has been a very long day and he is way hotter than your now ex but he is also a 5 year old™ who thinks going 5 mph over the speed limit is a crime

so like he obviously asks for your license and registration after introducing himself as “Officer Jeon” but he kinda chills out when he sees that you’re literally crying your eyes out

“what’s wrong is a speeding ticket that bad bc I can just give you a warning just please stop crying I don’t know the protocol for this”

he legit buzzes into his radio like “this is officer jeon and I’m on speed patrol and there’s this crying lady (lowkey gorgeous but that’s not the point rn) and I have no idea what to do”

and police chief min yoongi just sighs and replies “kook... please we’re trying to catch a Very Bad Man™ rn just figure something out”

and so basically kook just stands there and is like “ok I’m not going to give you a traffic ticket bc first of all I don’t have a supervising officer with me and I only pulled you over bc your car is super dope and I wanted to know where you bought it”

“but in hindsight that was a bad plan bc you’re crying I seem to have fucked up”

“so I gotta blast”

so he jumps on this cop motorcycle that seems to have appeared out of nowhere and blasts right outta there

so the next evening you’re in the elevator at your apartment building after having spent a long day at work shit talking about your ex with your boss, who is also surprisingly one of your best friends

(your boss is coincidentally min yoogi, yes you are a cop and you seemed to have forgotten that fact when you got pulled over)

and so apparently officer jeon lives in your building (on the same floor in fact) and is in the elevator with you

and he’s just like “omg a girl?? the crying girl from last night? what do?”

so you say “oh yeah you’re officer jeon? sorry I freaked on you last night haha I was having a bad day but if you were wondering, I talked to yoongi, and he straight up laughed at the situation last night”

and he’s like yoongi... I don’t know a yoongi, who is this crazy girl talking about... and then he puts it together that you mean poLICE CHIEF MIN YOONGI???

and he’s like lowkey afraid how do you know his boss??? r u the girlfriend?? 

spoiler alert: you aren’t

but he basically runs off bc he’s highkey afraid of you

but as you continue to run into him in the elevator, you guys begin to chat

he doesn’t know that you are basically yoongi’s right hand man, as you work in the drug department of the police, in fact your partner is min’s girlfriend that jeon lowkey thought you were for a bit

and so you somehow swing the hours of a traffic cop but the job of a detective it’s pretty sweet if you do say so yourself

so one day you’re out in your undercover vehicle with your partner doing a drug bust and you’re speeding over to the scene of the crime

and guess who fuckin pulls u over for speeding

officer mcfreaking jeon and no one told him you guys are officers, because first of all, he’s brand new, and second of all, everyone loves to mess with the kid because he is just so gullible

it’s kinda a joke within the department that he keeps pulling over his senior officers without knowing it (believe me it has happened more than once)

and so when he comes to knock on the window, you’re like “sorry jeon we don’t have time for this” so you and your partner flash your badges blast outta there

and he’s just stood there frozen like “how did I not know about this???”

and he, coincidentally, is on the way to the bust bc the police department is short staffed and he has been asked to help out

and somehow you, after all of your years of experience working drugs and dangerous situations, find yourself standing on a pressurized explosive in the meth lab you were investigating

there’s no time to call the bomb squad as the countdown is running low and just as you think you are about to perish, officer muscle pig jeon runs in, picks you up off the explosive, and runs like hell outta there

five seconds after you escape, the meth lab blows up and you would have died had he not been so fast, but surprise, his other talent is running like naruto at supersonic speeds

however, he is not immune to explosive blasts and the strength of the blast knocks him over

somehow you end up sprawled across his body

and somehow along the way you have fallen for his good looks, conversations, and general naive idiocy

so you lean over and kiss the boy impulsively, but you have no regrets bc the boy kisses you back, I mean, you’re beautiful and intelligent, and a strong leading lady

so you eventually become one of the closest knit couples at the precinct and everyone lowkey hates you for being such a mushy couple

the end!

[taken-by-storms]

When you can't remember someone's name

Me: Uhh, I think his name started with a 'G'?

BF: Garden Salad?

Me: ...

BF: His mom just ordered off the menu.

[omgnsfwisnsfw-blog]

Game #5: Kiss with a Fist

It was good to be home. The lackadaisical adventure that was Mike and John’s cross-country drive to Los Angeles was not so leisurely on the way back- as a matter of fact, their route from LA to Pittsburgh was as direct and, daresay, boring as Mike could manage. They didn’t really have time to take in the road like before, after all, and the lack of interesting sights served as a good deterrent for unnecessary stops. The plan had worked- they made it home in three days’ time. The first day back was spent falling back into their regular routine- sleeping off road fatigue, airing out the house that’d been shut up for two weeks, shopping for groceries to refill the fridge after emptying it of perishables before they left, and collecting their mail from their friendly neighbor, Todd. Mike liked Todd. The other nearby residents of the block were polite but curious about the pair of wrestling housemates living on their street, but Todd was an accepting sort and didn’t like to judge. After that, though? They spent every possible moment they could either in the garage or in the ring. They had something unusual to train for, after all- not only did John have a title defense this week, but Mike had their first EWC singles match. It was something that they found both indescribably thrilling and somewhat nerve wracking. They weren’t afraid of a fight, of course, but they had to admit that when it came to one on one ring combat, they were awfully rusty. They’d asked John to come at them more aggressively than usual. They’d been studying their opponent, Nick James, carefully, from watching what they could find on EWC TV of his matches to poring over their partner’s notes (he’d had the foresight to make notations on him the week prior, as James had been a potential contender). But there was only so far observation could go, and Mike needed to practice against an aggressive fighter. John, however, was a bit apprehensive. He knew what he was capable of, and Mike knew he knew. They’d done ring work together nearly every day since John first came to live and get settled in here, and Mike was well aware of the raw power that her best friend could exude. Yet, they’d always honed their skills as a team, and though they’d certainly sparred it was never terribly heavy. James was a fighter, though. Like Mike, he was a two fisted brawler with a broad streak of old school in his style who ate and drank combat. Still, familiarity wasn’t going to be enough. They couldn’t go in against a young, fresh fighter with any kind of ring rust: that would be just asking for an ass whooping of monumental proportions. Something more practical was required. I need to do this, they said. I need to win this. I win this and I make it crystal clear that I ain’t being held back, or stifled, or any other fucking ridiculous thing. I shut people like that up, put the whole fucking matter to bed like a swaddled-up baby. Come at me. I’m not scared. I trust you. So he came at them. He adapted on the fly, swapping out some of his holds in favor of strikes, mimicking their opponent’s style based on what he’d seen. They took some knocks but got back up, learning. Counter, dodge. Keep your footwork tight. You got a killer right, put it to use. Remember everything you learned from the old man. He was still holding back, Mike could tell. But he was holding back far less than normal. They were just fine with that- compromise was the soul of coexistence, after all. Besides, it just wasn’t in John’s nature to do them any kind of serious harm if he could help it. If by some fucked up circumstance they were ever to meet in the ring, they doubted he would lay a hand on Mike. Mike doubted if they could do a thing to hurt John, either. They’d said as much, after all, and had meant it with all their heart. They kept at it on and off for a few hours, despite the stubborn rain that kept dropping various levels of drizzle on their heads. The canopy of maple leaves helped, but not much. It was alright, though. By Mike’s logic, if they could fight on soaked canvas in the rain, than anything else should be cake. Finally, they decided to stop, reaching for a bottle of Gatorade and trying to catch their breath and make their heart stop racing so fast. They could feel a buzz through their whole body, a hum of adrenaline even though the rest of them was sore. Good, that sort of thing would keep them going later. Drinking deeply, they wiped their mouth on the back of their hand and grinned widely at the man across the ring from her. “Okay. I think I’m ready. Might wanna do that a couple more times before Monday, but yeah. I feel a lot fuckin’ better about this now. Thanks, bud. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Leaning back against the ropes, they looked up skyward, only to get a few fat raindrops smacking into their face. “Remember. Don’t overlook him. Having that opportunity snatched away from him will either make him hungry or worse. Desperate.” “Oh, trust me, I’m not. If I didn’t think there was somethin’ to this guy I wouldn’t be workin’ this hard. Nuh-uh. Like I told you before, I got somethin’ to fuckin’ prove here. But I’m a goddamn fighter. Nothin’ better than proving my point against another smashmouth scrapper like me.” They shook their head, scattering rainwater. “Hey. I know I’ve already asked a lot outta you today, and trust me, I appreciate it. But… heh. Since you know how to work the camera on my phone, would you mind runnin’ it for me for a bit?” John smiled warmly at them. “Sure.” “Say hey, EWC Faithful! It’s ya boy, Mike McGuire. If you’re missin’ my partner in mayhem, Bishop Church, don’t you worry- he’s a lot closer than you think.” A familiar, gentle voice piped up seemingly out of nowhere. “I’m filming.” Mike chuckled, flashing a huge grin. “So don’t you get any misconceptions, Faithful. NSFW ain’t going nowhere. Unlike, seemingly, the rest of the fucking tag division.” That grin faded off, being replaced by an incredibly annoyed expression. A finger tapped against a rope that’d been taped and re-taped heaven knows how many times. “Seriously, guys. What the hell. You all get kidnapped or something? I mean, me an’ Church are relegated to facing off against makeshift teams, or this week, not even teaming at ALL, because all’a y’all have decided to go fuckin’ AWOL! I mean, as much as I fuckin’ hate Collateral Damage… ugh, I just say their goddamn name and I throw up in my mouth a little bit… I at least have to give them a tiny crumb of kudos because they ACTUALLY FUCKING SHOW UP. Oh. And you know who else decided to appear out of the pit of humiliation they were tossed into? Fuckin’ Bulletproof! Enjoy your participation trophy, you fucking amassment of shitheads. It’s more than the rest of the division gets.” She huffed. “Garcia. How about taking that newly lit fire under your ass and taking us on? If Mucho Grande! wants to take a powder, hey, we’re here chomping at the bit. Get a partner. Don’t get a partner. Fuck, get Noon in there with you, see if that little butterball can throw a punch or two. Yank fucking Bennett off commentary and have him try to fuckin’ bore me to death. Just. Somebody. Freaking DO something.” She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, trying to bring herself down a bit. “But this week ain’t about the tag division. This is about me. Now, I don’t know if you knew this about me, Faithful, but this here is gonna be my first single in a looooong time. Like, literally years. I’ve spent my whole run here tagging. This is by choice. I love tagging. It’s fucking fun. But by doing nothing but tagging, I seem to have set the field up for certain… accusations. But not towards me- towards my partner. Now, Church can speak for himself, and has a couple times now on this subject. But since it involves me, I’m going to say my piece. I fight how I want, with or without who I want. I’m nobody’s ‘second option’. I’m nobody’s fucking hanger-on. And anybody who thinks I’m some seething ball of repressed fucking jealousy can come tell me that to my goddamn face.” A fist slammed hard into the opposite open palm. “I don’t single because that’s not what I’m interested in right now. I didn’t ask for this match. But fucking hell, I am going to fight in it. Not just because it’s my job, but because these naysayers need shut the hell up weeks ago. And for that matter? So do whoever’s out there being a patronizing little bitch, wringing their hands and going ‘poor Mike’. I am not being held back. Nothing or no one can do that to me because I wouldn’t fucking allow it. I am not being told to stand to the side, because my partner and best friend would never ask that of me. I am going to prove all of you fucking wrong and I’m going to do it by beating the living jimmies out of Nick James.” Mike looked thoughtful all the sudden, rubbing her chin and looking slightly upward. “So let’s talk about Nick James for a second. I like your style, pal. You love this business almost as much as I do, I can tell. You just love to get in there and fucking fight, and that? That’s awesome. And you know what? You ain’t half bad either. I saw your match with K2 last week, and sure, you lost, but you made a hell of a showing. I ain’t being fuckin’ facetious neither. Real recognizes real, bro.” There was a small nod, a slight sign of respect from one brawler to another. “Problem is, though, you’re an asshole. Which wouldn’t be that remarkable as assholes are a dime a dozen around here lately. But you’re a LAZY fuckin’ asshole. You know why Kross beat you? Because you know how goddamn good you are, and because you know you’re good you think you can fuckin’ coast. You don’t just want to win, you EXPECT to win because you’re so much fuckin’ smarter and better than everybody else. That kind of attitude drives me up the fucking wall like you wouldn’t believe, and I’ll tell you why.” She leaned forward. “Because I had that same rotten fucking attitude once upon a time. I was trained by a fucking literal legend in this business, so I thought I was hot shit. And you know what that got me? A win here and there, and otherwise, fuck all. And you, Mr. Mad Legend or whatever cockimaney bullshit you call yourself, have a wealth of raw talent any member of this roster would kill for, so you think YOU’RE hot shit. And that’s gotten you wins. Against Emma Louise and Grizzly Motherfucking Duggan.” Golf clap. Oh, the sarcasm, you can cut into it with a fork. “Yep. You beat a girl who can’t even be assed to do the tiniest basic fucking research on who she’s facing, and a guy who’s blown more shots than Draco Lazarus blows crackheads in back alleys. Good for you. But a guy like K2, you couldn’t get past that wall on skill alone. Maybe if you’d bothered to work a little harder. I mean, look around you.” Mike gave a small gesture, and the camera swept from left to right before settling back on her. “This ring? Yeah, I know it’s a goddamn eyesore. But it’s mine. It’s sitting in my fucking backyard. I’ve spent all afternoon in this ring, fighting, training, preparing. Preparing to step in those ropes and kick your ass. I’m going to keep doing this as much as I can spare between now and when we have to leave for Hotlanta. And if you’re not working as hard as me, I can promise you, that 1-2 is gonna turn into a 1-3 in a damn hurry.” She nodded. “So you better not fucking dissapoint me, James. You better give me the fight I’m working so hard to prep for. And if you lose? You’ll know why. Cuz I’m Not Slacking on the Fucking Work.” After they finished and cleaned up any Gatorade bottles they had laying around outside, Mike and John went in, cleaned up, and spent the rest of the evening chilling out, eating teriyaki noodles and fried tofu for dinner and then hanging out in the living room. John, naturally, had his nose stuck in a book (he seemed rather happy to have print and paper in his hands again), and Mike was idly flipping through the channels, staying on each a minute or two before clicking past. They rolled their eyes at the sight of a clean-shaven, wizened old man with a quavering, high pitched voice. “Oh. This fucking guy. NEXT.” They’re about to click onward when they catch what the old man is saying. “...a young man who, by turning to Jesus, escaped an unhealthy relationship and an unfulfilling life, despite being on one of the best football teams in America.” The picture did a soft cut to someone Mike thought, and hoped, they would never see again in their entire life. An airy voiced woman was saying things about a troubled past, rowdy college student, abusive relationship, landed in front of a jury. And then something changed his life forever. “You know, I thought I had it all.” He was sitting in a leather recliner, golden retriever at his feet. A nameplate designated him as ‘Steve Archer’, but Mike already knew that. He looked almost exactly as they remembered, the handsome son of a bitch, save some signs of age and his once perfect physique gone slightly to seed. But they’d know him anywhere. Everything else blurred, they could feel color starting to drain from their face, heart pounding damn near into their throat. “Think about it. I was professional football player. Championship caliber team. Believe me, I was making good money. Real good money. And you know what? I thought I was with someone real special. That all fell apart. You think you know someone, right? And then lies get in the way and they just tore me apart. There I was. Fired from a career I’d worked my whole life for. In front of a jury of my peers. I’d let a bad person influence me in ways that got me to that point. My lowest point.” Blurry stock footage of a jury, general courtroom scenes. Somewhere at the edges of Mike’s consciousness they thought they heard John asking them if they were alright, but they couldn’t even move, much less say anything. The narrator explained that Archer had got involved in one volatile relationship after another until it culminated one horrific night where Archer says he had to defend himself against an assault by his girlfriend at the time. The police at the time said otherwise and he was arrested and put on trial for aggravated battery. “I felt I was just seconds away from the end. So at that table, right next to my lawyer, I bowed my head. I clasped my hands. And I gave myself to Jesus. I asked for his forgiveness. I knew … I knew that He died for my sins. All of our sins. I prayed to God. Please help me, Lord. I can be better. I can change. I looked up and opened my eyes. The jury foreman read the verdict. Acquitted of all charges.” Steve wiped a tear from his baby blue eyes, and flashed that winning smile. The narrator resumed speaking, saying that after his pro football career ended, Steve went on to become a youth counselor in his hometown of Boston, advising trouble teens and dispensing advice on how to keep their relationships healthy, both with God and family. “If I could talk to myself from nearly fourteen years ago, I would. He was just drafted. Had the money. The fancy car. Even thought he had the girl. But I would tell him, he didn’t have anything without the grace of God. He was a pretty angry young man despite all of that wealth. So what advice would I give him? Forgiveness. Jesus forgave all those who transgressed upon Him. And I’d say forgive her, too-” Suddenly, the television exploded. The screen shattered and the set sputtered sparks before dying entirely, the victim of a heavy glass ashtray thrown directly into its center. Its flight had been accompanied by a horrible scream, something that was a blend of rage and utter terror. Mike’s eyes were wide, lips parted, breath panting, face ashen. They felt like they were freezing to death and burning alive all at once. Then Mike ran. They ran, yanking something out of the kitchen island junk drawer on their way out the sliding back doors, planting themselves by the backyard shed. The rain fell on relentlessly, patches of mud squishing under their bare feet. Despite the rainfall, they managed to get their lighter ignited, and one by one, smoked their way through the entire remainder of the cigarette pack that’d been untouched for months. They didn’t even realize that they were sobbing harder than they had in as long as they could remember. Once every last cigarette had been smoked down to ash, Mike’s terror and anger was joined by something else just as strong- shame. This wasn’t supposed to hurt anymore. This wasn’t supposed to scare them, HE wasn’t supposed to scare them. Numbly, they slipped into the shed and curled onto the dusty concrete slab beside the lawnmower. It had to have been over an hour before the door opened. Instinctively, they whimpered and pulled back as a large, masculine shadow fell over them, balling up even tighter. They didn’t speak a word, but the message was clear- don’t hurt me. There was a pause, and the figure crouched down to their level. In the dim light, they could see him clearly now. Eyes of a far prettier and gentler blue, an expression of soft concern. Their voice was very small, almost a mouse’s squeak. “...i’m s-sorry i b-broke the tv…” “I didn’t like it much anyway.” They didn’t laugh when they normally might have, but there was a tiny, momentary upward flick at the corner of their mouth, and they sat up, slowly. They kept quiet, though, save for the odd sniffle. “You knew him?” They nodded. There was so much she wanted to tell him. About who Steve was. What he’d done. But it wouldn’t come out of their mouth properly right now. They would have to spit it all out later, they knew. Just not right at this moment. “He was lying. On the show, I mean.” Another nod. “...he was always real f-fuckin’ good at that.” “I know how you feel. I hope you can understand that.” He paused as if he were carefully choosing his words. “I can leave if you would like.” “Please don’t.” Mike said it very quickly, as if, rightly, that was the absolute last thing that they wanted. John, in turn, looked them in the eyes. It was, to Mike’s recollection, the first time he’d ever done so: his gaze to her always seemed to land at their forehead, or just past their shoulder. Anywhere but in their eyes, a direct meeting of sky and emerald. The moment held in silence for a beat or two. He opened his arms and Mike all but collapsed into them, wrapped in the safest warmth they’d ever felt.