#maybe i’m wrong and they’ll be very successful! but i honestly doubt it

[prodigal-sunlight]

I don’t think the Watcher TV move is being made out of greed. They have high production costs, and artists do deserve to be paid for their work. I do, however, think it is a monumentally stupid decision.

First of all, who in their right minds thinks the best way to announce a paywall is a hyped up countdown to a “big surprise”? They literally set themselves up with that.

Second, this is not sustainable. People have been comparing it to other creator-run streaming services like Dropout or Nebula, but those services have bigger audiences, bigger casts, and way more frequent uploads. In Dropout’s case, its more than three times the content (at least) for the same price.

I’m not gonna argue about how it sucks for people who can’t afford it. Unfortunately “artists deserve to be paid” and “everyone deserves art to bring them joy” are both contradictory but true. I will however point out that the majority of Watchers’ audience is young or lower-income. Pricing has to be decided with your target audience in mind.

This didn’t happen because Watcher got insanely evil and greedy, and its true that artists deserve to be paid.

But this was an objectively bad decision no matter where you stand. If Watcher doesn’t change course I will not be surprised to hear them declare bankruptcy in a year or two.

[hotwings0203]

Idk what this is but the thought of you being scared of Bakugos quirk is so hot to me

Tw:noncon, predatory behavior

“I swear he’s getting to be more and more like a villain every time I see him,” you giggle with Mina as you two walk out of the class. Bakugo had yet again exploded at one of your shared teachers for correcting him in his pronunciation of a word, and as usual it was quite a scene to behold. Chairs were almost thrown, his friends had to hold him back from leaping up while others egged him on, itching for amusement in their mind-numbingly dull class.

“Maybe Shigaraki was right,” your pink-haired friend snorts and you both collapse in wheezes, clawing and slapping at each other’s shoulders as the ludicrous image of Shigaraki being unable to reign in Bakugo comes to mind.

“Hey ladies, what’re you two laughing about?” A lilting and charming voice comes right at your ear, and you turn to see Denki, Kirishima and…Bakugo walking next to you.

Just because of his proximity and how you were literally just talking about him two seconds ago, you jump away from Bakugo’s glowering face and not so subtly hide behind Mina in a half playful jest.

“Huh? Whatcha ya jumpin’ around for?” Kirishima laughs and you exchange an embarrassed look with Mina.

“Oh nothing, we were just talking about how Bakugo’s quirk is totally villainous. We’re lucky he’s on our side,” Mina singsongs, but you slap her arm in alarm.

And well placed alarm at that, because Bakugo’s scowl deepens as he turns his head to you in a death-glare. You swallow hard seeing his expression and try to nervously laugh.

“But, uh, we were just joking. Right Mina?” You give her a pointed look and she deflects it happily.

“Nope! At least you weren’t, you’re half scared to death of him, isn’t that right Y/N?”

Denki interrupts before you can sputter in horror.

“Honestly, who isn’t scared of this dude?” He claps the other blond on his back and yelps when Bakugo’s hands start curling with smoke.

“Watch it dumbass.” He cranes his head to meet your eyes, but when he finds that you’re still avoiding eye contact with him he starts moving around his friends to better talk to you.

“My quirk isn’t that scary you idiot. It’s not like I care enough about any of you to blow you up-“

But with the smoke still curling form his hands and with the permanently intimidating scowl on his face reading closer and close to your, you can’t help but squeal and scrabble around him to sink your nails into Kirishima’s shoulders for protection.

“Okay, I get it! You don’t have to come any closer, I can see fine from here.” Your voice comes out too high and strained to be deemed as joking, but nonetheless everyone laughs at your dramatic show.

Everyone but Katsuki. Because he can see you’re actually scared, he’s seen it a hundred times on civilians who try to pretend they’re fine but still have that panicked glint in their eye.

“Jesus Y/N, with a reaction like that maybe he really is a villain. Bakubro, want us to send you back to Shigaraki’s place? Maybe you should reconsider his offer.”

And finally at Denki’s quip everyone including you this time laughs again in playful agreement, but yet again Bakugo’s blood starts simmering further.

Why the fuck were you being so obnoxious? He didn’t do anything to you before, right? So why the hell were you embarrassing him in front of all his friends and making him out to be this bloodthirsty monster?

Well, whatever. If a monster is what you want, then a monster is what you’ll get.

And so he waits for you after school, trailing behind you a couple hundred feet yet still keeping you in sight. He curses when you giggle with your friends, no doubt in his mind that you’re still throwing dirt on his name and he swears under his breath when you talk to Deku and his dweeb friends.

Of course when you hang around ditzy dorks like Deku he’s gonna look like a psycho in comparison.

But at one point you’re by the vending machine alone in a deserted hallway, fumbling with your coins and trying to quickly get a soda before your friends up ahead leave.

Too bad for you, because when he’s done with you they’ll never want to be seen with you again for their own safety.

You’re shoving money in the slot when he silently walks up a couple feet behind you.

“No friends around to gossip about me?”

You shriek and jump a good foot in the air at the sudden voice behind you. Clutching your heaving chest, you whirl around to see who it is.

Your blood runs cold. It’s Katsuki Bakugo, the absolute last person you want to be alone with in a deserted hallway.

Your feet move a step back.

Wrong move.

His nostrils flare and his eyes widen at your insulting retreat. You know he doesn’t take kindly to it, but with an expression like that how could you not?

“Uh, w-what do you mean?” You chuckle nervously.

He doesn’t laugh. In fact, he does something worse.

He matches your steps and moves forward a little bit.

At this you fully take a stride backwards and clash with the vending machine behind you.

He keeps advancing, slowly getting closer and checking you out, his head tilted as his eyes roam up and down your vulnerable body.

“Don’t move back. Why the fuck did you move away from me? That’s rude, we were just having a normal conversation.”

You surprise yourself by sounding level-headed in retaliation. “‘Kinda hard not to be a little uncomfortable when your conversation sounds so accusing.”

He lunges forward and you actually scream this time, throwing your hands up above your head in instinct to protect yourself from his proximity.

Bakugo doesn’t touch you but you can still feel his breath puffing on your head, can still feel the heat from his hands on either side of your body.

“You got a smart mouth don’t you? Is that why you embarrassed me earlier in front of everyone?”

“Embarrassed you-?” You squeak but immediately cut off when he thrusts his face right in front of yours, a manic look on his face as all his facial features stretch into a irate leer.

“I guess we’ll have to fix that tongue of yours. Put it to better use than to talk shit about me, right?”

Vermilion irises move from your face down your body, lingering on your chest and at the apex in between your legs.

Bile rises to your throat as he licks his lips and lets his lips ghost over yours, oh so close yet not touching.

And in the second before he descends, you shove him off with nothing but pure adrenaline feeling your fear and race past him, blindly running down the halls as fast as you can.

Surprisingly, you don’t hear anyone behind you. That doesn’t mean you don’t stop running though.

The real reason you don’t hear anyone behind you is because Katsuki Bakugo has an eerie smile on his face at your bolt. He languidly stretches his arms above his head and relishes in the popping of his joints, and in succession the popping of sparks in his hand. He kicks one leg out, then the other just to ensure you get a fair head start.

You’ve just made this so much more interesting.

He sets off at a light jog, and even in his carefree pace his strides are enough to eventually catch up with you, instinct like an animal’s guiding him through the winding halls and ending up catching a glimpse of your feet as you turn into another lane.

You’re panting, sweat pouring down your eyes as panic makes it hard to breathe or think rationally. The adrenaline that was pushing you is now dying down but at the worst time.

You take a quick glance back and your rapidly beating heart falters as you see him with a grin on his face as he practically jogs leisurely behind you. You’ve seen this same face on him when he’s in the battlefield, blasting through enemy hearts and blowing up heads as if they were fireworks.

He’s bloodthirsty. He wants you.

“Running away again? That’s not very heroic of you babe,” he calls out, and it’s terrifyingly infuriating how he’s not out of breath.

“Leave me the fuck alone,” you half scream and sob, trying to run faster but failing miserably.

You see a bathroom sign out of the corner of your eye and frantically stumble towards it.

Katsuki knows you know he’s even you take a turn and he laughs to himself at how boringly easy this is.

Maybe he was scary.

He shakes it off and continues his hunt after you, coming forth until he faces the bathroom door in which you were cowering behind.

There’s a small window, and no other door. Just a couple of stalls, a terrified girl, and a psycho with the taste of revenge practically palpable on his lustful tongue.

He knock with faux politeness. “You wanna come out and do this the easy way or you want me to barge in and take you myself?”

You sob and wheeze in response, desperately pushing against the flimsy door in a pathetic attempt to keep him out. Bakugo merely crosses his arms and leans against the door, staring intently at it with a smile still on his face.

Judging by the weight pushing more at the bottom of the door, he can tell you’re probably sitting down in an effort to catch your breath.

You both know he can come in at any time he so well pleases, but he decides he’ll play by your rules for a bit longer, indulge you a little before your inevitable downfall.

He hums loudly and slides down to join your parallel position on the floor.

“I’m tryina be nice here, y’know. You acted so scared of me when I never even bothered you before. Aren’t I being nice right now by letting you choose for yourself?”

He sounds so conversational, as if he were talking to one of his buddies. You stay silent but your silence speaks volumes.

It serves as nothing but a means to piss him off further.

The two of you sit in silence for seemingly hours, even though it’s only around 20 minutes. Every second you feel like he’s going to break down the door any second and blast your face off, but miraculously he doesn’t.

You don’t know what you’d rather prefer: for him to prolong your strained agony by letting you be so close yet so far from him, or to end your suffering and get it done with.

But you needn’t sit in silence stewing in your own fear any further, for at the exact moment you begin to doze off with the dying of the light the weight on the other side of the door lifts and you startle awake at the scuffling on the other side.

You blink a couple of times and blanch when you see through the window the purple light indicating that you really have been here longer than you thought.

Bakugo cracks his knuckles and rolls his head, popping a few more kinks in his neck before breathing out and bracing for impact.

“Ready or not little bitch, here I come.”

“Bakugo, wait-!”

But your plea doesn’t last for more than two words. The door bangs open with such a sound that you actually think he’s blasted it straight off his hinges. You gasp and shield yourself, jumping backwards and covering your face.

“‘Thought I made it clear by now that you can’t run. So why’d you try to leave? Huh? Think you’re smarter than me? You think you’re stronger than me?”

He’s stalking forward again, and you’re left tripping back over your feet and whimpering at his salacious intent as he backs you up and corners you into a stall.

He already knows the answers to his rhetorical questions but he wants to hear you say it. He wants to hear that scornful conviction in your voice about how big and bad he was that you used earlier.

With you tripping backwards into the cramped stall, his approach quickens in hunger at feeling you, feeling the fear radiating off your body.

Bakugo presses up against you against the wall and takes up the space around you, invading your personal bubble. He’s everywhere, growling in your ear, hands gripping your waist so tight you’re sure bruises sprout from his touch, his erect penis grinding on the inside of your thigh.

Your trepidation and terror rises to an insurmountable height as he smothers you.

When he suddenly grips your chin and forces your head to face him you gasp. His touch is even more callous than you thought.

“You lookin’ here bitch? Good.”

His palm is raised towards you and before you can even widen your eyes in realization his appendage starts sparking madly. You shriek and try to throw him loose as little bits of embers fly out and made your face, his voice rough as always yet dangerously low and soft.

“S’not so scary after all is it? You’re reacting better to it than I thought.” Bakugo Blanca you mocks your writhing figure as you desperately try to evade the mini explosions.

“Okay, I get it, please stop I don’t like it!” You shrilly cry out but his hand moves from your jaw down to your neck, and squeezes the last remnants of opposition out of you.

“Yeah? Good, I’m glad you get it. But honestly, I don’t care if you don’t like it.

Because I like it. I fucking love this quirk, ‘specially when you cower so prettily under it like you did earlier.”

You choke and try to scrabble at his hands but it’s like a butterfly’s touch to him, barely producing any fruition.

“I kept wondering to myself: why do I care if she’s scared of it? And then I realized,” he leans in and lets his lips brush over your ear, lets his hand lessen ever so slightly so that your main focus is his words.

“You just looked good enough to eat when you know you’re beneath me. When you know how dangerous I am.”

He pulls back and assesses the look on your face. “Makes you look good enough to eat.”

And without further ado he lowers his hand and starts rubbing his alit palm on your clothed pussy, his erection getting harder as your screams wilt into whines.

Your legs flail uselessly as he burns a hole through your pants and his fingers hook aside the band of your panties.

Bakugo thrusts his hips forwards and grinds his straining cock on your moist lips, taking in your blubbers and teary eyes.

You can’t even speak, you can only cry out like a child as he thrusts harder and harder, so hard that your back hits the wall painful and the stall walls rattle behind you.

“You-pant-fucking scared-pant-now slut?” He rasps, his head bobbing on rhythm with yours as he practically lifts you off your toes to match his pace.

Your clit is caught between the fabric and rolled cruelly pleasurable as his tip leaks precum, staining your own panties in the process.

With your attention rapt on his now-uncovered dick sliding in and out of your folds, he takes this opportunity to take his other hand off your neck and blast the wall next to your face.

The second you open your mouth in shock as bits of tile rain down on your face he slams his steaming palm over your lips, burning the soft flesh as you weep openly.

He sets off two more near your sides and another above your head, his own face aligned right in front of yours so you can see the mean smile on his face all the while he sets your heart racing at an alarming speed.

When the smoke clears and you can start feeling glass and tile imprint on your once-smooth face, he positions his dick up so that it prods at your hole and yanks your hair back.

His eyes practically glow with the mini fires preserved in the walls with his blasts, the impact of the air rushing around him makes his hair even spikier, his body is taunt and even more imposing than before.

His teeth gleam with the orange and red light next to you. His chest doesn’t heave, because he’s at ease with your terror.

“You think you know fear?”

With one swift movement he shoves up into you, but this time he doesn’t cover your mouth.

“You haven’t met me truly yet.”

[gureishi]

I love reading your opinions on Saeyoung! I know I’ve thought about this in regards to Zen so I’m curious what your headcanons are in regards to Saeyoung’s future relationships post game with each member of the RFA and Vanderwood??

Ohhhh, thank you for this wonderful question, dear Lea! The characters’ relationships with one another vary so much depending on the route and the timeline. Even though it makes me sad (because of the glaring absence of one beloved character), I’ll write these for the SE timeline.

Headcanon: Saeyoung’s relationships with RFA+Vanderwood post-game

Yoosung

Saeyoung and Yoosung’s relationship is endlessly fascinating to me. They’re close—they’d both tell you that, if you asked—but their friendship in the game is actually very surface-level. Saeyoung keeps Yoosung at arm’s-length, and Yoosung honestly has too much going on in his own head to devote much energy to trying to break down those walls.

The fight they have toward the end of Saeyoung’s route is a huge turning point for both of them. Yoosung is genuinely hurt to learn that his friend had never planned on sticking around, and Saeyoung is surprised to find that anybody actually cares enough to be mad about it. He never really thought too hard about what would happen if (when) he inevitably had to disappear from his friends’ lives—but when he did think about it, he honestly didn’t think he’d be missed.

It is a huge deal that Yoosung gets mad, because it shows Saeyoung that his existence has had an impact on people. It’s after this conversation with Yoosung that Saeyoung tells you he’s willing to try and open up to you, too; Yoosung is the one who shows him that there is value in letting another person become close to you.

Later, I am absolutely certain that they are able to develop a real friendship: one that’s grounded in trust and mutual understanding. When you’re living in the bunker with Saeyoung and Saeran, if there is one member of the RFA who’s showing up unannounced with a backpack full of sweets and a big grin on his face—it’s Yoosung.

Jaehee

Jaehee needs to feel secure in her understanding of the things and people around her. She likes to be able to think to herself, “oh, here is why this person behaves this way.” And it’s for this reason that Saeyoung drives her absolutely crazy.

She respects him, of course—but begrudgingly, because he is an anomaly, a little piece of chaos in her perfectly-ordered world.

It is your love for him that allows her to wrap her mind around his peculiar existence—because Jaehee cares deeply for you (almost immediately), and she recognizes the look you get in your eyes when you talk about him. She may not understand him (or even want to)—but she understands about love.

Jaehee and Saeyoung are never going to be best friends. But in this timeline, Jaehee is one of your dearest friends—and for you, they will both try. Jaehee will make honey butter cookies for his birthday, and she’ll smile softly when she sees the look of utter delight on his face. He’ll ask her to bring him her laptop, and she’ll complain as he sweeps it from her hands—but when he returns it to her working ten times better than it ever did before, she’ll clasp his hands in hers, her eyes shining.

If she ever gets around to opening her cafe in this timeline—and I’d like to believe that she does—you and Saeyoung will go in often. He’ll annoy her by doodling cat faces on all the napkins—but he’ll always tip her 200% of the bill.

Zen

In this timeline, Zen immediately takes you in as a sort of younger sibling (yes, even if you’re older than him), and he's ready to go to battle for you, if he needs to. Like Jaehee, he feels almost instantly that you are someone special. He doesn’t quite understand why—but he knows that he wants to keep you safe.

A consequence of this protectiveness, of course, is that he becomes very suspicious of Saeyoung. He’s never trusted him (and for good reason: Saeyoung may be trustworthy, but 707 is anything but). Zen is worried that you won’t be safe with Saeyoung—and he’s not entirely wrong.

But: when Saeyoung reveals his real name, Zen is one of the first to use it—and he uses it repeatedly. Every time I play the Secret Ends, and the Vday DLC, I am hyper-aware that Zen is making a massive effort to call Saeyoung by the right name. And this speaks volumes to me.

If you let Zen in—even just a little—he will accept all of you (and he’ll do it with his whole heart). Zen understands what it means to feel like you don’t belong anywhere—to hide your true self behind a mask of pretense and positivity—to become someone else so you don’t have to look too closely at who you really are.

No matter which timeline we’re in, Zen’s success is going to skyrocket—so he’s not going to be around all the time. But when he is, it’s a party: these are the times that the whole RFA gets together again (and if you listen closely, you’ll hear the way he speaks to Saeyoung now—like he actually admires him. The feeling is mutual).

Jumin

This timeline is one of the roughest for Jumin, without a doubt.

The game doesn’t show us how deeply he is grieving—but he is. He has lost the two people who have ever made him feel comfortable in his own skin, and he no longer has anyone he can turn to. I’m not gonna sugar-coat it and say that everybody’s happy in this ending: they’re not, and even months (years) later, Jumin is suffering.

But here’s the thing: Jumin’s not the only one who loved Jihyun.

It takes Saeyoung time to sort through the complicated feelings he has for Jihyun, after everything that’s happened. He doesn’t forgive him right away—and even as he mourns him, he’s angry, too. But time passes.

I imagine that there comes a day—weeks or months or even years later—that Saeyoung and Jumin find themselves talking to each other about the person they both loved. Perhaps they are in Jihyun’s apartment, sorting through his things—or they find themselves alone together at a group event and—at last—one of them acknowledges the grief that permeates the negative space between them.

Jihyun leaves a gaping hole in both of their lives that nothing can fill. But I’d like to think that an understanding develops between them: they may never completely get one another, and it’s okay that they don’t. There is a deep and unwavering affection there—the kind of mysterious and unbreakable bond you only feel for someone who has become your family.

Vanderwood

In my personal post-SE timeline, Vanderwood sticks around for a while to help the twins deal with their father. I’ve written about it a bit (in my Human Again series): if they are able to find the records Jihyun was keeping about Saejoong, it would not be too difficult for them to take him down in this timeline. He has no leverage, here. With the brothers working together, they can expose him—and then, of course, they can really be free.

But Vanderwood doesn’t stick around forever—they wouldn’t want to. They have a whole life outside of taking care of Saeyoung; they have a hometown, and possibly even people there who are waiting for them.

But at least once a year—and never with any notice—Vanderwood shows up at your home. "Just wanted to see with my own eyes that the kid actually managed to keep himself alive,” they’ll say—and they’ll grunt and roll their eyes and maybe blush a little when you throw your arms around them and thank them for being the reason he stayed alive as long as he did.

Vanderwood really respects you, because when you tell Saeyoung to be quiet or sit down or clean up after himself, he does it. They respect you, too, for your bravery and your strength and your resilience.

Neither one of them will ever admit it, but for a long time, Saeyoung and Vanderwood really did only have each other.

You’ll invite them to your wedding, of course. They won’t RSVP—but they’ll be there.

Saeran

I could write a literal novel about their relationship in this timeline and how it develops (and ummm maybe eventually I will), but I’ll try and keep this brief.

SE Saeran is so very tired. It takes time—so much time, exponentially more than the game shows us—for him to even begin to feel comfortable living in his brother’s home. He is physically sick, for a long time, as a result of the drugs he was being fed and the torture he was enduring. There isn’t enough space for forgiveness: there is barely enough space for living at all.

There’s no one moment when the two of them start to feel like brothers again: love and hate are so much more complicated than that. And Saeran has had no agency in his life; every choice has been made for him—his newfound “freedom” doesn’t feel like freedom at all. He feels he has been shuffled from one cage to another: his brother’s horrible, windowless home is no different.

But it is the small things: walking in the grass outside the bunker and feeling the sun on his skin; the way you speak to him, like you trust him; the annoying way Saeyoung follows him around, wide-eyed, trying far too hard to win him over—gradually, he begins to feel that he has a home, after all.

In this timeline, I do believe that all three of you keep on living together for the rest of your lives. You certainly don’t stay in the bunker forever—but when you move, you do it together.

And what’s most important here, of course, is that Saeran chooses this. It is perhaps one of the first choices that he makes for himself—and it sneaks up on him, taking him by surprise one day: he wants to keep on living together.

And this—living with his brother in a home that’s warm and full of love—is the only thing Saeyoung has ever wished for.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

In the scene right after Soren and the troops almost find the assassins, Runaan turns to Rayla with a cutting voice and almost sounding hateful says, “You lied to me.” This scene hurts - she’s like his daughter. What do you think he was thinking? What was she thinking?

You mean this right here:

Where Runaan’s literally baring his teeth at her like he’s about to attack her?

Yeah, he’s very suddenly having a Really Bad Day.

But consider this look as well:

He looks gobsmacked, stunned, hurt even. How could you, Rayla? How could YOU do this? He’s taking her betrayal personally, despite his position as the group leader and Rayla’s boss. His words focus on the team’s immediate problems, but this look that flashes across his face is pure bewildered hurt. A crack in his armor. He loses his cool, and he yells at her. Because he loves and trusts Rayla and she doesn’t come through for him. He doesn’t understand yet that she wasn’t ready, that it’s his error in judgement that’s put them all here. His pride got in his own way, and he walked into this disaster like he stepped on a rake in the yard.

I’ve thought about this scene a lot, because despite how short it is, there’s a lot going on, besides that flash of angry pain on his face.

First of all, no one else says a darn thing. They stay out of it. It’s Runaan’s job as the squad leader to handle disciplinary issues. But you can tell by their faces they’re not happy with Rayla either.

Runaan’s mad about several things at once, because he’s a complicated elf in a complicated situation. He doesn’t know where to direct his anger yet because he hasn’t had any time to contemplate his own failure yet (but he gets there in like five minutes, don’t worry). So all he’s got right now is Rayla inexplicably flubbing up, after all the time and effort they both spent on her training. 

She asked to go with him to avenge her parents’ honor, and then she flopped when he gave her the chance to prove herself early on by killing Marcos. He’s ghosted his best friends and now their daughter is going to get him killed. Ethari said her heart was too soft. His team had to sit someone out so Rayla could have their spot. And on top of all of that, Runaan clearly expects a close and truthful relationship with Rayla, no matter what roles they’re fulfilling at the moment. She’s seemingly betrayed him on just about every level there is: personal, professional, societal, familial.

He’s hurt. He’s furious. He plans his missions carefully and accounts for plenty of variables. But he never once calculated for Rayla letting him down.

Runaan’s sin is pride, and it shows itself in his overconfidence. He’s so certain that he’s right about Rayla that he makes a big ol’ Moonshadow promise to Ethari that he’ll come home safe. It sounds sweet as heck. But though he’s definitely trying to reassure Ethari that everything will be okay, he’s also basically saying “…because I’m right and you’re not.”

Ouch, fam.

Maybe Runaan trusts a little too much in the illusion of success. Just because all the pieces are there–Rayla’s parents’ honor can be redeemed, Rayla herself volunteered, Runaan is exactly who Rayla needs to help her redeem that honor because he’s the leader of the assassins being sent after Harrow, he and Rayla both care about each other and her parents very much, the big gash in their family stability can be mended if Rayla can avenge Avizandum’s death–*sucks in a deep breath* ...doesn’t mean that they have to fit together. 

In fact, the one piece at the center of Runaan’s puzzle, the one critical piece that he absolutely needed to fit in order to hold everything together, was Rayla. And she didn’t fit. That wasn’t the puzzle where she belonged, after all. 

But again, as of this moment, Ruanan hasn’t gotten there yet. Right here, Runaan’s struggling on several levels with the fact that he’s just been surprised. He thought he knew all the variables to this mission. He’s been on emotional lockdown for months, but in general, he seems very much to be an Art of War kind of elf. He thought he could predict the outcome, feels or no, because he believed he understood all of the situational moving parts. But Rayla lied to him, and he didn’t think she’d ever have anything to lie about. Not to him. And yet, there they are, struggling over truth when so very much is at stake.

His mission. Everyone’s lives. Her family’s honor. Their bond of trust. Xadia’s peace. Their family stability. 

It was too much even for his practiced control. He lost his temper and he yelled at Rayla.

We didn’t get to see what happened between the end of S1E1 and the start of S1E2, but I bet it wasn’t more than a few minutes. Runaan didn’t get to be in charge of the assassins by being a hothead who couldn’t focus under pressure. He hopped right back on task, climbed that tree with just one elf–and it wasn’t Rayla–and focused on what to do next. And when we hear him speak in the tree, he’s all calm again. He’s got his temper under control, where it needs to be. His anger–his feelings–aren’t nearly as important as this mission going right. So he sets it aside and thinks his way through with the options he has remaining.

By the time he’s walking Rayla out to her rock, it’s been maybe ten minutes? since Rayla ruined the mission and doomed everyone to probable death. And you know what he does then? He talks softly with her, admits he was wrong, and he says as directly as he can–for a Moonshadow–that this isn’t her fault, it’s his. He misjudged her readiness. (Subtext: Ethari was right.)

Because his feelings aren’t important. He just needed to fix the fact that he lost his temper at his daughter for something that wasn’t her fault. And so he jumped straight into setting things right.

Yeah, he did lose his temper for a hot minute. But once he regained control again, he was so soft with his daughter. He expected to die in battle in a few hours. And yet he stayed calm and focused and gentle with her, giving her a task that would keep her alive and send her home safely to Ethari.

For the record, he never loses his temper again. The next time Rayla disobeys him, he’s cold with her. He knows what she’s capable of now, and he adds that to his calculations before the sun even sets.

And he still lets her go in the end. Runaan’s got a very pretty voice, but you gotta watch what he does to see how he truly feels about people (Tony Stark has the same issue, you can’t change my mind because I’m right). 

There’s no contradiction in being furiously disappointed in someone and loving them so much that you’ll die to save them. That’s called unconditional love, and Runaan has that for Rayla (you can’t change my mind on that either).

But let’s look at Rayla, too, because her perspective is vital here. Not only to this scene, but to the show as a whole, and this scene is one of the defining moments for her early character development.

The very first words Rayla says to Runaan are an apology. She blurts it out in a tumble, needing to get that out first, before she even starts to explain. She’s known all along what could happen. She’s tried to ask him about it, but she was too scared to admit why, and Runaan just interpreted her question as first-mission jitters and reassured her. Which made her feel even worse.

She’s been living in a state of nervous worry all day, afraid of Runaan’s judgment if he found out what she’d done. How she let him down. Even if things went smoothly, his disappointment would weigh so heavily on her. She knows what’s at stake almost as much as he does. But her parents aren’t out here. The Dragon Queen isn’t out here. The Silvergrove isn’t out here. It’s Runaan who’s going to look her in the eyes and judge her if she fails. And he occupies so many roles for Rayla that she’ll feel she’s failed in every single aspect of their relationship.

Rayla already knows she’s in over her head. She’s just trying to hold her breath and survive until someone else can yank her out of the water. But she doesn’t make it, and neither does anyone else.

Rayla’s character arc begins with her not knowing herself. She’s never truly been tested. So she’s scrambling, emotionally and situationally, to cover her mistakes that day, to hide them from Runaan, as if they’re at home and she’s risking nothing more than grounding or extra chores. She truly doesn’t understand yet that lives are at stake, that they’ll be lost. Not until Runaan tells her--yells it at her, really. 

And then, finally, it hits her.

This isn’t the look of an elf who regrets getting caught in a lie. This is the look of a child who’s having a horrible realization about what she’s done. She really didn’t get it until this moment.

In her defense, she probably thought Runaan could save the situation no matter what. She probably chided herself for doubting him as she convinced herself she could cover up her little sins. But then he lost his temper and told her he couldn’t save anyone. Not his team, not even himself.

This is Rayla’s “We’re not in the Silvergrove anymore” moment. There’s no family safety net, there’s no going home and trying again tomorrow. Training’s over. This is pass/fail time, and Rayla just failed.

It seems to come as a bit of a shock to her. I gotta wonder whether Runaan really prepared her for this side of being an assassin. Maybe he assumed she’d just follow obediently wherever he pointed because that’s what would get them home and back to normal as quickly as possible. Maybe he was too self-isolating in his feels and honestly didn’t pick up on her uncertainties. Maybe he just didn’t want to deal with them because they were soft and messy, and he thought he could train them out of her with hard work.

He done her wrong, however that fell out. Rayla was in no way ready to kill people. She was just an angry, scared, devastated kid who missed her parents. And Runaan was so far away from his feelings--by choice--that he turned her into a playing piece on his strategy board, hoping to use her the same as all his other assassins to set things right.

Rayla recovers nearly as quickly as Runaan does after he yells at her, though. She lets him give his speech on the way to the rock, but once he’s gone, she needs about ten seconds before she’s also making a plan to set things right. Runaan’s already angry and disappointed--it can’t get any worse, can it? ahaha oh Rayla And she can get back in his good graces if she can just convince herself to do what she volunteered to do in the first place.

She tries, she tries really hard. But fate gets in her way and we never learn whether Rayla could’ve killed Callum or not. Does Rayla know if she’d have been able to go through with it? I think deep down she does know: Runaan was right. She’d have hesitated again.

And from this utter failure to fit into Runaan’s world, to live up to his expectations, Rayla has to start building her character up all over again. She thought she had a solid identity built up, but it crumbled like a pyramid of stacked cups. With Callum, Ezran, and Zym, she learns who she really is underneath her fear, underneath her anger, her worry, her losses.

Underneath, Rayla’s a hero. And we got to see it rise to the surface. 

Realizations that come packed with emotional punch tend to stick with us longer and harder. Whether we want to or not *coughRunaancough* we run on emotion as much as logic, if not more. So when Rayla got smacked with the truth of what her actions--and her inaction--had caused, it sank deep. And she determined, over the next couple of weeks, to work on fixing that part of her. 

The talk she had with Ezran halfway up the Cursed Caldera really helped her understand that sometimes hesitating doesn’t come from fear, but from a place of disagreement. I think that added a critical piece of development to her character. Lujanne’s illusion telling her “Turn back before it gets you too!” is basically fate telling her not to be an assassin, because that way lies death. And she needs to process that she wasn’t afraid to do what Runaan asked. She just disagreed with him. Rayla chooses to be a hero because it’s the right thing to do. She doesn’t run to it because she’s afraid of becoming an assassin.

The biggest support in Rayla’s journey over the past month was Callum’s. He was right there when Rayla broke ways with Runaan. He knows who Runaan is in Rayla’s life. He knows that she failed him despite wanting to do what he asked. He knows about her parents, the Silvergrove, and the whole mess of Rayla’s emotional battlefield. And he loves her anyway. 

Rayla just needs someone with feels to tell her that it’s okay to be who she is. That could’ve been Ethari, if he weren’t pounding metal all day long to channel his own feels. That could’ve been Runaan, if he weren’t busy being everyone’s rock of support and justice and action and results and focus. But it’s Callum. Because Callum was there, and he made Rayla his priority. Callum doesn’t have a village to support. He’s on his own, adventuring across Xadia. Rayla and Ezran are all he has. And he pours himself into both of them. They’re his village, his world. And that’s exactly what Rayla needs. It’s what she’s always needed.

Runaan sent her off on her character development quest. And Callum was there to catch her at the end.

[blueseakelp]

✨childhood storytime✨ (because i do have memories. shut uP i DO.)

backstory for this: i was thinking about taob zuko and his leg and this memory came to mind AND i decided to share it with the entire internet to get it to stop the rent free-ness (content warning for like burns and shit, i don’t think it’s graphic but tell me if i’m wrong)

alright now. picture this. l o n g summer roadtrip (weeks of camping) with one (and i can’t emphasize this point enough) EXTREMELY dysfunctional family. parents are constantly fighting, an three kids and an infant are along for the ride, eldest child was just extremely dumb and lost their phone (who gives an eight year old a fucking phone that was a terrible idea), and they’re in an entirely different fucking state than where they live. (side note: don’t let your future husband drag you along on a camping road trip after you’ve just given birth if he’s not gonna fucking help with your four kids. no i’m not bitter for my mother because she refuses to be what are you talking about)

NOW, shitty fucking car, stage left. it’s already broken down and been towed ONCE this trip, but Parental Units decide that we can make it fucking work. after all, we only have about half of the trip left, it’ll be okay, right? wrong. car breaks down again. tensions are already high and now we’re in fucking fresno, a shitty californian town with the interest factor of the bottom of a boot and the heat of a goddamn oven.

ANYWAYS, we do slightly illegal shit as *fun family bonding* (which is an oxymoron) yadda yadda yadda it entails mostly just riding in the car as it’s being towed, ducking down to keep out of sight, it’s whatever. fast forward to the car dealership. mother is fucking stressed at this point in the trip, constantly taking care of four kids while my father’s off ??? being indecisive and/or a piece of shit probably. and now OH SHIT they have to buy a car because ours is past the point of no return. it’s now good for parts only. we do the whole thing, pick out a flashy and sexy (old and used) minivan, and now it’s time for negotiations because i’m pretty sure we can’t actually afford the price of this car. maybe we can. (money is perpetually tight until we fast forward five years and the Divorce happens and guess who’s making a shit ton more money than we thought?? ding ding it’s Father Dearest!! guess mother and the kids could’ve afforded those new clothes and foods instead of scrounging and saving all that time :)))))) *insert the “it’s free real estate” meme except “it’s financial abuse”*)

SO we’ve got a family of six looking very homeless with all of their luggage in the middle of a car dealership in fresno, hoping we don’t look desperate so we can buy the fucking car and get back to washington before school starts. i don’t remember how it happened that i, an eight year old child, wound up babysitting my six year old brother in an unfamiliar place with no supervision whatsoever, but my best guess is that my mom had a large dose of “I’m So Fucking Tired Of Four Children” juice that particular morning and my dad honestly did not notice and/or give two shits.

scene is set. the eight year old and the six year old, in the little dealership lounge thing-y, strangers milling about, and either ‘ice age’ or ‘kung fu panda’ playing on the tv screen. eight year old me decides, “hey i’m going to go make myself some dealership!hot chocolate!” as one does. i do, and spoiler alert, it’s scalding. my memory is foggy as shit in general so i actually barely remember most of what i’m telling you (*sings nicely* jigsAw puzzle, we’re putting the picture together) anyways, what i think happens next is that i get distracted and spill the pretty much boiling hot chocolate on myself (i just realized this is todoroki vibes as shit except to myself and the burn isn’t as severe. so actually not really nevermind). 

now, MY first (paraphrased) thought, being the fucked up child and product of my environment that i am, was “oh shit. i can’t tell mom and dad or else they’ll be mad at me that i did a bad job at watching my brother.” can you start to see where my unhealthy mindset comes from? i’ve Been this way. my second thought is probably “i’m glad my pants are tan so that the hot chocolate blends in” which like. it did not and im pretty astounded because i don’t think my parents ever noticed lmao.

everything happens, i grab a TON of napkins to clean up the spill, i ignore the pain of burning skin, i don’t remember how bad it hurt or if i cried but the answer is probably yes to both, and i try to do it as sneakily as possible so none of the adults in the room or my brother notice. mission successful, no one has called me on my bullshit, i’m in the clear. i plan on keeping this a Forever Secret so my parents don’t find out how irresponsible i am, and continue to suffer through what im now aware was probably a pretty severe burn, until it heals. i never treated it or anything, so it’s kind of a wonder it didn’t get infected and kill me. wow, so cool.

to end the story, i don’t actually remember ever telling my mother about this, although she knows somehow? i was really surprised that she did, but one day i was wearing shorts and she just randomly brought it up to my aunt. outside of that, i have no memory of discussing it. (probably at one point she saw the massive burn on my leg and asked me where it was from, is my best guess of how she found out) my father, if he knows (doubtful), has never brought it up. the burn now is pretty faded, but it’s also been the better part of a decade so i’d expect that. the only reason i know any of these memories are real is because i have the scar to prove it, so that’s fun for my brain. for all i know, i could’ve blocked out almost the entirety of what really happened so maybe i shouldn’t take my word for it. at least it makes for a fun and interesting story.

OH ALSO I JUST REMEMBERED the burn was pretty brown-ish when it first happened so eight year old me thought i got permanently stained by the hot chocolate for a little while there slfjlsjdfldhfslh

so yeah this was one of like two off the top of my head stories about how i probably could’ve died in worse circumstances from my own inability to seek help but did Not. also, just another example of my capacity of secrets, because i have a Lot and none of them are the fun kind.

[squeeneyart]

Breathe in the Salt - Chapter Twelve

AO3

Beta reading by @thesnadger! Go read her things, like this time travel au!

Options are considered.

Tim has a rough time.

Shit. The lights were still on.

The small, illuminated window of the front door had stopped Martin in his tracks. Why had he come here? Certainly, talking to Jon about what had happened was something he should do, but that hadn’t been on his mind at all.

No, he knew the reason. He berated himself on Tim’s behalf.

Martin looked about, his eye catching the railing that blocked off the cliff. It was as good a spot as any for moping. He.made his way over to it and leaned his elbows on the flat top of the railing, careful to keep his eyes toward the dark horizon instead of the thrashing sea below.

Stupid. He had been lucky they were late workers. They’d unknowingly stopped him from throwing himself at some voice-stealing horror. What had he been thinking? That he would figure things out on his own? As if he could fix everything by running straight toward the danger and- and what?

Well, he certainly wouldn’t be doing anything that night. “Just be patient,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“Y’know, you’re taking this whole process a lot harder than I’d expected.”

Martin jumped, gripping the railing with white knuckles. Sasha walked up and leaned against the railing to his left, tilting her head to look at his face. He stammered out, “When-”

“I’d come out to grab something from the car and stretch my legs a bit. You didn’t hear me walk over?” She raised an eyebrow at his tense state.

“I… Yeah. No, I mean I didn’t hear you. Sorry.” His voice came out more raw than he’d expected, and he cleared his throat. “Would’ve appreciated more of a warning, though?”

She smirked. “Noted. Though I wasn’t exactly trying to sneak up on you. Sounds to me like you were talking a bit too loudly to yourself.”

“Oh.” Well, he supposed that was a reason to stop talking to himself outside the lighthouse as well. What a week for learning embarrassing things about himself.

“So, Martin. Were you just planning to run upstairs for a quick chat?”

Martin tried to respond, but she didn’t give him an opening. “Clearly you didn’t come up here to talk to us.” She looked out across the sea, letting her smile falter. “I respect how much you want to figure this all out, but Tim definitely won’t be happy.”

Martin flinched. “No, you’ve got it wrong. I hadn’t even been thinking about it when I walked back up here, and once I saw you all were still working, I figured I’d leave you be.” He paused, then added, “And Tim really doesn’t need to know I was out here. He’d just get the wrong impression.”

With a curt laugh, Sasha readjusted herself onto both elbows. “I suppose he doesn’t. I wouldn’t let this happen again, though, if I were you.” A moment passed as she stretched her fingers. “What brought you up here, then?”

“I mean- that’s sort of personal.” Martin leaned away to get a better look at her, but her expression was unreadable in the dim light.

“Unless you have reason to believe the lighthouse compelled you, I have to assume there was some other reason you wandered up here, especially with that newly-soaked jacket sleeve?”

He laughed nervously. “Oh! Oh, I just tripped on the way, and with all the puddles-”

She cut him off. “Please don’t try that with me. It wasn’t a terrible deflection, but if you think I’m going to take a ‘personal reasons’ defense for you returning to your dangerous place of work past sundown when we might not be here-”

He held his hands out in front of him defensively. “It’s not like that! I just needed some air, and-.”

“And then you came here after a rather nasty fall.” When she saw Martin’s bewildered expression, she tapped a finger to her temple.

Lifting his hand, Martin lightly touched his own forehead and found a slightly raised lump just under his bangs that stung with the contact.

Sasha sighed. “I don’t want half-truths, which you seem to enjoy giving. Just tell me what happened.” She crossed her arms. “I want to understand what’s going on, same as you, but if you don’t trust us, we can’t trust you to make safe decisions.”

Martin scoffed. “Sure, yeah, like you all make ‘safe’ decisions.”

For a minute or so, they stood in silence against the rail and looked across the water. Turned away from the lighthouse that peered over their shoulders, Sasha’s features were obscured. She seemed to be waiting patiently. He took the offered time to think.

She wouldn’t need to know all the particulars of why he’d left home. Getting defensive when she had no reason to suspect anything other than the very real weirdness of the night was just digging him into an unnecessary hole.

“I wanted to get some time out of the house for myself.” Yes, that should be enough for that bit. “When I got up top, I looked at the lighthouse without thinking and I blacked out. Maybe part of me thought I could figure things out by coming here, instead of sitting around doing nothing.”

He took in a shaky breath. “But I’m not trying anything tonight, obviously. I wasn’t thinking straight, that’s all.”

With this, some tension left her face. “I don’t doubt it considering the bump on your head, though coming here without thinking is concerning in and of itself. Did anything about tonight’s blackout seem different from what you’ve experienced recently?”

He nodded. “The vertigo, it usually just... happens. I look at the lighthouse, or down from its weird window, or sometimes just down the hill, and it hits like a brick. Tonight, though…” he swallowed, but the dryness made it an effort. “I saw something. A huge, black pit right behind me, like it was always there.”

There was a wobble to his voice, but if Sasha noticed, she didn’t react. “And when did the vertigo hit?”

“I’m not sure? It happened so fast, it was like the sky was pushing me into it. I think... it was when I finally looked down into the pit that the feeling came.” Martin twiddled his thumbs. “Then I came to, and the pit was gone.”

“Hm.” Sasha tapped on the railing and looked at him. “Has anything changed for you between this incident and the ones earlier this week?”

“No. I don’t think so.” The lie felt bad going down, but there was no helping it. “I was stressed about everything going on, I suppose. Thinking about upstairs.”

She seemed to accept this with a nod. “That could do it. Stress works well with a lot of phenomena. If you think of anything else, let us know. Tim has been trying to keep track of his experiences, but I think it’s hard for him to keep his thoughts straight about it.” Her brows crinkled with concern.

Martin frowned. “There was a moment on the stairs where he wasn’t doing well.”

She sighed. “Yeah, it’s been a rough week for him. Luckily, he’s not one to hide this sort of thing when he doesn’t have to.” That would’ve felt pointed if she didn’t seem so genuinely worried. “Not that he never does. Everyone has personal business. But he knows that right now it’s best to be up front about any issues, because it means we can try to solve the problem.’

She purposefully locked eyes with him. “You get that, right? We all want this to be settled so everyone can be okay, and that means honesty.”

She could tell he was hiding something. Or she was just throwing whatever at the wall just in case he was lying. Or she was just concerned about Tim and himself?

Shit, he wasn’t in a place to figure out what anyone was thinking. “I know. It’s important to have all of the facts. That’s why we’re waiting for the phone call, right?”

“Yep.” Sasha tucked some loose hair behind her ear. “Tim said he’d talked to you upstairs, about what the thing probably is.”

Martin huffed in frustration. “I know, but I’d still rather do something. He- they begged me to help. I know it was my own voice, but-”

Her hand landed gently on his shoulder. “But it felt like a person?”

Another hard swallow. “Yeah.”

Sasha tapped on the railing again, then looked back at her car. “I should go get the thing I came out here for. You should come inside, too, to tell the others what happened. Maybe they’ll have some insights.” She offered him a half smile, and as she turned more toward the light, Martin could see the bags under her eyes. “Honestly, it’ll be a welcome excuse for all of us to stop going over historical documents and our own bad handwriting.”

“Not super successful, then?”

She smiled with more than a hint of pain. “More like success is hard to track in these circumstances.”

Once Sasha had grabbed a file folder from her car, they walked back into the lighthouse. Martin kept his eyes down, unwilling to look at Tim or Jon for very different reasons.

“Look who showed up with some new info regarding magical nausea.” Sasha took a seat at the table next to Tim.

“Great!” Tim said, closing a binder with a decisive snap that made Martin’s head shoot up in surprise. “Love to learn more about terrifying phenomena that affect me in unpleasant ways-Oh, wow. That’s a nasty one you’ve got.”

Martin set his slightly damp jacket on the back of his chair and sat next to Jon without making eye contact. There was no chance Jon wasn’t connecting some dots about his reappearance, and even if Tim and Sasha weren’t present, Martin had no desire to discuss anything related to selkies for a long, long while.

--

“That’s certainly… something,” Jon said, once Martin had completed a more thorough retelling of his fall. “Does that sound anything like what you’ve experienced, Tim?”

Tim seemed to contemplate this. “I haven’t had it bad enough to pass out, and a big hole in the ground doesn’t ring a bell. It doesn’t feel wrong, though.”

“How so?” Sasha asked. She had her elbow on the table and leaned her head against a closed fist.

“I mean, when I’m walking up those stairs, it’s hard not to feel like you’re about to fall into something. That’s where vertigo usually happens, right? On the edge of a big drop, like the one outside.”

Jon looked up at Tim, then back down at his pad. “Yes, though it can also be caused by an issue of the inner ear, a cause we shouldn’t throw out just yet.”

Tim snorted. “My ears are fine, thank you very much.”

This earned him a pull on the ear lobe from Sasha. After he grunted with some dramatics, she said, “Yep, seems fine to me. I wonder, Martin, if the change was brought on by your time with Simon Fairchild. He also sort of ‘pushed’ you backwards, right?”

“Huh. Yeah, actually. It was a lot like that.” Of course it was. How had he not thought of that? “Sorry. I guess it’s hard to think about either of those experiences too much.”

Jon tapped his pen on the table, seeming to look for the right words. “That doesn’t explain why it didn’t happen until tonight, when you’d been on the stairs hours earlier. Considering Tim’s response, I would’ve expected yours to be worse as well.”

Martin made the mistake of looking up to see Jon’s concerned face. Yes, Jon had an idea of what had changed between then and now and was doing a terrible job at hiding it from the others. “Maybe it was frustration, then? When I went home, it was after hours of nothing happening. Maybe that made me look up longer than normal, and everything with me is fine.” Please, he begged, please stop looking as if you know something.

Before Jon could respond, Sasha said, “We could test it.”

Grateful as he was for the distraction, Martin stared at Sasha in confusion. “...How?”

“We go up the stairs and supervise. If things are the same as they were before tonight, then we have new knowledge about how this place works. If the pit reappears, we can dig further into why this seems to be your current condition.”

Tim spoke up with an unexpected edge to his words. “And when you say ‘go up the stairs’, you mean do that and come right back down, right?”

Sasha turned to him. “We could, but-”

Tim slumped in his chair, massaging his temples. “No. No, we talked about this, and it’s a bad idea.”

“It’s also a bad idea to wait until time is up.” She lowered her voice, reaching a hand out toward Tim’s shoulder. “Look, we’ll all be there, and we won’t spend too long talking to it. I promise.”

Tim swatted her hand away. “You agreed to wait for the phone call! It hasn’t even been 24 hours.”

“What if it doesn’t come? What if she never calls back, and we waste the rest of our time and end up returning to the Institute with nothing?”

With some irritation, Jon said, “There’s a change Elias will extend the project-”

“Oh, I don’t believe that for a second.” Sasha waved her hand dismissively. “If anything, his weird radio silence this whole week makes me think he has no intention to do so. Has he responded seriously to any of your update emails?”

Jon opened his mouth to speak, only to come up with nothing.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Nothing but ‘excellent’ and ‘thank you for the report’, if you receive a response at all. If we can’t find anything that doesn’t make our digging into the Lukases painfully obvious, we’re going to get pulled from this place, leaving us with no answers or solutions. I don’t think Martin would be very happy with that outcome. I definitely wouldn’t.”

Martin kept his mouth shut, not daring to enter the argument. His eyes flitted between the three researchers, a horrible emptiness filling his chest. So that was it. Unless Naomi gave them something to work with, or they figured out whatever was going on in the next day, that could be it. They would be gone, and he’d be on his own.

Tim glanced at Martin, his face layered with exhaustion and a sort of dread. “...Guys.”

Jon’s eyes were still trained on Sasha with uncertainty. “I don’t think we can make a call-”

“I think we can! We can ask it a few questions, alternate who asks something so it doesn’t get too much of anyone, then stop once we’ve got something we can use-”

Tim’s gaze lost focus, and he shot out of his chair. Before the other two could respond, he stumbled across the room and into the toilet, slamming the door behind him.

“Shit,” Sasha said under her breath, walking after him. She pressed an ear to the door, then grimaced. “Tim, are you okay?”

Jon sent him a brief, nervous look. “Just… give us a moment.” Jon pushed himself out of his chair and joined Sasha.

“Er.” Martin ran his thumb over his knuckles, eyeing the exit with increasing desperation. If Jon hadn’t said anything he would’ve quietly excused himself, but as things were, Martin remained glued to his chair.

The walls betrayed any attempt at whispering. “Tim.” Sasha knocked lightly on the door. “It’s okay. We won’t do anything tonight, I swear.”

She winced at something Martin couldn’t hear. “Oh, that doesn’t sound good,” she muttered, turning toward Martin. “Can you get some water?”

--

After about ten minutes, Tim stumbled out of the toilet, finished glass in hand. After looking at his chair, he elected to sit on the floor with his back against the wall.

He sighed, placing a hand over his eyes. “Don’t get how you’ve worked here for so long.”

Martin scratched his face. “It’s-”

“‘Good pay’, I know.” Tim dropped his hand and played with the empty glass, narrowing his eyes at Sasha and Jon. “God, stop hovering and get down here. Stop making me look up.” They did as they were told, Sasha with legs pulled to her chest and Jon with an elbow resting against his one upright knee.

Tim waved a lazy arm up at Martin, who had returned to the table. “You too. Everyone on the floor.”

“Oh. I, um, I really should get going, actually? It is a bit late, and-”

Tim’s glare was feeble at best. Still, Martin got the message and sat on the floor as well, crossing his legs in front of him with all the grace he could muster, which wasn’t much at this point.

Satisfied, Tim dragged a hand down his cheeks, pulling at the skin under his eyes. “Well, then. Martin. How are you feeling right now?”

Martin leaned back. “Excuse me?”

Tim rolled his eyes. “You came here after hallucinating a giant pit and hitting your head. How are you feeling?”

The sincerity of the question hit Martin like the pavement. “I’m… I’m fine? The bump only stings when I touch it, so...”

“Not quite what I meant. It’s been a weird week. I’m wondering how you’re doing, considering all this.” He gestured the glass toward the general surroundings.

“I-” Martin looked to the others, but all he got were similar questioning looks. At least they weren’t holding up pens and notebooks, and they didn’t have a look of scientific interest. They just... wanted to know how he was doing. “Okay, yeah, it has been a weird week. Whatever is going on, the dizziness is way worse than it used to be, and I don’t know if it’s from us snooping around, or unusual amounts of stress, or something else entirely, but it’s not great.”

To his right, Jon grimaced and pulled his upright leg closer to himself. “I apologize. We’ve been relying on you for much of our investigation, but I hadn’t checked to see if you were all right with it all.”

Martin shook his head. “I wanted to help. It was my own decision to be involved like I have been. It’s my job to keep track of how I’m doing.”

Sasha exhaled through her nose. “True, but we could’ve been more upfront about the methods and risks.” Sasha twisted a lock of hair around her finger. “You’ve been helpful to us, and we’re thankful, but that doesn’t excuse ignoring the effects our work could be having on you. It’s a lot to deal with if you’re not prepared.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Martin chuckled. “This is your job, though. How the hell do you deal with it?”

Tim snorted. “Apparently I haven’t been. This past week has knocked me right on my arse.”

Jon frowned. “It’s not always like this. For the most part, we just stay at the Institute, taking new statements and praying we can find a rational place to store them in the ancient filing system. Which we’re still dealing with despite working on it for two years now.”

“God, please no, not the filing system again,” Tim groaned, unable to hide a smirk.

Jon soldiered on, bitterness dripping from his voice. “It’s an absolute mess. Statements are dated, but nothing is organized by date! We’ve only just started to have a usable database, and by the time we enter everything into it, we’ll be haunting the place ourselves.”

“So, to answer your question, we deal with it by doing paperwork and complaining,” Sasha said with a fake brightness. Her shoulders slumped. “I know it’s been rough, but this is the part of the job I live for.”

“Normally I’d agree, if I wasn’t being terrorized by literal hostile architecture.” Tim landed hard on his t’s, jaw clenched. Then, he relaxed and shrugged at Martin. “Otherwise, yeah, field work is great. Get to see new places, and most of the time it’s just a nice trip out of the city.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “I do wish we had a better vetting process for these things. I understand the budget currently allows for field trips, but I’d rather not be sent out for pranks and tricks of the light. And, well-”

“It could stop you from being an arse every time Elias sends us off?” This earned Tim an annoyed scowl.

Jon stammered out, “That is not fair-”

“And that’s enough of that, I think.” Sasha stretched out her legs. “We’ve all learned a lesson and made friends.”

“If Martin hasn’t decided to delete my number the moment this is taken care of,” Tim said with a wide grin. “Wouldn’t blame you, mind.”

Martin raised his eyebrows, heat rushing to his ears. “Hey, I’m not-”

Tim waggled a finger. “Don’t say anything you’ll regret. I’m a very avid texter.”

“I’m- it’s not-” Martin took a quick breath to gather himself. “It’s been nice, actually, having you all here. Even if it’s ended in me banging my head against a curb.”

Jon cleared his throat. “Though that is a… nice sentiment? We do still have tomorrow. And though Sasha thinks it to be unlikely, I’m still expecting an extension, especially after your incident earlier.” He nodded as if reassuring himself. “Yes, I think it will be fine.”

“Just don’t go falling over again,” Tim said, pointing a firm finger in Martin’s direction. “I for one plan on keeping my eyes shut the whole walk to the hotel, forcing Jon and Sasha to lead me away from potential danger.”

Ignoring a dirty look from Jon, Tim’s face softened. “Just take it slow on the way home. Maybe take one of us with you in case the hill ends up being a lot. I’d go myself, but it might end with both of us tumbling into a bear.”

Martin laughed. “I don’t think we have- Anyway, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“You did say something about the hill giving you trouble,” Sasha said. “Jon knows where you live, right? He can make sure you get back fine, and I’ll stop Tim from tripping into a bin.”

“Yes, that’s good thinking,” Jon said, using the table to pull himself to his feet.

Oh no. “Um-”

“It was our fault for not checking in with you.” Jon offered a hand to Martin. “The least we can do is make sure nothing else happens tonight.”

The walk was terribly long. He was already feeling much better. Jon would have to walk all the way back afterwards. Really, he’d be-

“All right…” Martin grabbed Jon’s hand, accepting the help. “Only if you’re okay with it.”

[devintrinidad]

I haven't watched it Akadama Drive the way through. But I have seen a lot of it. It's almost too gorey for me. But the visuals are a real treat and it definitely has the cyberpunk cool factor down. Swindler was a great main character! (I never shipped her with Cutthroat. I knew the psychopath was that. A psychopath and I bet he was going to turn on them at anytime. And he did! Never be distracted by the childish antics pretty boy serial killers!). 

I'm interested in the future of AD. I heard the last episode was getting a special Directors cut including a alternative ending. I also heard the AD creators were happy to hear AD is doing well in the west so fans are wondering if that means their hoping to make a S2? I don't keep up with AD news so I'm not sure if that's their intention or not. But I did hear a fan theory that S2 could be about the bad guys using technology to bring at least of the main characters back to life (considering Swindler had a religious themed death and both her and Courier's bodies could easily be recovered. Plus revival through tech is such a Cyberpunk staple) because Brother and Sister are still targets and they were would where to look for them. 

So maybe AD still has a bright future ahead with more content to explore the world (I honestly think Hacker could easily be a main character in any sequal). 

Onto the CAW/AD verse.

I could totally see 3803 being this epic biker chick.... Who gets lost easily. But because she does all these crazy stunts, her enemies (who don't know her yet) think she's planning everything to confuse them. X D 

I could see 1146's akudama name being Bodyguard. Because when he's not acting like one for 3803 and Platelet. He's taking up bodyguard jobs for anyone who needs them. For the right price and reason. If you're a scumbag who hurts innocent people, he'll kill you on the spot. But be nice enough to return the moneyto your corpse. Unless 3803 or Platelet needs something, then he'll strip you of all your dough and leave you penniless. He has a very ruthless rep. But he's so good at what he does, his help is in high demand. Ecspecially for someone who needs a bodyguard they can trust (and they know they aren't or won't act like scum around him to earn his wrath). He's fine with helping criminals. Just not ones who do a lot of harm to innocents or are involved in nasty business like trafficking or something.

Story wise things change up.

The way I see things here is that Cancer is the one secretly in charge and why things are so wrong. He's this absolute monster of a human being who gained immortality hundreds of years ago. He went nuts and caused wars and blew up the moon. He wants all the power and has created societies in his own twisted corrupted image (basically his dream in canon coming true here). But he's noticed after awhile things always go bad under his leadership and nearly everything dies. Instead of starting over again and again. He's decides to find a way to force everyone to become immortal like him so that even if they're killed. They'll have no choice but to come back to life like he does. If he has to suffer this, then so does everyone else. 

That's where 3803 and Platelet come in. For decades, Cancer has been collecting and experimenting on people in secret in order to figure out how to gift them with his immortality. 3803 and Platelet are surviving lab rats who managed to escape during a explosion happening in the building. 3803 is the closest he's come to achieving his goal. 3803 would later tell 1146 she has no idea how immortal she is and it scares her to death that she might be unable to die like Cancer. All she knows is that she can take a lot of damage and recover in time. She's been able to age a little. But she hopes she's not being paranoid about looking younger and smaller for her age (Macrophage, another Akudama who knows her secret, tells her it's common for girls like her to look younger then they are and that she has gotten bigger since they first met. But 3803 is still a little concerned). 3803 also has no idea about Platelets status in all this since she's never been badly hurt and she's aged normally. But she's also never gotten sick a day in her life and she was put in the same cell as her. The scientists saying all she needed was a little tweaking and they'd both be closer to becoming their goal. 

Ohhh, I didn't even think about 4989 and the others being 1146's enemies. I assumed they'd follow his lead eventually. Say they're dissapointed in him. Because yeah things are corrupt. But that's no reason to become a criminal and abandon their dreams of making the city a better place. They weren't there when he turned traitor so all they've been told is he got beguiled by some witch (3803 gets a very exaggerated and unpleasent rep along the Executioners for turning their top soldier against them. 1146 was already having serious doubts on his own but the organization puts the blame on her regardless). Eventually they get told by a superior officer if they can capture both 1146 and 3803 alive, they'll take 1146 back instead of executing or throwing him in jail. They'll strip him of his Akudama name and only punish him by putting a bomb collar on him until he redeems himself to them. It's not ideal. But for their friend they'll take it. They do eventually find and fight 1146 and even manage to knock him out and tie him up. They're prepared to fight 3803... Until they meet her face to face. From the rumours, they were expecting this buff scary woman who could rip their faces off. Instead they meet this determined but petite girl who looks like she'd hurt herself trying punch them. Even worse she's holding this little scared crying girl calling her big sis in her arms. They're the picture of defenselessness and it's suddenly making them not comfortable with this. This goes two ways: either they decide to cool down for a sec and let 3803 and 1146 explain themselves and then make the choice to leave and become akudamass too. Or, they harden themselves and take her anyway. 3803 promises to come quietly if they let her little sister go (they don't suspect Platelet is the Akadama Bomber). 3803 is hoping if she goes alone, She can at least convince Cancer Platelet died years ago and was a failed test subject. They agree and 3803 has to push Platelet away and yell at her to go (she knows she'll go to Macrophage so she'll be fine) because Platelet knows what's happening and is desperate enough to almost throws a small bomb at them (but 1146 would get caught up in the blast and 3803 glares at her to obey so she doesn't). The WBC squad does feel bad since they're not used to dealing with vulnerable women and children who can't fight back. 

When 1146 wakes up in a room with his superior officer telling him he's back and not getting a bomb collar. He's getting brain surgery and it's a surprise what that's going to be. Needless to say, 1146 is pissed beyond words. He's going to be forced to be their top dog somehow again. Platelet is alone and scared. 3803 is going to be carted off to Cancer so Cancer can make things even worse. Needless to say he manages to make his case to his friends who see definitely now know being a Akadama is better then this. Half of them go to rescue 1146 before he gets brain surgery and the others go get 3803 before Cancer can.

That's my idea of it anyway. Cause the WBC squad would actually be really good akadamas.

Now when it comes to 1146 fighting allies a lot. My initial idea was before he left, 1146 was the best of the best alongside NK and Killer T. They were the power trio that stood above the rest with a 100% success rate in missions once all three worked together. But unlike the WBS squad. They stick to their Executioner roles. I see this because in CAW canon, despite being softies inside, both Killer T and NK have this 'don't get chummy with civilians' mentality. Killer T ecspecially getting on 1146 for wanting to interact and go soft with them. In AD verse, NK and Killer T ultimately believe the Executioners are a nessecary evil at worst because the world needs them to be (Idk, you can keep the germs and make them monsters that Executioners have to fight to keep the city save too. Of course all of them are secretly made by Cancer to convince the most 'noble' of Executioners to keep the corrupted status quo).  When 1146 left, they took it personally. Particularly Killer T. NK keeps things more professional, but both want Roto resolve things with 1146 and see it as their duty to take him down. They don't believe 1146 about the whole conspiracy of a immortal Cancer ruling the world and doing all this other unbelievable stuff. Even when they see 3803 surviving a lot of damage, they chalk it up to her having access to some high tech she stole. Either way I'm conflicted on them being tragic villains who refuse to stop fighting 1146 and capture 3803 under orders or villains who get redeemed at the end. 

But Akadama Killer T. Tell me more? What's he like?

Other stuff-

Macrophage is called Hacker. Both because she can hack her targets into pieces with her axe and because she's a famous computer hacker. She found 3803 and Platelet years ago after they had escaped from the underground lab. She was reasearching for fun what the base was and discovered its use for making immortality. She took the two girls in to raise as if they were her own and trained them how to survive as Akadama (more so 3803 since she's older). When Macrophage isn't a assassin for hire, she's using her hacking abilities as mission control for 3803 when she's on the job. She helps her not get too lost and handles money transactions. They see her as the mom they never had despite that she's really only around 14 years older then them. 

Platelet loves blowing things up. She likes building things too. But bombing things helps her little family out more. She'll often plant tiny bombs all over the city and has Macrophage use her computer to keep track of them so she can detonate them when she sees a use to (like blowing up anyone chasing 383 while she's on her motorcycle). She adores 1146 and loves having him be part of her family. Partly because he's so strong and protective she doesn't have to worry as much about 3803 as much with him around. It's unknown just how much the experiments affected her too. All that's known is she's never been sick and barely needs any sleep to operate and always has nothing but energy to spare. She gets scared easily when 3803 might get taken away because her big sis has always been there for her and she's terrified of Cancer destroying her life and family again. If she lost 3803 she doesn't think she'd known how to live ob without her.

Cancer refers to all his experiments as his children. He calls 3803 and Platelet his daughters in particular and plans on having them back and fully like him so they can be his perfect family. He's actually known them since they were babies since, before they escaped, they've spent most, if not, all their lives in his care at the lab.

In this verse, 1146 is a much more aggressive pursurer of 3803's affections. He's still shy about making moves and acts stoic. But it's apparent he's interested in her early on and after awhile he makes no secret he wants to marry her. It always surprises her when he talks about wanting to marry her because he's too shy to flirt with her or even ask her on a date. He's both unable to make the first move, yet is very blunt about his desired intentions. She on the other hand is more hesitant. With her unknown immortality status, she's afraid she can't grow old with him and would deny him a normal wife. He simply says he wants her and no one else will ever do. 

3803 feels bad about him becoming a criminal. He's fighting his friends and comrades and has a huge life sentence on him all because he protected he. He tells her even if he has never met her. He knows sooner or later he would have left on his own and been branded a Akadama. Meeting her just have him another reason to believe in protecting others. Plus she does let him live with her and her for free. She still tries to pay him for his services when he protects her on the job. Initially he takes the money. But after too long she finds out all he does with the money is buy her things she was planning on getting later anyway. He basically was doing her errands for her. She gave up after that. 

 1146 is very protective of 3803's secret and has killed people over it to protect her. Those people being top high level Executioners who are in on Cancer's existence and his plans. 1146 knows the moment Cancer can get 3803 and confirm her ID. There's going to be a lot of trouble. He's made it a goal to either turn those people to his side or kill them all until there's no one left. When Cancer hears of this, he calls him a kind killer. 

Macrophage once jokes 1146 should be called Husband instead of Bodyguard because that's what he acts like with 3803. All overprotective and lovey dovey. He hates it when other men flirt with him and scared them off. 

Cancer is actually more aware of 3803 and Platelets activity then anyone thinks. It's just that he's immortal so time is a little for him. He kind of enjoys watching them hide and run and wondering how far he can push 1146 in his efforts to protect them. 

That's all I got I think. Putting in Cancer kind of changes things up but I also think he strangely fits in there very well. 

Any other ideas you have?

~~~

Oh my! It’s been a while since you’ve made such a long and lovely submission! First things first, yes, Swindler is best girl!!!

Heheh, I found Cutthroat/Swindler to be somewhat cute, but I had a feeling things would turn out for the worst when the team ultimately separated after Doctor’s betrayal and the fight with the Executioners. It was a pretty cool dynamic and I love how Swindler ultimately turned the tables on him.

(I’m a bit leery as to why he could see her “red halo” from so far away, but I suppose it was due to insanity/supernatural influences).

And yup! There was going to be a director’s cut. A Youtuber actually translated the tweets that directors had regarding the director’s cut and discovered that it was going to be an extra seven minutes of footage and would feature scenes that would help flesh out the last episode more.

It’s super interesting.

LINK HERE

Ooohhhh, a season 2 where we can see best girl and Courier to come back??? To be honest, I like the series where it stands. It had a message, stuck with it, but managed to punch it all in with masterful animation techniques and storytelling. One of the characters that I think would definitely come back, should probably be Hacker. He was a god of cyberspace and savvy with technology.

Someone once speculated that he’s smart: he would definitely upload a backup of himself somewhere.

(Another person thought that Hacker must have saved himself on Swindler’s phone because his drone icon was there after his final parting gift).

I think the best way to add onto the series would be to revisit their backgrounds? Then again, I checked out the available manga chapters that have been translated thus far, and it seems they might delve a little into that territory.

Maybe a one shot episode where we get to see all the Akudama go about their daily lives where they sometimes interact (unknowingly) Durarara style (another great anime you should watch if you have the time).

Hacker as main character??? Yes please???

3803 would definitely do crazy tricks, hahah. She’s simultaneously skilled and unskilled with her bike. She’s like the... Captain Jack Sparrow of the series except instead of being drunk all the time, she’s somewhat clueless and innocent.

Bodyguard is such a lovely name. Like... I can picture it and it really fits. Not only does it satisfy his canon role of protecting, it actually helps him from actually killing too many people unnecessarily. He’ll do it if he has to, but his main goal is to protect his charge, not go after any assassins and whatnot.

Ooooohhhh, I love Cancer here! You make him out to be some terrible god of destruction and chaos and I absolutely adore it. And the motive for immortality makes more sense in this au then in the canon for AD, hahah. But yes, I imagine after years of destruction and infamy, he would definitely feel lonely and bitter.

So of course, why not drag the rest of humanity down with him?

3803 and Platelet both being somewhat immortal beings? Yes??? And Macrophage being one of their true confidants? Also yes??? (WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ALL THESE GOOD IDEAS???)

I know later on you’ll talk about Macrophage being a hacker (because of major hacking skills in tech and in killing), but what about this: she’s the Doctor from AD. Not a backstabber, but one who was somewhat affiliated with the idea of immortality. Maybe she was one of the scientists who helped raise 3803 and Platelet and after discovering that all the rest of the experiments died and only two remained, she decided enough was enough and got them out of Cancer’s hold.

Hmm... how about we combine Hacker and Doctor to create Scientist instead? She’s cold and ruthless underneath her ladylike vibes, but she truly does feel for the plight of 3893 and Platelet.

I don’t know, it would make for an interesting dynamic.

Oooohhh, I love the confrontation with WBC squad and 3803. They’re so geared and ready (4989 is definitely sweating bullets while the others reassure him). Also, you know how in AD canon that the Executions are always in pairs? Let’s have 2001 and 1145 the original pairing before he broke out. Then, 4989 with 2626 and 2048 and Eosinophil while 2001 gets stuck with Band Cell. Because, why not.

(Or, we go back to one of my most heinous friendships I ever created, 2001 and Dendritic Cell).

Can I also say that Bomber is such a bomb name for Platelet? (Pun completely intended).

And yeah, the WBC squad are definitely really uncomfortable when they undergo some cognitive dissonance here... perhaps it’s starting at this moment that they realize that Akudama aren’t that different from normal people... or the Executioners.

Bomb collars and surgery for 1146??? Ooohhhh, he must really be the top Executioner... I wonder if he’ll reunite with 2001 again as his partner or get someone new who can help control him. Because NK and Killer T are definitely partners.

On a side note you mentioned that they think that Executioners are a necessary evil. It’s like your acknowledging and somewhat hinting that they know this is wrong and that Akudamas aren’t inherently bad, but do so anyway because of a corrupt legal system. I love it. It really adds to the depth of the characters.

And yes, we need tragic villains with feelings.

As for Akudama Killer T... Maybe he went through some mental breakdown before realizing that the Executioners aren’t always right )if they were ever right in the first place). Perhaps he breaks like 1146 did, but instead of using his skills for constructive purposes, he goes all out and doesn’t care about the law anymore. He sort of becomes 1146’s foil. They’re both rear Executioners, both saw the errors of their ways, but while 1146 becomes a protector in his own way, maybe Killer T decides to become a mercenary.

I don’t know, I love parallels and showcasing how far characters have done.

(I REALLY WANTED PUPIL EXECUTIONER TO BECOME AN AKUDAMA OR AT LEAST HAVE A MOMENT TO HERSELF, BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED. AT LEAST THE DIRECTORS CUT IS SAID TO ADDRESS THAT).

Cancer as a father?

Cancer as a family man?

I... that’s a concept I never considered. Just, I can only imagine him playing with all of his experiments, knowing that one day, most of them will end up dying. He probably favors 3803 over Platelet because of how close they are in physical appearance/age and acts creepy about it.

(Is this my Abnormalities!verse writing urge acting up again, probably).

Hehehe, why but blunt 1146. That is so cute and adorable. He and 3803 constantly dance around the issue, especially due to the whole immortality thing, but he makes it clear that he doesn’t care. Though he doesn’t know it, he’s actually quite suave when he finally convinces her that it’s the time they spend together now that matters so they won’t regret in the future.

3803 swoons.

Husband??? Yes???

Macrophage as confirmed 3803/1146 shipper? Why not???

Ooohhh, Cancer is more aware than what was already expected... I HAVE ANOTHER IDEA!!!

So I know that I said earlier that Macrophage would be a combination of Hacker and Doctor, why not also make Cancer have Hacker elements? Think about it, he’s practically immortal and it was never truly confirmed how immortality works in AD canon. Maybe his immortality is due to a combination of high technology and organic stuff. Maybe, he can upload his consciousness at will so that he can “supervise” his children. It also adds credence to the whole “3803 had high tech to help her stave off heavy damage” that Killer T and NK think is what’s going on. I don’t know, I just think it would be cool to have Cancer be a god in the physical and technological world.

He would be so OP, but that’s what Cancer probably would want in CAW canon, so there, hahah.

Hmm, anything else? Let’s see, Killer T as an Akudama would definitely be more of a Brawler character... I don’t have anybody down for Hoodlum... But who do you think would be a best fit for Head Executioner? At first, I wanted Helper T, but I realized that he doesn’t get super utilized in canon, so why not make him Executioners alongside Regulatory T. Seriously, they don’t get enough screen time (especially Regulatory T).

As for the majority of Akudamas, most are definitely pathogens or germs, but I’m assuming some of them are actually Normal Cells... Normal Cells with benign mutations, but somehow get the attention of Executioners.

But yeah, this was an awesome little au. I’m down to read some action packed nonsense with these characters. You should definitely try your hand at writing this, hahah!

[vios-rockland-corner]

Rumors of Rockland: Article 1

You’re new in town and about to start up work soon.  Still settling in, you’re looking around Rockland to find a good hang out place.  Someplace where you could just observe what goes on around you.  A place to get your bearings.

Rockland’s funny though.  You can’t help but feel this weird sense of foreboding sometimes.  Not to mention, there’s quite a few colorful characters about.  But that just makes it more intriguing, right?

[Full spoilers below for RoR: Article 1]

The Rumors of Rockland minigames are a continuous installment of visual novels by @runawayoutlaw and @rottenbonethief (@sugarhazard may have his own characters and art appear from time to time).  The MC in these games is the same character every time, making this an ongoing discovery from one set of eyes.  A nice little way to peak into the oddity of Rockland and its inhabitants from a much safer perspective than other games will allow. 

This installment series will also be part of the future 5 year in-game time skip.  Not only will the MC get to meet the characters when they’re younger, but this means they become a more fixed resident themselves and get to see what happens to many of these characters later on in life.

Story

Already with the release of the first article, the MC is finding Rockland to be anything but bland.  First we have a very brief run-in with two bartenders.  One who literally ducks out for a break before the MC can get a word in, and one who appears much friendlier (for the most part) but is also occupied soon-after.  Then we get startled by a loud commotion of a very unhinged man oozing violent thoughts as well as being on the verge of tears as his friends attempt to calm him down.  Then we get caught staring and meet the world’s friendliest drug dealer and his very horrified friend who just wishes.he.would.stop.  Have to say, the situation oddly does get the MC much more relaxed after the previous man’s outbursts.  With all this excitement, the MC just barely notices one bartender come back wiping blood off his cheek.  But after everything else that’s happened, the sight just seems to get pushed to the back of the MC’s mind.  Nor does the MC seem so perturbed with the sinister tone in the bartender’s voice.  It doesn’t dissuade you from making a return to the establishment. 

Quite a roller coaster there.

Rockland’s a small place, small enough apparently where all the locals know each other.  Several of these characters bring this up and it’s even hinted that…may not be to your advantage.  If you’re not from around there, they’ll spot you in a crowd.  As friendly as these people seem, we the audience unfortunately know better than the MC does in this situation.  We know there’s disturbing and sinister characters lurking about. 

A new face means potentially two things for locals:

1) You’re either far from home or you’ve yet to ingrain yourself in the community. 

2) You may very well BE alone, without any connections in town. 

In a normal sane town, that just means the newbie has to learn to acquaint themselves with people and the townsfolk have to come to accept the new face as a resident.  Just the normal challenges of joining a new community.  Here in Rockland though, there are folks who likely share a friendly smile because their excitement over a new face comes from a very dark place.  After all, what kind of people make better victims than those so far from help?

 I’m sure not everyone that steps foot in Rockland has the unfortunate fate of going missing.  It IS a tourist town, and that’d bring a bad reputation if no one made it out alive.  But every now and then the darker folks won’t be able to contain themselves, and just decide to pluck some poor individual from the crowd.  Such events probably don’t catch the outside’s eye enough (or soon enough) to cause mass alarm.  But it happens just enough to make Rockland a very special kind of horror.

So if you can’t hide among the locals, what’s a new person to do?  One, be incredibly lucky I’m sure.  Two, get to know the right people.  I like to think there’s a “judging” or “probationary” phase for anyone new who enters Rockland.  How long this goes for, who knows.  If integration is successful, I’m sure the chances of survival shoot up much higher for the newcomer.  It might also be possible that killers may not want to target locals because not only will those faces be missed IMMEDIATELY, but who knows what other families or groups you’ll upset if you target the wrong person. 

Characters

So how about the very first characters the MC meets here?

Not much we learn about Foal.  The finger up seemed like a specific signal to Whesker though.

You’ve got the bartender Whesker.  Seems like a friendly and jovial guy for the little bit of time you get to spend with him.  But he also is one of the first to warn you about telling people you’re new and don’t know anyone here.  There are hints of something dark within this man.  It’s difficult to say though what he thinks of the MC.  Is he subtly giving them a warning here about how dangerous Rockland is?....Or does he already view them as a victim?

Then, you’ve got the violent man Avery.  It’s plain to see this is a man you do NOT want to get in the crossfire of.  He’s very unstable and his stress gives him the urge to grind anything to dust as a way to deal with his emotions.  For anyone who’s played the Misfits: First Blood demo…you know these threats are not empty.  He very much has the capacity to kill someone, no matter how little their offense is.  Luckily, he’s accompanied by his friend Callum who seems to not only know Avery well enough that he’s spared getting a punch in the face, but looks like he’s had to handle a situation or two like this before.  Avery is terrifying, but also tragic.  We don’t know what he’s done here, but from the demo we can take some pretty good guesses.  What’s interesting is that he KNOWS that stuff isn’t okay though and doesn’t actually even want someone to say it is.  He’s self-aware.  But he seems to have no control over his emotions.  There’s also a hint that alcohol was a factor here. 

It seems that Avery also has someone who he doesn’t want to disappoint, but the things he does would break their heart.  The man we see depicted in the bar I think is someone who is their own worst enemy.  He might have difficulty controlling his emotions and/or actions (ex. excessive drinking), but he knows what he shouldn’t do and wants to be better.  It’s a curious thing…can he get better?  Even some of the people who know him have their doubts.  We know Avery’s coming full blast in the “Welcome to Rockland” game, but it’s possible we may ONLY see his worst in that.  With more RoR installments, perhaps we’ll get to see if Avery ever gets better…or worse.

One problem that Avery may have is that he lives in Rockland of all places.  It’s possible that he gets away with a LOT more than a normal criminal does because things like that are considered the norm in Rockland, or because they get swept under the rug.  It’s not incredibly clear, but it’s possible that Whesker had been called out back specifically to clean up Avery’s “mess.”  This is a problem because it means Avery lives in a place where there are little consequences to his actions.  If you go so long without punishment, it’s hard to find a reason to reign yourself back in.  Even his friends like Callum worry that they may be enabling his behavior.  It’s difficult when you know the good sides of a person because you feel less inclined then to berate them when they mess up.  But sometimes you have to call someone out on their behavior, even if it hurts their feelings.  With Avery, I don’t know if yelling at him would be a good idea though, considering how dangerous he can become.  Tough situation.  If you can’t tell, I have mixed feelings about the fellow since I know his violent nature, but something about seeing him helpless here was a little sad.

Finally, you’ve got the drug deal Tyler.  Literally, probably the nicest drug dealer you could ever meet.  Certainly an eccentric fellow, he’s oddly far less frightening than someone like Avery.  His friend Dylan may be horrified by Tyler lacking any means to be discreet, but they seem like good friends none-the-less.  Interestingly enough, Tyler and Dylan are probably the most welcoming and safest appearing characters that you meet this time around.  Are they truly safe?  Who knows.  That might be a fun future game to play: Which Rockland character is safe?

Future characters mentioned but not physically in this installment include cops like Roy.  It’s very possible we may get to see, if not Roy, at least one cop or detective at the bar in the future.  I’m looking forward to that kind of interaction, because what do the cops of Rockland think of new folks?  Do they view them as potential victims they need to keep an eye on more for safety?  Do they act a little gruff to make Rockland seem less welcoming (so the newbie will leave)?  Or are they corrupt and completely aware of what goes on in Rockland (but let things be)…so they don’t make any attempt to drive away or give any kind of warning to the player?  Maybe they just flat out don’t like newcomers because it’s a tight nit town and they already have enough on their plate.  Rockland also seems to be a place that attracts sinister characters honestly.  Not just potential victims.  So the cops may be skeptical about what kind of character has just rolled into town. 

This is only the tip of the iceburg.  There’s so much more to discover, and I feel like these installments will be a great way to see sides of characters we don’t normally get to see in the main games.  I for one enjoy a setting where the MC gets a chance to observe some of these characters in a more public setting.  Oh I’m sure the more intimate settings with certain characters in the others games will be to die for.  But you know, maybe save those games for your more expendable OC’s.

[shadowthrone-ammanas]

Ghost Kid Chapter Ten: Repairs

Hat Kid was getting close to finishing her attempt at repairing the ship. She wouldn’t know if it was successful until she finished and turned it on. Once on, its self-diagnostics systems would tell her if the ship could fly and if so, how well.

It was nerve-wracking being so close to an answer on whether or not she was stuck here or if she’d have to truly start to consider how people back home might react to her new form. Despite that she buckled down on it, taking breaks only to read her book in lieu of sleeping.

The Subcon history book was dense and thick, lasting her far longer than any of the fairytale books had. The images of Subcon before it had been cursed were the most interesting. It was just a normal small kingdom surrounded by normal woods. It seemed to be a peaceful place, a few wars had been fought over it but not many and none of them particularly bad, all ending in peace treaties. It was actually kind of boring, not what Hat Kid had been expecting at all. It kept her busy when not working on her ship so she kept reading, hoping for more interesting stuff to pop up deeper in the book.

But eventually she reached a point where she finally, at long last had done everything she possibly could to repair her ship with what resources she had. She’d had to cut a few corners but in theory it might work. Only one way to find out.

The ship fired up just fine. Maybe it took a few seconds longer than normal but that might’ve just been her anticipation making it seem longer. She sat at the command desk… where her body had been and thus where she’d died! … Nope, she wasn’t thinking about that right now even if she just realized she’d been avoiding this spot until now. But she had no choice, it was the ship’s command desk.

She quickly punched in some commands, starting the ship’s self-diagnostics. It took it a few minutes but the overall result came up yellow. More info revealed that it was functional but being careful was advised, especially when warp jumping. The computer also advised going home for immediate proper repair. But that was possible, according the computer which was rarely wrong, the ship could safely make it all the way back home. Meaning despite all odds she’d done it, she’d gotten her ship space worthy again. All she had to do now was fix the window and she was free to go home whenever she pleased because she already had all the Time Pieces back – she’d only been sticking around to do the Death Wish contracts.

It almost didn’t feel real. How long had she been working on this? Weeks and weeks for sure, months even. And now it was basically done. But… did she still even want to go home?

Would she be accepted back as a ghost? Would returning dead count as having failed the final test? If so, they’d want take her ship away. Did she want to risk that with how strict the Headmaster was? Her ship meant everything to her, losing it or giving it up was out of the question, it was hers. But… she’d worked so hard to go back home, both before and after her death. And it was home she couldn’t just abandon home without even trying even if it meant risking her ship, could she?

With a sigh, she exited through the broken window, floating down to the forest floor. If only she could take a nap, get away from thinking about this decision for a while. She could read, that helped a lot but… she wasn’t in the mood to slog through more the history book right now.

Instead, she went for a wander. Getting away from the ship and just looking around the forest was nice, especially now that there weren’t any hazards to her. Eventually she inevitably ended up looking for Snatcher. It had been a while since she’d talked to him, days in fact. She found him in his favourite reading spot in the giant hollow.

“Snatcher,” she said in way of greeting as she floated in.

“Hmm… hello,” he replied, not looking up from his book.

“Um… I finished repairing my ship.” That got him to lower his book and look at her. “All I need to do now is fix the window and I can go home.”

“That’s great news,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll finally be rid of you. I can’t wait.”

“Yeah, but…” Hat Kid lifted a hand to rub the back her neck, far too used to the feel of her own ghostly form now. “I don’t know if I want to go to back home.”

Snatcher’s eyes narrowed as he actually closed his book now. “Why not?”

“I uh… don’t know if… they’d let me back like this. They might… count my death as a failure and… take away my ship.” And without that, what was the point? She had no family, a friend yes, but… would Bow want her back like this?

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“The school. I didn’t teach myself how to fly and repair a space ship, you know, someone had to teach me.”

“Honestly kid, if you told me you did, I might actually believe you.” Oh! A compliment, that was unlike him. Exciting stuff. But before she could call him on it, he continued. “But why are they teaching children that stuff in the first place?”

Should Hat Kid answer this? She’d been told not to say anything about her home planet to any intelligent life she discovered. … He was her BFF though so it was probably fine, especially since he wasn’t likely to be able to do anything with the info even if he wanted to. Besides, the rule had been about intelligent life and Snatcher was not alive so telling him was technically not breaking the rules. So…

“Well,” she said, “most of the kids aren’t given a real ship to fly until they’re a bit older. I’m what they call a ‘prodigy’ though, meaning I’m like real smart or something. I went through the classes super-fast so I would be allowed to fly a spaceship.” Once she’d learned that that was on the table, she’d been determined to do it no matter what it took. “Some of the teachers complained about how fast I was elevated because like a lot of the pilot tests and training things are super dangerous and people get hurt during them. They quickly stopped caring though after I aced the first one.” And she’d never cared, danger was fun and more than worth dealing with if it meant she got to fly her ship.

Snatcher frowned. “That sounds like a major lawsuit waiting to happen. They’re going to get sued into the ground sometime soon, the fact that they haven’t been already is a miracle.”

Hat Kid shrugged; she didn’t know much about that kind of thing. “I don’t know if they can be.” She didn’t really care either. “I’m pretty sure they’re heavily backed by the government or some big important organization that wants more trained pilots for their space fleet. They’re into ‘exploring outer space and expanding their galactic influence’ which I’m pretty sure means they’re into conquering weaker planets and expanding their space empire.”

Now Snatcher actually looked offended. It was comical. “That’s even worse kid. What the peck is wrong with your home planet?”

“I don’t know.” Hat Kid hadn’t thought anything was strange about it, though she had grown up with it so maybe he was right? She didn’t care though, she just wanted to fly her space ship. But…  “Why do you care so much?”

“I don’t.” Lies, he put on a calm demeanor now that didn’t change how openly offended he’d just been. “I’m just saying, a school training children and other young people to be part of basically their army is amoral. I have no doubt there’s a lot of brainwashing going on there. The fact that their training is dangerous makes it even worse, especially since they let literal children take part in it.”

“What about all your contracts? You forced me to work for you, doing some pretty dangerous things. And the Death Wish contracts are super-duper dangerous, I almost died doing them more times than I can count. So, aren’t you just as bad as they are?”

“That’s different.” Snatcher made a dismissive gesture. “I’m not in charge of your wellbeing. People who take on the responsibility of raising and teaching children should at least try to raise them well.”

“So, what you’re saying is if you adopted a kid, you’d be a good parent?” Hat Kid would like to see that. She couldn’t even imagine Snatcher trying to be good, it’d be hilarious.

“Oh uh… I guess I’d try to be.” Snatcher shrugged, examining his nonexistent nails. “I’m not going to adopt any children though. I hate kids, they’re the worst. There’s one in particular that won’t stop bothering me, she’s without a doubt the single most annoying person I’ve ever met.”

Hat Kid couldn’t help but giggle a bit. “I’ll take that as a compliment. You’re old so you must’ve met a lot of people, the fact that I’m the most annoying one is impressive.”

“I’m not old.” Despite his contrary words, his expression and tone were closer to being soft than he probably intended. “Or well… maybe I am old in a way. Nothing wrong with being old though. And it wasn’t a compliment, it was an insult. Being annoying is a bad thing kid, it makes people not like you.”

“Well, you seem to like me plenty despite that so I’m not too worried.”

Snatcher scoffed. “In your dreams kid.” He could say that all he wanted but she knew the truth, this conversation confirmed it. But speaking of that, the thing she’d come here to discuss with him wasn’t resolved, they’d got sidetracked.

“But uh… anyway,” she said. “I was tasked with visiting three planets to gather data and stuff, this one wasn’t really planned, as a final test. I was supposed to fly back home and graduate and the ship would officially be mine.” It already was hers as far as she was concerned. “But… since I died, they might view it as a failure and take away my ship. I… would rather not return if that’s what they’re going to do.”

“How likely is it that they’ll take your ship?”

“Uh… I don’t know but… I fear it’s high.” Was she just being paranoid though? Or was she judging them accurately? “And I don’t know much about ghosts on my home planet but… I know there are ghost hunters who hunt them. I don’t know what they do with them once they catch them though.” There was a very real possibility she’d find out if she went back. “So… I don’t know if I should go home but I’ve worked so hard to go back and it’s still home so… I’m not sure what I should do.”

“Hmmm… sounds like you’re in a bit of pickle.”

“Yeah, can you uh… help me? Give me advice or something? I know you probably don’t have any experience in this kind of thing but… I don’t know what to do.”

Snatcher was silent for a few seconds before replying. “Depending on the exact laws of your planet, you might be able to make a legal case for keeping your ship and graduating. You’re a child without a legal guardian though so that complicates things a bit on top of the fact that the school itself is already unethical so they wouldn’t play fair and they’d be able to get away with it because they have a lot of money and a powerful backer. And you’re a ghost, if they’re the kind who want to eradicate ghosts, then you’re probably screwed if you return. So, I would say, if you comfortable taking the risk, then go for it, otherwise, cut your losses and find a new home. You already said you don’t have any parents and the way you spoke about it suggested you don’t have any family either so there’s really nothing keeping you from not returning.” His tone suggested he thought that was the right course of action.

“Uh… okay. I need to think about it some more than I guess.” But really… she’d already decided, hadn’t she? She’d just wanted someone to tell her that that was the right choice or at least an okay choice to make. And she needed one more thing… “If I do decide not to go back though can I… stay here?” Because where else would she go? She was a ghost, a haunted forest full of other ghosts would be the most logical place for her to call her new home. With a bit of work – and probably with Snatcher’s help if he was willing – she could get a docking bay for her ship in the forest so she could take off and land at will. She could take her ship to the nearest spaceport to repair it fully before returning and then from then on this would be her home base. Assuming of course that Snatcher was okay with her staying indefinitely.

Snatcher opened his mouth as if to answer but grimaced instead. “Uh… you know what, fine,” he finally said, relaxing back into his chair. “Since you died, you’ve been less of a bother anyway, so I guess you can stay, provided you continue to stay out of my way.”

“All right, I can do that. Thank you!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go figure out what you want to do.” He made a shooing gesture towards her. “And then tell me so I know if I should expect you to stick around or not.” He picked up his book again, opening it and already ignoring her again.

Previous / Next

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Episode 41 “Kota”

mysterylover123

OK so just a few comments about my last post before we get into it!

First of all, like I predicted, it did get flagged, but quickly restored. Secondly, an ask pointed out that the scene with Bakugo reprimanding Deku about Tomura is not, actually, in the episode. I’m not sure why I thought it was, but oh well. I’ll try and double check next time before I post the recap. Anyway, off to recap-ville. Episode 41 time!

Quirk training! The anime seriously elaborated on this from the manga, where it was just a few pages.

WOOF. At this point Todoroki has spent more screen time in season 3 without clothes than with.

wow that looks like good cake. They did not skimp on the desserts here. 

FULL VERSION! Gotta say, Ragdoll and Tiger really round it out; it just looks kinda silly when it’s just Mandalay and Pixie Bob. They have a really impressive clatch of quirks too, ngl. 

I wish they’d given Deku more than basic boot camp training. I’m kinda split on how they handled Tiger being trans; on the one hand, he’s a cool hero who kicks serious ass and has respect, on the other the characters make a slightly disparaging remark about him...but that could be what a transgender person would deal with in reality, and this series isn’t exactly presenting a utopia...I don’t know, it’s the same way I feel about Pixie Bob’s age thing. I’d like to give it the benefit of the doubt and it could be a lot worse, but it could be a lot better, too.

Oh my. Breathless, finding-his-resolve Deku is giving me rather impure thoughts.

I’m not sure what purpose making them cook for themselves serves, honestly.  Iida tries to come up with one, but it kinda comes across like the WWP are just being lazy. The kids are training hard all day, wtf is wrong with having food pre-prepared for them?

Maybe it was just for another excuse to humiliate Bakugo. At this point, he hasn’t even done anything. Karma just hates him.

Or to give us this shot of Momo and her main love interests. Momo standing up for Shoto’s rights, cute TDDMM moment!

Aw poor Kacchan!

Feels overload! Also, kinda low-key ship Todo/Ochaco sometimes. I dunno, they seem like they’d have a good repertoire.

Wow Momo’s getting a lot of moments this episode ain’t she!

Deku is inexplicably drawn to pissed off, antisocial spiky-haired punks who seem like they need saving from their own temper, ain’t he? (Good god Kota looks like a BKDK lovechild in this scene, doesn’t he? Same Kacchan eyes).

BEHOLD, THE SINGLE SADDEST IMAGE SET COMMITTED TO SCREEN! OMG THE FEELS. (Someone give me a firebending Deku au fanfic, please!)

Toga’s complaining about how not-cute her outfit is. I think the fanbase would disagree.

Dabi sure loves monologuing, doesn’t he? Maybe he isn’t Toya after all; the other Todoroki’s don’t like to talk this much. Anyway, cute sleeping babies!

OMG Bakugo’s shirt. It’s like he wanted to remind us that he’s cut too, ya’ll. Deku isn’t the only one with abs of steel. (I think Kaminari’s the one under the pillows). 

Poor remedial course babies! I feel them. I’ve been having bouts of insomnia lately, like, 4 hours of sleep type, and I can’t imagine that schedule they’re on. Honestly, I know they’re trying to make ‘em stronger, but depriving them of good food and sleep is not going to help with that. I’m pretty sure most workout advisors advocate keeping your basic needs provided for for maximum performance.

Aizawa is telling Ochaco and Aoyama that they nearly failed. I think this is an important point that all the people who try and excuse the Uraraka/Aoyama v 13 fight need to remember. Even Aizawa called them out on their mess up. It was a fluke, and there’s something deeper getting in the way of their success. Everyone else either passed by changing, or failed by refusing to change. These two need to be challenged in the same way, or they’ll never change for the better.

The dream 3some is finishing each other’s thoughts! Wow, that used to just be a BKDK thing, but Shoto has effectively nudged his way in there. Also, I love the symbolism of Kacchan looking at his own reflection here. Visual metaphors!

“Is All Might - I mean, the other teachers, coming?” Haha Deku don’t even pretend like you care about any of the other teachers.

Oh I see that’s why we had to have them cook their food! So we could prove who secret best girl really is. And tease Kacchako a little. At this point I’m not sure who most wants a threesome with the Wonder Duo, Uraraka or Todoroki.

Ooh, Shoto’s gaining on her!

Honestly, this is one of my favorite Tododeku moments. I kinda like their smaller moments even more than the “big” moments with these two, where they’re having dramatic stuff. The little stuff like Shoto giving Deku such emotionally intelligent advice. It’s very strong.

Expectations vs reality

Team Animal Bromance Solidarity

Team Just F*ck Already

Team Maximum Cuteness

Team Saved Bakugo and Tokoyami’s Asses

Team Femslash Initiative

Team Poor Ojiro

Team Polar Opposites

Oh no my bbs all alone! I’ll be your teammate Deku!

Everyone on Team Ojiro is unsatisfied.

Tsuchaco begins!

OMG THEY’RE SO CUTE! (THE TODOBAKU ARC!)

NGL, Yui Kodai is really pretty and has a legit awesome quirk. Underrated Best Girl of Class 1B.

Holy Shit that Music tho! The League of Villains is In the Building! (Metaphorically, anyway)

This is the arc where I stopped thinking of the LOV as boring obstacles and started seeing them as kinda awesome.

“Kota” really picks up the momentum of Season 3, throwing us straight into a “holy crap” plotsplosion with little adieu. There’s a little more setup to go before we just jump straight into the chaotic, violent and transformative Training Camp Arc in the upcoming episodes. I pretty much binge-watched the whole first 12 episodes of Season 3 in one sitting the first time I watched it, so I don’t know what it would be like to watch these week to week. Next up: BEST BOY DEKU’S ARMS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

BKDK CORNER:

Nothing really in the actual episode, but I wanna acknowledge Best OP’s heartbreaking BKDK nod:

“don’t come deku” OMG episode 45 is gonna break my heart all over again in’t it?

Also the ED:

“Cause I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this place” (Todoroki’s sitting with them too for some bonus TDBKDK points.) Subtle, Bones. We know which way your bread is buttered.

BEST GIRL OF THE EP: Mandalay!

RANKER: The Test of Courage Teams

8. Ojiro and Mineta (poor Ojiro!)

7. Iida and Koda (normally Iida’d be pretty cool, but this team does basically nothing)

6. Jiro and Tooru (get knocked out pretty quickly.

5. Momo and Aoyama (they seriously saved everyone)

4. Solo Deku (who is better than most on his own and also saved Kota)

3. Tokoyami and Shoji (who are seriously metal)

2. Uraraka and Asui (another seriously awesome duo)

1. Todoroki and Bakugo (just add Deku for maximum perfection)

[1358456]

Review Response, July 12-18, 2020

One review came in a couple of hours ago (as in, outside the date range), but if there aren’t a lot to respond to in the range, I just include whatever that came in before I make the weekly post, so... here we go!

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Destiny #025

1)  Lmao, I hadn’t even noticed the similarity between that Nicole and... well, you, Nicole. Although it’s rather obvious haha. This might actually be one of my favorite chapters yet. I’m not sure why though. The curtness on Blue’s part was understandable yet still irritating. Even so, everything was satisfying. The fact that the dexholders have a slight advantage (thank you Sabrina kind powers), that Blue FINALLY came back to the dexholders (sort of), that situation was clearly put, just a lot of reasons. And maybe also because the others know about the death of Y. Which isn’t really satisfying, but I’m glad they know. They had the right to. No matter how sad it was, god I can’t get that sad picture out of my mind. Tragic romance indeed. Too much of a sucker for those :’) Assuming how there’s 20 some chapters left, I don’t think this is going to go down with a simple “final battle”. What could possibly happen..? Definitely the meeting with the brainwashed dexholders and giving them to Sabrina. But I feel like at some point Sabrina is going to be found out. It’s just a gut feeling. Or the fact that it’d be the perfect delay for the dexholders and that’s how you write haha. But what else could go wrong? I’m almost afraid. Ah fuck I nearly forgot. The legendaries I’m Hoenn. Oh yeah that’s definitely a problem. Judging from Sapphire’s attempt at fighting Groudon, I doubt you can call this a mere “toughie”. Oh well I guess it isn’t my problem. Thank the lord for that, all I need to do is sit back and watch with a tub of popcorn. They’ll eventually win in the end. But isn’t it the journey that matters? Well one thing is for sure, the dexholders won’t forget this in a flash. Unless of course they get amnesia... but I trust that you won’t pull the same thing as Ruby forgetting at the end of his arc. That is just bad writing lmao. Which I know you definitely wouldn’t do And who are you fooling, Blue? We all know you’ll eventually join the fight. Might as well do it now.

Hehe. Ah yes. My... cameo. Though honestly, it’s not much of a cameo. It’s just a created one-time-only character who share my name. And it feels weird, writing about a character with my name. Hehe. Never again.

Tragic romance, eh? Heh. I think you’ll really like SA... Ahem. But yep! Blue has returned! ... Thanks to Red, at any rate. The start of the pairing shift in mid Destiny, and it’s significant!

You are just past the midpoint of Destiny (Y’s death is smack in the middle), so there are plenty of stuff left. So... what could possibly happen?!?! Hehehe. Grab some popcorn and watch... read the carnage! And of course the Dex Holders would eventually win. Though the notion of having a long story ending with the bad ending does sound interesting... Haha. None of that “amnesia” bullsh*t like what Ruby did which then got forgotten in ORAS. No one’s forgetting anything in here.

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Destiny #026

1)  Well by now I think it’s rather clear that Y’s intentions are being controlled by Zygarde, just like Blue was. Manipulating them in order to make them turn against the dexholders... but Zygarde used what was already there. He would not have been successful had Blue and Y not felt a semblance of those feelings. And in their position I cannot blame them. Being abandoned, being literally fucking killed by your best friend, yeah I’d say that’d make you a tad bitter. But Blue seems to have shaken off any possible outcome of her siding with Zygarde, so at least there’s that. I can only hope that it’s the same with Y... but you tbh I don’t think so. She’s a literal corpse. There’s not much left for her. Can she even truly feel emotions in that state? Or would Zygarde somehow force feelings into her brain? If that makes sense. I’m not much of a scientist so idek how the whole emotion thing works exactly. Speaking of emotions tho, this chapter was kind of a beautiful one. In terms of feelings, that is. The scene between Red and Blue was truly sweet. I’m glad that he managed to implant the idea of going home. There she would be surrounded by friends. She wouldn’t have to be lonely ever again. And who knows, maybe she’ll end up living with Red (heh). They can all live together. Happily before something inevitable happens. There are other fics in this series, yes? I doubt they’re all about the quiet nature of Pallet town. Or maybe you did write a slice of life sort of thing, a really quiet life. I’ll just have to find out. But on a darker note that scene with Platinum and White was moving. A tad amusing because of Red’s nearly futile attempts, but not enough to make it cheerful haha. It was the typical “this is all my fault” and sometimes you can’t really understand why it would be that person’s fault, but in this case you could. They were the last ones to see her. They could have followed her to make sure she was alright (it’s only natural to assume they’d forget about how they were on the brink of death, heroes you know what I mean?). But they hadn’t. And now she had died. Someone close to them. She was the youngest of them all, she hadn’t deserved to die. And while none of them deserve to die, they’ll only think about how she was younger, sweeter, kinder, so genuinely hard working to save everyone. To see such a flame go out would be so difficult I can’t imagine. Well that’s probably cause I don’t have much experience but death, but that’s off topic. I’m really hoping that Y can at least die happy. Ugh I still can’t get over how sad it was what happened between Y and X. Maybe it’ll happen, who knows.

Zygarde is not the one controlling Y. Yveltal is influencing her thoughts. So Y is in control of herself, but her thoughts and feelings are leaning (a lot) in the aggressive direction. How does all this work on a dead body? Heh. Who knows. Not much of a scientist? Don’t worry, scientists don’t know how anything like this works either. Scientists don’t know jack sh*t about anything you can’t observe.

Hehe. Red and Blue living together, huh? Of course, that’s the very first thing that happens in Legacy... And Destiny is a standalone story. There are no sequels or prequels or anything. So there is no “series” you speak of here. If there was a sequel to Destiny, then yes, more sh*t would be happening because who wants to read a long story that only has fluff and peace in it? You need SOME conflict and a bad worst-case-scenario or there’s no point in the story, like Pokemon Movie 15!

Unfortunately, Destiny didn’t have enough time to get the Junior Trio of Platinum, White, and Y to bond all that much. It was kind of hard to do since Destiny begins with everyone meeting for the first time. So in the end, Platinum and White never got to fully know Y. Shame...

Hehe. Really hoping that Y gets to rest in peace, huh? Oho, maybe it will happen. Maybe not. You will see~!

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: I know you're an Emil X Richter fan, but how would Emil doing do what Yuji in Shana's body to Wilhelmina do the same to Richter?

Love is a central theme in DotNW, and Richter, as a half-elf, was pushed around a lot. To the point he hated humans. Across all the media I’ve seen, I’ve never once seen anyone tell Richter that he’s loved, let alone tell him to his face that they love him. Aqua is the closest we get, but it’s not shown anywhere that she confesses this to him. In fact, the game makes heavy use of the theme of characters only mentioning their love for one another after it’s too late. The only characters that say they love each other, on screen, before they die (or in Aqua’s case, get turned into a core) are Emil and Marta. Their love story is seen as a success. And how are they different from Alice and Decus? Richter and Aster? Richter and Aqua? Emil and Marta get to confess their love. While the Richter/Aster part is a headcanon, even if they’re only friends, it’s clear Richter’s determination to bring Aster back is a form of love that I doubt he expressed very often before Aster died. For Aqua, she only says she loves Richter when you defeat her and turn her into a core. Decus makes no secret of his love for Alice, but Alice never admits she loves Decus until the very last minute. Love is a powerful force in both games. Lloyd’s love for Colette, whether you interpret it as platonic or romantic, is the main driving force that changes the course of the story. Richter’s love for Aster, similarly, however you interpret it, is ALSO what sets the main story in motion. Ratatosk’s love for his tree is also a driving force as well. And Emil and Marta’s love is implied to be why, in the good ending, Marta is able to tell that Emil is putting on an act when he pretends to be Ratatosk. What I’m trying to get at is that outward, mutual, spoken confessions of love are treated as this very precious thing in DotNW. And I suspect that Richter never really got to hear the words “I love you” from anyone. So while it wouldn’t be the exact reaction Wilhelmina gave, I think if Emil had just stopped and said he loved Richter, even if he didn’t really mean it (though it’s clear from some of the skits that Emil does have at least a KIND of love for Richter, maybe not romantic but he definitely cares for Richter.) I think Richter would have stopped in his tracks.  It’s also important to note that I’m also pulling heavily from the main theme in “Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon” where love, especially vocal proclamations of love, are treated as a huge, all-important, powerful, defining moment. Part of the way the villain of the game, Shin, is defeated, is when he’s told he is loved. As cheesy as “Love Conquers All” sentiments are, I really think that Fragile Dreams did a great job with that, and I think something similar would have been way cute for DotNW. Although that’s probably because I ship Richter and Emil, but I also think it would have potentially worked with Aqua if Aqua had finally stood up to Richter and told him his quest for revenge was wrong and was obviously hurting him more than it was fixing anything.  Honestly, it just boils down to the fact that I don’t think Richter feels like he could ever be loved and Aster was one of the first and only people to show him any sort of love, which is why he’s so focused on Aster and so blind to the affection Aqua and Emil obviously have for him. And I think if he was made more aware of the fact that he is loved and cared for that he’d be a little less ruthless in his pursuit of justice for Aster. Though, with the final battle, I guess its pretty possible he’d already be committed to his final stand and wouldn’t take that kind of confession seriously. But even during the final battle, as shown in deleted voice recordings, Richter did have dialogue for impossible versions of the final battle where you can have members of the original Symphonia crew in the fight with you that imply, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he’s reluctant to fight, especially against Genis and Raine, who he cares about as fellow half-elves. Even at the end, despite the tough talk, he expresses regret and hesitation at having to fight Raine and Genis even though he says his feelings won’t get in the way of his goals.  I just feel like if Richter was told at the right moment that he’s loved, he might have stopped doing everything he was doing way sooner and ASKED FOR HELP.  Like, honestly, I’m disappointed Marta and Richter couldn’t have had some soft interactions because, like, Marta knows what it’s like to lose someone. Or Rilena. It’s implied Richter can’t face Rilena because he feels bad about his failure to protect Aster for her, but like, honestly, she also probably would have been a great help. Or, hell, Aqua. Richter surrounds himself with all these kind girls who’d totally be able to help him out and he just... doesn’t even think to ask them for emotional support. And like, I know this would play into a huge trope of women shouldering mens’ emotional burdens but like... Does Aselia not have therapy? IDK man, this probably sounds like a bad take because it’s no one’s responsibility to fix Richter, but like... he’s got all these friends and potential friends and he still builds up this huge fucking wall and Emil’s the only one he even lets close despite Aqua being RIGHT THERE THE WHOLE TIME. Like, IDK my messages are getting too mixed here but what I mean to say is: Since Emil is the only person Richter really shows his vulnerabilities to (in the game canon at least) it feels like Emil would be the ideal person to try to break Richter out of his bad behavior since Emil genuinely cares for Richter, and Richter seems like he's only letting himself be vulnerable with Emil because Emil is in the incredibly unique position of LOOKING JUST LIKE ASTER.  IDK, it also plays really badly with the glamorous idea that if you just love someone hard enough, they’ll stop doing bad things, but like... harmful tropes aside I genuinely think Richter deserves to be loved and that part of the reason he doesn’t feel like he IS loved even though he definitely is is because he’s a dense motherfucker and doesn’t understand the love being shown to him by Emil, Aqua, and probably Rilena.  IDK man, this is all just me rambling. I’m like, super soft for the kind of stuff where the villain is defeated by love. Fragile Dreams, Earthbound, all that jazz. And it would make me really happy if Richter could know he’s loved.

[amoveablejake]

The Inevitable Preview Piece

Right, I’ll say it now. This piece was inevitable, even if I didn’t realise it at first. Ofcourse I was always going to write a Premier League prediction piece, it was just a matter of time as to when this fact would hit me. As the season starts this weekend the past week or so has been full of predictions all over the place from podcasts I listen to, to different articles online and now I have this platform I thought why not put my thoughts in, which when the league ends I will undoubtedly look back upon and laugh at. Anyway, shall we begin because we have a fair bit to get through and I can already tell some of you may be skipping to the next segment. I promise I’ll try and make this at least somewhat interesting for those of you who don’t care. Maybe I’ll try and give each team a little title, that will keep you reading, right? Right? (Sigh)

Arsenal: The train that runs out of steam.

Arsenal always start well. I know that, you know that, we all know that. They are a team who always start well by playing exciting football and for a while their fans start to think, hey, maybe this will be our year after all. The thing is though, the first ten matches of the Premier League are the days of wine and roses and they don’t matter as much as you’d think. Its always after this honeymoon period ends that Arsenal hit a slump and run out of steam and maybe they’ll pick it back up at times but they never truly get back on track. I do however think they’ll do slightly better this year so I’m going to say they’ll finish fifth. I like Arteta what can I say. 

Aston Villa: The Royal team. 

Whilst Prince William supports Aston Villa I don’t think even his Royal support will spur them on to play exciting football. They had a relegation scrap last year and I see the same for them once again. I will admit that until I looked at the list to see who is in the league this year I had forgotten they were still in the top flight. I think that speaks for itself. I think that Aston Villa will finish seventeenth and will survive once again by the skin of their teeth. Sadly. 

Brighton and Hove Albion: Seagulls take flight. 

I don’t know why, but I have a funny feeling Brighton might do a bit better than usual this year. They always seem to finish around the middle to bottom of the table but I think that they might keep themselves in a European conversation, for a little while at least. The addition of Adam Lallana is a very positive one and I think they will prove to upset some of the bigger name teams over the course of the season. Plus they have a very swish new home kit and I sort of do have a soft spot for them. Predicted finish: Ninth, hey, its on the right track. 

Burnley: You again? 

Burnley is another team that I always forget exists, let alone in the Premier League. I’ll keep this one short, I think they’ll finish fifteenth. Now I’m not being mean, I hope that they have a nice season and their fans enjoy watching them play. I won’t though, I have paint to watch dry. 

Chelsea: Money can’t buy happiness. 

Okay, okay, I’ll admit it, I do not like Chelsea. At all. Yes they have quite a nice new home shirt and technically, technically, they are the closest Premier League team to where I was born however, they don’t get my support. To me Chelsea have always felt like the bad guys and perhaps that is unwarranted but what can I say. I just don’t like the Death Star. The boys in blue have spent a lot, and I mean A LOT, this summer but will it work? I don’t think so. They have bought excellent players in but the problem is Frank had a good team of youngsters already and I think by bringing in a lot of new players he has shown he doesn’t have faith in those younger players afterall and I don’t know if the team will form a solid base this time around. I see Chelsea coming in sixth and honestly, I don’t know if Mr. Lampard will make it to the end of the season. 

Crystal Palace: Please, just let Zaha leave. 

I’m never that convinced by Crystal Palace. That isn’t to say they’re not very good, they do have moments of prowess and do show signs of making it into the Europa League but then they tend to lose silly matches. I think the club might be nearing the end of its relationship with Roy Hodgson and after he leaves it might get a little shaky for a while. And the will they let him go or won’t they dance they have with Zaha every year is getting very tiring and I can’t imagine its good for the team’s atmosphere. Please, just let the man leave whilst you end up finishing in thirteenth. 

Everton: Just how Everton can Everton be. 

Everton are managed by Carlo Ancelotti. Everton. That is quite something. I’m still not sure if I believe it and honestly, I don’t think Carlo does either. Yes he has signed old pal James Rodriguez this summer which for my money is a fantastic new addition however, I don’t see Carlo seeing out the season at Merseyside. Its not the club for him and thats fine. I think they will show moments of looking pretty good but ultimately Everton will do what Everton is destined to do. And that is finish tenth. 

Fulham: Don’t Cry For Me Brentford 

I’ll keep this one short. I wanted Brentford to go up in the playoff final. Fulham didn’t deserve it. Thats right, I said it. I don’t want them here, I am still bitter and I’m not crying, you’re crying! But whats this I see through my years, I see Fulham finishing in nineteenth and me tasting sweet, sweet revenge. 

Leeds: They used to be quite big right. 

From what I’ve heard, Leeds used to be quite a big team. People were scared of them. The thing is, I am too young to remember those days so I don’t have the respect for them that some do. I am pleased that their fans finally got to see this return and I don’t think they’ll shoot right down again, in fact I think they’ll do reasonably well. I see them finishing fourteenth, which isn’t bad for a first season in the Premier League. They will show moments early on I think where people will say they’re going to do exceedingly well, but once again, never trust the first ten games. 

Leicester City: Believe in yourself. 

The foxes feel like a team that are running on the water and then when they realise what they’re doing they lose their confidence and sink. They are a team which as we know can be exceedingly good, they can be a joy to watch and whats more their players always look happy to be out there. Last season they were flying very high indeed especially on a rainy night in Southampton however, they tend to lose their confidence in themselves and I think they might do the same again this year. Also, Vardy is a great player but his back must be getting heavy carrying that attack. I think that this time around Leicester will take eighth place. Thats not a comment on them but more so on how close I think those top eight places are going to be. 

Liverpool: Foot off the gas. 

Liverpool are the best team in Britain at the moment. Maybe. Well they were for the past couple of years but now, I’m not too convinced. Why, why do I doubt such a strong team, its because there have been no changes. There haven’t really been any transfers and hey if something isn’t broken why fix it. I’ll tell you why, because whilst you were out there on your boat, enjoying the sun, looking around at your crew who you realised that they are all getting that much older and they’re very comfortable in their roles. In fact, they don’t really have to fight. They seem to have lost that hunger, a hunger that all the sharks growing underneath the boat certainly have and you better believe the moment they smell blood they’re going to surface. I think Liverpool will finish in third. They will still challenge for the title but it won’t be coming back to Anfield this time around. 

Manchester City: A team with Pep. 

Manchester City were bad last year. Yes they came second but they were so far behind Liverpool it was not a successful season. They only won one trophy also which by their standards is not good and it wasn’t even the Champions League or FA Cup. I think this season they’re going to be back to their old ways, not in a perfect way however, there are a lot of holes in that team (a new defender and striker would be good) but they do have Kevin De Bruyne and that man is from another realm. Do I see City lifting the Premier League, honestly, no, I think they might win everything else but not this. 

Manchester United: I’m allowed to be biased okay. 

Yes, I do support Manchester United and yes I do know that makes me biased however, I do have a sneaking suspicion they will win the Premier League. Whys that, well it might not look like it yet but I think some more transfers are coming both now and in January. The arrival of Van De Beek is also very welcome and I think the squad will start to believe in itself more and they’ll definitely improve as that confidence comes back. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be a beautiful win, infact I think they will win on the final day and the whole title race this year will be very close but I don’t know, I have a feeling that they’ll do it. Either that or I’ll be crushed when they get relegated. 

Newcastle United: Mike Ashley out. 

For once Newcastle have made some good signings this summer, good sensible signings and they have kept Steve Bruce on which I think is a good thing however, with Mike Ashley still being the owner and that ever present cloud hanging over the team I don’t think they’ll ever really hit their stride. Sadly I see them finishing in sixteenth although I would really like to see them finish higher. 

Sheffield United: My soft spot. 

I have absolutely no idea but ever since I was little I have had a soft spot for the Blades and after their very impressive performance last year I would like to see them do well again. However, I think the end of the loan spell with Dean Henderson will hurt and they didn’t look as strong post the lockdown pause so I see them coming eleventh which is still good just not as good we’d like. We being me and a team always keep an eye on. 

Southampton: It was nice whilst it lasted. 

Southampton again had a very good year last year and I’m sure that their fans are hoping for more of the same however, I think that this time around the top half of the table is going to be a much fiercer, closer battle and sadly that will be at the detriment of teams like Southampton who will find themselves twelfth and it won’t really be their fault. I would like to see them head into Europe as they are my local team but I don’t think that they will this time around. 

Tottenham Hotspur: No prime delivery. 

Despite the fancy Amazon documentary coming out and Jose being Jose, I think that Tottenham will do exactly what their fans have sadly grown used to which is showing signs of being a top four team but ultimately making silly mistakes and losing against teams that they really shouldn’t which will slide them down to seventh. I hope for their fans that they win something this year, anything really but when it comes to Spurs you just never can tell. What am I saying, you can and they won’t. 

West Bromwich Albion: Someone has to do it. 

Someone has to finish last and it will be West Brom. Do I really need to say anything else. I suppose I should say something nice, um, I’ve heard that you can buy a nice pie at their stadium. A nice pie to soak up the tears when they get relegated. 

West Ham United: Time to learn. 

I want West Ham United to get relegated. Why? Because they need to learn. Not the players, not the manager but the club. The club is run horribly and they constantly make bad decisions whether it be getting rid of promising young players, signing players at big costs to no avail or to have a constant merry go round of managers. Its a shambles and thats a shame because they have a very nice home kit and I do sort of like West Ham. With that in mind they’ll finish eighteenth and I’ll be happy about it so that they come back stronger. 

Wolves: Hear them howl. 

I like Wolves. In fact my favourite animal is a wolf but thats not why I have a fondness for Wolverhampton Wanderers. No, thats because they are a good team, with a great manager, who make sensible signings, seem to be run well, sadly have a horrific kit but play very good, classic football. I like the players, I like the team and I always want to see them do well and upset the establishment. Even when one player rubs baby oil on his tree trunk arms so the other players can’t grab hold of him. He’s good enough to not make someone do that but hey, there are worse jobs to have (see playing for Burnley for further details). I think Wolves will finish fourth this time around and will reach the Champions League. I also think they’ll do well in the FA Cup and will win more praise that they definitely deserve.  

So there we have it, we made it. How will these predictions pan out, probably not very well but hey, its not like I’ve written them down so I can be mocked with them later. 

- Jake, a man who is fully aware he can never go to Burnley now, 13/09/2020

[journeysintowebcomics]

Worm Liveblog #120

UPDATE 120: Hope

Last time the Travelers plus Cody managed to escape from the quarantine. Everyone has powers – well, Oliver kind of doesn’t – and it’s all fine and dandy while they drive to the next city. This peace lasts until the first signs something’s very wrong with Noelle show themselves. Let’s continue.

Looks like there was a time skip, because Trickster is now standing at a front desk. A receptionist for someone. Trickster feels the need to smoke, and although the receptionist says that’s a bad idea, he does so anyway. He’s at Boston right now, one year and three months have passed since their arrival to this world. That means by now they’re officially a team, hm...

You know, I wish I could have read any discussion they had to decide their names. That could have been interesting to read! But yeah, by now, they all have their names, I bet. Trickster does, after all.

How had Jess put it?  This world was sublime.  A world that was awesome in the truer sense of the word, greater in so many respects.  In a metaphorical sense, the peaks were higher, the valleys lower, works of art more artful, extremes more… extreme.  It wasn’t a good thing.  Make the mountains twice as tall and the chasms twice as deep, and things start crumbling.

Iiii don’t know if it’s really that worthy of admiration. I don’t think the entire world has as big of a mess as Brockton Bay does, but given entire islands have been obliterated, there are superpowered villains everywhere, and you don’t know when your life is going to be turned upside-down and most likely ruined, I sure would prefer a world like the Earth without parahumans. Besides, it’s not like the general population gets to enjoy the high technology and all that. Most of those are limited to the heroes and villains’ use. It doesn’t seem to me like any random person lives much different of a life than they would if there were no powers around. No, thanks, you keep your awesome world, I’m satisfied with mine.

The person Trickster came to meet is called Accord, and looks more like the kind of supervillain that tries to make things civilized and orderly for his own again. Like Coil, but less sinister. And less successful, since he’s not even the most influential villain in Boston. Accord shakes Trickster’s hand and asks for the reason for his visit. Well it turns out Trickster is here to reach some agreements and introduce himself, as it’s customary for him when he arrives at a new city. Gotta make sure you’re not stepping on anyone’s toes, you see.

Hah! He asks for permission before committing crimes. I doubt many villains are like Skitter in that they want to keep their communities orderly and with the least amount of trouble possible, but it’s good he’s being prudent. You don’t want to mess with villains.

“If I granted that permission, Trickster,” Accord raised a warning finger. “I would not be doing so for free.”

Trickster nodded.  “I understand, and I wouldn’t expect you to.  We’ve recently passed through Richmond, Paine, Baltimore and Philadelphia.  Each time, we paid a modest up front fee to anyone that hosted us in their territory.  We also offered up a twelve, thirteen, twelve and ten percent share, respectively, of our take.  For you, if you’ll allow me to make an opening offer, I’d suggest ten thousand dollars up front and a fourteen percent share of anything we gain.  We’ll be saying for ten days.”

And it turns out ten days is longer than they usually stay. Golly, that means they have been a very, very, veeery long time in Brockton Bay by now, that’s the most stable place of residence they have had. It’s because Coil can help them, I’m sure. But yeah, they’re on the move more often than I thought. Destructive Noelle or not, I thought it was like...a monthly thing. At this rate they’ll run out of places to be at in this country!

Trickster seems to be trying to be particularly flattering, offering Accord more money and being generally polite. Since he gets information before making a move, I suppose he was told he had to be as flattering as possible. Regardless, it’s working. Accord sees right through Trickster, but he’s accepting the offer, although with a warning not to scam him.

I’m not sure what Accord’s power is. There’s a lot of emphasis on things being rather orderly, but I’m uncertain if that’s an indication of what his superpower is, or if he’s just a very neat person.

Accord looked down and corrected the position of the pen on his desk before turning back to Trickster. “Fifteen thousand dollars, and fifteen percent of any take.  The heroes don’t have a strong presence here because they don’t need a strong presence here. I maintain the peace.  It will cost me if I have people here, active and causing trouble.”

Okay! Maybe he does keep the community safe to some extent. In that case, he should keep under wraps that he’s getting a share of the bounty from any stealing the Travelers do. Just in case. I’m sure there’d be people who would be very upset about that, even if they can do nothing about it.

Since the Travelers are here, Accord offers to forgo the fifteen thousand dollars from his fee and reduce his share, as long as they complete a job for him. Hey, Luke, there’s a job offer! The job is to steal tools from a tinker. Seems like Accord isn’t a tinker at all.

“Blasto.  A tinker.  Not quite the destructive personality his name implies.”

“I read up on him.  Blasto from the latin prefix, meaning bud, germination or seed.  Tinker botanist, grows walking, sentient plants in giant glass tubes.”

Not what I’d have imagined from that name, I admit. My knowledge of latin prefixes is quite lacking, turns out – and given I speak Spanish as my native language, that’s kind of sad. But, you know, if the intent is to steal tools and destroy this Blasto tinker’s stuff, Trickster and Sundancer is perfect for this. They should be done in no time! Which is why I suppose it won’t be that simple.

That said...I doubt it’ll get written. It’d be quite the side story! But it’d extend this origin interlude for maybe a tad too long. I’m not sure how well this all was received back when it was written, but I know I’d be kind of annoyed at a meandering interlude. Still...hey, Mr. Wildbow, how much do I have to donate for you to write how this went?

Not only he’ll forgo the entrance fee and reduce his share, he also will make costumes for the Travelers! Oh boy! Does that mean the costumes they’re all wearing in the present were designed by Accord? Didn’t expect that, honestly.

And you bring the world a little more in order, Trickster thought.  Accord was a thinker, and the running theory on his power was that he got naturally smarter as the problems he was addressing got more complex.  It gave him an intuitive understanding of groupthink, politics, and convoluted designs.  It also made him a local warlord capable of devastating counterattacks.  The power failed to grant him the same advantages in a one-on-one fight, and he wasn’t quite the same battlefield strategist when it came to direct assaults.

Which was, Trickster understood, why Accord wanted him and the other Travelers to handle the attack on their own.

Huh. That’s...a power. I’m not entirely sure how useful it is, I admit. It’s...a bit underwhelming, to some extent? But he has achieved some success, so I suppose he knows how to get use out of it. Maybe he’s like Tattletale. More like a mastermind type of person. Just that instead of finding out secrets like Tattletale does, he finds...solutions to problems.

Say, I just realized that when they attack Blasto there really are veeeery high chances it won’t go according to plan, thanks to a certain leader whose name I won’t reveal. He hasn’t been a particularly impressive force when it’s about attacking someone else’s lair. Personally I can’t let go of the Slaughterhouse Nine rescue, really.

Only four people will need costumes. Trickster himself, Sundancer, Ballistic...hm. Genesis wouldn’t need a costume because she does everything with her creations, Oliver wouldn’t want to be anywhere near a battle, so...Noelle or Cody.

Cody. The text pretty much says Noelle won’t get a costume. So this Cody person is still going with the group, one year later. He hasn’t gotten in the way of their return home. Say, how far in the past is this, I wonder? Could it be Cody’s...not-being-in-the-team is a more recent change than I thought?

The relatively pleasant discussion is interrupted when Sundancer bursts into the office, alarming Trickster, who had told her to stay back and not meddle. That she was disobeying and ruining Trickster’s carefully calculated meeting plan meant something was very, very wrong, and he should be worried. Hah! He’s got more immediate things to be worried about, right there! Accord isn’t happy at all with Sundancer.

Accord stepped over to the window behind his desk and stared outside.  Trickster waited patiently as the man composed himself.  Long seconds passed, and Trickster couldn’t help but imagine the worst case scenarios that would have Sundancer forgetting common sense and crashing a private meeting between supervillains.

I can only imagine it’s related to Noelle. Maybe she’s out there, causing immense amounts of havoc, in a sample of what will happen to Brockton Bay in the present. It’d be quite the way to establish how big of a Noelle threat is.

And there’s the immediate threat! Accord isn’t happy at all, and is already laying a series of demands. One: he’ll get the full amount of money he demanded. Okay then. Two: they’ll complete the mercenary job and receive nothing in exchange. It’s going to suck, but I guess it was to be expected. Three: Sundancer has to die. Beg your pardon?

Trickster tensed.  Really, really didn’t want to have to fight this guy. “Let’s… not be so hasty.”

Okay then! Accord just made the stakes go way higher. So, Sundancer is very obviously alive in the present, so as I see it, there’s only one possibility: Trickster killed Accord. I really doubt by now fleeing Boston is an option, and given how upset Accord is with the...imbalance Sundancer brought to his turf, I don’t think he’d accept something else in exchange of her life. Unless she proves to be absolutely stellar in the mercenary job. Who knows, maybe she burned Blasto’s lair to the ground and that saved her.

How to convince the lunatic to leave Sundancer alone?  If he couldn’t, would it be better to fight and kill Accord now or wait until he could recruit the others?  Accord wouldn’t have invited him to a meeting if he didn’t have some kind of safeguards. Traps?  For all Trickster knew, there was a pitfall in the floor or dart traps in the walls.  Accord’s power, his knack for complexity, would make it trivial to weave such things into the architecture of his home and office.  If he knew, he could use his power, time it to put Accord in the way of his own trap… but it could be something else entirely.

I meeeean...if he has the ability to make traps and safeguards, I’m certain making it so Trickster can’t use his power effectively to attack him would be easy as pie. Also, given how it was remarked Accord isn’t very good in one-on-one confrontations and is a warlord, I think it’s plausible he has a few people ready to act if things go pear-shaped. He wouldn’t rely on himself to ensure his own safety if he knows he wouldn’t be enough.

Accord was still talking.  “Others aren’t so accommodating.  They are freefalling, careening elements, bouncing off any and every surface, damaging everything they touch.  Pyrokinetics so often fall into this category, I’ve found. Rest assured, it’s better to eliminate this disordered element before it does too much damage.”

...suddenly I have a nagging feeling Sundancer burning Blasto’s plants and lair to the ground would make things worse in Accord’s eyes. Scrap that plan. New plan: lose your powers, and then get them back before you get to Brockton Bay. There, problem solved. I’m a problem solver now, Accord-lite, praise me.

Turns out Trickster does think of a possible alternative on how to handle this. He appeals to Accord’s sense of order, saying Sundancer is an agent of harmony despite her powers, and that she’ll prove it to him. Trickster has effectively placed the burden of proof right on Sundancer’s hands. Masterful leader move, pal, throwing the weight onto your subordinate and friend. But hey, she’s alive in Brockton Bay, meaning it worked, meaning I have no grounds to complain. Besides, he’s going to discuss it with Sundancer right now. I for one am looking forward to finding out what he intends to suggest she does.

Trickster gets ten minutes to male Sundancer go into Accord’s office – alone. As expected, Sundancer is taken aback by the fact her life is in danger just like that. I share Trickster’s opinion in that Sundancer wouldn’t ruin Trickster’s meeting if there wasn’t a very good reason, though...she even tried to bring it up immediately, and Trickster didn’t let her speak. At least he’ll get briefed by someone else.

When the timer hits zero, you’ll walk into his office, then you’ll perform a ballet routine.

Well! That’s not going to bring up any good memories, is it. Given how one of Sundancer’s memories was freezing and not being able to do a thing, in front of a public, I hope it won’t happen again. At least she won’t have the Simurgh showing her those awful memories over and over, but still...ouch, the things she has to do to survive.

 If he gives any sign he’s not satisfied, or the second you fuck up, set the place on fire and scram.”

“Krouse-”

“Call me Trickster when I’m in costume,” he corrected, his voice hard.  “Don’t worry about burning him alive.  He’ll have escape routes.

Oh, yeah, he’ll have escape routes. You know what else he’ll have? A desire to have both your heads on a plate, just saying. If he gets his office incinerated, there won’t be anything that’ll stop him from getting everyone he has to pursue the Travelers, I’m sure of it.

Since she has to go get ready and hopefully save her own life, Sundancer hurries inside, leaving Trickster to find out what problem is going on that made Sundancer risk ruining everything like that.

“It’s Cody.  He touched Noelle.”

Trickster froze.  “How bad is it?”

“Three times, Krouse.”

“Three,” Trickster said.  “Fuck me.  I’m on my way.”

Okay then! It was Cody’s fault. Not surprised he’s being a pain, really. He touched Noelle a total of three times, and that is...bad. For reasons I imagine I’ll find out very soon.

There’s no way Cody’s stupid enough to make contact with Noelle.

There’s no way anyone would do it three times.  How?

Hm. I don’t know what exactly are the consequences of touching Noelle, but given the fact it was three times, I doubt it was an accident. It happening once would give him the benefit of the doubt, it happening three times pretty much guarantees it was on purpose, unless it turns out there was a really contrived reason like...some parahuman slamming Cody onto Noelle three times or something. But seriously, what happens when you touch Noelle?

Apparently whatever’s happening is among a crowd, and Trickster searches while thinking how everything they have been doing recently is minimize damage. Well, given how they keep moving because of Noelle, I imagine she’s the source of the damage. Does this mean lately she’s been getting worse? More powerful, dangerous?

What Trickster encounters reminds me a lot of those very mutated monstrous humans that arrived with the Simurgh. It’s a very deformed person, attacking bystanders and being rather violent. This mutant’s nature is revealed right afterwards:

Three seconds later, the man snapped back into the same position, in front of the creature.  Perdition… Cody.  Except not quite.  The man carried through the shoving motion, but Perdition wasn’t there any more.

That’s Cody? Goodness gracious, what did he do?! Holy crap. What I note is that nowhere in the description Trickster gave of that thing attacking, he mentioned it looked like Cody at all. The extent of those tumor things on him and the twisted crooked factions must be such there isn’t much left of Cody. Noelle must have some sort of mutagenic quality, then. Perhaps she mutates those that make contact with her skin? Since that was what was fizzing and all that. And the more you touch her, the worse it gets. Cody touched her three times. Here’s the result, I suppose.

Innocent children are about to get attacked, and Trickster shouts to get Perdition’s attention. May as well exploit Perdition’s hatred of him! And it works, Perdition swivels around, looking for Trickster to do him some harm. Trickster keeps moving around to stay out of his sight while Perdition shouts slurred threats, accusing Trickster of having taken everything from him. Technically he did – except the part about ‘my girl’, because Noelle was never his – but it’s not like Trickster one day woke up and thought ‘oh you know what’d be a riot? Let’s ruin that Cody guy’s life’. Perdition is lashing out as usual, really.

Some of the time, the powers would be different.  Most of the time, going by precedent, they were stronger.  Trickster was left to wonder how Perdition’s powers had changed.  Duration?  Range?  The amount of time reversed?

Huh, that so? It could be the mutations are an attempt to enhance the powers of those who touch her, then? And it doesn’t work properly because she didn’t take the vial correctly. That doesn’t take into account the eye thing from last chapter’s ending, though...right now my thought about that is that maybe she’s not immune to her own mutations. It could even be that Perdition touching her made her even worse.

Perdition uses his powers to keep track of Trickster, getting him closer and closer to him to perform some murderin’. Trickster tries to stay away, although that soon leads to...well...casualties. There have been at least two so far. Damn. Trickster makes some calculations and tries to think of a plan on how to handle this.

What he does is hurry, swap himself with one of the casualties’ bodies, and shoot Perdition to death. Well! That was anticlimactic. I’m pretty sure if Perdition knew how simple that was, he’d be very upset. So this is why he’s not part of the team nowadays...not really how I expected him to die, although I did expect Trickster to be the one to kill him.

The next scene starts with Francis arriving to a place, where I suppose the rest of the Travelers are hiding. Oliver is already waiting for him, and the effects of his half of the power potion are shown: Oliver is handsome. Like, real handsome and smarter and also learns skills? He got lucky, then. If this is the extent of what his botched power has, then he’s incredibly lucky. But it’s still Oliver, so he’s as milquetoast and socially stunted as usual. Maybe forever, given how he’s...pretty much in a stranger’s body.

...

Maybe he wasn’t as lucky as I thought at first, when I think about it like that.

Fuck you, Simurgh, Krouse thought.  They’d all been forced to deal with their individual tragedies.  Noelle’s went without saying.  Jess hadn’t gotten to walk, Luke hadn’t gotten to fly, Oliver got a physical and mental overhaul without any fixes for the real problems, and Marissa had been thrust into the situation she’d fought so hard to escape, where she was forced to pursue a life she didn’t want.

Krouse’s tragedy was waiting for him inside.

Wow. Things are pretty bad for everyone here, but the way it’s worded Luke’s plight is so out of place. He didn’t get the power to fly. That sucks, but it certainly isn’t on anyone else’s level. Surely there must be something else about this situation that’s more fitting to bring up as Luke’s tragedy. Maybe that he’s very dissatisfied with being part of this group and feels they’re getting nowhere? That’s the impression I have of him in the present, after all.

Between Francis and Oliver they manage to drag Cody’s corpse to the living room, where there are...another two. Two more of Cody. Okay then! Looks like something’s going on. Does someone care to explain? One Cody is bad enough, the universe doesn’t need two more, hah!

Noelle is upset right now and it’s Francis’ duty to go calm her down. Before he goes he glances at the bodies.

They all stared at the bodies. This would be the third incident. Or incidents three through five, if he wanted to count it that way.

This can mean either this is the third incident where mutated people go and cause destruction, or this is the third time Cody has touched Noelle. Both are equally plausible, honestly – but I lean towards the former, because...then it would mean Noelle is causing some awful terror and destruction. Just like a Simurgh thrall would. Everyone else in the Travelers, taking her around the country, are doing their part as well.

There’s a lot of injured people and a few casualties because of the many Perditions. The...real Perdition? He’s somewhere inside the house. Nobody has found out what exactly happened, why Cody would touch Noelle three times despite presumably knowing really well what would happen. Francis will have to deal with this problem, since he’s the leader. First he goes to smoke for a while.

Sundancer has arrived! And she’s unharmed, thank goodness. Looks like her dancing routine in front of Accord went well, then! Or not, as she says two lines later. It satisfied Accord anyway, so may as well take that as a victory.

“No,” she said.  “He said I wasn’t perfect, but that he saw what you meant. He said I was trying, despite myself. I… I don’t know if that was a compliment or not.”

That’s definitely a compliment. If it wasn’t, then she wouldn’t be here alive, or at the very least there’d be mercenaries pursuing her. She must have done well – not being the agent of chaos and disorder Accord thought she’d be, despite her incendiary powers.

Since Mars has been declared not responsible for the incredible chaos from today, Accord wants Francis to bring the real cause. He decides he won’t be bringing Noelle – obviously not, because that’d be incredibly dangerous and, more importantly, there’s no way Francis would backstab Noelle. Instead, he decides he’ll take Cody. Hah! Well it’s pretty clear Cody isn’t harmonious at all, so...maybe that’ll work. It helps that those berserk things were literally him.

Mars isn’t into the ‘let’s blame Cody for everything’ plan because it’s very likely Cody will die, and Francis although isn’t happy about it either, sees no other option. Is he going to inform everyone else of his decision? Because I figure everybody would like to be aware one of their teammates is going to be murdered by a local villain, even if it’s Cody.

As Francis sees it, there’s only one scenario where Cody would be in contact with Noelle three times, and it is that Cody went to wherever she is, was a major dick like he usually is, and made her so upset she attacked him so badly Cody has broken limbs. An arm and a leg. Well those sure are two of the three contact spots!

“He had a goal in mind, only he didn’t anticipate how fast she moves, how strong she is.  He was trying to do one of two things.  Either he did something general, said something, with the aim of making her go berserk… or he tried to kill her.  One way or another, Cody wanted to end this.  End our mission.  Free himself.  He doesn’t give a fuck about the promise, so I don’t see why the promise should protect him.”

Cody was trying to kill her? I’m not sure about that. He has to know Noelle has some form of fast regeneration, meaning hurting her physically is a chore and almost unlikely to work. Also, he has to know touching her is a very bad idea. No, I’m leaning more towards thinking he was once again disparaging people around and trying to not be an outsider, and for some reason he was...talking with Noelle...and said something he shouldn’t have...and...okay this reasoning is kind of falling apart by the seams. Fucking Cody. What the hell was he planning?

Well at least Francis is going to talk to everyone else before taking a decision, he even is going to have a word with Cody to see if his suspicions have a reasonable base or not. That’s more than Cody usually gets, really – although I doubt he’ll appreciate it at all, what with Francis being the one to talk to him and what not. Oh well. Now that that’s...somewhat settled, Mars has the task of going to get a lot of food for Noelle. A lot of meat, in fact. Right, I kind of remember that was necessary. Geez.

Before she leaves, there’s something else to bring up!

“I almost forgot.  Accord.  He wanted me to pass this on.”

She handed him a piece of paper. There was a number printed on it. Different area code.

Holy crap, Mars, you can’t just forget something Accord asked you to do. You almost died today because you metaphorically stepped on the guy’s toes, and you were about to do it again. Goodness gracious...and the reason why she’s hesitant to even remember stuff Accord asks is because she doesn’t want to interact with guys like him. Hah! Boy will her time under Coil’s employment be a treat, then. Coil and Accord seem to be a rather similar kind of person, just that Coil is far more sinister in so many different ways – although I’m sure Accord has his own shady plans, of course.

Once Mars has left, Francis dials the number and gets in contact with whoever it is. Francis doesn’t seem to appreciate much having to call acquaintances of Accord. It’s only when this person says it’s a long-term job I have a hunch of who it is. That you, Coil? Will it turn out Accord and Coil do know each other? Hah! Well! I was saying they were kind of similar in terms of the way they work, but I never thought they knew each other.

“I know Accord through a mutual acquaintance.  Through this acquaintance and my own resources, I’ve gathered a fairly robust set of data on you Travelers.“

Intereeeesting. I think there’s a pretty good chance this acquaintance is the entirety of Cauldron. In that case, could it be Accord got his powers from Cauldron? Also, if they got information about them through Cauldron, then it means that big shady organization that gives powers is aware of the Travelers and how they got the powers. Oh boy! No indication Cauldron has sent superpowered thugs to take due revenge for the Travelers pretty much stealing powers, hmmmmm...could it be Cauldron is letting them do whatever they want, knowing they can use them later? It’d explain that, at least.

The person, who I’m absolutely certain is Coil, says he’s offering a solution to three things in exchange for them working for him. That’s enough to get Francis’ attention, he’s willing to listen. Make your offer, Coil!

I thought he was Luke Brito, not Luke Casseus. Either way, there are records of one Luke Casseus and one Noelle Meinhardt who were once in the hospital at the quarantine, and seem to have appeared out of nowhere. Most people would simply think those teenagers used fake names for some reason, but Coil has more information that indicates there’s something going on.

Also, Meinhardt is a cool last name. I like it a lot.

“Rest assured, Trickster, there is no need for any alarm.  The fact that I know these things is an asset to you.  A contact of mine in the PRT has taken over your case file and requisitioned all details on your encounter with Myrddin.  That case will not be pursued further.“

I suppose Myrddin gave all the information and control of that particular investigation and just…focused on the myriad of other things he has to deal with. I guess that makes sense, but I’d have thought the PRT would be far more attentive with investigations involving roaming Simurgh thralls. Coil and Cauldron’s influence is quite notable.

So, Coil has three solutions that will solve all of the Travelers’ problems. One is that Coil will offer all the money they need. Right, about that...since you’re offering, can you send them $15000 in cash, they need it kind of urgently.

The second solution is that he’ll send them home. Naturally, they wouldn’t work for him unless he made such an offer. The contacts he’s talking about are undoubtedly in Cauldron, more concretely the one who can make portals to reach Cauldron’s buildings. Given Coil’s...demeanor, I think he really would have fulfilled his end of the deal once he had taken over Brockton Bay, at least when it’s about sending them home. Unlike Dinah, there’s really no reason to keep the Travelers around, it’s not like they’re especially noteworthy as a team and other than Noelle their powers are nothing too remarkable. Who knows, though...maybe he’d have tried to keep Noelle, for one reason or another. Make clones of his soldiers or something to have a permanent source of non-powered mercenaries.

The last thing Coil offers is not said in the text, but I imagine it’s related to Noelle, since that was the other thing the Travelers were so worried about. They wouldn’t work for Coil unless he promised to fix her. Which is very...unlikely, really...but not impossible. If there’s someone who maybe could, it’s Cauldron. At a very, very, incredibly exorbitant price, I suppose, but they could. Don’t ask me how, though, because I don’t have the slightest idea. I’m not part of the group who sells bottled powers around.

Francis goes into the house, where Luke tries to get him to join them into a meeting about what they’ll do about Cody. The chance to explain they’re throwing him at Accord and hoping for the best! But nope, first he wants to talk to Noelle.

“After, Luke,” Krouse said.  He spun around, faced his friend. “I think we’ve got what we’re looking for.”

“What?”

“A way home.  Maybe even a fix for Noelle.”

Maybe a fix for Noelle, he says, meaning that even though that may be what Coil offered, he didn’t phrase it as a certainty at all. Merely a possibility. But...a possibility is the best they can get, really.

Promising to tell everyone else – sans Cody, I imagine – what the solution to all their problems is like, Noelle knocks to the door of Noelle’s room, where she immediately tells him to go away. Boy, even if she returns to normal, she won’t be anywhere close to Francis, I’m sure of that. It’s over between them, isn’t it?

Doesn’t take much to convince her to let him enter, so he does. The inside of the room is all broken, no word on if it was like that before Cody pissed her off.

“Come to talk?” she asked.  “Keep me company?”

“I was planning on doing it a little later. Things are kind of a mess out there, you know.  The Cody situation.”

“Nobody keeps me company any more. Only you.”

Ouch. Not even Mars? That must hurt. I had the impression Noelle was in good terms with pretty much everyone, that only Francis visits her...well, that really sucks. Is it perhaps because they’re afraid of touching her and making more of those deformed copies happen?

Noelle sure doesn’t try to deny Francis’ theory about Cody’s murder attempt, she instead says she can’t die. She has tried to end it. So yeah, she does have fast healing.

“I’m one of them.  Or I’m becoming that way.”

“Maybe.”

“An Endbringer.”

So that was the Simurgh’s plan? To create a...pseudoendbringer? Since they were never human in the first place, from what I was told ages ago, it’s unlikely Noelle will turn into one, but she’ll...be pretty close to one if things get worse, she fears. And apparently, given what she can do, it’s not an outlandish possibility.

“I’ll be just as bad as the Simurgh. In a different way.  I touch someone, and then I spit out copies. Uglier, stronger… meaner.  I can’t control them.  If I got my hands on one of the major heroes?  Someone like that Myrddin guy?”

It’ll be even worse if she gets her hands on many of the major heroes. Many evil copies of the major heroes roaming around and destroying everything would make things go downhill fast, that’s for sure.

You know, in general I’m against clones as a plot point, but I think this is fine. This is interesting!

Francis brings up that he talked with someone who maybe will be able to help them, and that they should give it a try because this person knows a person who has a way, who goes between worlds.

Aha, so this is how Coil got Francis aboard. He promised hope, not by promising to heal Noelle and send them all back to their worlds – but by promising to get them out of the Simurgh’s plans.

“No, listen.  The Simurgh?  This guy said she has a weakness.  Two ways where she can’t see the future.  Two ways to break free of her cause and effect.”

Noelle didn’t say anything.

“The first way, you’ve got to be basically immune to powers.  Scion is.  He’s immune to precognition, throws everything out the window when he shows up.  I saw it when he fought the Simurgh.  She couldn’t automatically dodge his stuff, because she either couldn’t read his mind or she couldn’t see the attacks before they happened.  So he hit her, a bunch of times.  I saw it.”

That supposed weakness isn’t going to lead anywhere, really. What is Coil going to do? Get Cauldron to fill the Travelers up with powers until they’re like Scion? Hardly. I don’t think it’d even be feasible because...I mean...having more than one power into you has to make some of them interact with each other in nasty ways, no? Taking half a vial is bad, taking two or more has to be bad too if you don’t know what you’re doing. No, the whatever this second way is like has to be what they’re looking for.

Also, that’d be hella expensive and not even Coil would be able to buy it, I’m sure.

Krouse was getting more excited, had to press his hand flat against the floor to stop it from shaking.  “And the other way?  There’s thinker powers that mess with her ability to influence events. If another precog gets a hand in events, the Simurgh automatically shuts them down and vice-versa.  The way this guy said it, the precogs get overloaded with the second-guessing the other precog, on top of having to figure out all the quantum possibilities and split paths.  And this guy?  He has a power that messes with precogs some, and the precog working for him has a power that will help circumvent the Simurgh’s power.  Get it?  So long as we work for him, we’re free of it.  No more cause and effect.  No more feeling like we’re doomed no matter what choice we make.  We go from that kind of safety to home.  To our world.“

I suppose this precog is supposed to be Dinah, because I can’t recall anyone else who has that kind of power and is under Coil’s employment – also, employment is definitely not the right word to use when it’s about Dinah, Coil, that’s imprisonment. Either way, if not Dinah, then...Tattletale is the closest one I can think, but she can’t foresee the future and I’m sure Coil knows that rather well. No, it has to be Dinah.

Which would give the Travelers a lot of encouragement to get in Skitter’s way, really. If Dinah is giving them the safety they need to not be destroying everything in their path, then of course they would disapprove of Skitter trying to free her. Still...do things really work like that? I don’t know, something’s off here.

I just find a bit hard to believe Dinah can singlehandedly stop the Simurgh’s cause and effect. Is there a ratio of effect or what? Does Dinah have to think of the Travelers? The details are a tad vague. I’m sure Mr. Wildbow thought the details well, so I’m not going to insult him by insinuating he didn’t think things through with that paragraph, but the amount of details given to me the reader right now is kind of lacking. I’m kind of leaning towards the possibility Coil is wrong about how this all works. Or he’s hiding something. This just...needs more building upon.

What follows to this is the reveal of what’s going on with Noelle. I had months to imagine what could be so bad it needed a vault and widespread panic, and this doesn’t disappoint. It’s worse than I expected. What can I say, I’m somewhat optimistic by nature, the worst case scenarios aren’t something I indulge into if I can avoid it, haha...ha...but yeah, this is nasty.

Around where her pelvis should have been, she’d changed.  The mass of tissue left her tall enough that she had to hunch over to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling, and she was lying down.  Half of it was angry, red, wrinkled or blistered.  The other half was smooth tissue, dark greens, dark brown and pale grays.  The head of an animal, half-bovine and half-canine, extended from the front, large as a horse from the back of its skull to the tip of its flaring nostrils.  Another head was in progress, emerging just to the left.  Two forelegs extended to either side of the heads, rippling with powerful muscle, ending in something that fell between claw and hoof, massive and easily capable of tearing through steel.

There were the fingers and thumb of a hand, extending from her right hindquarters, each digit thicker around than Krouse was, with another, smaller limb extending from the palm.  Her rear left hindquarters featured only a mess of tentacles, some bearing partial exoskeleton, some long enough that they had to encircle the massive head and numerous limbs, or wind in a wreath around her as she lay down, lest their coiled mass fill the master bedroom of the house and leave Krouse nowhere to sit.  Despite the apparent lack of bones, the tentacles were capable of supporting her weight.

It’s like she’s piling more and more tissue and forming...limbs. And a couple heads, for some reason? I’m morbidly curious if she can see through that head that’s already formed. Oh god. Here I am, trying to distract myself with banal thoughts like...how do the Travelers manage to move Noelle from city to city, do they steal a freight truck every time? Sorry, I’m thinking of all kinds of things to distract myself about how horrible it must be to be Noelle right now, augh

I can see why nobody else but Francis visits her, though. It must be hard to...to see Noelle and try to not focus on what’s going on with her. Not many would have the...bravery to face her and try to make small talk or anything. What would you even say if you went to see her? How uncomfortable, for both Noelle and someone else, would it be to sit around and try not to talk about the elephant in the room? This is a situation nobody is prepared to deal with. I can definitely understand why it’s easier to just...not go see her at all.

But damn that must feel very lonely for Noelle.

She’d tried to starve herself, to die of thirst.  It had turned out badly.  She’d gone berserk and killed forty people in one autumn night.  Their tissues had played a large part in building the massive fingers and thumb that extended behind her.

Welp! The Simurgh really knew what she was doing. That’s all I have to say. Well played.

And so that’s how the Travelers started working under Coil. Because they were given hope. And nooooow that hope is gone. Here is the present time now, where Coil is dead. No wonder Noelle went berserk and escaped the vault. Where could she have gone...? Where could she be hiding? Because...if she was destroying anything, they would have heard about it even before they saw the broken vault.

But it still can happen. In the very near future. The rage of Noelle.

He had no doubt as to who had died here.  Could remember the scene as it had been just before he’d been knocked unconscious, could remember where people had been standing.

Another wave crashed against the beach.  He heard the seagulls cawing angrily, wanting the morsels that littered the ground in front of him.

Krouse spent a very long time staring at the stain.

This must be the end for this interlude arc. It’s quite the ending, pretty poignant. A quick check on the next chapter link shows that yeah, a new arc is starting next time.

So yeah, that’s it. The Travelers’ arc is over. Must say, this may be one of my favorite arcs so far. It sure makes a few things seem different than before. I appreciated the extensive peek into the circumstances of the Travelers and everything they went through. They’re quite a tragic group, really. In one single day they went from just a normal gaming team to a superpowered bunch without a home and having to lug around someone who is...slowly and horrifically mutating into a mess of flesh that creates mutant copies of people. Pretty amazing they all have held onto their sanity, really.

I’m sure the next arc – which I suppose will be about possibly finding and fighting Noelle – will be quite a thing! I’m looking forward to that.

Next time.

Next time: in three updates

[diveronarpg]

Congratulations, MANDY! You’ve been accepted for the role of GONERIL. Admin Rosey: How long have we been clamoring for our beloved Goneril? Far too long, I think. But the wait was worth it because Mandy, you delivered us to her with a little bloodied bow on top. You gave us a taste of Goneril, and here we are, begging for more. The plots you laid out for her future captured her well, and the para sample you provided gave an insight to the narration of her thought and I absolutely adored it. But, what really sold it to me, was the very end of the application: “... I don’t think Grace has ever stopped long enough to get bored. Maybe that’s for the best though; I’m not sure the world could withstand a bored Grace Daly.” And honestly, I’m not sure I can withstand the Grace Daly you will be bringing to our stage either. But I can’t wait to try! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Mandy

Age | 18

Preferred Pronouns | She/Her

Activity Level | For the next 3 weeks or so, I can probably post about 3-4 times a week. After that I start university, so maybe 1-2 posts per week?  

Timezone | BST

How did you find the rp?  |  I came across it a while ago (9/10 months?) so I can’t remember exactly how, but I figure I must’ve been looking for mob-related roleplays on tumblr.

Current/Past RP Accounts | This is actually my first-time roleplaying on tumblr so I don’t have any past accounts to show. I have been roleplaying for around ¾ years though, just on different forums. I can provide some samples of my writing if you want to make sure I’d fit in here.

IN CHARACTER

Character | Goneril aka Grace Daly! And I like her current faceclaim (Úrsula Corberó).

What drew you to this character? | What initially attracted me to Grace Daly was, in fact, another character; Calina Sokolova. Whilst writing out my application for Cleopatra herself, I noticed that I had a lot to say about wanting to explore her relationship with a character so primal and brutal as Grace Daly. And the more I wrote, the more I felt I understood Grace. At the same time, my infatuation for Calina’s character diminished, and I think that was because I realised that I didn’t actually understand her all that much. Then I read the application of the last successful writer for Calina, and I know that people can have different interpretations which are equally good, but it just made me realise that I had only scratched her surface with my own. I couldn’t do a character like Calina justice; at least, not yet. Not that I consider Grace to be any easier a character to write, or inferior in terms of depth, not at all; I just understand her much better. Turns out, Calina simply wasn’t my mystery to unravel, and so here it is, my application for Grace “Goneril” Daly.

What I love most about Grace Daly is that she remains true to her nature. The violence, the brutality, the chaos—it is her and she owns it. She does not run away, or attempt to hide her darkness, she doesn’t entertain any notions of herself as a ‘good guy’, nor does she fear or try to fight the darkness within her. Right and wrong are seen as abstract concepts, and even when she knows things are ‘wrong’, it makes no difference because she does not care. She would much rather be remembered as ‘great’ than ‘good’, anyway. What Olivander said about Voldemort comes to mind; “After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great.” Terrible but great, could there be a better analogy for Grace Daly? The rest of the world might see her as rotten, having lost her humanity, but one couldn’t be more primal or truer to their human nature than her. She takes what she wants, when she wants it, no matter the cost. She is a queen waiting to rule, a tragedy waiting to happen, a whirlwind to be respected, but most importantly, feared. She will carve herself a throne, whether that be from gold or your bones.

Despite being known as Goneril, she could actually be likened to Regan, in my opinion. It might seem like the sisters are an interchangeable evil duo in King Lear, but I actually think Regan is the more brutal of the two. After all, it is her who gouges out Gloucester’s eyes and thrusts him out to “smell his way to Dover”. Goneril is driven by ambition too, but I don’t see that love of violence in her characterisation. Catherine spills blood apathetically, whereas Grace thirsts for it, much like the Regan of King Lear.

Pride and the grandiose sense of self-worth, rather psychopathic traits, are also rather important cornerstones of her character. Because she has never been humiliated, never needed to ask for help, never been denied, she has this kind of smugness about her, an air of superiority. She wants to be remembered as such, a glorious vision of power, ambition, bloodlust and savagery—a legacy if there ever was one. Grace has always wanted more – more things, more money, more power, more blood – but perhaps what she craves most is recognition. Not the cheap recognition her parents gave her for simply being their daughter, no, she wants to be known as something great, something invincible, supreme, garnering as much recognition from the beggars and vagabonds lining the streets of Verona as the kings and queens in their palaces. She wants to be feared and worshipped like a God.

Along with the need to be known and remembered, comes the fear of being forgotten. People might sing Catherine praises for her angelic-ness, but they will not remember her name when she has passed like so many saints before her. At least, that’s what Grace thinks. The oldest Daly girl has long forgotten to fear death, but to become a ghost of bygone times like so many others have done in the past and most continue to do? That is literally a fate worse than death. She craves to be different, and to be revered for that difference. Death or glory—these are her options.

Whilst her impulsiveness might be seen as a weakness or a flaw, I think it makes her even more dangerous, because you can’t ever really know what she’ll do. She’s so unpredictable—one can never know whether they’ll get the cold, calculating Grace, or the wild, reckless Grace, who’s far more likely to give into her base instincts, until it’s too late. It’s unnerving how quickly she will switch between the two, but perhaps what is most alarming is when she is both at the same time. You ask how one can be cold and reckless, calculating and wild, at once? Oh, you should watch our raven-haired angel of death in action. She will beat you within an inch of your life and enjoy every second, but an inch she will leave, an inch to tell the world of your most foolish mistake: attempting to withstand the supernova that is Grace Daly.

I’ve never written such a raw, unremorseful character. In fact, I’ve never even come across such a female character in any sort of literature, let alone roleplaying. When other characters will tip-toe on the borders of insanity, Grace will crash in there with a battering ram without flinching. That is why it would be a delight and an honour to write Verona’s resident bloodthirsty empress, not that the world ever remembers one who wasn’t.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

1. Maybe some sort of face-off between the sisters? I don’t mean the three of them get into a ring and fight to the death, I just want a reunion of some sort, I suppose. I don’t imagine it will be at a café over brunch to discuss their childhoods, but perhaps they all need to meet up to discuss some mob business? In my mind, Grace joined the Montagues to give people a reason to remember her, not out of loyalty to anyone in the Montagues. So, if she sees an opportunity to rise the ranks, and she thinks that can be achieved by ‘offing’ one of their own captains to free up a space, I think she would definitely go to her sisters. They are Capulets, after all, and I doubt they would pass the opportunity to get rid of a high-ranking Montague. Regina, if not Catherine, anyway. At the same time, Grace doesn’t really consider her sisters to be her equals, so she might not care to do something mutually beneficial to all of them. Instead, I think she’s more likely to deceive both parties, because she’s arrogant and thinks her sisters are too naïve to understand her true intentions. Maybe that goes badly for Grace, because they really aren’t as clueless as she treats them? I don’t know, it obviously doesn’t have to pan out this way exactly, but I would really like to see the three of them having some sort of heated altercation, or just circumstance which invariably forces them to spend time together.

2. Calina vs Grace? Okay, so I know a lot of my plotting for Grace involves ‘facing off’ against other characters, but what can I say, Grace is a fighting sorta gal. In Calina’s bio, it says that “So long as [Grace’s] teeth are bared in another direction, she won’t have to make her shut her mouth,” aka Calina is happy to let sleeping demons lie, but what if they stopped lying? For whatever reason, they step in each other’s path and BAM! Chaos! Pandemonium!

As for how it happens, I was thinking something like this: Calina’s alias is Cleopatra, right, and, historically, Cleopatra was the first pharaoh to get the support of both the Greek and Egyptian subjects she ruled. In this case, the Greeks and the Egyptians are of course, the Capulets and the Montagues, respectively. Perhaps, at some later date, they are attempting to broker peace between the two mobs, and Calina, being Cleopatra, is at the forefront of this? Peace and harmony don’t work for Grace, of course, and so she tries to throw a wrench or two into their plans. Or maybe even a grenade.

3. I’d really like to explore some fiendish kind of plot that she and Ivan have. They are both quite chaotic and brutal characters, but I’d say Ivan does it for the love of chaos, whereas chaos is a side-benefit for Grace. Her true love is power; unlimited, absolute, power. So, say she hatches a plan to move up in the ranks, and figures that she might need some help from the Capulets for that. The help would be unintentional or accidental if her sisters were involved (see Plot 1), but I think she would be fairly upfront about it if she went to Ivan. Though Capulet by name, I’d say that he is first and foremost an anarchist, and Grace knows this. So, if she wants to stir the pot a bit, and wants to have some fun in the meantime, why ever not get in touch with the platonic Clyde to her platonic Bonnie? He’s never said no to a bit of mayhem. It could also be that they both plan on betraying each other, y’know, for a little more drama? Grace knows that his love of ruin and destruction is a little too dangerous to have around if her plans for dominion are ever to come to fruition, and Ivan knows that he cannot tear the world apart if there are people who wish to maintain the social order, so that one can actually hold dominion. In the end, no matter how similar their methods might be, their endgame couldn’t be more different.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Yes, but I would really like a fitting death for her; ‘’all or nothing”, essentially. Either she goes out in a blaze of glory, doing what she loves, or it somehow becomes that she loses everything, and is at the lowest of lows, and is then killed. I’d rather she didn’t die in some random mugging sort of thing, y’know? Also, pleeease, nothing like how Goneril and Regan go out in King Lear—sure poison can be involved, just not the whole other “jealous, superficial, evil sisters kill themselves over some man/throw themselves at his feet” trope. Grace thirsts for blood and power, not men.

IN DEPTH

I would genuinely do both, but I really want to send this in time for Sunday acceptances and I don’t have very long left. So, in-character para sample it is!!

***

Naivete? No, that couldn’t possibly be it. They had survived too long, accomplished too much, to be naïve. No, what truly plagued her family, whether that was their parents, or her sisters, it was blindness—or lack of vision, to be more precise. They had grown too accustomed to their life, too comfortable in the plush armchairs in front of their warm hearth, to envy the jewel-encrusted palaces that their kings and queens resided in. They were happy to settle for something mildly better than mediocrity, content to be second best, good but not that good. The Daly’s were well-off, there was no two ways about that, but they were hardly mice next to the mammoth that were the Capulets.

It was disgraceful to her. Shameless, even. How dare they be so complacent?

The babe turned girl turned woman, who had always wanted more and more and more, could not fathom the meaning of leading such an unremarkable existence. What could possibly be the meaning of life if you didn’t keep fighting for more, until there was no one left to fight, until you were the most powerful person in the room?

Throughout history and mythology, there were always trinities. Hydra, the three-headed serpent, Cerberus, the three-headed hound, and she had held out hope that herself, Regina, and Catherine, would themselves be a trinity to behold one day. Her mother and father had resigned themselves to ‘the simple life’, but children did not have to repeat their parents’ mistakes. They could be better, the Daly girls.

And yet, it wasn’t to be. Regina had come as uninspiring as they did, and Catherine, well, all saintly Catherine wanted to do was be nice. For a time, she tried convincing them, inspiring them as the eldest, but even back then Grace had had little patience for lost causes. And lost causes they were, the whole lot of them.

If she was to be anything more, it would be alone. Her family would not, could not, help her, and that meant looking for another family. Perhaps one with a little more backbone.

Extras:

I’d say that the Grace I’ve envisioned is quite similar to Villanelle from Killing Eve. However, whilst Villanelle kills because she is bored, I don’t think Grace has ever stopped long enough to get bored. Maybe that’s for the best though; I’m not sure the world could withstand a bored Grace Daly.

[randomwordsandstormydays]

The One Where Mandy Gets Her Crew

Check it out! This is the first writing I’ve done for my OC Mandy Sepha.

TW: character death, graphic depictions of violence, cursing, aggressive language

Mandy is going to kill Helios.

He’s a piss poor excuse for a crew leader, and a raider in general, and he’s made one too many comments about her tongue, or lack thereof, for her to even begin to respect him. But that’s not why he needs to die. No, she’s going to kill him because The Death Dealers have lost more members in the six months since he’s taken over than in the two years prior to his rise to power. She’s sick of having to recruit garbage raiders because he’s getting her people killed more quickly than she can find replacements. Even that chem junkie she picked up last week is better suited to run their little outfit.

So, she’s going to kill him.

It’ll be simple enough, there isn’t a single doubt in her mind that she’s smarter than him, and she’s willing to bet a whole slew of caps that she’s better in a fight, too, which is going to make this a whole lot simpler. Helios has always underestimated her, whether it be in her fighting skills, her weapons accuracy, or her intelligence. That kind of doubt will only make it easier for her to gut him. All she has to do is challenge him in the arena next week, she’ll put him down in front of the entire gang, and then claim the spot of crew leader for herself.

Most of the members already respect her, because even if their shitty leader can’t see her potential, everyone else can. In fact, just a few weeks ago, a couple of the more senior raiders were discussing who would be a better fit to take over, on the off chance that an accident befell Helios. She was eavesdropping, one of her specialties, when Kilthau dropped her name. That, combined with the overwhelming support from the rest of the group, was one of the factors that led to her decision.

Since then she’s been preparing. It wasn’t hard to take over for Ophelia in the sparring pit, and every day she spends at least two hours there practicing taking on men and women bigger than her, stronger than her, smarter than her. There isn’t a soul she hasn’t taken on by this point, except for the crew leader. And that will be rectified soon.

Kilthau approaches her two days before the arena matches while she’s on guard duty. He offers her a cigarette, which she takes but doesn’t smoke, before claiming the seat next to her at the top of the wall.

“I know what you’re planning to do,” she watches him in her peripherals but doesn’t respond, “and I want to help.”

That surprises her, she knows that he believes she should be in charge, but going against the crew leader is punishable by death. If she loses, and Helios doesn’t kill her right there and then, she won’t live much longer anyways. If it’s discovered that Kilthau helped her, he’ll die too. However, she’ll take all the help she can get, if he wants to risk his life, that’s on him, hopefully he’s not expecting her to protect him. Nothing is free, however, especially when dealing with raiders. Her eyes must convey her suspicion.

“I do want something in return, but I believe it will also be in your favor.” She nods, encouraging him to continue. “When you become crew leader, I want to be your personal bodyguard,” he laughs a little at the look on her face, “I’m getting old, Mandy, raiders don’t usually live to my age, and no I won’t tell you want that is.” That gets a very small smile from her. “You know I’m a good fighter, but every run we make, every settlement we take over, that could be my last.”

For the first time, Mandy really looks at him, and the indicators of his age are all over. He keeps his head shaved, but the coarse hairs on his chin reflect gray-white in the mid-day sun. As she stares an amused look passes over his features, revealing wrinkles by the edges of his mouth and crow’s feet by his eyes. If she had to guess she’d put him in his early forties, much too old to be a raider. It’s obvious that his intelligence is what has kept him alive, and she wonders why someone so smart, with so much potential, is wasting his life with The Death Dealers. She’s not going to ask, though.

His offer is a good one, and she’s not going to let it pass. He takes her hand when she offers it, squeezing once before letting it drop. Mandy raises one of her eyebrows up, telling him to continue.

“We all know Helios is a tank. He’s big and strong, which is why all you young kids thought it would be a good idea to put him in charge,” at her aversion to that he corrects himself, “okay, maybe not you specifically, but you understand.” So far he hasn’t said anything she doesn’t already know. “Well, what you might not have heard, is that he’s got a bad shoulder. Get your thumb or blunt weapon into the joint there and you’ll immobilize him.”

That is news to her. A weakness like that is easily abused, no wonder it’s such a closely guarded secret. She wonders how Kilthau found out. He’s on his feet before she has a chance to ask.

“I’ll see you in a few days.”

Less than 48 hours she’s staring across the arena looking Helios dead in the eye and gripping her ripper in a tight fist. He glares at her, looking at her like she’s no better than the blood drying on his boots.

“I should have known you were going to challenge me,” he sneers at her, “you’ve had it out for me since day one.” Obviously he gets no response from her. He turns to address the raiders surrounding the fighting pit. “Do you really want to follow a former slave? If she was taken before, how do you expect her to be strong enough to lead you now?”

The crowd is divided, half of them know her, respect her, and have never looked down on her because of the life she lived prior. Hell, more than a few have heard her story and congratulated her on her success. It’s not often a slave rebels, and it’s even less often that they win. Helios doesn’t respect that, doesn’t respect anyone who wasn’t born into the raider life, who had to fight tooth and nail to survive, to pass initiation, to prove themselves.

The other half are chemed out, riding the waves of artificial bliss, only loyal to the strongest, the current leader. She’ll win them over, and then they’ll cheer for her.

He faces her again, mouth twisting into an ugly grin. “You really want to follow a woman who wasn’t strong enough to stop someone from cutting out her own tongue?”

Anger pounds through her at his words, but she knows that anger will only make her sloppy, anger will get her killed.

But honestly, fuck Helios, how dare he? She was 19 when she snarked off to the wrong raider, her newest owner. He didn’t believe in second chances, and before she could do anything to make up for her words, he forced open her mouth and cut out her tongue. Now, five years later, he’s dead, killed by the same knife he used on her, and she’s alive, ready to take down another raider who thinks he’s better than her.

The memory of his blood pouring across her hand and down her arm fuels her. She’s stronger now than she was then, Helios doesn’t stand a chance. He’s still waiting for her anger, watching her like a predator, but unable to convey much more fear than she would feel when faced with a simple radroach. His face dissolves into rage when she smiles at him, bright and wide, and then flips him off. The crowd shouts their glee at her taunting and Helios’ gaze darts all around, confused by their flipping loyalty. He seems to realize that he’s not the one they want to win.

Just as that thought crosses through Mandy’s mind Helios makes his move. Even as large as he is, he moves quickly, and the distance between them is covered in just a few seconds. No matter, though, she’s ready.

Before he can complete the punch that he’s aiming at her skull, she ducks to the side, rolling and using her momentum to get away from his fist. She’s on her feet quicker than he can turn around and she uses this to her advantage. One quick kick to the back of his leg has him dropping to his knees on the floor and then another has her boot connecting with the side of his head, sending him sprawling across the ground. For a moment she considers ending him there, her ripper is ready, but it’s too quick. He hasn’t suffered enough.

The roar of the raiders registers as she takes a few steps back, letting Helios get his bearings, and their cheers encourage her. By the look in his eyes he knows that he should be dead, that she spared him for the sake of a better show. He won’t underestimate her again.

They go back and forth, passing blows between them in equal measure. He gets a solid hit to the side of her head, which rips one of her piercings out, but she returns the favor when she cuts off a chunk of his ear with her ripper. She has no idea how long they fight, but she can feel herself flagging, luckily, Helios is tired too. He takes a step, like he means to charge her again, but it’s a ruse, a ruse that she fails to notice. The ground hurts as it slams into her back, and the wind is knocked out of her, her moment of weakness has opened up a golden opportunity for Helios.

She doesn’t feel panic when his hands close around her neck, she’s been in this position more than once, she knows how to get out. Hooking her leg around his is easier than she suspected, he’s underestimating her again. The shock on his face when she flips him onto his back and knocks his hands away nearly makes her laugh out loud, instead she jabs her thumb into his shoulder joint. His yelp of pain is genuine and loud, and she takes a moment to let his whimpering mewls wash over her.

Then she slashes the ripper across his throat, silencing his screams.

His blood is hot as it sprays across her face, but she’s all smiles. Once the dark red liquid stops pouring out of him, she stands and faces the majority of the raiders. Kilthau is already down the stairs and making his way towards her. Pride is written all over his face and it makes her feel accomplished, even more so than the blood drying on her face and staining her teeth. Kilthau reaches down to grab her by the wrist and in one swift motion he lifts her arm up.

“To your new crew leader, Mandy “The Silence” Sepha! Head of The Death Dealers!”

The screams from her fellow raiders pour over her, and in that moment Mandy knows that she’s exactly where she belongs.

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