#me trying to explain aja's entire deal like..

[clowndensation]

aja & leander's entire dynamic summed up basically.

[sylvana-the-tsarina]

Okay so I don’t usually come back to movies I don’t like if I can help it, but there’s this particular part about Rise of the Titans that’s just been bothering me so now y’all get to hear me rant about it. 

What is it? Staja. Aka the Steve and Aja relationship. 

There are just... so many things wrong with it. Not really the relationship itself (although there a few points there I want to address, later) but how the relationship is portrayed to us as viewers. 

The entire thing is supposed to be a comedy, that much is clear. They want us to laugh at the absurdity of this relationship, laugh at its dynamics, and it’s so painfully clear in every way they show it on screen. 

I think what makes me Very Angry about that is just... this could have been the perfect opportunity to show that a different dynamic in relationships is Okay but instead it’s supposed to be laughed at? And a guy going through something that could arguably be called traumatic (is traumatic as far as I’m concerned) is supposed to be funny? 

Let me explain. 

First let’s just deal with the 7 kisses thing. Hello? That was obviously added in there to be funny but just, I can’t even, urgh! How much sense does it make? If this was true, why wasn’t Aja more careful about it before? Why didn’t she tell Steve about it before?  And can we also talk about what a ludicrous method of reproduction that is?? It makes no logical sense in the least, it’s so stupid, so dumb, and that’s coming from a repulsed ace! Not to mention that if guys were the gender to get pregnant, Steve is still an Earthling not an Akiridian there’s no way the blasted nonsense was supposed to work!  It’s just ridiculous and I hate it. 

So now Steve’s pregnant. Might I remind you that Steve’s a teenager and mentally unprepared to be a parent? You’re telling me that teenage pregnancies are supposed to be funny because Steve is a male which means it would never happen and therefore we can laugh at it? How messed up is that? Honest to goodness just messed up. If anything, Steve being a guy should have made it worse because never in his life did he ever expect something like this to happen to him! And now his pain, his terror, his going through the fUnNy pregnancy cravings and things that moms have to go through (why are pregnancy cravings considered funny?) is just to laugh at him?  “Oh, look at the strong white male bully being pregnant during a war when he didn’t expect it! Isn’t that funny?”  Like heck it is funny! It’s horrifying is what it is!  Teenagers becoming parents is a tragedy and I RESENT that you try and make it a comedy. Seriously. There’s nothing that can validate this, nothing at all.  *(takes deep breath)* 

Alright. Moving on to Steve and Aja’s relationship. 

From the beginning we can see that Aja being the “guy” of the relationship is meant for comedy. You all know what I mean. Steve is being treated like a damsel in distress and that’s supposed to be... say it with me... funny.  Is it funny to you, folks?  It just, that relationship could have been the perfect opportunity to show that it’s fine and okay for the female to have the “guy” role in the relationship and vice versa, even if the guy is masculine-presenting. It’s an interesting dynamic, for sure, and they could have fleshed it out to be deeper and more interesting than they actually did.  I suppose it ties into the idea of masculine males being traditionally feminine as something funny but I’m honestly really tired of that idea and I think we should stop it already.  Any Staja moment had the tells to show it’s funny. Them kissing during a battle is the example I get off the top of my head, where Eli and Krel get moments on screen to complain about “how gross it is” and “can they just stop already”.  It’s just... such a wasted opportunity to have so much more, but instead was traded for superficial level depth so that the audience could laugh at them. 

You do not need to sacrifice character depth for laughs. I mean, just look at FMA (or any good show for that matter)! If Ed could have such character depth and at the same time be hilarious then heck if you couldn’t do it too because you could but you blew it and I resent that. 

Now, the last thing I want to talk about is Steve and Aja’s relationship as just characters. 

While I have mentioned that their relationship could have been the perfect opportunity to show *(gestures at previous paragraphs)* that, I personally think they don’t make... the best duo. 

I mean, Aja and Steve both act much differently with each other than when they’re not with each other, all lovey dovey couple things, but the thing is... Aja is a queen now. Her serious side needs to show more often and that side just... completely sidelines when she’s with Steve. She becomes a high-school girl with a crush on her boyfriend and they just call each other nicknames and kiss and whatever. 

They don’t really... talk... to each other, if that makes sense. The relationship feels almost superficial and there for the relationship’s sake instead of the characters. Like, Claire and Jim have helped each other through tough times and lifted each others’ spirits and had deep conversations, and Aja and Steve have... not. 

I think Aja ought to have ended up with someone who could shoulder being king, and Steve ought to end up with someone who treats him better (nothing against Aja but she really does feel like it’s only fun and games with Steve and no seriousness or support at all) (I mean look at the scene where she tells Steve to look after their “little ones” and then smiles while Steve panics over there being more than one) (Steve deserves better, mates).

Better yet, let the relationship focus on Aja be her sibling relationship with Krel, and the focus with Steve being with his best friend Eli and redeeming himself from bully status. The two of them don’t need a romance, honestly, and imo they would be better off not a couple. 

But for those of you who still ship Staja, then please don’t make fun of them or laugh at Steve for these things. It’s messed up if you do, frankly. 

Annnnyway, those were my thoughts on how Staja was portrayed across the series. I hope this was somewhat informative or interesting to y’all (and also that this is what you wanted, Lemon xD). 

That all being said, have a good day! 

[starcookiechu]

ROTT Review

SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. You have been warned.

FYI: I just finished the movie. So my opinions may change a bit but here I am writing a full review.

Before I talk about the movie, I have to say this movie has fantastic animation. The music is as good as usual.

Ok now the story. Let’s start with the our Trollhunters.

Fair Lady Claire. My girlie Claire really brought her all into this. I’m really proud of the young woman she has grown up into. However for the sake of the plot and story they make her run out of magic juice quite a bit. But my girl is still the best and gives it her all.

Wingman Domzalski. I will be perfectly honest. Toby is kind of the annoying best friend at times and bothers me as a plus size person. (They really push the over eating thing to the point that it’s his biggest factor.) Toby is a very eager kid who is ready to get in the action. Never being negative to his friend but the best emotional support who will always be at his side. Sure Toby was used a bit as comedic relief in the movie but when push comes to shove, Toby will always be there to do the right thing.

Blinky is amazing as always. One of the best father figures out there.

Aarrrgh was there. Was great for the scenes he was in, but all together didn’t do much that altered the story.

Our Trollhunter, Jim Lake Jr. Someone I admire and basically see as my little brother/child. Kiddo really did it. I know everyone is upset that Jim’s arc was redone when we had the “Unbecoming” episode. If I could come to a peaceful middle ground, I saw we all need to blame Merlin. He really rocked Jim’s world and self worth. When the creator of the object you need to save the world with tells you “You’re not enough”, it really can be a great setback. But once we past that, Jim really pulled through. Amulet or not, he is our Trollhunter.

Mommy Dr. Lake was there. Barbara was mostly there for our emotions.

Dilf Strickler. I felt that he was changed a bit since we last saw him, but he had a new purpose. He was more cautious and happy because he had a chance at a happy life with Barbara. Which makes what happens to him more upsetting. 

Nomura my sweet. This movie did not deserve you. At least she was with Draal.

And Not-Enrique (seriously why didn’t they ever give him an actual name) just wasn’t in the movie.

How about some CreepSlayers?

BABY ELI PEPPERJACK CAME BACK LOOKING SO CUTE. So proud.

Bumbling knight oaf Steve the Palchuckian was great as usual.

I will say though. The whole pregnancy plot was just a way to get Eli and Steve out of the way. I could feel that the writers maybe didn’t like Steve so much since Wizards. But Steve was once again someone to laugh at. Pregnant and out of the way.

How about some Akiridions?

Aja my darling girl, oh how you’ve grown. I understand some think she has changed. However I must say that her preparing a plan B on the side was smart. She isn’t just a princess on earth anymore. She is a queen on a distant planet. So if she thought evacuation was best, it would ensure that everyone would live. And avoid losing more valuable people from her life. So no, I can’t blame her.

DJ Kleb was there. He was kinda doin his own thing and messing with Steve. Brother-in-law stuff.

It was good to see Varvatos Vex.

Stu was the man in the background working on the busy important things like working on the amulet. Personally I feel like the series REALLY underutilizes Stu A LOT so I was so happy to see him being a part of something huge.

And finally some Wizards.

Douxie my love, you were amazing as usual. His powers have grown greatly and have contributed to the adventure. But god the writers really do love to take everything away from him don’t they. It’s unfair.

Archie was kinda just there and just... I understand leaving Douxie but that doesn’t mean I like it.

Nari the sweetest. I can only imagine the guilt she felt to end Nomura. Her self sacrifice was probably the one in the movie most called for.

Alright now I’ll talk about the movie.

I can whole heartedly say this movie was rushed. To be honest I feel like the original writers weren’t completely in this. At least it felt kind of not so much Trollhunters or 3Below vibes but more Wizards, if that makes sense whatsoever. Something is off.

I just want to blame Merlin for everything. To hell with that guy.

The beginning sequence was great. A car chase to a moving train. Which ends up with Toby of course screwing up and breaking the brakes. Of course. The train falling off the tracks which ultimately ends up with Nari gone. Oh yeah, and video recordings of Magic, trolls and being taken in by the police. Great.

WHY TF WAS TOBY TELLING THEIR STORY TO THE POLICE. YOU DON’T MIX THE POLICE IN STORIES UNLESS YOU KNOW THE COP PERSONALLY. CUZ IT’S A MESS AND THE POLICE GET IN THE WAY. GDI TOBY.

Our heroes go back to base on the new and improved Camelot. Where we discover that Barbara and Strickler are now engaged. Happy news and would secure that Jim has another Father figure in his life and his mother’s happiness. Which explains Strickler’s “stay behind” advice. Now he has a family to watch over. He must be careful and warns that Jim’s actions could cost so much that he might not be able to afford.

Enters our Majesty Aja and the new stud on the block, Eli. Dang I wish puberty hit me like that.Truck-kun strikes again. And also enters... the pregnancy thing. I will say, I didn’t mind it too much... at first. But there are complications. Steve is too young to be a father and dang 7 kisses?? I can’t help but feel like Aja should have mentioned that or it was a last minute plan to write out Steve and Eli. (Which it was.) It was funny sure cuz omegaverse and ALIENS but all together it’s really iffy.

They really had Douxie preform a body-swap spell only so it would be undone. And undoing the spell only hurt them both?? C’mon. C’mon.

And they mention the Krohnisfere. We’ll get back to it. Jim gets a brand new amulet infused with Akaridion tech. However theres an issue. It was created by Merlin right? Who is a wizard right? Who uses MAGIC. Shame Douxie wasn’t there to help make it. Ya know. 1/2 of the original creator of the AMULET. So it’s missing a huge part and for the sake of the plot, Jim doesn’t test the Amulet which is out of character personally.

Toby makes a silly big deal over a penny. I was actually hoping they would make it a silly Chekhov's gun later on. But no, it’s just Toby being loud and comedic relief.

The titans are released and we visit a very pregnant Steve. Ok so it’s a rushed kind of thing. ok.

Aja suggests evacuation. You can say it’s out of character but we need context. When Aja helped in the Doomsday Battle, she was ensured a way out but if she let the people of Arcadia perish. She decided to stay and help. But now the Trollhunter himself can’t help. So to ensure the survival of everyone, evacuation. A best chance for everyone to survive. Plus she is now a Queen. She rules over a whole planet which must change her thinking.

Now our characters are split into 3 teams:

Blinky, Archie, Archie’s dad and Claire for the Krohnisfere.

Jim, Aja, Toby, Strickler and Barbara for the Glacial Titan.

Nomura, Douxie and Aarrgh for the Earth Titan.

Now here is where I have problems. WHY. DID. THEY. SEND. TROLLS. TO. BRAZIL. IN. THE. DAY. Nomura dying was just so out of pocket. Unnecessary. I couldn’t even grieve properly I didn’t have a chance to process. The best thought I could think was “At least she’s with Draal now.” 10 seconds later, Strickler makes the choice to sacrifice himself. Because of Jim’s heroic’s, Strickler decided to try to save the most important people in his life. The person who was always dishonest finally had a chance to live a happy life with his family. The one who played it safe now had to make the final impulsive move. And unfortunately, his death was in vain. These deaths were just so forced. It wasn’t in any way good. And Strickler being one of the best written characters just going in such a way was just off. He died for nothing. He could have turned back and fought another battle but... no.

(BTW Barbara was just there... for Strickler’s death.)

We move to Babara and Jim having a heart to heart. I’m glad she didn’t blame Jim but a small moment of anger. Something a little more real for me but no I guess. Barbara will always just be Jim’s mom. She mention’s Jim’s father and it passed so quickly I missed it on my initial viewing. I’m happy that Jim’s father is never revealed or made a bigger part in his story. This is good representation for those of us who did have our fathers walk out on us. That we can grow despite our parents failing us.

And finally team Krohnisfere. Archie just leaves. He’s gone. Poor Douxie. A mentor and now his closest companion.

Our heroes meet up to go against the Volcanic Titan. In comes Varvatos Vex on a Gun Robot. Nice to see some good ol Gundam with a character mentioned throughout the entire trilogy. However it doesn’t last. BTW for the sake of survival, Aja leaves Jim and Toby. Iffy.

Douxie pulls a “Jason stop. This isn’t you.” thing with Nari and is reunited with his friend.(+ points for the shippers. It’s kinda winning me over?) Also, Claire now has the power to teleport a Titan. I know she’s much stronger than she was for the Trollhunters Sn 2 finale, but cmon. You can’t just say she’s out of magic juice and then pull this. C’mon.

(btw did the titan make a War of the Worlds tripod sound? No? Just me?)

Nari sacrifices herself and takes the other god with her. Which takes away Douxie’s other companion. Mr. Stark I don’t feel so good. Why does this movie hate Douxie so much. (I am so sorry shippers. Angst.)

BLINKY DIDN’T SEE A PAGE? ADDRESSING IT IN THE SHOW DOESN’T GIVE YOU A PASS. I forgot the word but this irony isn’t greatttt.

Jim now has to pull out the legendary sword Excalibur. But he can’t cuz he hasn’t harnessed the power of friendship.

And Steve is giving birth. At the worst time. What is this a zombie movie??? C’mon.

Jim says “Magic is friendship” And Stu is finally being used for one grand act. Seriously Stu is just so unappreciated. So he fixes the amulet with magic.

Basically everyone who went on top of the Volcanic titan falls off at some point. Except Jim cuz of course some 1v1. 

ONCE AGAIN Claire is out of magic juice. Because... reasons.

Toby makes the choice to race to Jim’s side with the technology to cancel out magic. (Wait how does science stop magic again)

BTW, For the Good of all doesn’t hit as well BUT it’s not mentioning any glory towards stinky Merlin so I am happy with the change.

JIM HAS A NEW TRANSFORMATION. MY BOY. MY SON. I’M SO PROUD.

Toby races to Jim and his helmet falls off the taco truck. That honestly should have been a huge warning sign. I was worried he didn’t have armor but we know how this goes.

Jim defeats the final titan and everyone is happy. The fight is finally over.

STEVE HAS 7 KIDS. OUCH. 

Seeing Jim run to Toby was heartbreaking. Now this is the one scene where the movie really let out actually process a character’s death. How on earth can you process your best friend, your most faithful companion dying. Jim goes through too much I swear to god.

Now let’s discuss the time travel plot. I honestly feel like they pulled some kind of Attack on Titan ending. The main character burdened with knowing the future and what could have been. And if everything is meant to be how it will be, destiny will reconnect them again. (Jlaire reincarnation AU???)

I’m actually ok with this ending. I understand people would want the time stone to return only a few minutes. But even then, the kiddos still have police records, so many people dead at the titan’s hands (or feet) and now the world knows about the existence of trolls thanks to the internet. In New York no less. And people are still dead.

We return the the beginning of everything, reflecting the “Unbecoming” episode.

(NGL I’m bothered that they didn’t do anything to stop Steve from bullying Eli, but Jim can’t do it. He’s saving it for Toby.)

And now finally, let’s discuss Toby becoming the Trollhunter. From the beginning, Toby never considered himself good enough to be the main star. Always the wingman, the 2nd best. Support. Now it was Toby’s turn to climb the ranks and be the Hero he’s always wanted to be. It’s Jim’s turn to live an easier high school life. I don’t doubt that he won’t follow Toby. But now he knows what to avoid and how to make the story process more smoothly.

I understand some are unsatisfied with this ending, which is kinda trademarked with Dreamwork’s shows. I get it. But honestly as of right now, I think I like the ending.

The amulet didn’t choose Jim because this Jim is not the same Jim as in Sn 1 Ep 1. He is a new man. And I think we all can agree that it’s his turn to be happy.

---

I still love this series so much. It is my favorite cartoon. Of course it has it’s flaws, but this ending is at least satisfactory and not heartbreaking. Now it’s up to us to either continue the story or contribute our ideas in fanfiction. I look forward to everyone’s creations.

Don’t think. Become.

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 83-87

Last time, the Red Stone of Aja got mailed out to the bad guys, so Joseph and Caesar have gone to shake down the Venice Post Office.   Notably, Joseph wears a hat and coat similar to the one he’s rocking in Part 3.

Turns out, the package is already on its way to St. Moritz, Switzerland.   Messina knows this because... okay, try to follow this.   So Esidisi hijacked Suzie Q’s body to mail the Stone.   So she probably wasn’t even aware of what she was being forced to do, but Lisa Lisa used Ripple Hypnosis on her to retrieve the address.   You’d think she would have told the boys about this ability before they ran over to the post office, but maybe they left before she could say anything.

Meanwhile, this dog’s about to get run over, but this is Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, so what else is new.   Araki’s hatred for comic book dogs is the stuff of legend.

OR IS IT?   Yeah, take a good long look, because this is the only time Araki saves a dog in JJBA.    Apparently, Kars is a sucker for innocent plants and animals, go figure.  

I don’t know what else to tell you, except Battle Tendency = Best JoJo Part.  

As for Joseph, he and the others go to Switzerland, only to get held up by Nazis at the border.  Turns out, their mysterious commander knows all about the Red Stone of Aja, the Pillar Men, and Joseph and Caesar’s Ripple training.   That guy who tried to rob Lisa Lisa a while back?  He was a Nazi spy the whole time.   So now they have the Stone, and they want to cooperate with Joseph’s group.   Lisa goes along with it, because it’s better than letting Kars find the stone.

For some reason, Araki pauses to discuss Nazi Germany a bit, except he has all these historical events from March and September of 1939.   I’m not entirely clear on the chronology of Part 2, except that the final battle with Kars takes place in February of 1939, so none of these things have happened yet.  

But the point still stands.    Hitler wants Nazi Germany to rise above mankind, just as Kars seeks his own kind of supremacy.   And like Kars, the Nazis are interested in the Red Stone of Aja as a possible path to greater power.  

Everybody spends the night at some Swiss inn, until Kars shows up and uses his hyper-senses to detect how many men are in their room.   Then he slashes through the wall with that blade he sprouts out of his forearm, killing them all with one attack.   

Except for their commander, who has the Stone.   Kars is confused, because he sensed the number and location of everyone in the room, but somehow he missed this last guy, because he’s got no body heat.  

And Joseph barges in just in time to find out that this dude is Stroheim, the Nazi officer who blew himself up to stop Santana.  Somehow he’s alive, and also a cyborg, which is why Kars couldn’t detect him.  

Kars only wants two things: To capture the Aja Stone, and to kill Joseph Joestar.    He says that he can’t afford to spare a Ripple User powerful enough to slay Esidisi, but Joseph wonders if Kars is motivated by a desire to avenge his comrade, rather than any sort of cold tactics.    Wammu had called dibs on fighting Jojo, but he’s in Greece at the moment, and Kars is in no mood to wait.   

But Stroheim insists on tackling Kars himself, as his cyborg body was specifically designed using the information gleaned from studying Santana.   He’s strong enough to rip out pieces of Kars’ flesh, and he’s armed with a big-ass machine gun.  He tells Joseph not to pity him, because he’s proud to become this living tribute to German technology.  

What I want to know is: How did Stroheim survive Mexico without Joseph knowing about it?  He was there when that grenade went off, after all.   Maybe Stroheim landed some distance away, where Joseph wouldn’t have thought to look for him.    But how did Stroheim’s men find him?  

Anyway, Kars is not impressed, and he cuts Stroheim in half with his “light mode”, which is just the blades in his arms.   They seem to glow, but it’s actually just reflected light from the complex patterns in the blades.   From the sidelines, Joseph is unnerved by Kars’ ability, because he doubts that he could block or avoid those blades, even with the full power of his Hamon energy.   

As for Stroheim, he had no idea that Kars could do anything like this.   I don’t know, are arm-blades really that big a deal?   Wammu’s powers seem a lot cooler, and Esidisi’s “flame mode” looks pretty scary, even if it only melts stuff.   Still, it’s enough to beat Stroheim.    Kars mocks him for thinking that he and Santana were on the same level.   Kars considered Santanta a “novice”, like a “weak puppy.”   That’s an interesting choice of words, since we just saw Kars save the life of a weak puppy earilier.   Maybe that same pity was the only reason Kars kept Santana around in the first place.      As dangerous as Santana was, Kars considers him utterly useless.   

He even refers to Santana as “it.”  Maybe that’s just a mistake in this scanlation, but I dunno.   He’d probably use “it” to refer to that puppy he saved too.   And maybe this contempt explains why Kars refers to him as “Santana”, the name Stroheim gave the guy.   I always wondered why Kars didn’t use Santana’s real name, but maybe Santana never had one.  

But Stroheim’s not done just yet.   He has a UV beam built into his eyepiece, which stuns Kars long enough to make him drop the stone, and then it slides over a cliff.

Joseph and Kars race after it, but Kars is faster, because he doesn’t have to worry about slowing down before he goes over the edge.    He can survive the fall, while Joseph can’t.   So Kars figures that Joseph will try to kick him, and Joseph does throw a kick... at the snow, to distract Kars long enough for Joseph to get the Stone back.

But Kars has  blades in his legs too, and he uses one to snag Joseph and pull him over the edge of the cliff.   Joseph manages to use Hamon to grab hold of some icicles to stop his fall, but he still has to deal with Kars’ unstoppable blades, and his relentlessness.   Joseph’s whole deal is that he outsmarts his opponents by exploiting their inattentiveness.   But Kars is laser focused on getting the Aja Stone, so it’s almost impossible to catch him off-guard.

So Joseph uses that tenacity against him by holding up the Stone in the path of Kars’ attacks.   Kars wants to kill Joseph, but he doesn’t dare use his blades near the Stone.  Remember, Kars’ plan requires that specific Aja Stone because it’s the only one big enough and flawless enough to power his “Ultimate Life Form” mask.   If he damages the Stone, it won’t be suitable for his needs.   Knowing this, Joseph kicks him down the rest of the way, while he heads back up a “rope” made of Ripple-connected icicles.

Said icicles were provided by Caesar, who expected Joseph to try something like this, because he’s already learned that Joseph thinks in terms of ropes and strings.   Stroheim is astonished by their flawless teamwork.  

Below, Kars goes out of his way to adjust his fall so as not to crush a flower.   He laughs at this latest setback, because he’s just that impressed with Joseph’s resourcefulness.   Then he withdraws to try again another day.  

This whole arc surprised me when I watched the anime, because it seemed like Kars would be the final boss of Battle Tendency, but here he was fighting Joseph early.   And it wasn’t exactly an all-out fight.    They had a little footrace and Joseph used the Aja Stone to keep Kars at bay, but not much more than that.   Considering all the crazy stuff we saw from Esidisi, you’d think Kars would be much more dangerous. 

But that’s just it.    Esidisi was extremely formidable, and Joseph destroyed him with his Hamon training.    Kars lost 33% of his team in a single stroke.    All he has left is Wammu, who’s in Greece at the moment.  He simply can’t afford to take on Joseph in this situation, so he doesn’t try anything too crazy.   Both of them know his blades are powerful enough to get the job done, so he used them, but when they stopped being effective, he ran out of cards to play, so he left.    It’s not that Kars is weak, it’s just that Joseph’s gotten so much stronger.    So this fight feels like a much milder affair than the battles with the other Pillar Men so far, even though Kars is supposed to be the best one.  

And this is something else I really love about Part 2.    There’s only five villains to deal with: Straizo, Santana, Eisidisi, Wammu, and Kars.   That’s it, so it makes things pretty easy to keep up with, and it leaves room for Wammu and Kars to fight multiple times.  

Compare this with Part 3, where the Stardust Crusaders have to fight through a gauntlet of evil Stand Users as they make their way to Egypt.    I think I counted 26 bad guys in Part 3?   Somewhere in that neighborhood.    And I love Part 3, don’t get me wrong, but if Dio only had ten henchmen instead of two dozen, would it really hurt the story?  

This was something that really bugged me about Parts 4 and 5.   Would La Squadra Esecuzioni’s role in Vento Aureo be any different if they only had five guys instead of seven?    And what was the deal with that dude who lived in the transmission tower?    Most of the “villains” in Part 4 were just randos who just fought with the good guys for no particular reason. 

With Part 2, you don’t have any of that.   Five villains, and three of them only get to fight once.   That means every fight has to count, and every fight has to move the story along.  Kars isn’t going to just show up to be sociable.  He saw an opening to achieve his goal, and he went for it, only to discover his enemies were better prepared than he expected.   Now, he’ll have to wait for Wammu... 

[that-one-bi-wizard]

Okay so RotT… I liked it. Not all of it, but I thought it was pretty good. And cuz of that, I’m gonna list off the things that I liked about the movie

So first off, the entire train scene!!! That opening battle was just so cool! Loved seeing Jim with Akiridion tech and more Claire and Douxie working together! Everything about it was so good!

The police interrogation scene! Once again, really good!! It got a good few funny moments with Krel bursting in a suit with the whole “Your mom sent me” joke. It was a fun moment seeing them get interrogated and escaping the police station!

The Douxie and Nari body swap!!! Now that was a good idea! Just wish we could’ve seen a bit more of it. And when Douxie’s soul was getting ripped from Nari’s body… omg that scene was chilling

Stricklake ENGAGEMENT!!! PLEASE THAT WAS SO CUTE!!! They deserved a happy ending😢 But seeing Strickler ask Jim to be his best man was so sweet

Barbra being a great mother once again! I love the little talk she gave Jim (plus the fact that Jim’s dad wasn’t a huge part of the story was something I kinda liked)

ELI’S GLOW UP! Bro, puberty hit my man Eli like a truck 😭

Varvatos Vex coming in with the freaking Gun Robot! Just for the sheer reference and that my boi ELI designed it! ELI DESIGNING A GIANT ROBOT ITSELF IS AWESOME!

Toby and Jim’s friendship!!! I’ve always loved their dynamic and it really shines here! AND TOBY’S SACRIFICE FOR THEM!! TOBY SWEETIE YOURE DOING GREAT—

Jim as a character still felt like Jim. A few characters like Aja felt written a ooc, but I think Jim worked well. Him being at a low point feeling helpless since he depended on the amulet to be a hero just felt right. I liked watching his struggle and overcoming it. It was enjoyable to me.

I also kinda liked the idea of the six main characters coming together at the end to pull out Excalibur. I think it would’ve worked better if some characters got more development cough cough KREL cough cough and had a moment in the spotlight but it was still a cool idea itself was pretty cool, I think. It just could’ve been fleshed out more

Ok don’t hate me… but I liked the ending. Yeah… I liked the whole Toby getting the amulet thing. LET ME EXPLAIN: The way I saw it is that nothing was unwritten. Everything still happened. Jim just started a different timeline. One with a different Toby and different events and where everyone is still alive. It’s one where he’s going to try to save everyone. Also I think Toby as the Trollhunter would be interesting. If they ever decide to return to the TOA series I’d like to see Toby’s adventures and Jim helping him, knowing what’s to come. I want to see Jim try to help everyone survive what’s to come.

And bonus: imagine a scenario/ fanfic idea where Toby’s the Trollhunter and a point comes where Jim finally tells him everything he’s seen and what’s happened. Eventually Toby having to give the amulet to Jim and him having to take the Amulet and returning to his original timeline. Then Jim having to deal with the guilt that this is his reality and that he couldn’t undo what had already been done. In which Jim has to learn to accept that he can’t save everyone. Maybe he can save Strickler and Nomura but is unable to ultimately save Toby. Idk just an idea.

You don’t have to agree with me. To each their own, but I like to look on the bright side of things. Admittedly, there were a few gems and hints of what could be good ideas in the movie. So these are just my personal thoughts on the movie.

[ebonyfirewolf]

The First Date.

Eli was super nervous as he walked into the restaurant.

More than nervous.

When Aja and Steve had brought up a polyamorous relationship with him. He had thought they’d been joking at first. Still wasn’t sure if they weren’t joking just yet. But he had agreed to try it.

Two of his favourite people. His favourite couple in the world was asking him to join them. To be with them. Become part of their relationship.

They had agreed to meet here and Eli walks up to the maitre'd, praying to god that this wasn’t some colossal prank.

Steve wasn’t like that anymore though. So it couldn’t be a prank.

“Hello sir, Do you have a reservation”

“Yes uh, Tarron or Palchuk. For three?” Eli asks softly.

The guy nods and looks over the list before smiling and Eli takes a little breath of relief. Reading the guy’s name tag. Douxie. Interesting name.

“This way,” He says picking up three menus and walking deeper into the bustling room.

Eli follows behind quickly to a small out of the way table. Intimate and nice.

Douxie lays out the menus before saying the normal spiel and walking off.

Eli amuses himself with reading over the menu. Getting just a water to start with and then he starts to worry. When he's read the menu three times and he's glanced at his watch.

Fifteen minutes late.

That’s fine. It’s just fifteen minutes. The traffic might be really bad.

Eli just amuses himself.

“Sir, are you ready to order?” The waitress asks.

“Oh no. I’m still waiting on my...friends” Eli finishes awkwardly.

They weren’t together yet. That’s what tonight was supposed to be. To see how all three of them went in a romantic setting.

“Very well. I’ll be back soon.” She says happily before walking away.

That happy smile turns to a pity filled one when it’s been forty-five minutes since she first asked. An hour late and Eli’s checked his phone but he has no messages or texts. He even tried calling Steve.

“H-Hey. Just uh. Checking where you are? This totally isn’t a prank right. I mean you wouldn’t rea-really do that to me would you” He stammers out.

Feeling tears sting his eyes.

Finally an hour and a half later. An hour and a half of Eli sitting here looking like a fucking dumbass. Does Douxie come and put him out of his misery.

“Sir I’m so sorry. You either need to order or go. I’m sorry about your friends” He says. Open face. No pity thankfully. Just a small about of sadness.

Eli stands dejectedly and sighs. Handing the guy a ten buck tip just for having to deal with his mopey ass all night.

“Thanks for not making me feel worse,” He says softly.

Douxie just pats him on the back and walks him to the front.

Just as he goes to walk out the door. Two people are rushing in and nearly shoving him off his feet.

“Shit sorry...Eli thank fuck your still here. I’m so sorry baby. My Vespa decided to shit itself on the most important night to” Steve says catching his arms and pulling him into a hug.

Aja joining it.

Eli though was mad. He wiggles his way from their grip and tries not to drop kick Steve.

“Well, your just in time. Your prank went spectacular. I’m humiliated and mortified. Laugh away”

“What?” Aja says confused. Steve echoing her.

“This whole prank. Cause that’s what it is right? A prank on the desperate loser. Everybody else has someone. Let’s make him think he's wanted as well and then laugh when he's left alone for an hour and a half! Made to look a fool of in front of an entire restaurant”

“No. No! Baby, it’s not a prank” Steve says softly. Looking upset, trying to reach for him but Eli's recoiling.

“His Vespa really did break down. We both tried calling. Many times. Is your phone working?” Aja says pulling her phone out of her pocket and showing him her call history.

“See. Four times. Steve tried eight” Aja murmurs. Sure enough, there was Eli four times. Eli though finds his heart skipping a beat at the heart next to his name. Further down Steve’s contact has one the same. Though his called Blond Oaf.

“But that’s not. I had my phone in my hand the entire time” Eli says meekly. Grabbing his own phone and showing them.

Suddenly Steve starts laughing.

“For such a smart guy you really can be so dumb,” Steve says pressing a kiss to his head and then flicking open his home page settings.

“You had it on do not disturb” Steve explains. Turning it off and suddenly Eli’s phone lights up with notifications.

Twelve missed calls and about ten messages come through.

Hey Pepperbuddy. Sorry again babe. Please don’t be mad. We’re on our way now. Is the last one that pops up.

Eli just wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole right now. How could they even want to be friends with him anymore after that? Let alone date him.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to look. I’m so sorry! God, I’ve ruined this haven’t I, by being a paranoid idiot.” Eli whimpers hiding his face in his hands.

“Of course not. No way in any galaxy have you ruined this. You being paranoid is why we like you so much My Eli” Aja says cupping his cheeks.

“Even when I make a fool of you and myself” Eli mutters sheepishly. Aja’s grip not allowing him to look anywhere else.

“Even more then” Steve promises.

Aja is kissing him then. Only softly but it’s enough to send Eli practically spinning into another world. Eli finding himself unable not to grin.

Some part of him does expect Steve to deck him for kissing Aja but all Steve does is grab his chin softly and turn him to look at the big blond.

“You’re ours Cheese Slice. Ok. I understand why you're a little paranoid but we really do want you. We have for a while. Just took us a few months to work up the courage to ask you out” Steve says.

Nothing but softness in his eyes.

“R-really”

“Oh yes. We were worried you wouldn't like us back” Aja explains. Grabbing Eli’s hand, curling their fingers together.

If Aja kissing Eli blew him away. Steve kissing him making him made him melt.

He sees Douxie out of the corner of his eye raise an eyebrow before his smiling.

When Steve pulls away he looks up at Douxie.

“Is our table still available or is there another one we can take?” Steve asks.

“Your table is still available. This way.” Douxie says.

This time when Eli is walking into the restaurant. His walking on air. Not a hand to spare since Aja and Steve are both holding on. Like if they didn’t he would run away.

They sit down and Douxie hands them the menu.

“Your...friends seem nice,” Douxie says with a wink and a smirk.

Steve and Aja’s eyes both narrow. Aja's hand covering Eli's, slotting their fingers together. It takes Eli a second to realise it’s out of possessiveness.

“That’s boyfriend and girlfriend to you.” Steve huffs.

Eli is pretty sure his face is splitting with how big his smiling.

[calif0rnia-lovers]

fake it ‘till you make it

chapter 1: you were mine first. 

summary: a trip down memory lane as Tre returns home to find his best friend dealing with the fallout of her divorce proceedings.

a/n: this chapter is really long. it’s essentially full of backstory. i didn’t want to post each part as its own chapter bc that would end us up with four short chapters. so...prepare for time jumps. kinda wanted to get the backstory out the way so that i can get into the good stuff. let me know what you think. i know it’s a reader fic but i just think aja naomi is so pretty that’s why you see her face :)

if there are typos bare with me. I forced myself to stop making changes and just posted it. songs are linked because i’m hella dramatic and moody when i write.

words. 8,960

2006: junior year in high school. (gif).

You say we're just friends but I swear when nobody's around You keep my hand around your neck, we connect

You're seated, alone, in the corner booth at Happy's Diner. The AP Calculus book and notes spread out across the table are the perfect repellants for teenage boys hoping to "keep you company" until your friend arrives.

Your friend who just so happens to be running extremely late. Halfway done with your second glass of soda kind of late.

Trevante comes strolling into the diner, pausing long enough to say hi to Happy before heading in your direction. Climbing over the booth, he slides in next to you.

"Sorry I'm late," he huffs as he settles in next to the window.

His arm drapes over your shoulder, as he reaches forward to drag your plate towards him. Keeping your focus on the problem you're solving, you blindly lift his left arm, turning it so that you can see the face of his watch.

"You are forty-eight minutes late." You shove his arm off your shoulder, it finding its place back to your shoulder instantly. "Why do you wear a watch if you don't know how to use it?"

"Why buy me a watch for my birthday if you know I can't use it?"

Trevante narrowly avoids the slap you send towards his hand, stealing a french fry and popping it into his mouth.

His neck rolls, a groan escaping his lips as you move the plate out of his reach.

"Come on, Y/N. I can't have any-"

"No. You can tell me where you were. What was so important you left me waiting for forty-eight minutes? I already ordered the dinner you promised me."

"You clocking me now?" His brow arches as he drags the plate across the table.

"When it affects me? Yes. Yes, I am."

Trevante lightly shrugs his shoulder before retrieving the ketchup. The fact he doesn't want to tell you causes you to lift his arm from over your shoulder.

Resting his arms against the table, he silently busies himself with cleaning your plate.

"Why can't we study at your place?

Trevante watched as your shoulders rise and fall, your brow furrowing as you reach in your backpack. You're willing to acknowledge his question isn't that strange. From the fifth grade, the two of you have always studied at your house. Your dining room table has years worth of homework sessions. When you entered high school, your study sessions had migrated to your bedroom.

Trevante could usually be found sprawled across your bed; arm tucked behind his head as he lounged on your pillows. While you were found seated on the floor, books and notes displayed neatly around you.  You would kill to be back in your room right now. Both of your giggles mingling with the latest playlist Trevante has downloaded on his computer. However, ever since your last study session, that doesn't seem like a great idea.

Your mind is still trying to make sense of what exactly happened. You were slightly hopped up on coffee, the late-night study session keeping you and Trevante up well past your parents. Trevante...was wired by something else. What exactly? You're not sure. He'd arrived at your place, hours before, in a shitty mood but refused to tell you why. You'd initially thought it was because you'd rejected his invitation to attend William Prescott's party because you needed to study. Trevante had gone to the party before meeting you. Whatever happened at the party had stopped him from being a semi-decent study partner.

You were used to the textbook attempts of avoiding his work. The television, conversations about something he'd heard in the locker room, etc. What you weren't used to was his fingers toying with your hair, or brushing against your thighs. His lips brushing against your shoulder.

You'd nearly caused him to break his neck on the stairs with how fast you got him out of your house that night.

You grip your eyes closed for a brief moment, an all familiar heat spreading across your skin as he studies your face.

"It's just, my mom...she said something about us having an open-door policy and raging hormones, and it just...weirded me out?"

"Raging hormones," he scoffs, his attention focusing on the problem you're finishing up. "Your mom thinks we're having sex? We used to take baths together."

Erasing your mistake, you try again. You don't respond until you've finished the problem. Sliding the nearly completed homework assignment in Trevante's direction, you pick up your soda.

"I know, that's what I told her. She seems to think guys became sex-crazed when they turn sixteen."

"It's earlier than that," Trevante teases as he looks over the work.

It takes him a moment to realize the assignment is his not yours. He'd given you the completed homework during third period.

"Can you look this over?" He'd asked, hastily placing a kiss against your cheek before starting down the hall after William. "I'll make it up to you tonight. Dinner at Happy's at seven!"

You'd marked up most of the assignment in red while waiting for his arrival. The fact he'd attempted to do the homework without your help leading to you redoing it for him to soften the blow.

Releasing a sigh of relief, Trevante grins in your direction.

"You're so fucking smart, Y/N. It took me all last night to finish that."

You wince as his grip tugs against your shoulder, pulling your closer. His lips briefly press against your cheek. Your giggles fill the air as a second kiss follows.

"Stop," you giggle, lightly pushing against his cheek you watch him place a kiss against your palm before returning your focus on the math problem to his homework. "Don't think compliments will get me to finish your homework for you. You're finishing the rest. Right now. I'm only helping you make the corrections from now on. I only fixed it early because I can't be here until ten again."

Trevante's eyes roll as he accepts the pencil you offer him. "I've got plays to remember. I don't have time to ace AP Calc."

"And I have an entire European History essay to finish when I get home, so focus."

You spend the next thirty minutes helping Trevante finish working through his assignment. By the time you're finished explaining his mishap in the last problem, he's got a headache, and you're on your second plate of fries.

"You got that?"

"Yeah."

"Tre?" You wince at the sigh escaping his lips. "You don't sound too convincing. Do you need me to explain it again?"

You look up to find him watching you. His brow furrowed.

"What do you think of Prescott?" Trevante asks.

Your brow furrows as you concentrate on finishing the remainder of your shake.

"Prescott? As in William Prescott? The quarterback?"

"Yeah."

You attempt to read his expression, but whatever is on Trevante's mind, he isn't giving much away.

"He's...nice? I don't know, Tre," You laugh. "I don't know him. I mean, he's spoken to me maybe...three times. Each of those times is because I'm with you."

William Prescott was hard to ignore. Even if you weren't acquainted with him, it was impossible not to know who William was. His father was mayor, his mother, a member of the school board. Not to mention William was captain and quarterback of your school's football team. You share two classes with William. The fact you tend to sit in the front, and him in the back, making it difficult for him to talk to you. You can't even remember the last time he looked in your direction, let alone acknowledged you.

"I'm pretty sure he's gonna try and ask you out."

Your eyes roll as you uncap the highlighter in your hand.

"Right." You snort.

Concentrating on highlighting the formula before you, you glance up when you realize nothing else has been said.

"He asked me if you were seeing anyone," Trevante responds, his expression unreadable.

"And? What'd you tell him?" You ask the urgency in your voice, causing Trevante's eyes to roll.

He shrugs.

"I said not that I know of."

You let his words sink in, your brow furrowing. You're not sure what to say to that. If there was anyone who knew about what was going in your life, it was him.

"Okay..."

"I mean...I told him you weren't really looking for him. I figured he wasn't really your type. He's the quarterback, and you're..."

You wait for him to finish, but he doesn't.

"I guess you're the only exception to my newfound hatred for jocks?"

Lifting his arm, Trevante didn't bother responding as you gathered up your belongings before heading to the door.

two weeks later.

You keep your hands out before you. With your palms an inch away from the vent, you struggle to keep your entire body from trembling. Your dress is clinging to your wet body, the fabric's weight adding to the uncomfortable sensation on your skin. The air pumping through the ten-year-old jeep is a struggle on a good day. Paired with pouring rain on a chilly October night, it seemed the old vehicle wasn't going to be up to the task.

The rustling alongside you isn't enough for you to open your eyes, or move away from the slowly heating vents.

Trevante continues rustling through his gym bag. He is in search of an extra set of clothes. The spur of the moment thunderstorm that had erupted at the end of the game left everyone unprepared. You were in the stands, only really attending to cheer on your best friend, so you hadn't brought an extra pair of clothes. With the downpour, exiting the stands was a disaster. You didn't want to twist your ankle running down the slick foundation. By the time you made it through the gates of the field, you had to trek up the hill to the parking lot. You had struggled against the crowd to reach Trevante's jeep. By the time he'd met you in the parking lot, you were soaked to the bone.

After retrieving his shirt, Trevante grabs his letterman jacket for good measure.

"All right," he huffs as he tosses his duffle into the back. "This is all I've got."

Tugging the wet dress over your head, you toss it into the backseat before gladly accepting the longsleeved shirt.

The initial stripping off your clothes left Trevante frozen. In his haste, he hadn't considered the idea you might have to undress to get warm. His eyes had widened, his gaze instinctively drifting down your chest to the light pink bra you wore. He pauses to admire how the light fabric contrasts against your skin. You are too busy struggling to tug the shirt over your head to notice. Clearing his throat, Trevante shifts in his seat before focusing on adjusting the radio.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into coming," you mumble as you slip your arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

"You can use my jacket." Stealing a second glance in your direction, Trevante felt his shoulders relax once it became apparent you were decently covered. "It wasn't like you were doing anything anyway."

Shoving your arms through the sleeves of the jacket, you can't deny him a smile as a warmth passes over your body. The fabric is thick, capturing his scent. It feels as though its nearly twice your size.

"I was because, believe it or not; my world does not revolve around you, Rhodes."

"Right," he scoffs. "It's just boring when I'm not around."

Trevante glances apprehensively in your direction.

"So…" You wait for his sentence to be completed. When he doesn't speak, you glance across the car to find his thumb tapping against the steering wheel. "Will Prescott?"

A heat flushes over your skin at the mention of his name.

A light shrug rolls off your shoulder, your gaze diverting. "What about Will?"

"You're going out with him next week."

"Sounds like you already know the answer to that," you mumble.

The laugh that fills the car brings the heat to your face.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Trevante shakes his head before shifting the car into reverse.

You reach forward pushing it back into park.

"No, hold up. What?"

He looks at you for a moment before releasing a deep breath.

"It's just...he's kind of a player."

"William Prescott, a player?" Now it's your turn to scoff. "He's the captain of the football team-"

"That should tell you-"

"Oh, so does that extend to you?"

Trevante smiles, motioning for you to finish your sentence.

"Besides, you didn't even let me finish. Will's the second smartest kid in our class, and I know that because I'm the smartest. He's the poster child of our town. You can't be a poster child, slutting it up without everyone knowing. I haven't seen him date anyone since freshman year."

"Yeah you're right...must just be locker room talk." Resting his head back against his seat, Trevante runs his hand over his face. "What'd you wanna ask me?"

Suddenly your motives for attending the game seemed stupid. You'd texted Tre before the game, asking if he could give you a ride home.

"I need a favor." Your text had read, followed by "A big one. However, you have to promise not to tell anyone. Ever."

"Depends on how many laws we break," he'd responded.

"It's…" Your voice tapers off as you concentrate on the working windshield wipers. "A terrible idea."

"A bad as you picking William Prescott over me?"

When his teasing isn't enough to make you smile, Trevante sits up.

"I'm not a cheerleader, Tre. I don't have guys lining up after me like girls do you. I don't want my first kiss to be with a guy I barely know."

"Look, Y/N, I was fucking around about Will. He's not that bad. Pretentious, but not a complete dick…" Trevante's eyes widen. "You want me to…"

Suddenly the idea sounds stupid, and you're backpedaling.

"It's just I mean, he's the quarterback. Also, I know guys talk and-can't you tell when someone's like inexperienced with that kind of stuff? I don't want that being the only thing he thinks about when he's kissing me-and then he goes back and tells everyone during "locker room talk." Next thing I know, the school newspaper will be publishing that I'm a virgin-"

"Whoa-chill," he chuckles, the smile on his face stopping you in your tracks. "Okay?"

You nod. Your gaze drops to your hands. You're almost sure the heat burning your cheeks is visible to him.

You reluctantly look at Trevante as his touch finds your chin.

His lips press against yours, pulling your eyes closed. It takes a moment for your body to respond. By the time your brain processes what is happening, his lips are gone. His eyes are on you.

"Relax, y/n." He chuckles, his tongue passing over his lips at the sight of the range of emotions flickering across your face. He gently brushes his thumb along the curve of your jaw. "I'm not looking to break your heart. It's just a kiss."

"Just a kiss. Right."

You nod, but the action only causes Trevante to laugh for a second time. He knows the wheels are churning in your head. That, just like every aspect in life, you are beginning to overthink.

"Relax."

"Easy for you to say, Cassanova. Besides I am-"

A squeal comes out mangled with a gasp as his hands find waist and he's pulling against you. He's lifting you into the passenger seat and resting you against his lap. Your hands find his shoulders, the urge to push some space between you the first thought that crosses your mind.

There isn't much space you can put between the two of you with the steering wheel behind you.

You blink. Meeting Trevante's gaze, you feel the pulse of your heart skyrocketed as his hands move from your waist to your lower back.

Sensing your tension, Trevante smiles softly.

"I'll let you take the lead. I know you're big on learning on your own."

Suddenly you're aware of your surroundings.

The smell of rain against your skin. The soap from his rushed shower. The tap of the rain against the window, and roof of the car. The feel of his jeans against your thighs. The sensation that rushes across your skin with each shift of his jeans against your skin when you move. The muscles of his shoulders beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. The slight spike of his heartbeat as your touch drifts to his chest. The rise and fall of his chest as he takes a deep breath as he waits for you to kiss him.

Relax, Y/N. It's just a kiss.

When you blink, and your eyes lift to meet his, you find Trevante's gaze on yours. A tiny smile is on his lips, his head resting against the headrest. The sense of calm that seems to cover you from head to toe stems from the steadiness of his heart against your palm. His thumbs gently massage the outside of your thighs.

The sight of his growing smile causes one to spread across your lips in response. With a slight shake of your head, you place your hands along either side of his neck and lean in to kiss him.

His grip tightens around your waist, shifting your body forward so that you straddle him. Trevante's fingers are in your hair, keeping your lips pressed against his. The desire to feel as much of you as he can eliminate any remaining space between the two of you. Neither of you can keep track of who does what first. Who's tongue brushes against who's lips first, who's hands start to wander first, who's giggle melts into a groan as your hips shift instinctively against his.

Time seems to fall away as quickly as the rain.

His lips linger along the curve of your neck. The pain that had pulled a gasp of irritation from you, a few seconds prior, has been replaced by a much more addictive sensation. The kind that sends a shiver down your spine and digs your fingers into his shoulders. Your hips instinctively shift against his as the coolness of his breath fans the sensitive bruise forming against your skin. His lips press a kiss against the bruise, retracing their steps until they’re pressing against your lips suppressing your giggles.

The tap that echoes off the walls of the jeep causes you to jump. Your back pressed against the steering wheel, your heart skipping a beat as the horn fills the air. Trevante’s hands instinctively grip your waist, pulling you forward, steadying your body. He winces as your weight shifts, your hand pressing against his chest.

Through the damp window, you can make out a single figure. As if that isn’t enough to scare you, you realize the figure is surrounded by something much more frightening than a peeping Tom. The blending of red and blue lights flooding the car distorts the figure. A second tap, with the butt of the flashlight, against the glass follows.

“Don’t-” you catch Trevante’s wrist as he reaches to roll down the window.

“What? You think they’re gonna go away? We can’t exactly say we didn’t know they were there.”

The rain has stopped, leaving just the chilly October night air. You shiver against Trevante as he rolls the window down. There’s no point in climbing into the passenger seat, moving would only draw more attention to your current situation. Your face turns towards the passenger seat, Trevante’s hand lifting to shield his eyes as the flashlight floods the driver side.

Trevante blinks, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light residing on his face. His grip painfully tightens around your waist, his fingers attempting to send you a message, once he realizes who’s on the other end of the flashlight.

Your heart jumps into your throat as a man’s voice floats through the window.

“Game’s over Tre,” came a familiar voice. “You kids need to go ahead and clear out the lot. Take this somewhere else…Preferably with a condom, and off school grounds.”

Trevante nods quicker than intended. He clears his throat, his mind torn between focusing on hiding the fact you were half-naked in his lap and wrapping up the conversation so that he could roll up the window.

“Yes, sir.” He stammers, his weak smile arching the cop’s brow. “We’re – uh, we were actually getting ready to go grab some food. Kinda just lost track of time. But uh – we’ll go now. Sorry for the trouble.”

Trevante moves to roll up the window, but pauses as the officer rest his hand against the door. Cutting off the flashlight, he reaches in to clap Trevante on the shoulder.

“That was one hell of a game, kid” the cop whistled. “You’ve got some speed, son. Those boys from Eastside didn’t know what to do with yo-”

You grip your eyes shut as your father’s words come to an abrupt halt. His gaze lingers on the backseat, Tre’s eyes drifting shut once he remembers what’s in the back. Discarded in haste, your dress rested on top of his gym bag. The same dress your father had zipped for you this morning before you gave him a kiss and ran to catch the bus. You don’t have to turn and face to him to know that your dad’s shooting daggers into Trevante.

A shiver runs through your body as the door is yanked open flooding the jeep with the night air.

Pain shoots through your arm.

You wince as your dad’s grip tightens as he tugs you out the car. Your stomach flutters as nearly fall face forward towards the ground. Your dad pauses long enough to ensure both of your feet have planted before heading towards the awaiting squad car. You stumble forward as you struggle to match his much longer strides to prevent from tripping.

The initial shock is what allowed him to get you halfway to the squad car. But once you notice Ramos, his much younger partner hesitantly shrugging off the squad car, your heels dig into the ground.

“Dad, you’re hurting my arm –” You yank your arm back, the force causing your father’s grip to tighten. For a brief moment you both pause. The adrenaline from just a few moments before seems to have kicked into high gear as you meet your father’s gaze. “I can walk myself to the car.”

Trevante is already out of his jeep, partially afraid he might be drug out next. He watches you storm off to the car and takes a step in your direction. The more rational part of his brain tells him he should get back into his jeep and head home before your dad’s gun is out of its holster.

“Sir, I promise you, it’s not what it looks like-”

"Get your ass in the car, Tre."

It's not until you've slid into the back of the squad car, slamming the door as hard as you can for good measure, that Trevante realizes he was meant to join you.

Trevante hesitates. Pointing over his shoulder, he takes a step back towards the security of his jeep.

"Uh-my pop's will flip if I don't bring the car home."

"Don't worry about that," your dad smiles as he pauses to clap his hand on Trevante's shoulder. His grip digs into Trevante's skin, causing the young man to wince. "I'll explain it to him when I drop you off."

Once your dad is seated in the driver's seat, you lean forward, your fingers pressed against the grate.

"You're not going to let Ramos cuff me? Take me down to the station to prove a point?"

Your dad doesn't speak to you. Instead, he lifts his radio and shares that he's dropping two teenagers off at home.

In fact, he doesn't speak to anyone for the fifteen car ride home. He pulls up to the curb in front of your house and comes to a stop. You get out. You hop back as the squad car takes off. Driving past Trevante’s house, it does a quick U turn before speeding out of the neighborhood.

You take the front steps two at a time, not bothering to check if the door closes fully behind you. The last thing you need is for your mom to see you. You head straight to the shower, locking the door, and hoping no one will bother speaking to you. But as you cut off the light and head to your room, you know that is impossible.

You enter your room to find your mom seated on top of your bed, patiently waiting for you.

Your shoulders tense, your body bracing for the screams. But, your mom surprises you by quietly asking.

"Are you okay?"

"It's embarrassing. I wasn't doing anything-"

"That's not what your father told me." She interjects, your face falling into your hands. "He said you and Tre were...closer than usual."

You find yourself wondering if your father had recounted precisely how he'd found you.

"It was a kiss," you sigh. "Nothing else -- We didn't do anything else. We weren't going to."

"We're not surprised, sweetheart." Your mother's response causes you to blink in confusion. She was not lecturing you. She was using this opportunity to have yet another sex talk. "I mean -- your father is pretty surprised. But your father and I have had this conversation already. The two of you spend an awful amount of time together. You and Trevante have been friends for a while. You're both growing older, and your bodies are changing. He's noticing how your body's changing. You're noticing his-"

"Mom-"

"Your hormones are through the roof, your body might feel like it's hypersensitive around him. That's normal. You find yourself wondering if sex is as good as it looks on tv--"

"I don't need the sex talk again." You groan as you cross the room. Taking a seat beside her, you pick up your pillow before laying back. “And, what is it with you and hormones? This is the second time this week you’ve brought them up.”

Your mom doesn't quite believe you. "A mother’s intuition. The last time we had the sex talk, honey, you were a freshman. You weren't thinking about boys-"

"And I'm really not now," you mumble from beneath the pillow covering your face.

"Take that off."

You groan.

Doing as she says you allow her to tug against your hands pulling you up. Sitting against the headboard, you tuck your knees into your chest.

"Kissing can feel good. But it often leads to something more serious. I'm not as naive as your father. You can't stay a little girl forever. I just don't want you rushing into something you're not ready for. Or at least not with a clear head."

"Mom, I wanted to get my first kiss over with. So I'm not the only girl in the entire junior class that has never been kissed. Tre just did it as a friend. Nothing is going on between us. We're still best friends."

Your mom is silent for a moment. You feel nervous as her gaze studies your eyes before leaving your face. It feels like with just a look, she can visualize every moment from before, and what is to come. Heat races across your skin as you think of Trevante's lips against yours. It rushes to your thighs as her eyes find your neck. The place where his lips showed you that kisses didn't have to be on your lips to feel amazing. The place where your flesh was tender, bruised.

"Best friends still need to understand the importance of condoms." She smiles as your brows raise. You're not sure how you didn't notice it before, but she lifts the box of condoms from her lap. "You can't depend on a guy to have one. In fact, most will try and say you don't need them."

Noting your wide eyes, she says quietly. "It'll give your father more peace of mind if he knows you have these. Even if you're not planning on using them."

You take the box, tossing it towards the chair in the corner.

She gets up pausing long enough to press a kiss against your forehead.

"I think it might be best if Tre doesn't stop by for a while. At least until your father can cool down."

"Fine," you huff.

"Night sweetie."

You watch the door close behind her, listening to her retreat to her room. A few moments later, you hear her speaking to your father through the phone.

You get up, crossing the room. You retrieve the previously discarded box of condoms. Opening the top drawer putting the box of condoms inside. You're about to close it when you stop to rearrange the clothes inside. You cover the box from your sight. Pushing the drawer shut you take a deep breath.

You study your reflection in the mirror. You swollen lips, wide eyes. The bruise on your neck. You realize it won't be easy to hide it in tomorrow's heat. When you cross the room, you pause by the window. You realize Tre's curtains are open. The light in his room is on. From your windows, you can see directly into each other's bedroom.

No matter how many times you've shared this tidbit, Trevante doesn't seem to utilize the blinds. You tend to keep your blinds shut in the morning and after his return home from practice. Accidently spotting him walking around his room, stark naked in the eighth grade has made you overly cautious.

You are in the process of untying the string holding back your curtains when you realize he's moved in front of the window. From what you can tell, your father hasn’t done any physical damage to him.

Trevante tugs his shirt over his head lazily tossing it in the direction of his hamper. He pauses to release the breath he was holding. As he turns towards the window, you take a step to the side. Your breath hitches in your throat as you bump your elbow. 

He waits a moment. The light flooding from your bedroom making him hopeful you’ll check to see if he’s home. But you never do.

 two and a half years ago. (gif)

Catching my breath, pounding my chest

I’m loving you less, I need to confess.

What is it about firsts that the human brain loves so much?

It seems as though we always remember our firsts.

Our first kiss, the first time we heard our favorite song. The first time we felt an inkling of true love. We can remember everything down to what we were wearing, how fast our heart was beating, the weather. Everything. Down to the smallest of details.

When you're in love, being able to remember all of your firsts is a beautiful thing.

What about when you're no longer in love? When only one of you is still in love?

Suddenly, your firsts are different.

You begin to remember the first time you notice his lips felt different against yours. The first time his hand stops pressing against your lower back as he passes you in the kitchen for his morning coffee. The first time he stops whispering how beautiful you look when stealing a second kiss.

You remember the first time his phone lights up, illuminating the bedroom ceiling when he thinks you've dozed off. The first time he calls to tell you he's working late, so there's no need to postpone dinner. The first time dates that once seemed important only seem important when he is reminded of their significance. You even remember the first time you gave up on sending him reminders.

Most importantly, you remember the first time he tells you he isn't in love with you anymore.

It had come in your favorite restaurant: The Gold Eagle. William always took you there when he had news to share whether it be a promotion, the winning of a case, or when he wanted to renew your vows.

You weren't expecting any news in particular when he asked you to book a babysitter for Colby. Certainly not the end of your marriage.

The words had come abruptly -- or maybe it seemed abrupt to you.

How else would can you describe the shift in conversation from plans for your son's birthday party to not being in love anymore?

Abrupt. It is the only way to describe it.

When he'd first spoke the words, you didn't respond. Will had thought you hadn't heard him. Under the music and laughter surrounding you, he couldn't be too sure.

Will cleared his throat, shifting in his chair as he paused the action of cutting his steak.

"Did you hear me?" He'd asked. His brows knit together as he studied your face for any sign of acknowledgment. "Y/N."

You had heard him. Loud and clear.

Your mind concentrated on his word choice. It was meticulous.  There was a time when you loved that Will spoke that way. He never strung people along, or beat around the bush. He always told the truth, sparing someone's feelings came second.

You always knew where he stood, or so you thought.

"I don't love you anymore." Those were the five words that had come out of his mouth.

He hadn't said, "I'm falling out of love with you." He wasn't giving you a warning as to what might come. He was careful with his words because he knew you. He knew you were hoping he hadn't made his mind up. He wanted you to understand that there was no room for repairing.

There was a tiny part of you that was not shocked. That little voice, in the back of your mind, that has been whispering to you the last year. The tiny voice that has been telling you to trust your gut each time you doubted Will.

Reaching forward, you picked up the wine glass before you. Will's eyes observed as you downed the red contents of the entire glass.

He wiped at his mouth, his jaw tightening as you reach across the table for his untouched glass. He doesn't bother objecting as you down the entire glass of wine. He subtly waved off the young waiter approaching with a fresh bottle in his hand.

Will cleared his throat, sitting up in his seat.

"I've already drawn up an agreement. I believe you'll find that it takes both you and Colby into consideration."

He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket. He produced a white envelope.

"William-," you gasp, the air in your lungs escaping you for a moment.

For a brief second, the sound halts his passing of the envelope. He watched the welling of your eyes. His throat clenched as he tried to swallow.

"I don't want to fight you for anything. I told my lawyer that the money's not an issue."

"The money you got because I stayed home with your son? The money you earned being able to show up at all hours at the drop of your boss's hat because I put off getting my masters and furthering my career? Now you’re kicking me and your son out of my house --"

"I told my lawyer that the money's not an issue." He repeated. "I have opted to split it all, 50/50. I'll pay a set amount the first of each month. It will be enough to keep you and Colby comfortable. It will cover his tuition-"

"What do you want me to fix?" Your question had come out softly. The raised question pulled Will's eyes from the envelope. "I'll do anything you want. I'll-Please do not break up our family."

William knew this would happen. He knew that letting you down wouldn't be easy, no matter how much he tried. That is why he can't meet your eye as your plea hangs in the air. He can't watch you cry, his gaze returning to the envelope before him. The tears which blurred your vision are his one weakness.

As he watched you wipe at your eyes, Will found his confidence slipping away. He leaned forward and placed the envelope in the center of the table. He needed to present his out, needed to make the break clean. There was one piece of information he knew would make you take your previous plea back.

"She's pregnant," Will continued as you concentrated on finishing the wine in your glass. It takes a moment for his words to sink in. You blink, meeting his gaze. "She wants to keep it, and...so do I."

Suddenly, everything made sense — Will's insistence on hiring a  babysitter. There was a reason you were having dinner in a public place as opposed to the privacy of your dining room.

Will didn't want you to cause a scene, or at least knew you wouldn't. Not here.

"We can't have another kid right now, baby." You recited, the words halting his movements. "I'm swamped at the office. They're finally giving me a shot. I wouldn't want to leave you at home taking care of two kids just as I'm getting a break in my career."

Will shook his head. "I...It hasn't been right between us for months, Y/N. What's the point of staying together if we're drifting apart? Please don't say we need to stay together for Colby. I'm not leaving my son. But kids pick up on shit. No matter how good we are at faking it in front of him."

"Come on, y/n," he sighed as you glanced over your shoulder in search of your waiter. When you spotted the young man, you lifted your empty wine glass in the air. Will continued speaking the feeling he was digging himself into a deeper hole heavy against his chest. "This isn't a surprise to either of us-"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," you scoffed as you watched your hesitant waiter arrive. Sensing the tension between you and your husband, the young man quickly attempted to uncork the fresh bottle of wine. "I wasn't aware that my husband was fucking someone else while he was also fucking me-"

"Alexis and I-"

William watched your movements freeze.

The mentioning of the young paralegal's name seemed to break through the haze that had started forming on your mind.

"Could you be even more cliche? You fucked the office's teenybopper paralegal? And you got her pregnant? You could have just used a condom."

For a moment, William didn't react. He watched the range of emotions wash over your face. The frustration that morphs into disappointment. The resolution that forms as you reached forward taking the bottle of wine from the hands of the struggling waiter.

"He'll pay for it."

You removed the napkin from your lap, sitting it on the table. You picked up the envelope and shoved it into your purse. You're halfway to the door by the time Will can take out his wallet and pay.

The cold air hit you hard. The intake of fresh air causing your head to swirl. The burn of your chest and rush of your heart made the task of retrieving your valet ticket from your purse difficult.  

Once you found the ticket, you turned. The wind was knocked out of you as ran into a solid barrier.

"Whoa. You okay?"

Trevante caught his breath, his hands instinctively finding your waist to keep you from falling back.

You looked up at him, the recognization on his face causing his brow to furrow.

"Fuck," you groaned, your hands instinctively pushing against his chest.

The look on your face caused Trevante to ignore your request of space; his gaze drifted over your shoulder in search of an explanation.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, the warmth of his hands finding your cheeks. His grip was firm, forcing you to stop your attempt to turn your face away.

You shook your head; your eyes gripped closed.

"I can't see you right now. You of all people. I cannot handle seeing you right now."

"Are you okay?"

Will's grip found your right elbow, his touch seeming to snap you out of it. Wiping at your eyes, you allowed him to guide your body closer to his.

"It's all good, man," Will smiled as he watched Trevante reach out to take your left hand.

"You sure?"

With one look, William knew he was not the one the question was directed to.

His weight shifted forward as Trevante takes in the scrunching of your nose. He knows the action very well. He knew that the silent breaths you take are an attempt to stop the tears in your eyes from spilling over.  But you also won't meet his gaze.

"Yeah, look, man. Y/N just had too much wine." Will chuckled as he retrieved the bottle from your hand. "I figured it'd be best she finished this one at home. You know how she is. Could never keep up with the guys."

You wrapped your arms around your waist, your eyes remaining on the ground before you as Will draped your jacket over your shoulders. You nod.

"I'm fine. Just ready to go home."

Trevante was thrown by how fast your entire demeanor had changed before his eyes. The tears were gone, along with the shaking of your voice. He almost thought he'd imagined it.

Before Trevante could respond, Will had led you back towards the valet. He helped you into the passenger seat, pausing long enough to give Trevante a wave before walking around the back of the car and getting into the driver's seat.

2019: this morning.

Concentrating on your son, you smile as Colby absentmindedly toys with the phone in his hand.

The headphones resting over his curls, obstruct any sound or conversations you don't want him to hear. After your reunion, he'd climbed into your lap to watch an episode of  Teen Titans.

You're both seated outside of the courtroom, patiently awaiting your turn. The clock on the wall, states you have five more minutes until your lives officially change.

They have changed steadily over the past few months, more noticeably for you than Colby. It took a while for him to understand that his dad was no longer living with you. William tried to stay present. He saw Colby more than you initially thought he would. The two of you alternate pickups and drop-offs at school. William stops by to share dinner with the two of you on Sundays, taking Colby to eat with him and Alexis twice a week.

When he's feeling up to it, Colby spends a week with his father. Usually, he opts for weekends. He hasn't warmed up to Alexis yet. Or their daughter.

Today is the first time you've physically held your son in two weeks. William had taken him to Atlanta to visit his parents for their wedding anniversary at the start of summer break.

"Thanks for letting me take him."

Instinctively, your eyes leave your Colby to find Alexis.

She is waiting beside William's lawyer, by the courtroom doors. She is cradling their daughter, Lola, in her arms. Although William's lawyer is speaking to her, Alexis's attention is focused on you.

"He is your son."

"I know, Y/N." William takes a deep breath. He releases it before adding. "I know two weeks is a long time, and you didn't want him to go...so thanks. It meant a lot to my parents."

You nod before looking in his direction.

"I'm shocked Alexis didn't show up with balloons, streamers, a "bride to be" sash, save the date cards...a marriage license for the judge to sign after she notarizes the divorce decree."

Your words harden William's jaw, his gaze sinking to his lap.

"We haven't spoken much about it," he breathes, but the wiping of his palms against his pants legs begs to differ. "We're still trying to settle in with Lola."

"But you have talked about it."

"She wants it to happen sooner than later."

"Well, you can come back here tomorrow and make it official. As of today, you are officially free of me, Mr. Prescott."

Most of the court proceedings are a blur — stipulations, and compromises going in one ear and out the other.

You didn't need to focus in on the words. You'd memorized that divorce agreement front to back. It's impossible not to when you've found yourself crying over it as many times as you have the past few months.

Many of those tear-filled nights, when you'd settled for a glass of wine over blowing William's brains out, you'd thought of calling your lawyer. She and everyone who learned the details of your split urged you to file under claims of adultery. It could increase the amount of child support and alimony, but it wouldn't give you any satisfaction. Your mother didn't care about satisfaction. She wanted you to hit William where it hurt, or at least where it would hurt Alexis the most, in his pocket. But you didn't.

It when you are having a lasting doubt about your decision when a slight nudge comes to your side.

Looking up, you find the judge's expectant gaze on you.

"Mrs. Prescott, would you like to keep your last name?" She asked for a second time. "You have the option of remaining a Prescott, or returning your legal name to that of your maiden."

"Um..." Alexis's brows shoot up at the hesitation. She leans over, whispering to William. He looks away from you long enough to respond to her. Keeping his last name had never crossed your mind, for more than a few brief seconds. It always seemed unimportant compared to ensuring you were financially stable for Colby. "I would like to keep it, your honor. It's the same as my son's."

William nods, his reaction falling on the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to Alexis's.

"Mrs. Prescott will keep her legal name," the judge noted. "As of today, upon the signing of the presented documentation, from both parties, your divorce will be finalized."

William meets your gaze. His fingers gently ruffle Colby's hair. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss against your son’s forehead. He finds himself reaching out to wrap his arm around you, his arm giving you a gentle squeeze. He accepts the pen offered to him by his lawyer. William’s hesitation catches the attention of his fiance, but not yours as you place a kiss against Colby’s cheek.

"To new beginnings," his lawyer smiles, squeezing William's shoulder. The pressure a mixture of reassurance and urge causing WIlliam to remove the cap before leaning over the document. 

"Yeah...new beginnings."

2019: later on in the day. (gif)

"Do I have to wear this?"

Tugging against the collar of his shirt, Colby attempts to undo the top button. The light green polo button-down was one of the many gifts found in Colby's suitcase, courtesy of William's parents. Each time he visits them, they send him home with an entirely new wardrobe.

He needs to start dressing like a young man, Y/N. William's mother would always say.

"Yes," you sigh. Taking a step forward, you ring the doorbell for a second time before moving back to stand alongside your son.

"Daddy's always making me dress like this," Colby huffs, giving the collar another tug. "I hate dressing like this."

"It's because you look so handsome," you gently tease. "If I unbutton it, will you feel better?"

Nodding, Colby allows a grin to slide across his face as you kneel down before him. Undoing the top button you watch him release a dramatic sigh of relief.

"Hold on, let me get my glasses. I believe my eyes are deceiving me. Y/N Prescott?" Stepping onto the front porch, Trevante's father joking adjusted the frames resting on his nose. "I can't remember the last time that husband of yours let you come down to this part of town. Last time I saw you, you definitely weren't this tall, little man. How are you, Colby?"

"Good, sir. Thank you for asking." Bouncing his weight against his heels, Colby pauses long enough to shake the hand offered to him. He attempts to take a step inside in search of the children's laughter from inside the house. But you catch his shoulder causing him to stay put.

Mr. Rhodes looks over your shoulder, his gaze scanning the street.

"Speaking of husband's, where's yours? I wish I could say I've forgotten what he looks like, but his face is all over town now that he's made partner at that law firm. What is called now?"

"He couldn't make it." Offering up the platter of brownies in your hand, you feel your shoulders relax as his attention shifts to the snacks. "I made your favorite."

Lifting the lid, Mr. Rhodes sneaks a brownie out.

"Go ahead and takes those in, sweetheart. You know the way. Let's not tell, the misses that I had one."

"Your secret's safe with me."

You keep your free hand on Colby's head as you make your way inside. He knows he must stay at your side until he delivers the gift for Trevante's mom.

With each step, you find you're surprised how familiar the house feels despite the number of years since your last visit.

The music blasting outside is muffled by the shut screen door leading to the back yard, and the laughter and voices coming from the kitchen.

Nearly all of the wives and mothers from the neighborhood are in the kitchen, ducking under and stepping around one another as they balance different plates and bowls. You remain off to the side, suddenly feeling out of place.

Trevante's mother spots Colby first, her squeal of excitement pulling a shy grin from your son.

"Colby Andrew Prescott, my angel!" Scooping him up, she quickly places a kiss against his cheek before stopping to give his face a good once over. "You have gotten so big! And so handsome, just like your father. I've missed you. Both of you!"

Pulling you into a tight hug, his mother places a quick kiss against your cheek.

"Can you be an angel, and take these out to Tre? We're running behind with the food."

Before you can respond, Trevante's mother has replaced the platter of brownies with a plate stacked high with hamburger patties.

She gives you a gentle push towards the back yard, leaving you no room for opposition.

When you'd gotten the call from her, a few days prior, you thought it was a mistake. Trevante was coming home, and she was inviting everyone in the neighboorhood to stop by the house. Your initial plan had been to not show. It wasn't as though the two of you were that close anymore. Surely no one would notice if you didn't attend.

Maybe that's why you pause in the doorway when you spot him across the deck.

He's peppering playful kisses against the cheeks of his niece. Her giggles fill the air as he catches her fingers before her lips before pressing a final kiss against her forehead.

Placing her down, Trevante picked up the tongs before removing the hot dogs from the grill.

"Can I have two of those?" Colby asks as he stops at your side.

"You can have as many as you want," Trevante chuckles as he takes a step in your direction. "Man, you've gotten big, kid."

Colby nods, his smile growing as he tilts his head back for a better look at Trevante.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me."

Smiling, Trevante squats down before Colby.

"How old are you now? Five?"

"No!" Colby's laughter fills the air as he rolls his eyes. "I'm eight. I turn nine in fourteen days."

"Fourteen, huh? I better start looking for a gift."

Colby's eyes widen at the offer, his head tilting back to meet your gaze. "My momma has the list...if you need help."

"Alright. I'll get a copy. Up top." Trevante winces as their palms collide, shaking his hand out. "Take it easy on me, lil' man. I'm not as strong as you anymore. How 'bout you go play for a bit. Work up that appetite?"

Lightly ruffling his hair, you watch as Colby takes off the yard towards the other kids. Your focus remains on him for a moment. When you look back to Trevante, you find his gaze on you.

He accepts the plate of patties you offer him, his gaze remaining on your face causing you to redirect your attention.

He knows the source of your gaze's redirection is him, but he doesn't look away. He finds his mind picking up on the visible changes you present. It seems now that you're in one another's presence, it occurs to Trevante the last time you were this close to him was two and a half years ago.

Placing the plate aside, he reaches into the nearby cooler.

"Want a beer?"

"Uh, no, thank you." You look up, watching as he twists the cap off of his bottle before taking a sip. "I'm Colby's designated driver. We're going to get ice cream later, so...lemonade for me..."

The heat on your skin causes you to point over your shoulder. "I'm actually supposed to help your mom. So, I'll see you later -- when I come back for the burgers."

"Okay." Trevante smiles. The passing of his eyes over you for a second time causes you to take a step back. "Look, don't be stranger. I don't want another two years to pass before you give me more than five words."

You nod. It takes you a moment to realize you haven't spoken. When you do, you manage an, "Okay."

There is a silence that rests between the two of you for a brief second.

"Just uh...come find me. Colby and I are at my parent's old house."

Trevante nods, his brow furrowing as his eyes linger on your bare ring finger.

"I know the one."

Turning, you start back towards the house but pause as you near the door.

Biting your lip, you release the breath weighing against your chest.

"Tre." At the sound of his name, Trevante glances back. You wait until he turns to face you to speak. Your gaze falls to your shoes. "What did my dad say to you that night?"

It was a question you found yourself pondering more frequently as of late. One you'd never mustered the courage to ask when the first shift in your relationship occurred.

His silence makes you think he's having trouble remembering what night you're speaking of. You had nineteen years worth of consecutive nights spent together to catalog.

When you look up, you find his gaze is across the yard. A soft smile is on his lips. Lifting his beer to his lips, Trevante takes a sip before taking a step back.

He meets your gaze before smiling, "these should be done in about twelve."

Taking a second step back, he turns and focuses on laying out the fresh patties across the grill.

..... to be continued .......

tags:  @chaneajoyyy @kemkem101 @l-auteuse @doublesidedscoobysnacks@ghostfacekill-monger @blackpinup22 @blkroyalltea @essaysbyciara@wakanda-inspired @eyestheyseeyou​ @hufflepuff-ish​

[imbeccablee]

Starcrossed

Chapter 2: Siblings

read it here on ao3

read chapter one

Chapter Description:  Krel and Aja make a promise and, well, they keep it longer than normal siblings would've. You've gotta give that to them, at least.

Mama and Papa walked Krel and Aja to their rooms. It was silent and Krel had yet to let go of Aja’s hands. She didn’t seem to mind too much.

Krel could tell his parents knew he didn’t believe their reassurances about his corebond, probably because Aja hadn’t either, but their continued silence told him that they were going to let the subject be, at least for the moment. He bet they knew he didn’t want to talk about it.

The family paused outside of Krel and Aja’s doors, the two children facing the entrances and their parents waiting behind them. They probably didn’t want to rush Krel. For that, at least, he could be grateful.

He took a deep breath and turned slightly, looking up at his parents half over his shoulder. They were smiling down at him, their gentle, sad smiles revealing their concern (pity) for him. He blinked, startled by the thought, but Papa was talking and he couldn’t deal with it at the moment.

“—so if you need anything, you know where to come to,” Papa was saying. Krel tried at a grin, but it felt fake. Mama gently laid a hand on his head, fingers slowly carding through his spiky hair.

“We love you, Krel,” she said, and bent down to give him a tight hug.

He sighed and his eyes fell shut, the vice-like grip around his core loosening a little in his mother’s embrace. “I love you too,” he mumbled into her shoulder, and she tightened her grip around him.

A few more sectons passed before she finally pulled away, smiling gently down at him. “Alright,” she said. “Rest up you two.”

Krel and Aja nodded and entered their own rooms, their parents walking away as the doors slid shut. Krel had barely gotten to his bed before Aja entered his room. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked immediately, rushing to his side and grabbing his hands again.

Krel sighed and gave her a weak smile. “Maybe? I don’t know.”

“Yeah,” Aja weakly laughed, imitating Krel’s expression. “I can understand that.” The attempt at smiling dropped off her face quickly and she let out her own frustrated sigh. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t have to go through this too.”

“It’s okay,” he lied.

“No, Krel, it isn’t,” Aja immediately countered. “I'm sorry that all this corebond stuff has been shoved down our throats. I don’t know why everyone makes it seem so important.”

“Yeah,” he said, hoping she’d drop the topic. He really, really didn’t want to think about it.

Luckily, she seemed to understand that, too. The two stood in silence for a few mekrons, thinking. Krel was glad Aja didn’t leave; it was nice to have someone present who fully understood his turmoil, even if they didn’t talk about it.

“You know, sometimes I wish I was never born a royal,” Aja said suddenly, catching Krel off guard. He turned to her, surprise clear on his face. She giggled at his expression and turned away. “Yeah, I know. That’s weird, right? Why wouldn’t anyone want this?” She gestured around them, at Krel’s room, but he knew she was talking about the palace, their status, their luxurious life. “Who wouldn’t want to be a royal, to be loved and admired and respected by all?” She brought her hands down to her chest and clasped them together. “To always be watched and be expected to be perfect?”

Ah. Now Krel understood.

“... I don’t think it’s weird,” he said a few moments later. Aja looked at him questioningly. “I mean, to not want this life. We’ve lived it after all. We’re the only ones who have any say in what this life is like.” 

Aja nodded. “Yes, exactly! I love Mama and Papa and I love being alive, but… I wish I was normal. I wish I could be whatever I wanted to be and do whatever I wanted to do without the stress of the entire world judging my actions! I wish I was able to just… leave…” Aja’s eyes widened minutely, her face relaxing as she realized something.

“Aja?” 

She turned towards him and gripped his upper biceps suddenly. “We can, Krel!”

“What?” he yelped. “Can what?”

“Leave!” she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. She laughed, relief coating her voice. “We don’t want to be here for one reason or another, so what’s stopping us from just hopping on a ship and leaving?” 

Krel stared up at her disbelieving. “What? Like, everything, Aja!” he protested. “For one we don’t know how to pilot any of the ships!”

“How hard could it be?”

“There’s no way we can reasonably get passed all the guards that will be there!”

“I’d like to see them try to stop us!”  

“Aja, we don’t have anywhere we could go.”

Aja opened her mouth to deny him again, but she paused. Then, she said, “Well, why should that stop us? It’s an adventure, Krel, we need no destination!”

But Krel shook his head. “Aja, I don’t know…”

“Come on, Krel!” Aja grabbed his biceps again and used another hand to guide his face to look at her. “Neither of us want to stay here. It’s not right for us. Why are you trying to convince me and yourself to stay in a place that only makes you sad?”

But does it make him sad? Sure, he’s had a few instances that have made him doubt his purpose, made him paranoid about finding his corebonded (something that is supposed to be an exciting, wonderful ceremony), made him start thinking strange thoughts about himself, his parents, sometimes even Aja too… but this was his home. He loved Akiridion-5, didn’t he? He’s known nowhere else. His parents were here, his sister was here, he… he didn’t know anything else.

… Maybe that’s the problem?

“I’m…” Krel started, staring into Aja’s patient eyes. For once in these long parsons, the grey didn’t hurt to look at. “I’m just scared.”

Aja let out a breath and pulled Krel into a hug. “I know. It’s… it’s scary to think about leaving. I’m anxious about it, too,” she whispered, then steeled her voice. “But I think this is right. If we can just get off planet, just experience something other than this royal life, then maybe… maybe we can find meaning other than being the bondless royal children of Akiridion-5.”

He hated that she made sense. He hated that she convinced him. (He didn’t hate her, though. Nothing in this or any world could do that).

“Yeah,” Krel said, giving a single, hard nod. “Yeah, okay.”

So they left.

—-

And, well, they probably should’ve known that immediately leaving without a plan, or supplies, or thinking it through in the slightest would’ve backfired, but at the time they were riding the tails of exhilaration. They were finally doing something only for themselves, consequences be damned. They felt invigorated.

It was still disappointing, though.

Krel sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor, next to Mama. Papa was with Aja, probably having the same “I’m disappointed in you” speech Krel was sure was coming. For now though, they sat in silence.

He wondered if she was waiting for him to speak, maybe to apologize? Explain himself? He didn’t know what he would even say. Aja and I left because we feel inadequate as royals. We left because we were tired of being outcasted by our own culture, even if accidentally. We left because we just want to be normal.

Yeah. No.

Krel sighed and said, “If you’re waiting for me to apologize, we are going to be here awhile.”

Mama chuckled lightly, and when Krel turned to her she was shaking her head. “No, I don’t expect you to apologize. Even if you crashed a flier in the hanger.” There was a teasing glint in her eyes and Krel couldn’t help but laugh weakly. “And also, there is no law saying you two must stay in the castle at all times. Besides the flier, you did nothing wrong.”

“Then why stop us?” Krel asked. “Why didn’t you let us leave if we could whenever we wanted?”

“We don’t want you to get hurt,” Mama said, looking Krel sternly in the eye. “Neither of you know how to properly fly any of our ships and you could have gotten seriously injured or hurt someone else in the process. What you two tried to do was incredibly dangerous.” Krel looked away, his form brightening in shame. He knew that much was true, because even he’d tried to argue that to Aja, but he had gotten caught up in the imagined relief being away would bring. It was stupid of him.

“And…” Mama continued and Krel winced. “We wanted to stop you from doing something you’d regret.”

He paused and glanced back at her. “Regret?”

“This is your home, Krel,” she said. She lifted a hand and gently caressed Krel’s cheek, running her thumb over it. “Nobody is ever ready to leave their home. You are scared and confused, because something you’ve been taught would soon be with you turned out to be a little harder to find.” She was talking about his corebond. He wished she wouldn’t talk like he had one. “And so, you want to escape. But that won’t help, Krel. Running away never solved anyone’s problems.”

Hot shame filled him up the inside out and he quickly looked away, squeezing his eyes shut. Embarrassed, he choked out, “We don’t want to be royals.”

Mama was silent; he’d probably surprised her with that. He probably would’ve surprised anyone, besides Aja, by saying that out loud. When she spoke next, she sounded like she was barely keeping herself from sounding alarmed, “Krel, that isn’t something you can stop being. No matter where you go, no matter who you pretend to be, you will always be a royal of Akiridion-5.”

He didn’t care, though. He didn’t care how long it took or how far away he had to go, he just wanted out. He wanted away from the whispers and stares that tell him he’s not good enough, he wanted away from the judgement over his technical prowess (it’s not becoming of a prince, leave that knowledge to the engineers, scientists, technicians, can’t you be more athletic, more outgoing, more like Aja?), he wanted away from the talk of corebonds and love and how he didn’t fit into the role he was made for. He felt broken and wrong here, and what was worse was that it was entirely his fault.

His fault for listening to the rumors about his corebond, about how he was second to Aja, about how he was just a plan B. His fault for keeping it hidden from his parents, letting it fester and mutate into something hideous inside him. His fault for internalizing it, believing every single word uttered by others about him, until he sometimes even hated his parents for giving him life. 

He himself is to blame for the poison in his home and like a coward he wanted out.

He didn’t say that, however. Any of it. He simply breathed in, then out, and said, “Okay.” 

Krel didn’t know if Mama believed him. She smiled her political smile, which hurt, and hugged him, which took the hurt away. She caressed his cheek again and said, “I love you,” to which he said it back. 

He watched her go, saw her reaching a hand towards his papa and turn away, before the door closed. He sighed and slumped forward, holding his head in his hands. 

Mama didn’t understand. She didn’t understand how it felt to be the second choice, to not have any meaning besides being a fallback plan. She didn’t understand how it felt to not even be that correctly. It might have not been as bad if he actually had a corebond. Then, at least, he could’ve done something right, could’ve been the best backup ever. Maybe he wouldn’t even have that terrible pit inside him that ached whenever he thought about corebonds. But no. The universe dealt him a bad hand. He was a bad prince, a bad second son, and a bad Akiridion. He was alone.

… Well, that’s not entirely true.

Once he felt the dark, twisting badness untangle from his core, he got up and went to his and Aja’s door. He leaned against the wall beside it and slowly slid to the ground.

He had Aja. Aja was just like him—she may be the first born, and she may be the prefered choice to both their parents and Akiridion-5, but she didn’t think that. She understood, at least partially, what he felt. 

“Hey, Aja?” Krel whispered. It felt like the words echoed in his empty room.

“Yes?” Aja answered from her room. Krel smiled weakly, the fact that they both decided to sit by the door for comfort warming him.

“I, um…” he hesitated. “I was wondering if you’d, um…”

“What is it?” Aja prompted, though she didn’t sound impatient.

Krel took a breath. “Can we… make a promise?”

“A promise?”

Krel nodded even though she couldn’t see him. “Yes. A promise to… to always stay together against whatever the universe decides to throw at us.” Aja was silent and Krel felt a flare of panic, so he continued, “I just mean, since we’re the same and we don’t know anyone else like us and probably never will, that we should always be there for each other, since… we don’t know who else would.”

“I would love to, Krel,” Aja said, sounding fond and loving and the warmth inside of Krel increased. She understood. She would never hurt him, even unintentionally. She didn’t think she was the better child, didn’t think herself superior to him. She thought he was a genius, thought that was such a wonderful thing. She was the best sister he could have ever asked for.

“Okay,” he said. Krel’s face hurt from how hard he was smiling.  “Okay, great!”

Aja giggled. “Alright. I promise I will always stick by your side, no matter what happens.”

Krel nodded. “And I, too. No matter what it is, we do it together.”

And they did.

They stayed connected at the hip, metaphorically, for the next few keltons. They had been close before, since they’d only really had each other for company, but there was a deeper connection to their bond now, one that rivalled the corebond itself. They clung to one another like they were life lines, thinking naively that they were the only two in the whole universe that understood the pain of having no one at the end of their red string.

Over that same time, Krel and Aja tried many times to run away, but their escape plans were always either thwarted or sidetracked. Sometimes they were caught by Zadra or Vex, sometimes circumstances made them return back home. Every time, their parents would talk with them, try to convince them not to leave again. Sometimes it would be Mama talking to Krel, sometimes it would be Papa, sometimes both of them talked to Krel and Aja together. It never worked, though. Krel could tell Mama and Papa knew that, could see it in their eyes. He wondered how they justified it to themselves, how they rationalized their children’s multiple attempts to run away.

It made him uncomfortable to hurt their parents like that, and he knew Aja felt the same, but it was never enough to deter them from trying to leave. This life just… wasn’t for them. That was something they agreed on wholeheartedly.

Until one delson, they didn’t.

---

It began when Krel and Aja were fifteen and sixteen respectively. Aja was of age to be crowned Queen-in-Waiting. The coronation delson would probably be announced soon. Naturally, they were planning on running away again.

“You know, last time we were really close!” Aja was saying. “The only reason it didn’t work was because of that chance guard coming by. I think we should chance it again.”

Krel was skeptical though. He looked up from where he was rubbing Luug’s belly. “I don’t entirely like the idea of going through with a plan that already failed.”

“I promise, it will work this time!” Aja insisted. “Everyone will be concerned with the coronation, anyway! They won’t be watching the perimeter as closely.”

Krel rose an eyebrow. “Unless they knew of a certain prince and princess’s past attempts at escaping.”

Aja at least had the wherewithal to look abashed. “I suppose you are right. Perhaps we could—”

There was a knock on Aja’s door. The two glanced at each other in confusion before Aja called, “Um, come in!” 

The door slid open and their parents walked in one after the other. They looked excited, happy. Krel felt something hard form in the bottom of his gut.

Luug jumped off the bed and ran circles around their parents’ feet, the latter two chuckling at the excitable pet. Krel slid to the side of Aja’s bed, hunching over a little as he waited for the coronation planning Mama and Papa were going to start; that was the only reason he could think of for why they were there. He wondered why they bothered; they had to know both she and him were going to leave regardless. 

“Aja, Krel,” Papa greeted and the two greeted him back. Aja sat beside Krel with Luug in her arms, looking way more innocent than what their earlier scheming warranted. Krel bit back a laugh.

“We’re here to discuss the coronation,” Mama started, smiling warmly down at them. “It is important you understand what all will be happening that delson.”

Here it comes, Krel thought and fought to keep himself from outwardly reacting. He’d always known this was coming, that eventually Mama and Papa would officially decide that Aja was the one they wanted to rule Akiridion-5 when they were gone, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. 

It doesn’t matter, he chided himself. We’ll both be gone by then anyway.

“We would have come to tell you the plan earlier, a least a couple of weeks,” Papa said, “but our advisors were still trying to talk us out of the whole thing. They were begging for us to stick to tradition at least once. No worries, however, we finally convinced them we wouldn’t be swayed.”

Mama laughed a little, as did Papa. That didn’t really make sense to Krel, because why would they need to convince their advisors of having their first born be the heir? What was more traditional than that? He was missing something.

“Anyway,” Mama continued, still smiling. “It will be a relatively short ceremony—” Mama and Papa launched into an explanation of all that would happen that delson. Mostly everything was planned out, even things before the ceremony proper. There were going to be performances both before and after, including demonstrations of combat after the actual coronation.

Krel shifted in his seat as he listened. Where was he going to be in all of this? Would he stand with his parents and watch his sister be crowned Queen-in-Waiting? Would he be with the other nobility, watching from the side lines? Would he be down in the waiting room, there to wish her luck before she went out?

Krel shook his head to clear his thoughts. We won’t even be there, it doesn’t matter.

“Is something wrong, Krel?” Papa asked suddenly and Krel startled. 

“Um—” His family was staring at him, curious. Ah kleb, say something! “I was just wondering, um… Where will I be in all this?” 

Mama and Papa blinked in unison, obviously confused. They shared a glance, then Mama said, “What do you mean, Krel?”

Ah, well this was a little embarrassing. Krel’s form brightened. “Ah, I mean… where will I be standing while Aja is crowned Queen-in-Waiting?”

“Well, beside her, of course,” Papa said, still looking confused. “Where else would you stand during your coronation?”

It didn’t click. Krel stared blankly up at his papa as he tried to process, tried to make sense of the words.

His coronation? With Aja? Both of them, together? But that would mean… That doesn’t… Why would they…?

“What?” Krel finally whispered. Aja was still beside him.

“You and Aja will stand next to each other and be crowned King- and Queen-in-Waiting at the same time,” Mama explained, looking mildly concerned. 

“I don’t…” Krel shook his head, his insides fluttering. “It’s… my coronation too? I’m… also your heir?”

His parents let out similar, startled laughs. “Wh—of course, Krel!” Papa cried. “What ever made you think otherwise?”

Krel tensed, flashes of past overheard rumors and conversations from various staff members ringing in his ears. “I—well—um—”

Their faces softened, looking almost sad. Mama leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee. “You both were always going to be our heirs. There was never a doubt in our minds about it.”

Papa’s hand landed in his hair and Krel’s eyes flickered up to him. “We’re sorry you were made to think otherwise,” he said. “We should have been more clear long before now that you were always going to do this together, as brother and sister.”

Seklos and Gaylen. That vice-like chain squeezing his core relaxed; he felt like he could finally breathe again. He wasn’t hurtling toward that blackhole anymore. He caught onto something, wrapping himself around it desperately, and it stopped his descent into oblivion. It was warm and safe and felt like home. 

“Oh,” he said, dumbly, because he didn’t know what else he could. He had so thoroughly convinced himself of his own uselessness that being told the opposite felt like being reset, felt like error codes flashing across a terminal. It just… didn’t make sense.

Mama and Papa smiled at him again, a look of understanding in their eyes, like they suddenly understood everything that happened in the last few keltons. Maybe they did. Maybe it made sense to them, maybe they thought he and Aja only ran because they thought only one of them would rule, maybe they thought he and Aja wouldn’t run any more now that they knew better. 

They want me, he suddenly thought and it came with the realization that everything he’d been using as an excuse to leave was wrong. Despite everything—that he’s bondless, that he wasn’t the perfect prince, that he had run away time and time again, surely breaking their cores—they still wanted him. He was good enough in their eyes, always had been.

His parents were talking again, finishing their explanation of the coronation delson, but Krel wasn’t paying attention anymore. He spent the remainder of the conversation in a daze and was only jolted out of it when Mama and Papa hugged him and Aja goodbye.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, alright? Rest up,” Papa said after pulling away, and with two identical, fond, and loving looks, the two left.

Krel watched them go, getting lost in his own head again, when Aja elbowed his side. “I almost feel bad letting them make all of these preparations for a ceremony that’s going to be canceled, right, Krel?” Aja laughed.

Krel forced himself to laugh along, surprised to find he was hesitant to agree with her. Hadn’t he been thinking that exact way not ten mekrons ago? Where did all of his certainty that they’d be far away go?

He needed to organize his thoughts, that was all. His parents turned his whole world view around on him and it’s confusing him. He just needed some time to think. Then everything would go back to normal.

---

Things most certainly did not go back to normal.

That is to say, Krel didn’t. His parents continued on with their coronation planning, bringing Krel and Aja along for their input. Aja kept up her own planning for their escape, now needing to coax Krel into coming up with ideas and routes. The staff kept whispering, the gray still hurt, Luug was disgustingly adorable as usual. But Krel was not normal.

The idea of running away just… didn’t seem right anymore. It was like someone had rearranged the wiring in his core and shifted his preferences and thought process. He was hesitant when talking about escaping with Aja, he found himself almost excited when his parents talked about the coronation festivities. He was so torn between the two conflicting ideas it exhausted him to even think about.

And think he did. He spent so much time stuck in his own head, even Aja was starting to worry about him. He could see it when they were alone together, when her spoken brainstorming would slowly taper off and she would hesitantly ask if he was okay. He couldn’t even talk to her about it, because he didn’t even know where to begin.

It sat wrong in him to think about running away. Did that mean he didn’t want to anymore? But why was that? Did it really only take his parents saying they wanted him and had always wanted him to change his mind? Was it always that simple? Or did he never actually want to go, and he was just going along with Aja because he was so lost, so unsure of his purpose?

But at the same time, he was anxious about the coronation. He worried about the audience’s reaction, about the combat demonstration, about the aftermath. He wasn’t ready to be a king, didn’t think he would ever be ready. Once upon a time he would’ve said he didn’t even want to be one, but now he’s hesitant to even think that! The whole thing made him tingly and on edge, but he would often catch himself smiling even as he trembled. 

He didn’t know what to do, who he could turn to. Before, he would talk to Aja about his troubles, because he knew Aja would understand, and she would do the same to him. But he didn’t know how she would react to this. She obviously hadn’t changed her mind in the slightest about Mama and Papa’s decision, if her constant planning was anything to go by. She still wanted to run away. She still didn’t want to be a royal. And Krel…

He didn’t know how he felt anymore.

And he knew he should’ve brought it up with Aja sooner, but he wanted to figure it out himself so he could properly explain himself and so Aja would understand fully too. She was quick to jump to conclusions, she could be brash and impatient, and he didn’t want her to lash out and misunderstand him if he didn’t explain just perfectly how he wasn’t exactly totally feeling up to running away again—

But that understanding never came. Long weeks and a single escape attempt that he himself thwarted by sheer bullshitery passed and suddenly the delson was here and he had completely  klebbed himself over.

He spent the mekrons before stasis foolishly hoping Aja would get cold feet and back out of the plan so that he didn’t have to back out on her, but he knew even while he wished it that that was impossible. 

The first thing he felt after the sleepy confusion that comes from waking up unexpectedly was cold dread. Aja whispered, “Come on! Wake up! It’s time to leave!” in his ear, sounding just as excited as she always did before they attempted to run. She was not-so-gently shaking him, something that did nothing for the fluttering and aches that had so quickly taken residence inside him.

“I’m—I’m up,” he forces out, pushing himself up onto two forearms.

“Good morning, little brother~” Aja sang, then giggled. “Happy Coronation Delson.”

Krel awkwardly laughed along with her as he sat up fully. It was now or never, he had to tell her he didn’t want to go through with it, he had to somehow explain—

“Come on, we have to leave now!” Aja said. She grabbed his arms and hauled him to his feet. Luug was running around excitedly, no doubt leeching energy off of Aja’s own excitement. She threw Krel’s cloak around his shoulders and started pulling him towards his door.

Kleb, this is bad, he thought, because his mind was blank. He couldn’t form an explanation, couldn’t even think of how to start. The door was getting closer and closer, he was losing time, but there was no safe way to say this, no way of telling her without stumbling and messing up and having her misunderstand, think he was abandoning her, he just needed time—

“Wait,” he gasped and they stopped.

She turned to him, surprised. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I—um—” Of all the times for his genius to fail him, of course it would be when it mattered most. He was never good with words, Aja would usually just understand but there was no way she would immediately understand the conflict swirling around inside him, it didn’t work like that, she wasn’t a mindreader. “I just—”

Her face had changed while he fumbled. Before it’d been curious, maybe even a little worried; he probably had his anguish written all over his face. Now, though, there was a realization in her features, one that matched horribly with the disbelief that was in her eyes. Oh no no no kleb, it’s not what you think, Aja, I just—

“You’re bailing out on me,” Aja whispered, her words spreading the cold dread inside him all over his body. She pulled away from him, whipping around to face him fully, and took a half step away from him. Luug stopped his prancing about, whimpering at the sudden mood shift.

“No, no, of course not, Aja,” Krel tried to amend, not even trying to hide the desperateness from his voice, “I-I just need more time to think about everything, I’ve been so confused and jarred, I just need a little more time to sort this out—”

“We don’t have time, Krel! This is our only chance to finally leave!” Aja snapped, the disbelief in her eyes being replaced by anger and, worst of all, hurt. “What’s so confusing about this? I don’t want to be Queen-in-Waiting, you don’t want to be King-in-Waiting; I thought we’d worked through this already.”

“But that’s just it!” Krel argued, his hands gesturing wildly. “We had worked it out and we agreed, but now ever since Mama and Papa told us we’d both be the heirs, I’ve just been so torn and—” 

“Ever since Mama and Papa…?” she mumbled and Krel nodded vigorously, thinking she was getting it.

“Yes!” he said. “Everything is so weird and jumbled in my head now, I just don’t understand and—” He shook his head. The sentences he tried to formulate in his head sounded like disoriented klebso. 

“Oh,” she said, suddenly quiet. The earlier fire in her eyes had been dowsed, leaving behind a sad kind of acceptance. “So you were only coming with me because you thought you weren’t an heir?”

“I—er,” he stumbled. Something wasn’t right. Why did she look so calm all of sudden? Why did she sound so… empty? “I mean, not exactly, but—”

“But that’s basically it?” Aja interrupted him, now sounding scarily defeated.

“That’s the thing, I don’t—” he started and felt a flare of annoyance when Aja interrupted him again.

“Look, Krel,” she sighed, “I think I understand.”

He blinked, skeptical, because he’d barely even started explaining, and he didn’t even understand it himself. Regardless, he felt relief blossom from his chest. “You do?”

Aja nodded. “At least partially.” She took a breath and melted where she stood. “You don’t want to leave. You want to go through with it. Being told you were an heir changed your mind about running away.”

“Well, I mean, kind of—” Krel started.

“No, it’s fine, Krel,” Aja interrupted again. “I can’t make you come with me, just like you can’t stop me from leaving.” She grabbed two of his hands and squeezed, a gesture that used to be comforting, but now froze his insides further. Cold realization spread over his features as Aja smiled sadly. “I am sorry I made you feel so trapped.”

“Wait, Aja, you didn’t—” She released his hands as he spoke and scooped Luug up into her arms. She walked to the door despite his pleas. “Please, wait!”

Aja’s hand hovered over the scanner, hesitating. She sighed. “Krel, I can’t stay here. This isn’t the life for me, I don’t… I don’t want this.”

“I—I know that,” Krel said, desperate. “But you can’t just—Aja, you can’t just leave me alone here. Nobody—nobody else understands, I need you. Don’t leave me.”

She turned to him, her hand dropping away from the scanner. “What about me, Krel?” she said, her earlier anger leaking into her voice. “Don’t I get a say in what I do? I don’t know what you want me to do! I’m not going to force myself to go through with something I’ve never wanted to do just so you can be comfortable. I’m not going to put myself in the very situation I’ve been running from for keltons now just because you’ve become indecisive.” She looked back to the door and hugged Luug tighter. He whimpered. “My mind has always been made up. I’m leaving. Good luck at the ceremony.”

“But—But what about our promise?” Krel tried. It was perhaps a low blow, but it was the only thing he could think of to convince her to just wait a secton. He didn’t know what else he could say to make her stay with him. He knew it was wrong, to try to guilt her into staying, but he didn’t think he could handle going out there without her at his side. He cursed himself for being torn over something that had been so simple before. He didn't want to be alone, but he couldn't just make himself leave. He couldn’t force himself to do something he didn’t want to either.

Aja paused, but still opened the door a secton later. She stepped through and looked over her shoulder at him. She looked just about as anguished as he felt. “I’m not the one breaking our promise, Krel.”

Something shattered inside him. Whatever it was fractured under the pressure of his despair, its fissures running through his entire being. A terrible, horrible hurt filled him, taking residence in every strand of energy that made up his being. He ached and ached from head to toe, feeling as if he was burning from the inside out. It shackled him where he stood, holding him captive as disbelief and anguish and betrayal swelled from his core. In the span of three sectons, Krel realized what heartbreak felt like.

(he flipped and flew through open space. the stars around him were so very far away, taunting him with their glimmering gray. his momentum was endless; he only seemed to go faster and faster as he hurtled towards the huge, dark, all-encompassing black hole. then, after keltons of that terrible, weightless horror, he felt himself finally be swallowed whole.)

His door slid shut behind his sister, cutting off her fleeing figure from view. The last thing he saw of her was her fluttering cloak as she rushed off into the early morning—to adventure, to happiness... to freedom. He realized that might be the last time he ever saw her.

And he broke.

[ravenfirelair]

Tronos madu character analysis

In the essay we are going to discuss the character tronos, his characters design, his personality and psychology, at least what the tv show revealed to us about him. First up is his character design, I think his character design I very unique and very outside of the box in term of thinking what an alien should look like, he looks more like an monster you would see out of some B movie. He is obviously based off reptilian animals in nature by his appearance and the way he walk on all fours and how he can quickly crawl along the ceiling and walls just like a lizard can. I like the fact he can walk both on two and four legs giving both an humanoid and animalistic appearance in nature and able him to be more versatile in his movement, like able to hold, grab, push and pull things like any human can, but still able to walk, crawl and run like a predatory animal. One thing I did notice that his neck varies in length throughout the whole episodes his is in, sometimes his neck is short and sometimes it seems rather long, which suggests he can squash or stretch his neck out like a turtle which suggests he as a very flexible spine in his neck that has vertebrae that is not fused together like a normal spine, but is mostly held together by ligaments and muscle tissue. His arms are a lot thicker and longer then his legs meaning he relies a lot on his upper body strength. His face is heavily scared and slightly discolored around his eyes, nose and part of his forehead, suggesting either he took a hard blast to the face or it’s just wear from wearing his helmet for long periods of time. Also his heavily scared face would suggest he got into a fight when his helmet was off at some point.    

Now on to the most dominate thing about his character design which his is armor, obviously it was made for battle as it protects the most valuable parts on his body, being his chest, abdomen, neck and his face. I really like the aesthetic design of his helmet-mask and not just because it makes him look like he has horns like a freaking dragon, but also because it reminds me of Japanese samurai armor.

Samurai in battle would often wear face masks and huge helmets with crests that looked like horns to appear more intimidating to the enemy and that is what I think tronos’s armor main purpose is for, not just to protect himself, but to appear more intimidating to his opponents, because frankly he doesn’t look all that intimidating without his helmet on. Which inturn makes me think maybe not every voltarian wore armor and only a select few that earned it through battles could wear armor, which further makes me think maybe tronos held some kind of rank or status among the society of his people before his planet was destroyed.  

Also I noticed the armor covering his neck is able to compress and stretch along with his neck which suggests it is held together be some kind of flexible material that can conform to his body with whatever shape it takes. Then obviously from what can see how damaged, scratched and scuffed up his armor is that he has been through a war. Not too sure what the light  plate on his chest is  meant for, but I can guess it has multiple purposes, the first obviously being the main power source for his armor, but it can also seemed to be used as a way to regulate and control the electricity running through his body. It also can be seen as a way to bring up holograms on the small devices he uses by pressing on the center of it. Not really sure what the blue light spikes a long his neck are meant for either, they could just be for show and aesthetic purposes.    

Now on to his main weapon which is his ability to control, manipulate and shoot out electricity and able to shoot out sonic sound. He is an electrothermal life form meaning he can produce electricity from his own body heat, but it appears that he also gain power by absorbing the electricity around him. He can deform and reform is body at will from pure electrical energy or an electric current, in doing so he can travel at the speed of light. He is able to shrink his body small enough to travel through the power lines and can travel through the electric current of lightning as well. It is given that since he can produce electricity from his own body heat his electric power seems endless, but he can succumb to exhaustion if he uses his power too much. It also makes me think he doesn’t use it enough he body would over heat and has to expel some of his electrical energy in order to maintain his body heat and would explain why he uses his electric power constantly.  

Now for his personality, obviously he is very vengeful and can hold on to a grudge for a long time given he wanted to get revenge on the akiridions for abandoning his race of people during the war when they needed help the most and takes his vengeance out on the royal children given he wanted to kill the royal king and queen instead. Obviously, revenge is a huge motivator from him, he spends his whole time trying to kill the royal children and willing to make alliances with his enemies to reach his goal. Also could have been the only thing that kept him going for so many years until he was able to reach the royal family.  He is very persistent and stubborn for how much set in his way of thinking he is, but can also easily be persuaded by negotiating as long he gets something out of it. Despite his stubbornness he was willing to change his mind for the better when Aja convinced him to help krel with his giant laser gun to destroy an asteroid to save earth. But he can also be greedy and selfish at times, like when he was at the bounty hunter outpost sitting among the other bounty hunters he seemed friendly towards them, but the minute one of the royal children is revealed and he is informed they have a huge bounty placed upon them, he doesn’t hesitant to backstab the other bounty hunters just to claim the bounty reward all for himself.  

Now on to his psychological state and oh boy, this is a heavy one. He is pretty much a war victim with PTSD, it is unclear how much PTSD he has, but I can imagine it is severe given he lived through a war and watched almost his entire alien race and planet being destroyed. Typically someone who has PTSD either lashes out in anger or spirals down into a state of depression; obviously Tronos has chosen the latter. Even though the war is over, he can’t stop his urge to kill things and has no problem inflecting pain on others, so he resided to a life of a bounty hunter to at least give himself a reason to kill and still give purpose and meaning to his life. Since therapy isn’t an option for him, the only way he knows how to deal with his trauma is to lash out in anger and violence. Even though he seems he can hide his pain and grief well, it does still affect him, like when Aja shows Tronos a hologram of his destroyed planet and tells him she knows everything about what happened to his planet, he lashes out at her in anger. Meaning that this traumatic event still hurts him to this present day even though it happened several years ago. Him seeing his destroyed planet again could have been a trigger that brought back painful memories.

It is unclear how much depression he deals with, but no doubt he probably does experience it, but tries to best hide it from others. It is also unclear if he has restless sleep and has nightmares during his sleep, but he most likely does, we just don’t see that part of him. Also he probably feels some form of shame and guilt from being part of an army that was supposed to protect his people, but ended in disastrous failure.  

so there are my thoughts on tronos madu, a complex villain character that certainly deserved more screen time and a better ending to his story, but never got it.  

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Looking Down at the Scars that Remain

After the Eternal Night, Mary and Darci are owed an explanation.

No one expected the explaining to go this badly, though.

Or, have a fanfic where no one goes to New Jersey, Darci uses they/them pronouns, and the POV character deals with dissociation and panic/anxiety attacks.

This may have been an excuse to practice writing in first person.

Thank you to Hagar for coming up with the Tales of Arcadia Timeline; that helped me write this.

AO3

FFN

I sat in Darci's room. I'd been here before, and not much had changed about their room since we were in middle school, though I could see that one of their Harry Potter posters has been replaced by the Papa Skull one I gave them for their birthday.

Unlike their room, us three inhabitants of it had changed. I'd changed the most, and Mary and Darci were expecting me to explain everything. I owed it to them. Jim, Toby, and I had been doing a lot of explaining, especially Toby and I because we were still human.

"What about those weird bugs?" Darci asked. "Was that troll-related?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that was Aja," Mary said.

"Mr. Strickler's a troll, though, so she might be one too!"

"Are you talking about the pixies?" I interjected. "And no, I saw Aja after all the familiars got rescued, she's got to be human."

Besides, I would have expected a different reaction to the massacre at the Janus Order had Aja been a changeling.

"Wait, fairies and pixies are real, too?" Mary asked.

"Fairies and pixies had a war, and the fairies lost," I said. "Pixies, though, they look like fireflies and can crawl inside your head to make you see your worst fears."

I pushed the thought of le Fay, the fairy, being more like a pixie away from myself.

"Remember how back in February everyone seemed to really trip out on hallucinogenic drugs?" I asked. My friends looked uncomfortable and nodded. "A troll assassin entered the school and released a bunch of pixies to act as a distraction. That way, he could corner Jim and try to get Jim to steal his soul back for him."

I should have never suggested that we keep Angor's soul away from him. That's an agony that...

No, I would still wish that fate upon her.

"That would explain why they never figured out where the drugs came from," Darci said.

"What about when Señor Uhl ate Toby's breakfast burrito and was sick for most of the day? Was that secretly troll poison?" Mary asked.

"I mean, it has given a troll the size of a volcanon GI issues, but that taco is entirely human-made. Toby just has a stronger stomach than our Spanish teacher. Though a troll did attack our school that day." I looked away; it hadn't been that long since Draal died, but because of Gunmar taking him over it felt like longer.

"Was it the assassin?" Darci asked.

"No, it was another troll. He had been mind-controlled by Gunmar." I looked back at the two girls who had been my friends since we were kids. "Other than that, he was a friend."

Mary and Darci shared a glance as they realized that the troll I was talking about had died. They probably thought he died when Jim killed Gunmar, and they were only off by a couple days.

"Did he know how to use spray paint?" Mary asked in a softer voice.

I chuckled, pushing away my grief for now. "No, that was Steve. He and Eli were already trying to help from the sidelines."

"Like when Toby tried to kill our flour baby?" Darci asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Like then." Good, Toby had explained some stuff to his girlfriend. Maybe he had explained the whole double date that I didn't want to think about. Good for him, I'd have to stop by his house with tacos some time soon.

"Was you acting weird on the double date troll-related too, or was it just stress?" Darci asked.

Pressure wrapping around my skull, behind where my eyes were, was the only warning I had.

"Though I guess some of your stress has been troll-related lately," Darci said.

I had had an actual out-of-body experience. It wasn't this. The feeling of not being quite real was just as terrifying.

"As if getting sick right before finals wasn't enough," Mary commented. "The black blood was creepy." Her voice got slower with each word, like she was trying to figure out if something was off.

Everything was off.

This was real. This wasn't the Shadow Realm. This was real. This was real.

Convincing myself was harder than it should have been.

I tried to count the amount of stuffed animals on Darci's bed to slow my rapid breathing, and it only helped somewhat.

"Claire?" Mary put a hand on my shoulder. It didn't startle me into a fight-or-flight mode, which was good. It didn't startle me back into a sense of reality, either.

"Are you okay? If you want to talk about something else, it's fine," Mary said. "We can talk about boys..." She trailed off, either remembering that my boyfriend wasn't human anymore or the fact that Darci asking about "my" behavior on our double date double date was what had set me off.

"Or we can go grab some chips from downstairs?" Darci asked, a mix of nervous and guilty.

I shook my head. "You know that staff I had?" My voice sounded so far away, like it was coming from something other than my body.

Darci and Mary nodded.

"The one you made portals with, right?" Mary asked.

"Yeah. The Monday after we had Saturday Detention, I made a giant portal. It was the biggest portal I've ever made. I nearly died, and my hair turned white. I thought that was the only lasting effect."

"Oh," Mary said, quietly enough that she wouldn't be interrupting. She had asked me why I had bleached my streak to white, and I had lied.

"I didn't think my getting sick had anything to do with the portal, even though it started right after I made the portal. I still didn't think they were related when I started bleeding black; I just thought there was something weird going on. That there was another reason."

I turned to Darci. "When I ordered that steak, I didn't choose to order it that way."

They looked confused. I didn't want to say it, but I owed them an explanation.

"I... Toby and Jim said that you went to check on me after I went to the bathroom. Had you been a couple minutes earlier, you would've seen me get my soul ripped out of my body as a woman who called herself the Eldritch Queen forced her own soul into me."

[fanfictnarchive]

harry potter | Trajectories by Aja

Link.  Rembrandt's phrase in describing his painting: "Die meeste ende di naetureelste beweechgelickhijt", can be translated as greatest, most natural movement (emotion or motive).

[Post-Deathly Hallows, eighth-year-at-Hogwarts AU, all canonical character deaths.] Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione. Ron and Harry return to Hogwarts, where portraits have been commissioned of all the fallen students, including Fred Weasley. Ron isn’t handling it very well, and neither is the portrait of his brother. Meanwhile, Ginny won’t talk to Harry, and Malfoy is going to get Harry’s help whether he likes it or not. Also, the entire plot would likely have not been possible without Hermione’s absence, although she shows up at the end to steal the show. 

i loved so many, many things about this, including but certainly not limited to:

Hermione beamed at him. "Oh, Ron," she said, and Harry took his cue, the owl, and the envelope, and fled. (this is the most Hermione/Ron sentence i have Ever Read)

sir cadogan’s Finest Moment™

He wished Hermione had come with them. She'd agree with him, he knew, and maybe she'd even tell him why. 

And because they were all, he thought, different since the war. But he and Ron never really talked about that stuff when they were together. YOU ARE BOTH SO DUMB, & THIS IS WHY YOU NEED HERMIONE

They were still laughing when Hermione looked over his shoulder, started, and pulled her hand out of his grasp. "Hey, Ginny!" she said. Harry. Harry. Hermione understands your girlfriend, how is she totally incomprehensible to you?

also, i liked how much more enmeshed ginny is with the hogwart’s student body than harry is, which i think is a dynamic that doesn’t get much attention in either fanfiction or canon. also interesting is that much of the dysfunction in their relationship here comes from ginny asking harry to (essentially) socialize w/ Hogwarts students he doesn’t know very well, and her taking his reluctance as a personal rejection.

the problem of course, is that to harry, friendship is inextricably linked to near-death experiences and sacrifice, so whether he realizes it or not, he actually has very high standards for people he considers his friends. draco malfoy qualifies, most hogwarts students do not. also, i know the fandom likes to joke that harry is absurdly unobservant because he doesn’t seem to know his classmates’ names, but i would argue that when your classmates refuse to treat you as anything besides a pariah or a celebrity-cum-hero, and vacillate wildly from one extreme to the other depending on whatever nonsense is written in the press, forming genuine relationships with any of them would prove difficult. so he’s like, i literally died for these people, but i don’t want to hang out with them because they have spent my entire school life treating me like an exhibit at the zoo, and ginny is thinking: i fought Death Eaters with these students; what makes them less deserving of harry’s consideration than ron or hermione? (what makes me less deserving of harry’s attention than hermione?) 

like remember the time seamus finnegan told harry to his face that his mother didn’t want him to come back to hogwarts because she thought harry was crazy? or the time the entire Hufflepuff House thought harry tried to kill justin finch-fletchley? or this gem from the OotP: “He heard whispers all around him as he sat eating between Ron and Hermione. The funny thing was that none of the whisperers seemed to mind him overhearing what they were saying about him. On the contrary, it was as though they were hoping he would get angry and start shouting again, so that they could hear his story firsthand.” anyway.

The mass of Slytherin first-years quickly sorted themselves out by cliques. Much to Harry's amusement, most of them seemed to like Malfoy. Sometimes, when he walked past Malfoy and the portrait, a handful of younger Slytherins would be gathered around him like wayward ducklings, and Malfoy would be doing his best to pretend they didn't exist. oh my g o d

Malfoy watched as Harry sat down, unrolled the map, tapped it, and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Then Harry watched as Malfoy's jaw slid gradually lower and lower while the map revealed its contents. When the last of the names — their own, the words H. Potter and D. Malfoy squinched together in minuscule print in the Great Hall — had formed, Malfoy looked up at Harry, his face holding about twelve expressions at once."This explains a lot," he said coolly. "Cry me a river," said Harry. ahahahahaha

“Thanks," Malfoy said. He said it easily enough, but his eyes glanced off Harry's shoulder as if he were afraid a direct hit might injure him. i Can’t Deal w/ this

i’m not sure i agree with harry about paintings of the dead not really being people anymore; i think their lives change by virtue of being portraits, but i think the portrait of fred weasley probably loves george weasley as much as fred did when he was alive

more things we were tragically deprived of in canon due to draco not being allowed to grow out of being a giant prat: his reaction to luna being virtually identical to hermione’s reaction to luna

he felt even stupider trying to stick up for Ron when he was being an idiot, but it was Ron, and Harry would always stand up for him in the end; he couldn't stand not to. I LOVE THEM BOTH, BUT THEY ARE SO STUPID, THANK GOD FOR HERMIONE

Draco had to swallow twice before he spoke, and when he did Harry could tell the effort he was making to keep his voice level. "I've a feeling I was a kid a lot longer than you were, Potter," he said. Something about the way he said it made Harry's throat tighten. this is the only draco malfoy i have Ever Wanted

hermione’s return is the most amazing, loving depiction of harry, hermione & ron’s friendship that i have read in fanfiction, and i would absolutely marry it if it could

[lavalampelfchild]

And this monstrosity is finally done!  Trying to get Alistair to actually look like Alistair was incredibly frustrating (I hope I did a decent job of it).  

So here is King Alistair, post-Blight, sharing a moment with my Amell OC, Aja.

EDIT: There’s a little ficlet here, below the cut, to explain this moment, but it’s a piece of writing about which I have some mixed feelings, and of which I am not as proud as I am of the picture.  I will leave it up because I don’t want to brush imperfections in my writing career and development under the rug, and I believe in having something of a writing trail to track my progress as I develop. 

I will explain that this entire piece (the art and writing both) was inspired by a piece of Skyrim art that I saw which took an illustration of a single moment and then paired it with writing to give that single captured moment context and nuance.  And that little excerpt, I felt, added so much to what would otherwise have looked like just another piece of fanart.  I wanted to try doing that, but it didn’t exactly end up the way I had hoped it would.  The art, however, is something I put a lot of work into, and of which I am quite proud.

It certainly doesn’t have to be the case for everyone, but I’ve found that I tend to prefer the pieces of art that show a captured moment, rather than a still-life or a portrait of someone.  As a result, when I’m making my own art, I prefer to avoid having my characters looking directly at the camera, and try to portray them in the middle of doing or saying something.  I absolutely love it when characters are showing some sort of emotion, or are in the middle of performing an action in a piece of art.  Anything that makes them look like there’s movement or expression, even if it’s a composition showing just a single character with a particular expression on their face.  It implies something more than just what we see, and that’s what I live for in visual art.

That’s what I tried to show here: a single moment in time with a trajectory and a history that showcases human emotion and expression, and the fic below is meant to show that trajectory and history.  

(And for those who don’t want to read the fic, but care about the context, it’s basically about my Amell using her magic to cheer Alistair up.)

Alistair sighed.  This dinner was awful.  It was painful having to sit through.  Lobbying, thinly veiled insults, sycophantic nonsense.  The food was alright, but he could hardly focus on the flavor with everything else going on.  And the worst part of it was that he was expected to smile and take it all.  Oh, no, we need this trade agreement to not fall through, and then there’s Lord Who’s-It who controls vital whatever, and he gets very temperamental when you insult his cat.  Bastards, the lot of them…

Except they probably all knew their mothers.  

When Alistair finally managed an excuse to get away, he escaped into a quiet hallway and sighed. Who knew this king business was so damn stressful.

He meandered the hall a ways and wondered if they would send someone to bring him back if he stayed away too long.  He scrunched his nose in distaste at the thought, his neck tingling uncomfortably. He brought his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed absently at his nape, thinking up different excuses he could use that would get them to leave him alone.  Maybe an illness?  Something in the meat wasn’t sitting well with him?  Well that might have worked if he hadn’t had two helpings without any issue…

He felt the tingle again and paused, brow furrowed.  Alright, that doesn’t feel too normal… He felt it again, and pressed his hand harder to the back of his neck.  

Suddenly, something sparked against his neck and he yelped, whirling around to scope out the perpetrator because there was no way he was imagining that.

And there she stood, Aja Amell, some distance away from him, her hands folded in front of her, looking innocent as you please.  

Alistair narrowed his eyes.

“Was that you?” he demanded, his voice a pitch higher than he would have liked.  Aja’s eyes widened and she placed a hand gently over her chest as though offended.  

“Your Majesty!” she gasped. “I would never!”  Her expression was the very picture of delicate harmlessness.  

Yeah, no, Alistair wasn’t buying it.

Fighting back a grin, Alistair leveled her with as kingly a glare as he could manage.  “Is that so?  Then, who was it?”  

Aja looked around as though making sure they were alone before taking an earnest step toward him. “Oh, Majesty, it was terrible!  A sneaky witch thief has made her way into the castle, and it seems she’s running amok causing trouble!  I tried to stop her before she could get to you, but I fear I was too late…”

Alright.  So the grin won, and Alistair lost.  He turned to face Aja more fully and crossed his arms, warmth blooming in his chest.  So she was playing it like that, was he?

“Uh-huh, yeah, right. I know it was you.  You’re the sneaky witch thief.”  I’m never going to live that down, am I? “You know, what you just did is technically high treason.  I could have you… I don’t know, thrown in the stocks or something.”

Aja’s eyes were sparkling, her grin as wide as Alistair’s, and Maker, how he loved this woman.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Aja challenged, planting her hands on her hips.  Alistair waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, wouldn’t I?”  He sighed dramatically and held himself up in the way he imagined all kings did, metaphorical tail feathers puffed and everything.  “These are the consequences for assaulting royalty, and you really should think about that before you—Agh!”  A tiny bit of static zapped his cheek.  He turned to glare at Aja.

She smirked threw a small ball of sparks his way.  He just barely managed to scramble out of the way.  “Hey!  Stop that!” Aja boldly ignored him and sent more sparks his way.  “You—!”

“I’ve no intention of going quietly,” she declared, preparing another spell.  Alistair outright laughed at that.

“Ah, so I see drastic measures are required.  I think I can handle that.  Get over here, you!”

Aja bolted down the hall and Alistair followed, dinner forgotten.  It didn’t take him long to catch her, and when he did, he pulled them both to a nearby alcove, holding her tight as he pressed playful kisses to her laughing face.  

“You’re awful,” Alistair declared, smiling against her cheek. “Absolutely awful.”  

Aja laughed and reached her arms around him.  “Well, I learned from the worst.”  She pinched.

“Ouch!  Will you stop harassing me!?”  He supposed his command might have carried more weight if his smile didn’t currently threaten to split his face in two.  Aja didn’t answer, but looked up at him instead, and held his gaze. For one long, breathless moment, Alistair was caught by her expression.  

Sometimes he still couldn’t get used to it; how could someone – anyone – look at him the way she did?  As though he were everything, everything in the whole world, the one thing on this blighted land that the Maker got right?  It awed and humbled him.  

He wondered if his face looked like that when he looked at her.  Doofier, maybe.

Eventually, Aja sighed and rolled her eyes, the moment passing.  “You’re thinking too much.”  Alistair flushed and buried his face in her hair, an awkward chuckle escaping him before he could stop it.  For several quiet minutes, they simply stood there, basking in each other’s presence until Alistair grudgingly remembered why he was even there in the first place.

“…I suppose I’ll have to go back to that dinner, won’t I?”

Aja didn’t answer immediately, and really Alistair could hardly blame her.  The nobles who attended these events – especially foreign dignitaries – made no secret of their disdain for mages, or for mages occupying important positions in a royal court, or for mages sleeping around with kings.  Alistair winced at that.  

Well, they should just consider themselves lucky that he couldn’t rightly marry her because then they’d really have a problem.  Ooh, the king of Ferelden took a mage as his queen!  How scary!  How indecent!  That was one Alistair heard a lot.

“I certainly wouldn’t object if you decided to stay here,” Aja finally said, drawing him out of his thoughts.  He looked down at her, noting the uncertainty in her voice.  He opened his mouth to reply, but Aja continued, her tone one of somewhat forced cheer.  “I should hate to think of you being accosted by our sneaky witchy perpetrator—”

Alistair huffed impatiently. “Alright, really?  It was one time, and I – okay, so it wasn’t exactly the smartest thing I’ve ever said, but I hardly deserve t—”

Presumably to shut him up, Aja yanked him down and kissed him, Alistair’s surprised yelp muffled by her lips.  

His reaction was immediate. Pulling her closer, Alistair deepened the kiss, ultimately deciding that if it came down to a choice between Aja and some stuffy dinner full of impossibly annoying nobles, there really was no contest.

After several moments – Alistair didn’t really care to keep track – he pulled away.  Smiling, he set his forehead against Aja’s.  “You make a compelling argument.”

Aja winked.  “I have been told that I’ve a clever tongue.”  

“Hm.  Must be all that lamppost-licking you’ve done while you were still a saucy young apprentice.”  

“I beg your pardon!”  

“Acting all affronted, are you?  Well, that won’t work, my dear, I know all your dirty secrets.”

Aja squirmed in his hold, playfully smacking his shoulder.  “I have no ‘dirty secrets.’”  

“Is that so?  So you’re not the one sneaking around with the king of Ferelden making free with his virtue?”  

“Well, there is that…”

Alistair grinned and swooped down to steal another kiss.  Let the stuffy nobles deliberate or be scandalized or whatever the hell it was noble people did at parties.  

He had a sneaky witch thief to deal with.

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 88-93

Hey, guess what this post is all about?   Here’s a hint:

In St. Moriz, Switzerland, the gang have tracked down the address to which Esidisi had tried to mail the Red Stone of Aja.   Turns out it’s some spooky abandoned mansion with all the windows boarded up.    It’s the perfect hideout for a supervillain who doesn’t want to be bothered by nosy neighbors or pesky sunlight. 

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not sure why Esidisi expected the mailman to deliver his package to an empty building.    Maybe he figured Kars could just barge into the St. Moriz post office and find it.  

Another weird thing: Joseph opens this chapter with a monologue about the setting, then teases a cat, then provides exposition about the poison ring on his heart, and then Lisa Lisa calls him over to check out the mansion they’ve found.   It seems kind of strange that he was just monologueing the whole time, unless that’s supposed to be the joke.

Anyway, now they have to figure out their next move.   Caesar wants to go to the manion at once to attack Kars before sundown.   They know he’s in there, and he’s alone, because he said Wammu was away during their last encounter.  So it’ll be four on one, and they’ll have the advantage because the sun’s out.   But Joseph disagrees.   Kars has lived like this for thousands of years.   He would be expecting his enemies to attack him during the day, and it’s a safe bet that he’s laid all sorts of traps and precautions to protect himself.    So why play into his hands?   Joseph wants to wait, although I’m not sure attacking at night would be any easier.  Maybe he wants the Pillar Men to come to them?

Actually, that makes a lot of sense.   Joseph has to fight Wammu in about five days, in order to get the antidote to the poison ring.   They have the Aja Stone, so maybe it makes sense to play keep-away until the big Joseph/Wammu fight.   Joseph can kill Wammu (hopefully), and that leaves Kars isolated.   From there on, they can stick together, and wait for Kars to come to them, confident that their combined power can defeat him.    There’s a lot that could go wrong with such a strategy, but it minimizes the risks.  

But Caesar is adamant about going after Kars immediately.   They know where he is, so how can they wait another moment?   He speaks of the curse of the Stone Mask, that got their grandfathers killed, but Joseph finds that talk dumb.   Family legacies don’t mean anything against your own life in the here and now.   It’s stupid to get killed over something like that, he says, and that pisses Caesar off.

He fights with Joseph, then angrily goes off to storm Kars’ lair alone.   I could show the part where he fights Joseph, but I think this panel is a lot more powerful, because Lisa Lisa orders him to stay, and he defies her.    Caesar’s always held Lisa Lisa in such high regard, but this time, he just can’t respect her wishes.   She orders Messina to follow him and stop him before he can go inside the mansion, then explains to Joseph why this is so important to Caesar.

Okay, to this whole Caesar Fights Alone arc is extremely full of “rhymes” with other JoJo parts.   Let me just get a couple out of the way before we get down to business.   The Part 1 references in Battle Tendency should be obvious, but in this case, Will Zeppeli has everything to do with Caesar’s determination to kill Kars.    Also, when discussing an attack on the mansion, Joseph likens a daylight assault to “a butterly landing on a spider’s web”, which is Jolyne Kujo’s entire wardrobe in prose.   So that’s Part 6.  

But, more importantly, this flashback of Caesar’s origin story might as well be the blueprint for all of the flashback origins we see in Part 5.   The story of Caesar doesn’t exactly line up with any of the Vento Aureo cast, but it has an extremely similar feel.   A young boy loses his family, goes down a dark path, and then has a revelatory experience.   And Caesar’s from Naples, just like Giorno Giovanna and most of Bruno’s team.  

The story is this: Caesar’s father, Mario Zeppeli, was a widower and a good parent, until one day he just ghosted all his kids.    He left them plenty of money, but a wicked cousin swindled it away.   Neighbors and friends took care of the Zeppeli kids, but Caesar himself became embittered and eventually ended up in an orphanage, and then later he became a street tough in Rome, not unlike a young Speedwagon in London.  Caesar resented his father for abandoning the family, and assumed that Mario had left them to pursue some pleasurable life with a woman.   He resolved to hunt down Mario and kill him for this, sort of like “A Boy Named Sue”, but when he finally found Mario Zeppeli, he saw him going down into the basement of the Roman Colosseum instead of some brothel.

And we already know what’s down under the Colesseum: The three Pillar Men.   While following Mario, Caesar discovered the Pillar Men in the wall, and noticed a diamond in Kars’ hand.    This was a trap, though, and Mario had to shove Caesar out of the way and get pulled in himself.    As Mario explained, the Pillar Men use those precious objects to get humans to take a closer look, and then all these hooks come out to pull them in to be absorbed.   This is how the Pillar Men feed during their “hibernation” in the stone. 

As he died, Mario pleaded with Caesar to inform a woman named Lisa Lisa in Venice, and to warn her that the Pillar Men would awaken soon.    But Mario had no idea that he was speaking to his own son, and it finally dawned on Caesar that Mario had left the family because he knew how dangerous this whole business was, and he had wanted to keep his kids out of it.   Awestruck, Caesar suddenly gained a new appreciation for his father, and ended up taking up Mario’s cause.  

Which is... a whole lot like the dynamic between Jotaro and Jolyne in Stone Ocean.   So there’s some more Part 6 for you.   And Mario’s sacrifice resembles Joseph Joestar’s rescue of the Invisible Baby in Part 4.  Josuke observed that no one would go so far to save someone they didn’t even know, but Mario Zeppeli did.

The flashback ends with Mario’s death, but it’s not hard to work out the rest of Caesar’s backstory.   He went to Venice as instructed, but he must have also told Lisa Lisa that he was Mario’s son, and she must have recognized his nascent Ripple abilities.   Eager for help against the Pillar Men threat, she took him on as her student, and trained him through the late 1930′s.    And she must have filled him in on how Mario became a Ripple warrior, following in the footsteps of Caesar’s grandfather, Will.

Then Speedwagon and Joseph came to Italy to join forces with Caesar, and it makes some sense why Caesar didn’t respect Joseph very much.    The Caesar we see in the flashback looks a lot like Joseph in the early chapters of Part 2: A tough guy, with natural Hamon talents, but no formal training, and no understanding of all the lore surrounding it.    Caesar saw Joseph as a reflection of himself at 16, and he must not have liked it at all.    Also, this must have made Caesar resentful, because he knew his grandfather died to save Jonathan Joestar, but seeing Joseph probably made him question if that sacrifice was justified.  

What confuses me is how all of this European lore gels with the North American lore we saw at the beginning of Part 2.   I mean, Speedwagon discovered a Pillar Man in Mexico, and the first thing he did was to call in Straizo.   Meanwhile, Lisa Lisa and the Zeppelis had been aware of the other Pillar Men in Rome this whole time.    It just seems a bit weird, although Straizo’s sudden betrayal might explain the communication breakdown.  

Oh, I should probably also mention something I forgot to bring up earlier: The Pillar Men can’t be destroyed by the Ripple while they’re in their stone forms.    Caesar told Speedwagon that he had tried it before, and I’m sure Mario must have done the same. 

Anyway, now that Joseph knows the whole story of Caesar, he changes his tune and wants to join Caesar on this daring daylight raid on the mansion.   He figures that a man like Caesar must have a solid plan to deal with any traps inside the building.   And maybe he does, except Caesar can’t even get to the door, because someone’s attacking him in the front yard.   Turns out it’s Wammu, not Kars, and his “Wind Mode” allows him to refract sunlight around himself for a short time, making him nearly invisible and also letting him land a surprise attack on the good guys.    When Messina catches up to Caesar, Wammu manages to lop off one of his arms.

So the situation is a lot more perilous than anyone expected.   If Caesar even had a plan, it didn’t involve fighting Wammu outdoors.    Undaunted, he releases a volley of soap bubbles charged with Hamon energy.    This is a jacked-up variation of his Bubble Launcher technique, but this time the bubbles won’t burst because of all the Ripple power he put into them, and they also spin rapidly like little blades.   Wammu’s “wind suit” works against him in this case, because the air currents just drag the “soap cutters” even closer to his body.

So yeah, shades of Part 7 and 8 here.   I mean, Gyro Zeppeli’s real name is “Julius Caesar Zeppeli”, so it’s not hard to imagine anything Caesar says and does in Part 2 as a foreshadowing of Steel Ball Run.    But he’s even using centrifugal force to strengthen his attacks, a precursor to the “Spin” techniques used by the Zeppelis in the SBR-verse.  

I think the soap bubble thing speaks for itself.   The “Soft and Wet” Stand in JoJolion uses soap bubbles too.   But more than that, I think the Pillar Men have a great resemblance to the villain group in JoJolion.   It’s like Araki was trying to come up with ideas for Part 8, and he looked at the Caesar/Wammu fight and decided he wanted More of That.   Which is kind of amazing to me, because I always saw Battle Tendency as this “orphaned” JoJo arc, kind of isolated from the rest of the series, but now I’m starting to see that it’s more like a miniature model of the later parts.   

Needless to say, this “Soap Cutter vs. Wind Mode” battle looks a lot like the Stand Battles featured in Part 3 and onward.   Caesar expected to get to the mansion, only to find an “impossible” scenario: a warrior ambushing him outside.   How can this be, when the Pillar Men can’t go out in the daylight?   It’s because Wammu’s power lets him do this for short times, but until Caesar figures that out, it gives Wammu the advantage.    Then Caesar responds with his own special ability, and uses Wammu’s own technique against him.  

Speaking of Part 3, here’s a shot of Caesar following Wammu into the mansion, and confronting him at the bottom of a flight of stairs.  Is Polnareff a secret Zeppeli?  Who knows?

Wammu had to withdraw into the mansion to escape Caesar’s Soap Cutters, and he figures he has a chance to respond with his own big move, but Caesar’s not done coming after him.    To get into the mansion, Wammu had to smash a hole in the wall, so Caesar uses the light coming in from that hole to his advantage.   He surrounds Wammu with more soap bubbles, but this time they refract and reflect and focus the sunlight onto Wammu’s body.  

To be honest, I forgot how much this fight kicks ass.   The Pillar Men started out like big bad news, but Joseph crushed Esidisi, and now Caesar is really eating Wammu’s lunch here.  Imagine how well the boys would have done if they had ganged up on a Pillar Man.

So Caesar’s got Wammu cornered, so he leaps in to finish him off with a Hamon attack...

And that turns out to be a huge mistake, because Caesar’s body provides just enough of a shadow for Wammu to recover and fire back with his own windstorm move.  This is kind of like how Wammu first appeared.   He made that hole, and when the German guy leaned in for a better look, he impaled him with his horn, then spun the horn around to spray blood on all the UV lamps.

Which says a lot about Wammu.   Everyone talked about Kars setting up traps in this mansion to foil any daytime attacks, but we never actually saw any traps.   Wammu is the trap.   All he needs is a shadow and a moment to capitalize on it.  

And that’s the fight.    Caesar survived the Wind Storm, but he’s too badly hurt to continue.   Wammu praises him for giving him the best fight he’s had in millennia, and he even worries about what might have happened if Kars had faced Caesar instead.    Wammu thinks Kars still would have won, but he would have gotten hurt worse in the process.   That’s saying something, because Wammu got pretty badly hurt himself, so how badly would Kars have fared against Caesar?  

One thing that occurred to me while reading the manga for this is that Kars might actually be the weakest Pillar Man in the trio.   He’s far above Santana, of course, but it seems pretty clear that Wammu’s the best fighter, and Esidisi’s death was a huge blow to Kars.   As soon as he found out, he immediately resolved to kill Joseph because he was too dangerous a threat.   This isn’t like when Vegeta loses a subordinate.   If you beat Nappa, he’s only mildly impressed, because he’s so much stronger than Nappa that he still doesn’t see you as a threat.  

I’d say the Pillar Men are much closer together in terms of power, but it feels like the pecking order is Wammu, then Esidisi, then Kars.  Those blades of his are pretty cool-looking, but Wammu’s Wind Mode is much more versatile in a fight.   Wammu practically said as much here, but his devotion to Kars prevents him from admitting that Kars would have gotten his ass kicked against Caesar.  

So why is Kars in charge?   Because he’s the brains of the outfit, naturally.   Kars is the one who does all the R&D on these Stone Masks, and Esidisi basically admitted that he has no idea how the Red Stone of Aja will improve the Masks further.    Kars understands the Stone Mask technology in ways they can’t even fathom, and his research promises to give them ultimate power, so they’ve been following his orders ever since. 

Anyway, Caesar’s beaten, but he still won’t give up.    He climbs up the stairs again to keep attacking Wammu, who just sort of stands there looking confused.  Then Caesar grabs the piercing from Wammu’s lip, the one that contains the antidote Joseph needs.    Wammu doesn’t understand this gesture either, so he just stands there and lets it happen.  

This is kind of like when Joseph managed to land a decent blow on Wammu back in Rome, and then he started punching Wammu, only for Wammu to reveal that he allowed himself to be punched to punish himself for taking the hit earlier.   I’m wondering if Caesar was counting on Wammu to do the same thing here.   

Wammu asks why he would bother with this, and Caesar explains that this is his family’s true heritage.   All along, Caesar has been planning to defeat the Pillar Men himself, to avenge his father and grandfather, and to break the curse on their family line.   But now he realizes that he’s going to die too, just like they did.    His fate is not to succeed where they failed, but instead it’s to carry on their tradition of rescuing others to carry on where they fell.   Just as Will Zeppeli passed on his Hamon to Jonathan, Caesar uses the last of his own Ripple to deliver the antidote to Joseph.

So Caesar makes another soap bubble with his own blood, and puts his headband and the ring inside of it.    Wammu considers interfering with this final gesture, but decides against it, because he respects Caesar as a warrior.   So he just turns and leaves.  

Then Joseph and Lisa Lisa show up.  There’s no sign of Caesar or Wammu, but the blood bubble tells the whole story.   Joseph is all emotional over this, but Lisa orders him to stay focused.   They’re deep in enemy territory, and they can’t afford to grieve.    Joseph is upset at first, but then he coolly observes that Lisa’s cigarette is backwards, a sign that she’s not as dispassionate about this as she would like to be.    I love this scene.    The wiggly lines on Lisa’s hands make the comic version better than the anime.

Then they finally notice blood trickling out from beneath a cross-shaped piece of wall.    Well, I guess it’s from the wall, but it’s kind of hard to tell what this place looked like before.  It fell on Caesar as he died, and now that Joseph and Lisa realize where he is, they both break down in tears.   

I’m not a big fan of Caesar.    He’s kind of a dick, and most of his more admirable qualities end up getting overshadowed by Joseph’s personal growth.    For example, Joseph realizes in this part of the arc that he’s learned to read and empathize with Lisa’s feelings, something Caesar thought he couldn’t do earlier on.   On the other hand, this fight marked the end of Caesar’s character arc, and it only happened because he brazenly wandered into a trap.    Joseph might regret calling Caesar an idiot, but I think he had the right idea.   It didn’t have to go down like this.    They could have taken Wammu’s antidote ring some other time.   As it is, Joseph still has to fight Wammu anyway, because Caesar’s no longer available to to do it.   

However, I think of Caesar when I think about Part 3, because I see Stardust Crusaders as this final chapter of the curse of the Stone Masks, with Joseph coming back to wrap up the last loose end of that whole terrible business.   Dio and the Pillar Men killed a lot of people, but Caesar’s the one Joseph actually knew personally.    So when I see the Stardust Crusaders heading off to Egypt to wreck Dio’s shit, I tend to think of Caesar as one of the people Joseph is fighting for.    I mean, his daughter’s life is on the line in Part 3, so that’s got to be much more important to him, but Caesar was the first friend he lost over these stupid masks, and that’s probably in the back of his mind throughout Part 3.   All this trouble, because buttholes like Dio and Kars want to be bigger than everyone else.    But their dreams are pathetic compared to the noble sacrifices made by men like Caesar Zeppeli.  

Anyway, play the slow, sad part of Roundabout for Caesar.