#she knows nothing about op should i make her. i'm sure i'll end up watching aeon flux or smth in exchange with her

[every-sanji]

[hawkytawky]

An Arc's Chance - Summary

Sixteen year old Jaune had given up all hope to be a hero like his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents before him.

That was until the day his mother came into his room and told him he would be going to Signal three years later than he should have. Signal was a combat school on the small island of Patch and on the other side of Vale.

There he would be staying with an old friend of his mother, Taiyang Xiao Long. Who would hopefully teach him everything he needed to know before he went off to one of the Academies in a year.

And with Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose to help him along the way, maybe he could become a great hero like many Arc before him.

Jaune's mother trusting him to carry on not only the family legacy, but the weapon that had carried his great grandfather through the war, Crocea Mors.

Louisa Arc watching her son go off on a journey she had spent so long forbidding him from. Before leaving for her own journey, looking to find answers for a question that had plagued her for years.

******

Hello everyone.

For the last little bit I've been kicking around an idea, tons of ideas really, for an AU. What if Jaune went to Signal for a year before going off to Beacon?

Crazy things. Lots of crazy things.

But I have come across a little bit of a problem in planning this AU out. I have too many ideas, and a lot of them are kind of mutually exclusive. And a few of the ones I really like would probably kind of bog down the story.

I can't just throw a bunch of ideas at the wall and not spend much time developing them, can I?

So I'm going to turn this AU into a series here on Tumblr to help me kind of figure out which ideas I want to go with, and them I'll post the actual fic on FF.Net and AO3.

So, as I mentioned above, the premise for this AU is that Jaune goes to Signal a year before he would have gone to Beacon. But everything before that is pretty much the same. Jaune is still completely untrained and knows basically nothing about being a huntsman.

Which I'd like to make one thing very clear, this is not an OP harem protagonist Jaune AU. A year of training at Signal isn't going to make Jaune crazy powerful. If anything, you'll just have something in between Volume 3 and 4 Jaune at the start of Beacon.

So instead of being at the bottom of the class, he'll be closer to the lower end of the average. From a F to a D+. And he'll still be way behind anyone in RWBY or the rest of JNPR, who are all in the S, A, and B tiers.

I'm keeping Jaune still a few steps behind everyone else, because I actually like that aspect of his character. You know, he has to rely more of good planning, and his aura I guess, for combat than anyone else because he's at a disadvantage. And I love crafty fighters.

And I do think it adds an interesting element to his character out of combat. That he's always going to have to work hard to "Not be a burden" and he's always going to blame himself the most when something goes wrong. Because it might not of if he was stronger.

So yeah, that's everything I want to say for this post. Though I'm sure I'll be back testing out another idea soon enough.

[dracotheocracy]

there’s still half of a horse to beat to death. continue talking about james bond

you got it james since i got two asks about this i'm gonna divide my new content into two posts: this one is gonna be mostly an expansion on what i'd already touched upon in the first post, and then i'll answer another ask that goes into the thing that wasn't as prominent in the first 10 chapters

second post here

some housekeeping first- i made a typo in my first post. From Russia, With Love is 28 chapters not 38 and there was a big bit in chapter 9 i conveniently forgot about when writing the first post because idk i started writing that one at midnight or something surely one can forgive a supermassive oversight if i correct it in a later post. i'll get into it under the cut

my recommendation to anyone interested in reading james bond is that it's best enjoyed if you're a hater. or you could just turn your brain off but ian fleming shows his and more broadly postwar england's whole ass in how he writes about... a lot... so i don't think you can do that unless you're like 12, in which case i politely ask you to not read james bond until later because i think that's like watching the anime kill la kill at the same age (<- note: op did actually watch kill la kill when he was 12. nothing bad happened as a result or anything but i generally consider it a bad decision because some of the things that flew over my head originally i really should've been able to recognize before watching it)

i think i'm gonna do a lot less quoting in this one because i'm pulling from just under double the amount of chapters

tw misogyny queerphobia

let me begin by correcting my oversight. i think rosa klebb might be ian's idea of a lesbian, actually, though i could still see her being bi or ace or aro... (she feels like all of them at once, honestly). i feel like you could show how the time period's brand of queerphobia (1950s for reference) really tended to conflate basically every form of queerness together and label it all, simply, "sexual deviancy," and villify that, using james bond as a case study. from my point of view there are a lot of probable interpretations of rosa klebb and none of them are straight, and these traits really were only tacked onto her character for the purpose of othering her more. far am i from an expert on queer history though, i am just some english major, this is an observation i'm making about the time based on the books as opposed to the opposite way around- i would advise you to take my extrapolation here with a grain of salt because i could do with grounding it in more evidence first

see i in my "it's currently 1am and i have class at 10am tomorrow" concern actually left out a portion of chapter 9 that i think bears mentioning. context for this scene: our novel's bond girl, tatiana romanova, has been called to the office of the head executioner of the russian secret service (who happens to be klebb) to be given her assignment ("seduce james bond so you can spy for us in london")

"With a squeak of pleasure, Rosa Klebb threw herself down in the caricature of a Récamier pose. She reached up an arm and turned on a pink shaded table-lamp whose stem was a naked woman in sham Lalique glass. She patted the couch beside her."

'Turn out the top light, my dear. The switch is by the door. Then come and sit beside me. We must get to know each other better.'

tatiana turns off the light and runs out of the room in terror after this. should be noted that klebb is wearing a nightgown at this point and has put on makeup, where she started the scene in her military uniform and then changed into all this at the end of the chapter. now i don't think it's difficult to guess that the intention in this scene is that, for whatever reason, klebb is trying to get romanova to have sex with her. i'm not sure how much i can continue to beat this particular dead horse but i'm sure i can write another 5 sentences on it- this is lesbophobic. it's very much a portrayal of lesbian sex as wrong and unnatural, because rosa klebb as a character is very much portrayed by the narrative as wrong and unnatural. if tatiana romanova is everything a woman should be (submissive, beautiful, heterosexual, prudish, naive/innocent), rosa klebb is the exact opposite (domineering in that she's a very high ranking officer in a particularly violent position in the russian secret service as well as the one that initiates this scene, ugly, queer, promiscuous, cold and calculating). regardless of how you interpret klebb's sexuality the message is fairly clear. women are supposed to have sex with men and be virginal in demeanor otherwise, there's no room in this ideal for female sexual freedom which is an expression of misogyny more broadly, but the allusion to lesbian sex makes this scene lesbophobic on top of just plain misogynistic

shoutout to ian for also describing her in this scene as "the oldest and ugliest whore in the world" also, that's a real quote. just reinforcing that aesthetic appearance is directly linked to morality in the james bond universe, because that will become relevant again in another post.

in the meantime ian is 1000% a tits guy and this is my proof

i read From Russia, With Love on the project gutenberg canada site which displays the entire novel on a single page. 13 results for "breasts" in 28 chapters so this is just under one mention of breasts every other chapter, and i read around for the context just to make sure- the one time he is not explicitly talking about a woman's boobs he's actually comparing the domes of mosques in istanbul to them i'm not joking:

"[T]he old European section of Istanbul glittered at the end of the broad half-mile of bridge with the slim minarets lancing up into the sky and the domes of the mosques, crouching at their feet, looking like big firm breasts."

i don't even know what to say about that really i just thought it was funny.

using this as a broader commentary on misogyny in the novel, three of the 13 mentions of the word breasts are used in reference to tatiana romanova- there was when he described her breasts in the chapter she was introduced in which i already pointed out, and then twice afterwards when bond saw and met her for the first time. ian made all of his male pov characters think about womens' breasts, first it was kronsteen with rosa klebb and then it was this:

"Had that been the prudery of a virgin? Bond thought not. There was the confidence of having been loved in the proud breasts and the insolently lilting behind--the assertion of a body that knows what it can be for."

dude is like 10 inches away from writing a character breasting boobily down the stairs i swear. i think it's a little bit telling how often romanova's sex life comes up- ian makes a point of telling the reader that she's not a virgin in the chapter where she's introduced, and later when rosa klebb gives her the honeypot assignment rosa klebb asks her point blank if she's a virgin and if she would list the names of the men she's had sex with and at what points in her life. which isn't creepy at all btw, and of course when bond sees her for the first time two of the things he thinks about first when pondering the situation are "man she has nice tits and ass. she's definitely not a virgin." i think it speaks to the objectifying way the novel looks at women- romanova's role in the story is limited purely to falling in love with bond and having sex with him a few times so he falls in love with her too. she's a total pawn in the broader scope of the story and doesn't really have any agency- she encounters donovan grant at the same time that bond does and it's unclear whether or not she recognizes him but i think it's implied that she does and that she isn't at all comfortable with his presence. and she doesn't have to do anything about it but her just submitting to bond when he brushes aside her concern about him is. eh. it's in character but i think the fact that that is in character is emblematic of the fact that as a woman in a bond novel if you're not there to essentially sit there and look pretty you're a queer russian with a penchant for torture and you will be othered by the narrative

now being able to discern the wildest shit from peoples' appearances is a pretty well established james bond character trait- when he later encounters donovan grant he catches on pretty fast to the fact something is Wrong With Him and when he figures out grant is a russian spy he immediately goes "oh you're manic depressive aren't you tell me does the full moon make you act weird?" i guess manic depression just functions like that in the james bond universe- it's a mental condition reminiscent of the menstrual cycle in function, but instead of your own blood spilling someone else's does. referencing back to my first post when i talked about donovan grant, despite sexualizing him in the first scene i think between him being asexual and pretending that's what manic depression is, ian is attempting to emasculate the character. i mentioned that rosa is the opposite of the feminine ideal- donovan grant is the opposite of the male ideal, and inherent to ian's male ideal is a sex drive and a more dominating disposition, which donovan lacks because he's really just a henchman at the end of the day, follows his orders efficiently, also has to kill people every full moon, which is werewolf-y yes but i think the parallel to periods should've been mentioned in the first post too

that mostly wraps up any expanding i could do on the criticisms i already talked at length so sneak peek of my next post that i will spend 2-3 hours on: ian fleming is so normal about eastern europe :)

[emachinescat]

I've decided to watch MacGyver from the beginning (again), and I'm live tweeting the experience with every tweet tagged with #savemacgyver. I thought it would be fun to share my collected thoughts from the episodes on here as well.

My Thoughts on S1E2, "Metal Saw"

Seriously love the music in this show!

THE FREAKING BELT GRAB. You can tell they've done this kind of thing before.

I always love it when Jack and Mac have heart-to-hearts in the middle of super intense, dangerous situations. Like... it's sweet, but time and place, guys?

"Hi, I'm Jack." Nervous Jack is bebby.

Ew, sweat. Like, I know it's "realism" to have sweat stains on clothes in situations like these, but that's one bit of realism I can always do without. Gross.

Is that a bit of PTSD I'm seeing with Mac there on the couch? That's a kind of realism I can always get behind.

Riley finding Mac and Boze in that compromising position will never not be funny. "But he was on top." I love Riley more every episode.

Riley is a really good liar from day one.

I love the joke about ex-cons benefiting from being in relationships with stable people (i.e., fake boyfriend Bozer), then the immediate cut to Bozer with his whole arm inside the vending machine. Great stuff.

Love the Riley and Bozer bonding... right up until the cringe-tastic "Slide me your digits."

"Soon, I'm gonna woo you the same way Romeo would have wooed Juliet if they had Snapchat back in the Renaissance." Bozer and his surprisingly accurate pickup lines. The Renaissance did in fact start in Italy around the 14th century, when R&J is thought to take place.

I love all this psychoanalyzing of Mac. "Adapting is his survival mechanism." Also I'm living for Jack sticking up for Mac to Patti.

"This place has been searched by everybody and their dog." Is this a Texas thing or an old guy saying? Either way it's great.

Nothing beats the early days of Mac and Jack. Nothing. I wish we had gotten more interactions where Jack has to parent Mac: "Stop touching that. Look at me." ❤️❤️❤️

Jack so concerned about Mac and putting on the kid gloves = everything I could have ever asked for and more.

Jack has such a big heart. Poor guy, the look on his face when he sees that the reporter is actually Sarah...

Paperclip sculptures: When I first started watching the show, I thought they were lame. Now I miss them so much. Does that mean I've gotten lamer or that they were always cool and I was always lame?

"Closest time I ever came to coming home in a box." Oof. This line hits different now, and not in a good way.

I just love how Jack is this big tough ex-Delta who is so open about his emotions, particularly with Mac. And the way Mac reassures him... Their bromance is top-tier.

"Oh, like when they invented fire!" Another zinger.

Mac grabbing that giant cigar right out of that dude's mouth 😂😂😂

Love some good fight-scene Mac whump! 👏👏👏 And bar fights are always a blast!

Riley with the car door - such a boss. "What? You told me to stay in the car, and I did."

I've seen some people say they don't like S1 Mac's hair. I kind of dig it, to be honest. He looks like he's 5, but I love it.

Mac has made a lot of DIY cutting torches in his time, but they never get less impressive.

Jack trusting Mac to save Sarah while he keeps watch is just *chef's kiss*!

These early episodes have so many MacGyverisms. One right after the other. It's awesome.

I've never been a big fan of the dark either, Mac.

The first scene with Mac and Sarah is so beautifully tense and whumpy (he way he scrabbles for purchase, gasps for breath, that hitch in his voice as he tries to squeak out Jack's name) that I had to rewind and watch it again.

The hopeful disbelief in her voice: "Jack Dalton came for me?"

Sarah can kick some serious ass. I can see why Jack likes her. Too bad she's about to lead him on the rest of the episode, while actually having a fiance...

Sarah: *leans out of car, shooting her weapon with deadly, terrifying precision* Riley: I agree, this woman should not have kids. 😂 Everything that comes out of Riley's mouth is gold.

Riley asleep in the back of the car while Mac sits quietly and Jack and Sarah have a sweet moment is like mom and dad with the kids in the backseat. Except mom has a fiance and hasn't told dad yet, even though she's had ample opportunity.

Because seriously, Sarah. It's not that hard to tell him the truth. Giving him those big eyes and flirting with him, thinking he has a chance is just cruel. I have never liked her character, and this is why.

Mac and Jack giggling about Jack's crush on Sarah like middle-school girls is life.

"You're just gonna have to let that go." Man, I love their relationship.

Gosh, the scene where they find Luis always hurts so badly. These early episodes did not play around.

"There isn't always time to beg some suit back home for permission to do what's right." I'm not a fan of Sarah, but I love this line. Also, this is pretty much the synopsis of the whole show.

Riley's hair used to be so LONG! 😍

The loyalty of these three! And I love the OG trio so much.

This sleazy guy in the computer place makes my skin crawl.

Love how Patti's like, "Mac will be back by then." Not Jack, not Riley. Just Mac. Can we say teacher's pet? I actually lowkey love this though.

"Who is this guy?" Much like Doctor Who's "It's bigger on the inside," I never get tired of people being equally amazed and confused at the stuff Mac can do.

I've never been the biggest car chase junkie, but Barrios jumping over the car using that log in the road is pretty dope.

Sarah's rage is chilling. And Jack talking her down breaks me every time.

Again, I love the loyalty of our team. Everyone sticks up for each other, ending with Mac's totally unbelievable but still somehow 100% genuine "It was me. I forced them." TOO good.

First mention of Oversight this early. Just thinking about who it is that doesn't like unsanctioned ops just makes me 😤 I wonder if the writers knew who OS was at this point or if it was a later development.

I do wish we could have gotten more conspiratorial, approving Patti. She's so much better than expressionless, bland Patti.

The way Sarah never told Jack about her fiance Jeff (who is in fact a cinnamon roll but still a discount Jack) pisses me off. "I tried to tell you." Yeah, right. It's not that hard to say, "Yo, I'm in a relationship."

Jack NEVER should have found out about Jeff the way he did. There's no excuse.

It's not okay, Jack. She did you wrong. You didn't deserve that. Stand up for yourself, man. Gosh, he's so broken here, and I hate it.

"At least we have each other... Don't look at me. I know how weird it sounded." THESE TWO I SWEAR 🤣🤣🤣

Poor Mac. I do love how we get his obsessive tendencies so early in the show, and how they keep coming back, even as late as season 5. As someone with clinically diagnosed OCD, this makes me feel seen and I love being able to relate to my favorite character.

Love the found family antics at the end. Riley and Bozer making dinner while Mac and Jack play basketball? Perfection.

Lol, Bozer calling Riley a "caramel goddess" has such Schmidt/Cece vibes from New Girl, and I dig it!

Ew. More sweat. I know some people find sweaty men attractive, but that is NOT my vibe. I prefer my men clean and freshly laundered.

The way Riley glances back over her shoulder at them as she walks away, as if to make sure they're really there, that this is actually real!!!

"That's not even... that's true, actually. That's sad." Jack 🤣 Also, "I'm hungry." Big mood.

As a Grandpa Harry stan from the OG show, I eat up any mention of him in the new one. I just wish we'd gotten more of that wonderful man in the reboot. Still, I'll take what I can get!

I'd honestly forgotten how much I enjoy this episode! So solid, full of bromance, found family, and lots of good-natured bickering. Can't wait to watch the next one, hopefully tomorrow! In the meantime, please keep fighting for our show! Together we can #savemacgyver!

If anyone wants to join me in my re-watching and tweeting adventure, please do! It's my way to take about an hour a day in my busy, busy life to commit to the #savemacgyver movement. (And to enjoy my favorite show yet again!) If you do tweet as you watch, make sure to tag EVERY tweet with ONLY #savemacgyver so we can keep that hashtag trending! :)

Thanks for letting me share my (numerous) thoughts on this episode. This was really fun, and I hope it's something you all enjoy, too. I'd love to know what you all think of the episode in the comments! ❤️

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 33

THE ROAD SO FAR

The Broken Ship

Gary "Roach" Sanderson

MacTavish Residence, Glasgow Scotland

The moment they arrived at home and broke the news about Alexandra, the whole morale of the group fell and the rest of the night was quiet. Roach overheard from Maxine that Soap's parents visited and he was all excited to listen to her story, but maybe after he consoled his pal, Ghost.

Ever since the mission ended, Simon was quiet, maskless and totally vulnerable. He felt like this before, back in Verdansk where he was like an emotionless killing machine. And Gary was afraid that he'd go back to this phase, a phase where all he would ever care about is that this war should end.

Gary knew how to talk him out of these kinds of situations, but this time, he preferred not to. He knew that after a massive loss and heartbreak, Simon preferred the silence. So he decided to let him collect his thoughts alone in his room.

"Is he going to be okay?" Maxine asked, wrapping an arm on his, as they walked the silent corridors of the second floor.

"I'm not sure. But I hope so…" Gary turned to her and frowned. Maxine's other hand grazed on his arm.

"What about you? Are you okay?" She tilted her head and looked at him in the eyes. Gary didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want her to worry. But right now, he wanted to express what he felt.

"Well… I almost died today. I'm glad Alex was behind us the whole time." he exhaled and Maxine's grip on his arm tightened making Gary turn to her.

Tears fell from her eyes as they stopped walking and she quickly embraced him. Gary quickly wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back.

"Don't you dare die on me, Gary Sanderson…" She sniffled and looked up at him.

"Please!" She added, her mouth trembled as she let her tears flow and sobbed on his chest.

"I can't …" Gary said.

"I can't promise anything like that, Maxine… But I'll be careful next time." He smiled as their eyes met.

"Now wipe off those tears and let's talk about something else, okay?" Gary ran a finger through her cheek, wiping the tears off.

"Sleep beside me tonight." She whispered.

Gary felt like he was the luckiest man alive. He couldn't imagine how Maxine was now sleeping on his bare chest, his arms wrapped around her soft skin. He joined with the slow rise and fall of her breathing and gently brushed her hair.

After planting a quick kiss on her forehead, he heard the sound of glass being tapped by the window. He dismissed it as a bird or the wind but it continued on until he finally got up, carefully putting Maxine's head on a pillow.

Ghost was on the ground, throwing pebbles by the window, Gary quickly pushed the window open and peeked his head. The cold chill of the midnight air brushed against his body.

"Simon?" he asked, whispering loud enough so he could hear him.

"I need your help." He asked. He was already ready to go, backpack and all. But it looked like Ghost needed a hand.

"What kind?" Gary asked, looking at Maxine who was sound asleep.

"I need you to come with me back to the ship. I'll explain the details later." he invited.

"What about the rest?" Gary asked, he was almost hesitant to go, but at times like this, Ghost wasn't the kind of person to ask for help. He needed him.

"We'll just be gone for a while." he assured and Gary signaled him to wait, he grabbed a change of clothes, perfect for the weather and kissed Maxine goodbye.

"I'll be out for a short while." he whispered and closed the door.

Through the hallways, Gary tiptoed quietly. Everyone else was asleep as evidenced by the loud snoring of a nearby open door.

After crossing the longest hallway quietly, Gary pushed the door open and met up with Ghost.

"Where are we going?" Gary asked. Ghost gave him a backpack of his own and he immediately wore it.

"Yeah, Gary. Where are you going?" A familiar voice said by the door. It was Maxine. Gary gulped in pressure and looked at Ghost, who just looked down as a gesture of "you talk your way out of this one pal"

Gary cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up. You looked peacefully asleep." He muttered.

"We're uhh…" Roach scratched his head and looked at Ghost.

"We're going to look for Alexandra and give her a proper burial." Ghost muttered and everyone fell silent. Roach looked at Ghost then back to Maxine as she sharply inhaled.

"I'll come with. I want to be there with your friend too, Roach." She said, nodding to Ghost. Come to think of it, the two never fully acquainted to each other. Maybe one of the factors Ghost didn't bother trying was that because she's Francine's sister.

"Thanks uh… Maxine.." Ghost said and looked down.

"Let me change my clothes first then we'll go." She said as she stepped back and went on to do her thing.

Ghost looked at Roach.

"She looks pretty cool." Ghost said and Gary turned to him.

"Are you okay with her tagging along?" Gary asked, with all the hand gestures.

"Well, I'm just planning to dive back to the ship while you wait." He said, the tone in his voice was nonchalant.

"How sure are you that we're going to find her?" Gary asked. Ghost immediately nudged him and smiled.

"And here I thought you were the optimistic one…" he said nodding to Maxine as she stepped out of the MacTavish estate wearing casual clothing.

A low whistle escaped Gary's lips as he eyed the beautiful lady standing in front of her.

"I'm ready to go!" She said as the three walked to the jeep rental and made their way back to the sunken site.

With Ghost driving, Gary and Maxine placed themselves at the back and tried to catch up with sleep, Maxine leaning on Gary's shoulders.

It was a smooth ride and it was quite lengthy. Gary wondered why they even went to Scotland if he had plans like this in the first place.

"So what made you decide about planning this op?" Gary asked.

"I… I wanted to give her a proper goodbye." He mutteres as he parked by the pier. Roach nudged Maxine awake and they carried their bags to the boat they rented.

"Hey, Isn't this…" Gary exclaimed.

"Yeah. S.S. Crossbones. The same ship we used just yesterday." He said, spinning his keys as they entered the boat.

After settling on the boat, Ghost got on his diving gear and they sailed to the sink site, filled with determination.

Gary sat beside Maxine who was enjoying the view, her wind blew as the boat sailed, drops of water splashed on her face.

"How are you holding up?" Gary asked as he held her hand.

"It's amazing to actually see the ocean again." Her smile was basked with the sunlight.

"Yeah. With all these things going on we were actually forced to go in hiding. It's sad." Gary consoled and Maxine grinned.

"It's okay. It's just fate pulling it's strings…"

"You believe that?" Gary asked.

"You know… destiny and the like.." he added.

Maxine curled her lips and thought for a bit.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean we control our lives but the things around us are you know… slightly orchestrated?" she replied with that same curious look on her face. The face Gary loved to stare at all the time.

"Yeah. I agree." he smiled as they looked forward to the crash site. The red hull of the cruise ship still peeked at the surface, despite the ocean which was supposed to be deep.

"The ship landed on a shallow portion of the ocean. So I guess we could stay afloat here and look for her." He said wearing his goggles and mouthpiece.

"Okay. We'll stay on lookout. Stay frosty and take care!" Gary gave an ok gesture as Ghost sat on one of the edges of the boat, readying himself to dive to the ship.

"I hope you find her, Simon." Maxine said and Ghost nodded as he plopped himself to the deep blue, the two trailed their eyes on his silhouette slowly descended and faded from sight.

"I sure hope he finds her." Maxine said, wrapping an arm on Gary.

"Yeah. I sure hope he does." Gary said as he locked his arms on hers and leaned on her.

Gary checked his watch and looked at the ocean surface. Approximately thirty minutes left and he'll be running on reserve.

"You think he found her?" Gary asked and leaned on the edge, his hands covered his face acting like a visor.

"I hope so." Maxine said from behind him, unpacking the food she gathered from the pantry. Gary turned back and looked at Maxine who was already halfway to making a sandwich.

"You brought food?!" Gary asked in amusement and she nodded, making the lad move next to her and help her out.

"I figured I could be of help in your little rogue mission." She smirked and Gary gave her a soft peck on the cheek.

"I haven't thought this far ahead. You're the best!"

Another fifteen minutes had passed and the couple already finished their snack, Ghost slowly emerged from the salty sea, his hands brought nothing but a piece of fabric.

Gary and Maxine excitedly stood up and checked if he found her, but frowned as soon as they saw him empty handed. Both of them were too sad to ask how the diving went.

"I got nothing…" He frowned. Gary tried to be optimistic.

"What if she made it out. But on a different way and she's out there?" he theorized, Maxine and Ghost actually looked at him oddly.

At first he thought his idea was absurd but as soon as Ghost looked to him, it kind of made sense.

"There were no bodies on the ship. It's possible everyone else floated to shore."

"Or got extracted somehow." Maxine added, giving Ghost an ounce of will to carry on.

"What's in that piece of fabric?" Gary asked as Ghost looked at it and read it's contents.

SHADOW COMPANY

SITE HOTEL BRAVO, AFGHANISTAN

"There are coordinates here. This may be our next step to finding Shepherd." Ghost added.

"So we're heading home?" Gary asked.

"Yes. I guess we're headed to Afghanistan." He smiled, Gary first thought he was excited. But a deeper look in his eyes said that he's out for revenge.

Next Chapter : High and Dry

Notification Squad my Beloved

@enderio @smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @whimsywispsblog (i lost beemybee) @ricinbach

[jzeeeeeeeee]

Game of Thrones 8.06 Series Finale Recap and Review

THE NIGHT IS DARK AND FULL OF SPOILERS

This should be kind of obvious but I'll be discussing the final episode of Game of Thrones here so if you're not caught up don't read this unless you want to be spoiled!

CITY OF ASHES

Tyrion walks us into the episode, literally, walking through the ashes of King's Landing, closely followed by Jon and Davos. Ash is everywhere, still raining down, floating in the air like snow. I can only imagine the smell, if the scent from piles of burning dead outside Winterfell was bad this must be a thousand times worse considering they've always said how bad the city smelled to begin with... The horror on Tyrion's face is evident and surely echoes our own, as he walks by dead children and a near-naked burnt man stumbling out of the ruined city looking truly shellshocked. Tyrion tells Jon he wants to go on alone and heads for the destroyed Red Keep. Jon and co. run into Grey Worm and the Unsullied sentencing some Lannister soldiers to death in Dani's name and under her orders. Jon tries to tell Grey Worm that the war is over and the enemy soldiers are prisoners now, pleading for their lives. But the overwhelming loss must have had a hollowing effect on Grey Worm, emptying him of every last fuck he had to give. It almost comes to blood between Grey Worm/the Unsullied and Jon/random Northmen but Davos intercedes, quickly urging Jon to go speak with Dani directly. As Jon walks away, Grey Worm goes back to slitting throats of Lannister men like it's nothing, as if to show Jon how truly empty his fuck-tank was.

Back to Tyrion, walking around the remains of the Red Keep. He follows the steps down just like he told Jaime and sees the gigantic mountain of rubble covering the exit he had described. He starts digging through the rubble and finds jaime's gold hand. Digging further he uncovers both his siblings, dead on each other's arms. The music is haunting, a slow violin rendition of Rains of Castamere. This scene was picture perfect in it's tragedy, the bricks washing all color out of the scene save for the Lannisters. I might not have liked the way Cersei's end came or Jaime's middle finger to his redemption arc but seeing Tyrion kneeling there crying over them definitely gave me the feels.

PLAZA OF PRIDE

Arya walks past dead bodies and ruins out into the square in front of the Red Keep where the mysterious remaining half of the Dothraki are riding around on their horses, cheering and raising their arakhs in the air. We switch to follow Jon who's walking past the Dothraki and Unsullied towards massive, imposing steps of what is apparently left of the Red Keep. It makes me think of the Mayan Temple of the Sun, draped with a truly ginormous Targaryen banner. Jon looks at Grey Worm when he gets to the top of the stairs like "this is not handicap accessible". Just kidding, Jon looks at Grey Worm like he's gone as bonkers as his Queen. Dani and Drogon come flying in overhead and land somewhere behind the ruined Keep. Drogon's wings behind Dani stretch out and fold as she comes walking into the foreground. The sight is truly amazing and I've watched that part alone a hundred times. This is a powerful leader with men fiercely loyal to her returning victorious, no longer that little girl in Essos constantly on the run from assassins. There's a nice juxtaposition of the Unsullied lined up with precision thumping their spears in perfect unison, while the Dothraki are in a frenzy behind their orderly rows, practically doing wheelies on their horses as Dani delivers her victory speech.

Ok let's just stop and appreciate this character for a minute. Let's just imagine going through what she went through, it truly must feel like destiny, step by step bringer her closer to madness, all that power she has. She has a huge dragon that is closely bonded to her, she's the Unburnt not just a Khaleesi, not just a Queen. She's conquered before, and liberated before. When a character is too OP you just know they can't last... Remember the speech she gave when she named the entire khalasar her bloodriders? These men watched her walk out of fire, TWICE, unharmed. Who wouldn't kneel? They must think her a goddess! Grey Worm is devoted utterly because he was freed by Dani and he controls the Unsullied. The naming as Master of War, a great boon to him I'm sure, leader of ALL her forces now. He's still covered in the blood of dead Lannister soldiers as he steps forward to accept the nomination.

Danaerys speaks passionately, fervently as any champion of fire would. I could practically see flames dancing in her eyes as she talks of liberating the people of King's Landing. The show told me she's going crazy so I guess she must be. Jon's eyes when she starts talking about liberating the entire world... But it seems Tyrion agrees with me and in a fit of pique and anguish he casts off his Hand of the Queen pin to the ground. Dani commands the guards to take Tyrion and he locks eyes with Jon as he's walked off, with this "Your girl done gone nuts bro" face.

Arya catches up with Jon on the steps, urging him to see that Dani is a killer and he's in danger from her since she knows his true heritage. I like how he's surprised to see her, asking for its the audience what she's doing there in the first place. He doesn't even question the fact she came to kill Cersei and walks off to go find Tyrion's cell.

BROKEN THINGS

Jon and Tyrion discuss what happened and Jon can't deny what Dani did was wrong but he's trying to justify it by naming all the things she lost along the way to madness. Tyrion reiterates what Arya was saying, that Jon's life is at risk because of his claim to the throne. Jon actually rolls his eyes before sitting down to take it all in. It seems like Tyron admits he had feelings for Dani here, saying he loved her though not as successfully as Jon did. He walks Jon by the hand to the idea that she's the biggest threat to the people, especially his sisters. He lays a choice at Jon's feet, knowing that only Jon has the chance to bring this to an end.

Jon leaves to go find Dani in the Keep. Drogon is stretched outside like the largest cat ever, briefly getting up to see who's disturbing his rest but let's Jon go by without even a puff of smoke. Dani's walking through the ruined throne room, stretching out her hand to the Iron Throne she's sought after for all these years, touching the arm briefly. The ruins of the throne room and the snow-like ash in the air are the payoff from the vision she had in Qaarth's House of the Undying. She's contemplative, making a meta comment about the throne being made of a thousand blades from Aegon's fallen enemies. This is a sort of dig because the throne GRRM had described and imagined was more like the one she does here. Jon comes in to rain on her parade, angry about the Unsullied executing Lannister soldiers along with the thousands of dead and burned children outside. He seems to be giving her one last chance, begging with her to see reason. As she says her final words about building a new world and breaking the wheel I'm heartbroken because I know what's coming next without anyone telling me. "Be with me. Build the new world with me. This is our reason, since you were a little boy with a bastard's name and I was a little girl that couldn't count to 20. We do it together. We break the wheel together." He kisses her passionately this time, "You are my Queen, now and always", not breaking away like he did at Winterfell and Dragonstone, and I know the instant the knife goes in her heart he's sobbing and so am I. It's like she had plot armor her entire life... until today.

THE IRON THRONE

Jon lays Dani's body down on the ground and suddenly Drogon's there, sensing something wrong with his mother. He nudges her with his head but she's gone, and the sadness that pours out of him is an echo of my own seeing her tragic story at an end. This girl had been on this path since her birth, freeing slaves, serving justice to those who deserved it and I'm supposed to believe right at the end she decides to kill all the innocent people she came to save. Ok fine I'll go along with it for now since we're on mega fast forward this season and maybe I just missed all the subtle steps on the way to Dani's madness. Back to Drogon... He's so full of anguish he let's out a few huge bursts of fire, melting the Iron Throne down to slag. The scene was awesome in the true meaning of the word but I'm a little confused why Drogon would understand the meaning of such an act. And why didn't Jon move out of the way more? He has a weird thing with facing dragons I guess, maybe he planned on yelling at Drogon like he did to his brother. The scene ends after Drogon snatches up Dani's body in one claw and flies away, never to be seen again.

Tyrion awakes, finding his buddy Grey Worm at the door. He's led out to the Dragonpit where the Lords and Ladies of Westeros (🤷) are waiting. I have no idea what kind of time has passed but guessing from Tyrion's hair it's been a few weeks since Dani's death. Sansa demands to know where Jon is but Grey Worm insists they are in control of the city and it's prisoners. Sansa doubles down letting him know King's Landing is surrounded by Northmen. Yara makes some threat about Jon getting killed by the Unsullied but Arya comes right back at her saying she'll slit her throat lol. I think it's right around here everything becomes a bit hokey to me. After some back and forth with Grey Worm about the fate of Jon Snow, Tyrion suggests they choose a king or queen (who will ultimately be in charge of that fate). That Tully dude, Lord of the Riverlands gets up to make a speech (maybe to make a play as king?) but Sansa shoots him down by asking him to just sit, be a good boy, and drink his bottled water. Sam suggests a type of democracy system where everyone gets a say and they all just laugh at him. Just like everyone imagined, Tyrion reveals Jon is the heir to the Throne and they all live happily ever after. Wait no, actually he walks around and talks about how stories hold the world together and Bran should be King. What in the ever-loving fuck? Who has a better story than a man who came back from the dead only to find he was not a bastard at all but the heir to the Iron Throne????!!! Ok I get that he killed Dani so that's a stain on his honor but he did it to save the whole damn world. He didn't want to rule but neither did Bran! Tyrion proposes kingship to Bran in a way that sounds like a marriage proposal from the realm. Then Bran shows more emotion than he has in the past 2 seasons, he smiled a little and says "Why do you think I came all this way?" Huh? Well I had thought it was to help defeat the Night King and the White Walkers but fine I'll go along with that too I guess... I thought for a hot second he'd say "I am Groot". Sansa declares independence for the North after we get a round of "ayes" from all the other Westerosi Lords and Ladies in favor of Bran the Broken as king. I face palm but on my 3rd or 4th rewatch I see that Tyrion's cleverness did shine through one last time. He knew that giving Jon to the Unsullied would mean more war, knew Jon didn't want the throne anyway, knew that the puzzle needed solving and I suppose he did it. Jon would go to the Wall and serve a life sentence in the Night's Watch as a compromise, apparently to keep everyone from getting what they want. We see Tyrion meet briefly with Jon to explain this and he's as baffled as I am there's even a Night's Watch left. What are they watching? Season one?

A DREAM OF SPRING

Another time jump of unknown proportions and Jon is getting on a boat, headed for the Wall. He sees Grey Worm on another ship about to set sail for Naath where I can only assume he'll die from butterfly poison trying to protect Missandei's people. As Jon rounds a corner he sees Bran, Arya and Sansa are there to see him off. Hugs all around, Sansa apologizes to Jon and I can't help but think it's forced, Arya will sail West of Westeros. When Jon kneels in front of Bran saying, "Your Grace" I'm still wondering what his Targ ancestry had to do with anything and why Bran thought it was so important for him to know. The last of the Starks are going to go on their separate paths again, but hey they won the Game.

We next get a cute scene of Brienne writing Jaime's deeds in the White Book, meaning she's the Lord Commander now. This part is uber meme-able, particularly when she makes faces trying to think of good deeds to write. After a few creative truths she closes the book without writing anything about how he saved the people of King's Landing from being burned alive with wildfire. This scene also shows us Bran the Broken has taken a raven for his sigil, it's now prominent on Brienne's Kingsguard armor.

We go next back to Tyrion, the Keep mended enough to have a small council meeting in the old spot he's meticulously rearranging the chairs. Sam, now Grandmaester, brings in a book called a Song of Ice and Fire, very Hobbit of him, setting it in front of Tyrion. The rest of the small council files in, Bronn as Lord of Highgarden and Master of Coin, Davos as Master of Ships, and Brienne the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Bran is wheeled in just for a minute so we can hear they're missing a few officers and see Sir Podrick is in charge of pushing his chair around now, making an ambiguous comment about finding Drogon just before leaving the running of the kingdom to the council (please give me a sequel of just that!). The scene ends with Tyrion starting his famous jackass/brothel joke but we never get the punchline.

NORTH OF THE WALL

Jon arrives at the Wall, which has been repaired with wooden gates. Then the most well-done cutting of scenes together happens as we bounce between Arya getting ready for her journey west, Jon's arrival and subsequent leaving of the Wall, and Sansa's coronation as Queen of the North. We see Jon moving through the wildlings and finally, FINALLY, he pets Ghost. Arya's on a ship with a huge Stark wolf on the sails. Sansa is at Winterfell newly crowned. It all ends kind of how it started, with Jon on his horse walking north into the woods, wildlings on foot following him into the future. The scene evokes a sense of adventure unknown and reminds me of the first scenes from the pilot where we first saw the wights and Walkers in action but instead of death it's life moving through these woods now.

UPS AND DOWNS

So my main reason for breaking this all down was because I've been asked over and over what I thought of this episode. Many of you know I'm passionate about this show and even now that's it's over I'm sure I'll rewatch it many, many times again, season by season. In fact, this will probably be the first blog entry I have in "Watching Thrones Backwards; maybe it makes more sense this way?"

That being said I feel like this ending was really perfect for what they set out to do. A show based on a book series is always difficult, and Thrones lost access to the written word once the show moved past the books. I've read every single book and felt that more character development could've been done here in Seasons 7 and 8, both of which would've been better with more episodes. It felt rushed without those extra moments this story deserved but instead we got what we got. And what we got in the last episode was amazing for this series, beautifully produced, imagery leaps and bounds ahead of anything else on television, well-acted, even if not always well-written.

The biggest criticism I have was that the dive into Dani's madness was too abrupt, and such a huge deviation from her character. But her last words will haunt me for all of time. "We will break the wheel together." And they did. Jon's act was a sacrifice for both of them and gave rise to the new system of electing leaders.

Time was also my enemy in this episode, I know that it opens pretty soon after the last one because there's still fires burning but as we go through it I felt less and less certain where we were on the timeline. At the Dragonpit scene Robin Aryn was much taller, does that mean years have gone by or mere weeks? Years of Unsullied occupancy in King's Landing doesn't make sense to me but ok whatever. And at the end stuff was kind of fixed like in the Red Keep and at the wall so that must've been years certainly! But Sansa was just getting crowned so did they really wait all that time to do it? I guess I'll need to wait for GRRM to help me clear that up, hopefully in my lifetime.

My other problem was that everything was getting tied up with pretty little bows, basically going down the list and checking off all the weird bets people were making online. I could've easily told you Arya would head west of Westeros, Sam would name that book a Song of Ice and Fire, and that Tyrion would never finish his joke on screen. I say "was" though because I'd rather have all these things tied up neatly than a lot of wtf moments. We had enough of those watching this series, and this being the last episode it truly was "bittersweet" so seeing storylines get sewn shut was much nicer after I had time to really think about it all. I'm over a dozen times through this episode now and it's held up amazingly well to rewatch.

Even with all the negative criticism I absolutely loved this episode. Each scene in this final episode looked incredible, Jaime and Cersei dead in each other's arms, the dragon wings behind Dani at the Keep, Drogon melting the Throne, even Jon walking off into the woods at the end. Cinematically it was successful, thematically maybe a little less so. But it made sense in a way the Dexter or Lost finales never will. Dany succeeded in the end with breaking the wheel - Shakespearean tragedy at its finest, Tyrion is for all intents and purposes ruling as Hand, Arya stopped killing everyone, Sansa's a queen in her own right, Bran is probably warging into Drogon somewhere off screen flying about and Jon pet Ghost. Team Stark FTW I give it a solid 9 out of 10!

*Picture credits to HBO Game of Thrones*

[doodlelolly0910]

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

Summary: Emma Nolan spent a lot of time alone, and that was fine by her. Because one is never truly alone. She should know. She can talk to dead people. What she didn’t expect was one of these spiritual encounters to hang around, taking her down a rabbit hole of missing women, revenge, and, least expected, love. Can she save the day and Killian Jones? Is there even another choice?

Read it from the beginning on AO3 and FFN!

A/N: Sorry this is updating so late in the evening! I've had a super busy day! I'm not going to say much about this chapter, just that it's another turning point :P As always, thank you to @kmomof4 for her fabulous beta skills and for generally being an awesome person, and to @courtorderedcake for making the AMAZING artwork for this fic. Also thanks to you, lovely readers! I appreciate and adore you all! Hope you like the new chapter!

Chapter 15

Water sluiced over Emma's body in hot rivulets, working the weariness from her muscles and bones. The water had finally stopped pooling a brownish red at her feet as it washed away the blood on her skin and hair, now running clear. Milah's presence had died down after the discussion earlier. It must have been exhausting to remain at that level of contact for so long. Most encounters didn't even last a fraction of that time. And frankly, Emma was quite ready for a break. It was nice to have some privacy, especially since she wasn't even safe from Milah inside her head, although it seemed she only picked up on thoughts that she intended to speak but didn't.

Emma wasn't sure how long she'd been standing under the stream of seemingly unending hot water, but she was fully intent on taking advantage of the moment before she had to dive headfirst back into the craziness that had become her life.

Jefferson had heard about the explosion and connected the dots. He had been furious, demanding that Emma return to base, threatening to call Regina and pull the plug, but she had begged a week out of him. A week with Hook, working the angle they'd come up with. He was adamant that this was the worst idea she'd ever come up with, especially since Emma refused to provide him with Hook's identity (in the poorly concealed guise that she simply did not know it), but at least she didn't have to hide her new alliance from him.

Well, she may not have told him that her cover was blown where Hook was concerned, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. This was about Gold. Taking him down, once and for all. Both of them understood what calling off this op meant.

This was their Hail Mary.

She cranked the water off when her legs grew tired of standing, drying herself with a scratchy terry cloth towel, and moving to stand in front of the sink. There was a dingy mirror there and she wiped the steam from it to survey her appearance. She looked like shit.

Bruises mottled her skin, concentrated especially where she had collided full force with the earth on her hip and shoulder. Her head still felt like her heart was pounding directly inside it, but at least the nausea and blurred vision had died down. The ringing in her ears remained, though, a result of being so close to the explosion. Dark circles ringed her eyes, betraying exactly how much sleep she'd gotten in the last two weeks since this all started.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

“Swan?” Killian's voice asked gently through the thin particle board. “I have some clothes for you.”

Emma wrapped the towel around her, covering herself, and cracked the door. Hook's grin immediately widened at the sight of her, his eyes unabashedly raking over her barely concealed form and she rolled her eyes, snatching the bundle of fabric from his arm and slamming the door in his face again.

“No need for hostility, love,” his muffled voice teased. “Just appreciating the view.”

“You're about to appreciate my foot right up your ass,” she shot back, dropping the towel and aggressively yanking on the over large sweats he had given her, her muscles protesting the movement, and rolled them at the waist as they were about two sizes too big for her. She put her bra back on and pulled the (also too big) gray t-shirt over her head, hearing him chuckle on the other side of the thin barrier between them.

“If you say so, Swan,” he patronized, sounding slightly further away than before. Emma bristled at that, gathering her ruined clothes and flinging the door open with force, making it rattle on its hinges. She stomped her way into the small bedroom like room until she was standing in front of where he'd moved next to the queen sized bed.

“Let's get one thing straight, buddy,” she said, pointing a vicious finger in his amused face. “I'm here to do a job. Nothing else. So you can keep on looking, but this,” she motioned between them with her finger, “not gonna happen. Okay?”

Hook's expression didn't waver for a moment, holding her gaze so she could see the laughter dancing within the blue depths of his eyes.

“You're rather fetching when you're angry, has anyone ever told you that?”

Emma let out a noise that was half growl, half screech in exasperation and pushed past him, dropping her clothes with the rest of her things. She glanced at her gun and wondered briefly exactly how terrible it would be if it accidentally went off in the direction of his foot before retrieving the comb he'd set out for her and gingerly pulling the snarls from her towel dried hair. She braided her hair and tied it off with a rubber band she'd found sitting on the table next to the bed and sat on the mattress with a bounce, Killian's eyes on her the whole time.

“Okay, when I said you could keep looking, I didn't expect you to take it literally,” she said, not even turning to look at him.

“I'm a very literal person, Swan,” he replied lightly, moving towards her. “Are you almost ready to go? We'll stop by a shop I know and get you some clothes that fit, not that it doesn't speak to the primal male in me to see you in mine, and then we will get some supplies together.”

Emma stiffened and fought the urge to tilt her chin down to sniff the fabric covering her body to see if it smelled like him. Of course it would. She was in his damn clothes. He did this on purpose. She just knew he did.

“Yup,” she said, popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word. “Let's go.”

Emma was grateful that either Will or Killian had had the foresight to drive her car back to the compound. She needed to be the one that drove, needed to feel a little more in control. Less than an hour later, they were in a consignment shop in a quaint little part of the city that Emma had rarely been to. Of course it would be a second hand shop. Two spirits on the regular weren't enough to deal with.

“Time to make it a party, I guess,” Emma muttered under her breath and got out of the car. Killian was already waiting for her on the curb, his blue eyes watching her as she struggled not to wince getting out of her seat. She adjusted her oversized clothing and made her way towards him. She really needed to tell him what to expect in a place like this.

“Ready, Swan?” His voice interrupted her nervous thoughts and she blinked up at him, fighting the urge to chew on her nail.

“Uh, in just a minute. Before we go in there, this is a second hand shop, right?” she asked.

“Aye,” he replied, his brow furrowing as he tried to follow her train of thought. Emma bobbed her head once and looked down to her feet.

“Do you remember how I said Milah found me?”

“Something about a shirt? Wasn't it?”

“Ah, yes. Yep. See, I kinda have a thing about places like this. Sometimes the clothes that are donated belonged to people… well, people only I can talk to anymore…” she trailed off.

“Oh,” Killian replied, slightly surprised as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. “And these things are like a… trigger? When you're near them?”

Emma shook her head. “It isn't usually enough to be near them. I have to touch it. And suddenly I can see and hear things that no one else can. It's a little unsettling. And I've never experienced it with someone who, uh, knows about it.”

Hook seemed to weigh her words in his head, as if he were plotting the best course of action here. A slow, easy smile slipped onto his lips and he reached for her hand, tucking it into the crook of his bad arm and taking Emma completely by surprise.

“Well, I'll just have to touch the clothes first until you find something you like. We are shopping for knickers, aye?”

Emma snatched her arm back and slapped his shoulder, although it didn't come off nearly as aggressive as she wanted it to. She knew he was teasing and the thought of him handling her underwear… well, it was time to change the subject.

She marched past him, chin tilted up, and swung the door to the shop open. She gestured inside, allowing him to enter first with a mocking bow, mimicking his previous gesture from the compound.

Clothes shopping was a lot more fun with Hook than it was with Ruby, she found. He had made some genuinely helpful selections for her perusal, making it so she didn't even need to touch anything until she was sure she liked it. She didn't know how much she appreciated the gesture until it was actually happening.

It was a little strange how quickly Hook had flipped from staunch skeptic to making adjustments in his own behavior to accommodate for her “gift”, but it touched her in a way that no one else had been able to. She watched him as he jokingly held up items against his own chest on hangers, his tongue poking teasingly out of the corner of his mouth and laughed along with his jokes (even if her laughter was accompanied by a patented eye roll). She felt an overwhelming sense of comfort as they shopped and she was surprised to find the walls she had carefully constructed around her heart over the years slipping just the slightest bit. Killian Jones was unlike any man she had ever met, and, at least in this moment, she was glad to have him with her.

In the end, Emma ended up picking out two tank tops, a t-shirt, a sweater, and a pair of jeans and leggings, none of which (thankfully) sparked an encounter. Much to Killian's dismay, she did not get any underwear, but then she reminded him that they were in a second hand shop and, while they only accepted new in package items on that front, it was just a little much for her to consider.

“Does this mean you'll be going commando, then, Swan?” he murmured in her ear as they approached the cash register, his hand finding the small of her back with ease.

“Wouldn't you like to know,” she said with a bat of her eyelashes and she smirked as Killian's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

“Perhaps I would.” She heard him murmur as she approached the smiling red headed girl behind the counter. She flushed, her steady gait faltering for a moment, but she recovered herself quickly and smiled back at the cashier, loading her items on the counter.

“That'll be $38.57,” she said, packing the items into a bag for her. Emma dug in the pocket of her borrowed sweats for the money she had put there, extending the cash over the counter. The clerk's fingers swept over Emma's, the silver ring on her middle finger swiping over the flesh of her palm and Emma knew it was coming before it even happened.

Suddenly, she smelled fresh gingerbread and heard a voice she didn't recognize humming a song.

I love you, Addie, the voice said and Emma froze, her eyes blowing wide and she fought back the sudden shaking in her palm as she reached for her change.

“Have a good day!” the girl chirped, completely clueless to the inner turmoil Emma was having. Emma gave her a tight smile and said nothing, snatching the bag off the counter and bolting for the door as quickly as she could without looking completely mental.

She burst from the door and the encounter had all but faded away, the last remnants of baked goods still lingering in her sinuses, but she knew it, too, would be gone soon. She took several deep, calming breaths in the fresh air and let her heart rate return to normal.

“Swan?”

Killian. Shit.

She'd forgotten he was with her for a moment in her panic and she felt her heartbeat kick back up at the thought of having to explain her behavior to him.

Best to get it over with.

“Yeah?” she asked, turning to face him, her hands balled into fists at her side, making the plastic of the bag in her left hand crinkle.

“Are you alright, love? Did one of your… er… moments happen?” His voice was truly concerned and, instead of calming her, it only freaked her out more.

She nodded sharply, not meeting his eyes. “I think it was the clerk's grandmother maybe? I touched her ring,” she explained.

“That's…” here it comes, Emma thought, “amazing, love. Why didn't you tell her?”

If Emma's jaw could physically touch the pavement, she was positive it would have been scraping the concrete right about then. Killian was looking at her with such curiosity and fascination that it sent a thread of panic straight through her.

“Why didn't I tell her? Are you serious right now? What happened to ‘not this bit again’?” she snapped. Hook sighed.

“Look, Swan, I know I haven't been the most supportive of your… talents, and I won't deny that it is quite a shock to hear that someone you loved very much is still trying to reach you from the other side, but I…” he tapered off, stepping slightly closer to her and Emma held her breath. “If I can start to believe, anyone can. You can't expect people to believe you if you never tell anyone. You should tell her.” His eyes blazed into hers, willing her to take a leap of faith in herself, as he was with her.

Emma was sure she was going mad. Or he was. Maybe both of them.

"I am not a walking freak show! I'm not Sylvia fucking Browne, I'm not some foofy bullshit psychic bitch, and I just want to be left alone,” she ranted, flapping her arms at her sides. “I never asked to be this person. I just want to live my life! You have no idea what it’s like to feel crazy day in and day out, never knowing who you can trust enough to tell and I-"

Emma's mouth was still trying to move, spill over with reasons why, but it was hard to do with Killian's lips sealed against hers. She was shocked still, arms suspended mid air, interrupted in their wild gesturing, her mind overwhelmed with the thought of how perfect, how right this felt, and that was absolutely besides the point because Killian fucking Jones was kissing her. Her body finally caught up with what was happening and she pulled back, but his hooked arm had looped itself around her waist and held her fast to him.

"Please, darling, do shut up," he murmured only mere centimeters from her lips before her stunned psyche could formulate a response to the kiss at all. She felt anger boil in the pit of her stomach as she registered what he'd said, the sensation mixing with the fear and attraction already simmering there.

"You shut up," she growled, then fisted her hand in his shirt and slammed her lips back into his.

Kissing Killian Jones was unlike any other experience she had ever had in her life. His lips were softer than she expected, moving with expert precision over hers, his hand wrapping around the nape of her neck as his thumb stroked over her jawline. He nipped at her bottom lip and she opened for him on instinct, gasping at the first touch of his tongue to hers. He let out a soft little sound in the back of his throat that she might have missed, had they not been pressed so tightly together, and he tilted her head with a firm but gentle press of his fingers at her neck to kiss her more deeply. He kissed her like he would never get enough, stealing the very breath from her lungs until she felt like they were going to burst.

She pulled back when the need for oxygen became too much, still clinging to his collar like it was the only thing keeping her upright. Based on the slight sway in her balance when she broke away, it probably was. They stayed in each other's space in silence, save for the sound of their panting breaths intermingling in the air.

"That was..." Killian began, sounding completely wrecked. Emma released his collar and stepped back, blinking up at him and hopefully clearing some of the haze from her eyes. He looked just as wrecked as he sounded, his hooded eyes simmering with a dark heat, and she was sure she wasn't hiding her reaction all that well either. She needed to shut this down.

"Me shutting you up,” she filled in for him. He appeared confused for a moment and then a look of understanding swept over his features that made her heart clench tighter than it already was. “Let's get back."

She turned and began a stiff walk back to her car before she heard his soft murmur towards her retreating form.

“As you wish, Swan.”

[fluffi]

so should i reply in tiny font or just regular font?

hybe should do better in spreading out the comebacks of the groups under them :/ they're already at a huge advantage, might as well use it strategically. AHA streaming mvs is so convenient for a multi. the filler vids i could use in between could be mvs from the other groups that i stan. also you know what, i still haven't watched a single final performance bc im waiting for a friend to watch with me :D

i have a chinese movie recommendation in case you want something to cry over. i still love its ost and it's been months since i watched it. i'm not sure if you watched it already but more than blue. i've never cried over a movie as much as i cried for that one. the angst *chef's kiss*. i'd do anything to wipe my memory of it and watch it again for the first time.

also sungchan is mc-ing in inkigayo every sunday! and honestly, what the hell is nct hollywood :D but a part of me thinks it's just going to be a bunch of asians living in america like johnny that'll be a part of it. just a hunch tho. imagine having all 4 units coming back in a year with like 1 unit per quarter of the year. i'm not sure if sm even has the money to do this, especially when they filed bankruptcy recently.

and i've seen a lot of twitter memes saying taro's ghosted stans T_T alexa play ghosting by txt T_T sm come on give him smth to do, you're wasting talent.

the mall didn't burn down entirely (like from the outside it looked fine). the ventilation system caught fire so it was more internal—ceilings and all that. covered things with soot(?) and ashes so the entire mall was closed for nearly 2 years. and hey, i've experienced a school fire too back when i was younger. i, too, thought it was nothing but a fire drill until i saw the charred remains of the buildings behind our school : D thankfully, no one died.

the new nct track is for a samsung commercial AHAHA it's funny because nearly everyone uses apple TT_TT and the mv screams neo culture tech tho (well as it should lmao). yes, i was talking about that part in hot sauce but yes, it grew on me too.

ateez really know how to do a performance. they put the standard so high for me when it came to performing. their facial expressions and overall stage presence just impresses me. it's been a while since i've seen idols draw me to them by those standards.

ah, the long stan list! good luck in getting through it and i hope you do have fun as you go :] (also you can check out aurora by ateez and whiplash by tbz. the songs popped up in my head as i was typing this reply, you might like them)

ohhhh, what was the pd48 scandal? i don't watch survival shows so i don't know any of the stuff going on. would you care to elaborate? about their disbandment :(( i hope you're okay now tho! are the other girls still debuting in new groups? anyone eyeing an acting career instead of being an idol?

YES, A PATTERN IN THE BIASES (if you count an analysis of two ppl as a pattern, that is.) because it's the same pattern i have for my biaswreckers :D jake & seungmin, not only do they have the same animal to represent them, they have the same 'golden retriever' type of personality that just makes you go all soft. ygwim ;n; i wish i could elaborate but both boys just devastate me in the same level and my friends pointed out that they were quite similar in some aspects.

jaemin used to send really long bbl messages :< like if there was anything he loved most it was nctzens and it was obv in his messages. speaking of dream, album repackage news today! idk what to feel bc my hot sauce albums haven't even arrived yet :D + i'm dead br0ke.

how do you even manage to read 30k TT__TT i cant handle long fics bc of my attention span :D also, yes, i found the user now, i'll check if i'll like their works soon. <33

YES YOU SHOULDVE BEEN THERE T_T what a day that was. i think seungmin is still sweet and active in bbl. not a single cent goes to waste with him. also i think i'll post the drabble some time this month.

and oml seungmin vs jake :o let's see how that goes O.O XDD

clickity-clackity AHAH do you have a mechanical keyboard? :c i wanted one too but i haven't got around to saving up for one. but yes indeed, typing asmr v relaxing \m/

sunny hyuck day, fullsun sunday, fullsunday T_T feels were very strong that day. i kept seeing edits on my twt tl and i would just s o b : D i've only stanned nct for a year but i've seen him grow so much i just wanted to crie i love him sm :') yk my mom didn't cook spaghetti for my birthday, but she cooked for hyuck's? : D

and i checked ur recs blog and indeed, full of nct T_T

also have i mentioned that your desktop thing amuses me so much HAHAH i got confused for a sec if i had twt opened or tumblr. plus, i've been wanting to mention that i noticed that our mobile themes are opposites. black and red, white and blue. it's cute XDD <3

help, people have been telling me that our asks are long but i highkey love it. i added a ‘keep reading’ for the mobile users though, sorry in advance hh.

honestly, both works. tiny font saves space but regular font does more justice for my poor eyes haha. its your call!

hybe comebacks :( yeah enhypen got lucky because they came back right before cb season so they got three wins (yay)! on the bright side, txt just got their first win and bts has six wins, so it all works out i guess. omg yes, the streaming thing is perfect. i stan like 20 groups so i have a never-ending cycle of filler mvs and its always so helpful. ooh for the final performances - you wont regret watching any of them! literally wild, kingdom's budget and talent are wild.

ooh, I don't watch any cdramas lmao. i want to but i can barely finish kdramas. if its a movie ill watch it! ive never heard of more than blue but ill check it out <3 where can i watch it?

yes yes i have just realized that sungchan is yujin's co-mc! i watched their special stage (which is literally adorable) and was today years old when i realized that the dude is sungchan pls. nct hollywood was so unexpected and i still have mixed feelings about it now. LMAO JUST ASIANS LIVING IN AMERICA...help. that would be interesting (?) but the concept reminds me of those horrendous awesomeness tv shows. lets hope sm pulls this off well and proves me wrong. lmao all 4 units coming back would probably happen, but i hope none of them get overworked :( i constantly feel like mork lee has four clones :'( also...sm filed bankcruptcy??? dang, what happened?

ugh omg yeah shotaros talent is seriously being wasted in the basement right now. as for fires, scary T-T i wasnt that fazed by them until the australia wildfires happened, and i learned about the consequences of fire and got really scared. its good that the entire mall didnt burn down though! although its weird that no one is opening it :( schools really need to tell us the difference between drills though, it might be dangerous for those rebellious kids.

yeah i just realized that the nct track is an endorsement which partly explains why i cant listen to it. the mv's visuals are stunning!! the set and people are so gorgeous aa i cant

oh yeah im not an atiny but i have acknowledged since 2020 that they have one of the best, if not the best stage presence and expressions on stage for 4th gen. i think their only worthy competitor would be stray kids actually. theyre truly one of a kind and all of them are cute especially that yeosang guy. i will definitely check out your song recommendations though!

oof the pd48 scandal is extremely complicated. to condense it in a few statements: all of the girls' rankings have been rigged since the very beginning and it was rumored that they already had their end group before the show even started. it was like this for pf48 and pdx101 (group x1) which was why x1 disbanded within a month of debuting, and izone were on hiatus for like 4 months. im not the best at explaining stuff like this haha, but i think you get it. you can check out yt or search up 'pd48 scandal', a ton of articles and videos. as for new groups, nothing has been made clear yet. theyve only made instagram handles for now and appeared on variety shows haha. as for acting career, hyewon was supposed to do acting but was forced to join pd48 so maybe she'll continue acting afterwards? nothing is confirmed yet!

lmao two similarities, its okay it counts. ah, true, i can see their similarities now that youve mentioned it, as well as how jeno is kind of like that. however, i am currently attached to jaemin so we'll see what happens from there hehe. i swerve easily.

jaemin on bubble grr, that would be a whole experience. from the bare minimum of vidoes ive seen for him wbk jaemin is so whipped for czennies. ah yes repackage! i saw the post on instagram and went to the comments to see everything screaming ‘iM bROke!’ and it was lowkey hilarious lmao. kpop is really trying to suck our money T-T.

ope the longest fic ive read is like...40k words i think? and it was by jeonginks. ill read anything eiko produces lmao, theres always so much substance in her work. ooh, tell me what you think of luvdsc’s stuff, i just finished binging their entire masterlist lmao.

seungmin vs jake yeah, i havent been catching up on skz enha content because im still obsessing over the dreamies but when that saga is over then im going to focus on my ults lmao (which might include dream soon, hehe).

yes yes i have a mechanical bluetooth keyboard that i use to connect to my computer! it literally sounds amazing lmao, its only 10am here but i feel like im going to doze off from the clickity clackitys already. i cant wait for you to get one! tell me when you do, we can match hehe.

hyuck is an aodrable brat please. hes like the best comedian of nct at this point, so hilarious and filled with variety i love him. he rose up my bias list pretty fast too. LMAO YOUR MOM IS SO COOL I LOVE HER ALREADY. if only my mom would cook for my ults’ borndays.

yes my rec blog is a mess right now, ill organize it soon haha.

omg thank you and yes my website theme is one-of-a-kind. even i get confused when i open it or edit it, and i constantly get comments about it. also i just realized our opposing theme colors and i love it! its adorable.

[harr-will-blog]

The best DMC I've ever had.

A Staff member on my Minecraft Server, Iris (pylonsbro), connects with Minechat. A 60MIN+ Conversation Ensues.

Harrison: Hi

Iris: Hey, just seeing how things are going ~

Harrison: Thanks for that ~

Iris: I'm on minechat.

Harrison: By the way, we filled the second owner spot!

Iris: You can't teleport me, and yeah, Justin told me.

Harrison: I teleported you out of Hub, to get you out of there.

Iris: Oh ok, aha. Sorry, and thanks for that ~

Harrison: Iris, there's a way out now, go to the end of the path with the sign, and step on the pressure plate.

Iris: Yeah, I saw that before.

Harrison: Does it not work?

Iris: Nah, it worked. Nice, that's something I've been waiting for. I wish I could show you my house.

Harrison: Hold on, let me De-Op myself and try the sign. I've got console, so I can Re-Op myself.

Iris: Wait a sec...

Harrison: Ok, it works.

Iris: Where am I?

Harrison teleports to Iris to see where she is.

Harrison: You're in an awesome man cave -- An empty one, but still awesome.

Iris: That's my home (^_^)

Harrison: I know :D

Iris: I think it's mad (^_^)

Harrison: Same here ~ I will add detail for you, tell me what you think.

Iris: Yeah, thanks, I can't see it though...? I'm on my iPhone.

Harrison: Well, when you get on PC.

Harrison sets his game mode to creative.

Harrison: By the way, I might not even need OP, because of the way I set it up ~

Iris: (^_^) Yeah, I'm out for the night, having a bit of fun (^_^)

Harrison: Bye :P

Iris: Wait, where are you from?

Harrison: [REDACTED: PERSONAL INFORMATION], Allenwood, PA. Mail me if you can pls. Notice meh.

Harrison: So, basically Pennsylvania.

Iris: (^_^) I only wanted the country ~

Harrison: US. The U.S. of A. The You Esp Of A. The You Esp of Ayy Lmao...

Iris: (^_^) Mad, what's the time there?

Harrison: It's 11:06 AM

Iris: Ayee Canadian (*_^)

Harrison: I'm listening to OMFG - I Love You ~ Oh wait, it just ended.

From this point on the conversation becomes deep and personal.

Iris: (^_^) You're very detailed tonight, it's 1:10 AM Here. 1:08 to be exact.

Harrison: It's called "Stimming" and it's an ADHD thing, being very specific.

Iris: Yeah, I sound a bit like you.

Harrison: If you had ADHD you'd know what I mean.

Iris: I don't have ADHD ~

Harrison: Oh.

Iris: What makes you think I do?

Harrison: I didn't say you did, I said "If" you did.

Iris: "Oh" (^_^) -- You sound upset that I don't have it

Harrison: I don't get upset. Well, maybe sometimes.

Iris: Everyone gets upset.

Harrison: Yeah, I suppose, but I get upset less.

Iris: I get upset for no reason most days.

Harrison: I'm usually as calm as could be, some people are more mild like that. :P

Iris: I've like, suffered from fucking depression and shit, so I'm trying to be chilled.

Harrison: I've had a fine life -- Even finder than sir Moustache's Moustache.

Iris: I have a perfect life too, I get everything I want. Perfect Family, Boyfriend, and Yes.

Harrison: Same here -- I don't have a Girlfriend.

Iris: But it it's about what people have and don't have to get depression, it's a sickness.

Harrison: Yeah, it's a state of mind, an imbalance of Seratonin to Melatonin.

From this point on the conversation becomes very deep.

Iris: Yeah -- Getting more personal here, have you ever tried weed?

Harrison: Hello? You're talking to a stoner.

Iris: Is this legit?

Harrison: Yeah ~

Iris: Maddest cunt right here -- Might explain the "not getting upset" part.

Harrison: Truly?

Iris: Yes cunt, Harrison, you're a mad guy ~ Sorry for language

Harrison: I am very mad >:D -- just kidding xD

Iris: I had a couple cones tonight bruh ~

Harrison: Do you mean scones? Cuz you're Canadian.

Iris: I'm not Canadian...

Harrison: Oh, whoops...

Iris: I'm Australian, bloody oath mate ~ Do you know what cones are aye?

Harrison: I was thinking Australia and typed Canada, not sure why.

Iris: (^_^) Okay ~ Bro, do you know what cones are aye? You aren't a stoner if you don't.

Harrison: One sec, my mom's calling me... shit, I hate her, really.

[...]

Harrison: She's telling me to eat.

Iris: Avoiding the question (^_^) Nah, all good. Oh, eat then man.

Harrison: Nah, I just don't want to talk about weed, that's what it is.

Iris: Why's that, Harrison, you can honestly trust me with your life. I'm good at keeping secrets, I promise.

Harrison: It's just a pet peeve, sorry.

Iris: What does that mean?

Harrison: Look it up ~

Iris: Ok, if I must, be right back.

[...]

Iris: You hate it? You think weed's annoying?

Harrison: No, I just think talking about it too much is.

Iris: Do you think I'm annoying?

Harrison: No ~

Iris: (^_^)

Harrison: Jinx ~

Iris: Nah, it's all good, respect.

Harrison: By the way, I use a vaporizer, I never used a bong. Smoke makes me sick.

Iris: Oh yeah, so it's not a regular thing?

Harrison: No, a vaporizer is like, where the THC is in a vapor, instead of a smoke.

Iris: Nah, sorry, just forget about it, I don't want to make you uncomfortable.

Harrison: I hope that clears up not knowing about "Cone."

Iris: Yeah, I thought for a second you might be fake, but I see now I was wrong.

Harrison: It happens to the best of us.

Iris: You've probably had enough of me...

Harrison: Nope, I can take you all day :D

Iris: That sounds a little weird, but okay :D

Harrison: I'm listening to a song that says "You must be out of your mind."

Iris: Am I out of my mind?

Harrison: No, you're yourself. I try to be fair, honest and determined.

Iris: Yeah, I just try to do the right thing, if someone's struggling I'll be there for them.

Harrison: ADHD is what made einstein smart, but I don't know about my skills.

Iris: Even if it kills me, I'll be there to help them -- Even if I hate them.

Harrison: I'm not doing to hot in my courses, despite being a quick learner and very creative.

Iris: I can't think of one person I even hate though.

Harrison: Me neither. The exception is my mom, in a sarcastic way xD

Iris: Ah yeah ~ I feel like we're having a good deep conversation.

Harrison: Same here (^_^) -- There was this one kid who looked into my eyes in-game and left. They're red.

Iris: Woah, wait, I'm confused as fuck! ~ Sorry for Swearing...

Harrison: Most times I have the hat layer on, a pair of sunglasses and headphones.

Iris: Still confused...

Harrison: I mean like, my minecraft skin.

Iris: Oh.

Harrison: So yeah, when I disable my hat layer, this kid left the game.

Iris: They can't handle the red eyes, huh? (^_^)

Harrison: Nope xD

Iris: I think I'm catching on, do you have red eyes? (In-game)

Harrison: Yeah, in game. *COUGH* irl too *COUGH*

Iris: (^_^) You should get eye contacts, I have cat cat eye ones.

Harrison: What do you mean? Will they cover it up? (The white (or red) part)

Iris: No, it just covers the iris.

Harrison: Oh, that's dissapointing. :/

Me and Iris reveal our names to eachother for the first time.

Iris: Iris, that's also my name :3

Harrison: That's a really cool name ~ It sounds magical as could be, loving it!

Iris: Ah yea (^_^) You wouldn't tell me yours would you?

Harrison: Sure, I'm Harrison. Harrison Bruce Micheal Smith. Two middle names :)

Iris: Ah, I like it!

Harrison: But when I grow up, I will change it to Harrison Jenson Angelia Williamson.

Iris: Ooh :)

Harrison: H-JAW for short.

Iris: That's a mouthful, but hey, as long as you like it :D -- It's smart.

Harrison: That's a little codename I made up when I was 7 or so.

Iris: Aw (^_^) That's so cute!

Harrison: The whole point is to be unique. I bet nobody has that name.

Iris: Same here, I've never met anyone with my name before.

Harrison: Basically, my birthname is Williamson, so then I just used a random name generator for the middle names!

Iris: Magic, I love it!

Harrison: The factors combine to make the ultimate name!

Iris: You're actually one of a kind ~ I hardly ever find someone to talk to for this long.

Harrison: I am a conversationalist, so, yeah.

Iris: I like it, you're cool :)

Harrison: This is probably why I never get things done :P

Iris: (^_^) Yeah ~ I always get distracted.

Harrison: Thing is, when I actually do something I'm usually pretty good at it, and that's what counts.

Iris: Well, it shows, you have a fucking amazing server. -- Sorry for Swearing...

Harrison: Swearing is cool with me :P

Iris: Sorry, I just don't want to disrespect you or like, make you upset or something.

Harrison: I don't care, I don't give a shit (`^_^`)

Iris: (:^_^:) But is swearing allowed in this server?

Harrison: Of course

Iris: Yeah, awesome, first swear word I've head you say :)

Harrison: It's all about context, if it's hate swearing then no, but emphasis is fine.

Iris: You know it's a fact that people who swear a lot are honest people.

Harrison: Well then call me a liar cuz I used to swear a bunch.

Iris: Yeah, I swear all the time, and I hate lying.

Harrison: Emphasis: I used to swear a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot!

Iris: (^_^) Ok, I get it, I'll never lie, and I don't want to be lied to.

Harrison: Thing is, I always hit a brick wall when lying.

Iris: What do you mean?

Harrison: Well, I've tried lying before and I always end up telling the truth, even if I don't get caught.

Iris: Well, that's a good thing.

Harrison: Agreed, and I can hardly ever keep a personal secret. I can keep yours though :)

Iris: We'll have to wait and see on that one (^_^) Lol, no it's all good.

Harrison: So, I can lie and deceive fluently, but I end up avoiding it because morality and shit.

Iris: I'm the same way man.

Harrison: Oh, by the way I'm a Mormon. And I do weed. Thug Lyfe Bitch!

Iris: Hah, you're a mad cunt bro, honestly.

Harrison: Yeah, Mormons forbid that kind of indulgence. Well, most of them that is (*_^)

Iris: Woah, you're a Mormon?

Harrison: Loosely, yeah. I just have to go with my parents to church, it's not really religious.

Iris: So you can't do sports on Sunday, hey?

Harrison: No, but that's irrelevant, cuz I never got into sports anyways.

Iris: Well, I'm a state basketballer.

Harrison: Cool, so yeah, I don't do sparts, I don't watch sparts, nothing.

[..]

Harrison: Lol, sparts... Spartaaa!!!

Iris: Haha :)

Harrison: Wtf how did I to a double type... I mean typo...

Iris: Ehm...

Harrison: Oh, wow, I typo'd on the word typo.

Iris: Haha -> Ha -> H -> He -> Hell -> Hello -- Illuminati. You think you're cool.

Harrison: I think I'm just another guy, doing what he thinks is right, and never stops 'till he's finished the job.

Iris: Well, I think you're cool. Even though you are very talkative :{

Harrison: Wtf is that face, haha :3

Iris: Idk lol.

Harrison: But yeah, determination is my core, it can branch out into many directions but you can always trace it back to my determination.

Iris: Well, I should go, I didn't bring a charger and my phone's like, dead. Oh, and I need to be home in a few hours (^_^)

Harrison: Oh shit, that's quite a convo stopper, damn son!

Iris: I'm sorry :(

Harrison: Look, remember when u did the illuminati thing?

Iris: Yeah

Harrison: My modification is: Haha -> Ha -> H -> He -> Hell -> No. Hell Nah man!

Iris: (^_^) Hell yeah!

Harrison: No.

Iris: OOH THE FULL STOP, You mad bro?

Harrison: [Thinks for a moment] No. But WOW!

Iris: (^_^) Yeah, right on, I'm off, we'll talk another time, maybe tomorrow.

Harrison: I've been in your base area this whole time, the outside is even better!

Iris: See ya soon!

Harrison: Wait ~ One more sec.

Iris: You realize everything you do for me on this server is REALLY appreciated. A lot.

Harrison: Thanks, bye.

Harrison Kicks Iris off the server, with reason "Leave the fancy way.."

Iris Rejoins the game.

Iris: Wtf, did you kick me?

Harrison: The reason was "Leave the fancy way", did you see it?

Iris: Yes I did, but why, I didn't like it.

Harrison: Oh, it was meant to be funny, sorry about that.

Iris: Oh ok, I though you were being a dick, sorry I took it the wrong way.

Harrison: Hell -> No.

Iris: (.^__^.) OMG XDDD :D -- I don't want to leave :(

Harrison: I know the feeling.

Iris: Sorry, I'll let you do what owners do on servers, cya man, best DMC Ever!

Harrison: Bye!

[..]

Harrison: Wait, what's DMC?

Iris abruptly leaves the game.