#still solo just easier c:

[qnzl-relocated]

❖ — HARLEY IS RELOCATING TO A SIDEBLOG. FIND HER THERE FOR NOW!!! ♥♥♥

[martyrbat]

[ID: The title panel for 'The Bat-man' and 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate'. In it, a mysterious silhouette is standing on a rooftop as they look out at the skyscrapers in the background. The silhouette has giant wings that resembles a bat! They flare out on each side of the figure as their human-esque legs and head stick out from it. The sky is light blue as the narration explains: The "Bat-man", a mysterious and adventurous figure fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrongdoer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society… His identity remains unknown. END ID]

detective comics #27 | (#627 reprint)

(full comic & ID below cut!)

[ID:

We see a young man sitting in a blue chair and smoking a pipe as an older man sits across from him. The narration reads: The home of Commissioner Gordon, who at the moment is entertaining his young socialite friend, Bruce Wayne. — Bruce is wearing an amber, windowpane checked suit and has his black hair neatly combed back. Gordon, the older man with silver hair and glasses, wears a white suit with black lines forming a herringbone pattern across it. Bruce has his chin resting against his palm in boredom as he asks, "Well, commissioner, anything exciting happening these days?" Gordon responds, "No-o – except this fellow they call the 'Bat-man' puzzles me!" He's interrupted by his phone ringing.

Gordon talks into the phone, "Hello… What's that? Lambert, The Chemical King… Stabbed to death? His son's finger prints on the knife? – I'll be right over!" He hangs up the phone and tells Bruce, "Talk about something exciting… Old Lambert has been murdered at his mansion… I'm going there now. Like to come along?" Bruce nonchalantly says, "Oh well, nothing else to do, might as well." They speed off to Lambert's residence, where they greet the police sergeant. He leads them to the scene of the crime and after a thorough examination, Gordon begins to talk to the murder suspect: 'Young' Lambert, who's already insisting that he wasn't the one that killed his father!

Gordon orders the distressed man to calm down and explain what happened. Young Lambert wipes at his forehead nervously as he reluctantly elucidates, "Well sir… Tonight I came home early, and as I was passing the library I heard a groan... I rushed in and there was my father lying on the floor, with a knife in him! … And as I rushed in, I got the impression of something leaping out of the window… I also noticed that father's safe was opened… I pulled the knife out of my father's body, and turned him toward me just in time to hear him say 'contract'... And then he died. That's how I got my fingerprints on the knife… That's the truth, commissioner!" Two panels accompany Young Lambert's words. It shows him finding his father's body by the open window before cradling his father close to him. 'Old' Lambert vaguely warns his son about the contract before dying in his arms.

Gordon raises his hand to his chin in thought before asking, "Hmm! Did your dad have any enemies or people who had an interest in his business activities?" The man hesitantly answers, "... not that I know of, except his three former business partners... Let's see, they were Steven Crane, Paul Rogers and Alfred Stryker." Before Gordon can continue to question him, he's interrupted by another cop. He's alerted, "Commissioner, there's a man named Steve Crane who wants to speak to Old Lambert... When I told him that Old Lambert was murdered he got very excited and wanted to speak to you!"

Gordon takes the phone and asks what's the trouble. Crane hastily explains, "Yesterday, Mr. Lambert called and told me he received an anonymous threat on his life... today I received the same... That's why I called up... and I'm afraid I'll be next... what shall I do?" Gordon orders, "Wait… And do not let anybody in… We'll be over soon as we can – what's that, Bruce?" He hangs up as Bruce Wayne's actions distract him. Bruce – who's been silently observing this whole time – smacks his tobacco pipe against his open palm, dumping the ashes onto the floor of the crime scene. He apathetically announces, "Ho hum! I'll leave you here to finish your work… I'm going home."

Meanwhile, Crane sits in his home library with a feeling of impending danger as he waits… Before a gunman suddenly breaks in! He shoots Crane dead without hesitation before stealing a paper from his safe and leaving through the window! He joins his partner on the roof, who checks if the murderer got the paper. The narration reads: ... As the two men leer over their conquest, they do not notice a third menacing figure standing behind them… It is the "Bat-Man!" — The cowardly criminals recoil in shock at the masked man. He wears a cowl that conceals the top half of his face and has bat like ears sticking out. His arms are crossed as he broadly stands with his legs spread. On his chest is a bat emblem and he has a big, dramatic cape draped from his shoulders that flare out – it too resembling a bat.

But suddenly the Bat-Man punches the accompanying partner, knocking him unconscious! He grabs the murderer in a headlock and with a mighty heave, he sends the burly criminal flying through the air and off the roof! Commissioner Gordon and his men are just arriving at the scene – the commissioner announcing it's the Bat-Man and to 'get him', prompting the other cops to start firing at the mysterious stranger! The Bat-Man flees from the scene at once, but not before quickly snatching the paper the criminals stole from Crane's safe!

He escapes to his red sedan and reads the paper he took from the killers before a grim smile stretches across his lips. He speeds off to an unknown destination! During which, the butler informs Gordon and his men that Crane has been murdered. Gordon tells another cop, "That's two dead partners out of the four that received threatening notes. The other two must have received them too… Let's go to Rogers next!"

Meanwhile Rogers, who has learned of Lambert's death by news broadcast, has already gone to the neighboring laboratory of his erstwhile partner, Alfred Stryker… — Rogers greets Stryker's assistant, Jennings. Jennings invites the distraught man inside before clubbing him in the head and tying him up in the laboratory's basement! Jennings schemes to himself, "Heh! Heh! One more out of the way – soon I'll control everything!"

Rogers wakes to find himself in a trap and calls Jennings a fiend! Jennings laughs again as he taunts, "This is the gas-chamber I use to kill guinea pigs, to experiment with – but now you are my guinea pig! When the glass lid covers you entirely, gas will come through the jet and kill you! I'm going down now to turn the gas on… Sleep well!" he leaves with one last giggle and with a pull of the brake to cause the glass chamber to start to descend!

But at that very moment, the Bat-Man jumps through an open transom! He seizes a wrench from a table and leaps for the gas-chamber, barely managing to get inside before it seals itself against the floor! Swiftly, the Bat-Man plugs the gas jet with a handkerchief. He unties Rogers and with a powerful swing, he uses the wrench to break the glass!

Jennings returns and is startled at seeing the Bat-Man! He reaches for his gun but the masked vigilante 'greets' him with a flying tackle and punch, knocking the murderous assistant unconscious!

Meanwhile, Stryker has heard the crash of the gas-chamber being broken. He enters the laboratory and finds Rogers and his assistant, failing to notice the Bat-Man has secluded himself in the shadows. Rogers exclaims that Stryker's assistant tried to kill him! Stryker responds, "So he didn't get you after all… Well, I'll finish you and then throw your body in the acid tank below." He pulls a knife and goes to attack Rogers before the Bat-Man springs into action!

He grabs Stryker's hand harshly, forcing him to drop the knife in shock! Rogers asks the masked man why did Stryker try to kill him as the Bat-Man holds the would-be murderer by his collar to prevent his escape. He explains, "This rat was behind the murders! You see, I learned that you, Lambert, Crane, and Stryker were once partners in the Apex Chemical Corporation. Stryker, who wished to be sole owner, but having no ready cash made secret contracts with you, to pay a certain sum of money each year until he owned the business. He figured by killing you and stealing the contracts, he wouldn't have to pay this money."

Rogers can't help but to admire, "Hmm, a very clever scheme, and being the contracts were a strict secret between the four of us, our heirs or the outside world wouldn't know a thing about them… But how did you know all this?" The Bat-Man pulls a rolled up piece of paper out of nowhere before simply stating, "I secured this contract from one of his hired killers."

Suddenly, Stryker, with the strength of a madman, tears himself free from the grasp of the Bat-Man… — He shoves himself away in an attempted escape but the Bat-Man knocks him off-balance with a right hook punch to the man's face! He stumbles backwards and crashes through the flimsy railing, falling into the tank of acid. Bat-Man solemnly remarks that it's 'a fitting ending for his kind'. Rogers turns to the mysterious man, starting to ask how could he ever thank him, but the Bat-Man is already fleeing by the skylight window.

The next day, young Bruce Wayne is again a visitor at the commissioner's house… Who has just finished telling Bruce the latest exploits of the "Bat-Man". — Bruce is skeptical of the story, telling Gordon, "Hmm! A very lovely fairy-tale, commissioner, indeed." After Bruce departs, the commissioner mumbles to himself, "Bruce Wayne is a nice young chap – but he certainly must lead a boring life… Seems disinterested in everything."

Bruce returns to his home and goes to his bedroom. A short while later, the door slowly opens, revealing to us Bruce Wayne's greatest secret and something that would surely amaze all… That he himself is the Bat-Man!

END ID]

[namelessdumbass]

Meliora/Popestar Ghouls guide

I noticed some people still have trouble telling the Ghouls apart. Specifically Meliora era Ghouls. So i'll try to make things easier for all of you :)

WARNING: lots of text, my silly comments

Happy reading 😏

Learning which symbol/alchemic element (which was Martin Persner's/Omega's idea btw!) belongs to a certain Ghoul is essential:

🜂- Fire, 🜄- Water, 🜁 - Air, 🜃 - Earth, 🜀 - Quintessence. The first Fire Ghoul was also called Alpha and the first Quintessence Ghoul - Omega. Why such names? Because Quintessence/Ether Ghoul had Ω sticker on his guitar and fans started calling him Omega and his counterpart - Alpha. These names just fit them perfectly. Meliora era was unique because neither of previous Papas, nor Cardinal/Papa 4 called Ghouls by their names/elements. Only Papa III did that.

There were few changes of lineups during Era 3 and some Ghouls were given different names by fans. Simply because naming their elements wasn't enough. Examples will be seen below.

Ways to tell them apart when they are on stage:

Their instruments and stickers.

They are placed in certain areas of the stage: Quintessence and Earth on Papa's right, Water in the middle, Air and Fire on Papa's left.

Different body types, eyes, rings, bracelets and tattoos.

The way they behave.

When they are off stage, on promo photos etc just take a look at their chests.

Even though every Ghoul has 5 elements embroidered on their suits, their respective element is highlighted.

HQ pictures are pretty helpful if y'all wanna find your favorite Ghoul.

(from left to right: Air, Earth, Omega/Quintessence, Water and Alpha/Fire)

Also check this video of Papa III introducing Ghouls.

2015 lineup:

Air Ghoul #1. Simply Air. Joined Ghost in 2011. No tattoos, no rings. Usually quite calm on stage, favorite gesture is🤘 . Was the tallest Ghoul till 2017. Had cool keytar solo. Didn't move much.

Pebble aka Earth Ghoul #2. Joined Ghost in June 2015. Smol (yes, smaller than Papa). Has intense stare. Literal beast when it comes to playing drums. Had a special way of throwing sticks to fans (literally footballed them into the crowd lol). Funny one.

Quintessence Ghoul #1 aka Omega. Terzo's favorite Ghoul. His butt was smacked and grabbed by Papa countless times during Year Zero solo. Known for his stomping, graceful guitar playing style, has big silver rings on both hands and pretty eyes. Has the cutest laugh. Did lots of interviews when Special Ghoul wasn't around. Loves Abba. Has been in the band from 2010 till july 2016.

Water Ghoul #4 aka Delta. Slightly shorter than Papa III. Joined in 2015. Sometimes kicks air (literal air, not his fellow Ghoul) on stage, also filled in for Alpha (when he injured his shoulder) and Omega for a few shows. Played rhythm guitar after Omega left. Has no rings, no visible tattoos, but has mad skills. Allegedly he's the one who tried to kick the dude who got on stage and kissed Terzo lol

His regular bass Omega's guitar

Fire Ghoul #1 aka Alpha. Popular among fans. Hangs out with every Ghoul on stage, especially with Water and Pebble. Loves cameras, does✌ a lot, humps his guitar sometimes. Enjoys attention, a bit horny:) Also did a few interviews (mostly with Omega), has strong accent, also speaks Italian. Has rings and tattoos on both hands (had none during era 1 and 2!). Taller than Papa. Joined in 2010, left in november 2016.

2016

Omega left in july, so Water took over rhythm guitar and the first Ghoulette of the Ghost, Mist, was introduced. This lineup toured till the end of the year and nobody returned for Popestar tour in 2017.

Quintessence Ghoul #2. Basically just Water, but with different guitar and highlighted QE symbol on his uniform.

Mist Ghoulette aka Water#5. Tiny💜, unlike Copia's Ghoulettes she wore the same outfit and mask (that looked a bit too big for her) just like other Ghouls. Badass bass player, has a ring, a tattoo on her finger and painted nails. Veeeeery calm. Cute as hell. Alpha liked her a lot.

Fire, Earth and Air Ghouls were same as in 2015:

(from left to right on this picture: Mist, Quintessence #2 (aka Delta/Water Ghoul#4), Alpha/Fire, Earth/Pebble, Air)

2017

All of the previous Ghouls left and the new pack replaced them. If you see Ghouls who are +- same height as Papa, that's them!

(Dewdrop/Water #7, Aether/Quintessence #3, Zephyr/Air #2, Ifrit/Fire #2, Ivy/Earth #3)

Ifrit aka Fire Ghoul #2. Chaotic, hyperactive, Papa's hype man. Same height as Terzo, sweet bean, has wiiiide chest dorito shaped No tattoos, no rings. Spins, dances, jumps a lot. Gets "shot" during Ghuleh/Zombie Queen. No 🜂 sticker on his guitar. Only toured till 2018.

Aether aka Quintessence Ghoul #3. Beefy, jumps a lot, has rings and a bracelet. Always looks friendly. Plain black guitar with no QE symbol. Also pretty active, especially with his pal Ifrit. A bit taller than Papa III. Ran after Terzo when he got gragged off the stage by Papa Nihil's people. Joined in 2017, left in 2022.

P.S. since he's not Omega, his butt was safe during Year Zero solo 🙃

Dewdrop aka Water Ghoul #6 aka Sodo. Smaller than Terzo. Has an aggressive guitar playing style. A bit horny (it got worse). No visible tattoos. Proudly played bass with someone's panties. Syncs with Ifrit and Aether during Ghuleh/Zombie Queen outro. Became Fire Ghoul #3 in 2018. He's still in the Ghost (as of february 2024).

Zephyr aka chAir Ghoul #2. Sits on chair, a lot :) Charming, more active than previous Air ghoul. Loses it during Monstrance Clock, Per Aspera Ad Inferi and Cirice. Could be a great DJ. Almost the same height as Papa. Has a ring. His Mummy Dust keytar solo -[X]. Only toured till 2018.

Ivy aka Earth Ghoul #3. Underrated, many don't know much about him. Was present only during European leg of the Popestar tour (from march till july). Has brown eyes, a tattoo and bracelets. Same height as Ifrit. Wasn't around much, but still did a great job. Was later replaced by Mountain.

Mountain aka Earth Ghoul #4. Joined Ghost in july 2017. The tallest Ghoul. Hates shoes. Has a tattoo on the finger of his right hand, but you won't see shit on photos from this era because he wasn't photographed much and drummers usually get less attention than others in general:/ Quite calm comparing to Pebble. He's still in the band (as of february 2024).

Honorable mentions:

Special Ghoul aka Phil. Has green eyes, speaks Swedish. Did lots of interviews, showed up to grab a few awards for Ghost, worships cats and loves Abba. Literally Papa in disguise (aka Fire Ghoul's uniform and mask). Has been in the shadows since 2017.

Cowbell Ghoul. The myth, the legend. Played cowbell during "Ritual" and "If You Have Ghosts" a few times at the end of the Popestar tour in 2016. Tall, has a posture of a shrimp, always got shooed by Papa. Many want him back.

Aaaand that's it. I hope it was helpful. Thanks for reading :)

🌈👻

[savebylou]

Louis & Louies' messages on the Live Album.

I transcribed all the messages of the album that Louies wrote as well as the message of Louis so is easier to read it. All of them are organized by photo.

The birmingham show will stay in my mind for a long time as one of the happiest nights of my life, it was really special, thank you louis <3 - Lucy H

You motivate me to have faith in the future that despite the moments we can move foward - Alejandra D

You are the greatest I love you so much lots of love and support from Pakistan - Alina K

Being able to hear "Chicago" in Chicago was an amazing experience as someone who grew up in Chicago. It made the song feel unique - Amy S

Thank you Louis for sharing this live album with us, for including us fans. It means the absolute world to us. WE LOVE YOU!!! - Archisha D

Thank you for coming to Greece, it means the world to us greek fans <3 - Efi C

Louis' live shows are truly my happy place- so grateful to have experienced them as they've helped me through so much! - Julia S

The Brisbane show was unlike anything I've experienced. The crowd was a wall of sound, support and strength for Louis. Amazing! - Karly O

Is super special for me to be involved in all these moments. I feel like I'm part of a family :) - Lais C

This album means everything to me! Hearing it live was one of the best experiences in my life! - Lovis W

Louis Tomlinson's tour just made everything better ❤️ ❤️- Megan I

This album moved me in many ways and was even better to hear live at concert. To go through the emotions, us together, was mighty, a gift. - Merel VP

Thank you for doing these live versions, now I feel part of the concert even if I couldn't go. Love you so much! - Milena M

This tour has given me SO much! It's awesome to connect with other people that enjoy and love the same music as you do. Love from Costa Rica - Priscilla A

Dear Louis. Your world tour rocked! Thanks for sharing your passion and talent with us all. Can't wait for what's next! #LouisTomlinsonTour - Mitali J

So happy that I was born in an era in which Louis Tomlinson exist :))))) - Niayesh N

Louis being at your shows is the definition of happiness and joy. You gave your all at the shows and we couldn't ask for more - Nora Z

Louis tour was amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart. Being able to experience the shows again through LIVE is a gift - Olivia R

Seeing you and listening to your music was the best feeling ever. All the love x - Daria O

This tour has been an unfforgettable tour that'll undoubtedly remain in the memory of all of us who have attended. We love you Louis - Paulina E

My favorite memory of the tour is when he played the greatest. The atmosphere made goosebumps run through my body. Hope to see you soon - Payton N

It was amazing to see you on tour in London and I had the best night! The atmosphere in the o2 was incredible! Thank you for the memories! - Rebekah J

Thank you for making me feel seen! So proud of you and everything you've achieved! - Rhiannon J

Thank you for this. Thank you for making me feel included. Thank you for making me feel home <3- Saida N

Ir al concierto de tu artista favorito es un sentimiento completamente inefable, y con LIVE, es posible recordar esos lindos momentos -Brida H [translation: Going to a show of your favorite artist is a sentiment that words can't explain and with LIVE is possible to remember those beautiful moments]

Thank you for the chance to make so many amazing, lovely, talented and kind new friends <3 - Sam W

Listen to this album feels like a celebration to all that Louis has achieved in his solo career! He make us fans feel so proud!! - Smital P

It's crazy that I'm from the other side of the world to you but still listen to your music!! You have come so far! I love you !! - Sienna MB

Louie, Melbourne Concert was perfection - nearly lost my voice from singing every song. Your music brings pure happiness. Thank you forever - Stacey K

Louis your music resonates deeply, touching hearts with its autenticity. Thank you for sharing your talent and being an inspiration - Tae M

Louis is the reason I've got myself surrounded by people whom I can call family. Forever proud of you and your accomplishments. - Navya P

Genuinely the best experience of my life! I've never had so much fun and it was just the best atmosphere and the loveliest people!! - Tiggy S

Thank you for being your autentic self, and allowing us to do the same - Vera S

Thanks for the memories of a lifetime you gave us with these 2 tours. I had the BEST time. Always by your side. - Victoria V

My first concert experience was yours and to be honest, it couldn't be more amazing! - Doğa B

memories, relationships, the opportunity to live my best life is something that I will always associate with this tour, thank you for that - Wiktoria P

I'll never forget the feeling and the love of the crowd in Bilbao - Daniela M

Louis came to my home country and I went alone to the concert. I met so many amazing people. I didn't feel alone for a second :) - Yoana I

You will always be the person i adore the most <3 - Sofia R

love you louis, very proud of you x x - Kayley N

i'm so proud of you <3- Abi R

louis thank you for making life easier <3 -Aina J

you are incredible I saw you three times live and I loved each time. Thanks to you I met the most special people in the world. Ti amo -Gulia A

Experiencing both tour alongside Louis is something us fans we will never forget. Thank you Louis for the environment you've created for us -Aleena H

I'm in love with the way you think faith in the future is such a great concept as well as an album <3 - Alex H

Be your fan, see all that you've made its incredible, im truly thankfull for being able to see all of this- even miles away -Ana Clara

Seeing what Louis has done these last few years is incredible, and it makes me proud to be part of it :) - Anna J

So much love from Australia and I love FITF - Annalise D

Faith in the future for ever - Anya M

He knows how to connect with people through his music, you dance or cry but you FEEL every song. Louis makes you feel alive with every song. - Melany A

I flew from NZ to his Aussie show in Brisbane. It was one of the best nights of my life. I think that sentence speak for itself. - Ariah C

Hi louis, I just wanted to say thank you everything. Love you so much and we are very proud of you. You make us feel so safe ❤️ - Arina Y

Louis Tomlinson is a genius. Incredible experience with this live album. Lots of love ❤️ - Arshi K

I love Louis from Mexico Guadalajara some tequila shots in your honor legend - Noemí F

I still remember the electric magic the second I saw you. We've never felt more loved and honoured that we shared our greatest night w/ you. - Arushi R

thank you Louis!! Being able to hear this album live was the greatest day of my life and it will always be one of my favorite memories!! - Ashley H

I really loved the show in Greece, thank you so much for coming, i can't wait to see again live on stage. - Athina K

The FITF tour is one of, if I say the best tour and atmosphere in the whole universe. It feels like home to most of us Louies, proud of you Lou! - Ava MW

singing walls live was the most magical moment of my life n im lucky enough to have it inmortalize in a live album, i'll thank u forever - Aylen D

I speak for a lot of people when I say that this tour gave us happiness and a reason to wake up in the morning. We love you so much Louis - Bailey F

Your concert changed my life and I watch the videos every single day - Bella K

By far the best show I've ever experienced!!! I really miss the feeling of watching Louis perform!!! - Joelina W

Louis has created more then just music. He's created an environment where friends are family and love is unconditional - Bess L

You are us and we are you. There will be a never-ending collaboration between us. Because together we're the greatest!!!! - Beyza E

Faith in the future tour has showed me that eventually you will be rewarded for everything you worked for and Louis is the best example - Saul B

Give Louis Tomlinson a listen, you'll become a fan. Listen to him live and he'll own your heart and soul. The most beautiful voice!- Laura B

This tour was the best concert of my life thank you for creating the most amazing bond between you and your fans! - Brianna W

Faith in the Future, but also Faith in Louis - Camila R

You are extraordinary thank you for simply being you, I love you from Chile - Camila F

i went to 4 cities on FITFWT and people asked, isn't the same each night? no, louis made it special, each show was an adrenaline rush - Angel C

Together, over the last 3 years we have created memories that will live with me forever. Thank you for making it all possible - Louis T x

FITFWT, Brought fans from all ages and countries together. It is an experience you need to experience once in your life. - Cassie I

Heart warming and breath taking tour. Louis always out does himself, and his love for the fans is forever spectacular, we love you Louis! - Catarina B

Louis' music has helped me through my worst. He told me to not let it break your heart, and that time takes time to heal, I believed him - Chaitali M

I'm so proud of you Louis, both this album and Walls are masterpieces and I hope to see more music from you in the future! -Cynergy HK

this tour meant the world to me, i was feeling really lonely during my first semester of uni and getting to attend tour gave me comfort <3 - Chloe B

i loved every second of this thank you Louis for making many dreams come true <3 - Berra O

So excited to be part of this amazing project. Proud of what Louis has done over time. Here 4 u since 2011, mate. Thanks for everything. - Daniela L

Your presence in my life is priceless. Your music guides me through tough times, and I'm incredibly proud of your success as an artist - Danna G

You and your songs are my safe place. You are the best I love you :) - Dayana S

Well done Louis you are amazing. Love the album. Xo - Donna M

I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed the show! Thank you so so much Louis for this amazing experience <3 - Déníca B

[Note: the t-shirt of the last photo says "Gracias" that is thank you in Spanish. I wrote the messages as it's written, if they wrote a mistake I didn't fix it, I did my best but if I made a mistake on the transcription or how I wrote a name please let me know so I can fix it]. x

[hazard-c-horror]

spawns in ur inbox with my hands politely folded. hello hazard-c-horror. it's been quite a few days now, and i've only Continued to fall down the dandy's world rabbit hole eihsihssh SO, since you're the only Other Person i know about that's Insane abt D.W *and* SAMS, i would like to throw Thoughts inspired by your SAMS x D.W au I've been having .D.

i was hella inspired by the character sheets you made for moon, eclipse, lunar, and solar, so. take some Thoughts for how sun, earth, and kc would work in the game digsgskqj

(btw- this disclaimer might be a bit silly- but idk if you already have Planned Out Stuff for these characters n their abilities n stuff, and i Apologize if you do- this isnt me trynna like take over your au or smtn, its just me being autistic dgsigaiya that being said, do with these ideas as you will, you have free reign over anything you do w them lmao)

Sun:

OKAY so yk how he can turn ppl into geese n stuff in canon? i feel like his transformation magic could actually be his ability. as a toon, he has the ability to turn either Himself or other toons into an object (like a soda can or chocolate bar) for 5-ish seconds. he could do this to Instantly de-agro any twisted's chasing either him or other toons, and the 5 second break could be just enough time for stamina to rebuild so even if the twisted does still spot the de-transformed toon again, they have more time/stamina to run and hide

THAT BEING SAID. his twisted form would be the exact Opposite of this- he'd be able to mask himself as an item and attack/agro onto any toon who'd try to pick him up. he'd be a lot like twisted rodger, just for items instead of capsules. and ofc there would be things making it obvious that the item wasn't trustworthy- like discoloration or added bits on it. if you have a keen eye, avoiding him is Easy :)

i have like a couple thoughts for his mastery item. first one that came to mind was a Cat Plush, which when equipped it has a “calming effect”, and ups your stealth up by around 10-ish percent, making it harder for twisted's to spot you. but then i also thought “haha Wine Bottle”, which i thought that (when close enough) it could instill the “confused” effect on nearby twisted's, and make it harder for them to see nearby toons. so both items would do the same thing, just go about it in different ways

Earth:

she deffo has an ability like tisha's or shelly's, where it helps out the other players instead of herself. im thinking she's able to heal others for one heart every two minutes. a basic ability, but bro methinks this game needs a healer besides teagen, who can only heal herself dosyohsshs the Easy way to go about it is that she can just.. go up to (aka Click) on another player to heal them, but she could also just have a “medical bag” on hand where she whips hella bandages out the wazoo and gives them to whoever needs em dishiaha

okay as a twisted this girl gives me MAD razzle and dazzle vibes in how she functions. but instead of sleeping, i can imagine her constantly Crying and remaining in one smalllll specific area, patrolling it, almost. she can be led away by Distractors (goob, pebble, ect), but once they've de-agroed her, she'll start slowly walking back to her patrol spot. the best way to deal with her is to have someone else agro her and lead her around while You fix the machine she's working on, or vice versa :) but you Can still beat her on a solo run, bc she has rather slow walk-speed when getting back to her patrol spot where you could beat her back to it after leading her away. it'd just be a Lot easier w multiple people digdihsah

and her item?? first thing that came to mind is a barbie doll. or just a “pink girl doll” bc. copyright sigsiszvah it would be an Active item (like the wrench or bottle of pop), where at the start of every round, she could place it down somewhere, and it makes noise, which leads the nearest twisted right to it. ofc we dont want it Too op, so once a twisted makes contact with it, its destroyed and returns back in earths inventory, ready to be used next round .D.

Killcode:

kc is a Complex one- i think this guy would have slow walk speed, but a fast run speed. so i think he'd be a good “distraction” character, like goob or pebble. HOWEVER. i think it'd be sick as *hell* if his ability, using his size, literally made it so that he could momentarily Pick Up Other Toons and carry them away from any twisted's chasing them. he'd prolly only be able to do so for 3-ish seconds, but it could be a saving grace for anyone out of stamina being chased .D.

now. as a Twisted. this👏man👏deserves👏lethal👏status👏 his name is LITERALLY KILLCODE i refuse to believe he cant one-shot a bitch sisgiaga due to him literally being a Being made to perfectly hunt/kill, i think how twisted kc would act is that he'd spawn in at the start of a new floor, a Sound Queue would play so that toons know he's on the floor. and now he's just.. somewhere. hiding. *waiting*. hes normally spawned behind corners or nearby machines, where its either easy to run into him or hard to avoid him. hes not Impossible to beat tho- i imagine he emimates a very quiet sound byte, so hes still avoidable on blackout floors, even if he's not visible. and that byte also helps on just normal floors too ofc. best way to deal with him is to listen to his sound queues and *be very aware of your surroundings*. cause if he spots someone, he is *hard* to lose, and hes lethal if he gets ya. once freed from his waiting spot, he's not going back to it. instead, he'll be moving around the map like a faster, but also Louder, dandy. Scary!!

aaand his item. i came up with a “soup ladel”. cause. heh. yk, because he volunteered in soup kitchens in canon? .D.? i think im Funny siosgiaa what it'd do is up the spawn rate of better Food/Drink items on every floor. think instead of soda cans spawning on floor 1, there's a higher/better chance for soda bottles to spawn instead .D.

. this is over 1K WORDS LONG OF AN ASK hazard im so sorry, im Unwell sigihgaisg okay now i go eep for tonight good nini honk shoo honk shoo

Why hello there. Longest inbox I’ve ever received

I love this a lot actually, and thank you for some ideas! Love the trinket ideas especially, will probably use them

I’m just be reading over this like 12 times, because I just love it

It’s also funny bc I had the same idea about Earths ability, so that’s nice. Great minds think alike

I don’t know if I’ll be incorporating Sun’s magic into this, but I did include Eclipse’s so I may use your idea. Bc I also don’t have any ideas for him at the moment

One unfortunate. KC will not be in this au, but I could make a non canon character sheet for him a Solar flare if people wish. Really like your ideas for him!

The soup ladle is my favorite for a trinket lol

In return of theses amazing ideas, I give you a sneak peek

[hubristicassholefight]

Swordswoman Showdown Round 3

Malenia (Elden Ring) vs Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Malenia

She is arguably the hardest boss in any Fromsoft game.; She is the favorited boss of Animal from the Muppets.

"Arguably" the hardest boss in any fromsoft game? You don't even know. She is OBJECTIVELY the hardest boss in any fromsoft game. On march 1st 2023, a bit more than a full year since the game's release, From Software released the stats on the amount of attempts each boss took for the players collectively. As of march 1st 2023 Malenia has killed the players 329.000.000 times. That's 10 Tarnished every second. That's almost the entire population of the United States. Malenia is also an optional boss in a secluded area hidden away from everyone. According to PlayStation trophy statistics, only 37.9% of people who ever bought the game managed to even REACH Malenia in the first place. Which means among those 329.000.000 people she has obliterated were only the most dedicated of Fromsoft fans. Only 33.3% of people even managed to beat her. That number also includes everyone who beat her with summons, which makes her significantly easier. This means out of all people who bought the game on PlayStation 4 or 5 and reached Malenia which is about 3 million people, 377.000 just fucking dropped her, they didn't even do it with summons. Difficulty aside. Malenia is also extremely pretty and has the softest lips, her Goddess form looks like a painting. She fights with elegance and style unrivalled by any boss in the game, dancing through the battlefield with deadly, fluid motions. Malenia is also 256cm or 8'4" tall. Huge woman.

post let me solo her

#malenia is 8'4“ flat chested and broad shouldered#she kills you with incredible grace and poise#trans icon#id let her Waterfowl Dance on me and Infect Me with her Scarlet Rot...

#malenia is so dedicated to the sword it mends her failing body. she lives by fighting#her strongest attack is a technique that halts the progress of her terminal illness#i can never stop thinking about that. by all means she couldve rotted into a mile of mush before the game started#but she persists!! she persists!!!

#malenia blade of 15 layers of contradictory goals and personality traits summed up in like twelve total lines of dialogue#she's a stupidly good character but shes also a woman who did horrible things in a game with a deliberately vague narrative#so everyone just enters What A Bitch / Step On Me mode with her#as they are wont to do. the lowlives.#anyway what would happen if you hated yourself and successfully became someone who can do plenty of good#and yet the only way to live on and keep doing good would be to embrace the self who causes so much pain#but there's nothing left. so you wait and you rot and you keep telling yourself that you're still the self you love#and then you have to do it again. and now your conflictual agony is over because clearly you lost yourself long ago#and you look up knowing that you're the danger you've always feared you were. and you smile#and turn john eldenring into filet in 2 seconds flat

Xena

Warrior Princess

She wields a sword and chakram. Just had to submit a biconic swordswoman.

i love her. she made me gay as a kid. Anyway, her weapon of choice is her sword, she is obviously very good with it

#unfortunately i have to choose and i have to choose xena#a) utena had no warcry. b) xena fought gods. c) xena has kickass goofy comic book combat which is my favorite

xena didn’t just fight gods. she fucked up a girl’s life so bad that she (calisto) devoted her entire being to destroying everything that xena loved that ended up with calisto becoming a god in order to destroy xena, which didnt work because xena entombed her in lava. and then when xena and gabrielle encountered calisto in the (christian) afterlife (different from the greek one which they also fought her in), calisto dragged gabrielle to hell so xena became an archangel in order to save gabrielle and then sacrificed herself in order to undo all the harm that she did in calisto’s life and then when not!jesus (played by timothy omundson) revives xena and gabrielle, calisto impregnates xena with the reincarnation of calisto’s soul in order to end the cycle of hate. xena doesnt just fight gods. she creates and destroys them

#this isnt even mentioning her fighting julius ceasar several times#telling brutus that caesar is not his friend#xena and gabrielle’s souls reincarnating across centuries in order to kick ass and fall in love all over again#or the time xena became a god but tbh that ep is kinda ‘uhhhhh…..’ even if they did hire a consultant for it

#I think everyone here knows to vote for Xena. I think a couple people here might have some propaganda for Xena saved already#everyone remember that Xena/Gabrielle is CANON and that's a pretty big deal also#(does anyone have that Xena Loves Trans People interview around because that would also make good propaganda)7:47 PM

[changingplumbob]

Foster Household: Chapter 9, Part 2

CW: Mental Health Struggles - Guide to content warnings

Inside the clinic Carson waited and right on time Dr Hanks showed up.

Dr H: Hello Carson, you found the clinic all right?

Carson: Yeah, I didn’t realise they just converted a house

Dr H: Don’t want to ruin the landscape and many patients feel more comfortable visiting a place that doesn’t look too official. Ah, here he is

Out of one of the rooms came a sim who looked like they belonged on a beach more than in a clinic.

Carson: You sure he’s a good fit Dr Hanks?

Dr H: He is but I’ll let him introduce himself. I’ll see you again if we need to change your prescription okay? Look after yourself Carson

Carson: Thanks

Carson was led into one of the rooms and took a seat, feeling awkward already.

Chad: My name is Chad Harrison, you can call me Chad or C, either is good. My main focus is anxiety disorders

Carson: Disorders

Chad: Disorders are just how we classify them, it’s not a reflection on your character

Carson: I guess

Chad: I’ve coached many a kid through what you’re dealing with Carson, I can help

Carson: Can you make the intrusive thoughts stop

Chad: It’s not as simple a fix as that. It’s about retraining your brain so that when they come up you can deal with them in healthy ways

Carson: So I won’t have to always spend half my day cleaning

Chad: Not at all. It will take time though, your brain has been working one way for so long, it takes time to adjust your thinking but plenty of kids I’ve dealt with can reduce symptoms

Carson: That’d be a relief. Ever since I lost my asthma inhaler I’ve been compelled to clean everything

Chad: Did Dr Hanks explain what OCD is

Carson: Yeah kinda, well the symptoms. Like I’ll get bad thoughts like, I’m going to have an asthma attack and die or my parents will die and my brain thinks if I can just do something like keep my shoes lined up in the wardrobe I can prevent it

Chad: You got it. But talk therapy will be about helping you as a person as well as someone who has OCD

Carson: So we can discuss whatever

Chad: I generally like to start sessions with a bit of catch up talk to help relax you. What’s on your mind today

Carson: My mind? Well, a girl I guess

Chad: Is she your girlfriend

Carson: Well no, I just... I just think she’s really pretty and she’s... she’s been through some stuff but is still going you know

Chad: Are you wanting to tell her how you feel or are you happy admiring from afar

Carson: I don’t know how I feel. I mean I like her and would like to go on a date and hold hands and stuff but... I worry I’m not right

Chad: Because of the anxiety?

Carson: It’s not that, it’s not even the asthma which leaves me looking much rounder than I like. It’s...

Carson really hoped Chad would jump in with exactly what his thoughts were but nope. Guess it was up to him. Damn this was awkward, but it did seem easier to talk to someone that wasn’t his parents. And it would be cold day in hell before he discussed this topic with Reece.

Carson: It’s about woohoo

Chad: I see. Well you are almost 15, it’s very normal to be having those thoughts and acting on them solo or sometimes with a partner at that age

Carson: But see... I was talking to my best mate Onyx and... well I don’t have the same kind of woohoo thoughts they do

Chad: Everyone is an individual, it would strange if you had the exact same type as your friend. Can you tell me what bothers you about having different thoughts?

Carson: Well... Onyx, and my mates Darwin and William, when they... you know... they picture people. I don’t really picture anything, it’s just about like sensations and having an itch I need to scratch that feels good once it happens

Chad: Go on

Carson: And like I never look at anyone and think, oh it could be fun to have woohoo. Like even the girl I like, I’d love to kiss and cuddle and stuff but I don’t look at her and think, I want to woohoo her. What if my brain is just not mature, and will never mature

The counsellor was silent for a moment and Carson felt his anxiety raise. This was clearly a mistake. Chad would think he was a weirdo who didn't deserve help. He should leave.

Chad: Carson have you heard about the asexual spectrum

Carson: The what?

Chad: The asexual spectrum. Probably easier to start more basic, you know how gender is a spectrum?

Carson: Yeah, Onyx is genderfluid and their current pronouns are they/them

Chad: Attraction is also a spectrum

Carson: Yeah I know I’m bi. Mum hoped one of us kids would be pan like her but I feel like bi just fits me better

Chad: What isn’t often made clear to growing kids is that romantic attraction and woohoo attraction are different things, and they don’t have to match. Am I wrong to assume if you identify as bi you have wanted to date boys and girls

Carson: Yeah, especially pretty ones

Chad: Based on what you’ve been saying I think you may be biromantic but fall somewhere on the asexual spectrum, which is part of woohoo attraction

Carson: So I’m not just a wuss?

Chad: You’re not a wuss for not wanting to woohoo, there are plenty of reasons not to in any scenario. Anyone who forces you to woohoo or says you have to is in the wrong, you understand?

Carson: Yeah, I know about consent. But what is an asexual spectrum

Chad: Basically it’s for people who feel less woohoo attraction than the average person. There are some people who need an emotional connection before they’ll feel attracted to their partner in a woohoo way. The spectrum stretches from them all the way to people who never experience woohoo attraction. It doesn’t make you immature to not feel any woohoo attraction, there are many people who identify along the spectrum. As for wuss there are also variants for how touch averse a person is or isn't, and that comes from preference not cowardice

Carson: I’m just worried if I ask her on a date but I don’t want to woohoo I’m like... leading her on

Chad: You’re still young Carson, it’s possible the thought of woohoo hasn’t even crossed her mind. Don't feel like you need to grow up any faster than is comfortable. You said you like her right

Carson: Right

Chad: So there is nothing false in that. Don’t focus on what might happen in the far future, if you want to hold her hand now then you want to hold her hand now. Cross the other bridges when you come to them

Carson: I guess you’re right

Chad: Okay, you ready to start working on the OCD now

Carson: After that conversation it’s bound to be a breeze

Chad: *laughs* That’s the spirit

Previous ... Next

[sanaxo-o]

Their S/O getting anxious [Hyung line]

Warning ⚠️: it isn’t really yandere I guess. More on the fluff side. Mention of abusive household.

Sangyeon

Getting home you dropped your bag on the floor as you went in the kitchen to cook something for yourself. You just took out a packet of ramen as you didn't have any energy to cook. Your boss has been giving you a lot of work lately. Staying over at your workplace to complete it only to get more the next day has been taking a toll on your physical and mental health. You were exhausted. As you were almost done with making the ramen you felt a hand on your waist. Knowing it was Sangyeon you just smiled.

"Why don't you go and sit? I will bring the food and also make some dumplings for us. Go now. You must be exhausted."

You just nodded your head as you went to sit down. In awhile Sangyeon came back with food and set it on table.

"Is anyone troubling you at work?"

He asked as he placed some food on the table. You shook your head as you took a bite of the ramen.

"No one is troubling me. Just...there has been a lot of work lately. It's taking a toll on me that's it."

Sangyeon listened to your talk the whole time as he thought about what to do about your boss. He should know his limits.

Jacob

Massaging your neck you looked at your laptop screen with no thoughts in your mind. You still had a lot of work left to do. Your professor gave you guys last minute work few days back. You already had a lot on your plate with this added to it. Despite the due date is a day after tomorrow you wanted to complete it now only just incase. As you were in your thoughts, your room door opened as Jacob came out of the room. Glancing up you gave him a small smile as you went back to your work.

“When are you coming to sleep?"

Jacob said as he massaged your tensed shoulders.

"I don't know. There is still a lot left. Maybe I will have to stay awake to. You should go to sleep."

"How can I sleep when I know you're stressed with your work. Why don't you come and sleep now? I will have a talk with your professor tomorrow. I will convince him to reduce your work."

Sighing you switched of you laptop as you stood up. Jacob knew exactly what to do to make your life easier. And less the work, you spend more time with him. How can he miss this opportunity?

Hyunjae (Jaehyun)

You were exhausted. Your groups comeback was in a month and you just finished your solo activities a few days back. Your company has been making you work like a dog since you were one of the popular members. Getting home all you wanted to do was go and lay down on your bed. Turning on your bedroom lights you saw Hyunjae sleeping. You immediately went beside him and lay down staring at his face as your eyes got droopy. Before you could sleep you felt a hand caressing your face. Opening your eyes you saw Hyunjae staring at you, you slightly smiled as you gave a quick kiss on his lips

"Is it Hard?"

Hyunjae asked as he scooted closer to you and scooped you in his arms

"A bit...but I get it. I just wish they would let us all have some day off and let us go on a vacation. Everything is taking a toll on all of us."

You mumbled the last part as your eyes started closing and you went of to sleep. Meanwhile Hyunjae knew exactly what to do to make you feel better. A little threatening here and there and that's all he needs to do to make you feel better.

Younghoon

I sighed as I stared at myself in the mirror. Looking at all the bruises made by your father you couldn't help but shed some tears. Despite leaving that abusive household with Younghoon's help the scars were still with you which would never stop haunting you. You slid down the floor as you got your knees close to your chest and started crying. You did not even have the time to process when someone came in the room and hugged you. Slightly opening your eyes you saw Younghoon hugging you as he caressed your back while giving light kisses on your forehead.

"I will make him regret Y/N. I can't look at you living like this anymore always hiding your pain and living in fear. Have faith in me. I will be all you need."

He said that as he picked you up.

Tagging: @deoboyznet

[katyawriteswhump]

Idiots to Lovers (aka The Honeymoon)

WC: 684, for @steddieholidaydrabbles day 8

Rating: T

CW: Mild violence and h/c, fluff, 80s insults.

****

All Eddie did was step into Scoops Ahoy. Or, rather, stoop into it. 

The store had closed—the shutter was halfway down—and Steve-douchebag-jock-of-the-decade-Harrington sprung from nowhere. He grabbed Eddie by the front of a ‘Plastic Zombie’ t-shirt he totally didn’t want ruined and slammed him against the wall.

“She’s not interested, freak!” Harrington shook Eddie so hard his teeth rattled. “Stay the hell away from her!”

“What the heck, man?” Eddie squeaked, while shock mushroomed into vengeful fury.

“Don’t play dumb, numb-nuts.” Harrington got right in Eddie’s face. And Eddie rammed his knee toward Harrington’s groin, striking to the right of the ‘kill zone.’ Hah, who’s numb-nuts now? 

Harrington dropped Eddie, staggered back, cheeks colouring—even as Eddie, who was REALLY FREAKIN’ MAD now, sucker-punched Harrington with a fist to the left eye.

“Oooooow! Jeeesus!” Eddie shook his sore knuckles, blowing on them between his snarls. Harrington was on his knees, apparently stunned.

That’s when Robin emerged from the back of the store. “Steve! Oh my God, Steve!” Robin rushed over, crouched beside Harrington. “Oh my freakin’ God! What the Hell have you two shit-birds done?”

“M’okay,” mumbled Steve. He flapped a hand at Eddie. “The freak attacked me.”

She lifted his chin tenderly and scrutinised him hard. Nearly as hard as she glared at Eddie, who felt shaken as Harrington seemed. “You hit him? You bitch! He’s had a concussion, you know? God, Eddie! How could you?”

“Braindead sailor-boy attacked ME!”

“Don’t call him braindead,” snarled Robin, bordering on savage. Eddie’s hands flailed wildly in a mingling of defence and surrender.

“I’m okay,” repeated Steve, skittering his fingers distractedly across his brow. “Really confused—figured he was crazy stalker guy, who you wanted shot of.”

“Er, no. I took care of that myself.” Robin glanced between Eddie and Steve, who had resumed their combat with glares—easier for Eddie than Steve, whose eyelid already looked slightly red and puffy. “Steve, Eddie is the guy I thought you could, uh, explore your bi-curious side with.”

“WHUT?” Eddie and Steve yelled in unison.

“No way!” said Eddie. “You didn’t tell me it was HIM! Game over, sister.”

“I wouldn’t be seen dead in the same state as that freakshow,” mumbled Steve. 

Robin huffed at them both then stomped off to get Steve some ice.

***

One week later

Eddie sprawled on the bed with his new boyfriend. They explored each other’s mouths with lush kisses, to the ever-changing tempos of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. 

“See?” At the end of the song, Steve licked shiny, kiss-reddened lips, and smiled that smile Eddie always considered smug and preppy. Now, he adored it. “Not only are you a closet Hoosier’s fan—we even found music we both like.”

“Okay, I surrender.” Eddie’s hand found a comfortable spot—cupping the ass of his mega-hot boyfriend, while Steve’s hands roved similarly down Eddie’s pants. “Bryan May is a half-decent ax-man.”

“Ugh, those endless guitar solos are the worst. It’s all about Freddie. His voice gives me tingles.”

“You give me tingles.” Eddie grinned daftly. “Sounds like a nasty disease. Then again, wasn’t looking to catch you, douchebag.”

“Likewise, freak.” They kissed again, delving deeper than before, rolling and scrubbing against each other till they wound up pretty much naked, in a sweaty, sated heap. Steve pulled a blanket up over them, tucked his head under Eddie’s chin and…. 

“You kipping on me, Harrington?”

“In about ten seconds,” said Steve, sleepily.

The light caught the shine of Steve’s fading black eye, and Eddie winced, stroked Steve’s brow just above. “Does it still hurt?” he asked, guiltily. Even if the douche had totally asked for it, Eddie now knew all the facts.

“Had worse,” mumbled Steve. “I kinda gotta thing for this one. I worry when it goes, our honeymoon period will be over.”

Wtf? 

“That’s totally messed up, dude,” said Eddie, grateful when a lock of Steve’s hair slipped to cover the bruise. He planted a soft kiss on Steve’s head. “Who’s the freak now, huh?”

“Perfect match,” whispered Steve. Eddie smiled softly to himself and snuggled into his boyfriend just that little bit tighter.

***

Thank you so much for reading 🙂 Also posted here on my AO3

[issybettyx]

Hero Tommy, Villains SBI AU

Tldr; i was on tiktok earlier and heard a sound and suddenly this au was born (i’m skipping revision for my exams that start tomorrow to write this) (dream is also in this au purely because i needed a manipulative character, and c!dream is basically just that)

—

“Here to lose again, Theseus?” Siren taunts, jumping over the flash of light the hero shot in his direction. Theseus laughs, grinning as he continues to fire, letting his eyes glow red as he does so. “You’ll never defeat us no matter how hard you try.”

“You’re all bitches,” Tommy spits, and he grins wider when Siren barks out an unamused laugh, letting his energy guide him as Siren phases through the floor, appearing behind him a moment later. “What’s the point of The SBI anyways?”

Curiosity was evil, and Tommy was starving from a lack of information. His whole life, all he’d ever wanted was answers. Maybe asking Siren the point of his existence wouldn’t tell him who his parents were or why he was forced into the Hero Guild at the meek age of 7, but knowledge helped him in the field.

“The Guild knows our reasons, why don’t you?” Siren laughed back, attempting to send a phantom punch through Theseus’ skull, the kid dodging just in time. Dream had told him it was good he was young, it made him quick and flexible, made it easier to dodge and harder to catch. Despite his clear confusion, and yet apathy towards the entire situation, Siren continues. “We had something taken from us, and the Hero Guild have been hiding it for years despite how much they insist they don’t have it.”

“We’re civil, we wouldn’t steal, we’re not fuckin’ robbers or anything.” Tommy spits back, somehow managing to land a kick on Siren’s chest, sending a bright red stream of energy onto the exact place he’d managed to hit and watching as the man fell to the ground, clutching at his chest with a hiss. “We just stop the annoying shits who wreak havoc on our country.”

“You tell your Dream buddy that we demand what’s ours back,” Siren tells him, and Theseus feels something cold press hard at his back, shivers taking over all of his limbs until he’s struggling to stand. He continued to stay stood, despite how much his body begs to fall.

Dream wouldn’t like it if he fell.

He couldn’t disappoint Dream.

“And what if they don’t?” He yells back, making sure his voice echoed on the cold walls of the alleyway they were currently in. It wasn’t the best place for a fight, but it was better than having cameras catch his every move. Whenever that happened, him and Dream would spend the entirety of the next day pointing out and correcting the flaws of his technique. “What if they can’t give it back?”

“I’m sure, if they’re lives are on the line, they will be more than willing to give it back.”

Siren disappeared through the floor before he could say anything else, leaving Theseus alone once more.

—

“Dream,” Tommy starts, taking a deep breath as the man hums, scrolling on his phone, “I want to find my family.”

The man pauses, fingers going still on his screen as he stares directly ahead, and Tommy already regrets saying anything.

“We’ve tried, Tommy, you know this.”

“You tried when I was seven.” Tommy insisted despite the fear thrumming through his veins, biting his lip when bright green eyes stare back at him, a dull frown sitting on his face. “We didn’t even do a DNA test, that could find them so quickly, I’m sure-“

“Go to training kiddo.” Dream told him, and he wanted to protest, wanted to yell and tell him he was actually stupid to think they’d done all they could; but it was Dream he was talking to, he couldn’t just go against him, so he obliged, picking up his suit and leaving the room.

Before he opened the door, he made sure to pick up his backpack, throwing his suit into it before leaving, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Tommy arrived at the centre soon enough. It was a place he’d found on a solo patrol one night, a centre where you could test your DNA and find your family history and things similar to it. Maybe he’d gone a few months ago and gave them a swab of his DNA. Maybe he was only looking for permission so he could show someone he’d found his family, but it seems he would have to keep this to himself as well.

“Tommy Innit?” The desk lady called, and he immediately stood up, taking the brown folder from her with a quiet thanks before immediately leaving, breaking open the flap that sealed it shut.

After taking a deep breath, a short session of rethinking his life choices and swallowing the lump in his throat, Tommy lifted the white papers out, looking over the front.

‘Tommy Innit.

DOB: April 9th 2004’

This was it.

He lifted the front paper out, slipping it behind the others before he looked over it.

‘Heritage: 75% L’Manberg, 20% Essempee’

He took out the next paper.

And the next.

Before finally, the words ‘Family Tree’ met his gaze, and he had never read something faster, the widest smile on his face.

—

Tommy knocked on the door - after a good few minutes of wanting to turn back from the nerves fluttering in his stomach - immediately taking a step away from it.

“Techno get the door!” A voice shouted from the inside, and Tommy knew he had the right place.

The form had said his closest family were as follows; Phil Craft, his father, aged 36. His mother, Kristin Craft, whose age wasn’t specified? It was strange but he brushed past it. And, apparently, he had two brothers, and they were twins.

Technoblade Craft and Wilbur Craft.

“I’m doing homework! Make Wil get it!”

“Wil’s not in- you know what.”

Footsteps followed, and Tommy took a shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he tapped his fingers on his leg, trying to steady his breathing as scraping metal from a door lock filled his ears. The door was opened, and a blonde man stood on the other side, blue eyes blinking at Tommy who could only just manage to look back at him.

“Can I help you?” He asked slowly, squinting his eyes at Tommy who took another deep breath, muttering random things under his breath as Phil continued to stare. “Did the government send you? Oh god-“

“No- I- no, I- oh god how do I put this?” Tommy tried, despite having recited this conversation in his head thousands of times he still found himself lost for words. No one had told him meeting his father for the first time would be so… scary. Then again, no one really knew he was there. “I’m an orphan.”

This only seemed to confuse the other more.

“Right?”

“And I- I never knew who my family were, so I kinda snuck off to this centre in town?” Tommy tried, messing with his hands as he refused to look at the other. After a moment, he put his shaking hands into his bag and pulled out the page of his family tree, holding it out to the man who took it with slight hesitance.

Tommy didn’t watch him as his eyes went wide, mouth slightly open as he stared at it, disbelief taking over.

“Um, apparently your my dad? And I wanted to meet you my entire life, and I wasn’t sure-“

Arms wrapped around him, cutting his sentence off to look at Phil, the man’s arms holding him so tight Tommy wondered if he would ever let go. His head was pushed into Tommy’s shoulder, and he could feel his sleeve getting wet.

Was he crying?

“Oh Tommy.” Phil said shakily, and Tommy sighed, returning the hug as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I thought I’d never see you again- I- oh god, I’m so sorry.”

Some part of him said to forgive him. But he didn’t exactly know what had happened in the first place, so he only held him tighter, holding down his own cries as he heard Phil, feeling as he shook in his hold.

“Dad who is it?” A deep voice called, likely Techno because apparently Wilbur wasn’t there, as footsteps grew louder, Phil sniffing before moving back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Only then did Tommy see the other man, pink hair tied back into a messy bun, a mug in his hand with glasses over his eyes. His clothes were a little questionable, a fancy frilled shirt tucked into black trousers. The man looked at Phil, a raised eyebrow with a silent question Tommy wasn’t sure of, but Phil nodded and a hand was thrown over his mouth before he placed the mug down. “Tommy?”

“I- yeah?” Tommy returned, and Techno was walking over before he could do anything, the man pulling his head onto his chest and keeping a steady on the back of his head, and Tommy leaned into it, letting out a breath as he tried to ignore the shivering of the other. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, kid.” Techno told him, letting go to crouch in front of him, holding his hand with a small smile. It didn’t look right on the man’s face, but Tommy returned it anyways, wiping whatever tears were forming in his eyes, “None of this was your fault.”

“I’ve messaged Wil, he’s on his way back.” Phil said, albeit a bit rushed, before turning to Tommy, a fond smile on his face. “You can eat dinner with us? If you’d like?”

Did he? Yes, he wanted to, a million times yes. But Dream would murder him if he was home late. Not to even mention the fact the man didn’t seem to keen on the idea of him finding his family, for whatever reason.

“I would love to.” Tommy replied nonetheless, letting them usher him into the house. It was a lovely space, in Tommy’s opinion. The wallpaper was a sage green, and wooden shelves lined one wall. A mirror was in the hallway, a cabinet beneath it with a vase on it, no flowers to make it prettier. They led him to the kitchen, and Techno flicked on the kettle again, offering Tommy a drink to which he declined.

“So, Tommy,” Phil started, and Tommy looked at him, taking in his warm smile and the way tension had left his shoulders since he’d arrived, “Tell us about yourself.”

Well he’d been a hero since he was seven, and that was basically his entire life.

“I like cows.” Is what he said, because it was true, he did, “And the colour red. It’s epic.”

“It is epic,” Techno replied to that, pouring Phil a mug of coffee and passing it to him, “Red is the coolest colour. Well, apart from pink.”

“Pink is a very based favourite colour.” Tommy returned, and Techno seemed to straightening up a little at that as that same smile returned from before.

“How’ve you been doing?” Phil asked, a little more cautious than the first time. “Have you been living with someone or?”

“Well,” Tommy started, wondering how in hells name to go about this. He had a feeling if he said he didn’t want to say, he would he allowed to keep it to himself. But this was his dad, asking about where he’d been basically his entire life, so maybe he could just… not name names. “My guardian found me when I was a baby, and he gave me a roof over my head for basically my entire life. He can be a bit…” what was the word? “Strange,” Good enough, “Sometimes, but he basically raised me, so I made do.”

“Who is he?” Techno asked, Phil hitting his arm lightly as he shrugged, “I think I deserve to know who my little brother has been staying with all this time.” There was a look in Phil’s eyes that was a kind of warning, and if Tommy didn’t know better he would say it said they knew something he didn’t.

“I have a question, actually.” Tommy said after a moment of quiet conversation between the other two, bringing the attention back to him. Attention was always something he’d hated, it was always the media shoving cameras into his masked face, following his movements and guessing his next move. He sunk a little under the watchful eyes, biting his lip as he brought his knees to his chest. “Where have you been?”

His real question was clear. Why was I orphaned? Did you choose to? Why did I have to be raised by a young hero and roped into a job so early that I’ve always hated?

“We-“ Phil started, but Techno cut him off.

“You were taken in your sleep.” Techno said bluntly, sipping on his coffee as if admitting Tommy had been kidnapped was the calmest topic of conversation. “We’ve been trying to track you down since, but they were very good at covering their tracks.”

“We knew the only way for you to get back was for you to do it on your own accord,” Phil admitted, picking at his nails as Tommy looked at the floor, frowning as he tried to process it all. “But we tried to get you back nonetheless, they were just… very good at hiding you.”

The door opened after Phil finished speaking, and Tommy turned as fast footsteps filled the house, and soon enough a brown haired man was stood in the doorway, circular glasses over his brown eyes. His style was a lot more simplistic than Techno’s; a simple white shirt with a yellow jumper over the top, black trousers leading down the black boots, and a brown trench coat was over his shoulders, clearly forgotten to be taken off in his rush.

His eyes were wide as he stared at him, eyes scanning him as if he was worried the boy would disappear and he had to remember every small detail. It was a strange thing, and yet Tommy wasn’t too against that kind of attention, waiting for someone to say something.

“Am I dreaming? This is a dream right?” Wilbur asked, taking a careful step closer as Tommy shook his head, watching the man look down at his hands, muttering numbers under his breath before sucking in a quick breath, staring at Tommy before bounding towards him, tugging him into a warm hug.

It wasn’t as tight as Phil’s, whose hug gave him a strange sense of security. It wasn’t as… whatever Techno’s was, that let him know he was there and everything was okay.

It was warm, and it felt safe, and he knew he could pull away if he tried. It was what finally made him cry, clinging back as he sobbed, hoping the man didn’t care if his jumper got too wet, feeling the man hold him tighter as he rested his chin on his head.

“You’re safe now, Tommy.” He whispered, sincerity soaking his words as Tommy only cried harder, knowing his brother would keep him safe. “We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.”

“But I have to go.” Tommy cried back, shaking his head as Wilbur hushed him, stroking his hands through his hair. With all the emotion in him, Tommy couldn’t find it in him to lie to his family any longer. In Wilbur’s arms, he knew he never wanted to leave, so they needed the truth if they could even try to do anything to fix things. “Dream will be mad if I don’t go back to the tower, he- he’ll-“

“It’s alright, take a deep breath, take your time.” Wilbur muttered back, feeling the kid’s chest rise and fall as he cried.

“Dream has given me everything, and if I leave- he didn’t want me to leave.”

Tommy didn’t see as Phil gripped his coffee tighter, something dangerous flickering in his eyes as he listened to Tommy say the hero’s name. Tommy didn’t see Techno bite his lip, a million thoughts running through his head as he already began planning the man’s demise.

Wilbur only held him tighter.

“He gave me everything, he made me who I am, he- I need to leave.”

“You don’t need to leave, Toms, your safe here.” Wilbur assured, and Tommy shook his head again.

“Can I ask you a question Tommy?” Techno asked carefully, the blonde sniffing as he turned, Wilbur letting go for a moment so he could look at Techno, before slinging his arms over Tommy’s shoulders, resting his chin on Tommy’s head once more. “What did Dream do for you? Who did he make you?”

Could he say that?

Probably, it’s not like they would or could do anything if they knew he was a hero.

“Theseus.” He sniffed back, wiping his eyes as Wilbur froze. Tommy immediately regretted it, everything he’d said coming back to him as he struggled for words, seeing Techno’s wide eyes and Phil’s hand gripping tighter on his mug. “I- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I-“

“Dream made a child a hero?” Techno scowled, and Tommy immediately got defensive.

“I’m not a child.”

“You’re 14.”

“And? I’m not a kid, I can hold my own.” Tommy insisted, standing straighter and forcing Wilbur’s head up.

Phil’s frown physically hurt him, and he found himself looking at the floor to avoid his firey gaze.

“You shouldn’t have to, though.” Phil said quietly, and Tommy had to squeeze his eyes shut as he took a deep breath.

“And you don’t have to, not anymore.” Wilbur added, squeezing Tommy’s shoulders.

“Yeah,” Techno laughed back, but Tommy could hear the malice in it, “If Dream even gets within one mile of you he won’t see the light of day again.”

“That sounds quite evil of you Technoblade,” Tommy told him, finding himself smiling as the man grinned back, “It’s kind of awesome.”

“What can I say? I am awesome.”

Tommy laughed, leaning into Wilbur as the man held him closer, Techno sipping his coffee again as Phil typed something into his phone - Tommy had a feeling he wasn’t casually messaging a colleague, but he didn’t voice those thoughts.

He didn’t voice the thoughts because he was finally safe; he wasn’t sure how he knew it, but he knew he could relax even if it wouldn’t be for long.

With his family, in a home that felt right, without bright green eyes constantly staring holes into his head, he felt safe.

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Main Story S4CH4 ‘The One Without’ - Part 1

pain, suffering even

Chapter 1

-starless office-

unei: Moving on to our next topic of discussion, who will be handling the January performance?

kei: It was originally planned to be Team B...

haseyama: What? You're still thinking of putting them on stage? B can't handle it so change it to some other team.

mizuki: The fuck? Who says we can't handle it?

haseyama: Who was it again that used a guy who was already half dead and turned the stage into a bloody mess? I'm all ears.

mizuki: Tch…

saki: (I hope Heath-san is doing ok...)

unei: But boss, Heath-san received a medical certificate stating that he was ill with bronchitis and that it would clear up in two weeks. He's slowly been returning to work too, I think he should be fine now!

mizuki: Exactly. Our new work can't be beat, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to perform it.

kokuyou: Oi, Mizuki.

rindou: ......

kei: Mizuki, this is not an issue in which you can decide everything yourself. Let's return to our respective teams for now, then in the next meeting we can—

-heath rushes into the room with zakuro-

heath: I'll do it.

saki: Heath-san?

haseyama: Hey what the hell do you think you're doing? This is a meeting between the team leaders, not you.

zakuro: My my, I deeply apologise for the trouble. I may be causing interference, but won't this make things easier to discuss?

kei: Zakuro, damn you...

zakuro: Well then, now that all the main actors are here, whatever shall you do, Mizuki?

mizuki: We're gonna do it, ain't that obvious? Heath said he wants to, so we will.

heath: Yeah.

mokuren: Wait. If you're getting on stage, then let us continue our New Year’s show instead, that's the better option.

mizuki: Huh? What, you got a problem with us, Mokuren?

haseyama: Regardless of the show's content, it is true the rest of the teams are in better condition. If you go ahead and collapse on stage again then who knows if someone will report us to the police.

zakuro: I see I see, the Boss' worries are not unfounded. ...Hm? Oh my what's a new C work doing over here.

mokuren: ...Zakuro.

heath: If you want a new work then we've got one of our own prepared too.

unei: Um, uhh...

kei: ...Haseyama, provoking them any further will just prove to be a waste of time. We'll make this show a versus between Team B and Team C, understood?

haseyama: Huh? So in the end Heath's still gonna be performing? Are you sure that'll work out?

kei: As a versus the total number of shows per team will be fewer compared to a solo performance. Therefore the risk will be lessened slightly.

haseyama: Hang on there, Kei-sama. Wasn't it during a versus that he collapsed last time? You can't guarantee anything.

kei: That's true. However no matter what we say these two aren't going to back down.

unei: Umm, so we're going to go ahead with the January show being a versus between B and C then?

mizuki: Sure. We'll kick their asses. Let's go, Heath.

heath: Ok.

-mizuki and heath leave-

zakuro: We shall also take our leave to make preparations, excuse us.

saki: (A versus between Team B and Team C... I hope everything goes well and without incident...)

mokuren: ...... (frown)

—end

-

Chapter 1 extra

-starless restaurant area-

akira: Next show was supposed to be B right? What happened to that?

takami: It appears it's been turned into a versus between B and C.

akira: Ooh ...Hm? Wait, versus? Why?

takami: I don't know the details either. It seems Team C proposed the idea of the versus.

akira: Huh? Mokuren did? What's his problem this time?

takami: As I said, I don't know either. Why not try asking Kokuyou about it? The owner and Kei have approved the versus already at least.

taiga: Yet another versus huh. This store sure does love them.

akira: Hmm~ I don't really get it, but it means Heath is getting up on the stage then?

taiga: Oh yeah, wonder what'll happen with that. He's been resting since he coughed up blood. It's been about half a year since then, right?

takami: You mean what happened in September last year?

taiga: It's been a decent amount of time, surely it means he's better now.

akira: I'm not so sure. That didn't really look like something you could just sleep off.

taiga: Well yeah... That's true.

takami: Whatever happens, we should all proceed with caution. So that even if something does go wrong, we'll be ready.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA

-rehearsal room-

heath: ...Phew.

mizuki: Hey, Heath. Are you ok?

heath: Yeah, I'm fine. Same as always.

mizuki: Alright. Listen, don't you dare go overdoing it. It's not like this is something worth throwing your life away over.

heath: ......

mizuki: Like sure I wanna kick Mokuren's ass, but if you collapse then there's no point. We haven't lost to C so far, so it doesn't really matter if we lose this one.

heath: It's fine, you don't need to worry. We won't lose.

mizuki: Duh, of course.

heath: Don't tell me you've gone soft, Mizuki.

mizuki: What? Of course not. We'll blow 'em away and take out the win like always.

heath: Yeah, good. I don't plan on holding you guys back either.

mizuki: Bring it on then.

heath: Sure.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA extra

-behind starless, evening-

kei: Heath.

heath: Piss off, I have no business with you.

kei: Just hear me out. I take it you have not forgotten what I said to you during your break.

heath: ...Who knows. I couldn't care less what you think. You said to make this performance a versus. That's it, the conversation ends there.

kei: I have not forgotten the incident that transpired during your versus with Team K.

heath: What, are you planning to put your winners privileges into effect now?

kei: That's not what I mean. Back then, you managed to hold out despite the dangerous situation you were in. I'm telling you to not needlessly waste your life.

heath: That wasn't me 'holding out'. It was just proof that wasn’t enough to kill me.

kei: ....... (frustrated)

heath: You're not my guardian or anything. My life... However much more of it I have left, I'll use it however I like. Don't you dare interfere with how I live it.

kei: ....….

kei: Right. Understood. I won't involve myself any further. I shall now address you as 'Kei from Starless' then. Your life is your own, use it however you please.

heath: I plan to.

—end

(tl note: In the B onsen trip story Kei said this to Heath: “It’s your life, use it however you please. However, if you make Saki sad that is the one thing I shall not forgive.”)

-

Chapter 1 SideB

-rehearsal room-

hari: So, in short our next performance has become a versus performance against Team B?

mokuren: Yep.

hari: We just performed for New Year’s and we’re already back on the stage...

qu: It's reckless isn't it. Do we even have any reason to oppose them?

mokuren: It doesn't matter if we have a reason or not. If there's an opportunity for us to stand on the stage then I'm taking it, that's all.

qu: It was dumb of me to ask.

kasumi: Ah, but the performance being a versus may be safer.

qu: Do you mean we can be more prepared if something happens?

kasumi: Yeah. In the worst case scenario, if it was just a B solo performance then if trouble occurred the show would need to be suspended. If that were to happen there'd be no way Team B or Heath would get off the hook without any punishment.

hari: True. Not only they themselves, but our management's ability would also be doubted in that case.

kasumi: Instead of B dealing with a full schedule, in a versus we take half of the performances. Even if it's just to make sure Heath's ok to return, I don't think it's a bad idea.

qu: Well, I guess that is one way to look at it.

hari: We're only able to participate in this versus because we have a new work too. Despite it just being after the New Year's show, you've prepared well huh, Zakuro.

zakuro: Indeed indeed. It's too late to do anything once something has already occurred after all. It's often said that you have no need to worry if you're prepared.

mokuren: You just foresaw that things would turn out this way from the start didn't you?

hari: Is that true, Zakuro?

zakuro: Of course not, that would be truly awe inspiring. As if someone like me who does not even know their past would be able to predict the future.

mokuren: Whatever. We've decided we'll do it so we just have to win. That's all that matters.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideB extra

-starless office-

yakou: Next is a Team B versus performance huh?

yoshino: Ah, yes. So it seems.

yakou: Even though they just went up against Team K in September, they're already challenging C...

sotetsu: Now that you mention it, Team B are kinda known for getting themselves into versus'.

yoshino: Well that's because they really do participate in a lot. I feel like B has featured on all the recent versus flyers.

yakou: That's true...

sotetsu: I mean, we're talking about the team who picked a fight with Team P the moment they were formed. That's just the kind of guy Mizuki is.

yoshino: I don't think that statement only applies to Mizuki.

sotetsu: That so? ...Hm, I see. When you think about it, all of B are fighting against something huh. They have Haseyama's intervention to worry about too.

yoshino: Yeah.

sotetsu: But it's fine isn't it? When it comes to hip hop you just have to keep dissing your opponent right? I think an element like our versus performances are needed for their rap game.

yakou: So you're saying that them participating in lots of versus is a result of their team's concept?

sotetsu: Exactly.

yoshino: Even if it was part of the team's concept, I wouldn't want to have to go about things like that...

sotetsu: Don't worry, you're the type that does things unconsciously.

yakou: Dang...

yoshino: Sotetsu... What do you mean by that?

sotetsu: Ah, nothing. C'mon let's get back to work, Yakou.

-sotetsu leaves-

yakou: Oh, yes.

-yakou leaves-

yoshino: Sigh...

—end

-

Chapter 2

-break room-

mokuren: Kongou.

kongou: Oh, Mokuren. Did you need me for something?

mokuren: Is your MC doing ok?

kongou: You mean Heath? Well, I'm not so sure... His condition doesn't look much different from usual at least.

mokuren: ...You're seriously saying that? To me it looks as though he’s already up to the shoulders in a coffin.

kongou: To the shoulders... A coffin isn't a bath... But, yeah, I do get what you're trying to say. Perhaps since we see him everyday we've grown indifferent to it. We've seen him looking paler and struggling to catch his breath even more than how he is currently, so we don’t notice it as much.

mokuren: I see.

kongou: Also, to put it bluntly, stopping Heath in general is difficult. We tell him to rest but he sneaks out and if we tell him to stop writing he doesn't. I guess we as Team B have a stance to keep going until we can't anymore.

mokuren: Hmph, so you'll only stop when an incident occurs then?

kongou: Mm... You may be right. It's possible things may end up that way at this rate.

mokuren: Well, whatever. If that's what you lot want to happen then go ahead.

kongou: Sorry for all this. I tried to push for C to perform instead of us.

mokuren: Don't worry about it. All I plan to do is move forward according to my own beliefs. I suppose Heath is doing the same. Sorry for bothering you.

kongou: No worries. Let's both do our best in the show, see you.

-kongou leaves-

mokuren: ......

mokuren: The two of us will never understand one another, ever.

—end

-

Chapter 2 extra

-outside the front of starless, night-

maica: Good work today.

sinju: Ah, you too, Maica. Let's walk to the station together.

maica: Sure, let's go.

-time pass, street, night-

sinju: Hey, recently hasn't everyone been really on edge backstage?

maica: What do you mean on edge?

sinju: Hm... like, everyone seems nervous? That's just the vibe I get.

maica: Ooh. True, the atmosphere has been a bit tense.

sinju: Right, you think so too?

maica: It feels as though Kei and Takami are making arrangements for something. If I had to guess... It's probably because of Heath.

sinju: Ah... You're right. It wouldn't be good if his condition deteriorated again like last time.

maica: Yeah. When I heard him sing from the floor though he seemed the same as always. But, I don't know how to explain it, but it feels as though it's lacking some punch.

sinju: Really? I haven't picked up on anything like that. Sometimes I think that Heath is really amazing though. I'm not entirely familiar with the direction of his shows, but when he gets on stage he's like an entirely different person. I don't think I could ever sing like that.

maica: ...I don't think Heath is putting as much power into his performance as he'd like, though. There's an urgency to it... As if he's backed into a corner.

sinju: Backed into a corner?

maica: I don't really understand it myself either. But when I watch Heath that's the sense I get.

sinju: Hmm, maybe it's because he had to be admitted to the hospital... I suppose all we can do to help is work our shifts and be there to support both teams.

maica: Yeah, I think that's fine.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideA

-rehearsal room-

ran: Hey, Mizuki. Are ya really gonna continue with this?

mizuki: Huh? Continue with what?

ran: This versus. Heath is clearly overdoin' it.

mizuki: .......

ran: It's fine if we step down now n' take the loss. There's no need for him to risk his life over this.

mizuki: ...Heath said he would do it. So, we won't stop until we've won.

ran: Sigh....

ran: Look, Mizuki. We're all friends here. I get that ya respect Heath. But placin’ ya faith in someone and losin’ control of the situation are completely different things.

mizuki: What? Don't say things that are hard to understand.

ran: It's hard to oppose someone that ya like, I know that. However there are things that people aren't able to see for themselves, and it's the job of the leader to point those things out. Have ya ever opposed Heath before?

mizuki: Shut up already, I know all that. I'm thinking about it in my own way, don't interfere.

ran: Are ya sure? Things are gonna get real bad at this rate. 

—end 

-

Chapter 2 SideA extra

-starless office-

kokuyou: Oi, Mizuki.

mizuki: What?

kokuyou: Are you still going to let him keep singing? He didn't get enough proper rest, just how long are you planning to let him just do whatever he wants?

mizuki: Shut up. Of course Heath is gonna keep singing. Don't butt into our business.

kokuyou: I won't say anything if it goes well. But listen, Mizuki. Consider pulling back if things get dangerous. Especially if it's putting your team's life in danger.

mizuki: Even though you wouldn't pull back you're telling me to?

kokuyou: Do I seem that way to you? I know when to retreat when it's necessary. If you always just go in punching without thinking about it, you'll come to regret it eventually.

mizuki: I'm not withdrawing. I ain't scared of regret or shit like that. Do you really think I'd do something as lame as running away in the middle of a fight?

kokuyou: Sure, whatever.

-mizuki leaves-

kokuyou: ...That damn brat, even if I hit him there'd be no convincing him. They’re not gonna stop until they fall apart.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB

-behind starless, evening-

zakuro: Good evening, thank you for humouring me whilst you're so busy.

kei: No need for the formalities. Tell me your piece.

zakuro: I'll get right to the point then. As you've probably already noticed, Heath's body may have reached its limit... He's been in a worrying state many times already, but don't you agree it's especially grave right now?

kei: That may be so.

zakuro: My my, what a cold response. Are you ok with things continuing as they are?

kei: This is something that he has decided for himself. There is nothing I can do to convince him otherwise.

zakuro: I see, I see. In that case— If I were to tell you that I have a way to heal him... What would you do?

kei: What do you mean?

zakuro: I shall return Heath's body which he values so dearly back to its original state.

kei: Oh?

zakuro: Of course, I will not do so without compensation however.

kei: Hm. What is it that you desire?

zakuro: I simply ask that you step back from both Starless and the little bird. A cheap price to save a life, is it not? Since after all, in the end he is your—

kei: I refuse. Heath told me that he would use his life as he wants. I have no intentions to accept your offer here and tarnish his resolve.

zakuro: Hm... Meaning this is your answer then?

kei: Indeed.

zakuro: I see, I see...! What a poor pitiful little lamb, disregarded by you once again. Not once but twice, without your expression so much as wavering.

kei: I'm not in the mood to respond to your provocation. Is that all you wanted to say? Then I shall be going.

-kei leaves-

zakuro: ...He was a lot calmer about it than I'd expected. If this is going to become a war of attrition then I am the one at a disadvantage. I must carefully consider my next move.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB extra

-starless hallway-

nekome: Oh? If it isn't Zakuro. Good day.

zakuro: Greetings, Nekome. I see you're with the little bird?

saki: We met by coincidence outside. 

nekome: I was on my way back from the shops~ I feel as though luck is on my side. And so, what are you doing here, Zakuro? Do you not have a performance today?

zakuro: Indeed, I just had some minor business to attend to.

nekome: Hm? By the way, you were the one that brought Heath along to turn things into a versus, weren't you?

zakuro: If you mean I brought him to the meeting, then yes. I figured it was best for him to be there and then the show turned into a team versus.

nekome: I see…

saki: I hope Heath is ok...

nekome: Ah, true. He looked pretty pale, it's worrying.

zakuro: He is someone with a naturally pale complexion however he has been looking quite ghostly as of late. Even I am beginning to worry.

saki: (I don't want him to overdo it... Heath-san...)

nekome: I hope nothing bad happens.

zakuro: Indeed, I hope the same. As I too would be partly to blame if anything were to occur. Although I did whatever I could, he was too tough of a nut to crack. To think I've even caused the little bird's expression to cloud over...

saki: Oh no, I'm ok.

nekome: Well, let's just pray that the shows end without incident. Try cheering them on with a smile, Saki-chan. Or, if you still can't stop worrying, we can go and check together that he isn't pushing himself too hard.

saki: Yes.

zakuro: ...To make arrangements like that right under my nose. This is exactly why one cannot let their guard down.

nekome: Ahaha, call it a privilege of being an understudy. I have a lot more free time compared to the rest of you~ Do your best in the show today~ I'll be cheering you on with Saki-chan here.

—end

To Part 2

[fairlyqualityanon]

who're your pred/prey crushes ?

totally not collecting blorbos like trading cards shhh - 🪀

Oooooof.wav

There's a ton... I'll try to organize them. Let's start with ones I've written in some form or another.

Pred - TFA Starscream (so close with that guess lmao), anyway I've got this story I've been poking at since literally 2010 (@/wolvesinstarryskies is so supportive 💖 ) and it's gotten me through some really tough times, and yes there's a vore AU... also he's how I found out about vore to begin with (long story, it's over on my Tumblr RP blog)😳, really he's just a dick to his prey and will let them go after thoroughly messing with their head unless you can come up with some bribe worthy of Future Leader Of The Decepticons

Pred - Obey Me! Mammon, idk he threatens to eat the MC and I went "YES PLEASE", I have more fun flustering him when he's a pred than when he's prey 😼

Pred - Obey Me! Beel, it's literally canon and he's a precious boy and going hungry sucks and I'd be perfectly happy to help him not be starving 🥺 I don't care if he eats regular food at the same time as long as I'm safe

Prey - Obey Me! Lucifer (yes really), because that mans is going to take a break whether he wants to or not and I think Diavolo/Barbatos would see the humor in MC taking things into their own hands (my MC's strongest/most-expressed Sin is Pride plus she ain't afraid of this old man 😤)

Switch - Deltarune Spamton, I think he'd be easier to pay to be prey than pred, and I have a thing for robots meaning SNEO defaults to pred and I will immediately yeet myself into whatever fuel container said robopred uses no questions asked 😅

Newest obsession is Solo Leveling (IncredibleEdibleCalico actually did a piece ages back) and I only remembered after watching S1 of the anime and starting the manhwa. I mistakenly bought the books and comic (Vol 1-8) but regret neither purchase. Soooo good! 😍 Anyway here they are in super rough descending order of crush level.

Sung Jinwoo - Pred, I don't know how to put it into words, he just oozes soft pred vibes where tf did he even get that rune stone??? 🤔 maybe he saves someone from a Dungeon and discovers vore is actually pretty neat, he's comically oblivious at times and cares for his minions as people ugh the glowy eye affect it makes me weak

Woo Jinchul - Switch, professional, dry sense of humor, looked Death in the eye and only flinched when he saw the Apocalypse ahead, incredibly smart and intuitive, he's my Guilty Pleasure on this list 👮‍♂️

Song Chi-Yul - Pred, I lied here's another Guilty Pleasure, I actually literally cried at the end of the manhwa, he's only a C-rank mage but teaches swordsmanship to S-ranks, tried to save Jinwoo and Joohee but was talked out of it and regrets it to this day, he is classy and I just want to spend time with him🫡

Baek Yoonho - Prey (yes really), idk something about him makes me want to aggressively demonstrate affection, don't ever tease him about it because despite being the weakest Korean S-rank Hunter HE IS STILL AN S RANK and will cut a bitch (he was ready to beat the crap out of Hwang Dongsoo for strangling his lower-ranked guildmate edit that guildmate isn't even a Hunter and that is not a Hunter you want on your bad side srsly just Do Not The Thing)😼

Choi Jong-In - Pred, he's canonically a bit of a shit-talker and gives me OM! Diavolo vibes and I love me some playful banter with preds what is it with me and people with a red theme?? 😧

Son Kihoon - Switch, he's a sweetheart and I want to snuggle him three different ways, he cares for his strike squad and was willing to set aside a chance for tremendous personal glory as well as sacrifice his whole team to keep a literal army of High Orcs from destroying a few cities 🫂

Go Gunhee - Pred, he's a total badass who gave his all to keep Hunters from basically forming a Might Makes Right society also I have a Thing for older men I am not ashamed to admit it, Song-san is up there for a reason, the man is a Gigachad who outright rigs Hunters Association assignments to keep the D- and E-ranks as safe as possible 🙇‍♀️

Yoo Jinho - Prey, because he's just a sof' boi and must be protected at all costs, maybe he'd find it interesting and like that he was sought out for him and not just because he's Ahjin Guild's vice/Jinwoo's friend 😋

I started Stardew Valley 7/14 so there's gonna be some of that eventually my askbox is open 📨 if anyone wants to gush over their own vore crushes.

Can't forget Horizon Zero Dawn! the events of the Gemini Quest are NOT canon I refuse don't even @ me I WILL die on that hill 🔪

Kotallo - Switch, he's definitely my favorite character and I just love him so dang much, he's a fearsome warrior even without that arm and a brilliant strategist and completely loyal to the good of the Tenakth tribe as a whole, having no other ambition save serving his Chief... but I also want him to sit and relax, maybe having a stomach all to himself will give him a new perspective or insight ⚔️

Milvund - Pred, I did his miniquest back when my computer couldn't run HFW for more than 5-10 minutes but he's so precious and I'm betting would be very hesitant yet also so caring just let me comfort him 😭

Racking my brain for any other major fandoms but I can't come up with any for the life of me so have a bonus Pred TFA Cliffjumper because I have an active thread with him. ... Maybe jjks? I'd have to twist canon in knots to make Sukuna a safe pred, and there's a couple others but I haven't even finished S2 of the anime and a bunch of them are minors soooo...

>>; So much time in TFA focused on That One Smug Bastard and now I'm like "how do with other 'Cons??"

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Maybe you've already said what you think but I haven't scrolled back a lot on your blog so forgive me if it's something you already talked about. You think the company submitted LC, or that no submission was needed, for VMA and EMA rigth? Then how come a song with its achievements in Europe wasn't considered but songs and artists with virtually no achievements in Europe did? It is not explainable, I'm sorry. And of course Hybe was going to submit everyone for Grammy, because the submission are public knowledge and it would have actually caused an uproar if they submitted only some. It's not about siding with solos or their "agenda" but once again it is weird and suspicious, just like the unreported sales, the sudden splitting of LC versions when even 3D with and without Jack are combined, so two different songs.

So yeah, I find it weird, and I don't want to think this way but the reasons armys give to this mishaps are always putting blame on jm himself, like he doesn't want his work to be recognised or something.. I hope you can make me look at this in another light, if you want..

***

I published this on my blog 2 days ago. I suggest you read it. This one too, and this one, and this one too while you're at it. Or idk, try to talking to an ARMY that's been here for a while. Anyway I highly doubt you'll read all linked posts so I'll paste a section I've written earlier for you here too in response to parts of your ask.

"Then how come a song with its achievements in Europe wasn't considered but songs and artists with virtually no achievements in Europe did? It is not explainable, I'm sorry."

"BigHit submitted BTS’s work for 2017 MTV EMAs and they were snubbed for nominations. Groups like Mamamoo and Gfriend were nominated instead, and no group had a bigger performance in 2017 than BTS. The same can be said for when BigHit submitted BTS’s work in 2018 and 2019 and both times were snubbed for the Grammys and some academy voters flat out said they didn’t think BTS got those accolades and chart performances legitimately."

The bolded part is done for emphasis. It might not be explainable Anon, but it's not without precedent. The point is the lack of nominations does not mean a lack of submissions, and BTS have been snubbed before by that particular award-giver (EMAs). There's a whole host of possible explanations for why these things happen because newsflash, as much as akgaes like to think the company (in this case HYBE) is the boogeyman responsible for everything bad that happens to their fave, there's a pretty big world outside that is filled with players other than HYBE. These award shows are third-party industry players that still operate independently of HYBE. Or do you think if HYBE had that kind of power they wouldn't fill the nomination rosters with only their artists, or do you think HYBE would've allowed BTS and their other artists to suffer snubs repeatedly for years?

I understand people are looking for someone or something to blame when their expectations aren't met and corporations are easy scapegoats because we all know they're bad, but it really shouldn't be so difficult to actually think about what it is one is saying.

I get it's easier to blame HYBE for Spotify splitting streams, but just as it didn't work in 2020 when ARMYs wanted combined streams for ON and ON ft Sia, were told the codes were different but later learned the codes are actually generated by Spotify after the label provides the songs, and ARMYs saw other songs combined instead with no explanation from Spotify... ARMYs learned back then that raging at HYBE likely isn't going to fix an issue controlled by an opaque third-party. Just as it didn't work all the times Billboard changed the rules for BTS.

I don't default to putting all the blame on the company whenever I see things I don't like because the members are adult men who should be held responsible for their choices. I don't idolize, infantilize, or baby them. If their choice involves delegating certain decisions to their team and their team drops the ball, I blame their team and also the members. It's what I said when I mentioned how I hated the Weverse album version for JITB and assumed Hobi was at least aware of and okay with that decision, and so I held him responsible as well. And Hobi is my bias. K-pop stans and akgaes in particular, have a habit of crediting the idol when they see good outcomes, but blaming the company when they see bad outcomes, when the reality is that both idol and company share responsibility. Especially in the case of BTS where we know all members are very involved in their solo careers.

The problem for solo stans is they don't know how to hold parties responsible without being abusive, hateful, devolving into conspiracies and raging all over the internet looking for a way to harm and handicap other members in retaliation, regardless of these people not actually knowing if other members are responsible for the outcome. It's just very juvenile and frankly insane behaviour.

I cannot want more for the boys than they want for themselves. Of course Jimin wants success. Same with the other members. I think it's fair to assume of course he wants awards and recognition and accolades, but I'm not privy to the conversations he's having with his team at HYBE, and I don't actually know what awards he cares about or what submissions they've discussed and made.

But people here, akgaes and their sympathizers, would rather incite hatred over Jungkook because they have no way of managing their emotions when their chosen member isn't getting his due. They have no way of expressing their disappointment without being hateful and disgusting.

Jungkook deserves everything good he gets. Jimin does too and then some. And I want that for all seven of them, but I won't begin hating one member with only a fraction of the information available to me because not actually knowing the full facts is oh so uncomfortable.

[kachikirby]

GranEssex Chronicles: Chapter 5 - The First Mission

Three years have passed since Meta had become Kurabe's student. While he still has a long way to go before he reaches his full potential, Kurabe had deemed him ready to take on solo missions. Meta has joined her on the field before, but if he was to improve as a soldier, he needed to prove his own worth. To further discuss this, the warrior called her student to her personal office.

"Excuse me, sensei, what did you want to speak to me about?" He asked after entering the room and standing in front of her desk.

"You're going to go on your solo first mission, Meta." Kurabe replied simply.

Meta's eyes widened slightly.

"What is my mission, sensei? I assume nothing too challenging." The youth asked calmly.

Over the past three years, Meta had calmed down a bit, mostly thanks to his training. That said, the prospect of finally doing a mission by himself was exciting.

"It's nothing too difficult, of course. I had spent quite a while debating on that with Mercury, but I think I have a good one for you. You will be escorting a certain noble."

Meta narrowed his eyes upon hearing that. "I understand. Who will I be escorting and where to?"

Quickly, his mentor pulled out some notes from her desk.

"You will be escorting a nobleman named I. C. on the planet Artik."

The youth frowned. "...why do we need to escort him?"

Kurabe sighed, slightly expecting that response. "Simply put, he pays well. The Organization still requires money, so we accept jobs like these. Even if they aren't the most pleasant of missions."

Her student stared. "So, this is how you get paid..." He then sighed. "Well, I guess I should get this over with..."

"Hold on a moment, Meta. You need one more thing before you head out." She then took out a key. "Your uniform."

Meta nodded.

"Follow me. We'll go into more detail about the mission on the way to the storage room."

---------

The duo then walked out of the room.On the way to the storage room, Kurabe went into detail about the mission.

"Artik, as the name suggests, is a planet with incredibly cold temperatures. Every time I've went to Artik, there was a massive blizzard that covered the entire planet. Chances are, you will have to deal with that as well, Meta. However, that won't be the only obstacle you'll need to contend with, as Artik is home to various bandit groups who use the planets poor conditions to their advantage and attack unsuspecting victims."

Meta nodded in understanding but had a question of his own. "If Artik is such a dangerous planet, why does our client wish to go there?"

The mentor nodded at her student's question. "That's a reasonable question. The fact of the matter is that Artik is home to mining operation owned by our client. There are rare materials that can only be found on Artik. Since he owns the operation, he's required to oversee it at times."

"And that's where I'm escorting him to?"

"That's right. All you have to do is make sure arrived safely. Once he's made it, your mission will be complete."

"And this will all be easier said than done, I assume."

"The mission itself is easy, Meta. I can't say the same for anything that isn't escorting or fighting." She gave a slight sigh.

"I see... what are we going to the storage room for anyway?"

"To get you a uniform, Meta, as I already told you."

"Why do I need a uniform? Can't I just wear armor?" The student asked, looking directly at his mentor's own armor.

"Meta, believe me, I agree with you. However, it's Organization protocol for all soldier class members to wear the uniform during missions."

He then looked slightly confused. "I've never seen you wear one. Is that because you're high ranking?"

"I'm of the second highest rank. Right below the old man. I haven't been a soldier class for a long time, Meta."

He silently nodded in understanding. "Ok. I guess it'll be fine as long as I can fight in it."

Kurabe giggled at that reply. "Meta, it's a uniform designed to be fought in. Do you really think we'd give our soldiers uniforms that weren't functional?"

He stared silently. "...Mercury's uniform doesn't look too good to fight in."

"Mercury is her uniform, Meta."

"Oh..." The youth then looked embarrassed. Whether it was because he forgot such an obvious fact or something else, Kurabe wasn't sure. Well, it wasn't important enough to pry about.

"We should almost be at the storage room."

"...what color is the uniform?"

Admittedly, the warrior did not expect that kind of response from her student, who usually didn't really care for such a thing.

"The uniform is made up of a few colors. For starters, the hat you'll receive is silver. The rest of the uniform is a dark magenta and brown."

"There's a hat?"

"Yes, but generally you will only have to wear it for formal events." Kurabe then placed a hand on Meta's head. "That said, I recommend wearing it on this mission. It'll help protect you from the harsh conditions, if only for a little bit."

The youth nodded. "Sensei, when I come back, can you make something warm for me?"

"I already planned on it, Meta." She said, giving a warm smile.

"Thank you." He smiled back.

"Now then, here we are." The warrior then said while unlocking the storage room door. She then opened it and motioned for her student to follow her inside.

---------

Upon entering the storage room, Meta could tell that it was neat, but there were several boxes in it. If he was told to look for a specific item, there was no doubt that he would either not be able to find it or struggle to find it.

"Now... where is it...?" She murmured aloud as she began to look through the storage room. "Ah, here it is."

Kurabe grabbed a box and opened it. She pulled out the uniform and threw it at Meta, who just looked confused.

"...what? Do you need help putting it on?"

Her student gained an embarrassed expression as his face turned bright red.

"S-sensei, I'm old enough to dress myself!"

"Then what are you so confused about?"

"Nothing! I just wasn't expecting it to look like this." Meta admitted as he looked down at the floor.However, it was only for a short moment, as he quickly looked back up.

"That, and normally a person should be given privacy when changing clothes." He said glaring at Kurabe.

His mentor easily put that together.

"Oh, right, right. I'll be waiting outside. Let me know when you're done." She replied nonchalantly as she walked out the door.

Meta sighed after she left. "I said I could dress myself but, how does this work exactly?" He continued to stare at the uniform, trying to figure out how to put it on. There was a suit that went on the outside of his body, but there was also some sort of strap that went on the outside.

"If it's this thin, would it really be a good idea to wear in cold weather?" He thought.

"It's warmer than it looks, Meta, trust me." Meta heard Kurabe say, surprising him.

"Q-quit reading my mind, sensei!"

He then heard a slight giggle.

"Aren't you only supposed to be able to read my emotions?!"

"Remember, I mastered the ESP Ability."

The youth groaned and tried to clear his thoughts, lest Kurabe got more material to use for embarrassing him. Admittedly, it took a couple minutes for Meta to put on the uniform. What didn't help was the fact that he heard his mentor stifling a few laughs in response to his frustration.

---------

Eventually, though, he got it on correctly. Surprisingly enough, it actually was quite warm.

"Maybe there's something special about the fabric..." Meta thought as he looked in the mirror.

Not only that, but it also felt a lot more armored than he originally thought. Honestly, he was amazed by it. The youth walked out of the room and looked at Kurabe.

"Awww, look at you." She pinched his cheeks. "You look so adorable!"

Meta groaned in response. It greatly annoyed him when she acted like this.

"I'm not adorable. I'm a soldier." He protested while still being pinched.

"An adorable soldier!"

"Enough, please!" He almost shouted as he quickly took her hands away from his cheeks. "Now, when do I start my mission, sensei? In fact, where am I meeting the client?"

For a brief moment, his mentor pouted, but then she turned serious once more. "I'll get to that in a bit, why don't we show Mercury how you look?"

Meta's face turned red in embarrassment. "S-sensei do we really have to?"

She then gave a smile. "No, no, I guess she'll see it later. Forgive me, I'm just so excited since this is actually a custom uniform I ordered for you. It's a bit darker than the normal uniform for my unit."

That made the youth pause. Even after three years of living on the GranEssex, he still wasn't fully use to selfless acts of kindness from others.

"...thank you, sensei. I really like it." He uttered with a shy expression.

"Oh, I'm so glad you do. I was really worried that you wouldn't and had to ask around about it. I kept getting the same answers of "keep it to dark colors, that will look better on him" and "I'm sure he'll like it". I'm very happy I listened to-"

As if realizing that she was going completely off-topic, she cut herself off and then cleared her throat.

"Anyway, back to your mission. You will be sent off to Artik in approximately two hours, so be sure to prepare yourself for then. As for where you're meeting the client..."

Kurabe walked over to one of the windows.

"See that ship, Meta? That's where the client is. That ship will land on the planet at the same time and location as us."

Her student looked out the window to see a ship much smaller when compared to the GranEssex. "Then I'll be escorting him from wherever we land?"

"That's correct." She then took out a map and handed it to him. "Here's a map of where exactly you need to go. Also, I inscribed a magic rune to it. If the map flies out of your hand because of the wind, just flick your wrist and it'll magically reappear."

"Thank you, sensei, this will be a lot of help." He put the map in a small bag on his side next to his sword.

"I'll leave any other items you take up to you, Meta. Pack accordingly and good luck." She said with a smile.

"Alright. I'll go pack now. Thank you again." He said before returning to his room.

---------

As Meta packed in his room, he naturally began to think about this mission. He was both nervous and excited about his first mission. He was looking forward to the chance to test the skills he's learned but at the same time, he was scared of letting his mentor down. No, he had to do his best to stay calm. He was more likely to make a mistake if he was like this. Hopefully they would land soon so he could just get this done and over with.

"Now, what should I pack?" He thought to himself.

For starters, he took out an electric lamp. Thanks to his small knowledge of lightning magic, he basically had a lantern that could never run out of power.

"Hmm... maybe a few hand warmers and some rations? I don't know how long we'll be travelling." He mumbled to himself. "Oh, I know."

He opened a drawer to reveal a flare gun given him for emergency use.

"Hopefully I won't need this, but I'll take it just in case."

He then looked around the room for other equipment.

---------

After making sure he had everything he needed, Meta decided to spend the rest of his time meditating. Admittedly, he often had a hard time doing it, but it seemed like the best thing to do right now. As he meditated, he was able to properly sort his thoughts and pinpointed certain things he was worried about. Ironically, fighting off bandits and monsters didn't worry him at all. Spending an unspecified amount of time protecting a complete stranger, however, did worry him. Not only that, but he'd be doing it alone. In his mind, that was honestly the biggest danger. He let out a humorless chuckle. It was ironic. He used to live and survive on his own. Something like this shouldn't be an issue.

"Calm down, you fool. Sensei believes in you, don't screw this up..." He harshly told himself.

That's right. He shouldn't allow himself to become weak! That said, he wasn't worried about himself. He's survived through harsh conditions before. No, what he was worried about was protecting someone else, something he's never done before.

"I'll just have to eliminate any threat as fast as possible. Just remember your training." He thought to himself.

Speaking of which, how much longer until they reach the planet's surface? No, he shouldn't think about trying to rush this. Just continue to meditate and focus.

---------

Meta kept meditating for next two hours where his concentration was broken by the sound of knocking on his door.

"Meta, it's time." He heard Kurabe say.

"I'll be out in a minute." He replied.

"Make it quick. We pride ourselves on punctuality." While she was saying that, he had already walked out his door and was waiting in front of her.

"...I just had to grab my bag."

Kurabe looked at him and smiled. "You were already prepared, weren't you? I understand you're nervous, Meta. Take it from me, few things are as nerve wracking as a first mission. Now follow me."

The youth quietly nodded, slightly embarrassed at his mentor figuring that out quickly.

---------

Kurabe and Meta walked outside. Just as he was told, Artik was freezing cold, and he could barely see in front of him due to the snowy winds. Though he did see an odd object hovering off the ground not too far ahead.

"That's called a Star Chariot. It's a transportation vehicle used mostly by the rich to travel. Our client is in it." Kurabe explained.

"I see. Is that where he'll be staying for the whole journey?" He asked.

"That's right. So thankfully you shouldn't have to speak with him much."

The child then nodded. "Then... I guess I'll see you in a couple hours, sensei."

"Well, yes, but not yet. We'll speak to him together, then you'll see me in a couple hours."

"Ok then." He replied, secretly happy that he'd be talking to the client with her.

As they approached the vehicle, Meta saw a large walrus man with a silly hat and mustache step out.

"It's about time you showed up, you lousy gnats!" He said in the most holier than thou tone the youth had ever heard.

It was only a few seconds and already he did not like him.

"We were already here quite some time ago. It was your fault for not notifying us." Kurabe uttered, her red eye glare through her visor for a brief moment.

The arrogant man frowned. "It's not my responsibility to do that. Anyway..."

He stared at Meta. "You expect me to believe a mere child can protect me!?"

"Do you really want to underestimate a student of Kurabe the Unkillable?" She replied coldly.

However, Meta got the feeling that such a thing would mean nothing to this person. As expected, Mr. I. C. just scoffed.

"As if I should care about that! In the end I suppose it doesn't matter. You, boy! Get walking already!" He yelled before getting back into his vehicle.

"Understood." Meta then quickly turned to his mentor. "I'll see you later, sensei."

"Good luck, Meta. Oh, and try not to kill the client, ok?" She said in attempt to be funny.

"No promises."

However, the tone her student responded in was dead serious.

Kurabe just laughed.

"That's exactly what I said on my first escort mission." She said in a nostalgic tone.

Suddenly, her tone shifted back to seriousness. "Do your best, Meta, and come back as soon as you complete the mission, understood?"

"Understood." He quickly responded before heading off.

At this point, he just wanted this to be done and over with. Not only that, but there was no doubt that the client would start complaining if they talked too long.

---------

An hour passed, and Meta had seen no action ever since they began traveling. Instead, he was left to his thoughts and honestly, he was progressively getting more fed up with his client. For one, his client didn't even need that chariot. Meta had researched various races and species during his training. The specific race that I.C. belonged to was immune to the cold. He was just too lazy to walk himself! Of course, he couldn't say a thing about it, or the client would become angry. Speaking of which, the client himself was the worst part about this mission, even more than anything else. Occasionally he would roll down the window of his vehicle just to bark out unnecessary commands and insults. Such arrogance for man too afraid to do his own dirty work. Honestly, it was even worse than the blizzard itself. The fact that he just had to take the abuse without saying a thing. Yes, while his mentor could be bossy or would push him to his own limits, he at least knew that was because she cared about him. This person was only doing it because he was rich, and he could. Oh, so badly did he want to somehow sabotage that vehicle, so he died in an "accident". However, he knew he couldn't. It was probably just a thought he had due to frustration and his fingers becoming numb. Quickly, he slipped some more hand warmers underneath his gloves. He really hoped something would happen to break up the boredom and annoyance he was feeling.

Thankfully, he was about to get his wish as he quickly blocked a thrown spear with his sword. Meta closed his eyes and sensed the presence of twenty enemies. A small smile appeared on his face.

"Finally..." He uttered.

Fully drawing his sword, Meta dashed at the nearest bandit and took him out in single move. Turning around, he saw a number of bombs being thrown at the vehicle. Acting quickly, the youth teleported in front of the bombs and kicked them away before they could explode.

"Let's see... there's ten standing in a circle surrounding us. I almost feel... what is this feeling...?"

Raising his sword to the sky, Meta shot a bolt of lightning upwards. Then with a downward slashing motion, the bolt came down and split off into ten directions, hitting and instantly knocking out his targets.

"Falling Lightning Strike." He said coldly.

This was the very first original move he created during his training.

"Get that, bastard!" The youth suddenly heard someone say.

He saw every remaining bandit charge at him. Meta smirked and dashed at them. Then he jumped forward and started to spin incredibly fast, holding his sword out. Soon, he begun to resemble a drill. This was another original technique of his, the Mach Drill. The attack connected and every bandit was sent flying.

"Threat defeated." He uttered with a perfect landing.

"It's about time! You mind getting rid of them a bit faster? Nova, you are so slow!"

Meta didn't even need to look around to see who it was.

"Get back inside. Why you thought it was a good idea to come out is beyond me." He replied coldly, but this only served to make the noble even more angry.

"What makes you think that you can order me around? Maybe if you didn't fight at the speed of a crippled snail, I wouldn't have to come out!"

Suddenly, Meta's sword was at his throat.

"You can act superior all you want but the fact of the matter is that you would be dead without me. Now get inside. Also, if you must know I eliminated them in under a minute. I sincerely doubt you can even move faster than a slow stroll."

I. C. had a horrified look on his face. "I will report this to both your superior and that horrible mentor of yours, you miserable little whelp!"

He then ran into his carriage like his life depended on it. Meta scoffed as he sheathed his blade. He knew that if his mentor agreed with his actions, his superiors probably would as well. Taking a bite of one of his rations, Meta kept moving forward.

---------

A few more hours passed, and Meta had to use yet another set of hand warmers. He also had to put two of them in his boots, as his feet were also starting to become cold. Thankfully, according to his map, the destination wasn't too far away. Using his lantern, Meta could make out some kind of building in the near distance. Soon his mission would be complete, and he could go back home. Hopefully, he could also resupply on rations as well. His thermos was almost empty and he didn't know if he packed enough rations to make it back to the ship. There was one main problem with that... would his client even let him? He highly doubted it, but it was worth a try.

---------

After half an hour, he finally made it to the building. Hopefully he could restock on supplies. When he tried to enter, however, he was stopped.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

He just ignored the voice and continued, stepping around the person blocking his path.

"Hey! Your job was to escort me here! Now that you've done it, and rather poorly I might add, I no longer require your services. Meaning you are now on private property. Leave now or suffer the consequences!"

As much as he wanted to question what "consequences" could someone too lazy to even walk on his own would administer, he knew that his mentor would more than likely suffer from it. He was also just plain tired of this. All he wanted to do right now was return to the GranEssex, where he knew his efforts would be appreciated. Meta started to walk back home, though when he got close to his former client's vehicle, he stealthily overloaded the engine with his lightning magic.

"Let's see how he likes walking..." He thought to himself.

After walking a decent distance, he heard an explosion, likely the engine, and incomprehensible shouting. Not his problem. In fact, during the trip, he noticed it was having engine problems anyway. There was no proof that he had anything to do with it. He gave a slight smirk at that thought. Now all he had to do was return back to the ship. The only problem was... the blizzard around him had picked up.

"Let's see what the map says..."

As he pulled it out, it instantly flew out of his hands. Remembering what his mentor told him, he quickly flicked his wrist and the map magically returned to his hands.

"Thank you, sensei." He said to himself.

It looked like he had to just continue on this current path. The good thing was that since he was no longer escorting a slow-moving vehicle he could go as fast as he wanted. He then began to pick up speed as he ran through the blizzard. Hopefully, he could reach the ship before the blizzard turned into a whiteout.

---------

After half an hour, he finally made it to the building. Hopefully he could restock on supplies. When he tried to enter, however, he was stopped.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

He just ignored the voice and continued, stepping around the person blocking his path.

"Hey! Your job was to escort me here! Now that you've done it, and rather poorly I might add, I no longer require your services. Meaning you are now on private property. Leave now or suffer the consequences!"

As much as he wanted to question what "consequences" could someone too lazy to even walk on his own would administer, he knew that his mentor would more than likely suffer from it. He was also just plain tired of this. All he wanted to do right now was return to the GranEssex, where he knew his efforts would be appreciated. Meta started to walk back home, though when he got close to his former client's vehicle, he stealthily overloaded the engine with his lightning magic.

"Let's see how he likes walking..." He thought to himself.

After walking a decent distance, he heard an explosion, likely the engine, and incomprehensible shouting. Not his problem. In fact, during the trip, he noticed it was having engine problems anyway. There was no proof that he had anything to do with it. He gave a slight smirk at that thought. Now all he had to do was return back to the ship. The only problem was... the blizzard around him had picked up.

"Let's see what the map says..."

As he pulled it out, it instantly flew out of his hands. Remembering what his mentor told him, he quickly flicked his wrist and the map magically returned to his hands.

"Thank you, sensei." He said to himself.

It looked like he had to just continue on this current path. The good thing was that since he was no longer escorting a slow-moving vehicle he could go as fast as he wanted. He then began to pick up speed as he ran through the blizzard. Hopefully, he could reach the ship before the blizzard turned into a whiteout.

---------

Two hours passed and Meta had made good progress. However, a serious issue arose. He had run out of rations. To make matters worse, he was running out of warmers as well.

"Ugh... I could've easily used the lantern for heat, but I don't have anything to keep my energy up. Hopefully the GranEssex is nearby..."

He couldn't even tell if the blizzard picked up or not. He just had to push himself to move further. Maybe if he got close enough to the ship, his mentor would be able to read his mind and would meet up with him. Suddenly, he felt the ground shake.

"An earthquake!? No, it's too weak to be an earthquake. Then what could be causing it?"

Suddenly his instincts were telling him to get moving. Acting quickly, he dodged what looked to be a giant icicle. Meta looked at the source of the attack. It was some kind of giant monster comprised of ice and snow. He drew his sword and slashed at it, only for his attack to have no effect. All of his attacks just went through it, like how a finger easily passes through water. Meta attempted to use some lightning magic, but he was out of mana meaning he could only rely on his physical abilities. The youth dodged another icicle, unfortunately this was a trap. The monster attacked with an ice claw which hit Meta's left foot, tearing up his footwear and freezing his foot solid. Meta was terrified. He was essentially a sitting duck and was quickly running out of time.

"Come on, damn it, think of something! It has to have some weakness, if only I had something that generated heat..." He thought to himself.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he pulled out the flare gun he brought. The monster was slowly drawing near, it was now or never. Meta shot a flare at the monster blinding it, and more importantly, causing a part of it to melt revealing the monster's core. With a mighty yell, he threw his sword at the core with all his strength, shattering it upon impact. The monster's body fell apart instantly, leaving a partially frozen Meta victorious. However, he didn't celebrate. He didn't even need to look at his foot to know that his boot was damaged and his foot was frozen. However, he had to continue forward towards the GranEssex. It was his only chance of getting help right now. Struggling to get up, Meta dragged himself over to his sword. He couldn't afford to be without an weapon. St the very least he could use it as a make shift walking stick.

"I should of brought that staff Grandpa gave me..." Meta grumbled to himself.

No, now wasn't the time for complaining. If he could get close enough to the GranEssex, hopefully his mentor's ESP could pick up on his thoughts. He just felt so cold... and so tired right now. No, he couldn't sleep. He would die if he fell asleep. He just had to continue walking and try to ignore the cold. That was easier said than done, of course, being battered by winds and his foot being frozen. Hopefully it wouldn't have to be amputated. Why was he thinking of that now? Perhaps to take his mind off this cold weather? Quickly, he used his last set of warmers in a desperate attempt to keep the heat in within himself. Most noticeably, he noticed that his shivering was beginning to slow down. His mind became muddled with various thoughts. Was this it? Was he going to die out here in this cold, unforgiving wilderness? He pushed himself on and on. Then, after a few more minutes of walking, he could see a familiar shape. However, that was all he could see before his vision went black.

---------

Honestly, Meta didn't expect to wake up once more. It was cold. Much too cold. He just wanted to escape from it. Then, he slowly began to open his eyes. His vision was blurry, so he didn't exactly recognize where he was. The only thing he did know was that he was... strangely warm. Where was he? He tried to move, but he seemed to be restricted by something.

"Stay still, Meta. Just relax and focus on getting warm." He heard a familiar voice say. He quietly looked to his left and his eyes adjusted enough to see a shade of purple.

"...sensei?" He uttered weakly.

"That's right, Meta, now conserve your energy. We'll talk more later." She said in a soothing voice as she stroked his head.

"Sensei...!" He managed to choke out, but was quickly shushed.

"Now, now. Just focus on recovering."

She then took a small cup from the nightstand and let him drink from it. The liquid inside was warm and he could already feel his body warming up further. Now that his vision was beginning to focus, he noticed that he was wrapped in several blankets and had a hot water bottle on his chest. Not only that, but whatever he was laying on was extremely soft, much more than his own bed. He managed to get a better look of the room he was staying in. Upon seeing the photos, the desk, the large bookcase against the wall, and the small kitchen area where he noticed his uniform drying, he finally realized where he was exactly.

"Why am I in your room...?"

"Worry about that later. Just focus on recovering." Was the blunt reply.

---------

The two sat together in silence for the next hour.

When Meta was feeling better, he decided to speak. "Sensei. I'm sorry..."

Kurabe looked confused. "What for, Meta?"

"I escorted the client, but he wouldn't let me resupply and I was attacked on my way back to the ship. I ran out of supplies, and I lost consciousness from the cold... I... I'm a failure..." He felt his eyes begin to water as he continued to talk.

"Now, Meta, answer me this. Did you complete the mission?"

"Yes, but-!"

"But nothing. What happened to you is no fault of your own. You did the best you could, correct? You completed the mission... actually, you completed two missions."

Upon seeing Meta's confused face, she elaborated.

"While you were out, we received another mission: Eliminate a certain A-rank ice monster that's been terrorizing these parts... the same exact one you beat. You defeated a monster that's killed every other soldier sent at it, that's something to be proud of. Besides, you kept your promise, right? You came back home in one piece; I couldn't be prouder of you."

The youth only stared in silence. "Sensei... I..."

As he felt the tears begin to roll down his face, he was unsure how exactly he was feeling right now. He had several emotions murkily swimming around him right now and couldn't figure out why.

"Thank... you..."

Kurabe placed a hand on Meta's head and began to quietly stroke it. "No, Meta, thank you for coming back. It's all thanks to your incredible will."

"I... I just didn't want to die and leave you and Mercury yet."

"And that is what gave you the will to survive. Honestly, I was a complete wreck while you were gone. I was so worried about you. And especially when I found you outside the ship. I'm sure you can ask the Bukisets and Mercury, but I was hysterical while I tried to warm you up and perform CPR."

The youth only looked down in shame. "I'm sorry..."

His mentor gave a sigh.

"Enough of that, Meta. None of this was your fault. If anyone is to blame, it would be that fool." Kurabe said, her tone becoming venomous near the end.

"...sensei?" He asked in slight concern at that dangerous voice.

His mentor smiled at him warmly, but he could also tell that there was a storm of anger brewing inside her. "You see, Meta, that man broke our contract."

She pulled out a short stack of papers, with the first page clearly saying "Commission Contract" on the top of it.

"Section 4, rule 3. A client must allow the hired member of the Organization to resupply themselves if the need arises. Since he forbid you from doing that, he must suffer the consequences."

"What are you going to do then?"

Unlike that rotten noble, his mentor's threats actually held meaning. The warrior gave a dark and sinister grin.

"I'm going to destroy him. Metaphorically anyway. You see, he's done this before, four separate times to be exact. This will be his fifth penalty, meaning he's at our mercy. Or more specifically, my mercy. Just stay here and sleep Meta, you've more than earned it."

The youth nodded quietly.

"Um... sensei...?" He asked in a slightly shy tone.

"What is it?"

"Can we not do another mission on a cold planet? At least not for a couple of years?"

Kurabe nodded. "Of course, Meta." She then got a mischievous smile. "Now you and Mercury have something in common."

"S-SENSEI!" He quickly turned himself away from her, as if trying to hide his blushing face.

She laughed. "And now you're warmer. I'll be back soon, Meta, this won't take long."

She then left the room quickly as her student pouted silently.

---------

Unlike with Meta, it didn't take Kurabe too long to reach the building where I. C. was staying. Part of this was because the GranEssex had flown there in the time it took Meta to recover. The other reason was that Kurabe's mastery of the Ice Ability allowed her to walk through the blizzard without a problem. Without wasting time, she kicked the front door down, startling I.C.

"You again? I thought I told you and that brat to get offa my property, and now you're doing property damage? You better be paying for that!"

Immediately, he stopped when he noticed her stomping towards him.

"The only one paying here is you. You are quite aware that you broke the terms of our contract for the final time, aren't you? Not to mention that I received an interesting report from a co-worker. Mind telling me for how long you've been involved in the black market?"

The man seemed stunned for a moment, but then he began to stutter back.

"H-how have you heard such baseless rumors! I've never even heard of the black market all my life! Now run along before I tell the other nobles that pay you about this and you completely go bankrupt!"

He quickly dabbed his face, as if attempting to hide the fact that he was sweating bullets.

Kurabe then kicked him into the wall. "You have no power over us, you pathetic excuse for a lifeform. For starters, you must be punished for breaking our terms. You must pay us back ten times the amount you originally paid us for."

"With how slowly that brat was going? No way, lady!" He managed to spit out. He was then punched in the gut.

"How fast he went is irrelevant and you know it. Though it's not like you have to cooperate with us. We're seizing every property you own anyway for every illegal activity you have performed. Try and deny it all you like, we have proof."

"You bitch!" He pulled out a block of ice and hit her over the head with it.

"Do you really think that people will listen to your lies with this so-called proof!? And all of this over one stupid brat!? You're extremely desperate!" He tried to break another one over her head.

"The only one desperate is you, and if you've been paying attention, it isn't just about him. You broke the terms of agreement for the final time. If you did what you did with any other soldier you would still be punished."

Kurabe the froze most of his body to his utter shock.

"As for the people, well, you have a television, don't you? Turn it on, see what's on the news."

"...what are you talking about?"

"Turn on the television, now."

The two servants immediately jumped the moment Kurabe looked at them.

"R-right away!"

They quickly scurried off and brought back a TV, immediately turning it on as instructed. On the screen, Reedy adjusted his glasses.

"My name is Reedy and I'm the head of the intelligence division of our organization. We've had reason to suspect him of criminal activity, especially since he was prone to break the rules of our contracts quite quickly. Of course, that alone isn't quite enough to convict him of the truly heinous crimes. That's when I decided to investigate his actions myself. What I found was truly horrifying..."

Reedy clicked on a device that started playing a video of I.C and a few of his associates discussing said assassination attempt.

"So, Mr. Untouchable, how do you feel now?" Kurabe asked.

It was then that she immediately noticed that I. C. appeared to be both physically and metaphorically frozen in fear.

"Let this be an important lesson for you all... " She said to the terrified servants. "Don't cross the Organization. Especially not Kurabe the Unkillable."

Both of the servants quickly nodded.

Then she turned back to the noble. "Now I.C, you have two options: Come with me willingly and stand trial or have me personally oversee your execution. You choice."

The ice continued to creep up the noble's body. However, that wasn't what frightened him the most. It was the red eye that glared at him from underneath her visor. However, it was much, much different than how she did before. It was blank and swirling, like a blood-colored void. It was a red abyss that stared back at him, making it harder and harder for him to breath until he finally fainted.

"Coward." She spat out.

Soon, his whole body was completely frozen. Even his ice resilient body couldn't stop Kurabe's icy grip.

"Reedy, could you do pick him up for me? I'm afraid I'll lose my patience if I look at him for too long." She uttered, speaking to him with a headset.

"Normally I would tell you to do it yourself, but considering the state Meta is in, consider it done." He replied with a slight sigh.

"Thank you."

She then began to return to the GranEssex. There was no way that ice was going to melt anytime soon. Well, at least not until he would need to stand trial.

"What about us? What's going to happen to us?" Asked the servants.

"You will likely be taken in as accomplices."

"But we're innocent!"

"If that's true, then you'll be set free after we do a thorough investigation." She looked back at them coldly. "Now if you have nothing else to say, you can just sit there and wait for him to show up. Unless you want to end up like your boss."

Upon seeing them shake their heads, Kurabe left to see how her student was doing.

---------

After returning to the GranEssex, she returned to her room without saying another word to anyone. Meta could only stare in worry as she slammed the door to her room and walked over towards her desk with an unreadable expression.

"Sensei, are you ok? Did everything go alright?" Her student asked as he started to unravel himself from the blankets surrounding him.

"I'm fine, Meta. Just... extremely angry right now."

Meta looked like was about to say something.

"Don't apologize. I told you already, you have nothing to be sorry about. We would have had to deal with him eventually anyway."

He then immediately became silent. It was as if he was unsure what to say now. Honestly, he didn't really know what to say when his mentor was angry at something else. In the rare case that she was angry at him, he could've easily apologized. But what if he did nothing wrong?

"Sensei, are all escort missions like this? I mean specifically with the clients. Are they all like him?"

"Not all of them, thankfully. While some are still annoying, they aren't all entirely like him." She replied simply as she stood at her desk, her face looking away from him.

It was then that a thought crossed his mind.

"Sensei, please don't blame yourself for what happened. Ok?"

Almost immediately, his mentor responded. "Oh, I'm not blaming myself, Meta."

"I can read your emotions, remember? You regret giving me this mission, I can tell. Because of that, you're angry at yourself."

His mentor became completely silent, as if not knowing how to respond to that

."I don't blame you for putting me on this mission, sensei. If anything, I'm grateful. I've learned a lot about my own limits and that I have a lot of room to grow."

Meta hopped down from the bed and walked up to Kurabe.

"Sensei, you told me that I didn't fail. You didn't fail either."

"...Meta." She uttered quietly.She then smiled as she patted his head. "Look at you acting all grown up. How are you feeling? Can you feel your foot at all?"

He took a moment to move his foot. "I'm feeling a lot better right now. Especially my foot. I can move it right now."

"Good. Now, your uniform should be dry by now. Change into it and follow me, we're going to have a light workout. It'll be good for the both of us."

"Ok then!" He nodded as he quickly dressed himself and followed her out of the room.

[lilacrespite]

halle bailey. she/her. ciswoman.  ›spotted  at  the  met  steps  ,  nevaeh  ivy  james  ,  most  likely  listening  to  in  a  sentimental  mood  by  ella  fitzgerald  with  their  airpods  pro  .  the  twenty  three  year  old  gained  quite  a  reputation  ,  known  to  be  reclusive  yet  spontaneous  to  anyone  who  knows  them  .  you'll  easily  spot  them  when  you  hear  about  the  shadow  from  the  refrigerator  light  in  the  kitchen  late  at  night,  dirt  underneath  fingernails  from  picking  vegetables  in  the  garden,  the  kind  of  warmth  that  only  comes  from  a  hot  stove  or  warming  oven  followed  by  burning  cinnamon  and  vanilla  candles  .  latest  nepoupdates  article  talks  about  the  youngest  james’  sister  abandoning  her  solo  career  after  suffering  from  panic  attacks  on  stage  (  true  )  ,  but  i  guess  any  reputation  is  good  reputation  . 

━━━━━━━━━  💟  B  A  S  I  C  S :

full name: nevaeh ivy james

nickname(s): ivy, vaeh

age: twenty - three .

ethnicity: african american .

gender: cis woman .

pronouns: she / her .

orientation: biromantic / bisexual .

occupation: ( retired ) musician / food journalist & content creator .

language(s) spoken: only fluent in english but learns phrases and basic verb conjugations when traveling so that they can interact with those native to the country she’s visiting   .

━━━━━━━━━  💟  P  E  R  S  O  N  A  I  L  I  T  Y  :

absolutely hates being perceived . it’s funny because she’s the walking personification of anxiety but is still incredibly spontaneous, but that’s mainly because her decision comes from her anxiety . she believes the drastic measures she’s taking are the only way she can get away from the problems she’s making up in her mind which isn’t the case at all but it’s been working for her so far so no complaints . she’s very guarded, doesn’t like talking about her, doesn’t like sharing, would much rather sit in silence but will also happily listen to you talk about yourself if it means she doesn’t have to talk about what her favorite things are . she’s constantly scared of saying/doing the wrong thing or anything that goes against the norm . a chronic people pleaser until she gets it wrong then she just completely avoids the situation/person, puts as much distance between it/them as she can . like will book a flight to another country kind of distance if running away to her apartment isn’t enough . she’s very nice when she’s not in her own head though .

━━━━━━━━━  💟  B  A  C  K  G  R  O  U  N  D  : tw panic attacks, tw anxiety attacks .

along with their incredibly talented sister, gemma, nevaeh lived a comfortable life surrounded by the music industry’s most brilliant musical minds. unlike gemma, however, nevaeh never quite took to the musicality. she could carry a tune and always made sure to take her vocal lessons and writing sessions seriously as to appease both her parents and her sister, but where gemma threw herself into every aspect of the record label to better herself as an artist, nevaeh only did what was expected her and nothing more. while gemma taught herself varying instruments, nevaeh took up crocheting, gardening, and cooking. activities that took her away from the screens that were piled high with comments about which sister was better or how the girls will live up to the legacy their parents left behind.

for awhile nevaeh thought she loved music just as much as her sister did, but that had never been the case. she just loved being with her sister and didn’t want to disappoint her parents. promoting, shooting, and performing was easier whenever gemma was around because of how supportive and reassuring she always was. she didn’t focus on the things nevaeh was doing wrong but rather the ways she could amp up what she had working for her, at least that’s how it felt to nevaeh. it also helped that gemma was a lot more outgoing than nevaeh had ever been, she could easily take the lead on hard questions in interviews and ensure the crowd was having a great time without much help from nevaeh. she found she enjoyed watching gemma on stage just as much as the audience clearly enjoyed it. nevaeh would hit her notes, and hit her marks, never fall out of step, but the star quality always belonged to gemma and nevaeh was happy to be no more than a supporting act.

whenever gemma decided to release the solo tracks she worked on, however, her parents expected nevaeh to do the same. they believed that it’s simply what she would want to do considering the legacy their label had to uphold. after performing for years alongside gemma, nevaeh thought she could do it. at the very least, she really wanted to to make her parents proud. but with a change in sound and no gemma beside her all eyes were on her and only her. the pressure to not only perform but perform well was overwhelming. she was having anxiety attacks before interviews and panic attacks on stage and telling no one. it got to the point where she was locking herself in bathrooms or disappearing for days on end in order to avoid music video shoots, interviews, and promotional performances for singles.

her actions were putting a very sour taste in the mouths of her parents but the knowing that she was disappointing them only made her stay away even more. eventually, she decided to up and leave the country to get away from it all effectively putting an indefinite halt to any projects solo or not. she knew her parents thought it to be a punishment, but nevaeh couldn’t be more relieved. she deleted all of her socials, only responded to messages and calls from her sister, and spent months on end backpacking in europe, touring asia, and contemplating moving to latin america. 

half way through her travels she started a new account geared towards showing off the native cuisine she found along the way. complete with interviews with the cooks and their loyal customers on the dishes and what they loved so much about them. it was meant to be an anonymous account but soon nevaeh didn’t feel like her pictures and typed up captions were enough to capture the love she had for the places, people, and food like she wanted it to and soon moved to video content.

upon returning to new york, her relationship with her parents remained rocky with nevaeh trying to warm her way back into their hearts but she knows it’ll take more than some home cooked meals and baked goods to do so. she continues with her food related content, bringing attention to family owned restaurants or places that are hard to find but worth of the hype (think similar to keith lee content). she also makes a lot of recipe videos as she tries to recreate her favorite dishes from abroad and making some alterations to fit a wider palette.

━━━━━━━━━  💟  H  E  A  D  C  A  N  O  N  S  :

has a whole little garden she tends to everyday. it’s full of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. some flowers but that’s mainly for plating aesthetics and not so much bouquet making but she does love having fresh flowers on the kitchen counter so it does help for that as well.

as mentioned earlier, she does crochet. loves it so much. like where other people will bring a book or their switch or something to keep them entertained while they’re waiting, she’ll bring a crochet project and probably finish one or two in the time because she’s incredibly fast.

cooks A LOT always makes too much on purpose because she likes to volunteer for meals on wheels/soup kitchens but instead of delivering something pre purchased, she likes to give them home cooked meals. has actually befriended a few of the elderly people she usually delivers too and so she takes personal requests and sometimes cooks in their home as well.

gemmas number one fan fr will always break her usual feed of content to post her sisters latest project or accomplishment, she’s very proud.

does not address or comment on any of the posts about her music career. will actually take the time to go through each individual comment to remove it.

honestly spends too much time reading comments from strangers about herself and spiraling about them. no matter how many she deletes it sticks with her and she ends up feeling bad and turning to cook a five course meal to relieve the stress at 2 in the morning. she knows she needs some healthy coping mechanisms, she’s working on it.

━━━━━━━━━  💟 W A N T E D C O N N E C T I O N S : 

I know this is the first time ive done this thats so crazy LMAOO BUT I ONLY HAVE LIKE THREE OKAY ANYWAY Firstly, i think it could be really fun if there was someone she was constantly dumping her latest creations/recreations on. Like she’s popping up at all hours of the day with a ton of groceries or an already made dish to get them to try bc she knows they’ll be honest with her. Preferably someone who is gentle with them bc this will probably be the only person she can take criticism from well yknow without the spiraling happening LMAOO 

Also think it could be painful (aka fun) if she had someone she was with before she tried the solo career thing and then along with the solo career effectively abandoned them too womp womp like if you cried

AND THEN TO FOLLOW THAT someone she had a whirlwind romance with while she was away abroad. Like maybe they were away in relation to their career or also just getting away to get away and they met up and it was one of the first times she found herself truly having FUN and they had a blast could have ended on great you go your way i go mine terms or could have been another situation of a hint of conflict and nevaeh bolting in response we can plot that out !!!!

Lastly i really want her to have a roommate. I think shes too anxiety ridden to live alone, like she cant be left alone with her own thoughts for too long she needs someone to bother at all times so a roommate OR MULTIPLE ROOMMATES !!! would be lovely thank you &lt;3

[stumblngrumbl]

there's an invasive called scotch broom here - it was literally sold as an ornament plant but it's crazy invasive and literally flammable green let alone even it dries

anyways we pull any we find... except this odd corner of the property that's on the other side of our driveway road and we never go there

well having a scotch broom patch is just an invitation for it to spread to the rest of the property - unfortunately i can't do anything about my idiotic neighbors who just ignore their entire infested properties but it still has the road to cross

the soil conditions are perfect right now for pulling stuff by the roots - ground is damp and soft, and i can easily pull all the younger stuff but some bigger shrubs have roots going down a foot or more, tap root style

in the past i've taken a chain, wrap it around the trunk a few times, and pull with the tractor - but that only works when there's a trunk at least an inch or so because the chain just won't tighten around something smaller

enter this,

shrub pulling game-changer

basically the chain goes through the ring (of pipe), around the trunk once, then back through the ring and then hooks on; pulling on the chain not only tightens it but also presses the pipe edge into the trunk for grip

needless to say it's a huge improvement over the chain and pulls everything very quickly

i got C to help - she's operating the tractor, moving it forward slightly when all the close broom are cleared, and raising and lowering the bucket which is imparting the pulling force

this collection of broom was pulled in less than an hour, in the past it's taken me all day to get that much without the loop and solo

(the rectangular part is there just because this is an ancient piece of scrap and i don't have a metal cutting wheel right now but as it turns out it's actually not in the way and even convenient because it's easier to grab with gloves on)