#the death card looking JUST like killer.... that was such a slay... they had this one thought out for a while.....

[hauntingblue]

I have connected two dots... yamato kaido and momo (and kinda shirahoshi with her top) have clouds above their shoulders... and luffy in gear fourth has them also.... I can see the signs

[darcyfangirlsfrequently]

My thoughts and reactions while watching 16.10

Spoilers below

Damn, we starting with ANOTHER flashback? Wait, is this one gonna be Krystall's funeral? I'm gonna cry

Wait no it said 2020, and she's still alive, is this when she tells him she's sick? I will cry

it's gonna be the last time you celebrate your anniversary at all

WORLD'S TINIEST VIOLIN I ADORE HER

This scene is pulling all my heartstrings THIS ISN'T FAIR

Ah shit is Rossi gonna run out of air? Is the air being poisoned?

A profiled delivery scene!!! Have we had those yet this season? I don't think so. I feel like this is a square on someone's bingo card

Did Luke just call Rossi the Unit Chief??? Rossi got demoted in like... episode 3 and is currently supposed to be suspended

Garcia is losing her mind and I know Luke is going to comfort her and I know I'm gonna cry

Is Rebecca going to get her job back> Are they going to try to put Tebecca back together? I don't know how I feel about that

Emily is going off on EVERYONE in this episode and I am here for it

Oh Bailey is so gonna die

"You're definitely the one who likes the gold star" is that what the CME Instagram Bingo was talking about????

Wait, gold star means something. Tf does it mean???

Luke with his hand on the back of Garcia's chair just like old times 😭😭😭

"Why don't Penelope and I coordinate from here" I'm getting Garvez CRUMBS but I am living for it

WHAT IS GOLD STAR

"extralegally speaking" 😂😂😂

The AG, Bailey, and Rebecca working together? I don't like this, although it feels like the AG is manipulating Bailey and Rebecca

IS GREEN DEAD OR ALIVE COME ON TELL ME

Luke filling up her water bottle for her besties i am so unwell

Tyler's only going into surgery now??? That was the big reaction??? Huh???

So far this episode Luke and Garcia have only been calling each other "Luke" and "Penelope" and idk what it is but it pulls on my heart every time it happens

The way he kneels down and takes her arm... it reminds me of "Saturday" 😭😭😭

"Penelope, I don't know, I'm just... but maybe if we lean on each other, we'll have the strength to get through this together." ARE YOU KIDDING ME. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. THAT IS THE MOST ROMANTIC SHIT EVER. I'M ACTUALLY CRYING. HOLY SHIT HE'S SO IN LOVE.

Well, I can cross "Luke initiates a hug" off my Garvez bingo

I'm sorry, if someone looked at me like that, said those things to me, and then held me like that, I would be falling in love and potentially proposing marriage

"Yeah, we can do that, I want to do that" this sounds like every "I still love you" Garvez fic any of us have ever written

HE DID NOT JUST STROKE HER CHEEK I'M UN FUCKING WELL

"Me and you." I'd love that, actually STOP PLAYING WITH MY FEELINGS

"Have some tea, careful it's hot" LUKE ALVEZ THE WORLD DOES NOT DESERVE YOU

This is going to be a scene I come back and watch an UNREASONABLE amount of times. It added YEARS to my life and soothed a part of my soul I didn't realize was hurting. That might have been the most romantic Garvez scene... I think ever. It's going right up there in my favorites with the asking out scene and the entirety of "Saturday"

"His heart is in the right place" ma'am he's a serial killer

Okat, so Sydney's seen Voit on his phone now, so she knows something is up

Shiiiit she found the dog collar

Go OFF Rossi!!!

Rossi, wtaf are you doing????

Did Rossi set up a bomb to break himself out? If so, legend

L E G E N D

Ohhhhhhhhh nevermind, this might have backfired

The fury in Emily's face... Paget's acting is SLAYING this episode

Luke and Tara playing off each other and building on each other's ideas.. I AM SO HERE FOR IT

Krystall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean I knew she was coming, but I still love to see her. I still do kind of hope she's not the missing character cameo, but if no one else shows up, I will be using her to cross it off my CME bingo

"I've missed you so much" goodbye I'm c r y i n g

Rossi being so accepting of death 😭😭😭

Voit used his mother's maiden name as the new last name for his wife, this will probably end up being key to finding them

Every time I see Garvez working together... goddamn I love them so much

Ooh, we got the whole Voit background

Okay yeah we were all right when we said Will and Bailey are going to get shot and Bailey's going to die. I'm positive of it.

Ah shit Voit just snapped at his wife

Oh shit's about to go DOWN. The cops have arrived and Voit's brandishing a gun AT HIS FUCKING FAMILY

Okay so we have JJ, Will, Luke, and Bailey at Voit's house... and two of them are getting shot. If Luke gets shot I'm going to sob uncontrollably, and if these are my death options, I am also going to sob uncontrollably

Bailey, the best boy in the world (Luke Alvez) warned you, and you didn't listen to him. You should always listen to him. He's always right.

WHAT. IS. GOLD STAR???

I am stressinggggggggggggg

Luke/Will/JJ is not a trio I realized I needed

"Are we sure Bailey and this cat Voit don't have some history together?" I was wondering the same thing, Will

PENELOPE YOU ARE SO STUNNING I'M STILL MAD AT YOU FOR THE BAD CHOICES YOU'VE BEEN MAKING THIS SEASON AND FOR BREAKING LUKE'S HEART BUT THAT OUTFIT IS GORGEOUS AND I ADORE YOU

There are 20 minutes left and still so much needs to happen, idk if there's the time

Oh, Will's getting shot for SURE

Yep, Bailey just got shot, and if I saw correctly: in the head. He's dead. I think we all knew this was coming.

Ah shit, Voit grabbed Sydney before she could escape. Idk if she's making it out of this alive.

Aaaaaaaand there goes Will.

So you're telling me the only reason Sydney is still alive is because Voit used all his bullets? GodDAMN

YES LUKE!!! GO LUKE!!! SAVE THE DAY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

I completely love that it was Luke who ended up arresting Sicarius. I'm so glad the writers finally gave him his big moment. I would still like to know his backstory, though

Is Voit Mirandizing HIMSELF? Why does that make me laugh?

Tara is doing the I'm-so-mad-my-hair-is-moving power walk and I am HERE FOR IT goddamn she's so stunning

Rebecca I'm going to need you to shut the FUCK UP with your "I feel for you" and just tell Tara what she needs

"I didn't ask for any of this!" Do you think anyone did??????

So are just never going to learn what Gold Star is???

"I'm sorry I hurt you" BITCH YOU HELD A GUN TO HER HEAD AND TRIED TO SHOOT HER

I frankly have no idea how they're going to get Rossi out of this on time

Not how I thought I'd get to cross "a dance scene" off my CME bingo card, but I'll take it.

OH MY GOD IT'S "CHANCES ARE" I'M SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY

I am not well

Luke's overjoyed, "DAVE?" and his fucking smile I'M CRYING

GODDAMMIT YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN THAT EMOTIONAL SCENE WITH GREENCIA?

Greencia breakup??? Greencia breakup????

"is this heaven" *gag*

"Where we keep hurting each other. Or... where I keep hurting you." GOOD. ADMIT IT.

Okay, I am really glad that she is realizing that Tyler is bad for her and is ending things.

GREENCIA BREAKUP!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luke placing his hand on the back of Penelope's shoulder as he guides her out of the elevator 😭💗 WAIT I CAN COUNT THAT AS AN ELEVATOR SCENE ON MY GARVEZ BINGO

ROSSI HUGGING PENELOPE AND KISSING HER ON THE CHEEK 😭💗 HE MISSED HIS DAUGHTER (and, okay, @penelopeminded, I will admit that the Rossi/Emily hug scene was also very cute, but I still stand by the fact that Penelope is his favorite)

BAU group hug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Them toasting Bailey 😭😭😭

garvez scene at the end of the episode??? maybe???

If I hadn't already crossed of "they have a conversation about their feelings" last episode with the date flashback, this scene would have totally qualified

Okay if you try to tell me Penelope wasn't at least a LITTLE heart eyed when she was looking at Luke as he poured them drinks, you're lying. It's getting crossed off the bingo card

"The heart wants what it wants, or else it doesn't care" are we about to get a Garvez confession right now??? Because he said that looking SO IN LOVE WITH HER

"You know Emily Dickinson," she's so impressed (and a little heart-eyed, fight me)

"I know that quote" HE'S STILL IN LOVE WITH HER

Dammit no confession, but he's still in love with her

I'm sorry... they show Garvez... then Willifer... then Tara and Emily??? Are they hinting at something here???

"I don't mean to intrude" ROSSI SHIPS TEMILY

So, I'm guessing "Gold Star" is going to be the plot of the next season

"Oh, WHAT???" (my actual, out-loud reaction to seeing swat people or whoever they are storm the BAU)

Are they breaking Voit out???

Oh god the missing character is about to open that door aren't they

AND WE DON'T GET TO SEE WHO THAT WAS????

Okay, so I'm DEFINITELY going to be watching the next season. I am losing my mind /pos

[inspector-montoya-fox]

hi happy new year, how are you? to start off 2022 i’m gonna rank my top 10 favourite guards from the Sly trilogy. let’s take a look:

10. Card-dealing Dalmatian: honestly made the list mainly because of the outfit - it’s a look - but overall just a funny lil boi, a jokester

9. Basset Hound Pirate: this guy wants to take a nap but he can’t because LeFwee will probably cut his dick off idk. he’s not groundbreaking by any means, but i love the vest and the eye-patch as well as the fact that he has his own little mini cannon

8. Japanese Culture Aficionado Walrus: ok this guy... when Sir Frogger told his guards to wear overalls, this guy didn’t listen. fuck overalls he said. he prolly watches hentai and reads Naruto, and owns a scooter like Furio Tigre. god knows his income isn’t enough to buy a proper motorcycle, so he chose to settle. also, he feels really uncomfortable around his squid coworker

7. Janitor Rat: so imagine it’s late in Paris and you’re stuck cleaning the disgusting club floor, trying to get muddy footprints and gum out of the carpet (great choice Dimitri) while all your friends are out clubbing, and this cane-wielding dude in blue who doesn’t wear pants comes in and trashes the place. i mean, i’d be mad too tf ?? honestly, props to the janitor rat for standing up. you go, janitor rat.

6. Wolves: a silly lil guy, a cutie. why would you want to pick a fight with him? for shame.

5. Gays: listen. if it wasn’t for Tony de Killer B, these guys wouldn’t have made it on the list. but he paved the way, he put in the work. the outfit... mama mia ! 100% absolutely, he’s ready to vogue, he’s ready to death drop, it’s very John Galliano. the mask? it’s giving camp. skipped leg day for the past 8 years? that too. what’s there not to love exactly?

4. Y2K Monke Gurl: is she good at her job? no, she’s actually abysmal at it. but did she slay with her fit? i think she deserves a raise, Mr Panda. from the bandana to the blush, the braid, the gloves, the flame detailing on the sides, the sandal. GIVE US EVERYTHING, we stan. we have no choice but to stan. also, very good at finding excellent hiding spots, i’ll give her that too

3. Bomb Cock: i love these guys honestly. they’re just here to have a good time even though it might be their last. they’re doing the most and it’s ok, no judgement. very much Looney Tunes rejects with their comically huge bombs. they want to protect the hens in the coop but they’re way too destructive for that, it’s hilarious. if they were a lyric, they’d be When other bitches tryna get with my dude and when other chickens tryna get in my coop from Streets by Doja Cat

2. Moose Dude: ok hear me out on this one. very controversial choice but i couldn’t place them lower, i’m sorry. they’re lovable idiots/ jocks. they wear jock straps because they’re comfy, they probably smell like sweaty balls, they drink beer all the time. it’s the type of oblivious, dumbfounded straighty you see in gay porn. they’re pea-brained, they wanna play RC battles all day because they never finished high school despite being the best at PE. the poor things had no other option but to become guards. absolute goons. the way Murray just waltzed into their man-cave with a moose head on and they didn’t even bat an eye is so charming, these dudes drive me nuts. i’m a furry

Honorable Mention: Carmelita: she’s not a guard, but her patrolling the hubs always puts a smile on my face. what an absolute legend, what a ki. the mega threat herself, not letting anyone out of her sight, no matter the weather condition, the hub architecture, the surroundings. nothing.

1. Doberman Flashlight Guards: this is elite tier guard, no questions asked. these guys understood the assignment. they don’t care that their coworkers are wearing jailbird attire or that some of them even come to work nude; they’re gonna wear that fucking tuxedo and rock it. the way they walk is so funny, the way they run too, and if they catch you they’ll just waste an entire round of bullets because they’ll howl and shoot at the sky. that’s a good doggy !! they’ve been working hard and they’ve been cashing Muggshot’s cheques, because they’ve always got that cigar in their mouths. i love them, 10/10

[uwua3]

hi bunnie!!! i’m simping over juza again (but when am i not) so may i request some soft juza dating hc’s?? anything is fine 🥺👉👈 ilysm 💕

hi, mel~ ♡ i hope you’re doing well! :D i know you’re a fan of genshin impact, so i hope you enjoy this !!! <333 this isn’t as #Soft as i wanted, but i hope it makes you smile regardless 🥺 i love you lots !!! so does juza~ ´͈ ᵕ `͈ ♡°◌̊ (ahhh can you ever date a fatui harbringer though? hopefully some day TT)

summary: before juza leaves, he gives you a dream he will defend until the end

warnings: genshin impact spoilers(?), mentions of death

author’s note: no, i will not elaborate on why i have this extreme association of juza with childe. please do not ask me, as i will write *too much*. however, for any of my a3! genshin fans, please enjoy this piece for 11th fatui harbringer, hyodo juza! (there are no MAJOR spoilers for childe’s story—just his personality/family relations!)

+ i do NOT ship childe/traveller !!! childe is a young adult while traveller is canonically a teenager, i do not support the actual ship itself. please note juza is 18 in this writing :)

word count: 1,566

music: who are you, really? – mikky ekko, killer – the ready set

until we meet again, in snezhnaya.

🍁🍰 hyodo juza

They call Hyodo Juza, “Defender of Childhood Dreams”.

Because if you make a promise, you keep it. If you make a mistake, you apologize. If you give someone a dream, you defend it ‘til the end.

Despite always being away from his home country of Snezhnaya, Juza found himself keeping his word no matter where he went. As one of the older brothers of the Hyodo household, Juza could clearly remember his younger siblings’ tears as he departed all those years ago.

“Toymakers go all around the world for the best toys! I’ll send home lots of gifts, promise.” Juza swore on his life before disappearing away in the snow, wielding the emblem of the Fatui at eighteen.

“Brother Kumon, I will be home soon. I will take the first ship home, just as I promised—and you know how I always keep my promises.”

Yours faithfully, Your loyal knight

Juza sits in Liyue now, the ink staining the parchment against his will as he carefully signs his name. Gifts of all kinds sat beside him, such as kites, rattle drums, porcelain dolls, and snacks. After all, Juza did make a promise to send gifts. His younger brother, Kumon, deserved the best.

Before Juza could remember the chill of the snow down his spine and the numbing cold of frostbite he hadn’t felt in so long, the surface of his tea became unevenly rippled. At a distance, Juza could already tell it was you. Your rather odd companion, Paimon, could be sighted a mile away with how loud she was. On the other hand, you attentively listened as you stood out amongst the crowds.

Placing his quill down, Juza placed a pleasant smile upon his face. For a second, Snezhnaya disappeared. The frozen binding of his loyalty to her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, melted to reveal a heart longing for you to turn your head.

Even if it was for a moment, Juza’s head cleared of it all. His family waiting for him to conquer the world, his brother awaiting his latest toys, the expectation of laying all seven stars upon the Cryo Archon’s feet. All of it disappeared and all that was left was your face.

Honorary knight of Mondstadt. Hero that slayed Dvalin, or Stormterror. Lost twin looking for your sibling across Teyvat. You, a person from a different world, had made Juza forget why he had been fighting. Ever since he was fourteen, Juza fought tooth and nail just to survive. Now, Juza almost felt like he didn’t have to even move a finger as you met his eyes and returned his smile.

Juza would go through the abyss again, for three years even, to keep that smile.

When you walked over to his table of one, Juza lifted his hand in a wave as he called your name. Like you two were just friends, and nothing more. However, friends... wasn’t enough, not for Juza.

“Finally! My only worthy opponent, have you come for another fight?” Juza half-joked, his voice betraying his rumbling excitement and passion to be beaten once again. You always managed to gain the upper hand despite everything, and the rush of feeling like he was about to die gave him a thrill like no other.

But, you just shook your head as Paimon rolled her eyes, crossing her little arms mid-air. “Gosh, Juza, all you think about is fighting!” Juza held his hands up as if he surrended (he never actually would) and rested his hand on his spear, feeling the cool metal. Juza could imagine the electric sensation of his delusion, crackling for a fight regardless.

Only you could get him so worked up, Juza thought.

“No, I. . .” You trailed off, pausing to look away. The lowering sunset reflected in your eyes, like waves of Liyue’s harbor. Juza watched as your heart beat faster, uncertain, which was strange for such a renown legend in the making. Finally, you met his eyes with the confidence he knew and loved.

“I wanted to see you again before you left Liyue.” You honestly admitted and Juza let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. The bustling merchants of the city of contracts continued to thrive around the two. Carts of many merchandises wheeled past them, children ran by making up fantasies beyond the ocean, and business never stopped as trade went on and on. This was Liyue at its finest, and Juza was sure he’d miss it. Or, more specifically, you.

“Really? Perhaps I’ll have to take you home to my family one day. In the snowy hills where everything is cold.” Juza spoke like he was telling a story, as if he was speaking to Kumon back in their one-room hut. As if the snowflakes were in their hair, gloves keeping their hands functional, and makeshift fire was burning weakly between them. You seemed to change, posture weakening as if you were... safe.

You relaxed and didn’t have that subconscious to fight, not when you were with Juza. While you and Juza were two opposite ends of the spectrum, you two had one similarity that bound you together: being born into a life where fighting was the only option. Your hand that always hovered above your weapon fell to your side, and you took a seat across from Juza.

Juza, eleventh Harbringer of the Fatui, feared by all for his chaotic wild card battles. Yet, here he was, writing back home and drinking tea with a traveller who had done the impossible. You made him feel like putting down his weapons and running away, you made him want a second chance at life. As long as it was with you. Only you.

“Snezhnaya... tell me about it.” You said and Juza’s fingers twitched. Visions flew by his mind rapidly, mostly unpleasant and hard to speak of at a place like this. Juza wouldn’t dare tell you about the droughts of hunger when the war left the people to fend for themselves, the iced-over corpses serving as markings in the mountains, nor the everlasting pine trees that spoke of disaster with each collapse. Juza couldn’t say it, not when you were looking at him so wholeheartedly.

“My favorite thing to do is ice-fishing.” Juza started and launched into a whirlwind of his number one hobby. Spoke of the early morning hours cutting holes into thick layers of ice, wobbly legs shaking on the large expanse of the frozen lake, and sitting in silence as wildlife swam beneath them. Juza told you about the spike of adrenaline when he could feel the ice crack haphazardly, the jagged splits uncommon but exciting every time. When Juza shared his most beloved memories, he couldn’t help but feel the Snezhnayan cold with the closest possible feeling to joy.

You listened once again, face pensive and eyes focused on Juza’s hand motions, content tone, and honesty above all. You could almost see the nameless lake, the snow banks, the shadows of fish. You exhaled, and despite the warm atmosphere of Liyue, you swore you could see your breath solidify as if it was Dragonspine.

When Juza closed off his story with a smile, you spoke without a care in the world. As if your sibling wasn’t missing. As if you didn’t have to find all seven archons. As if the fate of Teyvat wasn’t upon your shoulders. Right now, it was just you and Juza. Juza and you.

“When I come to see you in Snezhnaya, I want to have your best fish dish.”

Juza propped his elbow upon the table, before holding his pinky out. You took it with your own, and Juza shot you a wink of many unsaid words. A contract, if you will. Fitting for Liyue.

“It’s a promise. You know I always love testing my limits for my opponents.”

If you make a promise, you keep it.

Juza pulled back first, as he always did. Standing up, Juza paid the bill generously with his excessive Mora. The words “goodbye” left a spicy taste on his tongue, so Juza refused to say them. You two held each other’s gaze for a moment too long, but didn’t mention it.

“I’m sorry for leaving you so soon.”

If you make a mistake, you apologize.

You didn’t react immediately, you just nodded as if it was okay. It wasn’t, really. You both knew Juza’s sudden departure was shrouded in unknown mystery. Neither of you had the courage to properly address it, however.

“But, I’ll see you again. I promised, didn’t I?” Juza began walking away, knowing he was due to leave and run far, far away to his next assignment. Liyue had no place for him anymore. Even when the stars of Teyvat claimed there would always be a place for adventurers, Juza wasn’t so sure if they meant him as well.

All you wanted to do was run after him. Sprint towards Juza and make him stay, even though he never would. You wanted to stand up and weave through the crowds to see his back one last time. But, you didn’t. You didn’t want to make this harder on yourself than it already was.

Before Juza disappeared for a long, long time, he looked over his shoulder with a wave.

“Farewell, my friends. Until we meet again... in Snezhnaya.”

If you give someone a dream, you defend it ‘til the end.

[buffyversefanfiction]

Slayer of Slayers

Warnings:I do not own, nor do I claim to own any of the copyright or characters within the Buffyverse which includes but not limited to the television shows Buffy and Angel, as well as the Darkhorse comics series’ continuation.

15+ Strong to moderate violence, Graphic to mild descriptions of gore, and torture, sexually charged scenes, sexual innuendos, mild to strong language, and practices of witchcraft.

M/M, F/F, M/F, GEN, OTHER +

PART SEVEN LINK HERE

Part Eight - Vampire Island

Theo Frey’s life had well and truly been a series of impossible events, his birth being miraculous conception between slayer and vampire, one of whom should never be able to produce any form of life, his birth then followed by being abandoned in the past and forced to grow up in the past, only to witness the death of his adoptive parents at the hands of Drusilla, which was then followed by Theo becoming a vampire slayer, falling in love with vamp Tobias, and becoming known as the slayer of slayers. And if that was not enough impossibilities within his life, he then witnessed his love Tobias’ death at the hands of old one Illyria, only to then die himself after being shot by former watcher Rupert Giles that saw him coming back to life as the world’s first vampire to have turned without a siring. Theo’s world had continued to crash around him, repeatedly, but for once his latest surprise was one he was happy about, that being declared a king of vampires following his survival after being staked, and now he was on a mission to earn that title, by finding this infamous vampire island, home to the first-ever Hellmouth, and the only place in the world that would solidify his claim as king amongst vampires, making him the most dangerous creature on the planet as the prophecies foretold and the only thing standing in his way, was his mother, Buffy the vampire slayer…

Buffy Summers had been out of the slaying game for what felt like forever but, it had only been over a year since she disappeared to the middle of nowhere, and as she returned, following the revelation of Theo, she found herself patrolling, hunting, and researching, 24/7, as she struggled to deal with her son’s hatred towards her and his many evil deeds, which she blamed herself for. The last time she saw her son she called his bluff about being ready to kill her, luckily things went Buffy’s way, and he couldn’t kill her in the end, but still to see her child so distraught, so broken, almost broke the once preppy and feisty blonde-haired vampire slayer. However, the fact he could not bring himself to kill her gave Buffy some hope that there was something still there deep within him that she could reach and after hearing news of his plans to take out Drusilla, those hopes grew, only to be dashed after learning her son had become something of a king among vampires. Buffy and Willow had been deep in the books within Willow’s San Francisco apartment for days, as they sought out to learn all they could about Theo’s prophecy as the first vampire not to be sired by another, as they learned the unnerving news that mother would either kill a son or be killed by a son, before going on to learn about a prophecy going back many centuries which detailed a self-sired vampire reigning king of an island, vampire island, and how his blood would open the world’s first Hellmouth, as they began to realize the importance of his birth, and why he was born, with Buffy beginning to fear that not only could her son not be saved but she may have to be the one to stop him. And before long Buffy and Willow hired a boat, enlisted the help of fellow vampire slayer Faith Lehane, and Illyria, and took to the sea with ancient books, maps, and spells directly linked to this mystical island of vampires, as they hoped to find the island, and to get there and destroy the Hellmouth before Theo had a chance of opening it, claiming his undead throne, and unleashing hell unto the world. “This child of yours sure knows how to cause trouble I bet you're missing the good old days when you only had to try to keep me in line.” Faith joked with Buffy as they stood to the port of the big yacht-like boat that they had rented, both slayers looking out towards the sea. “Well, I would not go as far as saying I’m nostalgic about rogue Faith and Sunnydale High, but things were much simpler back then for sure.” Buffy laughed, appreciating Faith’s humor during a difficult time for her. “Speak for yourself B, I do not want to sound all savior-like and everything, but we are going to get through to him Buffy without having to kill him.” Faith responded as she remained determined about her believes over Theo being redeemable. “If we were certain about that, I’d have got Angel on this mission instead of his super smurf sidekick and you’d have had his witch frenemy join us,” Buffy confessed to the fellow slayer, a slayer she had once become enemies with but had over time rebuilt their friendship. “I’m the slayer no matter what, and deep down you are the same…if I have to choose between the world or my son I’ll choose the world, Angel will choose his son, I guess that makes him the better parent and me the better, killer.” “It will not come down to that Buffy, I did not come on this mission to kill your kid and neither did you, we will stop him without killing him, and then you will ground his ass for at least a decade or two and we’ll go get some drinks.” Faith told Buffy, knowing Buffy was right but also knowing she did not want to admit it to her. “Being a slayer has cost me so much, forced me to sacrifice so much, and although I hate that more than anything if it comes down to it, I will continue to make those sacrifices because that is what a slayer does,” Buffy said in a defeated sigh, knowing that this quest to find the island of vampires could end with her killing her own son.

Later that very same night Theo stood at the front of a large shipment containing ship looking at the nearby island, with blood on his mouth, the blood coming from the human passengers of the boat that he and his group of vampires fed on while hiding out in the darkest places of the ship, choosing to keep the captain alive so he could sail the boat while they hid from daylight, but chaining him to the wheel so he dared not escape. Theo couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the island from a distance, a hauntingly beautiful island, almost completely in darkness if it was not for the night’s moon in the sky, reflecting light off the water, he could not believe that this lost island was the home to the world’s first Hellmouth nor could he believe that this island would be his kingdom, his way to a throne he never knew even existed. As the boat sailed closer towards the island, his vampire companions appeared from out of the blind spots, with glee in their eyes, knowing they had found the only true home for their kind, completely oblivious to the fact that their king was beginning to question the path he had chosen so quickly after facing off with his nemesis Drusilla. Theo had wanted many things in his life, he wanted love which he found with Lucien Knight and then later the vampire Tobias, he wanted companionship which he once had with his bewitching best friend Ruby Moon, and he wanted a family to replace the one he lost, but he had never dreamt of being a king among monsters nor did he dream of one day becoming one of those monsters but fate had dealt their cards and Theo had no choice but to either accept or deny his destiny. Losing Tobias had awakened emotions within the vampire that he thought was long gone, human emotions, grief, sadness, and loss, and somehow through reunions with old friends, meeting his biological family, and turning against his mentor Drusilla, somewhere through all that he had felt a part of his old self slipping back through, a part he had hoped he killed a long time ago and apart if he wanted to become king, he would have to kill now. Theo’s only mission in life had been to avenge his parents and with an army, and more undead soldiers to add to that army, after opening the Hellmouth and claiming his undead kingdom, he knew with certainty he would achieve that goal, for even Drusilla herself could not outrun an entire army instructed to hunt her down at all costs, and if it meant ending the world, well that was just a sacrifice the slayer of slayers was willing to make. But as his minions anchored the boat Theo was shocked to suddenly see Sineya, the first slayer, appear standing within the sandy shores of the beach, staring right at him, as if she was staring right into his soul, and perhaps she was, as Theo suddenly felt a rush of guilt hit him hard, like a ton of bricks, causing him to gasp for a moment before like she had appeared, Sineya disappeared into the night’s air within a blink of the eyes. “We’re here boss!” One of his minions announced to him. “Time to go as far as we can before looking for coverage from the sun, then when night falls again we will get you to your throne.” “Yes,” Theo replied, as he then mumbled to himself, unimpressed by the island’s restrictions. “What kind of island meant for vampires has no way of blocking out the sun anyway?”

Buffy, Faith, Willow, and Illyria were not too far behind as the sun began to rise in the sky, the two slayers, witch, and goddess, drew closer to the infamous island of vampires, an island that Illyria herself had conquered many millenniums ago, back when bloodsuckers were nothing more than pets to her, messy pets whom she’d easily put down if they pestered her. All those years ago Illyria never really sense the true power of this island, thinking of it as nothing more than a home to bloodsuckers, but now as she grew closer to the island of vampires she began to sense its power more and more, a sense of untapped potential, the same sense she got from the slayer of slayers which only served as further evidence to the goddess that Theo Frey was indeed linked to the place, just like the prophecy foretold. As she stood behind the boat’s wheel, Willow Rosenberg, standing next to her, the two women seeing the island in their sight, Illyria knew that Willow too could feel the untapped power radiating from the island of the undead. “I know we’re going to win because we always do but what’s the odds, we win without having to kill Buffy’s son?” Willow asked Illyria, fearing her answer, but knowing Illyria would be honest about their odds. “The son of the slayer has survived far longer than I expected him to when we first met however, in this fight I believe in order to win, he must die, and I’m not one for losing,” Illyria answered honestly with a rare sign of reluctance which showed a sense of empathy towards the situation, a feeling which was rather new for the blue haired goddess. Before long Buffy, Willow, Illyria, and Faith had anchored the boats and were now on the sandy shores of the island, ready to face whatever awaited them on this prophesized island for vampire kind, but before they traveled further into the island, Buffy noticed another boat heading towards the island’s direction, instantly knowing it wasn’t Theo’s, as something in her gut told her that Angel was on that boat. “So, about not telling Angel about the mission…” Faith began to say to Buffy. “You decided to go against that I guess.” Buffy interrupted her fellow slayer, infuriated by her actions but understanding them at the same time. And so, Buffy waited for Angel’s ship to anchor itself near the island before deciding to get on the boat, going under the deck where Angel and Spike were hiding out from the sunlight, having had the help of Rupert Giles to sail the boat, and Xander Harris, because well he was Spike’s roommate, and one of Buffy’s best friends. “I told you she wouldn’t be happy with us tagging along on this one,” Spike said to Angel as the two vampires sat at a table within the kitchen room on the boat as Buffy walked in, the windows completely blacked out by carboard to protect the vampires from the sunlight. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t give a damn about what she wants.” Angel snapped at Spike while standing up to face Buffy, furious with the slayer for once again going behind his back regarding their son. “I was just trying to save you the pain if things go bad out there!” Buffy told Angel. “Theo’s about to bring about another apocalypse and if I don’t make it in time to save him then I will have to stop him.” “I will not let you hurt our son Buffy!” Angel argued with the slayer, furious to learn that she was prepared to kill her own child. “I don’t care if he does bring about the apocalypse, there’s always some apocalypse and we always defeat it, but I will not lose him again…I will not let you take him away from me again!” “Do you think I want to kill my son? No, but he’s not leaving us much choice, and once again it falls on me to choose between someone I love and the rest of the world, you have no idea what that is like so don’t you dare stand there and judge me!” Buffy shouted at the brooding vampire, as Spike sat there having no choice but to watch the two bickerings with each other awkwardly. “I have lost people too Buffy, you’re not the only one who has had to make sacrifices, but I refuse to let you go in there ready to kill

him if you need to. What happened to the girl ready to risk the world for her sister? Why does Dawn mean more to you than your own son?” Angel continued to argue with the slayer furiously. “Dawn was an innocent, she did nothing wrong and has continued to do nothing wrong, Theo was a cold-blooded killer long before he became a vampire-like his father, Dawn never chose her fate, she fought against it like we all did but Theo is willingly choosing this and if we do not stop before he opens that Hellmouth then we have to throw his ass in there,” Buffy replied, equally as furious as Angel, not liking the position she had found herself in, willing to do anything to make this not true, but ready to accept whatever fate may fall upon her son, as she once again had to choose to be a chosen one over all else. Buffy knew she had the sun to her advantage, and she could use it along with Illyria, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Faith, to get trekking through the vampire island, and get a head start on Angel and Spike, hoping however the big battle went down that she could spare Angel the pain of seeing their son’s death even if she could not spare herself the same pain, but with only a matter of hours to go, and no clue where they were going on this island, the chances of this getting messy seemed unavoidable.

Theo, of course, was one step ahead of the others, as he and his gang of vampires sought refuge from the sunlight within one of the islands’ caves, but instead of sleeping like his minions, Theo stayed up plotting, marking out what he could see of the island and patrolling the cave for any signs of them being ambushed, knowing the champions of this world would no doubt find their way here sooner or later, however, it was when the slayer of slayers went deeper into the caves that he once again saw Sineya appear in front of his eyes. Sineya, was no stranger to Theo, for the two had met before, a very long time ago, but her presence was still a shock considering the first-ever vampire slayer was killed long before his time, and many others, but as he saw her for the second time since arriving on the vampire island, he could not help but want to know the reason behind her presence. “Do you remember me?” Theo asked the primeval slayer, who nodded in agreement before he continued to ask. “Why are you here?” “The dirt beneath you is the same dirt I once stood on, do you not recognize a place you have been before? Much has changed but it still feels the same.” Sineya replied telepathically, her voice piercing Theo’s mind without the slayer so much as moving her lips. “No…the prophecies say this is vampire island, not slayer island.” Theo denied her claims almost instantly. “As long as there are vampires there are slayers…once only one slayer but now an army.” Sineya continued to telepathically speak, accessing Theo’s mind with ease. “We did not choose this path, but you did…now you must decide if you are vampire or slayer.” “I think I made that choice long before I actually became a vampire, how are you even here?” Theo responded coldly, not knowing that the primeval slayer could sense the uncertainty within his very soul. “You already are where you are looking to be but is it where you want to be?” Sineya informed him with her cryptic words, once again choosing to speak telepathically instead of out loud. “You can do what you came here to do but the question is, do you want to do it?” Suddenly, the first slayer once again vanished within the blink of the eye, but this time Theo noticed the caveman writings in front of him, within the depths of the cave, and as he began to decrypt what the pictures meant, he realized that through that very wall, was where the Hellmouth was located, he had somehow found it instinctively without even knowing, and that’s what Sineya was pointing out to him, forcing his hand to make his choice, but as ruthless, and evil, as Theo Frey could be, was he really ready to end the world just to claim an undead kingdom?

[medea10]

Medea’s Worst Year of All-Time Anime/Game Superlative

Nobody saw this year coming…except for maybe Barbara Walters! Who could have predicted that this year would bless us with Australia burning, the entire west coast of the U.S. set on fire, stupid people setting fires because they wanted to reveal a baby’s gender, murder hornets, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dying, an almost war with Iran, serial killer mascots arrested, policemen killing unarmed black folks for having a counterfit $20, policemen killing unarmed black folks for breaking up a fight, policemen killing black folks for holding sandwiches, policemen killing unarmed black folks for fucking sleeping, a wide variety of “Karens” coming out of the woodworks, the end of Bojack, the end of Steven Universe, the end of Empire, and a pandemic so huge it’s killed the economy, canceled fun, and given the U.S. president the dumb-fuck idea of injecting bleach to kill the virus!?

SERIOUSLY, WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED ALL OF THIS WAS GOING TO FALL IN OUR LAPS LIKE HOT COFFEE ON THE CROTCH?!

At least there was anime this year.

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At least there was SOME anime this year.

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Biden won the election and Vickeblanca came out with Black Catcher this year.

Hey internet, it’s Medea here to give you her trashy opinion on this years anime and games that she’s watched or played. Because for some reason, my loser-ass loves to do out-dated as fuck memes! I shouldn’t complain, this shit brings a lot of attention to my page every year when I do this. Yes, 2020 was a complete dumpster fire so large that Domestic Girlfriend is crying foul. Many of us had to go on lockdown and ended up binge-watching the entire 957+ episodes of One Piece. I did no such thing. I am one of those “essential workers” so I didn’t hunker down for 9 months straight. But when I was home, I was watching anime. Actually, I would have done that even without the pandemic. I’m an introvert and find the human race to be deplorable.

You all know how this goes. I go over the best this year had to offer me. I had to search really hard to find the good in this year, especially in the anime world. Many things had to be put on hiatus or were delayed to a later date. Just a reminder, I don’t discriminate in what year the anime or game came out. If something came out in the happier times of 2007, that anime or game counts! Let’s get at it!

First Fandom of 2020: Interspecies Reviewers

Did anyone expect a fan-favorite of 2020 was going to be a hentai? Did anyone have on their batshit 2020 bingo card that a hentai was going to grab everybody’s attention? At the beginning of the year, my mind was set on the Railgun sequel and Eizoken. It wasn’t until licensors, streaming sites, and TV stations in Japan dropped this series that I started to pay attention. And got immediately hooked! It’s about three men going to different brothels and reviewing their time with the ladies. And these ladies are of different species! So with every bang comes possible enlightenment, new kinks, or a night of having your dick sucked off more than humanly possible. This anime blew away all of my skepticism and first impressions right out the window. Maybe it’s because I’m a degenerate and am often curious about sexual content, but this was a guilty pleasure of mine this year.

Favorite Main Character of 2020: Moroha from Yashahime

I know the majority of this story is going to revolve around Towa and Setsuna, but can we please focus a little more energy on the spunky, quarter-demon girl?! I know they’re pitting Moroha as the comic relief, but I’m hopeful that she’s going to surprise us one day. We fans of InuYasha would spend the past decade and some change wondering what InuYasha and Kagome’s daughter would be like. This year, we got our answer with Moroha. She’s got this wild side to her, probably due to the fact that she’s spent her entire life on her own. And while she’s silly at times, she can get down to business in a pinch. She has her father’s sense of smell. She has a sword. She’s able to shoot sacred arrows much like her mother. And to top it all off, she has this special rouge that if she puts it on, she’s able to unleash that ¼ demon power inside her and become Beniyasha! Yeah, I know the power only lasts a minute, she’s only 14, give her a break! I will gladly go through another week scratching my head at the confusion this story gives me if I get to see one more second of Moroha and her crazy antics or her bad-ass slaying.

Favorite Villain of 2020: The Devil Believers from Black Clover

This was one hell of a year for Black Clover. It would have been an easy choice to pick the devil and possible super devil that appeared during the elf fight. But I’d like to give a nod to the filler arc villains. And you can’t blame this group for wanting the power of the devil. They’re literally the bottom-rung of the Clover Kingdom and ones with little to no power or mana. So I can agree with why they would want the power of the devil. For one thing, they’d have more power. And for another thing, they’d be able to exact revenge on those who have wronged them. On some occasions I agree with exacting revenge and when it comes to the nobles and some characters in Black Clover, some folks do deserve death. I mean, have you met the king of the Clover Kingdom? Plus, this town and many other poorer towns get looked over by the kingdom. Peasant uprise! Anyways, I thought these people were really crafty in their crimes. I mean, they were able to knock Asta out on his ass with specially made poisons. I was actually hooked to this story of Black Clover (despite it being a filler arc). I know we’ll never see them again as they have been exiled, but it did have me semi-rooting for them.

Favorite Video Game Character of 2020: Honey from Pokemon – Sword & Shield (Expansion Pass)

Sorry Raymond from Animal Crossing!

Honey is the saucy wife of Mustard…I did not expect that to come out the way it did, but here we are! She has one hell of a team you can fight once a day. She looks out for her husband, the dojo, and the students of the dojo like they were her own children by providing food, drinks, and others. However that does come at a price as you do have to give up a sizable chunk of your watts that you collect in raid dens. I’m sure a bunch of MILF chasers were more than happy enough to give her all their hard-earned watts just so they can have their one-on-one moment on the beach with Honey.

What won me over was when that one guy from a rival dojo bad-mouthed her husband’s dojo and she…I think she kicked this guy’s ass herself. I don’t think she used any of her pokemon. Game Freak won’t show it, but we all know she kicked this guy’s ass to a point where he’s begging for mercy.

Honey, for the win!

Favorite Game of 2020: Animal Crossing New Horizons

This game was just Zen for me. I know the release of this game came with some controversy like Gamestop saying it’s an essential business and will remain open for people to get their copies of the game. Hell, I was one of those assholes in line waiting to get a copy on March 20th. Did I predict that a pandemic was going to rage out of control when I got a prepay copy of this for Christmas 2019? NO! I only predict political things, not deadly pandemics! The good news, we social distanced, didn’t catch the covid and got the game.

Anyways, this game has been a non-stop calming and fun ride. I can even forgive their botch-up of Bunny Day. They even have events for holidays I never thought they would ever touch. I mean, does anybody know when Museum Day is? Probably not until Animal Crossing had an event for it! I’ve been able to let my freak-flag fly with designing my island. And this goes way beyond New Leaf for the 3DS. I can make a sign post with the words “Fuck Trump” on it and post it in my yard. I can dig up trees and plant them elsewhere. I can poop in a toilet. I can craft furniture and put my own design on it. My furniture can have Tracey Sketchit’s beautiful mug on it. I can sit on Tracey Sketchit’s face. I am a sick fuck and I don’t care. I can give Raymond and Bob maid outfits. Magical time in my game! My hopes for next year…I don’t know, get the Festivale furniture, get Papi and Olivia to join my island, maybe visit Danny Trejo’s island, who knows, sky’s da limit!

Favorite Het Couple of 2020: Nasa and Tsukasa Yuzaki from Tonikawa

This is one of the most unorthodox marriages I’ve ever seen. But in this 90 Day Fiance world we’re living in, I shouldn’t pass judgement on these two getting married in episode one and not knowing much about each other. Nasa meets Tsukasa as he was about to be plowed by a truck. Tsukasa saves his life. Nasa says she’s beautiful. Tsukasa says she’ll be his girlfriend if they get married. He agrees. She disappears. Four years later, Tsukasa appears in front of Nasa’s front door with a marriage registration form. Congratulations buddy, you’ve got yourself a waifu! In some way, this felt like watching Yamato and Takeo from My Love Story. I was fascinated with them progressing through their relationship. The only difference is that Yamato and Takeo took the old-fashioned route. This couple did everything ass-backwards in terms of having a relationship. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Nasa and Tsukasa’s relationship during each episode. I find them cute.

Favorite Yuri Couple of 2020: Karin Asaka x Emma Verde from Love Live Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

AAAAAAAAAH! I’M IN IDOL HELL AGAIN! Yeah, no kidding! I came this close to putting Miu x Nicole from that abomination 22/7. But thank God for Love Live! There’s no telling if any of the girls from the Love Live franchise are confirmed to be lesbians. But fuck it, all of them attend all-girl schools, no males exist anywhere, and Sunshine gave us Kanan x Mari! Yeah, you know Kanan and Mari is canon as fuck, don’t at me. So naturally, I found more third-years to ship in the new Love Live series. Now I know I should have put up Ai x Rina or Ayumu x Yuu. Especially the latter due to recent events! But Emma x Karin is my OTP.

Now Emma is an exchange student from Switzerland and in coming to Nijigasaki, she first meets Karin and they became instant friends. When Emma said she wants to become an idol, Karin helped her quite a bit. Even though Karin had no interest in being an idol as her modeling career is starting up, Karin would occasionally help Emma out. And surprise, surprise, Karin ends up fascinated with the idol world and Emma helps her come to the light to be herself there. Okay, I’m totally reading this in some fragmented way, but I’m currently playing Love Live School Idol Festival All Stars and the app game has a lot more stuff involving stuff the anime has yet to talk about. Confirmed or not, Karin x Emma for the win!

Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2020: Eiji Okumura x Ash Lynx from Banana Fish

It took me a while to get here, but I finally made it to 2018’s overlooked gem. Forgive me for not being fully caught up, but from what I’m watching at the moment, I’m sticking to my guns and supporting the hell out of this. I mean, I could have mentioned The Titan’s Bride here…but fuck no, I ain’t goin’ down that mess! Ash has gone through a lot, I mean a helluva lot in his past. His cute boy looks have made him a target on the streets of New York, with mafia dons, and with prison inmates. But dude can kill if you mess with him. Then you have Eiji, who is just a literal example of a “pure cinnamon roll (until episode 8)”. These two are as opposite as you can possibly get. Ash is from New York and Eiji is from Japan. Ash likes hot dogs with everything on it. Eiji likes grilled fish and natto. Ash spent the majority of his life killing on the streets. Eiji was a track superstar. You get my meaning. But when we got these two together it’s quite adorable. Ash is really able to change when he’s around Eiji. Ash isn’t some heartless killer on the street about to kill a thug with prosthetic fingers. When he’s with Eiji, he’s a joker that can easily get scared of pumpkins. And even in later episodes, you got these two acting like a husband and wife.

Fandom That You Didn’t Expect to Get Into: Les Miserables – A Girl Named Cosette

Let me explain a little something. Les Mis! I have never seen the play, watched the movie, or read the novel prior to picking up this anime. Not a single one of those! And that’s a bit of a head-scratcher when you realize I was a bit of a musical theater nut in my teenage years. But one thing I do like is when Japan does an anime based on plays or historical events (like Romeo x Juliet or Rose of Versailles). The second I popped in Les Miserables the anime, I wanted to binge watch the whole 52 episode series. It is by no means a perfect adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Several key players end up surviving all the way up to the end of the story! But because this was my very first viewing of anything Les Mis, I took to the story of Cosette and was eager to see what was going to happen next in her tale. Unlike the movies and play, Cosette was the main focus of the story besides Jean Valjean and Javert. And thanks to watching the unfortunate stories of Cosette, Jean Valjean, the Thenadiers, Javert, Marius, and the rest, I thought it was time to watch the OTHER adaptations to Les Mis.

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Russell Crowe sucks.

Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

Higurashi or When They Cry is one of my favorite fandoms of all time! So naturally when we heard that it was making a comeback, I was excited. It was also very odd that Higurashi was given this sequel or reboot. Ahem! There’s another franchise that needs a face-lift. Umineko still deserves a better treatment. Plus, now that this series was out of the faulty hands of Studio Deen, Higurashi will get the special care it deserves. Believe it or not, it wasn’t just the anime that made a comeback for me, but the manga as well. Since 2009, I’ve read several volumes (out of order) and would every now and then come back to read the story. Back to the anime, this reboot or sequel…you know what, I’m gonna call it a “rebooqual”! This rebooqual sucked me back to the town of Hinamizawa and all the murders. Every week, I find myself comparing the current episode to one from the 2006 version. But then the fourth episode of each arc seems to catch me off guard.

Where are they going with this story and these twist endings to our favorite arcs? I did not expect Rena to turn a simple attempted murder into the end of School Days! I didn’t expect Rika to die in the most disgusting fashion they could think of. Could someone kill Teppei fucking Hojo? I will pay ¥5000 for someone to do that job. So yeah, because I know how much of this plays out and who does what, I’m usually watching and reading while making wise-ass remarks. But I still have fun with it.

Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: Konosuba

In a year where I caught up with the popular Isekais like Shield Hero and Re:Zero, I found the wacky misadventures of Kazuma Satou to be amusing as all get-out. From the first 5 minutes, I found myself laughing at Kazuma’s misfortune. Seriously, how the fuck do you mistake a tractor for a car, have a heart attack, piss yourself, and fucking die in the first couple minutes to the series? You can only get away with this shit in gag animes! But it’s not just Kazuma’s dumbass, there’s a mage who only does explosions, but loses all her energy after one blow-up. Then there’s a busty, blonde who gets turned on by getting hurt and can’t strike anything with her sword. Anime’s biggest masochist or Cheryl Tunt incarnate, I haven’t decided which one to believe! Then you have this loud, crazy goddess chick named Aqua. She’s also useless about 86% of the time! Watching their unfortunate missions is all the crack that I need to get through this year. Seriously, Darkness is just all kinds of fucked up, but we love her.

Last Fandom of 2020: Yashahime

That’s right, the InuYasha sequel gets top spot here! Even though week after week I find myself asking more questions than when the episode started, I’m still hooked. If you’re like me, you watched and fell in love with the series InuYasha. So if they’re doing a sequel, you’re expecting to see all of your favorite characters from the prequel like InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Sesshomaru, Koga, Rin, and the rest. Actually, no! Quite the opposite! We’ve got Sesshomaru’s daughters, but no Sesshomaru. Rin is sleeping in a tree we think! We’ve got InuYasha and Kagome’s daughter, but they’re M.I.A. None of the girls even know a thing about their birth parents.

Now are these new characters a catch like the ones from the previous series? Some are! The three main girls, yes! Especially Moroha! I’ve already praised her name earlier in the superlative. Towa and Setsuna do take on some personality traits from their parents. Setsuna is definitely serious like Sesshomaru and Towa sometimes has a carefree yet loyal aura to her like Rin. I know I’m always skeptical when a series gives us a sequel featuring the offspring of the main characters. Especially when you’ve got some lame examples like Boruto and Eureka Seven AO (I might retract my diss on Boruto later)! As each week gives us a new episode, we’re unraveling new clues into a lot of things involving our old favorite characters, as well as the new ones. So I have high hopes for Yashahime for the time being!

[falseroar]

Is This Your Card? Part 12: Just Missed Him

((This house and the way people just seem to disappear and reappear at random bothers the District Attorney, but not as much as how badly this situation is affecting Damien.

Link to previous part, Part 11: About Dave, and to the masterlist.))

“Geronimo!”

He must have left your sight for only a second, but at his shout you had a brief glimpse of the man dressed in a frankly ridiculous red and white striped bathing costume and a straw hat that he could not have possibly had enough time to change into before he jumped into the pool.

You didn’t even know where to start figuring that one out before you heard a voice behind you.

“Y/N? Have you seen the Colonel?”

Damien stepped from around the corner of the building with his question, his eyes briefly meeting yours before he peered around, clearly distracted.

“He…” You glanced over your shoulder at the pool, but the only sign that he had ever been there was the straw hat floating on the surface with not even a shadow under the water to hint at its owner. “He was just here…”

“I thought I heard him,” Damien said, unable to hide his disappointment or his distraction as he ran a hand through his hair and continued to gaze around as though sure the Colonel might pop up at any moment.

Which, considering what you had seen so far, wasn’t hard to imagine...

“I need to speak with him,” Damien said, hands anxiously shifting their grip on his cane as he spoke. “I may have been a little short at our last encounter and…”

He sighed. “Well, if you do see him, let me know.”

Without waiting for an answer, Damien turned and walked away.

“Bully!”

The Colonel surfaced from the pool, drenched and arms stretched out as he shouted the word as though proud of himself for managing to hold his breath for so long.

You looked back to where Damien had just been a second ago, sure that he must have heard that, but there was no sign of the mayor.

“Damien? What—where did he—where did you go?” you asked, spinning back toward the pool only to find it empty once again.

“Life needs a bit of madness, eh chap?”

The Colonel stood beside you, back in his pristine and not even a bit damp military uniform without a wet hair on him.

“How do you keep doing that?” you asked, trying to keep up with the Colonel as he was already walking away again.

“Doing what?” the Colonel asked as he passed a fountain on his way toward the stone steps that led to the grounds below.

“The—the…” You trailed off, unsure how to put it into words without sounding crazy.

The Colonel winked at you knowingly and said, “Now, back to the grisly business inside. I’m sure I’m not the first to say that our host had a great deal of enemies as of late.”

“Mark wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, that’s true,” you admitted. He had left more than his fair share of rivals and critics in his wake with his sometimes-single-minded determination to become an actor. “But enemies?”

“Someone thought ill enough of him to send him a death card with his name on it,” the Colonel pointed out. “No offense to yourself, of course.”

You didn’t have an answer ready for that. Of course, you hadn’t made very many friends on your way to becoming district attorney, either.

“My prying eye might suspect that the people who worked for him might have had reason to stab him in the back,” the Colonel said, with a gesture to illustrate his point. His eyes drifted away from your face as he added softly, “God knows he’s a tough son of a bitch to work for.”

You stared at the Colonel’s back as he looked over the grounds. “Wait, did you—”

“Oh, the old golf course!” The Colonel turned toward you with a smile. “I’ll fetch my clubs!”

“Wait!”

But he was already charging down the stone steps, one hand to his pith helmet to keep it in place as he ran out onto the green.

“Colonel?” The hopeful tone in Damien’s voice gave way to a muttered swear when he saw that you were once again alone. “I thought I heard him.”

“He was just here,” you protested, turning toward the winding golf course down below and failing to see any sign of the uniformed figure. “How does he keep doing that?! And earlier, you just round a corner and disappear? I don’t—”

“Y/N?”

You could hear the concern in Damien’s voice as you pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. “This place doesn’t make any sense!”

“My friend, what happened to your nose?”

You opened your eyes to see Damien, closer now as he looked at your face with concern.

“Just a nosebleed,” you answered quickly, already pulling the still damp rag the Colonel had given you earlier from where you had halfway stuck it into your pocket. Leaving a wet spot on the side of your heavily wrinkled from having slept in them pants, as if you didn’t already look and feel like a wreck. “I must have missed a spot…”

“Let me,” Damien said, already pulling the spotted rag from your hand before you could argue. You leaned back against the stone railing while he gently wiped at your face, the rag pausing near the corner of your mouth as his concerned eyes met your own. “Are you okay? Is this why you weren’t at the table earlier?”

“No, Abe and I were looking around and must have missed that breakfast was ready,” you said, and caught the annoyance that flickered though your friend’s eyes as he lowered the rag. “The Colonel brought me some food though.”

You held up the hastily wrapped biscuits as proof, which you had barely touched while being distracted by the Colonel’s story.

“Yes, I spoke with the hunter,” Damien said, his tone surprising you.

“Did something happen?” you asked.

“No, we just had a little…talk,” Damien answered, looking away. “Y/N, when is the last time you ate?”

“Right now,” you said, pulling a piece off of one of the biscuits and popping it into your mouth. “But only if you tell me what’s going on with you and Abe.”

“There is nothing—” Damien stopped short at your expression and started again. “I know that you have been assisting our…intrepid ‘detective’ with his investigation, but I have to bring some concerns of mine to the forefront.”

You finished off a biscuit, using it as an excuse to consider where this might be going before you said, “Of course, Damien. What’s wrong?”

“If we look at the situation logically, we can only assume that the killer who struck down our dear friend Mark was with us last night. There has been no sign that anyone forced their way into the house, and you surely would have picked up the smell of someone else within those walls.”

You nodded. You had been over every floor with Abe in that little trek earlier, and there was no scent in there of anyone other than Mark, the two servants, and the three other guests besides yourself. Even if the butler had cleaned the whole place in the early hours of the morning, you should have been able to pick up the scent of someone before that cologne in Mark’s room took a wrecking ball to your sinuses.

“And we even know that the murder weapon must have included one of two guns, possessed either by the Colonel or the hunter,” Damien pressed on. “And while I would stake my life on the innocence of the Colonel or yourself, can we really say the same of the hunter?”

“Anyone could have used one of those guns last night,” you pointed out.

“But it would have been significantly easier for the person who brought not only the gun, but the silver bullet that pierced Mark’s heart,” Damien said. “Y/N, the man may hunt monsters, but not all of those monsters appear so different from ourselves, as you well know. Who’s to say that he did not see a monster in Mark where there was none, and took it upon himself to slay an imaginary beast?”

“Damien, please, we can’t just assume—”

“Who else could have known?” Damien interrupted. “Who else could have sent those cards, who could have known to send you that card?”

“He didn’t even know I would be here tonight!”

“So he claims. But how hard would it have been to find out beforehand?”

Abe had been here just a few nights ago, looking into Mark’s employees. The thought had crossed your mind that Mark may have asked the hunter to look into more than just his chef and butler, and now Damien must have seen the uncertainty in your expression.

“Y/N, can you honestly tell me he wouldn’t have it in him to kill someone?”

“He didn’t shoot me,” you said, softly. “He had the chance, he didn’t even know who I was, but he let the wolf go.”

“But now he does know and I just—” Damien’s hand was tight around his cane as he gestured, seeking the words that eluded him until he finally said, “I just don’t want to lose another friend.”

“Damien?” You straightened up, setting aside your napkin on the railing when you saw the mistiness in his eyes. “No, you’re not…Come here.”

You pulled him into a hug, felt his fingers grip tight to the back of your shirt as he pulled you close to his shaking chest.

“I just keep thinking about those cards, someone sent those, they sent both of you a death card and then Mark is just—he’s just dead, and it could have been you too, it could still be—”

“Shhh.” You shushed him gently, hand rubbing his back as you let him cry into your shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere, Damien, not until we find out what’s going on here. I promise.”

You don’t know how long the two of you stood there like that before Damien’s hands found their way to your shoulders, pulling you back so that he could look you in the eye as he added, “And I promise, I’m not leaving here without you. I will not stand by and let another one of my friends come to harm. If, somewhere in the shadow of this manor, there is a murderer, then—”

Damien’s declaration was cut short by a blast of thunder that accompanied a far more disturbing sound from within the house: a gunshot and the crash of something breaking, followed by muffled voices raised in argument.

Damien glanced at you and took off running toward the house, but his shout for you to stay behind fell on deaf ears as you followed on his heels, determined to see what had happened.

You had to know, to find some kind of answer to what was going on here. For Damien’s sake, for Abe’s, and for your own.

((End of Part 12. Wasn’t sure if I would be able to post this one today due to...a lot happening recently. Sorry if I missed any issues, today is not a good day for the wording or editing to happen well.

Here’s a link to Part 13: A Debt to Pay.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate @missksketch))

[hutchhitched]

Maybe This Summer, Prologue

After many months and several delays, I’m excited to finally share Maybe This Summer with you. Last year, I offered an auction for a 50,000+ word story for @fandomtrumpshate​, and @ldyglfr62​ won the bid. She gave me free reign to create a mild age gap!Everlark story with Gale as Katniss’ best friend. With a little inspiration from Dirty Dancing and the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Maybe This Summer is the result. The story will post on Tuesday mornings at 11:00 am CDT.

Big thanks for @ldyglfr62​ for bidding and trusting me to create this story (and being patient and gracious as I worked through some personal issues) and @xerxia31​ for mad beta skills and turning the nine pictures I sent into this gorgeous graphic.

Summary: Katniss Everdeen needed a vacation. On a whim, she reserved three months at Panem Resorts in North Carolina. She expected to spend her time recovering from the recent death of her sister, exploring the nearby nature reserve, and reminiscing about happier times. What she didn’t foresee was bumping into Peeta Mellark, one of Panem’s most valued employees, during his early morning run. Neither did she think she’d grow to admire him when she’d hated him from first sight, but his killer smile and gorgeous blue eyes had a way of breaking down the walls she’d built around her heart. Maybe this summer she’ll finally get what she’s always deserved. AO3

_______________

Winding Road

A canopy of trees shaded the ribbon of asphalt as Katniss Everdeen sped along the winding country road. She hadn’t been there in ages, two decades passing since the last time her mother requested time off from work and bundled her daughters into the car and took them on vacation. She’d chosen the same place for nostalgic reasons and was determined to find something to smile about during her time at Panem this summer. She needed that.

 Things hadn’t gone too well for her over the past few years. Her mother and she had almost no relationship anymore—not since her younger sister Prim passed away—and it was hard for Katniss to care about much of anything anymore. She still had her best friend Gale Hawthorne and his wife Madge, but otherwise, she felt more alone than not. When her boss noticed her increased stress levels and a few minor mistakes in her data that could have been much worse, he ordered her to take some time off and center herself before coming back to work. She should be grateful he hadn’t fired her, and she was, but she also had no idea how to fill her time without spending it in the lab at West Virginia University.

 Katniss didn’t like to sit still, and the weeks had loomed before her when she sat alone in her empty house. On a whim one night, she flipped through an old photo album she’d taken from her sister’s place after her funeral. On the third page, she stopped, troubled by the happy smiles jumping off the page and making her heart hurt. After a sleepless night, she maxed out a credit card booking three months—from Memorial Day to Labor Day—at the resort. She needed something. Maybe, just maybe, this was it.

 “I wish you were with me, Little Duck.”

 Her voice echoed in the empty car, but if she tried really hard, she could almost hear her sister answer.

 I wish I was, too. We had so much fun the last time.

 “We did, didn’t we?” Katniss chuckled. “You remember that little girl we made friends with? Rue, I think her name was. You two were so alike. Both tiny and sneaky. You used to slink out into the night and meet up with her. I never could catch you, but I knew you were doing it. Mom never did figure it out—or believe me.”

 She saddened at the memory. “You were always her favorite.”

 Of course, I was. I’m the baby! Was the baby.

“You’ll always be the baby, Prim. No matter how old we get.”

 And you’ll always be my hero. The big sister who can do no wrong, who can slay dragons and bullies alike. The one who protected me all her life and made everything that much better when I was still with you.

 “I couldn’t protect you from that.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she heard Prim agree.

 No, you couldn’t. No one could.

 “I should have been able to do it.”

 You should stop blaming yourself.

“Maybe someday.”

 Maybe someday. Maybe this summer.

 Her smile faded as her sister’s voice trailed into silence, and Katniss shook herself and looked at the GPS. Prim was gone, and they hadn’t seen or talked to Rue since that one summer twenty years ago. She wasn’t thirteen anymore. She was thirty-three, a professional agro-botanist working in a grant-funded lab at a major research university. She didn’t have a sister anymore, and she certainly wasn’t going to encounter either one of the young girls dancing in her memories at the resort this summer.

 Still…she wanted something more than what she had. Why did the past pull at her so hard?

 “Just a little bit of time. That’s all you need,” she muttered to herself, unsure if she was trying to convince herself or merely fill the quiet. When her phone rang, she cursed as she was jerked from her internal dialogue and jerked the wheel before righting the vehicle and pressing down on the brake.

 “Hello?”

 “Hey, Catnip,” Gale rumbled from the other end. “How’s the drive?”

 “Terrible,” she snapped and narrowed her eyes when he chuckled.

 “I’m sure it isn’t that bad. You should be almost there by now unless you stopped every five minutes to take soil samples.”

 “Well, fuck. I should have stopped every five minutes to take soil samples. Why didn’t I think of that?”

 “I’m sure you’ll work that in some once you’re there. Ferns, leaves, bark, soil. You’re a super nerdy scientist through and through. You picked that place for a reason, Kat, and it’s not just because you and your sister had a good time there back when you were teenagers.”

 “You don’t know me,” she grumbled but had to admit he was right. She was hoping to get some work done while she was there, despite strict orders to leave the lab back at the university. A real scientist always observed, and if she happened to do that through a microscope that just happened to be in her backseat…well, then, that was just part of the charm of spending her summer at a resort surrounded by a nature preserve called The Woods.

 “I know you better than you know yourself,” he retorted. “That’s also why Madge and I booked a cabin next to yours for the week of the Fourth until mid-July. Thought you might be ready for some company by then, and Madge loves getting out of the city for time by the pool. I figure you two can have some girl time, and then I’ll steal you away for nature walks and the like.”

 She was so pleased she couldn’t quite stop the smile from tugging at the corners of her mouth. Unwilling to admit her glee, she joked, “Fine. You do know me. And Gale…”

 “Yeah?”

 “Thank you.”

 She was serious, and he knew it. He’d been there through everything—her father’s death when she was eleven, her mother’s snap with reality, Prim’s diagnosis and demise, her own depression as she mourned and floundered. Gale was a godsend friend who shouldered her burdens without making her feel like she owed him. The fact that he’d married her only other real friend solidified his presence in her life in a way that made her grateful that he cared about her and relieved he respected her independence. She hated owing anybody anything, and she especially didn’t like taking anything from strangers.

 “You’re welcome,” he answered gruffly. “Text me when you get there, and try to relax a little bit, okay? You really do deserve some time to yourself. You’ve never had time to grieve properly.”

 “I mourned Prim,” she reminded him, but that wasn’t all he meant.

 “Your father, your mom, Prim, all of it.”

 “Yes, all of it. That’s enough, Gale.”

 “I’ll talk to you soon, Catnip. Safe rest of the trip.”

 “Goodbye, Gale.”

 She hung up and checked the screen again. Two more miles, and then she’d take a left into the nature preserve. Just past that was the entrance to the resort’s lodge, and she was ready to be there. Ready to take a shower and get the road off her skin and hair. She wanted a nap and a good dinner before escaping into the book she hadn’t quite managed to finish before leaving on the trip.

 When she turned the corner, she flipped off the air conditioner and rolled down the front windows. A warm, humid breeze whipped through the car until she slowed to the requisite 35 miles per hour speed limit. The hybrid motor was practically silent, and she could hear birds chirping to each other as she passed under the natural awning of oak, ash, and maple trees. It was absolutely beautiful, and her heart rate slowed a little as she meandered along the lane that led to her summer escape.

 Excitement coursed through her, and she tamped down the tingling sensation that something life-defining awaited her in the next three months.

 “I miss you, Prim. If only you were here to share this with me,” she whispered and listened to the wind rustle through the trees.

Maybe I am, came the silent reply.

[littlebitshylittlebitangry]

Plots: written by me

You stare in shock at the small plastic card in the persons hand. You heard voices around you whisper, Some saying that it was fake, others that they must have threatened someone for it. You knew the first rumor was false, after all, your mother had one.....a license to obliterate. This person in front of you....they could do anything as long as it removed the target. You, yourself happen to hold a license to kill. As they person spoke to the guild leader all you could do was stare, you knew what someone had to go through to get that license, your mother told you. And all you could do was pity them. A cruel punishment is the training one must go through to achieve it. Still, you knew to respect them as you hit another guild member over the head for insulting them under their breath.

You remember fighting for your life. You remember all the bullet wound in the stomach, your arms, your legs. Your refused to give up and kept fighting. You refused to give up. As fought you had yet to notice the enemy sneaking up behind you, until it was to late and they had you pinned down. All you could do was close your eyes and brace yourself for death. You welcomed it with open arms, You only hoped lord hades would welcome you with open arms. That was until a deep rumbling happened the ground shook violently as if something had angered it. The German solider on top of had a sword through his chest, one of deep black, one that gave off the feeling of Death. You opened yours eyes and smiled at the god before you. ‘Keep fighting child, I will be with you’. You grinned as he passed over a sword, one similar to his. Taking positions you and him charge at the German soldiers left in shock.

All you could do was stare at the woman? girl? God you don’t know at this point. “So, Your me from an alternate universe? And I’m the only one who can save it?” Your other self nodded Fasley. “Yes, only you”. You stare at her for a few seconds before banging your head on table, your other self stares at you. “Are you...okay?”. You lift your head slightly “No, but then again, I’m never okay. Let’s just go save the stupid multiverse”

All He could do was stare quietly, before tears softly fell from his eye. “Y-you were supposed to stop me I-Izuku.....W-why did-dn’t you?” Tomura held Izuku body closer to him. “You were meant to save the day! You could’ve stop me! So easily”. As tomura held Izuku closer, he could feel blood leaving izuku’s body. “Please” A silent beg, a lonely one. “Please wake up”. The lifelessness in izukus eyes showed everything. “ You died before I hit you......That means” Tomuras eyes harden. “The person behind you....Killed you”. Tomuras head turns down. “ And the only person near you.....was Bakugo Katsuki.....The one I must kill”

You didn’t mean to summon your cousin. You meant to summon you uncle in order to piss your dad off. As you stared at the young demon girl, Mary because why don’t you fucking name your child after the virgin mother?!?, You can’t help but wish you were her. She had something you dearly wished for, The support and love of a parent. Something you never got. “ Why’d you try to summon dad anyways?” At your cousin’s question, you froze. Fuck, how do you explain this. “My dad and I.........don’t really get along. I just” Fuck “I need to be away from him”. Question dance in the teens eye, along with confusion. “But don’t parents normally get along with kids.....unless” Your cousins eyes sharped “your father’s abusive”. Your silent, for a minute. “.....Emotionly muiltipuive is more like it” Her eyes are still sharp. “Any demon could whisk you away, Why my father?” You mumble something. “What was that, couldn’t hear you~?” “MY DAD IS YOUR UNCLE”. Silence enters the room as you cousin takes a few minutes and puts the peices together. She looks at you with anger, Sorrow and pity. “So, My brother really isn’t all that he says he is” You both look up and stare at Mary’s father, Satan.

“No, No, I assure you. The quest is slay the princess and save the dragon” Your brothers team stares at you in shock. “W-what?” You stare at him like he’s dumb. “That prick of a bastard princess kidnapped my dragon and stole him and I’m to slay her for doing that”. The rest of team is just staring at you and your brother. “ WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU HAVE A DRAGON, NO ONE LIKES THEM” “WELL IF PEOPLE CAN’T DEAL ME HAVING A DRAGON, I SUGGEST THEY GO ELSEWHERE!!”

You hid the young girl in your cloak as the guard ran past. “Marinette it’s ok to come out now” The young girl, Marinette, exits your cloak fallowed by three very anger kawmii. “Tikki, calm down” “Calm down Wazzi, how can I?!?” “Shut up both you so we don’t get caught!” You shook you head at the three and look at Marinette, This poor girl. All Because of liar declaring her a threat, she was nearly killed by your hands. But, you didn’t, You knew a true guardian from a false one. So you toke her the miracle box and fled the kingdom. Even now the guards from the kingdom are hunting you two down. You look down at the mirror in your hands. “Felix, wake up” A blond head shows up and glares at you. “You all got away from volo?” “Yes.....thank you for keeping the rest of them safe” felixs eyes soften slightly and turning to look at Marinette, who was talking with the kawmii. “She doesn’t deserve this”. You nod your head. “She truly doesn’t”

You think about the mans words. You wanted to join to badly, Your heart, Your body, Your soul, your spirit. It screams at you leave, to join them. But your mind brings up the point of ‘what of the kingdom?’. You meet the pirate captain again the next day after another ball, the second one before the wedding. You tell him of you inner conflict. He says this in return “If ye cannot think of this kingdom as yours then it’s worth ruling”. His word has sense, so much sense. As if the curtains had been ripped away revealing the world to you. The night after yet another ball, The one right before your wedding, You leave. This kingdom has not raised you, You raised yourself, it did not teach you, you taught yourself, it wants to decide your future? Why would you let it when it never helped you. You met the captain that night as you left. His crew had welcomed you with open arms and even now 15 years later, as you been found out as the missing Paris princess by the old kingdom. You don’t regret joining the captain. You don’t regret the years of happiness here. You don’t regret having your daughter with first mate, Henry. You don’t regret telling the crew of your past. You don’t regret telling your daughter to never stop fighting for what she dreams of.

My mother left us along time ago. She didn’t die, Heavens no! But she just left one day never coming back......Part of me hates her for that. I’m not a normal vampire by any means. A have a heart beat like her. When I was younger my parents thought I would be like my mother. No! I just had to Immortal to the sun! Stakes just had to have no effect on me! I’m the immoral to the Immortal. I have lived my life with this. I only wish for it to end. My mother left me because of this curse.

Marinette stares out at decaying landscape in front of her. Behind her Nightmare appears. “Why do you stare? What’s more left to look at. There’s nothing” “ There is” He Starr’s at her “What?” “You have had your moment, Dust has his, Even killer.......Yet I cannot Help but realize now and only now....I haven’t had mine and that is what Scares me” He stares at Marinette disgruntled. “What do you mean?” “there comes a moment in everyone’s life where the will do the most awful thing they have ever done and will ever do. And I hope with all my soul that moment as already past me. Because I have done horrible things and that scares me, It could be worse”

[renaer-is-allegedly-hot]

session 15 notes

Ok true crime as in my new addiction is true crime podcasts specifically about serial killers

Back to the session

 After getting a bit of a reality check from durnan about the supposed strength and power of the xanathar guild…

Protected our home w glyphs of warding

Last day of our contract

Spell is set to fade soon

Asyna is feeding ot

Ot looks at asyna like he's a cornered animal

"ot here's some meat"

Why is krystal roasting me about my lover

He wants poison

Ot is calling his jailers idiotic

Oh no aerana might be spilling beans

I really shouldn't be allowed to play games

Because I will always turn to the chaotic evil character

Aerana isn't giving anything up

Theo tells us about the plumbers who came over last night

Aerana is going to typ, rest of party is staking out house

Shifts to watch ot, adam takes front, asyna tower lookout (it's foggy tho so perception check at disadvantage, 9; city looks a little eerie in the fog)

Cel puts immovable rod across cellar door

Ot is suspicious whenever cel comes in

"you cannot fool me xanathar"

Cel making theo a new cloak

Ot asks cel when he'll turn him into dust

The xanathar can turn ppl into dust

Flare ?

Is flare the brain boy ?

I don't like the energy we've created around the word "enlightenment"

Cel rolls 18 insight check

Ot doesn't think cel is cel

Cel is gonna just vibe witth him

"WHEN U SLAY ME I WILL THINK NOTHING BUT HATEFUL THOUGHTS"

Sorry didn't mean caps but too lazy to fix

Everyone else

Adam in front hissing at neighbors and cats, 7

Hears pavement scuffle, someone approaches and reddish gtray beard person w non-descript gray cloak approaches; trench

Doesn't remember cellar and plumbers guild coming by night before

Trench says he can help

Help get bar open

Used to drink there a lot

Gets parchment and quill with ink

Rolls insight to see if bar was only thing he wasd interested in, 13, trench seems v interested

Works in surveillance, protection

Gives him cel and theo's name "5 copper please"

Gets 5

Adam picks his nose

Theo patrols entrances

13 for perception

Overlaps path w adam's

Aerana to typ

Afternoon when there

Similar pattern to those there; frequent patrons

"if I'm making up words, it's not really hitler"

8 perception

Place feels open, not as packed as it usually is

Still feel sensation of cold from the well

Wizard w pointy red hat a regular

You see goliath wizard talking to a dwarven woman

Aerana sees an elven man (bard) w "ugliest guy you've seen in your goddamn life" dom says but only after we point out he looks like legolas, tuning a lute

Sense you've seen him before

The wellllllllllllllllll

It is better told by a bard

Some patrons old and strange, others just like to drink

But ritual in the storytelling

Durnan built

Gwyliam

Talking in elvish

Place formerly not too populated

But one of durnan's ancestors came over to build upon it and discovered the well

Network of tunnels underneath

20 for history check

Familiar with some of what he's saying

Parents would throw you into the undermountain if you were bad

Undermountain = stirs weird memory in your head

Being told as a child stories of undermountain

Deep dark fearsome place

Mt waterdeep wizard came here once named hallister the black cloak

Hallister - ppl don't know where he was from / if he was real but legendary

Brought apprentices trained in magical arts

Tunneled on peak of mt waterdeep

Legend of undermountain could not be verified as truth

Durnan's ancestor came to typ

Climbed into well

"I wouldn't bring this up around him" - doesn't talk abt

When ancestor returned was fabulously rich

Split money with best friend

Built typ

Occasionally engages in ritual of going

No one truly knows what lies in undermountain but there's something there bc some return but most do not

"it might just be the sewer" - "but don't tell anyone I said that"

Differing renditions

Some say durnan was the one with magical powers and killed everyone in there, or more nuanced speaking only of tragedy of those who return who come back fearful or returning with smaller parties; others talk more of hallister and argue over his life; every night a different story

Ask if he knows anyone who's come back

Gestures to half-orc in corner playing variation of solitaire; great celebration when he returned, he came back with riches

He is a regular

21 history check

Undermountain

Familiar name

"Deepest dungeon of them all"

When sewers were built many passages abandoned bc other halls + passages found, many teams from cellars and plumbers guild died during construction of the sewers

Prisoners often thrown into "undermountain"

Says even tho he's here most days there's still stuff he doesn't understand about it; new community reforged every night

At some point durnan talking to wizard and having a conversation which is odd ? Eventually wizard looks at aerana (old man) skinny pointy red hat

Wizard squinting at aerana then turns back to conversation

Try talking to half-orc

Interesting plated beard almost like that on dwarves wrt ornamentation; jewelry running through it

Wiry half-orc

Not skinny but muscled

Weird tattoos covering one side of his face looking like they change a little bit

Balanced a little precariously

Ask if he wants to play a two-person card game bc he's playing solitaire

Ask for his favorite game, Skipper (slapjack)

Dexterity check

5, 20, 10

First round you lose, his fingers have strange looking rings beautiful but rough-worn bands of steel or other heavy metal

Second you win

Third round he takes

"say not many people can beat me in that game"

"luck favors the bold"

In the well

Hell but now look at him can gamble all he wants

City of balder's gate

Large city rough place to grow up

Turned into rough child living on streets

Says his name is Sand

Balder's gate warlords make life difficult so he decided to leave

Was found in youth by someone who turned his anger into smth holy

Ran into thieves and plunderers of forgotten relics, became brother and sister and decided to take on deepest dungeon of them all

Horrible things - asks if you've heard the song

The yawning portal song

Not many people know the full tale

Was taught to be skeptical (it's in his nature or maybe his name)

Not sure how long he was in there or didn't know when he was in there

No light

Tunnels are confusing and without it would've been lost; found room with throne with snakes for arms

Great hallway with ancient trap

Living things also in there; all manner of beasts and creatures; ppl don't come back bc of those

Killed goblins down there but after the things he's seen and after the things he'd had to do could've gone with killing a few more goblins

Advice ? Some will sell maps of what they found or what they think they've seen; anyone can tell u abt beasts down there

Durnan wouldn't lower us down

Durnan doesn’t send ppl to their deaths

Durnan lowers people he deems worthy

Strong brave smart fast bold enough or some combo

But even then not everyone comes back

It's a place of death

Not buying him lunch lmao

Has broken into dangerous old elf dungeons like in the ones up north and would do it again if he could unsee some of the things he saw down in the well

A place of death but things move in the shadows w tombs down there and tunnels for miles hallways great and tall, treasures, beasts keeping it for themselves

Ask about tattoos

Gift from master

The person who saved him in balder's gate

Steeped in magic of shadows

Powerful bc he is strong but qi is stronger still

Aerana gets back home but starts to rain heavily

Ppl still patrolling

Adam

Sees drow ? W purple colored eyes silver-ish hair hiding weapons under his cloak steps up and says "pardon me" and asks if adam's seen a cat

Large cat - would've know if saw it

Adam sends drow to trench

Adam gives him good up and down look, can he see weapons ? Carrying two cinotaurs ??? Sinotaur ???? Adam rolls insight for cat

14, seems like he's talking abt a cat

Heads off to trench

Asyna in watchtower guessing ppl's names

Cel and theo switch

Theo says hi to ot, ot curled up in corner

Whispers "hey ot what's up"

Says he should've gone with his gut on the day theo arrived

"dark elegance" "the way you glided into the room" - ot on theo

Ot says he knows how the xanathar pays theo

"I guess seeing you was a realization of my deepest fear" a fear he couldn't name or place or knew he had but out of the darkness theo stepped forward

"I'm curious . How long do you leave your victims like this"

Ot starts to cry and says he would beg her to keep him in this place

"this voice you're using I find it sweet"

"I just don't want to wake up before the end"

Theo is gonna get him food

"the poor dead tiefling told me yesterday"

7 insight

Theo does not know what's happening

Says the water theo gives him looks real

Looks at the wall drinks some water

"and it tastes real"

We kinda fucked ot up LMAO OOPS

"I know that you don’t have a heart… but if there's any chance that anything I've ever said or thought about you could take root in your soul"

Theo says she'll consider his request

Sits there for a half hour then asks if that's her real name

"nithlur" or smth like that

Nihloor

"where'd you hear that"

In his head lmao

What if this is like

A tapeworm

In his head

"what does knowledge taste like"

Asks if it's a feeling or a thought

Theo says it's a feeling

Ot says whatever knowledge is it's valuable to the right thing

Wonders if he can take a nap

Gonna take a nap

Adam forgot he made ott think he was dead

Aerana is taking over for theo

Adam takes first watch

Perception check, 22

Raining ohp so at disadvantage gotta do it again

New roll, 12

Rain is still falling

Hears a weird noise coming from outside the house

Uses thaumaturgy to boom voice saying "wake up"

Everyone sleeping wakes up

Goes toward sound

Hears weird growling noise

Goes semi-toward noise w pyrotechnics prepared; darkvision does he see anything

Sees shape

It's not the cat

Unfamiliar, looks like it's flying but more like it's floating

Bobbing up and down in air

Creature w large glassy eye and sagging mouth w lots of sharp teeth

Sticking out from form are eyes attached to a slug protruding off it w glassy eyes hanging off it

Intense stench making icky moaning noise

Adam shits his pants

It's big

The size of its mouth is human size

I've been listening to serial killer podcasts all day

[kamilahmademedoit]

She Loves Control (part 8)

As promised, I’m posting ch. 8, though I have no idea when the next part will be ready. There are probably 2-3 more chapters to the story.  

Pairing: Kamilah x MC

Warnings: angst, I guess...

Words: 3127

Part 1 - 7

“And this… this is for the ceiling”, Anna explained with sparkling eyes as she was holding up a garland made of identical paper Jack O'Lanterns - some orange, some black

“I still don’t grasp the significance of this… holiday”, Kamilah replied, an eyebrow raised, her voice dripping with skepticism.

“But… Lily and I already explained it, like, a dozen times”, Anna slightly pouted.

“Yes, you did go on and on, and on about it...”, Kamilah teased, leaning forward. Her lips just barely brushing Anna’s, she added: “But I’m still not sure a party is in order.”

“Well, it is if you wish to make your human girlfriend very… very happy”, Anna breathed against her lips, a cheeky half-promise in her eyes.

“What you’re doing, it’s called manipulation, darling”, Kamilah went along, her hands grasping the front of her blouse to pull her in closer.

“Is it working?”

“Mmm… better than I care to admit”, Kamilah said in response and finally locked lips with her. Her kisses never ceased to make Anna dizzy even after what she was raised to think of as the ‘honeymoon phase’ wore off.

Months had passed since that dance they shared at the Gala - the magazines just as fascinated with their romance as they were in the beginning. The fact that they were both so private about it became the source of some pretty amusing rumors that Lily brought to Anna’s attention. Anna wasn’t as amused.   

Kamilah found herself threading uncharted waters when Anna moved in a couple months after what happened with the Council. Living with someone for the first time in a century, and with a human nonetheless was what they politely called ‘a challenge’. In the time they’d lived together, none of them ever brought up Anna’s mortality or where things were going and some unnamed tension had slowly settled between them, spiking the romantic bliss with unspoken bitterness.

But Anna’s kisses tasted just as sweet, her warmth at sunset creating the illusion of forever Kamilah needed to get through the night. And so they never addressed it, careful not to make the whole fine structure collapse.    

“So...”, Anna broke their kiss to catch her breath. “You get why we’re having a party now?”

“Yes. To make my girlfriend happy.”, Kamilah relented with just the hint of a smile in the corners of her mouth.

“Among other things”, Anna added, gazing intently into her eyes.

“I can think of ‘other things’ that can make you happy...”, Kamilah slowly started walking her back to the open bedroom door.  

“Yes, but will they make Lily happy as well?”, Anna went on.

Kamilah stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Well, hopefully, not.”

“I’m just trying to preserve some of the human traditions she’s used to”, Anna explained, the mood suddenly lost on her. “And Halloween kinda celebrates her vampire side too… in a way… So I thought, you know...”

“Darling, no need to sell me on the party”, Kamilah replied, her arms tightening around Anna’s waist. “But I feel like there’s something else on your mind”, Kamilah’s eyes held a question, an invitation.

Anna shook her head no. “Not really, no. It’s nothing”, she placed a gentle kiss on Kamilah’s lips and wiggled out of her embrace. “So, I’ll finish decorating here, you don’t need to work from home.”

“You sure?”, Kamilah asked, uncertain.

“Sure. Go, slay.”, Anna smiled warmly at her, trying to appear more carefree than she was feeling inside.

“I will do no such thing. Unless someone ruins the Shanghai negotiations.” Kamilah furrowed her brows for a brief second, her thoughts growing distant.

“It’s a… figure of speech.”

“Oh.”, Kamilah considered it for a second. “Well, then I will ‘slay’.” She leaned in to give Anna a kiss goodbye before leaving the huge apartment, almost as barren as when Anna first moved in but now with Halloween decorations hanging from the ceiling.

“Yes, you do that”, Anna mumbled to herself. With a sigh, she turned to the box filled with what appeared to be stale greyish cotton. The fake spiderwebs soon to be hanged on the walls.

…

What appeared to be a battered wedding dress hung to her body, her skin now covered heavily in pale blue-grey powder, when she appeared behind the vintage dressing screen in the otherwise modern bedroom. Her hair tousled, dark circles of makeup under her eyes, she was frowning to herself, giving the dress an apprehensive look while twisting and turning to capture it from all angles.

“What do you think? A bit much?”, Anna asked, still searching the dress for some barely perceivable flaw that might unexpectedly ruin the whole meticulously planned look.

“Corpse bride?”, Lily was sitting cross-legged on the king-sized bed facing her.

“Yes, isn’t it clear? Does it look weird?”, concern was battling to subdue panic on her face.

“No, it looks so subtle. Yes, that’s the word - subtle”, Lily teased instead of an answer.

“Lily, I mean it!”, Anna insisted and turned to the vanity mirror right next to the screen to fix her nude lipstick with a soft grey hue.

“Oh, I mean it too”, Lily went on. “Your decaying flesh is so hot, Kamilah’ll have to put a ring on it.”

Anna didn’t say anything but instead gave Lily a poignant look that let her know her disapproval of the joke. Then, taking the wide brush from the rose gold makeup tray on the vanity she proceeded to add more grey powder to her cheeks.

“Can I just say I find this incredibly offensive to the undead community?”, Lily spoke up again. “Did you have to be The Corpse Bride to make your point?”

“I’m not making a point”, Anna’s voice chippered, her eyes meeting Lily’s in the mirror, a smile twisting her powdered lips.

“Yep, not making a point at all, what with the torn wedding dress and the undead look...”

Anna put the brush down and turned to Lily, inspecting her ripped jeans and band T-shirt ‘costume’. “And what are you? A fangirl?”

“Nope”, Lily shook her head, a wide grin making its way on her lips. “I’m a sociopathic serial killer - we look just like anyone else.”

Anna’s mouth gaped for a moment, eyes widening in disbelief. “Lily! It’s not funny when you’re making that joke!”

“Relax, Tim Burton, I haven’t accidentally killed anyone yet.”

“Yet?”, Anna kept on scolding.

“My point is, put on some sexy dress instead and have an honest conversation”, Lily brushed off her comment in favor of her own agenda. “You want her to Turn you, right?”

“I don’t want her to Turn me”, Anna explained patiently as she sat beside Lily. “It’s just… how it goes. Right?”, she looked at her best friend, eyes searching for validation. “I mean, if you fell in love with a human… that’s what you’d do?”

“Well… I don’t know, to be honest. I still haven’t come to terms with being literally immortal.” Lily confessed, a look of disbelief flashing on her face. Anna gently bumped her shoulder with hers. “But… isn’t that how it is in most relationships? It’s either you break up or it’s ‘till death does you part’.”

“Exactly.”, Anna nodded, her eyes suddenly distant. “So, I say, let’s get this death thing over with and go on about our lives.”

“I mean, it’s not that easy...”, Lily objected, slightly raising her voice.

“I know, Lils, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply...” Anna began apologetically.

“No, I know, it’s just… it’s a huge responsibility. What if you don’t like being a vampire? Now she’s the one that doomed you to an eternal existence, making you watch as the world literally crumbles around you every few decades…”

Anna’s lips parted as the realization hit her. Guilt gripped her heart and for a second she could almost hear Kamilah’s voice in her head ‘Who are you to say who is to live or die?’. She brushed the lone tear in the corner of her eye - no point feeling sorry now that nothing could be done.

“Yes… but that leaves us with the only other option. Breaking up.”, Anna whispered. She sat there quietly for a moment before jumping to her feet. “You’re right, I should change.” But as she opened the closet door to pick a less costume-y dress, the doorbell rang to let them know that the first guests were already here.

“You should've thought of that sooner”, Lily patted her on the back and went to let the partygoers in.

…

Kamilah could hear the music right from the revolving door of her building and it only got louder as she was riding the elevator to the 13th floor. Of course, mortals didn’t have her heightened hearing but as she got off on her floor she could feel the vibrations of the bass underneath her simple black stilettos. She put her card in the door, “I put a spell on you” greeting her as she stepped into her apartment, now packed with people she barely knew dressed as all sorts of peculiar creatures and characters.

“Hey there”, a friendly looking redhead greeted her. She could swear she’d never seen her before.

“Good evening”, Kamilah returned the greeting sternly and gave the girl a firm nod. She made her way through the crowd, searching for a familiar face. Either Lily or Anna, maybe even Adrian was already here.

“Kamilah”, she heard a feminine voice behind her. “Over here!”

A tall middle-aged brunette in a nurse costume was standing near the fridge, a sparkling wine glass in hand. She was smiling with uncalled for delight as Kamilah made her way toward her. “Audrey”, Kamilah acknowledged her, leaning in for the kiss on the cheek they usually shared.

“What a party!”, the woman spoke in praise, looking around the miscellaneous bunch of people gathered in the spacious apartment. “What is it that you’re dressed as?”, Audrey returned her gaze on Kamilah to examine her cigarette black trousers and a white button-down ensemble.

“I didn’t really have the time, it was a long day at work, Audrey”, Kamilah smiled politely.

“Oh, I suppose you and Anna are just two birds of a feather!” Audrey exclaimed as if the mere thought of how much alike they were was captivating. “She’s not wearing a costume either, that poor thing. Said she couldn’t figure it out last minute. Though, I mean, she is the hostess… or are you?”

“I suppose we both are”, Kamilah answered, reaching for the bottle of rose on the counter next to Audrey.

“Oh, yeah, that’s right, you live together now, I keep forgetting. How is that going? I’m not asking for work, you know, I’m off the clock now...”

“It’s a dream come true.” Kamilah was as brief as she could, careful not to give away anything Audrey could headline and looking for the next exit.

“A dream come true”, Audrey repeated with a wistful sigh. “You know, Kamilah, I’ve known you a long time and… you truly seem happy now. I mean, I was simply devastated watching you go to all those events alone. I was thinking ‘That poor woman - so lonely on the top’. But here you are, finally settling down. So. When are you popping the question? Not gonna give away your secrets, I promise.”, Audrey teased, a wide grin on her face and an expectant look in her eyes.

Kamilah seemed taken aback for a moment before composing herself. She took a sip from her wine and plastered a confident smile on her face.

“It would hardly be surprising if I told you, now would it?”, she replied, spotting Anna near the balcony door for just a brief moment before returning her gaze on Audrey. “But I promise to let you know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have my hostess duties to attend to.”

“Of course”, Audrey leaned in for another kiss on the cheek. “So glad I caught you. And between you and me,” Audrey looked into her eyes intently “put a ring on it ASAP, that woman is once in a lifetime.”

“That she is.” Kamilah noded.

She found Anna on the balcony in a quiet corner away from the crowd. Donning a simple navy ombre sequined dress, she looked as gorgeous as always, though decidedly not dressed for the party. A short glass of clear liquid in hand, she was leaning on the railing, her back to the city.

“Hey, there you are”, she smiled as Kamilah approached. “My girlfriend, everybody!” Anna put her arms around Kamilah’s neck, the glass almost slipping from her clumsy grip. “Ops, that was close.”

Kamilah could smell the tequila on her breath and she could tell Anna was intoxicated. She put her hands firmly on her waist to steady her, feeling how the sequins twirled against her palms. “You are enjoying the party, my love”, Kamilah said, not quite a question.

“I am… having…” Anna was searching for words, brows furrowed for a second. “A blast!”

Kamilah smiled softly against her lips. They’d been together for a few months now but it was the first time she was seeing her this drunk. That night at the apartment she used to share with Lily didn’t even come close.  

“I’m glad you’re having fun”, Kamilah gave her a light kiss on the lips, securely wrapping her arms around her waist. “Should we get you inside?”

“Uh?”, Anna seemed confused. “Noo… Inside there are people… And they keep on asking me, and asking, and I just… what do I say?”

“Fine, we’ll get you to the bedroom then---”

“Yeah, you will”, Anna smiled suggestively.

“Anna.”

“Oh, you are no fun!”, Anna pouted in exaggerated disappointment. Kamilah sighed, leaning in to lightly brush her lips against her temple, and firmly took her hand to lead her inside.

Once among the crowd, they had to make their way through everyone who wanted to get the hostess’ attention - a task that began to feel more daunting the closer they actually were to the bedroom. It was Lily who eventually came to the rescue, chatting up the dude-bro who was insisting on a selfie with ‘the two stunning ladies of the evening’.

Kamilah shut the bedroom door behind them and it was as if the music suddenly cut off. Through her drunken haze, Anna could still feel the vibrations of the bass but the sound was low enough for her to hear her own thoughts again. And what a huge mistake that was, she realized as all the anxiety alcohol had kept at bay immediately overwhelmed her.

She wiggled out of Kamilah’s arms to sit on the bed, head in her hands.

Kamilah didn’t need her vampire senses to know something was wrong. She stood there before Anna, waiting for her to say the first word… if she would.

“Where are we going..?” Anna lifted her head to look at Kamilah, her voice but a pained whisper, her eyes imploring, begging for an answer, letting her know she couldn’t live at the threshold of the unknown any longer.  

“I…”, it wasn’t often that Kamilah was out of words, yet Anna somehow managed to render her speechless. One way or another.  

Anna’s head was swimming, the alcohol making her bolder but also heightening the tension she could feel in her stomach. Lily’s words were still in her mind like a record scratched exactly at the obscene line in a song you’d rather skip.

“What are we doing?”, Anna reiterated, still holding Kamilah’s gaze.

“I hardly think this talk is appropriate while intoxicated.”

“You’re just dodging the question.”

“Anna, we can talk in the morning. Let’s not say anything else now.”, Kamilah was slowly backing away from the conversation, knowing full well they could regret what is said out of hurt.

“Are you going to… leave me? To disappear.”

Kamilah couldn’t stand both the anguish she could see in her eyes and the thought of ever losing her.

“Are you afraid you’ll grow tired of me?”, Anna kept on pushing, those questions she had buried under the pretense of unclouded romantic delight now bubbling to the surface, demanding for answers.

“No, Anna…how could you think that?”, Kamilah sat on the bed, arms outstretched to hold her but Anna was having none of it. She kept staring into her eyes, the question still looming overhead.

“Look around, Kamilah”, Anna’s voice was trembling, she was holding back tears of frustration and anger, and hurt. “Except for my clothes in the closet, what else belongs to me here?”

Kamilah was silent for a while. On some level, she knew Anna was right. Not about her being afraid of getting over her, quite the opposite. More of Anna’s things around meant more mementos to torment her, more pictures of them on the walls meant more reminders, more salt for her proverbial wound. And Anna knew that too.  

“You are preparing to leave me”, Anna said, realization making her face somber.

“Please, we don’t have to think about this now…”, Kamilah was still trying for some damage-control as her own heart was about to break at the thought of having to say goodbye to Anna.

“It’s like Lily said”, Anna was beginning to sober up, eyes suddenly distant. “It’s either you break up, or it’s ‘till death do you part’... Except, that’s not exactly how it goes with us, is it?”

“You have your whole life ahead of you”, Kamilah spoke softly, reaching out to brush her hair but Anna turned her head away, Kamilah’s fingers grasping the space between them. “What do you want me to do?”, Kamilah was pleading now, Anna had never seen her this vulnerable.

“I want to know you won’t leave me to spend the rest of my days in a countryside cottage!”, Anna’s voice broke as tears spilled over, her lips quivering despite her best efforts.

Kamilah pulled her squirming form to her chest and wrapped her arms around her until Anna stopped fighting and slumped into her clasp. She held her with a tender firmness as Anna was wailing and sobbing, unable to form a sentence despite wanting to comfort her.

Kamilah knew how the story went, she had been down all the roads more times than the human heart could stand, losing and grieving, and finding it within herself to love again, to lose again, to grieve again. But maybe this time… maybe this one stubborn human girl she would never be able to mourn.

[thedcdunce]

Katana

“I am merely considering the difference between brandishing a weapon... and being one.” - Katana

Real Name: Tatsu Yamashiro

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 2″

Weight: 96 lbs (44 kg)

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Abilities:

Martial Arts

Swordsmanship

Equipment:

Soultaker Sword

Base of Operations: Gotham City

Universe:

Earth-One

New Earth

Marital Status: Widowed (Maseo Yamashiro; husband)

Citizenship: Japanese

First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #200 (July, 1983)

Abilities

Martial Arts: Training in various Japanese-styled martial arts from an early age, Yamashiro is a master martial artist. Able to combat multiple enemies, fight metahumans, and adapt to situations Tatsu has been using her martial arts for years.

Swordsmanship: Training under various samurai sensei, Yamashiro is able to use the fabled sword "Soultaker" for justice and adventures despite metahuman odds. She is most proficient with katanas.

Equipment

Soultaker Sword: The Soultaker, along with its non-powered twin, was forged in the 14th century by Muramasa, whose swords were said to be cursed and make those who were evil commit evil acts. It sometimes takes the souls of those it kills, storing them inside the sword, where they can engage in limited communication with whoever wields it. These souls can be reincarnated by the means of a sacred ritual, under which they serve their summoner, even if it is against their will.

Origin

Tatsu Yamashiro, alias Katana was an average Japanese girl, save for her proficiency in the martial arts. Two brothers, Maseo and Takeo Yamashiro, both proclaimed their love for her. While she liked both, she chose Maseo. This angered Takeo, who refused to attend the couple's wedding. By this time, he had joined the Yakuza and as a result, his family disowned him.

After the deaths of Tatsu's parents, she and Maseo started a family of their own, and she gave birth to twins, Yuki and Reiko. Meanwhile, Takeo rose in rank of the Yakuza, and one of his exotic tastes included ancient weapons. He was presented with a pair of matched swords by General Karnz, one of which Takeo favored due to its mystical properties, which would come to be known as the Soultaker Sword.

One night, Takeo took both swords to the Yamashiro residence to slay his brother with the sword. He quickly struck Maseo down, but Katana took Soultaker from him. In the course of the fight, Takeo accidentally started a fire, and Tatsu's family died.

With Soultaker in her possession, Tatsu began training as a samurai under a master called Tadashi. After much time she graduated from his tutorship and left for America where she intended to use her talents to fight for justice. She took the codename Katana after the sword that she wielded.

Outsiders

Eventually Tatsu journeyed to Markovia, a small Baltic state, where she had tracked down Karnz, and she was successful in killing him. After the fight, she encountered a young girl who was named Halo. The two joined up to rescue Batman, who got captured by Baron Bedlam. Katana and Halo worked together to free Batman and later, all of them joined the Markovian war to defeat Baron Bedlam. Like this, Katana and Halo became founding members of the team called the Outsiders, alongside Black Lightning, Geo-Force and Metamorpho.

The team managed to end the Baron's tyranny in Markovia and moved to Gotham City, where they set up their headquarters in the underground base of operations of the Wayne Foundation building. Tatsu became Halo's guardian and the two moved into the penthouse of the same place. During one of their first missions, the Outsiders confronted the Cryonic Man and Katana was kidnapped by the villain, who wanted to remove all her organs. Thanks to the rest of the team. Katana was rescued and the villain was stopped.

At the same time, Takeo was still at large and had followed Tatsu to Gotham City. Secretly he switched swords with her and left for Tokyo with the Outsiders on his tail. Takeo took the sword to his master, the godfather of the Yakuza, known only as the Oyabun. Performing a specific ritual, the Oyabun and Takeo managed to recall the souls that inhabited the sword, who proceeded to take corporeal form. Among them were legendary mercenaries and assassins, but also Maseo, who was now a slave to the Oyabun. Katana had to fight them all and after a long battle that took its toll, Katana was able to reclaim the Soultaker and kill Takeo, and she could finally put an end to some of her ghosts. By undoing the ritual however, her husband returned into the sword as well.

At one point the Outsiders split from Batman's leadership and took up residence in Markovia where they were funded by the Markovian crown. They became the official agents of Markovia and moved to the city of Los Angeles where they made their headquarters in the Markovian embassy, while retaining another secret HQ just off the shore. Although Tatsu had left her past behind, the Oyabun returned in her life and sent a tengu after, with which he captured her. Her teammates in the Outsiders, namely Halo and Looker were able to save her using other tengu and the tengu leader, who aided them in battle.

Family Debt

After a while, the team disbanded after various tragic events surrounding Geo-Force's parents and Markovia. Nonetheless the Outsiders were forced to defend Markovia against the Manhunters, but during the fight Halo was knocked into a coma, saving Katana's life. Bounded by giri-ninjo, Tatsu left the team so she could tend to Halo's wounds. During that time however, she was approached by a family member of her husband, who wished her to accompany the Suicide Squad on a mission to destroy a large horde of weapons that was about to be sold to the Yakuza. She declined on the basis of her giri-ninjo, although she was willing to help if the need was truly desperate.

That family member was later killed, and she went after the killer, the Daichi-Doku's Oyabun, who did not wish to see the weapons destroyed and tried to stop the Suicide Squad. During that adventure, she saved the life of Bronze Tiger and Manhunter, making them honor-bound to her by giri-ninjo. Mark Shaw then assisted her in taking down the Daichi-Doku's Oyabun. The Oyabun committed ritual suicide and Katana stood by as his "second", ready to help with a blade strike so he could keep his honor.

Returning to the Outsiders

Eventually though the Outsiders re-form and return to Markovia. Instead of a peaceful reunion however, the team become trapped in a web of public relations that brands them outlaws. Although the charges would be dropped eventually the team was fractured. Halo dies from an assassin's blast but was reborn in a new body, which put an immense strain on Tatsu's relationship with Halo.

Katana joins a team with Geo-Force and Technocrat, taking the lead. During a lone mission, Tadashi, her old mentor sends Lady Shiva to claim Katana's Soultaker sword. Shiva confronts Katana, who had been battling a gang of drug dealers. Katana had slain many, but refuses to kill the youngest member, something Shiva insults her for.

Shiva, being world-renowned as the world's greatest assassin and fighter, was able to kill Katana with her own sword. Katana returns to life after a trial by combat within her sword, which includes confronting many of the souls of the people she had killed. Afterwards, she manages to find her old mentor and take his life.

The two splinter teams would eventually reunite, to take on more supernatural threats focused around the new team member Faust. Katana and her friends suffer through the mental and physical tortures that Faust's father, Felix, puts them through. Halo eventually frees them by destroying several of Felix's items of power. Soon after, the group breaks apart. After disbanding, Tatsu has kept her association with her old allies among the Outsiders, and although they did not operate as an official team, were always seen alongside each other during major crises.

Her close ties to Batman also saw her fighting by his side, several times, notably during the Imperiex crisis and the Day of Judgment incident when hell invades Earth. The main battle against the villain, the rogue angel Asmodel, with the power of the Spectre, takes place in New York. Katana personally protects Madame Xanadu who is guarding the rest of Asmodel's power with a mystical shield. Katana's protection of Xanadu is assisted by Doctor Occult, Phantom Stranger and Alan Scott.

Later, Katana assists Batman when he and Superman were declared outlaws. Katana was also called upon by Black Canary, together with other female mercenaries, in order to rescue Oracle from Senator Pullman. After Oracle was saved, Katana received a card, together with the promise of a favor if required.

New Outsiders

Most recently, she has joined a new team of Outsiders after assisting them in defeating a more powerful Sabbac. It consists of all new members, with the exception of Metamorpho who rejoined the team after Shift's demise. Later, Katana dons a new costume, as she felt it inappropriate to wear a costume based on Japan's flag. The country had revoked her citizenship due to her membership with the controversial team.

Later, Katana summons Sabbac to destroy Doctor Sivana's base with his Hellfire.

Katana remains an active member of the Outsiders following One Year Later. Initially, the team is led by Nightwing, but later leadership transfers to Batman. Batman decides to "test" Katana and the rest of the initial team, in order to design a better team. Katana is Batman's first official recruit.

When Batman disappeared without a trace, the Outsiders went looking for him all across Gotham. Katana and Geo-Force went to the GCPD Headquarters, where the Bat-Signal was lit. They asked Commissioner Gordon about Batman's location, but he knew as much as they did and instead, he prompted them to ask Nightwing, who was not in a very good mood.

Afterwards, an explosion took place at the Outsiders HQ, killing REMAC and leaving Thunder in a severe coma. After this events, the team disbanded and Katana left the group as well.

Blackest Night

While escorting Killer Croc to incarceration, the Outsiders' vehicle is demolished by Maseo, Yuki, and Reiko, who have all been revived as Black Lanterns. Katana, believing that she has been reunited with her lost family, lets her guard down, but is saved from death by her teammates. Realizing the truth, she draws her sword, preparing to fight her undead husband. When Katana stabs Maseo, Soultaker reveals to her the Black Lanterns' full intentions. Her attacks soon prove to be completely ineffectual against Maseo, who is instead destroyed by an outpouring of light from Halo, who also destroyed Katana's children.

Return of Bruce Wayne

Some time later, Geo-Force became leader of the Outsiders and Katana followed him to Markovia, where he ruled as the prince. When word about a killing attempt against Geo-Force became known, Katana questioned thugs and low-lifes to learn the source of the threat. However, when Geo-Force joined the attempts to stop the violence on the streets, Katana followed him and witnessed how he was attacked by an unknown person. Katana followed the source of the attack and found the mysterious vigilante Insider and tried to stop him, without success. After the battle, Katana recovered and found the real killer. Moments later back at Castle Markov, Katana deduced that Insider was in fact Bruce Wayne and they discussed the future of the Outsiders together. Bruce left them to work in Markovia and told Katana to take care of the team.

[holy-mountaineering]

This spread is for https://sordhent.tumblr.com/ Thanks for the donation! Tonight you’re getting the full Qabalistic Tree of Life Spread that I do. What I’m going to do is go through and briefly explain each card and it’s position on the Tree and then once I do that I’ll give you a summary/synopsis. Think of this spread as a sort of quantum map that you’re moving “through” but you are also simultaneously everywhere at once. For the sake of this specific experiment, think of this as a map. Where we’re starting the journey from is Kether, the monad, the first sign of creation. We’ll call this your hometown, since it is where you’re from originally. Here we have the Princess of Cups, the earthy part of Water. This is the canyon wall being ground down over the millennia by moving water. The nutrients and minerals in the earth are transported down river to the fertile delta. This is the natural, “following your feelings” within your daily life. Try not to fool yourself, follow your intuition, not just passing whims. Feel, don’t necessarily react immediately. Go with what you feel and intuit, let yourself go with the flow, if you will. Allow your situation to move with your emotions and be patient with your progress. In Chokmah, which is like your freeway getting you out onto the road out of your hometown is the Prince of Swords, the airy part of Air. This is pure mind, “reason run amok.” The entire card is made up of strange and fragmenting geometric shapes like the prince’s world is coming apart at the seams. The humanoid creatures pulling his chariot have no fucking idea what they’re doing and the prince himself is in an awkward pose. Don’t think yourself into discord. Sometimes when you look too deep at unnecessary or mundane details you’ll fucking lose your shit. Furtherly, focus on doing one thing, stay with that single thing until it is done. I suggest breath work and controlling breathing specifically. In Binah, which is ruled by Saturn and for the sake of this reading we will call the first stop on your roadtrip. You haven’t really arrived anywhere but you’re stopping and getting a chance to repack your car in a more efficient way. Sitting in Binah is the 10 of Swords (mental and communicative) Ruin. Astrologically, this is Sol the Sun or your center being split by the duality of Gemini or duplicity. This is like making a decision by not making one. Your intellect is collapsing in on itself due to building duality or otherness conflicting with how you think of you. This is being “of two minds” but they duo doesn’t seem to work together very well. The good news is that they’re damn near done working together at all. 10s are the highest number card or as intense as it gets. Try to integrate your splitting and increasingly destructive thinking and/or communicating, make meaning out of this chaos. And hey, don’t worry, it’s peaked and now you have to slide down the mountain of crazy you just climbed. In Chesed which is ruled by Jupiter and again for the sake of this experiment we’ll say involves your influence and benevolence in your current trip is the 7 of Wands, Valour. This card is the smashing of the order of the 6 of Wands by violent and chaotic energy. Crowley calls this “the soldier’s battle” and as usual, Al nails it. Think of when (white) people used to start battles by lining up facing each other and marching forward. This was generally a really shit way of fighting wars and the orderly ideas the generals had would go away the second people stopped being in straight lines.. Here it is stated that the lines are broken, the generals are dead, the chain of command is gone, and now if you want to survive you’re going to need to charge screaming at the enemy and without noticeable help. In this chaos watch out for friendly fire, shit is confusing right now. Keep your head down, march on, break the normal ordered way that you do things. Stagnation is your enemy, slay your enemy. Across the Tree in Geburah, which is Mars Town, where you find your drive and what you’re trying to accomplish/conquer is XIX The Sun, Resh, Sol. The Sun is The Lord of Light and Life, the center of our little Solar System. Everything in the fairly large gravitational pull of the Sun is affected by it which pulls everything to it. This more or less self sufficient little nuclear reactor in space gives life and light but also pulls small things which cannot maintain an orbit around it in for the final burn. bright and full of life and light but deal not with bullshit trifles. Center yourself but be aware of what you effect and how. In Tiphareth, the Sun and center of gravity holding all this in place, the heart pumping the blood through this, your heart is the 10 of Disks, Wealth. This card is intelligence (Mercury) in fertile possibility (Virgo). This is the peak material situation, a good situation, a situation you really want to be in.
 Be swift and mindful of your material task at hand and your everyday experience, it is nearing its end and you stand to profit. Put your smarts and your communication skills in the most fertile possibilities and cash in before things start to come down from this peak opportune time. In Netzach, Venus town, where you have the realization about how this is going to change you as a person with a personality is the Queen of Disks, the watery part of Earth or how you feel about what is going on in your material world of normal life stuff. This Queen is above the landscape observing the river create life in the desert. The Queen of Disks is meditative and calm. She sees creation and is a part of it without getting her hands dirty. This card shows what you feel about what is happening in your everyday “real world” life. The ideal here is to get out of the messy bullshit of “normal” stuff, get higher beyond mundanity, and look back down with new and more complete perspective. Get above your situation so you can see more of the landscape. In Mercury Town Hod-ville, where all the Universities are and everyone has real intellectual shit going on is the 6 of Cups, Pleasure. For reasons I call this the plumbing card. The water is not flowing freely as though it is pouring, it has been pumped through a series of tubes intricately woven together to fill the cups placed in the shape of a hexagram. Emotion and connectedness to life are intentionally being directed by unseen but invited forces. Someone who wasn’t looking closely could see nothing but knots and chaos and even wonder how the damn thing worked in the first place. Those people are squares and should be avoided at all costs. Do what gives you pleasure that also instills clarity. Center on the best you can feel even if onlookers can’t appreciate what you’re doing connoisseurs (and you) will dig it. On the Moon in Yesod, the receptive and reflective place that is alot about the feelings that you’re picking up from all this is the 7 of Cups Debauch. This is Venus (beauty, personal growth) in Scorpio, the dark water where things growing aren’t seen so clearly. This is emotional composting so let things rot out to fertilize future emotional growth. But like a compost pile, you must turn it, give it Sun, and make sure that it doesn’t get rancid. Emotionally things might seem rotten, but it’s just trying to become wonderful fertilizer for greater emotional maturity and better future relationships. Down here in Malkuth-istan, the everyday life mundane, waking up pooping, and going to work world is everybody’s favorite XIII Death, Nun, Scorpio. Death is the best allegory we have for real fundamental change. Death is being in the process of changing from one form to another. I see Scorpio as the murky waters, which things are not clearly seen, Death is not known to those who haven’t died. Death is feared for the loss of control but when most people go, they get real peaceful and accepting. Death is avoided because of the loss of the current form that you’ve grown so comfortable with. Stagnation is a real killer but Death is a great refresher. Things might not be clear now but that’s ‘cause you’re right in the middle of some higher order change. You’ll come out the other side a new person or thing entirely. So, up top, we’ve got a “going with the flow” attitude leading you to weird overthink-y shit and ultimately a overwhelming of the mental faculties. There needs to be a focusing in higher realms to avoid such fuckery. Coming down a bit we have a need to break from certain behavior patterns, that while once ordered and structured your growth to great success don’t really cut the mustard as much as the cheese these days. Change it up, move around and try new ways to go about expanding, here in these Universes. And back to focusing, it’s time to recenter what you’re doing on who you are now, because you’ve got some fucking physical financial material world “rewards” for your planning and labor headed at your ass and that is also about to change who ya are and how you’re doing shit. For your growth and how you see yourself, this is a good time for you to reflect and, if you can, remove yourself from your responsibilities and everyday bs and feel around about what is happening. Remember, this is about recentering on you. Communication (which is just a really weird form of magick anyway) wise, you need to do what makes you happy BUT also fucking works and benefits this whole refocus/centering thing. Don’t worry about how you look, it’s about how you FEEEEEEEEELLLLL, man. You’re taking in some change, shit’s moving around and you’re finding old, dead things. Shit is lurking that you thought was either unimportant or dealt with, emotionally. Like an emotional compost pile, give it some Sun, turn that turd so it breaks down. I feel like it’s important for some reason to say “TALK TO THEM, DEAL WITH IT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO” right now like in an automatic writing way. And speaking of dead things… In your everyday life shit is about to get real goddamn weird. Change feels funny, no control, not sure what’s up or down. This is what you’re centering for. Know your newer self before this big shit goes down, trust me, it’s crucial. Uh, usually here is where I say TA DA! And tell you to send me a message if you have any questions, comments, concerns, inquiries, etc. This is all reasonably heavy and seriously don’t hesitate to hit me up. -FR. N0ught

[wrenchwitch-blog]

Session 4 - A Hand Full of Wild Cards

Hoffstead arrives home and sees that nothing has really gone wrong.  The Fordyce clan has holed up for the evening and he retires.   Not everyone rests especially well this night.  Chuk-Chuk is troubled with the thought that his feathers are covered in blood.  Gymwyn is restless, knowing her adoptive father’s killer is still at large.  Aurelianna is focused on breaking the key to Gaedren’s ledger, gets a cup of coffee and works into the early hours of the morning.

And Julia has it worst of all.  Night terrors fill her mind. A cold, methodical voice nearly forgotten, ‘Do you understand Julia?  You are a weapon, a tool.  You are to be used at your Master’s discretion.’  A surge of burning pain wakes Julia... but it is gone.  Drenched in cold sweat, Julia doesn’t manage to get any more sleep this night.

By morning, Auri has managed to break the code on the ledger and begins trying to find what she can in the book.   Organized by date, she manages to locate the debt owed by her parents.  It was just a simple high interest loan.  When they had trouble meeting interest payments, Lamm asked them to keep an eye out for any ‘especially precious cargo’ leaving the city.  They reported a valuable cart filled with magic armors to him, which was promptly robbed by some ‘unaffiliated bandits’.  Now Aurelianna’s parents were on the hook for blackmail.  Lamm had the receipts, and threatened to turn them into the guard if they didn’t continue spotting for him until their debt was paid.

In the morning, Gabriel greets Julia, who has already gotten the shop all ready for morning customers.  ‘I was so worried, with all the commotion last night, and you didn’t get home until late.  I am so glad that you’re ok sis!’  The present crew enjoys a cup before heading out to meet Hoffstead at Zellara’s apartment.

In the morning Hoff checks in on his family, where are conveniently all together in the den.  ‘Oh brother, do come in and join us.  We are scheeeeeeming’ his oldest brother says.  Maxwell, Simon, Lara, and Gertrude are all coming up with a plan to bring down their noble rivals, House Zenderholm. ‘Brother, you know how to pick a lock, right?  I mean, half Varisian and all?  Or surely you know someone who does’ Maxwell condescends.  Their plan is to get the sewer entrance near house Zenderholm unlocked, so ruffians and vagabonds will dirty up the place, disgracing them and leaving an opening for, ‘HOUSE FORDYCE TO RISE AGAIN!’

Hoffstead assures them he can take care of it, and inquires on Theodore.  He has been locked in his room all night.  He has a real bad cold or something, one of his sisters remarks.  Hoff checks on him anyway and gets him some water.  Theodore is clearly struggling without his drugs.  Hoffstead asks his family not to let Theo wander around outside until he is better and heads off.

On the way, Hoffstead bumps into a small mob.  They seem to have someone they are calling ‘Queensman’ surrounded, barking complaints about the silver spoon he had in his mouth at birth, and how ‘my bruda’s arm was crushed younger din you, he can’t ev’n lift a mug a ale wit dat hand no more.’  Trying to stop any violence, Hoff steps up and manages to calm the crowd.  ‘Tensions are high and we could all use a drink, even if it is the morning, right?’

The young man who was surrounded was a member of a lesser noble household, Amin Jalento.  He was already physically beaten nearly unconscious when Hoffstead showed up, but he asks for help with a potion of healing he had on his possession.  Feeling a bit better he thanks Hoffstead, mentioning, ‘Maybe us nobles should not walk the streets alone in these sorry times.’  The two end up walking together near enough the Amin’s home that he feels he can make it the rest of the way.  To show his thanks, he offers Hoffstead his signet ring, the only real wealth he has on him at the moment.  Hoff refuses it and heads off to Zellara’s apartment.

Everyone together, Zellara uses her magic to appear before the group again.  She apologizes again, then implores the group to stick together.  Her omen came true and they will only manage to survive if they can depend on one another.  She believes that they can be heroes if they choose to stand up and do something in these dark times.  She says the group should have a name, to help bind them to one another.

After entirely too much hemming and hawing, spending more time than Zellara can manage to manifest, the team decides on the Wild Cards.  Nobody sees them coming, and they have a haunted deck of cards as a patron.  What more fitting name could there be?

Our Wild Cards then take to the streets, they have seen things are bad, but do not really know how to help.  So they spend a few hours collecting rumors.  Most of the ships have left port, many of them empty, or carrying just VIPs who paid top dollar to get out of the city fast.  Besides that, most of the merchants in Korvosa are travelers.  They come in on their carriages, do business, and they leave.  Almost every single one has tried to rush out.  This has resulted in a major pile up at all the city gates, where every single carriage is being pain painstakingly searched.

They also learn that the majority of diplomats visiting the city have fled.  All the remain are those that have too many ties in the city to just up and leave, such as Chelaix’s ambassador Darvayne Amprei.  A noted hater of the city, he has been rumored to be undermining Korvosa’s attempts to be recognized officially by the current Chellish government.

Their final rumor is that seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis has gone missing from the castle.  While all manner of theory about King Eodred’s death have tinged their conversations, it is seeming like many are viewing Neolandus’s disappearance with skepticism.

The Wild Cards then bantered back and forth about their best course of action.  As long as they wandered the streets with the new queen’s property, they had risk of being caught and punished.  Should they walk up and try to return it?  Would they be arrested on the spot for theft?  Maybe they could drop it in a mailbox somewhere and get it back to her that way.  How the heck did Gaedren end up with it anyhow?  And there was the lead of ambassador Amprei.  Maybe he knew something about the discord in the city.

As they started to get moving, thunder boomed from above.  While most of the city was ok, maybe the rains would help the parts that were still burning.  And then a shrill voice rang out from a rooftop, ‘Give us the damned ones!!  Give us the little ones, or suffer our wrath!’  The party started to ask for more details, ‘THE LITTLE ONES, GIVE THEM TO US NOW!’  After a little more inquiry, the voice screamed enough, and a circle of imps appeared around the wild cards and attacked.

Impish weather was an unfortunate side effect of the Acadamae being in Korvosa.  Their emphasis on summoning meant every student needed to conjure at least one imp before they could graduate.  But most of the students shot for higher marks, and practiced by summoning several imps in their studies.  The result was that two or three times a year a swarm of imps that hid in the lofts of Korvosa would take to the skies, tormenting who they could.  Maybe all the riots were making too much noise, or the smoke reminded them of the Nine Hells. But the boom of thunder above seemed to call to the foul creatures. 

Things were not looking good for the Wild Cards, imps were resistant to ordinary weapons, and their envenomed tails were taking a toll on the group’s reflexes.  In desperation, Hoffstead asked whoever had the succubi statuette to give it to the imps already.

But before anyone could act a voice rang out, ‘HARK HUMANS!! WE SHALL COME TO YOUR AID’  Inspiring his group with song, Chuk-Chuk lead the counter attack, smiting the first imp straight out of the sky.  A pair of Korvosan house drakes swooped into the fray.  With the tiny dragonkins’ aid, the group managed to take out the imps before swooping off.  ‘THERE ARE MORE IMPS TO SLAY, STAY SAFE WARRIORS OF JUSTICE!!’ one cried before zooming off.

The house drakes evolved parallel to the imps.  Originally their claws and teeth could not puncture the fiendish hides, but the drakes found a steady diet of silver coated their teeth and got into their blood.  In time, they became the bane of imp kind, and impish weather always resulted in a battle between the two, before they would go back into hiding until the next ‘imp storm’

But the Wild Cards were still injured from impish attack, their nerves dulled with neuro-toxins.  While they helped slay this lot, why did the imps want the ‘damned ones’?  And what could the lot of them do to help?

[the-genius-fanfiction]

Running Late - First Case in the Field (Part 1)

Moving down to Quantico, Virginia wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I had been staying with Emily Prentiss for about two months before actually finding a place and I was still getting a routine down as the intern.

I spent a lot of time with Garcia and Jennifer, as most of my work was to set up the conference room and help file reports. Today was a bit different though.

I had woken up a little later than usual and was in a rush to get to work. And on the usual day, I would already have sorted the files and would only need to get tablets for the presentation. This time, I had to sort on my way in and on the way out of the elevator, instead of watching where I was going.

Thumbing through a one of the folders, glasses sliding down my the bridge of my nose, and when I was just about blind when I finally looked up. Too late.

I crashed into someone and all of the files I had just set up were strewn across the floor.

I dropped to the floor swiping the folders into a pile. In too much of a rush to look up and straighten them, I apologized for my lack of attention and went to grab the last file and their hand reached at the same time.

Lifting my head to see a blurry wild-haired person not far from my face. With my free hand, I pushed my glasses up so the person came into focus. "Orion, are you all right?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Ah! Reid- hi! Sorry... No... Uh... I'm fine," I was already in panic mode for being so late. "Sorry again Reid! I really need to get to the conference room- thanks for helping me get the files together!" I shouted, practically running with the folders and papers still a mess, leaving a confused Doctor Reid and his lone file.

"Orion, you're late," Hotch's voice almost scolding. "I know sir, I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again," I said hanging my head, frantically passing out tablets and files. Reid walked in while I was still prepping and tapped my shoulder. "You dropped this," he said handing me the file. A smile, playing on his lips and his face apologetic about the crash.

I mouthed 'thanks' as I watched the last of them take their seats. Once the files were passed out, I took my seat in the back corner on the yellow office couch and Penelope began the case introduction.

"All right My pretties, you're heading to sunny L.A. for this one... But this case is not so sunny... Someone has been taking males, count is now up to 5 in the past 3 weeks, to alley ways and tearing them up with some form of sharp, pointy object," she winced, pressing buttons on her remote to control a slide show. I flipped through my own copy of the file, I looked up at the screen and back at my file. I usually keep comments about the case to myself, but I couldn't hold this one in. "I think it's a woman," I blurted to my folder. The team turned to me. I looked up because of the silence. "Oh... I meant to... I didn't... I'm sorry... I must have been thinking out loud," I felt my face turning red from embarrassment again. Hotch raised an eyebrow, "no, go ahead Orion, what makes you think it's a female?" he questioned, the team genuinely interested.

I stood up and went to the screen, "it's the cuts... The way they're laid out, this person is significantly smaller than these men, about average height for a woman, maybe in heels?" I paused. "And this," I pointed to the bodies, "these cuts are way too controlled to be an adolescent or child," I looked back at the team. Morgan leaned back in his chair, "I agree with Orion. Look at the cuts, precision and placement, and some of them even look like... What is that... Hearts?." Hotch nodded, "we can work that theory but keep minds open. Wheels up in 30."

The team gathered their files and started to clear the room. I was getting ready to head back to JJ's office when Hotch called me back to the room. "Orion, I think you should come with us for this case," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Huh?" I looked at him with a confused expression and pointed at myself. "You made a deduction based on an observation. I think your mind is already on the case and JJ is off on leave right now. Do you have a go-bag?" he asked. "No," I replied nervously, "but I can get one together and be at the jet in 20." I nodded quickly. "Great, see you there," Hotch turned and followed the rest of the team.

**On the Plane**

We loaded on and I took a seat at the table next to the window. Morgan and Prentiss sitting across from me, Hotch and rossi, leaning on seats on the opposite end of the aisle. Last on board was Spencer who took the seat next to me.

He gave a small wave and Sat down. And we began our discussion on victimology. We heard the chime of Penelope video conferencing, "hey crime fighters, we just got word of another one... Another alley, this one right behind a restaurant." She finished off her notification and we began to provide parameters for her to compare. "Will do- be safe my lovelies, Garcia out!" And with that we disconnected.

"Rossi, when we land, you and Morgan go to the M.E.; Prentiss and Reid, you guys head to the latest scene and Orion, you're with me to set up at the field office," Hotch listed off the roles for each of us. We all nodded in acknowledgment and we were on the case.

**At the Field Office**

Hotch and I reached the Field Office and introduced ourselves to the cheif and headed to their conference room. Spencer had already marked up the map to show where the murders occurred and where that were last seen. I was staring at the map for a good 2 or 3 minutes and Hotch caught me. "Orion? What do you see?" he asked. I felt like I was being tested.

"Huh? Oh!" I thought he was kidding, "well... It looks like their last whereabouts were at a gym and all of their bodies were found right near alleys behind restaurants... Should we check to see if they are at those places too?" Hotch checked the maps again and nodded approval at my conclusion. "You should. Call Rossi and Reid and have them check stomach contents and the restaurants to see if they've been seen in those locations. Also check in with Garcia and see if there has been any activity on their cards suggesting they visited those establishments." I nodded, "you got it, sir," and I went off to make the calls.

**At the M.E.**

"Yes, thanks Orion, will do," Rossi disconnected our call, "did you happen to check the stomach contents of the victims?" Rossi asked, turning to the medical examiner. "I did," the M.E. started, "turns out, that had eaten pretty expensive meals, mostly steaks. Except for the last one, he only had things like leafy greens... Almost like he didn't even make it to the main course," she concluded.

"Thank you ma'am, this was very helpful," Morgan said. "Rossi, the unsub decided to 'Wine-and-Dine' these men before killing them." Rossi looked back down at the latest body, "We should get back to the station and let Hotch and Orion know about the date and slay," he commented. They thanked the M.E. again and returned to the station.

**At the Latest Crime Scene**

"Ok, thanks Orion," Reid replied and hung up. Reid reiterated what was asked of him. "Orion thinks the unsub had taken the victims to the restaurants and killed them afterward," he said to Prentiss as he returned to her. "Wow... Orion really did bury herself in the case... She seems to be doing better than you Reid!" she blurted to him, nudging his arm with her elbow playfully. He looked down at his feet and trying to hide his face from view. Prentiss gasped, a grin bearing on her face, "you like Orion, don't you, Spence?" she asked innocently. "What?! No... What makes you think that?!?" his face getting redder and voice cracking and raising octaves. "You do!" Prentiss teased, her mouth gaping in surprise. "Ok... Maybe I do," he surrendered, "please keep this between us... Relationships between bureau members is not allowed and I don't want to hurt the team dynamic with this situation either..." He hung his head in embarrassment. "Don't worry lover boy," she gave him a pat on the back and winked at him, "secret is safe with me."

They walked into the restaurant to the hostess and asked if she had seen the last victim. "Yeah, he was here," she answered, and he was with a woman. About average height, petite, long dark hair... They left shortly after their first course... Not sure why, we weren't busy so there was not a long wait time, and they weren't fighting about anything... They just... Left." The hostess excused herself to seat a couple that had just walked in.

"I think Orion was right... The unsub is a woman... But why does she kill these men? What makes her target them? We should check with the other restaurants with their respective victims," Prentiss agreed with my hunch. They proceeded to check in with the other restaurants and return to the station with findings.

**Phone call between Orion and Garcia**

"Hey Garcia, you're on speaker."

"Little miss Orion, my favorite star child," her voice almost singing her words, "give me things to do!"

"Did you happen to find any similarities with these men or any spending patterns on their cards?"

"Sorry star child, no luck," her voice disappointed, "only thing I noticed the same was that they are married, were at the gyms where they were last seen and then dumped in those alleys."

"Wait, Garcia, you said they were all married?" Hotch questioned.

"Yeah, why?" Garcia answered

"We need to check those surveillance videos, have you gotten the footage yet? Hotch asked.

"I have... And reviewing it now, I will hit you back when I have something, ta ta for now my bunch of agents!" The call ending with a quick beep.

**Back to the Case**

Just as the call finished, the team arrived at the station with their findings and confirmed all of my theories about the case with the last meal and whereabouts before their deaths. “Garcia said that these men were all married?” Prentiss asked, “if they were, we might be looking at a ‘black widow’ killer,” she concluded, looking around to the team. 

“We need to see what happened at those gyms,” Rossi said, and no sooner did the words leave his lips, Penelope called in, “Hey, hey, hey, my fine feathered friends,” she started, “they all had an interactions with this dark haired woman and it looks like they have all helped her stretch and then shortly after, they show up on the restaurant surveillance. I’m running facial recognition now... And,” her last word dragged out, “we have a match! Devin Noven, 34, jeesh, she’s in the middle of a messy, messy divorce with her,” she paused, “very attractive husband, Mark Noven... Looks like she caught him helping other women train and then taking them out to eat.”

Reid chimed in, “her kills have actually been getting closer together, and the last one didn’t even have the complete meal before they left the restaurant... She is probably going to her kill her husband next. We need to find him before she does... We need to deliver the profile.” Garcia popped back into the conversation with, “both her husband’s home and work addresses have been sent, please be safe my pretties.” With that, they all left the conference room of the station to brief the police force on the killer. 

“Reid, Orion and Prentiss, you guys go to the husband’s house Morgan, Rossi and I will go to to the work. Please be safe, and Orion, make sure you stay behind Reid and Prentiss.” I nodded to my orders and we left. 

We arrived to the house just in time. The front door had been left open. “Devin and Mark Noven? FBI,” Prentiss shouted into the open house. There in the living room, Devin had Mark tied to a chair and she quickly jumped behind him with the knife she had been using to carve his chest with to his throat. “Go away!” Devin hissed, “he is a cheater... and cheaters should be dealt with! He cut out my heart, now I will carve out his!” Her grip on the knife tightening, turning her knuckles white. “Devin, you don’t want to do this,” Reid said calmly, “if you really want him to pay, then you need to let him go... Let him go and he will have to live with the fact that you are divorcing and he will no longer have you.”

“Devin?” I called out, walking in behind Reid and Prentiss, “Devin, can you drop the knife? Please?” I continued to walk in, holding my hands up, showing I was not a threat. Prentiss and Reid looked back at me nervously, but still had their guns trained to her. “Devin, I need you to drop the knife,” I soothed, “We don’t want to hurt you, we want to get you the help you need.” I bowed my head a little to show some vulnerability. Her eyes welling up with tears, “But h-h-he cheats!” she stuttered between sobs. “Yes, I know... But Devin, he is not your problem anymore,” I took a small step forward, still behind Reid and Prentiss, “You need to let him go. He won’t cheat any more... Will you, Mark?” I looked at the terrified man and he nodded violently. “I am, so sorry Devin... Please... You don’t want to do this... It will never happen again,” Mark said in a panicked voice. 

“Look at him Devin...” I gestured towards him using my chin, “Look into those eyes... Does that look like a man who has learned his lesson?” I continued. Devin looked down at him and stared for a bit and the longer she stared, the looser her grip became until. 

Ting.

The knife hit the floor and she backed away from him. Prentiss jumped to Devin for the arrest and I ran over to Mark to untie him. “Thank you- Th-Th-Thank you,” Mark said through still panicked breaths. I helped him out to the ambulance and we were getting ready to head back. 

**To Be Continued**

[gossipnetwork-blog]

Can't Look Away: The 21 Breakthrough TV Performances of 2017

New Post has been published on http://gossip.network/cant-look-away-the-21-breakthrough-tv-performances-of-2017/

Can't Look Away: The 21 Breakthrough TV Performances of 2017

A lot of TV these days is perfectly forgettable. Same for most of the performances on said forgettable TV shows. That’s to be expected when upwards of 400+ original scripted shows are made every year.

But just as some truly exceptional shows manage to cut through the noise and grab our attention (you can see our picks for the year’s 15 best right here), there are also those performances that manage to make us sit up, set down our phones and simply watch. These performances transcend network, genre, gender, race and age. They’re the performances that turn a complete unknown into an overnight sensation or finally give an industry vet their due. They’re defined by one simple characteristic: They fantastic.

Without further ado, E! News’ TV Scoop Team proudly presents the 21 Breakthough TV Performances of 2017…

NBC

Susan Kelechi Watson, This Is Us

After being criminally under-used in season one, season two has been the season of Beth and it’s been a beautiful thing to watch. Like Randall so perfectly said, she is “a Black queen” and is finally getting the screen-time she deserves. (Sorry Jack and Rebecca, but Randall and Beth truly are the OTP of This Is Us.)

Netflix

Cameron Britton, Mindhunter

Usually, saying someone is so believable in a role is a great thing. But Britton was so believable as real-life serial killer Ed Kemper (aka “The Co-Ed Killer”) in this breakout role that is might actually be a bad thing? Nah, it’s sill great and is still giving us creepy chills!

Netflix

Lena Waithe, Master of None

In the eighth episode of Master of None’s second season, Lena Waithe proved in just 34 minutes why she’s both an actress and a writer who shouldn’t be ignored. With the standout “Thanksgiving,” co-written with fellow star Aziz Ansari, Waithe’s Denise came of age and eventually came out over the course of a handful of pivotal turkey days in her life. Her history-making Emmy win was no fluke. 

NBC

D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place

The Good Place is filled with performers like Ted Danson and Kristen Bell turning in their absolute best and somehow D’Arcy Carden‘s Janet, a guide to, well, everything, manages to steal the spotlight (in the best way possible). Carden infuses the role with an earnest innocence and she handles the emotional requirements of the role easily.

TNT

Niecy Nash, Claws

Niecy Nash has been slaying us for years with her hilarious work in Reno 9-1-1 and her heartbreaking work in Getting On, but it wasn’t until she stepped into down-on-her-luck and desperate Desna Simms’ shoes on TNT’s raucous crime dramedy Claws this summer that she really proved what a powerhouse she is. Playing the nail salon owner caught up in one of the most insane criminal underworlds TV’s ever seen, Nash led an equally impressive cast with aplomb. If only Emmy and Golden Globe voters had taken notice…

Viceland

Trixie and Katya, The Trixie & Katya Show

What do you get when you take two RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorites from web series to TV show? One of the flat-out funniest things to hit the small screen in 2017. With episodes themed around such topics like “death” and “hooking up,” Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova (real names Brian Firkus and Brian McCook, respectively) have proven that they can talk about just about anything and still manage to make it painfully hysterical. If you haven’t made time for this Viceland original, fix your life.

Freeform

Meghann Fahy, The Bold Type

All three of The Bold Type‘s leading ladies deserve some recognition, but Meghann Fahy was the face we were least familiar with. Now, it’s clear she has an incredibly bright future ahead of her. Her portrayal of the funny, fashion-obsessed, risk-taking Sutton Brady in the Freeform dramedy’s first season proved she’s one to watch. 

Big ups to Katie Stevens and Aisha Dee as well! 

The CW

Madelaine Petsch, Riverdale

Sure, Cheryl Blossom’s motivations and personality traits change faster than you can say “Jingle Jangle,” but Petsch’s charismatic and snarky performance is always consistent. We live for her saucy one-liners and references, and flair for the dramatic, even selling the crap out of Cheryl’s recent out-of-the-blue obsession with Josie. But her talent truly shines when she taps into Cheryl’s vulnerabilities, giving us a glimpse at the damaged goods below the perfectly-manicured surface. 

Netflix

Justina Machado, One Day at a Time

Justina Machado has been kicking around the industry for years, a dependable utility player wherever she was cast. But her starring turn in Netflix’s reboot of the Norman Lear classic One Day at a Time proved that the industry had been sleeping on a true leading lady for all these years. As a single mother who’s also a veteran, Machado imbued the role of Penelope Alvarez with heart and hilarity. As the character navigate a child’s coming out in the back half of season one, viewers were treated to one of the year’s most heartfelt performances.

Hulu

Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale

Rory Gilmore, who knew? Alexis Bledel was nothing short of a revelation in The Handmaid’s Tale. She won an Emmy for her performance and for good reason, the heartbreak she was able to convey on screen was palpable. Can we give individual Emmys to Bledel’s eyes as well?

FX

Leslie Grossman, American Horror Story: Cult

Meadow Wilton was not long for this world, but Leslie Grossman gave her American Horror Story: Cult character the perfect mix of comedy and tragedy. Grossman already broke through in 2001 with Popular‘s Mary Cherry, and now we’d like to demand a new iconic breakthrough performance from her every year, please. 

ABC

Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor

Highmore made his mark (as an adult) as Norman Bates in A&E’s Bates Motel, but this year, he’s also proved that he has what it takes to lead a network medical drama as The Good Doctor‘s Shaun Murphy, a brilliant surgeon with autism and savant syndrome. The Good Doctor is the most-watched new show of the season and Highmore even got nominated for a Golden Globe, so we’re clearly not the only ones who have noticed that he’s a serious talent.

Netflix

Noah Schnapp, Stranger Things

Season one of Stranger Things was all about Will, even though he was rarely seen, while the rest of the cast got all the accolades. Season two was all about Noah Schnapp, giving the 13 year-old actor the opportunity to prove that he’s truly a pro at playing horror, and he might even be the best young actor on the show. 

Amazon

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was one of the biggest surprises of the year and at the heart of it all is Rachel Brosnahan. The House of Cards veteran truly shines as the titular character. There’s no better way to say it, she’s just effervescent in this star-making role.

CBS

Sonequa Martin-Green, Star Trek: Discovery

The Walking Dead veteran reached new heights as Michael Burnahm on Star Trek: Discovery. As a human raised Vulcan, Sonequa Martin-Green‘s character often struggles with her emotions and this has given the actress plenty of opportunities to flex her acting muscles in ways we weren’t sure she was capable of.

Netflix

Logan Browning, Dear White People

As college student Sam White in Netflix’s college campus satire Dear White People, Logan Browning infuses the activist character with enough heart and wit that even when she’s making some massively poor decisions, you can’t help but root for her. Dear White People arrived at an incredibly important time with a lead actress who more than rose to the occasion. Is season two here yet?

Netflix

Katherine Langford, 13 Reasons Why

Australian newcomer Katherine Langford was truly the heart and soul of Netflix’s standout 13 Reasons Why. The actress handled the emotional role of Hannah Baker, a high school girl who kills herself and leaves tapes behind explaining her decision, with finesse. The Golden Globe nomination is well deserved—keep an eye on this rising star.

CBS

Iain Armitage, Young Sheldon

As Big Little Lies‘ Ziggy, Iain Armitage brought a soulfulness to the proceedings that belied his remarkably young age. And as the youngest ever star of a CBS comedy, he managed to breathe new life into a Jim Parsons character that we’ll admit we’ve grown a bit tired of. As the titular young Sheldon Cooper, Armitage demonstrates comedic chops that rival any adult on his network. Keep your eye on this kid. He’s going to be around for a long, long time. 

Showtime

Frankie Shaw, SMILF

As single mother Bridgette in the Showtime comedy based on her short film with the same name, Frankie Shaw manages to make us laugh hysterically while also breaking our hearts. And the fact that she’s also an EP, writer and directer on the show makes her performance all the more impressive. The HFPA was wise to hand her a nomination for season one. And you’d be wise to seek this charming little show out.

Netflix

Betty Gilpin, GLOW

Alison Brie may have been the de facto star of Netflix’s GLOW, but it was Betty Gilpin who stole the show as best friend-turned-rival of Brie’s Ruth, former soap star Debbie Eagan. Watching Gilpin deftly navigate from heartbreak in her broken marriage to the joy of returning to stardom with the ridiculous Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling left quite the impression. Her nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 23rd Annual Critics’s Choice Awards is well-deserved.

NBC

Justin Hartley, This Is Us

It’s no secret that Justin Hartley‘s Kevin was the weakest link in season one of NBC’s breakout hit This Is Us. As an entitled actor struggling with his success, it was hard to really feel too bad for him, especially in the face of the other, stronger storylines. But in season two, with an arc that had chronicled the character’s descent into addiction, Hartley has more than stepped up to the occasion, selling the hell out of Kevin’s struggle.

Did your favorite performance of the year make the cut? Sound off in the comments below!

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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