#the first chapter left the best impression on me tbh the rest died out

[weenie-kun]

Hi I have randomly appeared once again!!!!!

Idk if you still look at Genshin stuff at all but have u seen Lyney. He’s voiced by hiro shimono in jp so whenever he talks I hear Syo… and Syo of course reminds me of u :3

What do u think of his outfit? It kinda reminds me of some of the stuff you draw…

hi!

yeah while i havent played in ages now i've looked at new regions and characters and such and i was pretty surprised to find out shimono voiced him and i listened to the demo as well but it seems pretty straightforward the type of character he can voice lolol so it definitely reminded me of syo too jdgfjd mmm i still think the og cn voices are still my most preferred for the whole cast overall (especially venti. jesus christ it is unmatched what an angel he is in cn) but i enjoy the variation in the others and have a few faves for some characters in others like bedo..

anyway yeah i think part of me is happy fontaine is finally here cuz i was looking forward to it for years BUT unfortunately im already so burned out i havent bothered playing . and i'd love to have lyney lynette and freminet in my pockets lol. i'll probably see how many leftover primos i have and try pull for em... cuz i see pretty dudes and my almonds activate yano honestly the one thing i remember enjoying in genshin was just the exploration aspect (minus the too many puzzles nowadays) and i think breath of the wild awakened that in me back when i let myself get into the long term single player experience again

text wall aside. thanks for thinking of me. i hope youre doing good too :)

[imjeralee]

Wallflower: Chapter 18 - “ba-woon”

Raihan x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary: You’re an unassuming Pokemon breeder who works at the nursery in the Wild Area and he’s Raihan, the fearsome gym leader of Hammerlocke who has more than a million followers. You don’t want anything to do with him but he’s…persistent.

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Warnings: Lemon, smut, violence, language.

Extra note: this chapter is messed up tbh.

ba-woon ... ...

Some time ago, Galar.

What a fucking mess.

Rose's party was a complete disaster. She honestly thinks everything in Galar is so messed up and backwards, compared to Unova anyway. She can't wait to leave and return to Nimbasa City - she doesn't remember enjoying Galar, and don't think she ever will.

And now she's visiting someone in prison. Never in a million years would Raihan's ex-girlfriend imagine that she would step one foot here.

It's Raihan's stalker, whom she knew about when she was still dating Raihan but never really bothered to do anything about nor take any action, because she believed the stalker was just a harmless fangirl. The stalker had now reached out to her online, regarding something to do with Raihan and his current girlfriend. Something that would ruin them both.

Naturally, being his ex-girlfriend, she was very intrigued but not entirely believing. To conceal her identity, she comes in wearing sunglasses and a large sunhat and baggy clothes, terrified that someone would recognise her. As if she would risk wanting to be seen here; the number of followers would rapidly go down the drain.

She goes to the counter and gives the name, informing the attendant that she's here to see an inmate. Then she's shown to the visitor's room and she sits down in the empty booth, waiting.

Soon, a girl in a jumpsuit arrives; she's very young and average. One would wonder what she did to land herself in a place like this but one can't judge a book by its cover. Once the girl in the jumpsuits seats herself down, she picks up the phone receiver and instructs the ex to do the same.

"How did you even get my contact details?" She barks. Truthfully, she would've ignored the message.

"I used to work in Macro Cosmos."

"And what's the thing you wanted to tell me about?" Raihan's ex adds, crossing her arms. This better be good, it better be worth her time.

The stalker says, "I still have a copy. It's the last one. Banette helped me hide it before they came. It's the video I took of Raihan and that girl he's with, when they were in the hotel room. I'll tell you where it is."

Raihan's ex raises a brow in response. "....Excuse me?" She says, clearly not impressed. "Are you serious? That's the reason why you called me here? So....what? What exactly am I supposed to do with it? Why are you even telling me this?"

"Because you could do anything." The girl says, "You could do anything with it. As long as it's in your hands."

...

Present, Johto.

You go through the rest of the form: it says you have the right to cancel at any time and there is fine print which Looker encourages you to read, with one paragraph in particular that dictates something called a 'Faller'. What that means exactly, you're not sure but Looker explains.

"Fallers are individuals who have passed through Ultra Wormholes." He says, "This is probably a bit too much information for you at the moment so I won’t indulge too much right now. The existence of Wormholes isn't exactly top secret information. There was an incident in Alola not too long ago where a couple of Wormholes opened up and several Ultra Beasts slipped through and it became headline news. Myself and my superior - who is also a Faller - were handling this case. However, let's not jump to conclusions right now. We could just proceed with the Hypnosis session first, see how it goes and then take it from there."

"Um...okay."

"Have you had any out-of-body experiences before?" He says. It's so blunt and to the point, you can only nod.

"Yeah, during Rose's party." You reply, "We were trying to stop Team Rocket and Eli in the energy plant, Leon and I closed the generator and then something happened and I was in this weird place where I saw Giratina."

Looker soaks it all in. "I see. That would be the Distortion World."

"Yeah."

He doesn't ask you anything else nor does he want to take up more of your time any longer so he leaves you and Raihan with more documents to read over once you're home and also to give you some time to discuss with mom and Glenn. Should you want to go ahead, you must sign and return the form to him. He gives you his number so you can contact him when ready. Then he thanks you for your time and departs; you will see him soon, probably when you return to Galar. You put away the remaining documents Looker enclosed with the folder into your backpack.

For a few seconds or so, you and Raihan merely stare at each other as you sit in your booth until you bite down on your lip, brows furrowing. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You can't seem to catch a break?" Raihan suggests.

"Exactly!" You exclaim, "Where is all this coming from? Fallers, Ultra Wormholes? What's next? I've just about had it."

Getting up from your seats, you promptly leave the cafe and head towards the direction of the Dragon's Den, following the tourist signs once you pass Blackthorn Gym. It's pretty easy to get to regardless and there are plenty of gift shops around which you will tour with Raihan later.

"I trust Looker; you'll be in good hands." Raihan reassures you with a smile as you hold hands along the way. "You've nothing to worry about. Do you want to go back and talk to your family about it?"

You shake your head, "No, no, it's okay, we're already here; let's just head to the Dragon's Den."

It's best not to think about it any longer...plus the caffeine is kicking in so you feel renewed with energy.

Raihan gives your hand a tight squeeze and together, you arrive at the giant lake which must be crossed in order to reach the den - you take Lapras' pokeball and release the ferry Pokemon into the water. You scramble onto Lapras' back and Raihan climbs on after you, glancing right and left. "Ready?"

"Yep."

You pat Lapras gently and she begins gliding over the water and towards the large cave up ahead. Along the way, you see Magikarps swimming in the tranquil lake below and a few Woopers slinking around. The weather is perfect - it’s not cold but not too hot either - and the breeze is gentle and cool.

"We really should do this more often." Raihan mutters, and you agree with a smile.

Once you arrive, Raihan hops off Lapras and helps you down; you recall mom's pokemon and begin the trek over the harsh and rocky path with the dragon tamer into the cave. The den used to be off-limits - they would only let people who earned the Rising badge to enter but now they allow tourists and visitors. It looks different too, mainly due to the inclusion of two newly built paths leading inside, spiralling left and right - the lake outside narrows into a deep stream but you're aware it leads to a further, massive lake inside the den itself where all the Dratini and Dragonairs are. It's dark and damp and you and Raihan pass a shrine that stands in the middle of the water where an elderly man dressed in traditional garb is praying.

You excitedly point to a small Dratini that is draped around the old man's neck, snoozing. It's so adorable! You can't wait - you want to catch a Dratini badly. Raihan grins and you both up your speed without further ado, heading into the den and occasionally being challenged by trainers and defeating them along the way until you reach the opening. It's a massive cave with rocky walls that stretch up high and wide and the only source of light are the scattered torches which the dragon elders have lit up for trainers and visitors alike.

It's a lot busier inside, with a few Ace Trainers and Dragon Tamers inside with their dragon pokemon. A tamer flies around on his Dragonite, ducking and diving over sharp rocks, controlling it's speed and momentum, whilst an Ace Trainer trains her Dragonair in the water with a whistle and some strange device. Meanwhile, a pool to the left reveals a small group of wild Dratini snoozing over the rocks whilst another shakes itself under the waterfall, enjoying the rush of water.

Raihan abruptly clamps a hand over his chest in reaction to the most beautiful sight that is taking place before his very eyes.

"Are you okay?" You ask, though you don't think he is. You feel he has died and gone to heaven.  

Raihan turns to you, a wide grin appearing on his face. "I'm fine," He exclaims happily, "Let's go."

Fumbling for your pokemon, you both release your dragon pokemon by tossing your capsules into the air and an extravagant display of lights subsequently follows; the pokemon appear before you, emitting loud growls and waving their tails, wings and claws. Raihan takes a headcount whilst you do the same - he's brought Duraludon, Flygon, Goodra, Turtonator, Axew and Bagon. You count Chompy, Salamence, Haxorus, Dreepy and Deino, whom you have taken along on Raihan's behalf. Goomy and Applin are the only pokemon not present but never mind; you have quite a lot on your plate already.

"Alright! Everyone's here!" You cheer. It's a Dragon Pokemon Field Trip!

"Let's take a group photo first." Raihan says eagerly, and Rotom comes flying out just in time.

"Bzzz, I got ya covered, champ! On the count of three?"

"Thanks, Rotom!"

Everyone proceeds to move into position a short distance away from Rotom, though much allocation is needed. All the large pokemon move to stand behind yourself and Raihan; though Raihan's height forces him to kneel on one leg beside you, clutching Axew and Deino in his arms whilst you sit with Bagon and Dreepy nestles on your shoulder.

"One...two...three...Everyone zzay 'GROOOOOOOOWL'!!!" Rotom yells, and all the pokemon unleashes the fiercest growls they can muster that the walls tremble and shake and Rotom snaps away. “Yay! Good job everyone!”

Rotom returns to you both so you can check out the photos and you both peer at the screen, swiping through at least five. There's one where Rotom caught all the pokemon growling and their jaws are open. There's one with Garchomp, Goodra and Duraludon waving their arms in the air. Wow, these photos look amazing! Except from the one where you blinked. Damn.

The itinerary for today is simple - Raihan will carry out the training and you will follow up with an examination. Raihan's provided you with his Pokemon's previous assessments, so you can use them to compare.

Therefore, the next thing you do is take all the pokemon to the dragon shrine first so they can soak up all the powerful dragon energy in the den. Your group bumbles behind you, the dragon pokemon looking up and around in awe. No doubt, they are experiencing some special feels for this place. Chompy, Salamence and Haxorus are the only pokemon familiar with this place since you've brought them here before. Once you reach the shrine, you tell Raihan this is where trainers and their pokemon pray for strength and courage in battle and also to pay their respects.

There's a way to do it, so you prompt Raihan to follow your lead - you take some loose cash from your pockets and drop it into the offering box and Raihan does the same. Then you bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and take a few steps backwards.

You clasp your hands together and close your eyes in prayer and everyone follows you. Your group grows silent as you pray; you're pretty sure Chompy and Haxorus are praying for a nice meal at the end of this whilst Salamence is probably praying for more opportunities to fly.

"That'll do. Let's go." You say, when they are finished.

The training promptly begins; you're hoping to spend half a day here and hopefully catch a Dratini at the same time if possible. You find a good spot where there's enough space for all the pokemon to move and run around - and Raihan begins with a warm up and here is where you see a different side to your dragon tamer boyfriend - this must be what he is like when he is at Hammerlocke stadium.

You see him instructing the pokemon fluidly and with the sophistication of a seasoned professional drill sergeant (but he doesn't bark orders no, he's the opposite; he's highly encouraging and gentle) and you watch as your pokemon immerse themselves fully into the experience, though the smaller pokemon are struggling slightly.

You watch as the pokemon begin doing some laps around the den whilst some do sits up and push ups. Raihan observes with Rotom hovering beside him and taking photos and videos, whilst you go to help the smaller pokemon with lighter workouts. To finish up, Raihan pairs the pokemon and let them battle each other but not to the brink where they are knocked out. There's no winner or loser. Your EV trained pokemon fight each other, with Haxorus, Salamence and Garchomp engaging in a three-way battle. Raihan passes each team, making assessments.

When it's your turn to take over, you become nervous because no-one's really watched you on the job before so with Raihan grinning in one corner actually makes you anxious. Nevertheless, you pull yourself together and begin the check up, pulling out your tools which include a stethoscope, ophthalmoscope and otoscope. They look highly technical but these are the three main tools you utilise and they’re easy to use. You get the pokemon to line up and begin the examination one by one which only takes two to three minutes per Pokemon. You hastily scribble down some notes in your pad which you will look at in more detail when you get home.

When it's getting late and the pokemon have gone through a tough day of training, you return them all after feeding them and giving them treats for all their hard work and finally, Raihan turns to you. "We still got a Dratini to catch."

You're kind of beat but you nod, hopping off the rock you were sitting on. "Let's do this."

Since you spotted wild Dratini lounging in the pond near the entrance, you head over to see two of the shed skin pokemon basking over the rocks. Raihan is quick to approach, releasing Goodra. One of the Dratini rears its head up, ready to fight, whilst the other begins to squirm away. Oh no, it's trying to run away! Without thinking twice, you throw Lapras' capsule because she's roughly the same level as these Dratini and would fare a better chance compared to your EV trained pokemon who would destroy it in one move. Raihan commands Goodra to use Dragon Breath and then throws an Ultra Ball at the severely weakened pokemon.

"Lapras, use Ice Beam!" You yell, and the wild Dratini is smacked with a blast of ice which hits it's belly. Aha, now's your chance! You pull out a spare Ultra Ball, tossing it at the pokemon.

Raihan's ultra ball wiggles three times and clicks shut with the green light, indicating Dratini has been successfully captured - however, yours wiggles twice and then abruptly explodes in a burst of bright light. Dratini reappears, blinks for a brief second then promptly dives underwater, having successfully run away.

"Motherfurret!" You shout with frustration before you can help yourself, "Not again!"

Raihan picks up his caught pokemon and returns to your side.

You look up at him with a sigh. "....Guess it isn't meant to be." You mumble dejectedly.

"Take mine." He says, attempting to press the capsule into your hand for your taking.

You shake your head at once. "No, it's fine, Rai. You caught it."

"But I want you to keep it."

"Nooooo."

"I'll catch another one."

You cross your arms, unwilling to accept. "It's fine, I can get one from the Gamecorner in Goldenrod."

He gives you a testing look but you nod firmly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright...." Raihan slips the capsule into his bag but you feel he isn't convinced.

...

You leave the den to grab dinner, opting to have a nice meal at a restaurant in Goldenrod which Raihan chose because he looked it up and it's received raving reviews online and five stars. Then you and Raihan do some shopping at the Department Store although Raihan is more into this than you are. Generally, Goldenrod is quite pricey and it has designers you have not heard of and can't really afford but to Raihan, you swear he has died and gone to heaven again. 

You trail after him, watching him as he goes through racks and shelves and aisles filled to the brim with clothes, shoes and accessories. Occasionally, he'll pull something out and ask you for your opinion. Sometimes you split up so you can buy some gear and treats for your pokemon before you regroup with him.

It's interesting shopping with a guy; Raihan has good fashion sense because he picks out staple items and then he also pulls out items which are in season and are sure to last for a long time. He also picks out some interesting items which are a variety of colours and it makes you think who on earth could pull it off but you're sure Raihan can since he's so tall and skinny and can make anything look good. 

His total bill comes to a six figure number, which has your eyes bulging to the size of plates but apparently, that's nothing to him. Then he nonchalantly asks you if you want anything but you politely decline.

When you wait for Raihan to finish paying, you're looking through photos on Rotom which you took when you were training at the den and you're wondering what's taking him so long until a pair of hands suddenly clamp over your eyes and you squeak in fright until the hands lower from your eyes and you see Raihan who presses a deep kiss on your cheek. Phew, you breathe a sigh of relief.

He has a wide smile playing on his lips. "Hold your arms out."

"What is it?" You lift your arms as requested and he brings out a pink plushie from behind his back and plops it into your hands. Your eyes grow wide - it's a Skitty doll. You look at him, then at the doll with your mouth agape. "...For me?"

"It reminded me of you."

You gush, clutching it firmly to your chest. "It's so cute!! Thanks!"

His grin widens. "I knew you'd like it."

You go on tiptoe and Raihan takes this as a cue to lean forwards and your lips meet.

With the Skitty doll and many bags hanging off your arms, you head to the Gamecorner next, playing a few games such as UFO catcher and Whack-a-Drilbur and you take a quick look at the prize station but seeing various pokemon up for sale as prizes turns you off and you're not sure whether to get the Dratini; instead, you decide to call it a day and go back to Ecruteak. You had wanted to pay Glenn a visit but maybe tomorrow when you have more free time. Besides, you want to discuss with mom about the meeting with Looker. It's actually been on your mind all day. You managed to push it to the depths of your mind somehow, unwilling for it to ruin your day.

When you arrive home, mom is already preparing dinner and when you open the door to the lounge, you see Glenn sitting on one of the plushy cushions whilst the TV blares on in the background.

"Glenn, you're here!"

"Yeah," He greets you casually; there's a pink goo slithering over his head and shoulders - it's a Ditto. "How was the Dragon's Den?"

"It was really good."

"Awesome. Did you guys catch a Dratini?"

"Raihan did but I didn't...and er...I'm glad you're here, I need to talk to you and mom."

"Hm? About what?"

Firstly, you need to put your shopping away so you head to your room to get changed into comfier clothes and return to the lounge with Raihan; Glenn recalls Ditto and you pull out the folder Looker had given you and you ask him to take a look.

"A detective has asked me if I can help him with a case."

Glenn blinks blankly. "That's so random."

"We know him. He helped us before." You mutter, and Glenn takes the folder off you and sticks his hand inside, pulling out a few files. He chooses one to read and has a quick skim through until his brows furrow slightly; you and Raihan glance at each other from the corner of your eyes and you don't think this bodes too well.

However, the lounge door slides opens and mom enters with Blissey. "Phew! Almost done. Dinner's nearly ready."

"Hey mom, take a look at this." Glenn says, handing her the paper.

"What is it?" Mom plops herself beside Glenn and dons her reading glasses, scanning the paper. She's smiling but you watch as the smile slowly disappears. It grows silent as they both read the contents. Raihan reaches for your hand and holds you tightly, threading your fingers together and after a short while, mom settles the file down and turns to you. "So this detective named Looker is working on a case regarding a missing child....and he thinks you're the missing child?"

"Yeah."

"And he wants you to undergo Hypnosis in order to confirm the theory, to extract memories..." Glenn mutters, rubbing his chin. He continues reading the file out loud: "A Hypnosis session is used to extract missing memories and concise testimony from the subject. Usually the subject is an individual who suffers from retrograde or psychogenic amnesia. Subjects will undergo a session in an effort to recall their missing memories under the guidance of a trained professional and a Hypno allocated by the Bureau. The session can last up to three to five hours maximum, depending on the severity of the amnesia."

Mom looks at the photograph of the couple and the little girl next. "This is the missing child, right? You don't look anything like her at all." She says.

Glenn pulls out another file except there's a few photos that were lodged within and they drop out and over the table. "Whoa, that's a Buzzwole." He points out, as he picks up the photo of the beefy red bug. He moves to a second photo and raises a brow, "Huh, don't think I've seen this one before..."

"I think that's a Xurkitree, dear."

"I've never seen anything like it." Glenn puts down the photos and begins reading the next file: "Operation f....um, faller, spelled with blanks in between...interesting, Operation Faller is the top secret - haha, not so top secret now - Operation Faller is the top secret operation conducted by the Bureau in an effort to identify, track down and locate fallers, individuals who have passed through Ultra Wormholes; the operation came into existence after the Alola incident where Ultra Wormholes opened and several entities known as Ultra Beasts entered Alola."

Glenn abruptly stops.

"Um...what exactly am I reading or looking for here?" He says, confused.

"It's the Alola incident, dear, it made headlines a while ago - the existence of parallel worlds." Mom says. "Remember?"

"Oh, yeah! People went mental! Er...this is getting weird...they even said they found a world where pokemon don't even exist! Can you believe that?" Glenn mutters before he moves onto the next file. It's a file that's got your name on it. "Subject was discovered in Ilex Forest with blunt force head trauma. Subject could not recall her identity, where she came from or how old she was at that time.... That sounds like retrograde or psychogenic amnesia to me."

You bite down on your bottom lip; this is making you uncomfortable...

He flips to the next page. "Drifloon. Subject was found with a Drifloon - Drifloon are not native to Johto, or Ilex Forest so it was theoreticized to have been responsible for subject's accident but no proof has been found. Drifloon is known to have spirited people away, in particular, children. The expression 'spirit away' is used to refer to the mysterious disappearance or death of a person, or humans who have been abducted to the spirit world. The term is loosely utilised in Drifloon's pokedex entry - for this case, the balloon Pokemon may have transported subject either to a new region... or a parallel dimension, or Ultra Space."

Glenn stops again and looks at you like a Stantler caught in headlights.

Gulping, he continues. "...The pokemon was allowed to stay with subject after displaying no malicious intent towards subject. Instead, pokemon demonstrated protective behaviour over subject and listened to subject's commands."

You force out a weak laugh. "It wasn't Driffie. It can't be, it's not. He wouldn't...he wouldn't do that to me. This is ridiculous and if I was...whatever, I'd remember for sure."

The lounge goes silent as all eyes fall on you.

Mom nods and says, "There was no proof, dear. Driffie is harmless. And you love Driffie."

"Yeah." You mutter weakly as you absent-mindedly squeeze Raihan's hand under the table.

Glenn puts down the documents and lets out a quiet groan, rubbing his temples. ".....Basically, there's three things going on here: number one, Looker wants you to remember your missing memories to find out if you're the missing child of the case he's working on. Two, he wants to find out if there's the possibility of you being a Faller and three, the file says that Driffie could've been the one responsible for your accident."

You don't like the direction where this is going to at all. "I don't care; I have you and mom and Raihan and it won't change anything; I'm perfectly happy where I am."

"What are you gonna do, sis?"

"....I dunno."

"It's okay, dear, I think you should go ahead and sign it. There's no harm in wanting to help someone out and finding out more about yourself." Mom replies; she moves to stand, bringing you into a tight hug and pecking you on the cheek. "You'll still be my daughter and we'll still be your family."

...

After dinner, Glenn and mom ask if you're okay again but you lie and tell them you're fine. They reassure you that you're doing the right thing for yourself and whatever happens, they'll still be there for you. Whilst Raihan remains in the lounge to chat with mom and Glenn, you decided to take a bath but when you see the full moon hanging in the night sky, you end up sitting outside in the back porch with the folder; you didn't want to look at it any longer but since you still had some documents to go through for yourself, curiosity killed the Delcatty so you grab it and take out the contents again. Indeed, the folder contains a myriad of documents about Fallers and photos of Ultra Beasts and Ultra Wormholes. But it's then you come across Driffie's file and you hesitate.

Nausea overwhelms you. Driffie....no way. It can't be. You put the folder down, then pull out Driffie's capsule and release him; he emerges in a brief burst of red light in the garden.

"Flooo...." He blinks, letting out a gentle wheeze.

You can't bring yourself to ask. Hell, how are you supposed to ask? Did you spirit me away? Did you take me away from my family? Did you try to kill me? Did you try to hurt me...did you want to hurt me?

Didn't Allister once say to you...

”It wants to say... ‘I’m sorry’.”

Oh shit. Oh fuck. It can't be...

"Hey, um....Driffie?"

He looks at you, tilting his head curiously. "Floo...?"

"Was it....was it you?"

Again, he merely tilts his head to the side.

You sigh loudly. Oh Arceus, how could you think Driffie would do this to you? He is your sweet Drifloon who you've had since....ever. He's never hurt you. "Never mind. Forget it. I'm sorry, Driffie."

"Floo..." He floats over and nestles on top of your head, wrapping his arms around you just as the rest of your capsules suddenly burst open at once and all your Pokemon appear - Espie, Poliwag, Metagross, Salamence, Chompy, Haxorus, Dreepy and Tyranitar. The smaller pokemon jump into your lap whilst Dreepy slinks over your shoulders.

Your stare, blinking blankly as your pokemon begin to idly gather round and sit around you with what little space there is. Tyranitar and Haxorus sit beside you on the porch and Chompy and Metagross move to sit in front of you - Metagross has to tuck his legs in - whilst Salamence curls behind you, propping you up. You glance at each and every one of them before you smile at them warmly. You know the reason why they've appeared - they can sense your sorrow and fear.

"Did you guys hear what happened?"

Metagross turns to you and nods. Chompy growls and so does Haxorus and Salamence. Espie purrs loudly. Exhaling shakily, you watch as she puts her paw over your hand and Poliwag puts his tail over her paw. Your Pokemon look up at you and you smile at them.

"You got my back, right?"

Everyone nods.

You feel the corner of your eyes prickling with tears and you quickly dab at your eyes, hoping they hadn't seen. You've had them since they were babies - or at least since they were very young - and you took them under your wing, fed them, trained them. They're strong all because of you. You need to remind yourself about that more often and also give yourself more credit. As much as you were there for your pokemon, they are here for you, too. With those thoughts in mind, you watch your pokemon settle themselves around you protectively and you reach over, patting them fondly.

"Thanks, everyone." You utter under your breath. "Thank you for being there for me."

Metagross emits a low screech whilst Salamence, Tyranitar, Chompy and Haxorus growl loudly in response. Your smile grows wider as you pat them again. Espie purrs and Dreepy and Poliwag rub their cheeks against yours.

"If anything happens to me....I....oh, I don't know, I never thought about it."

Your pokemon look at you in bewilderment but you don't follow up. They sit with you, staring up at the moon until a while later, you hear the door to the lounge opening and Raihan passes you on the porch; you and your pokemon all turn to him and he freezes.

"Hm?" He exchanges glances between you and your pokemon and grins, "What's up? What are you doing? I thought you were sleeping."

You shake your head as you pat the space beside you, "Wanna join us?"

"Sure." He says, and he manages to squeeze himself beside you and Haxorus. Your pokemon don't mind, and Raihan reaches for you automatically with his arms out and you put down the documents. Espie and Poliwag hop off your lap and jump on top of Metagross' head so you can climb into Raihan's awaiting lap where he wraps his arms around you firmly and you rest your chin on his shoulder, closing your eyes. He envelopes you all over with his warmth, his arms holding you securely. "...You'll be okay, princess." Raihan mutters, pressing his lips against the curve of your cheek.

"Looker has really bad timing." You reply, as he peppers you with kisses. It's true, you feel the entire vacation is ruined because of this. You don't blame him but you kind of wish you hadn't met up. "I don't mind helping out but I don't know what I'll find out."

Raihan tightens his grip on you, stroking your hair affectionately and tucking some loose strands behind your ear with his long fingers. "I'll still be here. And if you are a 'faller', that's kinda cool." He says, and you chuckle under your breath. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. The Great Raihan will protect his princess, always."

You chuckle louder until you gradually dissolve into silence where you are just holding onto him and sitting in his lap.

"Have you decided what to do?"

"...Yeah. I'm gonna sign it."

"You sure?"

You nod. "I'll just...give it a shot. There's no harm, I guess. But I wish I could catch a break though...I'm really tired."

"I know you are, princess."

Leaning against him, you close your eyes and give him an affectionate squeeze.

"...You're the best thing to happen to me." You mutter quietly and he emits a gentle sigh, wrapping his arms even firmly around you.

"I know."

You can't help but smile and as you pull away from him, he grins and leans forwards, your lips pressing briefly before you throw your arms around him again. Raihan hugs you close, rubbing small, soothing circles on your back whilst you rest your cheek against his shoulder until you glance over and pick up a photo, inspecting it. It's a white jellyfish creature and the longer you stare at it, the more it looks familiar to you.

You feel like you've seen it before.

...

Days later.

Life returns to normal, or what is defined as normal in your books.

You leave Johto, return to work and so does Raihan. Your new boss is difficult to get along with; she's far more strict and doesn't seem to get your sarcasm or humour. You don't seem to be able to build up the same rapport you had with your previous boss. Your days are often spent in silence but you reckon work is just work and it cannot be helped. Not everyone likes their jobs - such as your friend, for example. You're left wondering when your next holiday is because your trip to Johto has now come to an end; the days had flown by just like that and it was over way too soon, way too quick.

And when you returned to your cottage in Ballonlea, you realised you've become way more accustomed to Galar than you had thought but after the meeting with Looker, things seem....different now.

You've told Raihan that you've already set up a time and date for the hypnosis session with Looker and although he says he wants to come with you, it will clash with his work so you tell him you can do this on your own.

Emitting a gentle sigh under your breath, you get ready, heading to Hammerlocke police station where you ask for Looker at the counter and a few minutes later, he emerges from a room and into the waiting area to retrieve you.

"Thanks for coming." Looker says, as you hand him the signed form.

"No problem."

"Are you ready?"

"Yep."

And you follow him into a small room with a sign that says 'Interrogation Room 2'....as if that wasn't intimidating enough. He closes the door behind you and it grows quiet as he sits at the desk, scribbling something down on the notepad in front of him. There's a hypnotherapy chair in the corner and a Hypno sits on its haunches on a stool, looking at you with its beady eyes. You stare at it in return, feeling slightly nauseous.

"Have a seat." Looker mutters, gesturing to the chair. "And grab a drink if you want."

You head over to the chair before you glance at the water machine nearby so you help yourself to a drink by reaching over and filling up a plastic cup, downing a few sips. It's silent in the room except from Looker's pen squeaking over the paper, the clock ticking on the wall and Hypno's shallow breathing as it stares at you relentlessly.

Looker finally finishes writing his notes and averts his attention to a case he's kept propped up against the desk, lifting it up. Unclipping it, he pulls out several strange devices which he lays carefully on the desk, then he pulls out a tape recorder from a cupboard underneath the desk which he also neatly sets on the table.

"Put this on." He hands you one of the weird contraptions, which is a bracelet that resembles a Dynamax band.

"What is this?" You ask, as you strap it on, pulling the fabric and tugging it around the width of your wrist and pushing the snap fasten into place.

"It's to read your energy levels during the hypnosis session." Looker mutters, "It works similar to a polygraph."

You didn't quite understand and Looker continues setting up some random machinery around you.

"Are you ready?" He says, when he's finished.

"Yeah." You put down the cup on the table provided beside you and take a deep breath.

Looker nods stiffly and pulls his seat over to you, dragging it on its wheels. "Let's begin. Lie down, please. Come on, Hypno. We're starting now."

As you lie over the chair properly, Looker presses on the tape recorder and he says out loud that he's recording 'Subject Sixteen, Initial Hypnotherapy Session'. Hypno moves in front of you with a shiny white pendant that dangles from his claws. Looker instructs you to tell him your name, age, where you come from and your occupation, which you do.

"When you're under," Looker adds, "Focus on the sound of my voice: I'll be guiding you along the way. I'll ask you to describe what you see and I'll tell you what to do next. I want you to remember that there is nothing there that will hurt you so you do not have to be scared. However, should you feel threatened, you can stop the session and we'll bring you back. Just tell us to stop."

You nod weakly. "Understood."

"Good. Let's begin then."

Glancing at Hypno, Looker nods and it begins swinging the pendant in front of your eyes in a smooth fashion.

“I want you to think about your childhood,” Looker says, “We’ll start from there.”

”S-sure.”

You honestly wonder how this will work.

Hypnosis?

You've seen hypnosis work on a pokemon but not on a human...

You keep your eyes trained on the pendulum.

Nothing so far.

It goes right.

Then goes left.

And back again.

Your eyes follow the motion, back and forth...

Back...

...and forth...

You're still in the room with Looker.

You're still...conscious.

Is this supposed to work?

How does it work?

The pendulum keeps swinging, Hypno keeps its eyes on you. It's mouth moves, whispering.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Opening your eyes, you sit up.

Wait.

When did you even close your eyes?

Where the hell are you?

"What do you see?"

It's Looker's voice.

You glance around.

You're...in a field.

A field full of beautiful flowers of red, blue and yellow...

The Wild Area?

No, it's...it's not. It's not the Wild Area. It's not even... Galar. Your gut just tells you it's not Galar.

"What do you hear?"

You hear giggling. Laughter. Voices.

They sound happy.

"Where's it coming from?"

You spot a small group up ahead and you wade through the field of flowers towards the source. A short distance away, you can see the woods. They're dark and foreboding.

"Who is it?"

Heading over, you see a couple sitting together on a red and white checkered picnic blanket surrounded by an abundance of food and a hamper whilst a little girl stares at a Butterfree fluttering around her. You realise you cannot see their faces; a messy, gaping black scribble erases any distinguishable feature.

Confused, you begin to step backwards.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't...I can't see their faces." You reply, swallowing down.

"Can you go closer?"

"I think so."

The couple are too busy getting the food ready to notice that the child gets up, having spotted something in the woods.

"Ba-woon." She says.

"What?"

"Ba-woon." The little girl says again.

Their voices are an echo.

Suddenly, a small swarm of Beedrill comes, attracted by the food - noticeably, the sticky jam sandwiches. The couple stand up to fend them off. They don't notice the child leaving the picnic mat, wandering further and further towards the woods.

There's something there.

"Ba-woon." The little girl says, giggling.

She stops in front of a small and cute, purple pokemon. Having lured her to the woods, it begins to float further inside.

"Ba-woon, come back! Where are you going?"

It reaches for her and takes her hand and in a split second, just like that, they both disappear into nothingness.

Gone.

[barrysjumpsuit]

the dark side - jj maybank x shoupe’s daughter (ch. 3)

w/c: 2.5k

warnings: underage drinking, mentions of other illicit activity, typos probably, but this is mostly just jj fluff

summary:  catherine shoupe has the perfect life. when she gets hired by heyward to run groceries, she has a new coworker - jj maybank. as the deputy’s daughter, she can’t help but hate him. but when jj decides to bring her to the dark side and woo her over, cat not only has to hide her activities from her father, but learn who her father really is.

a/n: i’ve been super busy and lacking inspo, so i knocked this out in about an hour and a half (and tbh i’m kinda proud of it).  this is definitely based on that time last week i drank 8 beers while swimming and was so drunk i fell off the dock then cried while making a pizza bc i started thinking about drew starkey  

side note, the tags weren’t working on the last two chapters, so if you could reblog this that would mean the world to me :)

get caught up on other chapters here! or check out my masterlist!

----

JJ’s words ate at Cat as she drove home. Leave it to JJ to put that foul taste in her mouth - was he trying to turn her against her own father? Or wanting her to come to the dark side with him?  Of course JJ didn’t like her dad. He was a troublemaker, flirting with all the punishments that were associated with breaking the law. 

Cat got home ten minutes later. Her dad was waiting up for her - it was later than she realized, and she was too caught up with JJ - and then flustered - to text him. “How’d it go?” he asked, seeing her face and pulling her into a hug.

“It was okay. I’m just tired,” she said quietly, her head pressed against her dad’s shoulder.

“You want any dinner?” he asked, and she shook her head. “Okay. Good night, sweetie.”

That night and all of the next day, she couldn’t stop thinking about what JJ had said to her.

Cat spent her day off with her best friend. They shopped before dropping their bags off at Cat’s, changing and going to the beach.

“Tell me about your new job,” Kya insisted, laying beside her. Her eyes were hidden by large, pink sunglasses, a smile plastered on her face.

“Well… it’s different, that’s for sure. I like spending most of my day on the water.” Cat threw an arm up to shield the sun so she could see her friend better. “The guys I work with keep it… interesting.”

“Heyward’s kid? What’s his name?”

“Pope. Yeah, I like him a lot. I usually work with either him or JJ.”

“Maybank?” Kya asked, pushing herself up slightly, and Cat nodded. “Woah, seriously? You haven’t killed each other yet?”

“Actually… we made up for everything last night. Got dinner and everything. He wanted to air everything out, and we had a good night.”

“You got dinner with JJ Maybank?” 

Cat sighed as her friend took off her sunglasses to look at her, her eyes wide. “Yes, Kya, why is that such a big deal?”

“You know he’s a total pothead, right? And his dad’s into all sorts of drugs.”

“Well, that’s a good thing I only work with him, then,” Cat responded cooly. “I just want to be friendly enough to make work not insufferable. I don’t care what he does in his free time.”

“Does your dad know?” Kya asked, and sat upright when Cat shook her head. “You’re kidding me, Cat.”

“He doesn’t need to know, he’d just worry.” Cat tried to ignore how worked up all of this made Kya. “Beside, I’ve made it clear to him I don’t want to get involved in anything he or his friends do.”

Kya sighed, laying back down beside her. “You better not. You’re the only friend I have that hasn’t gone all party mode.”

“That’s not gonna happen any time soon.” Cat tried to reassure her, but remembered JJ’s words. I’ll get you out of your bubble, he had said, a charming grin lighting up his face. Everything about JJ’s existence seemed effortless - he didn’t worry about what people thought about him, and didn’t particularly care for impressing people or following every single rule.

All throughout high school, like Kya had said, they lost friends until their once tight-knit friend group shrank to just the two of them. Everyone discovered alcohol, which was easily available at keggers and parties that seemed to happen almost every night. Some started smoking weed, others started doing harder stuff. People changed, and Cat knew that, but she didn’t like that type of change. Even if she did still want to be friends with those people, she knew it wouldn’t fly with her father, much less with Kya’s mother.

Kya Peterkin was the one person who had Cat’s back while they were growing up. Whenever their classmates adopted the we-hate-cops attitude, they were shunned together. They obeyed the same sets of rules, and since their parents worked so closely together, they were bound to become best friends as well. 

Sometimes, though, Cat wanted to break the rules. She was tired of being under the watchful, critical eye of her parents. Maybe JJ was what she needed - someone to be that person to get her out there. There was something about the way he spoke to her the other day, like he knew something she didn’t. About her, and about her dad. 

The next day, she worked with Pope. 

The day after, she worked with JJ.

It was the first time she actually enjoyed working with JJ. The talk they had eased the tension - JJ sat on the bow of the boat, his vape pinched between his lips, swinging his feet in the air while Cat slowed the boat as they approached the no wake zone. As she eased up to the dock to complete the last delivery of the day, JJ hopped off and tied the boat while Cat started readying the groceries.

Cat wanted to ask him, so, what are you doing tonight?, but she had been taught to never invite herself to things. Luckily, JJ seemed to read her mind, a cocky smile tugging on his lips as they loaded bags into the carts they would haul down the sandy paths to the McEvers’ house.

“You busy tonight?” he asked casually, passing groceries from the boat down to her. 

“Not at all,” she replied. 

“Wanna go for a boat ride?” 

“With who?”

“Me and my friends,” he replied, jumping down from the boat to be next to her. He had a red work shirt on, matching his backwards red hat. 

“What will be happening on said boat ride?” she asked, partly because she was curious and wanted confirmation, partly to annoy him.

“What, you turning into a cop?” JJ asked. “Your dad knows what we do, everyone on the island knows and everyone on the island does exactly what we do.”

“And what do you do?”

JJ raised his eyebrows before taking a hold of the handle of the cart. “Just a little booze cruise is all. Don’t worry, Pope’s the DD.”

“And you’re not worried I’ll rat you all out?” she asked, taking her own cart and starting to haul it down the path after him.

“No, because you would never let your father know you’re hanging out with me.”

JJ’s words and tone were cocky. Cat smiled, trying to wipe her expression blank as JJ turned to look at her, but failed. “Sure. I’ll come tonight.”

“You got a swimsuit on you?”

“I’ll have to run home and pick one up, just let me know where to meet you.”

JJ flashed her a thumbs up, and before long, they had completed their delivery. The rest of the shift was uneventful; they boated back to Heyward’s, ran through the closing procedures, and JJ told her how to get to John B’s house.

“Just come out back to the dock when you get there, we’ll be waiting on the boat,” he had told her. Cat quickly drove home, telling her dad she was going to treat herself to a night out at the movies, changing before driving south to the Cut.

Two cars were parked in front of John B’s house. Following JJ’s instructions, she walked around the side of the house, seeing the dock lit up with deck lights, hearing voices from a boat tied to the end.

The voices became hushed as she walked down the dock, and she saw someone shove JJ, while another threw a hat at him. As soon as she grew close enough to see JJ’s crew, Cat instantly regretted her decision of coming.

“Shoupe’s kid? Really, JJ?” she heard Kiara hiss, before plastering a big smile on her face. “Hey, Cat.”

She stopped hesitantly on the end of the dock. Just go back home, a voice inside her brain told her, and she was about to start back towards her car when JJ stood, grabbing her hand, pulling her onto the boat.

“Be nice, please,” he said in a sing-songy voice, knowing that Cat had overheard them. 

“Dude - really?” John B asked bluntly. He had dropped the hand holding a beer down in a subtle attempt to hide it.

“My lips are sealed.” Cat caught Kiara’s eye roll out of the corner of her vision, and Pope sighed, obviously disliking the conflict.

“Well, let’s go then,” John B said, tension still apparent in his voice. JJ nodded towards the back of the boat, and Pope moved to make room for her to sit.

“Want a drink, kitty Cat?” JJ asked, but before she could answer, Kiara was making a gagging sound and John B looked at him with wide eyes.

“The fuck you call her?” John B asked, and JJ grinned.

“Kitty Cat.”

“I thought I told you to never call me that ever again,” Cat said, leaning forward to look into the cooler. It was full of Pabst and White Claws. She started reaching for one of the latter, but hesitated.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Pope said quietly, but Cat could feel everyone’s eyes on her.

She looked up to JJ, who shrugged. “The black cherry is my favorite,” he said.

“You admitted it! You like them!” Pope burst suddenly, pointing accusingly at JJ, who just shrugged before speaking.

“There ain’t no laws when you’re drinking Claws,” he claimed, pausing as Cat grabbed one of the black cherries. “Atta girl, Cat.”

She popped the top and took a sip. It was okay, the sharp taste and the carbonation causing her to make a face. The second drink was easier.

As John B pushed the throttle, the conversation died down as they made their way across the water. Cat sat against the back right side of the boat with Pope, while Kiara sat on the back left side, JJ going off to stand next to John B.

“You don’t have to let him pressure you into doing this, you know.”

Pope’s words were sudden, almost lost in the wind. Cat pressed her lips together into a small smile before looking at him and responding. “It’s been a long time coming.”

He smiled back at her, and Cat reverted her gaze to JJ. He still wore his work shirt and that backwards red hat, but had changed into a pair of tropical patterned board shorts and flip flops. Leaning over John B, one hand on the dash of the boat and one on the back of the seat, he was talking with a serious look on his face, and John B was sitting, his jaw set.

After twenty minutes, they reached what Pope informed her was their favorite place to swim and watch the sunset. She had finished her drink, a slight warmness filling her body. 

A lime White Claw was next up. It sat on the edge of the boat, half-drank, as they all jumped into the water, the setting sun coloring the water orange, as if it were on fire. Swimming up to the boat, she finished it, tossing the can back into the cooler.

“Atta girl,” JJ praised from out in the water, just his head and beer visible. She burped in response, giggling a little. “Help yourself to another, kitty Cat, you’re off tomorrow.”

She grabbed a lemon before swimming back out to the group. Pope, Kiara, and John B were deep into a discussion about the skunk ape of Florida, and if there was a North Carolina equivalent. As the evening progressed, they seemed to relax slightly at Cat’s presence. 

“You feeling okay?” JJ asked as she swam up to him, cradling a life jacket in one arm while she held her drink with the other. She nodded and he took a sip of his beer.

“Can I try it?” she asked.

“You never tasted a beer?” She shook her head, and JJ handed it towards her. “Don’t judge it off this one, JB has shitty taste.”

“Hey!” there was a protest from John B’s direction, and Cat made a face at the taste of the slightly warm beer.

“Why would you want to drink that?” she asked, handing it back to JJ. He shrugged and took another swig, tilting the bottom towards the sky before crushing it in his fist and throwing it back towards the boat, where it met the other cans with a clink.

Before long, it was dark, and the group swam back to the boat. “You feeling okay?” JJ asked as Kiara heaved herself up, Cat putting her empty can with all the other ones and nodded.

“I feel… fine.” Cat was kind of disappointed; she felt warm, a little fuzzy in her head, but other than that, not how she expected to feel.

“Wait until you’re in the boat,” John B said, watching as JJ heaved himself up. “Better yet, until we get to shore.” JJ yelped as John B pushed him up with a hand to his ass, and John B pushed himself in easily.

Cat tried to haul herself in, but couldn’t. John B chuckled, and he and JJ each took a hand, pulling her up, and as soon as she was sitting on the floor of the boat, she understood what John B had meant.

“Come on kitty Cat, to the bow,” JJ was saying, his hands in her armpits. He helped her to the front of the boat, which was open and flat. 

“Can you get my towel?” she asked, the evening breeze cold on her wet skin. She knew it would just get worse as they started the ride to shore. JJ left her on the bow as he went to the back of the boat for her towel, and she felt him lay it on her shoulders as he returned.

He sat down beside her, and they were silent as Pope pulled up the anchor and John B started up the boat. As they started moving, Cat was unsteady, and JJ chuckled as she had to plant her hands on the ground to keep herself from falling over into him. 

“How many you have? Three?”

“Four,” she said, holding up four fingers in his face. “One of each flavor.”

“And it’s your first time? You’re seasoned already. If only your dad could see you now.”

“Don’ talk about him,” Cat said, putting a finger to his lips, telling him to hush. “I don’t wanna think about it.”

JJ laughed again. “Okay, then, we won’t.” He put his hand on hers, gently rubbing it with his thumb.

If Cat wasn’t drunk she probably would have noticed the way John B raised his eyebrows, the way Kiara rolled her eyes, and the way that Pope smiled softly. She would have noticed the way he caught her as she swayed unsteadily when they hit a wake, how he brought her towel back up on her shoulder when it blew off. 

She probably would have noticed the way JJ looked at her, his eyes devouring every inch of her, his body relaxed for the first time in who knows how long.

--

taglist (lmk if you want to be added!)  @letsgofullkook @stargazingstarkey @sortagaysortahigh @jjsmentalpolaroids @ims0golden @jjmaybcnks​ @shawnssongs​ @queenk00k @broken-jj​​  @danielle-yeah​​ @wicked-laugh​​ @obxhoe​​ @talksoprettyjjx​​ @kt219567​​ @abrunettefangirlnerd​​ @apoguecalledjj​​  @rollinsstuff​​

[atopearth]

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 1 - Avalanche, Flower Girl & Childhood Friend (CH 1-8)

The long awaited remake!! Jessie is sooo pretty btw, I love it! I’ve always liked Jessie since the original because of how nice she was to Cloud, so it’s nice to see that they put so much effort into her looks. Biggs looks pretty cool too, but he’s such a silly guy haha. Most of the first chapter was pretty much like the demo so nothing much to say about it besides that I like the Japanese dub much more than the English haha. Btw, I’m playing on normal mode~ Barret is so aggressive and a bit annoying now that you can hear him though LOL. I have to say though, the camera is soo annoying in this game lol, it frustrates me so much. And the boss in the reactor has so much life, it was a tiring battle lol. Otherwise, great nostalgia! I still remember so well in the original when Jessie gets her leg stuck and you have to free her~ In the original, you kinda had to go to her to yourself, whereas in this remake, they force you into the scene of freeing her which is good!! Because lmao, I legit didn’t realise she was stuck in the original game and totally ignored her and went back up the elevator, and what happened?! I was stuck and couldn’t get out of the reactor without her, and I couldn’t go back to save her because it didn’t let me backtrack!! So yes, nice memories, I felt so bad though, I legit left her there to die LOL. Anyway, despite Heidegger and them contributing to the destruction of the sector, it is true that it was because of Avalanche’s actions that made all these people die or get injured, since Heidegger probably wants to pin on them how much of a terrorist they are to the masses.

Sephiroth appearing is so awkward btw, but I think what irks me is that the menacing part of him isn’t shown very well. Doesn’t help that Those Chosen By the Planet (what I think to be Sephiroth’s theme) doesn’t have the same threatening feel to it imo. Aww I felt like the train scene with Barret shooing off the Shinra people was done more seriously than the original, and I feel like it also shows how rash and sometimes naive the Avalanche group is. I felt like the scene was funnier in the original because Barret was being aggressive and scared them away lol. Anyway, not sure what those things flying around Aerith are (dementorssss!), but nice flower lol. I found it sooo cuteee how Cloud so naturally gave the flower to Tifa though, like dang, my heart swooned! Tifa is so beautiful btw~ Interesting that she rented a room for Cloud, guess it was unnecessary in the original since you’re running around everywhere already, whereas in the remake, Cloud is going to be earning money joining the neighbourhood watch (killing monsters) and doing odd jobs haha. Honestly though, seeing Barret dote on Marlene was so sweet, I always found it heartwarming how much he loved and cherished her. Lmao when she ran away from Cloud since he was a “stranger” lol. Nice to see all these different materia though, looks like it’ll be fun to try them!

Okay, the side quests were pretty useless but I guess it helped to gain experience and get me used to the combat system a bit more. Honestly though, playing as Tifa is much more fun than Cloud haha. Doesn’t help that Tifa is such a cute beauty~ Am I the only weirdo taking non-stop screenshots of her because she looks so good in every angle? LOL. When Tifa asked what kind of clothing suits her best, I wasn’t really sure, but I guess I would like to see something mature haha. I can see why Tifa would have doubts about what Avalanche is doing though. I mean, sure she agrees with their ideals and goals, but the way they’re doing it isn’t exactly the “best” way to do it since it involves a lot of casualties. So, I’m kinda glad that Cloud kinda advised her in his own way that she should really follow her heart and to not do it if she isn’t able to. Oh and that darts game at Seventh Heaven? Yeah, I sucked at it LOL. Anyway! Jessie feeling bad about the bomb she made causing such unprecedented destruction on the city is understandable, so going to grab a weaker reagent is something she’d do. Nice that she got Cloud to come along with her, but it was also pretty cute that Biggs and Wedge kinda knew what she was up to. Didn’t think about the idea of the Avalanche members having families, so knowing that Jessie seems to have a warm family that would turn on the light every night waiting for her to come home is kinda sweet yet saddening. On the other hand, that motorcycle chase lmao, I was so terrible at it, I legit nearly died hahaaha. Roche was a crazy guy man, it felt so difficult to catch up to him and deal some damage lol. Like how does he do all these crazy stuff with the motorcycle?! Honestly, it makes me think of a motorcycle version of SSX (that snowboarding game where you do tricks) because, I’m surprised he and his bike are intact lol.  Although, in a sense, it did seem easier than the original game though, I mean, I used to legit miss the targets reallyyyyyy badly in the original hahahah. But yeah, it was nice to have that mini game I guess, I just didn’t expect it right now lol. BUT, the highlight of the motorcycle chase here was definitely Jessie hugging Cloud from behind on the motorcycle and feeling so comfortable and safe with him around. I honestly felt it, but then again, who wouldn’t feel safe with Cloud?! He’s so reliable and cool!

Honestly, I never would have thought Jessie would be an actress at the Gold Saucer! That’s an interesting back story. Kinda saddening though, that when she finally got a starring role, her dad collapsed in a Mako storage (since he was a maintenance supervisor for Shinra) for half a day and got Mako poisoning, so now he’s in a comatose state. I guess it’s understandable how one thing led to another for Jessie to join Avalanche, but I feel devastated for the mother. It’s a tough life but there’s still the hope and happiness of seeing Jessie return home when she can, but…that’s not going to happen forever.. Well, well, that diversion Cloud had to do alongside Biggs and Wedge was not fun! But it was cool to see Ifrit haha. Honestly think the highlight was seeing Cloud warm up to Biggs and Wedge after this little mission, not only did he get to see that Wedge is willing to put his life on the line for Cloud even though they just hired him for these missions, he also got to see how passionate they are about their reasons for being in Avalanche. They really should count themselves lucky that another sub group of Avalanche was there to bail them out though! Anyway, Cloud smiling was so cute. Lmao when Wedge called Cloud “aniki” after the mission hahahah, it’s so adorable. I love how Cloud tells Wedge not to call him that every time he does it hahaha. And it was so cuteee when Cloud quietly said he hopes Jessie’s dad will get better soon, he cares!! It’s so sweet! 

Oh, btw LOL at the random grandma that noticed all the commotion from Cloud/Avalanche and thought it was Wutai attacking Shinra again, so she said she’d join in since she used to fight against them when she was young loll, chill grandma!! It’s quite cute how Biggs and Wedge can tell that Jessie is interested in Cloud, so sweet how they look out for Cloud instead and say she’s not serious though hahaha. Omggg, Jessie giving him a hug as extra payment for helping out on the mission was so cuteeee, I love her. She’s so forward and honest, but so cuteee. I loved how she said she’d make pizza for him. Biggs overthinking was really adorable, but Cloud telling him to prioritise resting up for tomorrow was nice to see. He has such a soft spot for them all now, it’s so heartwarming. It was so considerate and kind of Cloud to offer to listen to Tifa’s worries, I loved how casually he said it.

No idea what those spectres are, but OMG!! CLOUD PRINCESS CARRYING JESSIE?! Yes, my heart squealed🥺🥺🥺 That Shinra Middle Manager guy on the train is so passionate and loyal to them, it’s pretty admirable tbh. He’s obviously scared of Barret but he’s unafraid to voice his opinions and views to him, Shinra sure has passionate workers. I loved the jumping out of the train part!! Cloud held Tifa close and protected her🥰 On the other hand, I really didn’t need the corny part where the Shinra Middle Manager was shocked that Barret and them would protect the others on the train though, I think if we just see him being impressed and kinda acknowledging them, it would have been fine lol. Anyway, is it just me or are the normal monsters harder than the bosses?! Like seriously lol! Or maybe I’m just too reckless tbh because I legit just roll around and attack hahahah. Yes, that’s how I roll. Oh btw, I forgot to say, but I’m kinda sad that we never got to go downstairs at Seventh Heaven!! That’s like my favourite part! I loved the interactions between everyone at Avalanche there, oh well I guess… We kinda got the interactions through Jessie’s story instead I guess.

Going through Sector 5 was legit tedious lol, but it was cool to see holograms of the President and Heidegger, and the boss!! I’m not sure if I really weakened the boss by taking away the right stuff, but I just kinda took all the big bombs and some programming cores and it was relatively easy. Btw cowboy Tifa is adorableee! Aerith and Cloud reuniting at the church and squashing his flowers wasn’t as magical as it felt in the original imo (even though it was HD T_T). And I also feel like Aerith was more cooler in the original in my memory haha. Reno definitely looks better as a bunch of pixels than in HD LOL, I’m sorry Reno, you’re my favourite boy ever in FFVII but I hate his close up look here hahaha. Although I think it’s mainly because his open shirt look is very...ugly LOL. Make him cool not tacky! The Turks theme wasn’t as clicky sounding(?) as well so I think it kinda lost how cool the soundtrack was imo, but oh well~ And dang, I legit found the battle so difficult with him hahahah, I probably should have used more magic etc to deal with him but far out, his lightning attacks lol. I’m kinda sad they kicked out rolling the barrels to save Aerith from the Shinra soldiers though, I used to just let Aerith fight them, and I think it would have been cool if they let Aerith fight them, since it kinda showed that even though Aerith is physically weak, she’s still got a lot of guts and resolve to fight against people stronger than her imo. Instead, we get that stupid chandelier thing and the hand bars that had superrr clunky controls, it wasn’t fun at all! 

Cloud and Aerith talking and bonding throughout their little trip on the rooftops to escape was cute, I love how she answered that the Turks might have been after her because she would be a great SOLDIER candidate (since the work Turks does includes scouting for SOLDIER) hahaha. The princess carry Cloud did to catch Aerith when she fell was cute, but it was done so purposefully that I couldn’t like it as much as I wanted, Jessie’s one was much more natural and sweet. But it’s Aerith so I’ll take it, because dang is it beautiful~~ I wish they showed how Aerith was trying really hard to catch up to Cloud and was like out of breath by the time they got to the sector lol, I found that cute in the original. Anyway, I also miss Aerith using her staff to smack monsters, the sound was so iconic lmao. I guess it’s understandable that they changed her skillset to be shooting magic out of her staff but still🥺 Rude on the other hand looks pretty cool! I wonder if they’ll mention how he likes Tifa and they’ll add it into the battles so that he won’t attack her hahaha. Oh yeah, forgot to mention it, but did Cloud see Aerith die in those visions he had? Not sure if I’m into how it’s all going right now, but hmm kinda weird.

Elmyra doesn’t look as gentle as she did in the original, kinda sad~~ But I still think it’s hilarious how pushy Aerith is and how much she does things at her own pace lol. I hope we get to do the tiptoe thing at night like in the original where Cloud tries to run off in the middle of the night when she forces him to stay at her house for the night haahha. Shiva was pretty easy! I’m proud of myself hehe! Legit just Fira her to death until I could summon etc hahaha. Not sure how I feel about that intern being able to make summon materia though, I always felt like summons were spirits of nature that you kinda make a contract with, so artificially creating them feels weird. I honestly feel like more effort was put into Tifa than Aerith when it comes to the expressions and their faces imo. I always imagined Aerith to look very energetic, happy and kind, but in a lot of the scenes, her face looks very stern and you can’t see the kindness in her eyes, whereas with Tifa, there’s lots of details in every expression she makes. Sigh, it’s pretty saddening since Aerith is my favourite girl… Btw lmao at the Leaf House drawings of the cactuar, tonberry, chocobo and moogle hahaha, so cute but ugly lmaoo. Hahahaha there’s such a thing as fat Chocobo candy🤣🤣🤣 Moggie is weirdddd looking lol, did not expect that. Whack-a-box was a pretty boring game tbh, Gunners Gauntlet in FFX-2 is way better imo. Maybe there might be more stages later? I do appreciate how easy it was to get 30,000 points though haha, I’m still salty over the jump rope in FFIX lmao, no way could I ever do more than 50 of those jumps hahaha. Okay, don’t judge me, but I farmed moogle medals with the game by leaving it on while I played other games on my phone lmao. Man, those side quests were difficult to do with Aerith, I really hate her skillset right now lolll. I guess that’s normal though? Since, in the original, I found this part really difficult at times because she was so weak lmaoo. The fight with Rude was much easier than with Reno though! Maybe it’s because Aerith was there just to heal me hahaha. Anyway, I really like how careful and protective Rude and Reno are with Aerith. I feel like you can feel that a lot of it is related to their work as the Turks, but at the same time, they honestly feel that Aerith should take care of herself better by not running around so much lol. Btw lmao at Cloud carrying that flower basket hahaha. When Aerith was talking to the flowers and saying that they don’t respond to her no matter how much she talks to them, I found it really cute that before they left, Cloud asked to the flowers to respond to her some time since she’s so sincere haha. Cloud is such a big softie, it’s adorable. Just saying, but Aerith running up the stairs to clean the guest room for Cloud was so cute, I’m dying. Cloud’s mum looks pretty! Lmao, the tiptoeing out of the house is actually hilarious. I just took one step and hit a bucket and it made the loudest noise ever hahahaah, of course Aerith could hear! Lmao, I failed twice and they removed the buckets so you don’t need to dodge anything hahahha. I’m sorry I suck okay?! Although I always found it hilarious in the original that you can actually see Aerith jump out of bed and run super fast to push you back into your room hahaha.  I’ve always loved how Aerith pops out and surprises Cloud that she noticed him leaving without her. Does Cloud’s tears mean subconsciously he remembers her death? Is this FFVII 2.0? A sequel? Are we reliving FFVII alternate universe so we can save Aerith this time?

Overall, the remake has been relatively fun so far. The camera is rather clunky at times but it’s okay I guess. The story is pretty linear and won’t let me walk around and explore unless it wants me to though, I swear that warning sign is so obnoxious I want to punch it! So yeah, it can be rather frustrating when I’m looking for treasure chests, like I’m constantly being called out for going to the wrong way hahaha. Let me live my life, guys! Everything looks great and I really enjoyed the extra bits with Jessie tbh, I think that was my highlight for these 8 chapters haha. I hope everything will continue to be as beautiful and interesting. I’m not a fan of the soundtrack though, it feels a little too electric? Techno? I don’t know how to describe it but it feels weird haha. Also weird to see/hear different theme songs and stuff at vending machines, because it just..doesn’t suit the atmosphere lol, anyway I’m just picky, it’s still cool. I really like Jessie’s Theme though!

But yeah, I really loved that the remake added the part where they go to back to Jessie’s home etc. I found it really sweet and comforting to see that Jessie had a family, and that Biggs and Wedge got along with her mother so well. I think the extra bonding and interactions between Avalanche and Cloud will really make the lost of them that more painful and dramatic. I think some people think Jessie seems too “thirsty”, but I think she’s great because of how forward she is, and how subtle but also honest she is about her feelings. She’s never completely direct about it, but she’s obviously attracted to Cloud and I think it’s really cute, mainly because she can see how cold he may be on the surface, but also how soft he is on the inside. I think my favourite moment with her was when she hugged Cloud on the motorbike so comfortably, it honestly felt like (from her perspective) that she found someone she could really rely on and believe in when she’s in trouble and I thought that was really heartwarming. Otherwise, wow, the shipping with Cloud and the girls is SO STRONG, I’m starting to think it’s a visual novel where I can pick the girl I like lmao. Honestly though, you can tell how much it’s catering to older fans who love the girls. The fanservice is blatant! But it makes for great screenshots so yay~! But seriously, the dementors and Sephiroth appear too much, it’s frustrating, especially the ghosts/spectres.

[ailuronymy]

Book Club: Tallstar’s Revenge, chpt. 10-18 overview.

Human voices as heard by cats, courtesy of two experts in the field of ailurolinguistics:

"ghghtaa'ppgthannneetltssssa!” - S. 

“Nnghavva'thalpssasann!” - K.

This week we’re discussing this chapter through these nine questions. Please feel welcome to do the same and @ailuronymy + use the tag #ailuronymy writing challenge. Happy reading and I’m looking forward to seeing your feelings about this book.

1. First impressions? 

K. Everyone has many important discussions, that actually hold zero weight at all. Many things happen for absolutely no reason. I'm in pain.

S. REAL.

2. How did you feel reading this section?

S. Emotionally conflicted. There's always some frustration, but there were also moments of genuine joy, which was a very welcome surprise.

K. But for real: pleased to see some genuine growth and goodness from my favourite characters, but so upset at the bad directions taken.

3. What chapter did you find most interesting/moving/effective, and why?

S. I keep forgetting to mark things out by chapter in my notes, but I feel like the time Tallpaw spends with Reena really brought me the most pleasure to read.

K. I think I got the most out of the first half of Chapter Twelve, the Gathering. I loved the back-to-back of Heatherstar making good choices, the new warrior trio jumping around and being sweet, and Dawnstripe Finally Giving Us Some Good Fucking Advice. K. Honorary shout-out to Tallpaw finally telling his dad off in Chapter Eleven though.

S. YES. 

4. What chapter did you find least interesting/effective/most frustrating, and why?

S. Most frustrating is absolutely the aftermath of both Brackenwing's death and later Sandgorse's. I was not coping with how stupid and unreasonable everyone was being, but in a way that felt entirely manufactured, and not actual grief.

K. Chapter Eighteen pissed me off to see Tallpaw be taken in such a tangent. Like, everyone else I can kind of ignore because I wasn't expecting Windclan to be very good about any of it since Erin's doing her bullshit.  K. But Tallpaw.... I was hoping Tallpaw would be better.

5. Is there a passage that stuck in your mind–for good, or not-so-good reasons? What is it, and why did it stand out? Try breaking it down and analysing what this passage does and how.

S. I really loved Dawnstripe's conversation with Tallpaw. That stood out to me as basically unique in Erin Hunter's writing so far, especially in this book.

K. “Tallpaw stiffened. Did Sandgorse think he’d change his mind about becoming a moor runner now that he’d been underground?” K. I loved seeing him just finally Snap. K. Not to mention the very real young gay feeling of having that dread in your stomach, of going "Oh no, am I going to have to keep this up?"

6. Have your feelings changed towards any character in this next section? What caused this change?

K. Sandgorse lost all rights! K. Can't believe I almost liked him for a second, the hope for an okay dad got me there.

S. It’s okay. I was too jaded to be taken in, but your optimism isn't a weakness. S. I hate their relationship and I Love that Sandgorse died but God I Hate Tallpaw's reaction to that so much. It's so jarring and feels way off from reality.

K. Also: I would die for Doespring/Stagleap/Ryestalk, I adore them so much. Same with Reena, she can stay.

S. For me, the biggest change is that I'm losing a lot of affection and attachment to Tallpaw the longer he keeps up this Sandgorse whinge. Like, I was ecstatic when Sandgorse died, but now that Tallpaw's only personality trait is being miserable about Sandgorse, it's really like he never left and I hate that passionately. 

7. How do you feel about pacing in the book so far? Is the story moving too fast, too slow, just right? Why do you feel this way?

S. Way too slow.

K. The pacing is dry and slow and sad. So much of what's happened so far could be condensed and written so much better.

S. You could cut out a solid half of what's written and it'd be a better story. It's all fat right now, where it could be lean and tasty, medium-rare spiced narrative.

8. How do you feel about the visitors in this section? Is it a new element you really like, or does it feel out of place? Share your thoughts on this new development!

K.  From the notes: Okay, I don’t like what’s happening with the visitors and I don’t think they should even be here, but I do think that they seem like fun little people. Like for all intents and purposes the visitors should not exist, but boy am I always glad to see characters I don't hate!

S. Oh, that's so interesting! I actually feel quite positively to the idea of Windclan's regular visitors, and it's definitely something in my canon. I don't like any of how canon's handling it (surprise, surprise) but I like that this idea has been broached, and it feels entirely right to me that Windclan is the one to do it.

K. I don't disagree with you there, I think for me it's just frustrating seeing how the Erins are introducing and handling it that's bugged me. Like, Windclan is on the outskirts of everything and it makes total sense that they'd be much more likely to run into like... farmcats and the like more than other clans. That doesn't bug me. It's just like... literally everything about how they've been set up and how secretive things are and blah blah blah that makes me lose it a little. 

S. Totally. I’m with you. 

9. If you could change one significant moment in this section–a piece of dialogue, an event, a bit of world-building–what would you want to change, and what do you think would be the ramifications of that for the rest of the story?

K. THE CLAN NEEDS TO STEP UP FOR TALLPAW, END OF STORY K. But yeah no, there's lots of shit that needs fixing but DAMN if the clan doesn't need to stand up for Tallpaw and defend and support him. Boy takes SO much blame and he deserves none of it.

S. I honestly wonder how much difference there would be if Palebird had more support/Brackenwing half-adopted Tallpaw (you know, the way queens are said to co-raise kittens but never do). Because this boy is so unloved and his self-esteem comes from feeling totally unwanted and undervalued, so he clamours for Sandgorse's approval because he doesn't get it from Palebird, but Sandgorse rejects him and makes it worse, so Tallpaw is stuck really craving validation and not really having any outlet to develop his sense of self or confidence in his own value and abilities. Obviously Dawnstripe is doing her best, but that's not a substitute for parental neglect and abuse.

K. Dawnstripe: Look at him! You fucked him up, is what you did. He has anxiety!

Final notes:

S. I knew Sandgorse was going to die because it was mentioned in some of the pages I looked at for the story I'm writing. And I thought he was going to be murdered by Sparrow, because that's how all the wikis talked about it.  S. So when he died of his own idiot hubris, I was like, "wait what" and kept waiting for it to be revealed that Sparrow killed him in the tunnel and then made it collapse to cover that up. S. So I thought it was going to be a story of Tallpaw Solves A Murder No-one Will Believe Was Committed. And that... didn't happen. He just got shitty and hateful. K. Tbh that would make more sense and also be leagues cooler than. Any of this S. Yeah! I thought it would be kind of dope and then Talltail would confront Sparrow and be like, "you're not worth it," and be the bigger man or whatever, that whole thing, learn the meaning of friendship or whatever, and go home.   S. Instead! Sparrow didn't do it, so now Tallpaw's just a wreck out of control lashing out at everyone and decides to hunt down someone to kill them for not dying and/or saving his outrageously shitty dad. S. To me, a much more likely story is Tallpaw experiencing guilt because he's relieved that Sandgorse's gone and he's like, 'oh my god I'm a bad person I shouldn't want my dad to be gone.' Like that's a trauma narrative that people who've, you know, experienced significant abuse can actually relate to. K. Not to mention that like. Before Sandgorse dies, his one action is to blame his son for being awful at everything and to pretty much disown him.  K. But YEAH, lets feel Sad for That Guy

K. [Shrewpaw] was bad before and frankly I am beyond tired with him now. S. He has no real narrative purpose, is what peeves me. I know that's a bit highbrow for an Erin Hunter story, but like. You should be thinking about function in a story, especially one for children, because in children's lit., you don't really have the space for excess. You should keep the story trim and clean. S. Giving Erin Hunter more pages, like they do in these super editions, enables their worst habits, which is the fact I don't think they consider function like ever. So you have all this... flabby, pointless dialogue that doesn't move anything forward or reveal any new characterisation.

K. Oh, some other choice notes from the Gathering: K. Stagleap: Hey bro, come see this hot Riverclan babe with me.  Tallpaw, gay: Uhh I’m very interested in the announcements, actually, K. Dawnstripe accidentally playing wingman for her apprentice is coincidentally very funny. “Tallpaw didn’t like the way the young tom was eyeing him—like a hunter assessing prey.” Hmmmmm Okay Buddy, S. I was genuinely so charmed by Stagleap's crush on Shimmerpelt. That felt real and true and I loved it. The rest of the gathering let me down a lot, but like. Erin Hunter gatherings always do. They don't know how to let a scene breathe. K. Stagleap, Ryestalk, and Doespring are so charming. I love when they come onscreen. They inject a lot of cute moments into a very dour book. K. Gatherings are my favourite in concept so I always get SO excited to read them. But they almost always suck.  S. It's wild to me that Erin Hunter is never like, "maybe fun is fun." I do resent it. S. I love the organised chaos of a gathering, and how different it is to literally every other part of warrior life. It's something that I actively have to resist putting in stories, because I always want to do it even when it adds nothing to what I'm telling. It's just so fun to write and to read. S. Literally one of my notes is just "Ahh!!! A Gathering! Finally!" K. Me too!! Mine was "GATHERING TIME, GATHERING TIME, my favourite part of any book!" S. [dabbing frantically because cats are going to hang out under a full moon] K. Like if you were going to let a scene have its moment and play it out, it would be the Gathering. Like I'd love for the announcements to happen and then they all just mingle and enjoy themselves until the moon clouds over. Instead of Announcements, Moon Over, Scene Done, Go Home.  S. Gathering speedrun: if you clip through the deputy, you can skip the personal connection and go right to the leaving while being kind of bored and miserable.

S. [after Sandgorse’s suggestion of hiding from invaders in the tunnels or using them to run away] why. [Raiders are] literally not going to be like, “oh I guess Windclan’s not here and we should go home,” they’ll be like, “great Windclan’s not here, this IS our new home.” Sandgorse talks a big game about not being a coward, but the tunnellers’ solutions are literally only “just hide in a hole” or “run away.” S. I got so mad about that. The tunnellers being like, "we were doing important tunnel business to protect the clan, we could be here to protect the clan," and they get chewed out for that and Sandgorse has the brass balls to be like, "well our tunnels will save lives." S. I'm like, will they? S. Or will you die in one in a pathetic final display of defiant idiot masculinity?

S. That said, something that did chatter my suspension of disbelief like cheap glass: the visitors' names. K. They’re bad.  S. Algernon???? K. ALGERNON K.  ALGIE??? S. "They were named by twolegs" please say psyche S.  I just... cannot believe in a world where a cat hears some word humans repeat at them a lot, and goes, "that's my name, I will introduce myself to other cats using this sound." Instead of like... getting a name from other cats, or picking a name for themselves. Especially if the cat doesn't live with those humans. S. It's more real to me for a cat to be like "oh yeah that's what the humans think my name is, they don't speak cat very well but they're trying," than being like, "I will take that garbled junk as my name." K. I love that so much better. S. I find it so funny that cats would hear human languages basically like cthulhu speech, and be with a friend like, [listens] Human in the garden: ghghtaa'ppgthannneetltssssa! Cat: "hold on, my person is calling, I need to check on them." Cat, returns: "It's fine, they forgot where the door was so I showed them. What were you saying?" K.  Cat: "Are you good?? Do you need assistance?" Human: Nnghavva'thalpssasann! Cat: "Ohh, you want pets. Here, I can give you some chin rubs. You like those? God, you're so stupid and I love that about you." S. Cat: "my humans are so smart, they know about seven words, kind of." S. Cat: "I call that one 'Very Tall Getter of Things From the Shelf' and I call that one 'Cuddles Me Warmly.'"

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 154: The Inevitable

Previously on BnHA: Even though the previous chapter ended with Deku arriving to punch Overhaul in the face, the majority of the chapter somehow was spent getting up to that moment which we’d already gotten up to! But finally it happened, and Aizawa, Nighteye, and Deku burst onto the scene. Nighteye gave Mirio a big ol’ hug and told him he did so good, and it was one of the few highlights of this arc, and so deserved. Deku and Aizawa went to apprehend Overhaul, but one of Overhaul’s Endless Minions woke up and used his quirk to basically paralyze Aizawa, so that Aizawa in turn was forced to blink and Overhaul was able to reactivate his own quirk. He proceeded to straight up murder his loyal right hand man and fuse their bodies together to form some kind of grotesque monstrosity, but like, it’s not even the good, interesting kind of grotesque. It’s just the same old Overhaul with some extra demon arms that’ve got big claws on ‘em, and now his mask is fused to his face like a demon bird beak as a bonus. Whatever. Nine seven chapters to go.

Today on BnHA: Overhaul revels in his new power-up and taunts Mirio a bit, mostly just to make sure everyone knows that his quirk is gone for good. Nighteye tells Deku to take Mirio and Eri and get them to safety while he holds Overhaul off. He thinks about everything he taught Mirio and how strong he became and how proud he is of him, and that all he wants to do right now is protect him and Eri. As Deku hauls Mirio and Eri away from the carnage, the narration starts talking about how Nighteye spent so much time desperately trying to change the futures he saw, but that it never worked no matter what he did. In spite of this, and in spite of knowing that his actions are merely “drawing out the inevitable”, he continues to fight Overhaul until he is brutally impaled on some more spikes. Enraged, Deku turns back, leaving Eri with Mirio, and activates One for All at 20%.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 185 now, so any ETAs will reflect that. Posting this a few hours early since I won’t be able to later this evening.)

fun fact, Fallen Angels/Jaimini’s Box doesn’t have this chapter translated on their site. in fact they don’t have any chapters translated from 154 all the way until 167. I can only assume they were getting as sick of this shit as I am. can’t even blame them for bailing

so Mangastream, that leaves just you. the brave souls who stuck it out till the bitter end. you guys are the real heroes academia

unfortunately the FA scans were also the cleaner scans, so now we’ll have to deal with these kind of dark, smudgy-looking pages. on the bright side, if you squint you can almost pretend like what’s happening on the page is actually interesting

sorry to rag on you before you even get started, chapter. but let’s not kid ourselves here

so Overhaul says he’s in a bad mood but “this is a little better”

and the text is all “that form... grotesque!” but again, it’s just his normal form with a couple extra demon arms. nothing we haven’t seen from Shouji or Tokoyami. do you guys remember Shouji and Tokoyami. good kids. wonder whatever happened to ‘em

Deku is like clinging to one of the floor spikes and trying to assess the situation

oh?

if Aizawa gets a one-on-one fight with that guy it had better be sick as hell. do NOT fuck around with my Aizawa fight. I will not forgive you

(ETA: does it count as fucking around with my Aizawa fight if we don’t even get an Aizawa fight. given how they probably would have managed to make even that inexplicably bad, it’s probably for the best that we didn’t get this in the end.)

Overhaul is monologuing about how germophobic he is and how this is the first time he’s been pushed to this point

oh shit he’s bringing out the big guns

did Mirio even know that his quirk was gone forever? up until this point he had no reason to assume the effect wouldn’t just be the same as with Tamaki. he really drew the short end of the stick. poor baby

oh here’re the rest of the bullets

-- excuse me, they’re the ones dragging this out?? WHO WAS IT THAT ORDERED HIS SUBORDINATES TO CREATE A NEVERENDING MAZE OF MEDIOCRE SECOND TIER VILLAINS

now he says Mirio has gotten all his friends mixed up in this and that they’re all gonna die

why does he keep taunting Mirio even though he’s already basically out for the count. still sore about how badly he fucked you up huh buddy. you prick

Mirio is all

um, yes way. he was torturing a six-year-old on a regular basis just to make no-quirk juice. he doesn’t even have a deep-seeded reason for it as far as I can see. he’s just in the mob and wants to make money. and even his boss was all “dude I get that you wanna make bank, but that plan is too fucked up even for us.” but he went and did it anyway

so yeah, I don’t know why anyone’s surprised that he’s cool with callously murdering his own subordinates, or why that of all things would somehow be the straw that broke the camel’s back

here comes Deku again!

did he throw that spike at him? nice

he caught it, and it did nothing, but still. nice

he’s grabbing another one! and thinking of Mirio!

stab him in the face Deku. do it for senpai

you know who I miss? fucking Stain. I miss him so much. I’ll never say a word against him again. that’s a lie but my god it’s like how you weirdly appreciate George W. just a little more after dealing with Trump. even though W. was just the worst. still so bad. but like, it gives you a new sense of scale and an understanding that no matter how bad things are, they can always get just a little bit worse

anyway, Deku’s diving in still but Overhaul is creating more spikes, this time from his hands

they’re crumbling upon impact with Deku’s kicks, but he’s thinking that if it weren’t for his iron soles he’d have been done in just now

I’m sorry are those things not impressive? what else do you need? he’s got smarts too, for what it’s worth

what in the

was that another one of his stamps?? Nighteye is such a freak

yep. look at this

take that bitch. I’m gonna sign for you like a package from Fedex

we’re now flashing back to a conversation they had while running in the hallway for those five long hours

“don’t you DARE fucking break your bones again you little punk”

Nighteye’s asking what Overhaul did with Aizawa

oh shit this is the first interesting thing Overhaul has said in ages

(ETA: so what a surprise that absolutely nothing came of it)

yeah, I bet he’s interested. oh shit. so now he’s whisked him off to the “VIP room.” what’s in there, caviar and high-stakes poker tables?

you guys. Nighteye is piiiiiiiiiiiissed

yeah for real. because he used the permabullets even though he only had five of them. I was wondering about that too

now Overhaul is disintegrating his two right arms. what are you playing at now

look how fucking weirdly Nighteye dodges

the hell kind of dodge is this

Overhaul is thinking he’s not particularly fast, but that his movements are similar to Lemillion’s. “so this guy’s the teacher...”

Nighteye’s flashing back to Mirio’s internship when he explained to him that by accumulating experience he would learn how to predict people’s actions and move accordingly

I’m so sorry this asshole took your son’s quirk Nighteye

all right so now Deku’s reached Mirio and Eri and he’s asking if they can move

Mirio’s all “no sweat” ffff

ffffffffffffffffff

baby sweetie honey nooo shhhh. don’t apologize for being sad that he forcibly destroyed a part of you. something that was unique and that you worked so hard to perfect and that was going to lead you toward your dreams. fuck. you’re allowed to be fucking bummed out kiddo. it’s gonna be okay

so Deku’s grabbing them all and he’s kicking open the path that Overhaul just tried to close up again

and now Eri is clutching at him and crying ffffffffffffff

THIS IS NOT OKAY. HORIKOSHI!!! COME THE FUCK ON. WHAT IS THIS

and Mirio’s looking back over his shoulder as they retreat, and he seems to have seen something troubling oh shit

this is all very interesting, but I thought he could only do one person a day? I still don’t fucking get how his power works in combat

(ETA: as the next page clarifies, I guess he used it on Overhaul and that’s how he saw himself and Deku dying at Overhaul’s hands. and this must mean it’s been more than 24 hours since he used it on the babysitter guy. and this is also why it takes him a full day to die afterwards, so that he can live just long enough to look into Mirio’s future one last time. ...fuck me why am I thinking about that noooo)

OH SHIT!?!?

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. “THE INEVITABLE”!?!?

WHAT THE FUCK

DID THEY JUST FUCKING KILL NIGHTEYE WHAT THE FUCK

AT THE VERY LEAST WE ALL AGREE HIS ARM IS GONE, YES. STRAIGHT UP NO LONGER GOT A LEFT ARM

HOLY FUCK

AHHHHHHH EVERYTHING JUST SUDDENLY WENT BLACK

AND HIS EYES ARE LIKE

I’M FREAKING OUT!!?!?!?!?!

DEKU’S LOOKING BACK TOWARD THE SCENE AND HE’S TOTALLY BUGEYED

OVERHAUL IS SENDING SPIKES THEIR WAY

HOLY SHIT DEKU!?!?

OH SHIT

DEKU BE CAREFUL OF YOUR LIMBS!! ALSO YOU’RE THE BEST, HOLY FUCKING SHIT

even Overhaul has abruptly stopped his endless spike attacks and is now resorting to cautious trash talk

oh shit

CALL BACK TO THE ALL MIGHT PROPHECY OH SNAPPPPPP

DEKU YOU ARE SO COOL JESUS CHRIST THIS WAS SUCH A COOL MOMENT. I FORGOT THE MANGA COULD DO THAT

WAS IT WORTH 900 CHAPTERS OF BULLSHIT? AND MIRIO LOSING HIS QUIRK? AND NIGHTEYE FUCKING DYING FUCKING JESUS CHRIST? NO

BUT GOD IT’S SOMETHING, AND THAT SOMETHING IS ADMITTEDLY PRETTY COOL

I swear to god if he loses even with this. just...

just remember Deku. Nighteye literally died for this shit. probably. oh my godddddd

no bonus. because I’m pretty sure the next omake is supposed to go with tomorrow’s chapter. it’s really hard to figure this out tbh. but I guess I should be grateful that we even still have translated omakes right now, since even that will come to an end once we hit chapter 167. enjoy it while it lasts I guess

[harperonni]

Flores

Chapter 5: The stalemate Longest chapter so far aaaa!! It’s mostly just fluff tbh but I had so much fun writing it omgg!! Any feedback would be super appreciated <3 I hope you guys like it ^^ Read on AO3                          Read on FFN Felipe skittered to a halt and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. Something he was annoyed he even had to do at all. He was dead, why he did even have breath to lose? His leg didn’t really ache, but a phantom feeling seemed to burn through him, making his skull feel a little too light to go on without resting at least a little. He supposed it was just as logical as still eating and sleeping, despite all logic and circumstance. He heaved a sigh as the alebrije (Lupe, he couldn’t stop reminding himself) landed on a lamp post, hat still dangling from it’s small maw.

He was vaguely impressed that she hadn’t dropped it by now. Even more so at just how far they had gone.

Felipe couldn't say he enjoyed traveling too far from home. Certain events in his life had deterred him and his brother from it to say the least… He glanced about, recognising aspects of the buildings. He’d definitely passed this wall before, sometime. He glanced back the way he came. He was aware of the turns he had taken to get this far. Would he remember them all back? He frowned, glancing up toward the near empty street he had bolted down before turning his attention back to where the alebrije had been perched. He had been here a minute, give or take,she could have been far away by now. She slowly blinked. He frowned up at the small thing. She could’ve been out of sight a long time ago. Was she actually trying to get him to follow her? Is that why she took his hat again, because he followed last time it happened? It seemed so ridiculous. This wasn’t his alebrije. He wasn’t even sure he had one in all honesty! With a huff, the skeleton pushed himself off the the wall and Lupe darted back into the air, heading toward a building. Felipe didn’t run, but attempted to keep up, finding his curiosity suddenly outweighed every other thought in his skull as he continued after the alebrije.

Valeria loved working at the alebrije services and care centre. Not to say there were days where she was exhausted into near enough falling asleep on the trolley rides home. Day’s where the alebrije at the centre where restless and in need of as much attention as possible, so everyone working that day was spread pretty thin. But at least something was happening those days. Anything from an alebrije whose powers were suddenly explosive and uncontrollable, one waiting for it’s significant skeleton to come along and find it and wrecking the corridors in the meantime. Heck, catering to sick ones and looking after them over night while they recovered from treatments were time consuming and rewarding to deal with. The most exciting thing that had happened today was a certain alebrije that could fly stole someone's lunch, and was out the front door before anyone could stop it. And that was HER alebrije that did that. As well as her lunch. She was already disappointed. It was still so early... Valeria groaned as she pressed the palms of her hands over her eyes, attempting to ward off a headache. Lupe had been restless all last night, scuffling and flying about her room non-stop. Nothing that usually settled the small alebrije down had worked and eventually Valeria just had wrap herself up under a protective cocoon duvet and irritably listen to the alebrije shuffle about noisily until she just passed out. She didn’t really remember falling asleep and it felt as though her alarm had been blaring the moment her eyes shut. It didn’t help that Lupe was still just as excitable as she had been the night before, and seemed eager to cling to Valeria’s shoulder and flutter near her head as she hurried to make up for the extra twenty minutes spent in bed. She sat up at the small table in the middle of the break room, straightening her back with a huff, and twisted herself about to glance toward the clock that hung behind her. She swivelled back around in her seat and grunt tiredly.Pushing herself up from her seat in the empty break room, Valeria strode around the table and exited the small space. Door opened before she could reach the handle and he glanced up toward another skull. “Señorita Alviso.” the man in green scrubs greeted with a nod, grin widening. She nodded, and smiled as he stepped back, holding the door open. “Hola, Señor Pérez. Gracias.” Jose Pérez was maybe a little younger than her. She wasn’t too sure. She knew he had been in his early twenties when he had died, already younger than her, but she didn’t remember specifically. He stood a few inches taller than her (though that wasn’t much of an accomplishment), swirls of pink and yellow decorated his cheekbones, the only real decoration on his skull. He was very clean shaven, and his dark brown hair curled, falling above his cheek bones, the beginnings of stubble present on his chin. She walked past him, intending to carry on down the hall. “De nada. Where are you off to?” She paused and faced the man, folding her arms as she continued to walk back, steps slower as she addressed Señor Pérez. “To work, of course.” Valeria glanced back down toward the corridor as she stopped. “It’s only a handful of us today, correct? Ximena told me holding areas need cleaning, and that she’d like help with making sure the alebrije that come by are fed and happy.” She smiled, stepping back again. “The usual.” “Ah, I see.” Pérez nodded, glancing off to the side for a moment as he scratched the back of his neck. “Well,-” Valeria clapped her hands together, as she turned on her heel, a familiar pang of worry forming in her chest. “I’d best get going! I’ll catch you later.” “Wait, uhm-” Her shoulders stiffened at the sound, listening to Pérez shuffle behind her, the door closing. She winced. “I was wondering if you were free tomorrow? Maybe we could meet up, hang out or something...?” He trailed off and Valeria suppressed a sigh, smiling apologetically as she faced him quickly. “I’m a little busy tomorrow, lo siento. I’m seeing family. We’ll be able to talk later though!” He gaped a little and Valeria hurriedly turned as his jaw moved to speak again. “I really have to get going, Jose- ¡Hasta luego!” Valeria called over her shoulder, hurrying down the hall. She winced a little as Jose stammered after her. “I, ah- Talk to you later, then.” Valeria didn’t slow until she reached the front of the building. It was a pretty large room. Tall, with large glass windows, to allow sunlight and fresh air pass through the warm room. Various blue, cushy waiting sofas were positioned around low tables, close to some of the windows. Valeria entered, glancing briefly toward the skeleton at the front desk, chatting to a woman with a child. A small girl with a bright purple and yellow striped alebrije resembling an armadillo huddled against her, head rested on her shoulder as she rocked it gently. The small girl glanced toward Valeira as she passed. Valeira smiled, a little awkward, and the girl ducked against her alebrije a bit more, flustered. Valeria continued across the room, looking toward the entrance of the corridor on the left hand side of the room. “Valeria.” A raspy, feminine voice called and she turned toward the entrance as an older skeletal woman strode through the entrance doors, heels clicking against the tiled floor as she approached Valeria with a warm smile. “Ximena, I was just about to come looking for you.” Ximena was a head taller than her, grey curls tightly bunned against the back of her head, specks of green and gold dusting her nose bone and sharp cheeks, a vine of light violet stretching from between her sockets and blooming across her forehead. “I see. I would appreciate help with tending to Señor Rodrìguez’s three angelitos, today. They were doing much better than when they had first been brought in. We should check on their well being and call to update him on how they are.” Valeria nodded, sighing as she watched the woman and girl from the front desk take a seat at one of the many empty spaces, the girl huddling the alebrije to her lap as the woman sat close. “I can’t believe they all came in with splinters… Especially that many…” Ximena shrugged, unamused. “These things happen. The sooner we get them back to-” Valeria's attention shifted over Ximena’s shoulder as the doors opened. Her gaze shifted back to the other woman before a sudden realisation jolt through her and she snapped her attention back toward the entrance, trying to confirm what she had seen. Ximena trailed off, noticing the younger woman’s sudden shift. She quirked a brow, and turned herself to follow the younger woman’s gaze. A man shuffled into the room, glancing about with an expression taught with worry. He was tall, with a lanky structure. Large, rounded glasses and a thin moustache. He wrung his hands together near his chest, eyes drawn toward the ceiling and walls more than anywhere else Ximena glanced down toward Valeria, who’s brows were raised She shuffled out a little more so she was looking at the man more clearly. Ximena pursed her mouth, watching the smaller woman for a second. “Aye, If you think he’s handsome don't just stand a gawk, it’s unflattering.” She muttered, half-whispering. Valeria snapped her attention back toward Ximena, brows furrowed. “It’s not that. It’s just, I've met him before. But it was a bit of an… Odd meeting?” Ximena squinted down at her, arms folded across her chest. “Odd?” Valeria nodded before gaze fell back in the direction of the man and her eyes widened a little. Ximena glanced back and saw the man looking their way. He seemed to notice Valeria more, and a small, nervous smile worked across his skull as he gave a small, barely visible wave toward Valeria. The older woman watch Valeria smile, waving back. She side-stepped around Ximena, addressing her with a frown. “I think I know why he's here. I’ll be with you as soon as possible, lo prometo!” Ximena smirked, beginning to walk away. “Don’t be too long.” Valeria muttered her thanks and turned, finding the man approaching her, shoulders hunched a little. She smiled politely, finding herself picking at the tips of her hand. “Hola! Welcome to the Alebrije care center. Is there anything I can help you with, today?” “Uhm, Hola… I, ah... “ He wrung his hands again, glancing toward the floor. “We met before, if you remember? A few days ago…” He trailed off and Valeria nodded, glancing up toward his prominently hatless head. “I remember... “ She she sighed.  If Lupe had gone causing trouble yet again-“I… Your alebrije got in my house and, uhm.. Well…” He gestured toward his head with a nervous smile. Valeria forced a small laugh, because of course. Of course Lupe was being a pequeña tramposa. He continued, glancing, to the side, struggling to look her in the face too long. “I followed her because, uhm.. And I… She- I saw her go in a window? Into this building and I…” Valeria winced, still trying to smile. She was annoyed at her alebrije, but she could see how nervous the man was. She straightened her posture a little, still trying to hold onto a sense of professionalism. “Señor, I am so, so sorry. She has been a bit of a hassle these last few days… I promise I will get your hat back. If you would like to wait here I’m sure I’ll be able to find her, as soon as possible.” He frowned a little, hands clasping still. “Um… Would it be better if I helped you look? We may find her quicker that way?” Valeria blinked. It would be easier, having someone else search with her. But really, she should be asking another staff member if that were the case… Everyone seemed busy today though, and this was HER alebrije. She should be responsible for the trouble Lupe caused, not interrupting everyone elses work. It wasn’t against staff protocol to have someone not working in the care centre walking about as long as they were accompanied by a member staff. People were always at least looking for their own alebrije or picking them up. She watched him for a second, searching his face. She really couldn't overlook how the small swirls of green and gold complemented his cheek bones. The glasses framing his eyes and their dotted markings were lindo. He held her gaze, albeit nervously, and she smiled a little, tilting her head. “I suppose that would be more effective. But I can’t allow you to wander without accompaniment, okay?” He nodded, smiling a little.Valeria cleared her throat, standing a little straighter and regaining posture. She glanced back into the building to compose herself, pretending to glance at the doors leading deeper into the building. She was still on the job, she had to bear that in mind. “Do you happen to remember whereabouts she got into the building?” She asked, turning back toward him. “A window on the second floor. Um, at the front on the far right.” Valeria nodded and made her way across the large room toward the double doorway on the far right to the reception desk, the man following a short distance behind her. His steps hurried as they approached and she watched him, confused. He pushed his hands against the left handle, paused and then pulled it open, chuckling nervously as he opened it and stood aside. Valeria stood for a moment, before blinking in surprise. “Oh! Gracias Señor.” He muttered gently as she smiled and walked through. “The stairwell is just down this way… I have a good idea on where Lupe would be at the moment if she deliberately went through the second floor…” The man was quiet but made a small noise of acknowledgement. Valeria felt awkward as they walked down the corridor, passing various doors. Her sure strides were matched with his nervous steps as they walked side-by side. She didn’t like the quiet one bit. “Um…” She wanted to say something, anything really. There wasn't much she could really ask though, was there? She hardly knew this man.“I never properly introduced myself, did I?” She said, as she stopped in front of a red doorway without a handle, pushing it open and holding it as she stepped through and glanced up at the man trailing behind her. “I’m Valeria Alviso.” She held out her free hand to him. He paused, blinking twice, before slowly taking her hand in one of his, shaking it with a slight smile. “Rivera. Felipe Rivera.” He spoke softly, letting go of her hand, and she giggled. She pressed herself back a little, motioning him to walk through. “I figured it would be weird to be walking around without at least knowing your name.” She let the door swing close, beginning to ascend the stairwell. It was a dimly lit area, the light’s were functional but dim, with no windows to let any natural light through. The dull grey's of the walls and steps add to the unsettling atmosphere and Valeria really didn’t want that feeling to be more apparent in the silence. “Considering how this has happened twice now, it may be good to at least know each other by name.” Valeria huffed, arms swinging by her side as she walked up the steps, glancing behind her a little at Felipe, his hand against the rail as he followed. “I really am sorry about how much trouble she’s been causing you. She can be such a nuisance.” She shook her head. Felipe nodded with a hum. They were at the small platform before second and last set of stairs. Quiet returned and Valeria felt nerves building again. “Aha…” Felipe began quietly, almost to himself. “You could call her more of a newt-sance.” Valeria nearly stumbled, as she turned the sentence about in her head. A snort escaped her and she flung a hand across her mouth to stifle the laughter trying to follow through. “That- That was terrible!” She managed to breathe out as she paused to lean against the wall, turning to look at Felipe. He looked a little stunned, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he adjusted his glasses. “It made you laugh, though.” He pointed out, more at ease. Valeria scoffed, smirk growing as she shook her head. “I know! I shouldn't have, but I did. How dare you make me laugh at that terrible joke!” She smirked as they reached the second level stairwell, pushing the door open and holding it for Felipe who smiled before pressing a hand to his chest, feigning disbelief. The amusement in his voice gave him away. “It’s hardly my fault! I didn’t make you laugh at anything.” She let go of the door as she rolled her eyes. “I suppose you didn’t. It still doesn't work as joke though!” She wagged a finger at him, before glancing down the hall behind Felipe and the behind herself. She nodded her head in the direction behind her, signaling Felipe to follow. Valeria watched as Felipe’s arms swung a little more loosely by his sides. “Because newts aren't geckos?” “Their not even in the same class!” She giggled. “Geckos are reptiles, newts are salamanders.” She paused for a moment. “Although I suppose Lupe is a bit more of a mix of gecko and newt… As well as a few other things.” She muttered the last part a little. “You mean like a nuisance?” Valeria smirked. “I thought the term was ‘Newt-scance, to you?” She laughed as Felipe stammered a moment. She stopped before a set of double doors and Felipe stood beside her, leaning forward slightly. “You just said that was terrible!” She nodded. “Yeah. I did.” Felipe huffed. Valeria glanced up at the doorway. “There may be a couple of alebrije in here.” She informed him. He glanced at the door, then back to her. “The first floor has a room like this for the more…” She shrugged a little, trying to find the right wording. “-bigger alebrije. We have alebrije brought in by the skeletons their guiding for check-ups and stuff. Then we just sometimes get them coming in on their own. Either for food, water, rest. Basic needs. Sometimes people even find their Alebrije here. The smaller ones are more drawn to the second floor. Or least the ones that can climb and fly are… There’s a few rooms like this but Lupe likes this one a lot. I think this is a good place to start.” Felipe nodded slowly. “Okay…” He spoke, uncertain. “I’m just saying, watch your head and shoulders. I can't guarantee something won't land on you.” She huffed, “Alebrije or otherwise. Depends on how busy it is.” Felipe paled. Valeria watched his expression twist with disgust and she snort, head ducking. “You can stay out here if you want-” “No. No, it’s fine.” He moaned, clearly not fine with the situation.Valeria laughed.  “Really, I only need to check the room quickly.” Felipe rolled his shoulders and smiled at her a little. “I’ll be fine. Just… Weary.”  Valeria nodded, pressing a palm onto one of the doors and Felipe did the same. “A good mind-set when you work here.” Valeria pushed through, shortly followed by Felipe who glanced about.The windows were wide and open at the back of the room, with a few alebrije stuck to the glass, one scuttering down to the floor when the pair entered the room. Despite the open window, it was warmer than Felipe had been anticipating. It was a average sized room, the wall to the left filled with climbing posts and groves for creatures to climb up and rest on. Felipe spot two feline based alebrije settled on a post together, one preening the other’s wings. One swiveled it’s head around from facing the wall to stare at him with large, unmoving eyes, steam huffed from it’s small beak as the feathers on its chest rose. Felipe quickly averted his gaze to the other side of the room. More climbing features, some extending to the roof and traveling across to the other side like rafters. A large door broke up the climbing features of the right wall. There were maybe seven alebrije that he could see right away, but that wasn’t counting how many could be hidden in the tunnels and tubes set near ceiling and against the the walls. Most of the alebrije were settled in their places, with maybe three, small and bug like, fluttering about each other nearer the raft platforms. Near the right corner were a sets of feeding bowls and water dispensers attached to the wall.Valeria hummed slightly as she glanced around the room.    “Don’t see her… But she is a hider.” She muttered, before glancing toward the empty feeding bowls. Felipe gently tugged his collar as Valeria huffed. “Why are the feeding bowls empty?” She shook her head, voice rising in disbelief. Felipe watched as she strode toward the door in the wall. “Did they leave the-?” She tugged the handle and huffed, shoulders loosening. “Well, at least they remembered to lock it.” She dug into her pockets and pulled out a key holder, with at least five different keys on it. Felipe shuffled closer and Valeira glanced up, double taking for a moment before smiling apologetically. “Lo siento mucho, but I need to make sure these guys have food. I promise we will find Lupe and-” Felipe smiled, brows furrowing as he raised his hands up in a calming motion. “Está bien, lo entiendo. It is your job, after all.” Valeria nodded, flicking her thumb against a seemingly random key in the bunch and grasping it. “I’d better report this later… Or at least find out if it was someone new to the job or something… Some alebrije come in here because they need food, and it’s no good if there is none!” She fit the key into the lock on the door and clicked it open. A scuffle noise caught Felipe’s attention and he grimaced at the sight of something slithering between a raft and a tube, disappearing quickly.

Valeria huffed as she pocketed the keys, unfazed by the activity around her and reached into the doorway. Felipe leaned a little to catch a better glance at what was beyond the door frame. Alebrije seemed to have a affinity for dry food. What it was made out of, Felipe didn't know. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, really. What did spirit guides, creatures of mythical wonder and possibly dangerous power even need to eat?

Valeria hefted a large bag into her arms, settling an arm under it and holding it to her chest and chin with the other. Felipe grimaced and lifted his arms, afraid to visualise what would happen if Valeria or the bag fell.

“Can I help?” He asked, but Valeria shook her head.“No, no. I have it. You get used to it after a week or so.” 

She winked and hauled the bag as she turned toward the bowl, not catching Felipe’s flustered expression. The room had suddenly gotten far warmer than it had been before and he was sure if he had skin, his face would be beat red.

He watched as she carefully tipped the bag, pouring odd coloured food pellets into the bowls, watching as a few alebrije scurried at the ringing of the first pellet hitting the metal, snuffling at the food. Valeria squeaked as a dark indigo cat-owl alebrije swooped down from it’s post, settling onto her shoulder.

“¡Ten cuidado, compañero!” She laughed as it preened at her hair, chirping loudly. 

Felipe chuckled at the sight, watching as she continued her task with alebrije shuffling beneath her feet, most too small to really knock her over or get in the way. She was done in a minute at least, and lifted the lighter bag back over to the cupboard, placing it on the floor to properly seal it. The alebrije on her shoulder shifted so it was sitting more comfortably on her, like a cat perched on a table. It stared at Felipe and he watched it for a moment before turning his attention more toward Valeria, trying to ignore the unsettling gaze.

“So, I guess Lupe’s not here?” Valeria lifted herself, unfazed by the alebrije’s wings flapping as it re-balanced itself, squawking.

“Maybe… I’ll try calling for her, because that usually works. I just wanted to make sure these guys-.” She glanced about the cupboard before shutting it, locking it and checking the handle. “-Were fed for the morning, at least. Lupe stole what was going to be my lunch though, so I’m not sure food is her priority.”

“Oh… Well, You know her best.” 

Valeira huffed, shrugging. “Alebrije are complicated. They’re not pets, per-say. Usually, they know more than you do... “ She smiled at the albrije settled on her shoulder. She held out right arm, making a small clicking noise with her mouth and the alebrije was perched on her arm in a second. He smiled, attention drawn to the creature, slowly lifting a hand close to it’s head. The alebrije purred loudly as she brushed her thumb over the feathers between it’s eyes, above its beak. Felipe watched, for a moment, uncertain. He glanced at how close her fingers were to the creatures beak. She chuckled breathlessly. “Wow… Eres encantador, ¿verdad?” It chirped loudly and Valeira laughed, entranced.

She glanced up at Felipe, mouth open to speak when something smacked against her face causing her to yell and stumble, upsetting the alebrije on her arm, which shrieked and leapt at a close by climbing post on the wall. Felipe yelped, jumping at the sudden movement and jumped back, out of the way of what hand flung between them. He only noticed the woman’s fall when she was inches from the floor and grimaced as Valeira tumbled to the floor, sitting up, with a bewildered expression.

“¡Dios mío! ¿Qué...?” She trailed off, catching a glimpse of a rounded, rimmed shape by her foot. She reacher forward to inspect it, laughing up at Felipe who shuffled closer. “This is yours, right?” Felipe glanced at it, nodding briefly. He held a hand out to Valeria, brow furrowed.

“Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

She scoffed, waving the hand holding his hat dismissively before reaching forward with her other hand to accept his.

“Nah. I’ve had worse falls.”

Felipe helped her to her feet, and found himself closer than he had been before. He hadn’t noticed the dark blue outlining the tear-like patterns beneath her eyes sockets. The heart above her mouth looked out of place, but so distinctive… Her eyes locked with his and he froze for a moment, suddenly unable to tell himself what to do. His hand was grasping her’s still and he let go, suddenly all too aware of the contact. His hands clamped together against his chest nervously. Valeira tittered, briefly, glancing at the hat in her hand and brushing a little debris off the top, holding it up. Felipe shook off his flusterment, and took his hat back.

“Gracias.” He managed out as he settled the hat back on his head. “I really can’t thank you, enough.”

“De nada.” She said, folding her arms. “It would be horrid to not do something about the trouble my Lupe caused you.”

“Oh, I wouldn't say ‘trouble’ really… Just, uhm-?”

“-Inconvenience?” Valeria smirked. Felipe shrugged.

“Sí, I suppose.” He blinked before panicking. “Not that this whole thing-” he gestured about the room briefly, “-Was an inconvenience to me, I just- I did enjoy actually getting to talk to you, this time- I mean…” He heaved a sigh, and Valeira nodded with a tired expression.

“No, I understand. I really hope Lupe doesn’t bother you again.” She let out a small laugh, glancing away. “I’ve, uh-” She glanced at him, head turned to the side, a small smile playing on her mouth, “-I’ve enjoyed talking with you too.”

Felipe felt a small flutter rise in his chest, his hands scrunching tighter against it as he smiled. A faint buzz accompanied by a chip rung above their heads and both glanced up as a familiar figure glided her way down from one of the rafters closer to the ceiling Valeria scoffed, shaking her head. “There she is.” Lupe sat herself on top of Valeria’s head, settled proudly in a nest of curls. Valeria reached up and found Lupe’s nose, bumping it gently.

“The little newt-sanse.” Felipe laughed, ease settling back into his bones as Valeria’s snort and giggle followed quickly after.

Lupe watched the two, chirping quietly, more calmer than ever.   

Earlier in the day, Oscar had found himself in his and Felipe’s workshop. He was so used to being in the workshop on these days with his hermano that it felt automatic almost. Set just to the side of the house, a space just big enough for the gemelos to pile about junk for new shoe ideas, work improving inventions (which always seemed to just not work), and basic tinkering. There were various bits of paper with ideas scribbled down around and about, but Oscar always had his small booklet with him, usually in his pocket. He had seen the way Imelda forgot things, in life, as she grew older, and he and Felipe worried that anything they could come up with would eventually start leave them too. Felipe got him and notebook, and he got Felipe a notebook. Neither had planned it, but when they handed each other the small gifts at the same time, they had laughed.He had gone out after helping to clean up the breakfast plates when everyone was done, listening as Rosita talked about her garden, what she may bake later for when Felipe came back, and the flowers still in her room in the lovely pot they bought her. That was twenty minutes ago, a quick glance at his pocket watch confirmed. Felipe had left a little before breakfast and Oscar wasn't sure when he’d be back. When he thought about that, a twinge of fear tried to seize his bones. He attempted to shake it off by writing all and any ideas down into his notebook. “¡Oscar! ¡Cuñado! May I talk to you for a moment?” Oscar paused, glancing up from the frayed, messy notebook as Hector strolled into his and Felipe’s workshop. He raised a brow Hector a he walked in. Miguel explained in letters left on the Ofrenda, that mamá Coco’s stories and letters passed onto her family about Hector, had kept his existence, but the surge of people a year later hearing the musico’s stories had definitely increased Hector’s well being. Oscar wince, remembering briefly just how yellow and beaten and- well, forgotten- Hector had been that fateful night, two years ago. It was heartwarming, more than anything, to see the man grinning, skull bright with colour, walking with comfortable steps in lovingly made Rivera boots. Oscar set his pencil down, adjusting his glasses. “What do you want, Hector?” He smiled knowingly, already able to hear the bargaining tone seeping into Hector’s voice. The purple vest clad skeleton smiled, hands clasped together. “I… Wanted to ask a favour? ¿Por favor?” Oscar watched as Hector leaned an elbow onto the desk, smiling nervously. “A favour?” He asked, trying to think about what the other man could be up to. “Sí, sí. It’s not even a favour really. I was curious about where you got those flowers from? For Rosita?” Oscar blinked, slightly taken aback.“Well.” He began. “I… I can show you if you want? It’s a flores shop, not too far away honestly…” He paused and frowned up at Hector. “Why… Do you need to know though?” “For Imelda.” Hector smiled, face lighting up. “I haven't gotten her flowers in a little while, and I know she’s upset about the one in our room that wilted. I’d like to get some for her. Surprise her a little, y’know?” Oscar nodded, standing from the desk. “Well, even if it’s not open today.” He began, stroking his moustache, “I can at least show you where it is?” Hector grinned, practically bouncing in his spot. “Ah, yes! Sí, that would be wonderful! Gracias, Oscar!” Oscar walked around the desk, exiting the space with Hector beside him. Maybe going out on a bit of a walk would clear his head a little. Quiet the nagging at the back of his mind. Oscar’s notebook lay open as the two walked out toward the courtyard gate, conversation fading as they walked further out toward the street.

[sophiascribbling]

i am desperate for miami stormpilot

You and me both. I’ve got around 20K written for that fic. I’ve got it mostly outlined, but it’s far from done and I haven’t had any time to work on it lately. I have all these things I really want to work on but until BWG is completed, I feel this weird sense of guilt when I work on other fics. 

I don’t release fics until they are pretty much done. I thought I was following my rule with BWG, but it changed so much over the course of the release that now it’s changed into something way different. I sometimes wish that I’d never released it, tbh.

That being said, here is a snippet from Chapter 2 if you’re interested:

Finn took a steadying breath as he got out of the car. The warehouse was nondescript and a passerby would think it was just the same as any of the other buildings surrounding it. The district was a maze of giant buildings—storage facilities, chop shops, and machining were most of what the area boasted.

He wondered if he’d have passed it by if he hadn’t already seen a photo of it during a debriefing. It didn’t matter, in the end, he had made it. Two years of work had gotten him to this location, but Finn was well aware that one wrong step and the entire investigation would collapse—beginning with a bullet in his own head.

He walked towards the door and his eyes met those of the guards who wandered around the area. They were dressed as though they were homeless, their voluminous coats and shopping carts hiding AR-15s from the casual eye. He nodded at one and the heavy steel door on the side of the building opened.

It was bright outside and it took his eyes a few seconds to adjust. There were cars parked inside—let in through the loading doors off to the side. Some were like Finn’s—old with fading paint and busted glass, while others . . . well they stood out with their gleaming chrome rims and smooth body styles.

The clicking of heels drew his attention.

Phasma was a tall woman with platinum blonde hair and a penchant for grey power suits. She towered over him as she came to a halt. Her eyes moved over his clothing and bearing. She didn’t seem terribly impressed, but then his fashion choices had always been limited.

“Follow me,” she said before turning and walking away.

He followed after her through another set of doors and the quiet of the front was banished as the sounds and stench of human misery overcame him. Finn did his best to focus on the subtle herringbone pattern of Phasma’s suit jacket, but there was not blocking out the mules and whores who came and went, getting their fixes, cash, and product. Their gaunt appearances turned Finn’s stomach and it took everything in him to stay the course.

He wanted to run—make up and excuse, turn around and leave. Tell Wexly and Organa that he wasn’t made for this, but he couldn’t. So much time, money, and resources had gone into getting him exactly where he was.

In this shithole of a building surrounded by the very dregs of society.

She lead him down a dark hallway and into a side room where several girls clad only in their underwear were measuring out the pharm and packaging it for distribution. Her expression was flat and her eyes were on him even as she made a shooing motion towards the workers. They dispersed without a word or a backward glance, leaving the table was littered with tiny foil packs and wrapped plastic bricks.

“You know what this is, of course,” she said, her eyes blinking in a way that would have made another man think there was nothing going on upstairs. But there was—Phasma was watching him like snake would a mouse.

He nodded his head, answering softly. “Aegis.”

Phasma’s expression didn’t change. “Yes, and I assume you know how to test it.”

Again, Finn nodded. “Adding phosphoric acid to a sample shows how pure it is.”

“Good,” she said, gesturing again. Finn heard a strangled scream as a girl with tanned skin and dark hair was dragged into the space. She was pushed to the ground, tears running down her face. Finn could see track marks on her arms, and her hands shook as she kept her head down.

Phasma spoke again, her voice even.“Pick the appropriate dose and give it to her.”

Finn blinked for a second. “What?” he asked, his attention swinging back to the blonde.

She gestured to the product on the table. “This girl came in with a fresh batch that we got a few days ago. She’s still . . . developing a taste. Test the cuts and give the girl her drug.”

Finn licked his lips as he looked from Phasma’s unyielding face to the sobbing girl on the floor. Time seemed to slow down as his gaze traveled around the room. They were all watching him, waiting to see if he would become a new boss or if they would need to dispatch him.

Those were his choices. This girl’s life or his own.

His fist clenched as he walked towards the table. His legs felt like lead as he took step after step and died a little more inside the closer he got. The girl was still crying, her heaving breaths splintering through his mind and his eyes fell shut for a second as he came to a stop.

Finn allowed his mind to blank out as his fingers moved through the motions of dusting a gram into a vial and mixing it with the suspension and the acid. The fluorescent pink color flared to life as he tested a few of the foil packets along with a bit from the bricks.

He chose a cut that was on the lighter side, but still enough to assuage Phasma’s suspicions and turned around. The girl was hauled to her feet as Finn shook the vial dissolving the aegis and then piping it into the syringe.

“Please don’t!” she begged and Finn clenched his jaw but only nodded to the man holding her. She was shoved face down onto the table and a bit of tubing was wrapped around her arm. Finn pulled on her wrist as she struggled, but he ignored her whimpers and cries as he located her vein.

It was quick really, getting the drugs into her system. She went limp after only a few seconds, and the man picked her up none-to-gently and threw her over his shoulder. Phasma nodded again and the man walked away, taking the girl out of there.

Phamsa said nothing for a few minutes. The room was quiet, but Finn was keenly aware of the weight that had settled on his shoulders . . . he felt it getting heavier as the seconds ticked by. Phasma pursed her lips before walking towards a free-standing shelf off to the side.

She picked up a plastic case and walked back to the table. He knew what it was—what was inside—so he merely watched as she clicked the latches open and pulled the lid up. The Colt 45 was different than the others he’d seen.

Nines’s had been black with gaudy gold inlays while he knew Phasma’s was a polished pale steel with mother of pearl grips. This one was two-toned with a dark grey handle and black slide. The barrel was extended, giving the already substantial weapon an even more pronounced appearance.

His hand came out to touch it, but the lid fell shut and he hastily pulled his hand back. Phasma raised a brow as she latched the case shut.

“You didn’t want to hurt that girl,” she said evenly.

He looked up, eyes wide before getting control of his expression. “I don’t enjoy hurting people. Fucking morons out there want to hurt themselves—fine. I got no problem making money off them, but I don’t get off on forcing shit on people.”

Phamsa sneered. “If you don’t have the balls—”

“I got all I need to take care of business,” he said, cutting her off. “And if business requires me to dope up some dumb bitch, then I’ll do it.”

Her expression was flat at first, before a smile spread over her lips. She held the case out to him. “You still have to get by Hux and Ren, but for now . . . Welcome to the family . . . Finn.”

He took the case, nodding silently and was about to turn and leave but Phasma stopped him. She picked up three of the packets from a smaller pile on the table and handed them over. He looked them over critically. They were marked with the hexagonal symbol for the First Order, but rather than black, the emblem was red.

“You’ll have fun with those,” she said with a tilt of her head. “You’ve got the rest of the night off . . . What’s left of it anyway.”

Finn felt dead inside as he nodded and walked away carrying the packets and the case. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone as he walked by, but he could feel the eyes of the guards on him. They knew he was a new area boss. He’d passed the first test and the case in his hand was proof of that.

He wasn’t due to report in to Wexley for another week—had no one to talk to about what he’d done. Even when it came time, he knew what he sargent would say. That he’d had no choice, that this was exactly the reason he had to stay.

Finn got into his crummy car, the case resting on the seat beside him, the shiny plastic reflecting the street lights like an accusation. He shook his guilt off as best as he could as the car started and turned the music up as loud as he could to muffle the echoes of the girl’s screams. Rain was beginning to fall in light drops as he drove through the city, moving through the high-rises of downtown and into the suburbs. The vibrant lights of restaurants and shops made the roads seem like oil-slicked rainbows.

He parked his car in front of Julip, the green neon of the club’s sign shining against his windshield. Finn saw one of the bouncers headed his way, ostensibly to tell him to move his car.  Finn got out first, and the man came to a dead stop at the sight of him, no doubt recognizing the new area boss for the Order.

Finn didn’t say anything, he merely walked past the man and into the building. No one tried to stop him and no one even spared him a glance as he pulled out one of Phasma’s foil packs and tore it open.

You’re making a mistake, he thought even as he held it close to his nose and inhaled. His jaw hung open as the numbing feeling spread through his face and then his limbs and brain, blocking out the pain, anger, and guilt. All that was left was the music and the hands that were touching him.

Finn shoved the pack into his pocket and let himself be moved into the crowd—let everyone around him grind and touch. He just wanted to feel something . . . anything but the guilt.

He’d never done any of the hard stuff before—a test here or there, but whatever was in that packet was far more potent than anything he’d tried out in the past. He was hyper aware of everything that was going on around him. Every beat of the music, ever brush against his skin was like a bomb going off inside his head.

He felt so . . . alive. There was a hand sliding up his back and around his waist, pulling him close—-grinding against him. His head leaned back against the other body and he seemed to be moving. The clear noise and feeling of being surrounded by a hundred writing bodies gave way to the feeling of a wall against his front as he was shoved forward.

He blinked in confusion as he was turned around to face the other man. He felt a pain in his face, but it was far away, more of a strange feeling of sandpaper against his skin. He could feel every cell that was torn by the impact and the bursting of blood vessels.

He’d been punched, Finn realized belatedly.

Another was headed his way, but the man was pulled off him, other swarming them and Finn could do nothing but slide down the wall until his butt hit the floor. He stared up as the most beautiful person in the world looked down at him.

“I know you,” he said with a smile. “You’re Poe Dameron.”

The man crouched down in front of him, his hands coming on either side of Finn’s jaw, moving his head from side to side to get a better look at the shiner that was probably already blossoming.

“Yeah, that’s me,” the man—Poe—said . . . or shouted . . . it all sounded the same. “I’ve never seen you take anything before, Finn. What are you on?”

“I don’t know,” he answered without thinking before his brain caught up with him. “How do you know my name?”

Poe snorted. “I know all the dealers who work in my clubs.”

Finn blinked. That’s right . . . he was a dealer. He sold drugs and . . . and . . . “They made me hurt her. I didn’t want to hurt her.”

The club owner's eyes widened before softening and he leaned in closer. “I’m sorry Finn,” he said as Finn felt his shoulders slumping and everything went black.

~~~~

Hope that helped tide you over, even if it was a little depressing. The entire story is pretty depressing tbh, but that’s the way I like my fics lol.

[dailymikayuureminders]

Hey, i saw you give fic recommendations to that one person. I didn't know you did that (Maybe I'm just an idiot??) Do you know any good Non-AU MikaYuu works? As much as I love MikaYuu fanfics, it's like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes tbh (I mean one time I ran into a fanfiction that was Mika x His child self. I was actually concerned for the author's mental state. Mind you it was rated explicit...)

Haha you’re definitely not. Feel free to ask me for fic recs.

Hmm by non-au you mean like… in the universe of ons?Can they be ummm very canon-divergent? 

After Dawn

by seijuurou

In which Mika escapes with Yuu to the outside world.

(The description says it all. Smol mikayuu fluff)

To Be A Family

by lemishie

Glimpses of the daily lives in the Hyakuya family after the apocalypse and taken captive by the vampires.

(The Hyakuya family living in Sanguinem + lots of mikayuu)

displays of affection

by braexm

To vampires, a kiss on the neck was a gesture of trust.

Hold on to this lullaby

by strikedawn

“Remember when we were kids?” Yuu’s question interrupts Mika’s own. His voice is soft, but Mika can hear a sad smile on it. Yuu leans further back into Mika’s body. “You always used to cling to my back like a monkey.”

“You hated it.” Mika remembers with a smile of his own. “You always complained and would bemoan about me being too heavy.”

“You were.” Yuu’s sad smile is teasing now, and something warm fills his heart. “Both your head and your ass were so big, I always thought I had an elephant over my back instead of a boy.”

(This one would be placed after chapter 41, its about that one official art of Yuu resting between Mika’s legs)

Hindsight

by oxeh

Due to a spell mishap, 12 year old Yuu and Mika find themselves ten years into the future.

It’s only natural that their older selves end up taking care of them while they’re there.

(Mika and Yuu live together. Yuu might be 22 but he still fucks up all the time)

Echoes of Me 

by blushinglily

Since becoming a vampire, Mika has always thought of his immortal body as an accursed affliction, the flow of time eternally frozen, wherefrom the very concept of it continuously mocks his very being with the speed at which life went on without him.

So when Yuuichirou’s latest experiment goes awry, and their past selves are brought to the present, he does not know whether it is a cruel joke from the gods…or his chance at redemption.

OnS Remix Fanfic Submission 2017

(Hindsight remix)

The world is cruel

by sutera

Mika doesn’t escape the inevitability of his immortality, and history decides to repeat itself.

(^ satan itself)

Entangle

by OccasionalArtist

Winters can be brutally cold in the vampire city, but they provide certain… opportunities.

A story of how Mika and Yuu become accustomed to sleeping side by side, and how Mika becomes involved with Ferid.

(Smol mikayuu in sanguinem)

Every Night

by Ponchyo

The war is settling down, or so it seems. Now that the chaos has died down Mika and Yuu will have to sort out what exactly it is they mean to each other.

(Afterwar)

Afire love

by strikedawn

After Nagoya’s failed mission, an unsteady truce is formed between Shinoa’s squad and Mikaela Hyakuya, making Yuu feel conflicted inside. On one hand, he’s got Mika back, his friends are alive, and they seem to be trying to be civil with each other, even if it’s just for his sake. On the other hand, Guren is being held captive by the vampires, Shinya has just given them a mission Yuu doesn’t like, and Mika… Yuu doesn’t really know what Mika is feeling.Maybe not even Mikaela knows what he’s truly feeling, after all.

(^ actual masterpiece. It’s finished. Diverges from chapter 34)

And We Will Run, We Will

by cloudwatch

In exchange for resources that are desperately needed for rebuilding now that the war is over, JIDA agrees to send over teams of two across the seas to help other countries in exterminating any remaining vampire cells. Yuu and Mikaela are teamed up and shipped off to America, and with Yuu’s recent realization that he would very much like to make out with his best friend, being alone in a foreign country is the least of his problems.

(Mika is with Yuu, on the JIDA’s side. Kind of like in the game)

Dear God

by Roriette

He begged, “You can take everything – everything, so please. Please don’t take Yuu.”

-500 years; 6,000 months; 182,500 days; 4,380,000 hours.What a terribly quiet world it is.A world without Yuu.

(Reincarnation au. Rather, Yuu is the one who does)

Keep You Warm At Night

by cloudwatch

“Sometimes I watch you sleep, and in a totally not creepy way!” Yuu blurts out.

Mika and Yuu snuggle on the couch together and talk.

(After war)

Memento Mori

by  Nayru Elric

What other people don’t know about Mikaela is that behind the façade of tranquility he wears on the outside, there’s a weakness he never lets the others see, not even Yuichiro. Even before vampires took over the world, Mikaela didn’t allow his dark past in his everyday life. When Mika comes back from Ferid’s more exhausted than usual, Yuu demands to know what’s going on.

(Retelling)

Hidden Palace

by Nayru Elric

Escaping from the battle and leaving all the others behind was Mikaela’s plan, but now that he finally has Yuichiro all to himself, why is it that something still feels incomplete?

Find You

by Yamiga

For months following the events of the war, Mika has been living in the human city with Yuu. However, living with Yuu doesn’t mean automatic happiness as both discover this soon enough. Things take a terrible turn one night when Mika voices his negative concerns about Yuu’s “family” . Words are exchanged which later result in Mika feeling as if he has no place in Yuu’s life. In turn, he attempts to make things easier for Yuu by running away.OrYuu and Mika get in a fight that results in Mika leaving. Yuu of course, must fix his stupid mistake and get Mika back. Again.

Almost Home

by Anonymous_Dreamer

After the war is over, Mika is allowed to live with Yuu. However, can one even call it a living, hiding from everyone? Yuu and his friends get worried about him, and they suggest Yuu convince Mika to go see a psychologist.

(after war)

Kiss those arms better 

by SimTinaAndr

Yuuichirou forced himself to pry his gaze away from the perfect face in front of him and towards Mikaela’s arm. He raised it with both his hands towards his face, and sweetly kissed Mikaela’s bicep. The blond held his breath as Yuuichirou started kissing a path across his arm, slowly going down and towards his wrist before taking a moment to remove Mikaela’s glove and keep kissing his bare hand; first the back, and finally his slim fingers, one by one.

(Related to chapter 52)

if home is where the heart is

by atrophy

Like this, Yuu can almost make himself believe that it’s just the two of them – like they’re the only people left in the world.

(Diverges around halfway through vol 4)

Carving Happiness

by KittieAupa

After several years of research, Mika finally has a chance to become human again. Yuuichirou helps him through the process.

(After war)

Warmth

by awaywards

Trapped together in a snowstorm, Yuu and Mika need to find a way to make each other warm.

(Smut)

Saving you

by seredemia

The war’s over and the world looks forward to a brighter future ahead of them. Mika and Yuu have survived the worst, but soon find that they still have one more challenge left to overcome.

Living together.

(Has some smut)

Sanguine Luxuriae 

by blushinglily

Krul had asked him once, “When the act itself of drinking blood is both a sin and a necessity for our kind, must it also follow that the pleasure we get from it be considered a crime as well?”

As Yuuichirou gradually becomes fixated on the rapture of being bitten by his best friend, for the life of him, Mikaela still struggled to find the answer to the vampire queen’s question.

Somewhat disturbing themes, slightly masochistic!Yuuichirou, takes place directly after the anime’s ending. // Canon!Divergence (?)

Unseen 

by blushinglily

After Yuuichirou returns to his human self, the Hiiragi Shinoa squad decides to set their plan into motion of rescuing Guren and Mirai. Just before they do that though, some things need to be taken care of first…namely, Mika’s thirst for blood and their need for some new clothes.

Spoilers for Chapter 41 and the final episode of the anime. / One-shot. / Canon!verse/AU. / Mikayuu

Follow Your Instincts

by ruthlesslistener

Mikaela Hyakuya has never been able to stomach the scents of anyone other than his family. For an unmarked, unmated omega, this is practically unheard of- lack of heat cycles from starvation be damned. Available omegas were supposed to crave the scents of viable mates, not be repulsed by them.When he was alone and under Krul’s thumb, this wasn’t that much of a problem. But now that he’s back by Yuu’s side, healthy and re-exposed to the alpha’s adult pheromones, his heats have come back with a vengeance. And it’s taking everything he has in him to keep himself from claiming what his body is screaming is rightfully his.He won’t let his instincts ruin his relationship with Yuu, no matter how agonizing or stressful it gets.(A.k.a Mika is as angsty and self-sacrificial as always, Yoichi tries his best to help but rarely gets the right results, Yuu can’t take a hint from himself or others, and Shinoa is not to be trusted with a sex shop.)

(It’s kind of a retelling + canon divergent but with ABO dynamics. Truthfully one of (if not the) best ABO fics ever. Seriously I’m not much of an ABO person but this one is… JUST READ IT, OKAY?)

I hope that helps!

And yeah, I saw that fic too lol

You actually read it? I’m impressed

[rearima]

TG:re 126

Long post with all my thoughts/meta on this chapter. Talking about Yoriko, Mutsuki, Aura, Ui, Touka/Kaneki, Centipede-kun. Wrote part of this last week, finishing it super late now. But still counts as long as tgre 127 isn’t out yet :P

So Yoriko is fine and the hand was fake afterall. Touka’s “So that hand was fake all along” means that she actually didn’t know whether or not Yoriko really was in Mutsuki’s hand or how she was doing/alive. Makes me wonder what actions she would have taken if the wedding didn’t happen and also how much she actually talked to Kaneki about this matter, seeing that she was only thinking to herself about how the hand was fake and Kaneki didn’t make any impression that’d suggest that he knew about the severity of the situation. I mean, she could’ve just told him that she’s heard rumors that Yoriko was getting married to an investigator and asked Kaneki to bring her there so she could at least see her best friends wedding from afar. I’ve talked about this before, as I was wondering what actions she’d take to save Yoriko and how she didn’t open up about it to Kaneki so he had no idea what was going on. Now, the Yoriko situation seems to be solved surprisingly easy but I highly doubt (and hope) this isn’t the end of this conflict. Yoriko is a very important person in Touka’s life and her character development and it’s still an unsolved issue as Touka has been running away from it, to protect Yoriko but also fearing what Yoriko would think of her when she learns that she’s a ghoul (would she think that Touka’s a ‘monster’? - we know how it’s something that has been haunting Touka). (Btw, why hasn’t anyone brought out that Uta joke aka ‘What if Yoriko actually was Uta in disguise’ this time lol…)

that part about Mutsuki and Urie was something I was really pleased to see. I’ve been wondering for some time now about Mutsuki’s bond and feelings towards others (that are not Kaneki). Because of their past and then seeing how they went quite psycho, I began to wonder how much they actually cherish the other ppl around them. Also wondered about the nature of their special bond with Urie. AND the question that has been floating around lately: Is Mutsuki redeemable? And I kinda got my answers in this chapter? First things first: Urie got friendzoned really hard.

He is that one special person that is particularily close to Mutsuki: 1. both know each others ‘secrets’ (see auction raid, where they saw his vulnerable side and he discovered their biological gender) 2.Mutsuki was very open to him, talking about their wishes/feelings/thoughts and how they are tasked with the Oggai and even admitting to be in love with their former mentor and that they went to :re and 3. throughout the whole conversation I think it was very sincere and calm and sane on Mutsuki’s part. There was no acting, no facade. They’re still hiding things from Urie but…When was the last time I’ve seen this calm side of Mutsuki? 4. It shows the deep trust Mutsuki has for Urie. To actually trust others - this is really big deal for Mutsuki considering all the things they experienced and their current mental state. And we know they also care a lot about how Urie views them. Despite all, Mutsuki was worried about how to explain things to Urie when they attacked Akira on Rushima. It seems like Mutsurie is everything but just not romantic haha… (but my ship is still alive ok) Moving on to their bonds with others: Mutsuki expressed that they just wished that they all return to their former home (oh how I always get triggered by this word lol). And since I assume they’re not lying, I think it shows that they do cherish the others and holds dear the good old times they spend together. Kaneki is someone they clutch on, but he isn’t the only thing that matters and even if the priorities are very clear there, it still is interesting to see that there are other things that genuinely matter to Mutsuki, even after all that’s happened. - And that brings me to the question whether Mutsuki is redeemable. The things I’ve seen in this chapter from Mutsuki are shining a more positive light on this character. They didn’t actually hurt Yoriko (probably also because it’d cause lots of trouble) and mentioned that Bujin looked happy and she looked pretty and wondered if any of them would find such happiness. And I think I saw a genuine soft and good side of them shine through there. Also, it’d be easier for Ishida do redeem this character if they didn’t do anything to Yoriko because otherwise many would call bullshit and how this character is way too far gone to make any way of redemption tolerable. While it’s true that if we were completely honest and unbiased, then we’d pretty much have to judge this character just as strictly as we judge Torso, but we mostly don’t and that’s just how it is, as we (or at least I) feel more sympathetic towards Mutsuki as this character has grown on me more than Torso ever did.

And well, Urie still couldn’t bring up the real questions… What’s he gonna do next though? Will he concentrate on dealing with Mutsuki or will he start with Kaneki?

So the theory about Aura Kiyoko having lost her legs are officially confirmed now. That explains Shinsanpei’s actions (kinda). Still think it’s a bit extreme how he developed that bloodlust and psychotic attitude (he didn’t care about killing humans in the last arc and acted like he didn’t see anything when running into Mutsuki and Uta). This boy is way too deep into revenge imo. But it also depends on how close of a relationship he has with his auntie. If she is like a mother figure to him, then well, one could explain how he loses himself this much. There’s a post about how the way Aura Kiyoko acts is a bit suspicious. I agree. and to kinda add to it, I always found it weird that Aura and Mougan were even allowed to live when they have seen all their faces. And yet, after that incident, only Kaneki and Hirako were actively wanted. How come they don’t seem to be looking for Touka (remember how they were hunting for Hinami?), who left quite the impression on the two special classes? I thought they’d all go into hiding because the two who saw their faces where still alive but they actually didn’t have to change their life style at all. I dunno. Maybe it’s just a plothole? Afterall, Hirako and this kids where walking around publicly aswell, and dear Kaneki even rode on a train and had much fun… What I’m trying to say is, I actually like this theory that the oek and the special class came to some kind of mutual understanding back then (After Kaneki injured her legs).

I’ve got many questions regarding the Okihara thing. I wondered how the heck Kanou was able to control his zombie army and when they were first introduced, they totally gave off the near to mindless killer zombies vibe, altho Okihara did speak briefly and it let me believe that while he stilll had a concious mind, his body was somewhat under control by Kanou. Now, in this chapter, it seems like he could act on his own acord with some restrictions. The theory about how Kanou might be controlling them by bribing with the “medicine” but I still think it doesn’t hold too much ground bc is Kanou really that sure that all of his zombies hold on to their new life so much that they’d just do anything Kanou tells them? It’d be a rather unsafe way to ensure control (and it’s kinda dangerous if some of them turn against him while he thinks he’s absolutely got the upper hand). Let’s say for example if Shirazu is one of them. I don’t think he’d just listen to Kanou and do things against his own moral (especially if he’d face his old team). Now, the meeting itself with Ui seemed pretty secretive and it makes sense that Kanou/Furuta wouldn’t want them to work together or share info. So why was he even able to walk around freely in the first place? Or did he just sneak out of the lab? I wonder about his “The dead do not return.” It could mean that he wasn’t dead dead at the time Kanou got his hands on him (he didn’t directly answer Ui’s question on whether he definitely died afterall). But in context of the rest of the story and the setups so far (pretty sure Shirazu and Hairu definitely died), I don’t think that’s the meaning behind this. Rather, he’s probably talking about how they don’t really come back as living people. They depend on their medicine and are robbed of their freedom. They’re only living on borrowed time. And well, Ui. This guy has been holding his personal feelings in for so long that he’s now totally loosing it. He lost the most important ppl in his life and even lost his beloved justice when he discovered Furuta’s true face and that he was used as a stepping stone for his evil plans. There’s nothing he can hold on to, nothing he can fight for (or so he thinks) and to keep himself alive he holds on to his past (aka the ppl he’s lost), even if it means selling his soul to the devil. I don’t see a good ending for him tbh…

(Ui and Urie have now joined my list of “characters who are competing with Kaneki for ‘protagonist of a tragedy’“. Congratulations.)

So now, onto the last chunk: Touka and Kaneki. First of all, yes, I loved seeing Kaneki smile (also bc he rarely does) and I know everyone are happy about it and I don’t mean to be a spoilsport, but it kinda felt superficial? The fact that they have finally reached the next base in their relationship did Kaneki good, it did some healing but he’s still far from overcoming his depression. Why do I feel that his smile or even, the happiness was superficial (heck, I really don’t know if this is even the right word, pls excuse my limited english knowledge)? When Touka gave him the ring he gave that super happy smile like there are no worries in the world while putting the necklace on and very naively claims that he’ll always remember her whenever he see the ring. Naive, bc he doesn’t seem to really get the message, meaning and weight behind it at all (afterglow sticks strong with this dork xD). He doesn’t question anything, doesn’t seem to have any deep thoughts about it, he just takes it as it is and is just in his happy mood throughout all the panels there. Kaneki is happy and behaving naive/superficial/ignorant, seeing things through rose-tinted-glasses (its must have been a few days after that night and he’s still a happy pup I can’t xD) Being a little naive is Not necessarily a bad thing though for he’ll have to get serious very soon anyways. but it surely does emphasize that ‘ignoring the problems around them’ theme of last chapter. Well, actually, that’s exactly what unsettles me. I feel like all this happy go lucky will be robbed of him before he can get one of his feet back on the ground…

There’s also this visible contrast between Kaneki’s and Touka’s demeanor. While Kaneki was all smiles and stuff Touka was rather thoughtful. Kaneki is still a little high but Touka is already back to normal. It’s especially visible in that scene where Kaneki boldly said “Whenever I look at this I’ll think of you, Touka-chan.” Touka turned around and didn’t give any sort of answer/comment beside “…” <- This is a sign that she’s actually having many thoughts rn and doesn’t want to say them or doesn’t know how to say them: We know the ring holds great importance to Touka and symbolizes love, parents, past. It’s super interesting and important to mention that her giving this to Kaneki can also be interpreted as her letting go of something she was holding on to. Or well, also passing it on, so someone else (Kaneki) can hold on to it when something happens to her (or also to himself) and he needs strength and comfort. i mean, he literally said something around this line so I’d be surprised if he doesn’t look at this ring and (cries) gains new strength/hold on to it with his dear life when things gets really tragic at some point (aka soon).

What are the reason for Touka to give her parent’s ring to Kaneki? It’s a symbol of love, trust, hope and remembrance and maybe she hopes that in the situations where he can’t get hold of his own life, when he is that lost and desperate, he can still hold on to this and remember that it is one of the reasons still worth struggling for. I wonder, what are her thoughts, what is weighing on her mind rn? Is she already worrying about how he might just disappear again one day. Is she worried that something bad will happen to him. Or herself? They live a dangerous life after all and that has just been proven again when Mutsuki attacked them at :re.

some side notes: The parallels between Hikari/Arata/(Yomo) and Touka/Kaneki/(Ayato) have been present for a long time now and what if, only hypothetically, Touka dies? Will Kaneki be consumed by hatred just like Arata? Is Touka maybe already worried about something like this?

People are freaking out about the deathflags on Touka and I’m just sitting here thinking that there are lots of things that are worse than death and we have seen many examples throughout TG… So no, personally, I don’t see Touka dying. Those are flags, yes, but not exactly ‘death’-flags (I don’t want either for Touka and it’s really scary thinking about what might happen to her in the future… whatever it’ll be though, I’m convinced she won’t die. It’s… just gonna be something worse…)

And everyone’s favorite, the Centipede showed up. There are many possibliities for its interepretation. It’s associated with strength. It appeared when Kaneki was tortured. It has a direct connection to when Kaneki finally got stronger, when he started to seek out strength, when he witnessed losses and hated that feeling of not being able to protect and also when he loses control and when we first learned more about his past. So those are things/themes that we might see again soon enough as Ishida loves playing this parallelism game. So, to sum it up: Tragedy incoming.

[whittertwitter]

Schoolmaster Angus MacFarlin finished writing the following day's lesson on the chalkboard, and then turned back to his three restless, titled students, who were groaning openly at all the pages of Virgil he'd assigned them to read. Only Cutler Beckett, not quite eight years old, and small for his age, didn't complain, but smiled. He'd been enjoying reading the Aeneid.

Show of hands, who’s surprised that he was a nerd? (Pot, meet kettle, considering I took classical mythology as an elective in college and knew at least half the material when I started.)

Cutler Beckett left his book open, resting his chin on his hands as if he were reading, but he wasn't. He'd finished the chapter last night. Instead, he let his thoughts roam free, daydreaming about how someday he'd acquire a title. If I could become Sir Cutler Becket, he thought, my father would be impressed. He'd be so pleased. He'd smile at me, instead of always frowning...

One thing that will become readily apparent throughout this liveblog is that Jonathan Beckett is an asshole. He’s half the reason for the general abuse trigger warning, and easily one of the worst parents in Disney media.

The next couple paragraphs talk about the history of the Beckett family as a whole. They’re very much new-money; Raleigh Beckett--Cutler’s grandfather--started out as a cabin boy and owned a fleet of ships by the time he died. The Becketts now have a town house, an estate, and a shitload of other properties, but no title.

I'll do something notable, Cutler thought, gazing unseeingly at the Aeneid in the small schoolroom. Perhaps I'll grow tall, and become a soldier. I'll be an officer... a general! Or maybe an admiral. Admiral Sir Cutler Beckett. If I could do that, my father would be proud of me. He'd make my brothers stop saying he should have drowned me when I was born, the way you'd drown a runt pup...

First, I can’t help but wonder if “Admiral Sir Cutler Beckett” is meant to be a reference to Norrington’s original concept, where he was more interested in Elizabeth as a means to use her father. Second, @ Beckett’s brothers: YikesTM!

Cutler's elder brothers had been in their teens when he was born... a small, sickly baby that no one expected to survive. Young Cutler had surprised them all by living—and by being different. From his earliest years, he'd been fascinated by books and learning. Instead of struggling to master enough mathematics to handle accounting, and enough reading and writing to be able to write confidential business letters in a clear hand, as his older brothers had done, the youngest Beckett soon evidenced significant aptitude as a scholar. Only his sister, Jane, five years his senior shared his love of books and learning—though of course, being female, she hadn't been taught the other subjects that fascinated her little brother: history, geography, and studies of the classics in their original Greek and Latin. Proper young ladies learned French and Italian, as well as embroidery, deportment, music, and drawing.

I suspect--given the age gaps between between the eldest two and Jane and then Jane and Cutler, and the poor health of their mother and Cutler--that there were probably some miscarriages and/or infant/early childhood deaths in the family, which, sadly, was the norm during this time period. (George III of the United Kingdom, who if I remember correctly would have been born around the time On Stranger Tides took place, was considered extremely lucky because all but two of his fifteen children survived to adulthood.) And Jaaane! My darling! As a side note, I’ve been batting around the idea of her being Belle’s mother in the live action Beauty and the Beast remake, but I’ll have to wait until it comes out and see if the timelines match up before I develop it any further.

Anyway, Beckett gets jumped by the other three students, and this happens: 

Cutler knew he should fight back, should, at the very least, scream for help. Master MacFarlin might still be within earshot. But something strange seemed to have happened to him. He couldn't make himself move or react. He couldn't even blink. It was as though he'd gone somewhere else, outside himself, somewhere unconnected with his own body, which was now lying bloody and motionless on the path. Somewhere inside young Beckett's mind, he was screaming and terrified, but that part of him seemed distant and unreachable.

Surprised and unnerved by his victim's lack of reaction, Lord Marcus hesitated, the foot that he'd raised to kick Cutler suspended in midair.

So that text post meme I made yesterday? It wasn’t just for a lark; I think this is textbook dissociation, especially given its links to child abuse and PTSD.

MacFarlin chases the boys off, then tends to Beckett’s injuries and announces his intent to tell Beckett’s parents about what happened; Beckett insists that he not, for fear of triggering one of his mother’s “spells” and his father being disappointed in him for not fighting back, despite being outnumbered three to one. MacFarlin, reluctantly, agrees, but decides to give Beckett private tutoring so he doesn’t have to interact with his bullies anymore, which is probably the best he could do given the situation, tbh. (The other boys were all nobility, so telling their parents would have done jack shit.)

The schoolmaster stood in thought for a long moment, then paced back and forth, clearly troubled. Finally, he shook his head, then went over to a shelf. Taking a book down, he stood there a moment, turning it over in his hands. Cutler saw that it looked new. “I have something here for you, lad. I was going to give it to you on your birthday, but I think you should have it now. I know you'll enjoy it. You have a good imagination, and this is a book that tells of great adventures. It also has a lot of legends in it, legends about treasure.”

Cutler found himself reaching for it eagerly, his aches and pains forgotten. “Treasure?”

“Aye. Treasure.”

He placed the book in Cutler's hands, and the boy read the title. My Lyfe Amonge the Pyrates.

D’aww! Now, Jack Sparrow has also read My Lyfe Amonge the Pyrates, and I headcanon that Elizabeth found a copy of it when she was young and that she became thoroughly enamored with it before Governor Swann confiscated it, hence her thinking it would be exciting to meet a pirate in the prologue of Curse of the Black Pearl.

[libraryspectre]

Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

Rating: AAAAAAH. AAAHHHH. AHHH. (That's it, I've decided that's my new rating system. Screams.) Really more of an info dump. This is gonna be rough because I have nothing on me I am huddling on a couch on campus and I'm literally doing this because I'm procrastinating doing history work Anyway I said if I reached 200 followers I'm gonna start doing book reviews again, so here I go. I'm starting now. So, The Martian. I read this on accident. I bought it on my Kindle sometime last year and never got around to it. The other night I downloaded the Kindle app on my phone and thought, "what do I already have on here that I could read on the bus tomorrow? Oh hey, the Martian. Let's see-" And then I accidentally read the entire book. I finished at around midnight. I had class the next morning. I proceeded to watch the movie. Again, this review isn't going to be at all coherent. For one thing, I'm still reeling that he was left on Mars. Left on mars. LEFT. ON. MARS. it took me longer to process that Mark Watney had been left on Mars than it took Mark Watney to get off Mars. In about 500 days (or sols) I will still occasionally be thinking "okay but he was just leFT ON MARS." That's utterly terrifying in my opinion but ya know whatever. He deals with it, and watching him deal with it is an utter delight. There will definitely be times you just want to scream out your window because everything that can go wrong does, and the subsequent science-ing (or rolling whatever works) will have you on the edge of your seat until you and Mark can finally breathe again. I can see why that doesn't quite sound like an "utter delight" but it is because you're rooting for him. And you're so so proud of him. Now, when I write reviews I strive to find something wrong with every book because no book is perfect. So disclaimer: I wasn't actually bothered by any flaws I found, but I can see it bothering others. So flaws: The science was really heavy, but tbh if you want to skim it you can. I definitely was, I was exhausted. It doesn't detract from the story at all if you honestly don't have a freaking clue what he's talking about. In my opinion, the parts of the book that were from Mark's journal or whatever were more strongly written. What I think actually happened was that the overall tone of the book worked better from Mark's first person pov. Not sure, but something about Mark's journal entries felt stronger. I did still enjoy the other parts of the book. Now, a few things I loved: Mark. I loved Mark. I've seen quotes before, things like "I am the best botanist on the planet" and such, and went into the book with a certain impression of him. I had a good idea of his sarcastic and abrasive nature but I was completely missing something that isn't evident until you read the book. That is, Mark is a huge f-ing nerd. Like. A major nerd. He's not a cool, "I know everything about science because I am competent and manly" he's an incredibly dorky "yay science is keeping me alive! But I'm gonna complain anyway! Also I am too smol for the extra spacesuit and F pythagorus honestly". What comes off as arrogance in isolated bits of dialog is actually his coping mechanism: he tells himself he's the best and he can get through all this lol nbd because he doesn't have another choice. He's either the best or he dies. In the book, particularly through his interactions with other characters, it's clear that he actually has very little ego and is a really nice guy. I also think this book has an excellent grasp of tone. The problems feel exactly as serious as they are. If you are anything like me, you will spend the entire book panicking and celebrating small victories and crying a little. Third, this book is genuinely hilarious. There's mention of "The Great Martian Potato Migration" and I don't think I stopped cackling for the rest of the chapter. Anyway, I'm bringing this mess to a close. I recommend this book to anyone who loves survival stories, science, humor, space, and any combination thereof. One more time, that rating was: AAAAH THEY LEFT HIM ON MARS. left him on mars guys. LEFT HIM ON MARS.

[calliecat93]

RWBY V6 CH7 Review: The Grimm Reaper

(Note: This was orignally posted on my backup blog due to a series of events that was due to this blog being flagged and me unable to post until now. This is a repost from said blog.)

We are at the halfway point! Yay! God, it has been one Hell of a first half so far. Unlocked secrets, evil plotting, a wintry forest, and zombie Grimm. It has been a dark, tense, emotionally breaking journey so far and we’re only halfway through. I can only imagine what the rest of the volume is going to be like. But first, we have to get this chapter out of the way. So lets do this!

Overview

We begin in, of all places, the Haven Vault. I wonder if they ever got Vernal’s body out of there… anyways, Cinder has brought Neo there, having apparently explained to her the Maidens, Relics, and of Salem. IDK how much detail she went into, but hey it sounds like the basics were covered. The door to the dimension where the lamp was is now sealed off completely. Heck it’s not even a door anymore, just a giant stone wall. So why has Cinder told Neo all of this? Well Cinder has been forbidden form killing Ruby via Salem, which makes sense since she also forbade Tyrian form killing her back in V4. Why? No clue, but it’s probably bad. But while Cinder can’t kill our hooded heroine, Neo is under no such obligation. So if Neo helps Cinder get to Atlas so that she can reclaim the Relic and redeem herself to her mistress, then Neo can get her revenge for them both and it can be played off as an unfortunate accident. Neo seems to be on board with this plan as the two villainesses shake hands. This is not going to end well…

Speaking of not ending well, we suddenly cut to a foggy area where a woman in a blue cloak is waking along a rope-bridge. It reminds me of V1, CH8 tbh. This woman, clad in blue and wearing a skeleton mask, is the Grimm Reaper. Or, more relevant to us, a younger Maria Calavera. Yes my friends, we are in a flashback now. And it’s one Hell of an impressive one as Maria is faced with a giant Nevermore, leading to a badass fight sequence. We also get to see Maria’s weapons,  pair of sickles powered by Gravity Dust, allowing her to maneuver them at will. They are awesome! Its really hard to talk about a fight scene, but you know how the girls struggled against one Nevermore back in Volume 1? Maria handles it single-handed here, ending it via a blast of her Silver Eyes. It turns the Grimm to stone and it promptly shatters. This indicates that, when controlled, the Silver Eyes can merely petrify a Grimm and not outright obliterate it, which would explain how Ruby froze the Dragon back in V3, but didn’t kill it.

Maria may have killed the birdie, but she soon is faced with other problems. She gets ambushed by a group of bandits, who are led by a cocky Crocodile Faunus woman named Tock. She is based off the crocodile from Peter Pan, and man her design is freakin’ great. She’s a rather confident woman, already knowing who Maria is and bragging that these next sixty seconds will be the Grimm Reaper’s lasts. As she says this, she turns on a clock as her aura glows. It was revealed by one of the animators on Twitter that Tock’s Semblance is, for sixty seconds, she is completely invincible. This is demonstrated as the fight begins, the seconds ticking in the background, as while Maria can handle the other bandits, Tock gives her quite the challenge. Weapons break when they hit her and not even minor damage can be done. It’s pretty much regular aura, but multiplied by 100.

Maria gives it her all, even combining her weapons in a dual-wielding form. But Tock is able to bite it in half and knock the Grimm Reaper’s mask off. This leaves Maria’s Silver Eyes wide open, and Tock promptly slashes them. Maria is left blinded and outright screaming in pin as Tock’s Aura breaks, a consequence of using her Semblance. She mockingly offers Maria mercy since the whole reason that her ‘master’ wanted her dead was due to her eyes. I am going to assume that the 'master’ is Salem. Maria tosses one of her sickles at Tock and as the Faunus prepares for the killing blow, Maria uses the Gravity  Dust to force the one weapon into Tock’s back. This causes Tock to meet her final fate as she is pulled towards Maria, who proceeds to behead her as the flashback comes to an end.

In present day, the group is surprised by this new information. Qrow is especially stunned, having admired the Grimm Reaper and he even based his weapon off of hers. Everyone assumed that she had died at some point despite her being a legend, but she had never given away her name or shown her face. Qrow had aspired to be as good as the Grimm Reaper… to which Maria says that hes well on his way with how much of a disappointment he’s been so far. Ouch But… yeah after last chapter, Qrow had that blow coming. Maria goes on to explain how despite surgery giving hr back her vision, after the attack she chose to go into hiding and look after herself. Since a Huntress’ duty is to protect and serve others, she feels that she is a failure and not someone that another should aspire to be like. She even points out how some are already stronger than she was, looking at Yang as she does so. But the former Huntress feels guilty for hiding away, unable to help make the world a better place for the next generation.

Ruby, however, points out that Maria CAN still help make things better now. How? She can train Ruby to use the Silver Eyes. That way, Ruby can use the power to help in the fight and therefore help others the way that Maria once aspired to. Maria doesn’t give an answer to if she’ll accept this offer, but it does look like she’s considering the younger girl’s words. But that will have to wait another day as Ruby’s Scroll goes off… an to her shock, it’s Vomit Bo.. ugh, I mean Jaune! This can only mean one thing. Yes my friends, after a train crash, a demoralizing revelation, an abandoned farm, and literally losing their wills to live, our heroes have arrived at Argus safe and sound. Once in the city, they are found by JNR, with Nora giving poor Oscar a glomp for good measure. There are hugs all around, the most emotional being between Jaune and Ruby. Jaune is clearly emotional that his friends made it back safely as Ruby assures him that she had promised, and she kept it. It’s such a beautiful moment signifying that, at least, our heroes are safe and together again. After these past few chapters, it is a VERY welcome sight.

Argus itself seems to be based off San Francisco, and it looks gorgeous. The settings are beautiful, the people are actually animated and not a still frame like with Mistral, and it really feels like a major city. It’s explained that Argus, being the man trading port between Mistral and Atlas, had help from Atlas to settle a firm establishment. SO while Atlas DOES maintain a military presence until recently, the city falls under Mistral domain and is one of the largest locations outside the main kingdom. And now that everyone’s together, there is the matter of living arrangements. As it turns out, Jaune already has this covered as we soon see a young blonde haired, blue eyed woman. This is Saphron Cotta-Arc. That’s right folks, this is one of Jaune’s long-awaited sisters. I believe that Ruby’s reaction speaks for all of us XD

When at the house, Saphron explains that she moved out of the Arc household as soon as she could as she teases her baby brother. It leads to some cute, funny banter as Jaune insists that he’s not a baby, but there IS an actual baby. Saphron’s infant son, Adrian, who pouts at his uncle’s implication. Which… OMG Jaune is an uncle… JAUNE IS AN UNCLE!!! Also Adrian is an absolute cutie patootie and I will let Weiss and Yang’s reactions speak for me. But yeah, it turns out that Jaune was inspired by Saphron setting out on her own to do the same, which she has no problems rubbing in his face. It leads to more cute banter before they are interrupted by the arrival of a young woman named Terra. And she is Saphron’s wife. Yes my friends, you read that right. Wife. IDK if they’re both lesbian or one or both is bi or whatever, but yes my friends, we have a married LGBT couple in the show at long last! I’ll go more into this in the review portion, bUT OMG YES! SO MUCH YES!!!

The lovebirds are more than happy with housing the group due to how Huntsmen and Huntresses give so much to protect people like them that they feel that it’s the least that they can do. Terra does question the use of students though, which Qrow does a.. meh job at passing off. But it’s okay, they have sandwiches! During this, Terra has to answer a call as Saphron explains that Terra works as a technician at the main radar tower. But it’s also where the military’s systems are housed, so things are buggy and poor Terra is getting the blame. Welt hat sucks. Int he meantime, the gang pan their next move. They intend to go to the military the next day and discuss getting transport to Atlas. But… well Jaune explains that they already tried… and the episode ends with the military base doors closing right into Team RWBYs faces. And no one was surprised.

Review

Guys… I can’t believe. We actually got a happy episode! Nothing bad, at least outside the flashback, happened whatsoever! The characters were… happy and laughing and cooing at cute babies! MILES AND KERRY HAVE FINALLY GRANTED US MERCY! HALELLUJAH!!!

Okay in all seriousness, this episode was great. We were in desperate need for a breather episode, and Thank God we got one. It feels kinda like Chapter 7 form last volume when RWY and JNR were catching up. But I feel like this one did a much better job since it both had some nice action, buildup for what’s coming next, and the build-up to this felt much more natural. But yeah… God IDK where to start with this one…

As I said, Argus looks absolutely stunning. It is probably the best-designed location in the series so far. And this time it felt alive and animated, unlike with Mistral where it used stills and then we spent mos to four time in a house. We actually got to explore a little bit this time, and it made the city feel all the more like… well, a city, as a result. The San Francisco vibes with the tram car and the theater were also super well done and made the city feel unique compared to previous settings. Major kudos to the art and compositing team here, they nailed it.

This was an excellent follow-up to the Brunswick Farms storyline. We get to see what Cinder is up to and set up for her and Neo’s next move. Enough to remind us that something is coming our heroes way, but it doesn’t drag or feel forced in. It presented us what we needed to know and look forward to their next move. On the good guys side, after all the Hell that they went through these past six volumes, they FINALLY got to catch a break. They made it to Argus safely, their moods have greatly improved, and they are once more focused on the task at hand. Hard to say if they feel any better about Ozpin yet, and considering we still haven’t seen Jaune man-handle Oscar, I assume that it’s gonna come up soon. But for right now, it’s just good to see our heroes happy and laughing again. Heck I got close to chocking up when Jaune and Ruby hugged and just seeing the pure relief on the paladin’s face. He’s earned it. They all have more than earned it.

The flashback, and in turn the deeper insight into Maria’s character, were also absolutely fantastic. Maria was a pure badass in her younger days and, while I wish that there was more foreshadowing (like mentioning the Grimm Reaper in passing or something), I absolutely can see why she was a legend. Once more CRWBY shows us a fast-paced, badass fight sequence and they all look so good. They’ve been striving much harder with the fights, which makes sense since it was one of the biggest complaints about V5, and it is very much appreciated. They are doing Monty proud. And Tock is such a fun one-time antagonist. Wicked design, awesome Semblance, a cocky but fun personality, her screentime was short but she made sure to own every second of it. And gotta say this, she had one Hell of a death scene!

It also served to help make Maria feel all that well-rounded of a character. I’ve loved her since the moment that she first introduced herself, and I’ve been loving her more and more with each new chapter. She’s sassy and independent, but wise and considering she stowed away on the train as all the chaos was brewing, has a noble spirit. And when you think about it, her stowing away makes sense. She feels guilty for hiding away after losing her eyes and being unable to move forward after it. She doesn’t come off as a weakling or a coward, she comes off as a sympathetic old woman who knows that she’s made missteps, and feels guilty because she failed to do her part to make things better. Hopefully she will agree to train Ruby and be the guiding light that the girl needs to master her powers and continue to help make people’s lives better. But yeah, so far Maria is the best new character in the show, and this episode truly solidified that.

But speaking of new characters, let us talk about the Cotta-Arc’s. First, I love Saphron. She’s bubbly, energetic, and super charming. The way that she teases Jaune is so silly, but you can tell that she loves her little brother and how affectionate she is. Getting to meet one of Jaune’s sisters at long last was a real treat and her and Jaune’s interactions were a major highlight for me. As for Terra, she also seems like a friendly lady, more than happy to house Huntsmen for all the good that they do for others. And Adrian I a total cutie and I still can’t believe that Jaune is a freakin uncle. I love it so much!

But of course, let us talk about the importance of these characters. They r 4our first LGBT couple in the series. We have Ilia, who I adore and she was a good first step, but now we have an actual married couple in the series. This is EXACTLY how you do representation. RT’s had a couple of examples of LGBT at this point (The Millers in Camp Camp, Agent Ohio (lesbian) and Sister (bi) in RvB, Skout in Nomad, Grimmons (RvB) in my own dreamworld) and so far they’ve done a good job. But aside form The Millers, this is the first blatant married couple that they’ve put into the show. And it was done beautifully. Saphron and Terra are portrayed as friendly young women with no stereotypes or cliches attached. They come across as regular people who are in love and just happen to both be women. Terra calls Saphron 'hon’, Saph goes to help her with groceries, they hold hands while sitting together, Saph is understanding when Terra has to answer a work call, it’s super sweet and, well… normal. And no one questions it or even addresses it when Terra comes in. They’re treated like any other couple, ad THIS is how you do proper representation. You portray your characters as people first and foremost, and then just let them be a couple. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it or put it under a spotlight. Let it be normal. Let it not be questioned. It is a VERY positive portrayal of LGBT characters and it made me cry in happiness when I watched it the first time. Thank you CRWBY. Thank you so much for this.

Final Thoughts

What more can I say? This episode was fantastic! A new setting, enjoyable new characters, a badass fight sequence, and plenty of build-up for what’s to come. But most of all, it was a positive episode. The characters got to be happy, and as such I was happy. Of course it makes me worry for what evil Miles and Kerry are going to unleash next, but hey at least they know when to finally let us breathe. This episode was very much welcomed, and I loved every second of it! Th first half of V6 has been a lot of things, but the one thing that it hasn’t been is disappointing. I eagerly await the second half for what is currently a strong contender for the best volume since V3! Great job CRWBY!

[atopearth]

Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster Part 4 - Chapter 5, Ending and Overall Impressions

I found it so funny when the commsphere Shinra dumped into the hole to the Farplane was fixed by Gippal and he asked Nooj what he’s gonna do about Leblanc since they’re risking their lives there to save Baralai from Shuyin and Vegnagun, and right when Nooj answers, the connection dies, so Leblanc doesn’t get to hear it hahahaha. Good thing is that Leblanc is a straightforward person though, so even if she didn’t get to hear it, then she’ll just go straight to the Farplane to ask him, gotta admire her spirit and her love for him! Hilarious when Brother was talking about his love for the Yuna that keeps facing forward and doesn’t mind that his feelings will never be reciprocated and then tells Barkeep that they’re cool bachelors and then Barkeep is like “Speak for yourself, sonny” in his Hypello way hahahhaha and then a female Hypello comes along LOL. Funniest thing was if you talk to Paine, she’s like, I think I saw two Barkeeps, then she thinks she needs more sleep hahahaha! Buddy talking about how he and Brother formed the Gullwings when they went all the way north to some ice place to find the Celsius (airship) and ended up being guided by a gull and also surviving by eating a gull too LOLL, I guess the gull sacrificed itself for a good cause, because without it, they wouldn’t have formed the Gullwings and then Yuna wouldn’t have joined and saved the world once again haha.

Visiting Zanarkand first since there was apparently a bug in the original game where you might not get the episode complete if you came here last, that would suck! Anyway, not surprised Maechen was an unsent considering him always popping up anywhere he wanted and knowing so many things, I wonder how it feels to live for 1000 years just to tell stories of the past to people and experience so many things. It’s crazy to think how important that handshake was in the beginning of the game, since he was actually the one in that sphere recording who was so happy to have been able to shake Lenne’s hand 1000 years ago! And now that he shook Yuna’s hand, it reminded him of the fact that he’s actually already dead. Glad to know he had a happy long life.

(I don’t know what I did wrong but I don’t think I’m getting 100% and at this point in time, I honestly don’t care anymore because I’ve spent more time being frustrated than playing this game so whatever lol) I still don’t like Beclem btw, so I don’t really care that he’s leaving Besaid lol, the only thing I agree with is that they really do need to work the Besaid Aurochs to the bone! They’re pretty bad lmao. Wakka thinking carefully about what he should name his son was nice, a name is very important, so I think taking your time is good, I’m glad Lulu really wanted him to be the one to name him. I’m surprised Wakka doesn’t think Lulu relies on him at all, like dude! She’s ready to have a baby with you, I doubt she’d do that if she didn’t think you were reliable at all! Have more confidence in yourself, Wakka! I guess everyone is getting back together, lol at Dona having practised her lines so many times for trying to get Barthello back to live with her, since he’s been at Kilika temple all this time as a New Yevon supporter. Your beliefs are important, but so is your partner, so it’s good that everyone has stopped fighting and people can come together again regardless of their beliefs, it’s about time they stopped fighting and whining lol.

Lolll at Rikku being the culprit for the hover crash at Mi'ihen highroad hahahaha! She legit didn’t even notice that the hover crashed because it was trying to dodge her and when she jumped down a ledge, she fell on a machina and that’s why it went crazy lol. She caused so much trouble on the highroad without even realising lolll. Guess it’s good that Rin only made her clean all the rubbish on the road haha. Luca…was really just Yuna walking around reminiscing the memories of spending time with Tidus here, which is nostalgic and nice. Who doesn’t miss Tidus? XD It was kinda cool that we got to fight Lucil, always thought she was pretty cool, I liked her speech and think that she’s a very strong and worthy leader. She knows how to unite and lead people. Even without Nooj, you can tell that the Youth League will be fine with her there.

That Djose machine experiment was very interesting, don’t wanna dig to repair and make it stronger though😢 Lmao at Tobli’s success now when he was in so much debt before, I guess Yuna’s influence can just make everything go well lol. Having Tromell lead the Guado is the best choice. Considering all that the Guado had done and all the reflection they’ve gone through most of the game, with the Ronsos looking forward instead of back as well, it’s for the best that we let go of the past and hope to improve the future instead. I feel like Cid had a very crappy role in this game lol, I liked him in FFX so I’m kinda disappointed that his character is rather…questionable now with the things he did to Zanarkand and not really playing a role to redeem all that. Seeing O'aka and Wantz bond again and take care of the Macalania agency together was heartwarming though, nice to see that these brothers are still doing well and are hopeful for the future!

After finding all the cactuars (lmao at the tenth one being with the “wrong crowd” aka the rogue cactuars that don’t want to fulfill their duties) and lolll, never thought I’d see a Jumbo Cactuar! Easy fight but nice to see it lol. If only it had a moustache hahaha. That boss you have to kill afterwards though, he had so much life! Luckily it was a simple fight and I earned so much AP from it lol. Legit just used two Dark Knights using the darkness skill alongside Yuna Curaga-ing haha, all I did was hold the ‘x’ button to win XD Good to see everyone respect Kimahri again and understand that he’s wise and caring. It’s nice to see that Yuna doesn’t need Kimahri to protect her anymore, so he can now protect his tribe, and although things were a bit rocky, it all worked out! Now on to some annoying sidequests! Accessing the secret chocobo ranch dungeon was easily the most tiring and annoying thing ever. It was SO time consuming. I spent so long looking and capturing chocobos in the Thunder Plains to get 4 that had a max level of 5 zzzz. Then, I had to level them and fight 7 random battles in between until they were all level 5 AND THEN the dungeon itself was annoying because it doesn’t have a map omg. I just googled a map because I couldn’t take it lol. The only good thing about it was getting the AP egg so now one of my characters can earn triple the AP yay! Otherwise, legit so tired lol. Especially since I did the Mi'ihen dungeon as well with all the wall bombing to proceed zzz.

Anyway, things just get more tedious. Was digging at the Central Expanse for the Desert key and to upgrade the machine experiment in Djose and gg, could not find the key at all so I gave up lol. I tried to fight the machine without being properly prepared using my crappy dresspheres and I died hahahaah. I learnt my lesson XD Needed the last two crimson spheres so went to the Via Infinito and dang am I getting motion sickness with all that jumping. My head hurts so much lol. Think I need to level and use my mascot dresspheres though, the elder drake kills me hahaha. Btw, the mascot dresspheres are so cute lmao, Yuna as a moogle, Rikku as a Cait Sith and Paine as a Tonberry is hilarious to look at, I’m going to enjoy using them in battle hahaha. Really cute to see Paine opening up and show her feelings and how much she appreciates Yuna and Rikku being her friends and trying their best to talk to her, it was a funny but nice scene. I never knew/remembered that when Yuna uses the warrior dressphere, her sword is the Brotherhood! That’s so sweet to see!

Kinda surprised that when you go to the Den of Woe, they figure out that Shuyin was the one controlling Nooj and that’s why he shot Paine, Baralai and Gippal when they escaped two years ago, and that now Shuyin is in Baralai’s body. Thought they established that already and that the den made people crazy because of his extreme depression and feelings of having to relive Lenne’s death with the pyreflies since they practically replay strong memories. Anyway, that’s done and dusted so time to finish levelling and go through the Via Infinito? XD Annnnd I gave up on the Via Infinito lol! Got to like level 60 (I think) but I cbb with the way stats work in this game and how you can’t max it etc, so you’re reliant on garment grids, switching dresspheres to get the most benefits such as going past 9999 HP and damage and the accessories, and the tower itself was tedious (and motion sickness inducing LOL, why am I weak) and you don’t even get much out of it (after defeating Penance in FFX and feeling no sense of accomplishment, it’s just so not worth my time lol), so yeah I can’t be bothered😬 Aaaand I spent so much time getting most dresspheres to 100%, I’m tired😖 And lol my characters are like level 99 or close to there because I was so tired of levelling myself….so I kinda cheated and stuck a rubber band on the analog stick to move it to the left and another rubber band with a battery on it to stay on the x button and voila! DIY levelling machine lmao. I just threw Yuna at the Thunder Plains and made someone constantly heal and the rest use skills to max the (annoying) Mascot dresspheres and others lol, yay.

Anyway, Vegnagun! Yes, Leblanc never was the type to just wait there quietly for Nooj to come back haha. And yes, Vegnagun is a machina created by humans so technically, it should be possible to be destroyed without it killing everyone in Spira. But anyway, the best thing was Yuna’s speech to everyone when Nooj suggested to sacrifice himself to kill Vegnagun and Shuyin. I was touched with her words tbh, because she’s right, it was so difficult to see all the fayth die in FFX because they had “no choice” and that they had to “accept” that this is what they had to do, and Yuna did accept it and do it, but in the end, she’s only left with regret, pain and the loss of people that should be beside her that aren’t. They need to stop sacrificing people in order to win, because it’s not really a win when you lose so many before it. And although it’s cheesy to have everyone combine their powers to take down each part of Vegnagun, it’s very sweet too because it feels like the spirit of the game, and it feels like we should get to finally have a happy ending. So weird to see Shuyin use all of Tidus’ skills but just with another name lmao. And as expected, Lenne comes out of the dressphere (pretty much) and so Shuyin finally gets to talk to her properly and fade together with her and rest in peace😊

And omggg the fayth appeared and asked Yuna at the flower field/farplane whether she really wants to see Tidus again! Guess I got 100% completion??? (Edit: I got 99% zzzz) I’m happy that New Yevon (Baralai), Youth League (Nooj) and the Machine Faction (Gippal) can finally unite together and understand that they’re all a part of Spira and really don’t need to fight, although I do think that the fighting between them was rather awkward? They had differing perspectives but they resulted in physical fighting and kinda like war so prematurely without really thinking about it, you really can’t blame Shuyin for being pissed that Spira is still like how it was 1000 years ago lol. Anyway, everyone’s happy now so yay. Yuna really did have another long journey in this game to save the world, so she really should and deserves to go back home to Besaid. Always great to see Yuna and Tidus get to reunite at Besaid just like how he first came about, and to reunite with everyone at Besaid too! That’s where they can both truly call home so yeah that was nice. I YouTubed the perfect ending scenes and yeah, I prefer the normal more, I don’t think it was necessary lol.

Overall, I still have mixed feelings over FFX-2. On one hand, it was nice to see Spira after the Calm and the problems that come with that alongside a new Yuna that has lost the chains of responsibility with the happy Rikku and stoic Paine that has a background that unfolds alongside the plot of this game, and just see them go on pretty carefree adventures and have fun. On the other hand, I wasn’t really a fan of the garment grids or the dresspheres but it was still okay, but I guess it just felt like since it’s supposed to be more of a fan service game, I should have enjoyed it more? But instead I thought it was kinda boring? And the 100% completion attempt (that failed) killed me lol. I guess the story wasn’t very appealing, it’s good that it was light hearted and it was fun to follow the girls around and see their perspective of things, but I guess it lacked the fun and adventure that a lot of games have, instead it was kinda just like a short story about nothing that wanted to talk about something (saving the world again) when the only thing that really resonated with me was the last bit with Yuna when she said she had enough of people sacrificing themselves for peace. Basically, all right game but not very satisfying if you wanted something more from FFX (until you see Tidus at the end I guess) and not very interesting as a standalone imo.