#we're almost done... just the final trial still to go...]

[vicsbasement]

From what we’ve seen so far it almost looks like Carlos has been trying to make it easier for Charles? Take the chili plushie clip, Carlos is clearly teary eyed but he still tries to make Charles laugh. He is the one who’s hurting but he puts his own hurt aside because he notices that Charles is sad too and he has to make him laugh, because if there’s something else I’ve noticed in the past years is that Carlos loves seeing Charles happy

Anon! Firstly, are you the same anon from the other day? Let me kiss your brain, because I love talking about these boys so so so much and for some reason people really enjoyed the conversation we had. Anyway!!!! Let's talk about this for a second. Carlos is definitely having a hard time. If we're going blindly on the timeline, we have to assume Carlos knows about his exit from Ferrari ever since before the Dakar finale, (this is just especulation, though, because we don't know for certain) and he sort of, kind of, blew off Ferrari and the Maranello trials to go celebrate with his dad. Pretty sure he wouldn't have done this if he didn't have enough leverage on Ferrari because the trials at Maranello are SUPER important, but first, his dad just won Dakar at his age, and then he's like: well, I mean, I'm getting kicked out of the team anyway and I won't be active during the development of the next car, so, whatever, let's just do this,-- and he went and did it. That's my idea. He needed to be with his father because they all knew. I'm pretty sure they even knew during the training camp at Madrid / Portugal because he's surrounded by friends and already doing the absolute most to get in an amazing shape because he needs to be his best version this year. But-- then when he meets up with Charles again, Charles even feels blindsided. Because like I said previously, Lewis is Lewis. And he comes with sponsors and 7 world titles and his experience and all of a sudden Charles isn't really Ferrari's most important figure inside the team. So they're both trying to soothe each other. Because for the first time ever, Charles doesn't feel like the golden boy, he probably even feels like Ferrari did him dirty (that's what I would've thought, anyway) because who pays two or three times your salary to your second driver? Not any team, that's for certain. Carlos was stability for Charles and it's like his world was thrown off its axis. They were equals, similar in status, genuinely a good team. Charles feels bad and Carlos sees it, because he's lost his teammate, they were supposed to beat Ferrari's record of the teammates that lasted longer and now, well.

And Carlos knows this, and sees Charles handling it just as bad as himself and goes: well. If I don't have to think about this, and make him laugh, then neither of us need to focus on this, right? And the first challenge rolls around and he's tired but Charles is doing his best so why not sing until Charles' annoyed so he doesn't have to see how bone-tired Carlos is? He's sort of protecting Charles' heart by protecting his own. And then there's the little chili and I can simply see Carlos' thought process: this is the last first race of the year with Ferrari, and someone gifted him a chili. And he's chili and he's smooth operator and he's supposed to be fine, but his throat closes up and his eyes fill with tears and he doesn't want Charles to see him like this but it's so much. So he tries to laugh it off. And when he sees that Charles is also thinking the same thing he says, well. At least we're in this together. So he makes Charles laugh by saying he was a chili, too. We don't know what he means, but Charles is so fond and so filled with nostalgia that he laughs, anyway, even though his throat is dry and his eyes are filled with tears. And he gets to keep the chili plushie after Carlos reminded him they're supposed to part ways.

Remember Monza 2022? When Carlos completely ignored the woman who was guiding him to the back of the track so he could follow protocol? And he broke protocol to ask Charles if he was okay? Yeah, that's Carlos, to me. And I no longer feel like he's the only one capable of doing that for Charles, I really have seen Charles fight british and italian press and tell them to respect Carlos' last year in Ferrari, and I see Charles perfectly capable to soothe Carlos as much as Carlos has tried to soothe him. Because he's mourning in front of all of us, basically. And Carlos did go to Jeddah not only to help Ollie, but for Charles' sake, too. Did you see the smile Charles had on his face when they asked him about Carlos and he said that he'd called Senior and he'd told him that it was all okay and that he might've been going to the track later that day? He's doing that in front of all of us, showing us how much Carlos means to him. This is the best and worst time for Charlos fans right now and we have to deal with these two behaving like that for the rest of the year. I don't know how we're going to cope. Again, thank you for sending me these, because I just love to type until I don't make any sense.

[minyard-05]

Golden Update

tag list: @kevinsdsy @ashestoashes7 @you-know-i-get-itt @thesunrisecourt @mostlyvoid-partiallyflowers @heartstringgs @mqmneee @millportisntreal @bsideheart

hi everybody!!! it's me, orpheus, author of this little fic that i didnt think would be anything and then part 1 ended up being almost 40k 😂. i started this on july 13th 2024, and now it's exactly 8 months later (YIKES) so now's as good a time as any to post this

i just wanted to give you all a heads up because i'm making some changes to how this whole project is going to be structured moving forward. the plan to cover aaron's entire life from age 13 up until his trial [possibly his 21st birthday] is very much still in place but as you can see this is a series now!! that's because i have some smaller pieces/oneshots some of which belong in the Golden universe but aren't from aaron's perspective (e.g my sebastian moore oneshot thats currently the only other thing in this series lol)

additionally, i want to also make sure that in case i can't finish it for whatever reason, i'll still be able to end the project in a good ending place rather than potentially leaving cliffhangers. so you also may have noticed that this fic, Golden, has ended. 12/12 chapters, we're DONE.

....except aaron's still 13. so what i'm doing is dividing his life into about 6 seperate timeslots, each of which will have their own fic covering it. this was obviously the California section, next we'll have Columbia and aaron's time in highschool, then his freshman year of college, and his sophomore year, which will most likely all be split up into Foxhole Court, Raven King, and King's Men, a la the canon trilogy.

this is going to make it a lot easier for me to navigate my own work, and will also help you guys as readers because you can jump in to any part of the story and just read what you want to. if you have notifications on for this fic, i'd recommend turning them on for the series as well, that way you'll get email updates about everything. my tumblr tag list will remain the same unless anybody asks to be added/removed.

that just about covers everything, if you have any questions then let me know, and finally THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! this fic has been such a fun ride for me i love aaron i love writing about him and creating all of these intricate little details about his life while i have creative liberty to do whatever i want with him lmao. to everybody's who's been here since day one, i love you all so much you've been absolutely amazing to write for, i have read every single comment on this fic and loved every single one. thank you one million times over for reading and sticking with me despite my inconsistent posting

it means the world that so many of you have loved reading this fic as much as i have loved writing it, i hope you'll join me for the next installment and i hope i can do both aaron and you justice <33333

thank you again and tune in next time for Columbia and (groan) high school, in Twilight.

love, orpheus :P

PS: if you've read Golden and you haven't read my lovely friend gia's EXCEPTIONAL sebastian & aaron fic then u are wasting your time!!! go give it a read it's fantastic and i couldntve asked for a better gift <33

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62627260

[acourtoffandomsandfics]

Coyote

The deputy was doing well in his trials, leagues better than the other prospects. The Eli problem would be dealt with soon, and it was time to cull the herd. Jacob strolled casually between rows and rows of dog crates, pointing out every few cages, selecting his sacrifices. The occupants of each selected cage were promptly dragged away by one of his Chosen, kicking and screaming because they knew by now the price they would pay for weakness. He'd save some of the strong ones to shape into soldiers when he was done breaking them, and the rest could be dog food. When he approached the final cage, he paused to contemplate the quiet stare he was met with. Was this one already broken? Catatonic? He'd never even taken her in for a trial yet, how weak was she that she would break just from cage time? “Are we getting this over with now?”

Jacob cocked an eyebrow at the tired, monotone voice. Even his own Chosen didn't speak first without being spoken to. Everyone was some level of terrified or intimidated by him aside from his brothers. Was there strength in her boldness, or weakness in her willingness to die? Jacob dismissed his soldiers, opting to handle this personally. He opened the crate and reached in, grabbing a fistful of matted, dirty hair, and drug the woman out. There was no kicking and screaming, she didn't even seem to register the pain of having her hair pulled. She looked up at him with hooded amber eyes, the setting sun hitting them and causing them to almost glow golden. She reminded him of a coyote caught in a trap. Not strong or large enough to be a wolf, but pathetic and snarling, and maybe cunning enough for a coyote.

“You're so weak you're not even going to fight? You're not going to try?” Jacob wasn't used to this sort of weakness. Blubbering, crying, whining, puking and begging were all normal. Flailing and fighting and screaming were par for the course. Looking into this prisoner's eyes, he felt… hesitant. Jacob never hesitated. Hesitating gets people killed, he'd always said. Still, he was drawn to this coyote he'd caught, intrigued by the way she laid limp against his grasp despite how her scalp must ache. The way she seemed almost… bored.

With a deep sigh, the coyote woman responded. “Do you think I'm fuckin stupid?” Jacob's eyes widened and a laugh escaped his lips. “You really don't want me to answer that.” She rolled her eyes and frowned. “I know where we go when we're out of the cage. It's not a trial, I could hear you talking about it earlier. That means someone passed the trial and you don't need us. I'm not soldier material so I'm dog food. I made peace with it.” Making peace was one thing, but being cavalier in the face of death was another and Jacob was far too curious now to let this go.

“Alright. Let's see how brave you are then. Get up,” he commanded, nudging her with the barrel of his rifle. “I trust you can walk without me holding your hand, since you're so brave and at peace,” he sneered. The woman stood and walked with immaculate posture, the only way she could reclaim any of her dignity as she walked this last walk. Jacob prodded her in the direction of a different pen than the others were taken to- he didn't want the others to interfere with this new experiment of his. A large corral-like pen held a dozen of his biggest and best Judge wolves, who all snarled and began to pace upon seeing their master with what was to be their next meal. “Sure you're not ready to put up a fight? You'd get a head start if you were fast enough, I'm not even touching you,” Jacob taunted.

With another deep sigh, the woman looked around her, taking everything in. “Scanning the horizon? You expecting someone?” Jacob asked, his patience running low. “Just getting one last good look at nature before I become part of it,” she replied somberly, before opening the latch to the Judges pen herself and stepping in, shutting it behind her. This was unprecedented, and only served to further confuse Jacob. Is this weakness? Is choosing death with dignity stronger than dying as a sobbing, screaming mess? Reaching the middle of the pen with the Judges drawing closer, she turned back to face him. “Look me in the eyes.” He obliged, and she continued. “My name is Kaliska. You'll see my eyes when you close yours. This is not you winning the game. This is me refusing to play.”

[emiko-matsui]

wait but which goes wrong play had the most miatakes fr 😭

Ah, let's make a fun little list, shall we!!

11. Cornley Drama Festival

A surprise to no one probably we have our lowest one here. Can't be that many mistakes when it isn't scripted, right? Well, wrong, but each part of the Cornley Drama Festival had 64 mistakes. Counted them individually because it would be unfair to add them up

10. 90 Degrees

A surprise to many! This was one of the most guessed episodes for MOST mistakes. If the set hadn't been built sideways it would've been Cornley's most successful episode of all fucking time. 90 Degrees is coming in with a motherfucking whooping record of only 77 mistakes

9. The Lodge

Also a shockingly low amount of mistakes, but worry not, we've already reached the hundreds! A very sweet episode with only 108 mistakes. Yes, again, a record breaking low for the society. They actually seem quite professional at this end of the list comparing to the other...

8. Harper's Locket

Yes, now we're onto the good stuff... Our mistake counter is up to 110 mistakes as Harper's Locker airs and it's only gonna get better (worse)! Still quite nice!

7. The Spirit of Christmas

Classic episode and very run of the mill mistake counter. Many mistakes, disastrous show, very fun! 116 mistakes that could've been slashed in half if they'd used prop alcohol for Robert.

6. The Most Lamentable

Halfway there and we're coming in with a fan favourite! Just beating The Spirit of Christmas with a single mistake we have a nice and round 117 over here. Feels like it should've been more, but we're gonna have some surprise spots on this list...

5. A Trial To Watch

Beating season 2's fan favourite with, once again, only one more mistake, is season 1's fan favourite, A Trial To Watch! 118 mistakes, and rightly suspected, Dennis stands for most of them! I love you, Dennis.

4. The Pilot (Not The Pilot)

Of course The Pilot (Not The Pilot) is up here amongst the best (worst!) episodes, it's one of the all time classics. Standing proud with 119 mistakes it is rightfully one of the best (worst) episodes they've done

3. The Nativity

And here we are with the episode that made Robert finally perform his coup. The Nativity. And, all credit where credit is due, it was, at the time, Chris' worst production thus far that prompted Robert to go for the successful coup. 120 mistakes.

2. There Is No Escape

There Is No Escape truly for the Cornley Drama Society. Probably the biggest shocker here, because when I did this poll almost nobody guessed this episode. Chris got back his title as director and then immediately went and did his worst performance yet. Even worse than the episode that got him couped! 123 mistakes!

1. Summer Once Again

Here we finally are... Yes, ignoring the number two spot, you were right. Of fucking course Summer Once Again had the most mistakes! Robert couped and did the worst job they've ever done! And it's not even close! The previous like 7 episodes have been like a mistake or two more than the previous. Chris' worst episode is 123 mistakes and Robert, always vying to outdo Chris, barrels down the door with 142 mistakes.

[squeakyleftsneaker]

Watching Voltron for the 1st Time: S2 Ep. 8-10

Hi so in this post I have a mild to moderate case of headloss in the extreme. Just a fair warning! I WILL lose it! MORE THAN ONCE. Anyway if you want the lore on why I'm watching this ancient show on a sketchy website in 2025, CLICK HERE! But if you don't want to read The Lore then the short version is that I am Afraid of middle schoolers. These episodes have been some of my favorites so far, and so this post is going to be A BIG ONE.

DUDE THIS SHIT RULES

Shiro said "I'm taking my emotional support Keith" and good for him

I keep singing "The Real Blade of Marmalade" in my head to the tune of Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera.

Keith and Shiro heart to hearts are the backbone of this show dawg. And Shiro's winged eyeliner. He really kills it there.

"Ulaz had a penchant for ignoring orders and following impulses" HM THAT SOUNDS LIKE KEITH and Shiro thinks so too because Shiro is immediately defending him. Based, true, etc.

I LOVE that Shiro has never seen this damn knife and for all he knows Keith stole it and Shiro is still willing to fucking blow it all up if he has to. For such a control freak he's got his limits

Wow Keith is SHORT I guess his alien parent we're still pretending is a surprise didn't impart the tall genes onto him

Shiro has an unshakeable faith in Keith which. I would like to see shaken for The Plot but also would love to see reinforced in a way that Saves The Plot.

Bye ofc his hallucinatory dream of deepest desires is Shiro. And ofc Shiro is deeply disturbed by this. AND THE FACT THAT HE CHANGES HIS MIND ABOUT DIGGING DEEP INTO THE KNIFE TO FOLLOW SHIRO AT THE END?

I'M. HIS DAD IS A FUCKIGN. COUNTRY BOY? A FUCKING YEEHAW ASS. WHAT

I'M .

THE FUCK YOU MEAN HIS DAD IS. A FUCKING ALIENFUCKER????? WHAT IS HAPPENING

KEITH'S MOM GOT THIS YEEHAWASS COWBOY PREGNANT AND I'M SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY WITH THAT???

KEITH'S UNNAMED MOTHER FUCKED THIS YEEHAW MAN???? WHAT IS HAPPENING DAWG

I LOST MY MIND SO HARD I POSTED ABOUT THIS I CAN'T COPE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT KEITH IS THE PRODUCT OF A YEEHAWASS KENTUCKY FRIED ALIENFUCKER AND AN ALIEN AND HIS NAME IS FUCKING KEITH

I'm. Reeling. I've lost it.

Shiro murking everyone and starting a whole diplomatic incident to get to Keith is such Keith-coded behavior. Cute.

"It doesn't matter where I come from, I know who I am" Yeah you're Shiro's... whatever they are.

Lance getting a mousie smooch got me to crack a smile I am growing fond of him

Hunk and Keith are a fun duo when they stop making Hunk the butt of a cruel joke.

AND having Hunk be the one to figure out how to get the scaultrite? GOOD. LET HIM BE SMART FINALLY FFS

Keith getting betrayed by some mf he helped poor dawg

STOP KEITH IS DOING SOME BABY LEADER SHENANIGANS WITH HUNK???? CUTE. CUTEEEEEEEEE. SHIRO WOULD BE SO PROUD

Shiro with Slav is me with the writers of this show. My god. The headloss. Next level. I love. I also love Slav, who is almost at my level of compulsive ritual doing. I can match his freak I fear. Shiro absolutely losing it over this guy is like. Peak to me.

Lance's insecurity moment NAUR I SURE HOPE THEY EXPLORE THIS FURTHER AND DON'T JUST RESOLVE IT OFFSCREEN

Shiro finally feels like he's around my age and not aged 80 years by space jail and all it took was someone who matches my freak in disordered thought I COULD FIX HIM MAMA

There Is Still Some Factor Of Suckage

These trials were concocted in a way that I think was. Hamstrung. I think they could've done a little more! No shame in taking inspo from the many many tests for Jedi/force sensitives in Star Wars. The "You are not meant to go through that door" fighting is cool, but there could've been something transitioning from that better into the Acid Trip Dream

Really disappointing that Keith didn't get a magical girl transformation into an alien when his knife got a magical girl transformation.

HOW THE FUCK DID THEY THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO NOT SHOW US THE FUCKING REVEAL TO THE TEAM THAT KEITH IS AN ALIEN

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM

THEY FIND OUT KEITH IS ALIENISH AND WE DON'T GET TO SEE IT???? THIS BIG PIVOTAL CHARACTER MOMENT WHERE WE CAN SEE CHARACTERS REACT IS GOING TO HAPPEN OFFSCREEN FOR W H Y

I'M SO

MY HEAD IS ON MARS FIRST THEY GET ME A HALF-ALIEN HALF-COWBOY NAMED KEITH CUNTRY NO LAST NAME AND NOW THEY DO ALL THE PIVOTAL CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP SHIFTS COMPLETELY OFFSCREEN?????? I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE DAWG I AM SEETHING

THIS IS LIKE THE ONLY SHOW I CAN THINK OF WHERE THIS WOULD HAPPEN

Would it kill these writers to stop making Hunk the butt of a cruel joke every 2 seconds it's really genuinely so grating

I'm sorry I'm still not over it tfym they had a key moment happen completely offscreen and just moved on from that

Are they

Stupid

What

This episode really felt like a nothingburger filler beyond giving us Shiro going insane with this annoying little predetermination creature, because it set up Lance feeling insecure and then we just have to. Pretend it's resolved? When it's not? Like him having one good shot isn't like... an actual resolution and. Why. Why are we. I might go insane if I keep thinking about this.

WHY DON'T WE GET MORE SHIRO AND PIDGE BONDING OVER KNOWING HER FAM

Speaking of did Keith know Pidge before? Presumably Shiro knew of Pidge because like. If your other 2 mission partners are related and have a smart lil family member they would talk about them. And Shiro seems like he'd defend his Emotional-Support-Stray-Cat-I-Mean-Keith at all costs so like.

ACTUALLY NVM THESE WRITERS WOULDN'T GIVE A FUCK

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THIS SHOW GO FUCKING CRAZY BECAUSE TFYM WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE WELL THOUGHT OUT EPISODE DETAILING THE DEGREE TO WHICH KEITH AND SHIRO RELY ON EACH OTHER AND THE WAYS THAT TRUST IS ESSENTIAL TO THEIR SURVIVAL BUT WE CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FUCKING HAPPENING ON SCREEN AND HUNK AND LANCE HAVE TO BEG FOR SCRAPS

MY HEAD IS ON MARS

NO

MY HEAD IS ON KERBEROS ATP IDK HOW I'M GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH 8 SEASONS OF TS

[oceaniareads]

Escaping the Enemy Chapter 1

Okay I finally started writing the story that's been haunting me.

I can't guarantee that it's gonna be Calron, but I do plan it to be if it goes the way I want it to. I also don't know if it's gonna have anything too crazy in it either as I normal write stuff that isn't too crazy.

Also posted on my Quotev. Chapter under the line. Thank you for reading! (not edited by the way)

Chapter 1: Headaches

""Sarah," he whispered, tears thick in his throat. "I'll tell him how you died protecting him. I will raise him to remember how brave you were." 

Magisterium: The Iron Trial (Black & Clare, 4)

Callum Hunt thought he would never get use to waking up this way: his head bounced off the window of his father's Rolls-Royce as they sped down the highway. 

And he was not happy about being woken up. 

Honestly, Call would normally appreciate being woken up to the pain in his head. It helped him ignore the pain in his bad leg and pulled him out of his nightmares. But he was having a good dream for once filled with his favorite foods, animals, and his family in one piece. Out of all of the aspects of his dreams, his family being together was the one thing he would never have.

His father, Alastair Hunt, had always told him the same stories about his mother's death over and over again. When he was five, Call had vivid nightmares about a man stabbing her to death; fifty percent of the time, Call was watching the scene from a distance. The other fifty percent, he was the one who killed his mother.

Since Alastair noticed his son was having nightmares about it, he stopped talking about his wife. Call didn't know any other stories about his mother. He didn't even know what she looked like anymore. But when he still had the nightmare, he knew that she was the one dying at his feet. 

"Callum," Alastair spoke. "I see you're awake." 

Call attempted to keep in his snarky comment.

"Yeah," he responded before muttering, "like I could sleep with you driving like a maniac." 

"I heard that," his father responded, "but I'll let that comment go. We're stopping shortly at a rest stop. You know the drill. Make sure you look presentable." 

Call rolled his eyes before carefully sitting up in his seat. He attempted to stretch his bad leg out, hoping that would help with the pain that normally came when he had been sitting in the car for hours. Since Call was five, they had been living out of different cars that Alastair had stored all over the country. Sometimes they stopped often in order for Call to get WiFi to turn in homework since he was taking online classes, but since it was the summer Alastair had insisted on driving longer distances. He had been extra paranoid recently and had even seemed like he was up to something (Call did swear that his father was always up to something). But Alastair never told his son anything until he deemed it important. And whatever was going on, he did not think Call needed to know; if anything was truly going on that is. 

"You're not going to tell me where we're going, are you?"  

His father turned off the highway.

"Not yet. I'll tell you once we're done at our stop," Alastair responded, "don't take too long either. We have somewhere to be by one." 

Call frowned, glancing at the numbers blinking on the vehicle's clock. It was almost 11:30.

An hour later, Call was brushing his hair in a gas station bathroom. He felt awkward wearing his nicest clothes: a dark grey collared shirt and a pair of nicer looking jeans. He rarely had any reason to wear this shirt. Normally it was for funerals that his father made him go to, even though they watched from a distance. 

When he walked out of the front doors of the station, his father had Call's suitcase on the ground next to the car. Call felt himself panic: was his father going to just leave him at this gas station?

"Call come help me with this," Alastair called from the trunk. Obeying his father, he limped over. Alastair had a couple other things on the ground including a bag of Call's favorite snacks and drinks, his laptop bag, and a couple of Alastair's bags, "make sure all your stuff is packed in your bags. Make sure you have anything you need. I'll give you some money and continue sending you some throughout the school year, but I don't know when I'll be able to send anything."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Call asked, "The school year?"

"I'm dropping you off at your new school. You'll be going to where your mother and I graduated from," Alastair frowned at his son, "Thought you might do well finishing school with other students. Plus they won't expect me to hide you there. It's become more mixed since I went there, more normal people these days. So you should be able to be unnoticeable while I keep them distracted. They don't know your name anyways, just that you're with me, especially since I've kept your magic in check." 

Whenever his father mentioned magic, Call always rubbed his obsidian bracelet his father had made him wear since his magic had appeared years ago. It helped dampen the energy his magic gave off when used and did not allow Call to use his magic as strongly as he could. It was a good way for Alastair to be able to safely teach Call everything he knew without attracting the wrong crowd or destroying things around him.  As his father reminded him during their lessons: earth wants to bind.

Call watched his father pull out a bag of almost identical bracelets and he barely caught them when his father tossed them at him. Alastair gave him a weird look. With a frown, Call helped his father repack his bags. Once everything was back in the Rolls-Royce, Call watched the gas station fade into the distance.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

The Performer: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.3k

Summary: Hold on. Just hold onto what's good. Don't let him see how broken you are. Spencer becomes heartbroken when he realizes that you don't want to see him but you'll see everyone else. How can you see yourself through his eyes like this?

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

"In all the darkest pages in the malign supernatural, there is no more terrible tradition than that of a vampire--a pariah even among demons." - Writer Montague Summers

Spencer's been busy all month. Hotch and Derek have been giving him task after task so he hasn't had a chance to see you. He finally finished everything he needed to do so he gets ready to visit you before returning to work. Derek sees him trying to leave so he drops what he's doing and approaches Spencer.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To see Y/N. We're not that busy here, and I figured I could be back to work in a couple of hours."

"I need you to complete these files. They're urgent and must get done right away."

"You have a whole team at your disposal. Is it selfish if I ask you to give that to someone else? I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Spencer, I need you to get this done."

"Morgan, I haven't been to see Y/N since she got arrested. Is it too much to ask if--"

"She doesn't want you there, man," Derek blurts.

The entire floor is quiet as Spencer tries to process his words. He looks at Emily and JJ who have sad looks on their faces, Rossi and Hotch have stoic looks, and Penelope is close to tears.

"What? She said that?" Derek opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes out. "Morgan!"

"Look, she loves you. There's no doubt about that, but she doesn't want you there."

"She's my girlfriend. I deserve to see her! I have to know how she is doing."

"Why don't Pen and I go?" JJ offers. "We can check on her and we'll let her know whatever you want us to tell her."

Spencer scoffs at her offer and shakes his head. He walks back to his desk and sits down angrily. Derek nods to JJ and the two women leave the office. Spencer's jaw ticks but he doesn't say anything about it. You don't want him there? Bullshit. Derek watches Spencer with a careful eye as he goes back to what he was doing before.

It takes JJ and Penelope 2 hours to get to you. You're glad to see your two best friends knowing that Spencer probably fought to go with them. Or maybe no one knows they're here. Regardless, you're glad to see them. The bruise on your face has gone down a lot but it's at the yellow-brown stage. It's healing but still noticeable. JJ doesn't say anything when she sees the bruise but Penelope almost breaks down at the sight of you.

"Please don't cry, Penelope, or I'll cry," you sniffle. She nods and tries to stop herself. She shakes her head and hands the phone to JJ while she calms herself down. Seeing you like this breaks her heart because she considers you to be one of her best friends and she hates seeing people she loves in pain. "So, how's Henry doing?"

"He's doing really good. He's sleeping a lot better, but he misses you a lot."

"I miss him, too."

Once Penelope is calm enough, she leans closer to the phone while it's still in JJ's hand so she can talk to you.

"I am trying really hard to work on your case. We're all being monitored very closely."

JJ hands the phone to Penelope so she can hear what you have to say.

"Don't apologize for doing your job. There is nothing wrong with that. Those people need you to help them."

"Whose going to help you? You can't be stuck in here for something you didn't do."

"My trial is coming up soon. There's still a chance I'll be released."

JJ gestures for the phone.

"We will be right there when it happens. You won't be alone."

"I know."

"Look, we have to get back but I want you to know Spencer--"

"He's not here, is he?" you panic.

"No, but he wanted to see you this morning. Morgan gave him some work to do but he was angry."

"I can't let him see me like this," you sigh. "He's going to remember me this way, and I don't want him thinking of this when he thinks of me. I don't want him to see me in pain because then he'll be in pain, and I'll feel worse than I already do."

"I get it. Trust me."

"Please try and keep him away from here."

"We'll try. We have to go now."

"Okay. I miss and love you guys."

"We love you, too," Penelope smiles.

When JJ and Penelope get back, Spencer doesn't talk to him. He's still upset over what happened. If something was wrong with you, they'd tell him for sure. They'll let Spencer be alone for right now and will talk to him when he's ready. Derek got a case just in time for their arrival, so everyone met in the briefing room to talk about it. JJ knows about this case since it came across her desk first, so she knows what to talk about in the briefing room.

"Alright, the latest victim is Tara Farris, twenty. She's the third victim in two weeks. All were found on freeway off-ramps by commuters."

"He's not hiding them. He must want them found quickly otherwise he wouldn't dump them on an LA freeway before the morning rush."

"Well, they're still dressed. That minimizes the shock value. Maybe he's concerned for them. Do you think he wants them taken care of?"

"There are no signs of sexual assault on any of the victims. All of them were severely hypovolemic. Tara had less than a pint of blood in her. The first two had more than three pints each. If exsanguination is the goal, the unsub is definitely becoming more proficient."

"This is new," JJ says. "Tara's the only victim to have a written message."

She puts a picture on the screen of Tara's crime scene. There is something written next to her body.

"The liar," Hotch reads. "What did you lie about, Tara?"

"All of the victims appear to have been strangled and then bled out through identical wounds in the throat," JJ says, showing the necks of the victims.

"Seriously? Are those supposed to be fang marks?" Emily asks.

"All of the wounds on the victims were covered in saliva. Human saliva, as though someone drank their blood."

This conversation has to continue on the plane since they need to get to Los Angeles right away.

"So, they've already set up a task force in Los Angeles," JJ says. "You remember Detective Owen Kim, right?"

"From the stalker case, yeah," Hotch nods.

"You remember that case, don't you, Spence?"

"Yeah."

"Do you still talk to Lila?"

"How can you expect me to think about another woman when mine is sitting in prison where I can't visit because she doesn't want me to?" Spencer asks angrily. The entire team is silent. "Please, continue."

"Why don't you tell us about blood drinkers, Reid."

"Human blood consumption, or clinical vampirism, is known as Renfield's Syndrome. It's named after the insect-eating character in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula."

"Are they sadists?"

"Not necessarily. Pain to the victim is usually only a byproduct. Blood is the focus. Renfield's syndrome is usually accompanied by varying levels of schizophrenia, and occasionally more classic cannibalism if the condition evolves."

"Classic cannibalism. Lovely job we have," Rossi says sarcastically.

"I will say this, true cases are exceedingly rare."

"Renfield's may be rare but vampires are anything but. There's a huge subculture in Los Angeles of the red-drinking undead," Penelope says over video chat.

"Garcia, all these people drink blood?" Derek asks.

"Au contraire. They mostly just dress up like Prentiss did in high school, and they make-believe. It's all kinds of delicious."

"It's not the same thing at all. As a matter of fact, we should refer to this unsub as a vampirist, not a vampire. They would be attracted to the subculture merely for its professed worship of blood," Spencer corrects.

"Okay, I'm going to continue spelunking through the various online sites and see if anything jumps up and bites me."

"Thanks, baby g--" Derek stops himself from flirting. She is now underneath him and he can't be seen flirting with his subordinate. "Thanks, Penelope. Stay close."

"Yes, sir. Garcia out." 

"One more thing, vampirists are coveters," Spencer says. "They most generally always have some sort of relationship with the victim, even if it's tangential. They're likely to become obsessed. They've almost certainly crossed paths in some way."

Detective Kim is eager for their arrival, and he is practically at the front door when they arrive.

"Hi, Lieutenant Kim. Agent Jareau," JJ shakes his hand.

"JJ, of course. I remember most of you. Agent Hotchner. Reid. Morgan. Where's Y/N?"

"Not here right now," Hotch says. Spencer's face drops at the mention of your name but he doesn't say anything. "These are Agents Prentiss and Rossi. I believe they're new to you."

"Hi. We already have a room set up full of glass boards, case files, and extremely bad coffee."

"Agent Morgan's in charge now. It's his show." Kim gives him a weird look. "Long story."

"I know you like to start with the freshest information and work your way back. So, Tara's apartment has been processed and sealed in case you want to go there. Her body, along with that of the first two girls, is at the morgue with an ME waiting there for your call."

"Alright. JJ, get set up here and then hook up with Garcia. Send her the witness information so she can start cross-referencing with the first two victims. Reid, I want you to go through all the case files and set up a preliminary profile based on what you already know about psychopathology. The rest of us find out what we can on Tara."

JJ and Spencer get together to work off each other while the others do their own thing. Spencer is distracted, rightfully so, but he tries his best to focus on the case. How can you say you don't want him to see you? After everything you two have been through.

"When vampirists become obsessed, they aren't likely to find a random victim. If we can find a cross-relationship, someone in all the victims' lives, that'll be incredibly helpful," Spencer says.

"Gina King knew Tara the longest. They had some classes together."

"Let's get all the information we can on that relationship. As a matter of fact, get me everything you can on all of Tara's friends."

"Alright. In the morning, I'll track them down and do some follow-up."

Rossi and Emily went to Tara's apartment where her murder took place. There are books about movies and films that she was using to study. Everything she needed to know to make movies. In her bedroom is where they find the most interesting stuff. On one side of the room are posters of a goth man named Dante. It's a mini-shrine to the man fit with posters of him, trinkets about him, candles, and other things.

She has a laptop which probably has everything they need to know about her, so Penelope is going to have to work her magic to get inside of it. If Tara was into some creepy cult shit, then her social media will show it.

Derek and Hotch went to the ME's office to inspect the bodies of all three victims. The saliva found on them hasn't been a match of anyone in the DNA database but they have it going through the lab for more testing. If the ME sends the samples over to the local bureau lab and has them rush it, they'll have something by tomorrow.

The weird thing about the bites is just that... they're not bites. The edges of the wounds are razor-sharp. A tooth would leave a ragged, torn edge. Even with animal bites, the edges are torn by teeth. The "bites" were done with some sort of sharp and efficient instrument. If the bites aren't really bites, then why is there saliva on the wounds? From licking it afterward?

All they know for sure is that once an unsub like this gets started, it only gets worse.

Nothing can get done until the lab results are back in, so the team picks up the investigation the next morning. However, by the time they got into the station, there was news of another body. Spencer and JJ have gotten custody of Tara's laptop so Penelope is working remotely trying to get into it. The news is on about the recent murder and what it could mean, which is where most of the team is.

"This is Chase Manning, News Chopper 12, over the 101 freeway in San Fernando Valley. Apparently, a second body in as many days has been found near an off-ramp," a news reporter says.

"So much for keeping the media out," JJ scoffs. Penelope calls and she places her on speakerphone. "Penelope? Are we in yet?"

"All yours. I always feel skeevy going through someone's life like this."

"Okay, so everything looks like it's password protected so you might not even be able to--you're in already, aren't you?" JJ chuckles.

"The password was 'Cullen'."

"Of course," JJ laughs.

"Colon?" Spencer asks.

"Cullen. The vampire family from Twilight." Spencer's bottom lip wobbles as he tries not to cry. "Are you okay?"

"I kept putting off having a Twilight marathon with Y/N. She really wanted me to watch it."

JJ becomes sad for Spencer. She hates what this is doing to him. If it were up to her, she would bring him right to you. She understands why you don't want him to see you but she understands why he feels like he has the right to.

"If it makes you feel any better, she seems to be doing okay," she white-lies.

"It doesn't," Spencer sighs.

"Okay. I am gonna go talk to Tara's BFF before the media requests come in and it gets too crazy."

"What's a BFF?"

"Best friends forever."

"Should I go with you?"

"No, you have a profile to deliver."

"I should really work on it a little more."

JJ rolls her eyes and grabs his phone before he can stop her.

"What are you doing with my phone?"

She dials someone and places the phone against her ear.

"Derek, hey, Spence is ready for the profile." Spencer tries to grab the phone from her but she moves away. "Why, yes, he is right here." She hands him his phone and waves. "I'll be back."

"Hey, yeah, I have the profile ready to go whenever you are."

"Alright, we'll be right in," Derek says before hanging up. "Hotch, Reid's ready with the profile."

"Good."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[thenewfuture]

Based on the latest DT episode, what do you think's going on here?

Well, let's find out shall we?

So we finally get to dissecting Nico's attempted murder attempt on Ace a few episodes ago. And before we get into all that I gotta say, Teruko got a better memory than me. Even putting aside the year and a half long hiatus, Teruko remembers all of the evidence and state of the gym from like the two minutes, not even, she got to investigate the scene, two days ago! Teruko, you don't remember how you got most of your scars, but you remember some dang tape and wire on a fan from a relatively quick glance. Make it make sense, make it make sense!

So she goes over a quick recap of the evidence and attempts to press Nico for more information, but before she can do that...

Here comes Mama Bear Hu. And I just gotta say this real quick, I don't mean to rant about this, or even compare too much....but I don't like Hu. I mean I don't hate her and she's not even my least favorite member of this cast or anything. But I can't give Hu anymore than the lukewarm,

"Oh Hu? Oh....sh-she's nice. She's....nice. Y-Y'know, she's just so......nice.... She's there a-and just so.....so......nice....."

She reminds me of Mahiru, and not in the good way. And there's no better example of this than in the two trials, and more-so here. Hu defends the people she likes or is close with and will try to deflect any and all sorts of criticism or contradicting points brought up to them when they've done something wrong. I understand that she considers Nico a friend, but these are some insane mental gymnastics you're partaking in to even say that it's not Nico's fault they almost committed murder. J and Charles point this out to her that she shouldn't defend a murderer as she's being nothing but a nuisance so far. Nico's an adult and Hu, as well as the fandom, needs to stop babying them; they can and need to be held accountable for their actions.

So we do go over Nico's murder in depth. And from we're seeing, it does seem to be similar to Arei's case of drop hanging. Getting a tool to lift up the victim before hanging them. I also really do like the Closing Argument style here because it essentially going over a murder plot, so it makes sense to put it here. And it even has an Act.0 because this is the prequel to the case we're working on now and this one never got finished. This proves that someone had to have knowledge of Nico's crime in order to kill Arei.

And so with that out of the way, how are our not victim and not killer doing.

Ooof. That's not good. Now this brings up an interesting and unique dynamic here. Ace is upset, rightfully so, because Nico tried to kill him and he's not even apologizing for it. To add insult to injury; no one has defended or backed Ace up yet. Remember how only moments ago Hu was ready and willing to defend Nico. Where's Ace's support? Nowhere to be found! Everyone before this point has only gotten on Ace's case for being a loud jerk, and again; they have good reason to. But when Ace actually does bring up good points like exposing David and being just a wee bit 'miffed' about Nico's plot, he's still being met with insults and beratement. And Nico, a slap on the wrist essentially. Only the finest hypocrisy here being served at the Despair Time Studios Mess-hall folks.

And on the other side of the spectrum is Nico. They know what they did was wrong, fully aware of what this entailed, and still tried to go through with it. Nico's actions and planning go beyond a spur of the moment killing, they were trying to escape and frame someone else for it. And what could Nico say at this moment? Saying 'sorry' isn't going to cut it or mean jack squat now that they've been exposed like this. This act will haunt them for the rest of the game.

It's kind of like a scenario that I, and many others, would have liked to have been explored in the DanganRonpa series. Having a killer live amongst the cast getting away with their murder. I'm sure you all remember that one rule in V3 where only the first murder counts, and what it would potentially have been like if Kiyo didn't kill Angie, but only Tenko instead. And so they would just have to deal with the fact that one of their friends is gone unnecessarily, and they can't do anything about it because of the rules. It's kinda the same thing here, I'm really interested to see where Ace and Nico go from here knowing full well what happened and how they're going to move on from that, if at all.

But I'm side tracking here. So Teruko realizes that the tape that Nico used and Arei's killer used could have only come from the gym, and it was missing the next day. If you all remember that funny little moment Rose and Teruko had at the gym at that time, this is where it finally comes into play. Rose is doubting herself and her head for being unreliable at times, and just look at what happens next.

LOOK AT THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! THAT'S THAT GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE!

Teruko comes to Rose's aid saying that her distrusing of others this chapter has caused her also to make multiple mistakes in this trial. So while Teruko is still going to keep up her guard and look at things logically, she is still going to try and believe in others again. Attempting to find a happy medium.

GRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHH! I LOVE BELIEF AND DOUBT THEMES!!!!

Buuuuuuuut, this means that the tape could have only been taken during a very short timeframe as MonoTV hadn't replaced it yet,and with only a little pool of people from that timeframe, our two biggest suspects are....

Ace and Eden.

From here on it's a matter of determining who among these two is the least guilty. Hu brings up that because the rule of the BDA going off from three innocent peole discovering the body, that means that Eden is off the hook.

But the atomsphere must have gotten a little too cheery because here comes our boy, the fallen star antagonist himself, David, with some new surprising information!

David is saying that he saw the body first, implying that Eden no longer counts towards that total and she is still a suspect.

.....This is a complete fucking lie by the way, I assure you. Like, sir, no one is falling for this. But it's not about him seeing the body, it's merely the idea of him seeing the body, or some other third party seeing it before Eden that brings her back into the suspect spotlight again. And when asked why he would do such a thing, David simply goes...

David the emboidement of distruuuuuuust~

And with no one left on her side, most of the cast goes back to accusing Eden. Eden is crying, tears streaming down her face, asking, BEGGING for anyone to believe in her and come help.

.....And Teruko decides that to do that. While Eden is a suspect, she'll interrogate Ace for now and simply.......trust, in Eden for now.

Eden the embodiement of truuuuuuuuust~

So that's that for now. Me personally, while I could see it being Ace I have another suspect in mind.....

Hu.

And I'm not saying this because I dislike her or anything. I'm just saying that if the killer had to have knowledge of Nico's crime, I can imagine Nico going to Hu and telling her the gist of things. As for why Hu would do it in the first place? I'm not sure. She has as much reason as Ace does.

But what will happen next? That'll be determined on Friday! So see you then!

-Mod

[nobodyexpectsthe]

REPOST AND LIST 6 SONGS THAT INSPIRE YOU TO WRITE YOUR MUSE

RUTHLESSNESS - EPIC THE MUSICAL

I'm left without a choice and without a doubt / Guess the pack of wolves is swimming with the shark now / I've gotta make you bleed, I need to see you drown / But before you go, I need to make you learn how / Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

The line between naïveté and hopefulness is almost invisible / So close your heart, the world is dark and / Ruthlessness is mercy / Die

BEES - THE BALLROOM THEIVES

There's a voice that pulls me stumbling through a symphony / And the less of it I need, the more I get / 'Til I'm swept up by the shape of all the centuries / Like an echo in the chambers of my chest / I think she fears I'll be a servant to my history / Or worse, a slave to someone else's misplaced doubts / So I try too hard to kill what's out to kill me / 'Til I'm blind and hiding in the lion's mouth

THE NIGHTS - AVICII

"When thunderclouds start pouring down / Light a fire they can't put out / Carve your name into those shining stars" / He said, "Go venture far beyond the shores / Don't forsake this life of yours / I'll guide you home no matter where you are" / One day, my father, he told me, "Son, don't let it slip away" / When I was just a kid, I heard him say / "When you get older your wild heart will live for younger days / Think of me if ever you're afraid"

HEY BROTHER - AVICII

Hey brother / Do you still believe in one another? / Hey sister / Do you still believe in love? I wonder / Oh, if the sky comes falling down / For you / There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do / What if I'm far from home? / Oh brother, I will hear you call / What if I lose it all? / Oh sister, I will help you out / Oh, if the sky comes falling down / For you / There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

ICARUS IV - KISHI BASHI

I am a mess without you, dear / I cannot fly to you, I fear / I made these wings to fly close to you / I fell from the sky with the lust for that foolish life / I am a king with the throne of a broken man I want to fly a little higher, a little lighter, I wanna run away / I want to float a little farther, a little faster with you

DANGEROUS TO DREAM ━ FROZEN (MUSICAL)

I know I'll never see that sunny day / When this trial is finally through / And it could just be me and you / I can't dwell on what we've lost / And our secrecy and silence comes at such a cost / I wish I could tell the truth / Show you who's behind the door / I wish you knew what all this pantomime / And pageantry was for/ I have to be so cautious / And you're so extreme / We're different, you and I / And it's dangerous to dream

& post wycome, specifically the cut reprise

Why did I open up that door? / I was so wrong to even try / Look at how I’ve failed us, now I have to say goodbye / And maybe I’m as cold as I seem / Look at what I’ve done, it was dangerous to dream

more on my fst. tag

tagged by: @alitlantern tagging: @hoboblaidd @kinlochs @veilblade @weptlore @ whoever is reading this

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Maze runner chapter twenty-nine.

Previous chapter

Masterlist

It was eerily silent in the W.C.K.D building. Ava Paige stands in the middle of a corridor silently looking out over the burning city. Thomas lifts his pistol and points to it towards her.

“You can save us all.” She says to him, Thomas falters and Ava steps towards him.

“It's okay. The two of you are the key to all this. No more trials, no more tests.” She speaks so softly that it makes bile rise in your throat. Or is that the bullet sitting in your shoulder.

‘Just leave the others alone.” Thomas says.

“I promise. I will-” the gunshot shakes Thomas and rings in your ears. It's like someone had reached into your ear and twisted the bones. A hand clutches at your wounded shoulder and holds you against a body. Ava drops to the floor and Thomas looks to Janson, who holds you, his gun ready to fire again.

“Oh, Thomas. You should have run.” Janson jolted his body and Thomas felt a sharp pain in his neck. He looks up at you, eyes blurring but still able to see Janson hitting you with the but if his pistol, before he passes out.

“Thomas. Can you hear me?” Teresa asks as she draws blood from his arm.

“Do you know what this place is, Thomas?” Janson asks from across the room. Thomas looks for you and sees you tied to a bed still unconscious.

“It's a lifeboat. And the whole world might be sinking, but that doesn't mean that we have to go down with it.” Janson finished his thought.

“How much longer?” He asks Teresa.

“It's almost done.” She replies not looking away from her work.

“Why don't you just kill us?” Thomas asked. “Kill you? No, we don't wanna do that. Well, y/n half way there, so we'll drain her of every mast drop but you. We're gonna take special care of you. We'll keep you alive. Just,” Thomas looked over to your still. Body, tubes attached to you that dropped down into bags by the floor, “And in return, you will give life to the rest of us. The ones we choose to save, anyway. Of course, there's not gonna be enough for everyone. Hard choices are gonna have to be made. In time, the Flare virus will burn itself out. The only question is, who will be the ones left standing?” He takes the freshly made serum from Teresa and slides it into a syringe, “And thanks to you, to this, we finally get to choose. A future of our own making. To your health.” he lifts his sleeve and Thomas sees the infection in his arm. Janson is about to slide the needle into his skin when Teresa hits him over the head with a large glass bottle.

“Okay, let's get out of here. Come on.” Teresa grabbed the serum then started pulling at Thomas's restraints. When she got his wrist free she rushed over to you and started pulling the tubes off you.

Before Thomas could get his legs free Janson stood up and grabbed Teresa. The two of them fought over the serum until Janson managed to knock Teresa out. Thomas ran over and started fighting with the older man.

You opened your eyes and saw what was happening. A blast came ringing through the windows knocking both men to the ground and you run with Thomas and Teresa. Janson fire his gun towards you all. Teresa guides you all into another room where she closes and locks the door.

“We need to get out of here.” Teresa breathes out. You were leaning against the wall as Thomas turned, his hand pressing against his stomach and a large blood stain.

“What's wrong?” Teresa asks darting to him.

“Thomas?” You push yourself off the wall as the other two slid to the ground.

“ Okay. Okay, we need to.” Oh, shit... Here! Just put pressure on it.” Teresa grabbed a bundle of cloth and holds it to the wound.

“You gotta go. You both gotta go.” Thomas pants out.

“No.” You growl at him.

“Not without you.” Teresa says.

Steam hisses at the door and you all know Janson had entered.

“I admit, Teresa, you had me fooled. I thought we were friends. Maybe it's just in your nature to betray the people closest to you.” He walked in, not noticing you slide against the glass wall on the far side. Behind you two cranks fight to get out to you.

“Come on. Let's not prolong this. We both know there's no way outta here. Let's not make this any more painful than it needs to be.” He plants himself firmly almost directly in front of you and you smile. This was your moment. Taking in a long breath you punch your hand through the glass and let the cranks bite into your flesh. It hurts but you don't scream.

Janson spins to see you and laughs.

“You've killed yourself.”

You smile at him this time and draw your hand back.

“No Janson, the virus doesn't kill y/n.” Teresa says calmly, helping Thomas to stand.

“You think he's so special? You're a lab rat, born with a gift. You never had to fight for it, never earned it. None of you doesn't deserve it.” Janson shouts.

“Maybe,” you twist your head so your neck crack and you feel the new strength pulsing through your veins, “But it's ours.” You take a step forward and Janson steps back.

“Don't you have enough blood on your hands already?”

“One more won't make a difference.” You leap forward with inhuman ability and land into his arms, sending you both to the floor. Your hands rip into his chest. Like an animal you tore Janson apart. Teresa helps Thomas to stand and moves him away from the two of you. Blood quickly stains your hands. You blink a few times and stumble backwards.

“Y/n? Y/n we have to g…go.” Thomas pants out. His voice sounds like he's behind glass in your ears.

“We have to get back to Newt!” That name caught your attention and you turned to face them. Your black eyes take Thomas's breath away for a moment.

“Come on.” He says to you and reaches his hand out. You rush forward and pull his weight on to you. More and more cannons were firing into the building, shaking your steps. Teresa guides you to the stairs and you pull Thomas on to your back to climb them.

At the top you all rush out onto the roof. The whole city is burning and there is nowhere else for you to run. Thomas drops to the floor and Teresa holds him in her lap. She glances at you as you drop to your knees a few feet away.

“Thomas, she'll need this.” She whispers to him and slides the serum into his hands.

You kneel there knowing that at any moment everything could change. The virus running through you did not turn you the way it did other people, your blood fight against it, but if you didn't get the serum you succumb to it and your blood would do the only thing it can and kill the source of the virus. Teresa knew that that meant you would die.

“I'm sorry, I tried.” You hear her say to Thomas.

A burg rises at the edge of the building. You know Teresa is helping Thomas but you can't move. Your legs just won't move. The hatch of the burg opens and everyone is there. Vince reaches out to Thomas but he can't quite reach.

“Get closer!” Teresa shouts she gives Thomas another push and Vince finds his hand and pulls him across.

Teresa turns back to and runs over, grabbing your shoulders.

“Come on, y/n come on.” He pulls at you but you can't move.

There's a moment of silence and you hear a roar, a roar that fills your heart. You feel the fur of Mai Mai against you and your hand grips around her neck. Teresa helps to pull you on to the tigers back.

“Go!” She shouted you feel Mai Mai moving, leaping and landing and then above you Newt's eyes meet yours. Gally is beside him and they hold onto you as the burg is rocked by an explosion. Vince tries to help Thomas but shoves the serum into his hand.

“She'll die, help her.”

Next chapter

@fandomfan-102 @deanstolemydragon @afalls14universe @akilaporu001 @green-which

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Ok so, with the Tekken 8 Closed Network Test now concluded, I'd like to share a few thoughts.

The game looks great, I love the new redesigns, I love the new animations and the fact that they got the entire cast to rerecord their battle grunts and win / pre battle quotes, it was especially weird to have certain characters use voice lines from different actors, some of whom weren't even speaking the same language 🤣

The redesigns are almost exclusively great so far, but I do hope we get alternate costumes. Yeah customization is there but I don't really care to have Nina in jeans and cowboy boots or Jin in platinum blond pigtails like... A lot of fighting games just have a palette swap as the second costume and call it a day, but from the very beginning all the way up to Tekken 6, Tekken had an alternate outfit for every single character. Not only that, but it was usually a more "casual" outfit too like, Kazuya's Tekken 1 1P was his karate gi pants but his 2P was a tank top and jeans. Asuka's Tekken 5 1P was her Aikido uniform and her 2P was her trademark shorts and tank top and so on. Tekken 7 originally went for the 2P palette swap, but at some point they added extra costumes, including classic looks, via an update, and I hope they are there from the start this time.

I played almost exclusively as Nina because she's been my main since 2005, with a little Jun, a little Xiaoyu and a little Jin thrown in. I also tried Lili's, Hwoarang's and Asuka's combo trials (nice that they FINALLY added combo trials, I don't know what took them so long lol) I gotta say it's extremely satisfying to see Harada CONSTANTLY shading Street Fighter on Twitter by saying that the base roster will feature a lot more fighters than our competitors an also Mortal Kombat by saying that they are focusing on legacy fighters before they even start considering guests. Like. That's a ball move and a huge reassurance for the fans. I also know it's in good faith and no harm is meant towards Capcom or Netherrealm but he's right and he should say it!

If there's one thing I hope they copy off of Capcom is Word Tour mode. Yeah NetherRealm Studios' cinematic story mode is fine... I guess... But World Tour mode is the best single player mode ever featured in a fighting game and Namco even have their own blueprint in the form of Tekken Force. We're probably still getting a cinematic-style story but there's still hope for Tekken 9, or maybe even a smaller-scale Tekken Force return, in the style of Tekken 4 or sth.

Arcade Mode needs a proper reintroduction as well, in Tekken 6 you only got 4 battles and you were done and in Tekken 7 you straight up got nothing at all out of Arcade mode and character endings were instead for the base game characters who weren't prominently featured in the cinematic story and you got them after a single battle... Very underwhelming.

Also hoping other "missing" modes like Team Battle return and maybe Tekken Bowl will be included from the get go this time? I've also had this request forever but I'd love to see 1P Vs. Com or Com Vs. Com fights be included in offline versus. Literally every other fighting game has it except Tekken and Virtua Fighter and I can't tell why. It shouldn't be hard to implement and honestly sometimes it's just fun to pick characters, costumes and stage and just fight it out with the computer, as a break from online grinding and whatnot.

Now, as for the battle system itself... It's lots of fun! There's tons of stuff going on at all times but it feels great to experience and it's not really overwhelming or anything. It's cute that they have included an "easy mode" for new players to ease themselves in the fun. I'm not a master player by any means but I've had almost two decades of experience in Tekken and legacy skill does play a big role in the Tekken meta so it's an interesting way to even out the playing field. Interestingly, they also seem to have simplified some of the more complicated commands like, I can pull off all of Nina's combo throws now with a total of like, four button presses at most? Crazy! The heat system feels a bit weird at first but it's a huge asset once you get into it which doesn't take all that long anyway.

Overall I am very satisfied with what I got to play and I feel like Tekken 8 is gonna be another huge chapter in Tekken's history as well as the FGC's as a whole and I honestly cannot wait! Hopefully I will have moved out of Greece by the time it's out because my internet connection was killing me 😭🤣

I also better see miss Anna and Christie in the game or else I'm rioting.

[linagram]

hi hi everyone!! so we're done with the first half of the third trial, huh? the time sure flies..

now, i need to talk about something that is supposed to happen after we're done with all the prisoners' voice dramas. as you have probably noticed, i almost always write pre-trial and post-trial voice dramas that are supposed to discuss what happened before/after the trial and everyone's verdicts, but they also sometimes discuss some other important stuff.

so, after this trial is over, i think there will be two post-trial voice dramas. one of them is supposed to describe an interaction between a certain prisoner and a certain guard and it's basically like.. an "intro" for the other voice drama, i think? the second voice drama is going to be a BIG one as it will be about not only the prisoners, but the guards being judged. it won't really be a summary of the trial, but more like the prisoners finding out what will happen to them now.

so i was also thinking that i really want to reveal how everyone's murders actually went, but i'm not sure how exactly i want to do that. i have three ideas which are

1) make a completely separate vd with arisu and the "real goddess of milgram" discussing everyone's murders and it's supposed to be kind of them breaking the fourth wall and explaining everything to the audience. it would most likely be the first post-t3 vd in this case (but the other first vd would still be there, just as a second one)

2) include the explanation of the crimes into the second vd, which would make it actually happen in-universe and all the prisoners would learn about each other's murders. it would also make the vd longer

3) basically the same as 2, but in this case, this BIG vd would be separated into multiple parts, most likely part 1 with the guards' trial and part 2 with everyone's murders and the prisoners' final verdicts.

i hope this all makes sense and is not too complicated to understand!! ofc i can just not reveal anything at all if y'all think that would be better and that everything is pretty much solved (OR that it would be better to leave some parts unsolved)

[tmnthq17-blog]

The Spiderhead Effect

{Warning: Mild references of violence; Viewer discretion advised}

Elena's POV:

{Then; Years Ago}

I don't regret what I did. I may feel slight remorse, as any human would, but I'm glad to be out of that house. However, there are some things I'm having second thoughts about, like voluntarily living in a state-of-the-art penitentiary while being subjected to random drug trials daily. On the bright side, it is state-of-the-art, I have a much better room than my old one, and I have space to roam around without supervision. Plus, the guy in charge is nice and even when I'm in the testing room or just talking with him in the kitchen or wherever, he makes this feel less like a prison and more like a home, a real home, one that I almost hate to imagine leaving once my time here is done. But, at some point, they'll have no use for me anymore, and I'll have to figure out what it's like to live alone for the first time, first in prison and then the outside world post-release, if ever. Till then, I might as well make the most of it.

Steve: *via microphone* "Alright, Elena, you are an incarcerated volunteer in the Spiderhead clinical trial program. Up for another round?"

Me: "With you, always. But let's start with the trial(s) first and see where the evening takes us."

Steve: *laughs via microphone* "Never a dull moment with you, Sunshine. Ok, before we begin, I need your permission to administer B-15. Drip on?"

Me: *nods* "Acknowledge."

Steve: *via microphone* "You should be feeling the effects right about...now. So, how have you been?"

Me: "Good. A lot calmer than I was when I arrived here, content even."

Steve: *via microphone* "Good, that's what we're going for. Ok, uh, are you uncomfortable in any way or experiencing any side-effects?

Me: "No, nothing aside from the need to speak when spoken to, but whether that's from the drug or basic manners is up to you."

Steve: *via microphone* "One way to find out. How did you feel before, during, or after your double homicide?"

Me: "Before, I was...Afraid."

Steve: *via microphone* "Ok, that's understandable. Can you tell me why?"

Me: "I wanted a way out, but I could only think of one way, and I didn't know if it would work. Would I get away with it? Would they fight back? Would he hit me again? During--I mean, it was over as soon as it'd started--But during, I felt brave, I guess.-*chuckles*-Maybe powerful is a better word."

Steve: *via microphone* "Your words, your choice. And after?"

Me: "Free, at peace, excited. I could finally be something other than what my father made me."

Steve: *via microphone* "And what was that?"

I know I need to say more, but part of me still feels reluctant.

Steve: *via microphone* "Ok, maybe a little G-46 will make this easier. Drip on?"

There's a slight pause.

Steve: *via microphone* "Remember, this is all part of the process to help you get better and make your life easier."

Me: *slightly nods* "Acknowledge."

Steve: "Ok, let's try that again. What, in your own words, did your father turn you into?"

Me: "A prisoner, servant, bartender.-*giggles*-I make a mean Moscow Mule."

Steve: *via microphone* " I'll bet. And what about the other person, his girlfriend, I take it?"

Me: *chuckles* "Oh, please. My dad could barely hold down my mother, let alone a girlfriend.-*laughs slightly harder*-I'd feel sorry for 'em both if they weren't technically cheating."

3rd Person POV:

Steve swipes his finger across the device that controls Elena's MobiPak, which makes her less inclined to laugh.

Elena's POV:

Steve: *via microphone* "Cheating?"

Me: "My parents were separated, somewhat legally, but she didn't stick around long enough to file for a separation or divorce, so they were technically still married afterward, but that didn't stop Dad from heading out to bars and clubs and coming home late with what's-her-names practically every week."

Steve: *via microphone* "So, if you hated your father so much and he was such an awful person, why stay?"

Me: *shrugs* "Moral obligation. And I feared what would happen if my dad ever found me. I mean, he'd been rough before, but I didn't know what he might do if he found out I'd left and thought I'd betrayed/abandoned him. And frankly, I didn't want to find out, so I stayed and did what I could to take care of him, to survive."

Steve: *via microphone* "Ok, and how did you feel when the police arrived and arrested you?"

Me: "Pissed."

Steve: *chuckles via microphone* "Why's that?"

Me: "They took away my freedom, the only thing I'd ever wanted, the only thing that kept me going or made any of it worthwhile until now."

Steve: *via microphone* "And what's changed since then? Like, why do you say, 'until now'?"

Me: "Because during my arrest and trial, I felt like a prisoner even still, even with him gone. Now, it feels less like imprisonment and more like a home. And I haven't had that in...I can't even remember how long."

Steve stares at me, sympathetically, with a hint of something else before increasing my dosage or possibly adding a new one to my MobiPak.

Steve: *via microphone* "Now, after everything, how would you describe your life?"

Whether it's the drug or the relief of getting all this off my chest, I feel the urge to smile as my vision somewhat brightens, like suddenly it's prettier, brighter, nicer.

Me: "Paradise. I mean, the food's good, I'm allowed to leave my room for something other than dragging a drunk off the floor and into bed or serving his 2nd or 3rd beer of the evening, and the company here is much better than that of my previous 'home', if you could even call it that."

Steve: *via microphone* "Well, the feeling is mutual."

At that, I chuckle and smile.

Steve: "And how do you feel right now?"

3rd Person POV:

Just this once, Steve forgoes the verbal consent and increases Elena's dose of N-40.

Elena's POV:

Me: "Safe, and happy, more so than I've ever been."

Steve: *via microphone* "Well, let's hope we can keep it that way."

{Now}

I'm sitting between Steve & Mark as we prepare to start a G-46 test on one of our volunteers.

Steve: *via microphone* "Ok, Ray, you are an incarcerated volunteer in the Spiderhead clinical trial program. Before we begin, we need your permission to administer G-46. Drip on?"

Ray: "Acknowledge."

So, I use the controller for Ray's MobiPak to add a standard dose of G-46, AKA Laffodil, into his MobiPak, nodding for Steve to proceed with the next part of the usual G-46 procedure.

Steve: *via microphone* "What was the ghost's favorite fruit?-*pauses*-Boo-berry."

Ray: *snickers* "No shit, that's funny."

Ok, so far, so good.

Steve: *via microphone* "What did the magician say to the fisherman?-*pauses*-Pick a cod, any cod."

Now, Ray's laughing hysterically.

Steve: *via microphone* "What do you call cheese that isn't yours?"

I bite my lip mid-smile, and Steve glances at me and smiles back, knowing that I love when he tells this joke, cheesy as it is.

Steve: *via microphone* "Nacho cheese."

Ray's hysterical laughter increases, but now the real test begins.

Steve: *via microphone* "Alright, Ray, Ray, these next ones aren't jokes, more just facts, ok?"

Ray: *laughing* "Oh, yeah?"

Steve nods as Mark relays random facts to see if Ray will still be laughing by the end.

Mark: *via microphone* "In the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, over 800,000 people died."

Ray tries not to laugh, but due to the G-46, it still comes out as a snicker.

Mark: *via microphone* "You are serving--You are serving 4 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole."

Ray continues laughing, seemingly unable to stop, earning satisfied smiles from Steve, glad to know that the test was successful, taking note of the results in his notepad.

Steve: *via microphone* "Ray, thank you. You are free to cruise, buddy."

Ray remains in his seat, still laughing, as Steve high-fives Mark and kisses me, smiling. I'm just happy he's happy. I'm glad the trial worked, but as a former trial subject, I'm more interested in what it means to Steve and how happy it makes him. After all, what's the point in being married to a successful businessman, the very man who gave me true freedom, if you can't share in the successes and the happiness it brings him?

[midorishinji]

Saturn's return

In about a week, I will be 26 years old. Technically, Saturn's return — the dreaded time that everyone says is a period of intense life transformation — does not occur until you’re 27 or 29 years old: I calculated mine, and it is scheduled for April 2028, when I will be close to turning 30. I still have time until then, and I don't know if it is placebo effect or not, but I am already starting to feel the change. Saturn is the planet of difficulties and trials, and I understand this better than anyone else.

Original work ｜Part VII of the "A girl by the sea"｜Also published in Portuguese and on AO3

a.n: Inspired by what my dear friend @rupphires at Spirit wrote, the beautiful "Eu ainda acho que Plutão deve voltar a ser planeta", and maybe a direct response to what I wrote almost a year ago, "Saturnalia".

I've never been much of a believer in astral hell, or things like that — actually, I'll allow myself a digression here: what a horrible habit I have of starting a piece of writing by saying that I don't believe in this or that, as if I were about to present an argument in a debate, and instead of being about to tell something in this semi-personal diary corner of the internet; a reflection of my overly argumentative personality, I guess. Digression aside, I'll get back to it: I'm not much of a believer in astral hell, Mercury retrograde, or whatever. When your life is a continuous streak of bad luck, one more or one less catastrophe doesn't make a difference. But this month challenged me and made me believe in astral hell, because we're just over a week away from my birthday and I've already had at least five financial setbacks, including my laptop and my cell phone breaking in a space of less than ten days. Forgive me those who are Libras or October Scorpios, but what a hell of a month!

Contrary to what it might seem, I'm less upset than I would have imagined. Of course, I'm a tightwad (it’s what my mother always says, and rightly so), and I get too attached to things. I've had the same cell phone for almost five years, and had the same laptop for even longer: it went through three different chargers, a replacement of the charger port, and a screen replacement before the hard drive finally called it quits and since the repair cost more than it was worth, it was enough to make me give up and buy another laptop. It's in my nature to try to save even what is beyond repair. I'm the kind of person who is still in touch with my first childhood friend, because even though this friend and I are tremendously different — from each other, and from the people we were when we met — I insist and hold on to all those last threads of relationships so as not to let anyone go. I still have the same account on this website, the same pseudonym since I was 14, and I haven't even changed my picture out of pure attachment. The worst years of my life were precisely those that were most disruptive to my routine, when I saw everything that was familiar slip through my fingers no matter how hard I tried to hold on to it.

I won’t lie and say that I don’t miss certain periods. I think about some years in particular — 2015, 2021 — and remember them fondly. Always the penultimate years before something ends for good, because the end is terrifying, and I can enjoy life better when I think that I still have time. I still have a year of high school to complete, I still have a year of college to finish, I still have a year of post-grad to be done, it’s always been like that. It’s in this breather before the inevitable change that I feel most comfortable: when you’re used to a routine, and you know that you still have time to wallow in it. But lately I’ve noticed that change has been disturbing me less, because I’m changing too: not the painful metamorphoses of before, apotheotic, going from black to white, but gradually. Turning gray, lighter gray, even lighter gray. I’m starting to accept that some friendships will go, or at least won’t be as close as before, without letting this affection die inside me. I'm accepting what life is like as a working woman, with schedules and everything. I'm accepting that I'm different from other people, always have been, always will be, and that maybe there's no answer as to why. Idiopathic.

I've been trying not to let things get to me so much, to practice gratitude, or whatever. I have a good job, and I'm grateful for it. I'm finding myself in my career, and I'm grateful for that. I bought a new laptop because my old one really couldn't work anymore. Things have been much, much worse for me. I've spent months crossing the street without looking both ways, hoping that a car would come and run me over. But this overly grateful talk makes me sick, truly nauseated, because I'm also ambitious, and I'm not content with what I have. I always want more, and that's a source of eternal dissatisfaction, but also of growth. I am a duality between wanting the comfortable stagnation of routine and always doing new and intellectually stimulating things, which is an inexhaustible source of conflict in my restless and contradictory nature. This year, I did many things that pushed me out of my comfort zone: I did everything I could to get a promotion at work, I’m pursuing a specialist’s degree, I published a completely original book and took the risk of entering it into a competition. I did all of this without knowing if it would work. And I, who have always been a coward, suddenly stopped being one for a few moments.

In about a week, I will be 26 years old. Technically, Saturn's return — the dreaded time that everyone says is a period of intense life transformation — does not occur until you’re 27 or 29 years old: I calculated mine, and it is scheduled for April 2028, when I will be close to turning 30. I still have time until then, and I don't know if it is placebo effect or not, but I am already starting to feel the change. Saturn is the planet of difficulties and trials, and I understand this better than anyone else. Everyone always fears Saturn's return, because it demands the lessons that life has taught us; it is the last breath of youth. Saturn is the executioner of time, but it also has its duality, being the god of hidden wealth, agriculture, and transformation. I'm afraid that I'm not doing enough, and when my turn comes, I'll fall like someone knocked down by a wave that's too big. After all, the zenith of my birth chart is Jupiter, the opposite of Saturn, the planet of glories, excesses, and blessings, and I don't know how to be moderate. I'm all or nothing, I often take a step too far, but things usually work out, oddly enough. Jupiter always brings luck. Saturn shrank my social circle, but brought valuable friends; it made my career go through ups and downs (and talk about downs!) until I found enough motivation and passion within myself to make it soar; it made adapting to social life, with its incomprehensible rituals, a martyrdom, until I realized that I don't need or want to be like other people, that I like my distorted perspective because of sheer egocentrism; it made my dreams seem as distant as the distance between Earth and the planet of rings, but in less than a week, I will be in the audience of a Smashing Pumpkins concert. My favorite band, in fact, the band of my life. Many years ago, when I wrote “Agnosthesia”, I prophesied this tour, and I prophesied that I would be there to see it. Since everything in nature is composed of cycles, I always end up returning to “Agnosthesia”, and to the same idea as before. If what I once wrote can become reality, it gives me hope, and makes me think that perhaps I am not wrong in practicing the antithesis of what the first paragraph of this story represents by closing my eyes, before going to sleep, and always wishing for the same thing, that wish.

[songs-about-girls-like-me]

chapter 4: jazz trial lesson

The first week into the extracurricular activities at school, you could try anything you'd like. The year before, I had showed up to the trial lesson for basketball and it had actually been fun: running around like a crazy horse on the courtyard where we took recess with a bunch of other kids. I considered staying for basketball despite the coach pretty much having the attitude of a jerk, but my parents weren't too keen on paying for another class, and I wasn't crazy over basketball so I let it go. Apart from that, I had never tried out for anything else. Nothing else: just Jazz, since 2004.

I had been in the level Inter for two years now and it was Time for me to move to Master. My teacher had actually asked me to try out for Master last year but even when I had showed up and was static to dance to Right Round featuring Ke$ha, I decided to turn down the opportunity because I had been a bit intimidated by the big girls. Some of them were already in secondary school and I had been 9 at the Time (now 10), and they had a bad vibe, they made the class feel like a competition. And more importantly, in Inter I was with Olivia and I'd rather be with her than expand my dancing carreer. We ended up dancing to Candy Man by Christina Aguilera wearing Navy uniform inspired costumes in all metalic fabrics, and the choreography for the last chorus had been crazy cool. Liv and I were still proud of it, it was a very rhythmic challenging sequence and we had pulled it off perfectly.

This year though, we were all going to Master, including Ella. Even my big sister was in this class with us and the mean girls had moved a level ahead! It was new for me to have friends there. The social aspect of it made me feel so much bigger. Ella and I were taking it very seriously, this was not only dancing. This was a sport, an artistic discipline, an athlete's life, we had the same mindset even if we had never danced together. I had told her the teacher, Miss. Cynthia, was strict and a kinda tough even if she was also very nice deep down. She had known me since I was 3, and she was the first one to call me by my middle name, Rees. She was kind of a force of the universe to me, like an earthquake.

"Do you think she'll be softer because it's a trial week?" asked Ella.

"I don't think so" I answered. "But that's why we're here for!"

"Yeah, I know!" We gave each other a high five.

"If this class is too hard, I'm moving down to Inter again guys" Olivia was putting on her dance shoes as we lounged on the floor outside the dance classroom after a long day of school.

Olivia didn't like being pushed too hard in any athletic setting and it was cool of her to not give the Time of the day to things she didn't like. But I wished she stayed in this class.

"I hope you stay." I said.

Rihanna was blasting inside the classroom, I was excited to be there. Now with my friends. Even if I was not one of the kids who was popular for dancing, I could work hard enough to get a place even in the challenging parts of the choreography. And sometimes, I even got first line places. Last year I had done a sequence that included a cartwheel with only three other girls. We stayed there chatting for another ten minutes until it was almost Time our class started. Some other girls from our class were also there.

"Hi, gurls" MJ said hi to us three. Mia, the new kid, was looking around. We now knew they were childhood best friends and were "very happy to be finally together in school".

"Hey"

"Are you guys also new?" MJ was wearing no dance shoes, but socks.

"Ella is. Rees and I aren't"

"Oh cool" I knew MJ liked dancing. My only long interaction with her had been in february, when we tried to perform at our school talent show, with another two girls, dancing to Bad Romance. I had even taken my cd player to school to make the choreography together, all four of the random girls that had gotten together when I asked "someone wants to dance with me?". But we ended up giving up after the first 14 seconds of the song, cause no one was good at choreographing and we couldn't stop getting into mild arguments about our outfits for the show. Yet still, I liked MJ the most out of the popular girls. They all would get into crazy arguments once week (at least) and I always felt from what I saw that she was the one getting hurt constanlty. After our Bad Romance flash friendship I once even comforted her while walking back to the classroom, when her friends were acting like a bunch of assholes.

Yet still, she was friends with the mean kids so I didn't trust her much. She was kind though. She was brown with short-ish hair, and had really pretty brown eyes.

"I'm kinda nervous! Is it hard?" MJ asked looking at me and Olivia.

"A little. But don't worry" I said shrugging.

"It's whatever, MJ" said Mia. "It's not volleyball. Where we actually should be!!" Both girls walked away but we could still hear them. "We're going to volleyball on thursday, right?"

"Yes! I promised"

"Dancing is too eaaaasy" Mia was peaking through the window as she spoke. The music had stopped. "This will be a piece of cake. Dancing is just a hobby, not an actual sport." I was appaled. "You'll see what the meaning of "hard" is once we play volleyball."

I looked around to find the annoyed look on Ella's face.

"Give her half an hour." Said my friend under her breath. "I hope she suffers." This made me laugh out loud.

An hour later, we were finishing the class doing flexibility exercises (which I was really bad at, but was managing to mantain a not-too-tragic distance from a split with my forearms against the floor). I was covered in sweat and the back of my shirt was sticking to my skin, but I was happy. Ella was holding an actual complete split resting on the floor and I could make eye contact with her and Olivia (as tragically inflexible as me) through the mirror. Liv's eyes were saying she was moving back to Inter.

"Good work, sweethearts. Drink water before you leave." Said our teacher. "And wear a jacket everyone, I don't want you to get hit with the cold air outside. Yes or yes?"

"Yes" I said almost crawling to my backpack.

"I asked: Yes or Yes???"

"YES!" The whole bunch of girls sounded exhausted. My friends and I got ready to leave in a corner of the classroom, also with my sister. Just as we were changing our shoes, we all caught a comment in the background:

"That was torture. That teacher is seriously deranged." It was Mia. I couldn't hold back the smile forming on my lips.

"Oh, look who's talking." MJ was laughing a bit. "I liked it!"

I also couldn't hold back the new respect that was lowkey forming inside me for MJ.

"Ugh, you stay, then." Her face was bright red from all the exercise. "I hated every second., it's shit." She looked like she would very much liked a stretcher to take her home.

"Bye!" MJ waved us goodbye.

"Bye!" said all three of us together.

Olivia, Ella and I laughed loudly once they left... and then made fun of it for at least five more minutes. And just like that, the two new kids had proven to be assholes.

[az-is-back]

and also the slowness of the plot allows it to very slowly unveil how dark that world actually is under the bright colors and the cheerfulness and i really like how this is done. there's not a big moment where you're suddenly told that "this is a dystopia", instead it's coming progressively by little touches and those little touches are painting something that is very dark.

at first you're like "oh there are More Characters and an actual Functioning Government this time around" and then it's confirmed that yes their planet still exists! It's not dead and it never was! They live there, the war is done and over! This is good, right? And then you slowly learn that the asshole background character is not just an asshole but actually quite representative of the entire system, that this is almost entirely a militaristic society, that they only get their names at boot camp, that they can just throw people in jail seemingly without trial and those jails mentally break people, that there's absolutely no safeguards against someone at the top abusing their power, and a multitude of other things that all tell the same story.

by the time it's finally called out in the show, you, the person watching it, has long put the pieces together and understood everything, because this callout happens in the third to last episode. and even then, what's called out isn't the system itself, but its sudden intensification under the influence of a character you were already disliking since the beginning of the show. the "good guys" are, for all intent and purposes, fighting to uphold a system that isn't good. and very few of them actually realize that.

when in the very first episode Optimus says "we're all cogs in the great big Autobot machine", it isn't just a poor choice of words given the situation, it's mostly him just repeating the propaganda he's been fed since he was born and he believes it. that is interesting. but they don't really go into it in depth and that's. frustrating.

my feelings about transformers animated (cartoon, 2007) are. complicated.