#what grinds my gears about this one is how long of a comment period they had and in the draft document how dismissive they are

[darkwood-sleddog]

Thank you for bringing up the CDC changes. I had no idea. I’m on the southern border and drive across to Mexico for errands, family, travel … I cross around 10x per year. Sometimes I bring my dogs. I also have transported rescue animals to vets across the border. We bring rabies vaccine proof but documentation is never requested by border authorities. One time when I had puppies they just asked how many puppies, I guess 3 was okay. To go from that to these new policies is very surprising, even hard to believe. I can’t imagine they were thinking of our border culture when they made these decisions. It’s a privilege to travel freely and benefit from the exchange rate in MX. I’m concerned how this all plays out and what it means for us. I’ll try calling the representatives and doing the petition, thanks for that.

It's absolutely my pleasure to talk about these things and I'm glad you found my posts beneficial in some way. There has been ZERO consideration for the cross border culture that is established at both of the United State's shared borders and especially zero consideration for the Canadians and Mexicans that cross into the United States on a frequent and legal basis to spend money in our economy etc. AND the people living in enclave communities that have to cross just to go to work, groceries, etc. I know people that live in the United States and have vets in Canada, which they now cannot bring their puppies to. Sometimes this is the closest vet to some rural communities.

I have the exact same experience you have in that border patrol has not once, not ever asked to look at my extensive paperwork. I keep a three ring binder for each dog with their entire medical history and they constantly tell me that it is unneeded. When I did the containment agreement with Sigurd as a puppy I was so nervous that I didn't have all my paperwork in order (I did) and that they wouldn't let me cross with him. They didn't even look at my CDC issued containment agreement paperwork, didn't even make issue with the fact it was a puppy too young for a rabies vaccine. It seems silly to think they wouldn't try actually educating and requiring border control to ask for these things and be a bit more strict with what's coming in before moving to such an extreme as we see now.

From what I saw from the draft of the "why we did this" that went around the reasoning they say they are making these rules blanketed across all countries with no nuance is to "streamline" things. To me it is flat out lazy to do this, reads as they don't feel like training border control on how to work with any sort of nuance in regards to CDC regulations. It's ridiculous. It also reads like they don't want to actual try and curb retail rescues falsifying paperwork and bringing in diseased dogs beyond these sort of over arching regulations. There's a lot that can be done, but doing what they've done is not the way. The rescues falsifying paperwork will still do so unless true action and consequences are given.

[dumbcrustyassbitch]

you know what really grinds my fucking gears.

I LOVE LISTENING TO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS !!!!! LIKE, PLEASE EDUCATE ME ON YOUR FAVOURITE THING !!!!!! TEACH ME !!!!!!!!! GIVE ME THE INFORMATION SO I CAN JOIN IN WITH HOW PASSIONATE YOU ARE !!!!!!!!!!

but it starts to getting annoying, and if im honest, a little upsetting, when you start to talk about yours and they just blank you. or are really blunt about it. or are rude about it. or give you the “are you out of your fucking mind” look.

like please !!!!!!!! ive just listened intently to 45 minutes of your infodumping and ive made a reference to one of my things and you give me a dirty look !!!!!!!!!!

im someone who's brain and entire being is consumed by whatever im currently fixating on, and i know a lot of people are like that too. i cannot go long periods of time without mentioning something to do with my things, okay? so when you start being an ass about it, it really hurts.

i know that listening isn't for everyone, i get that, i do. and if that's the case, tell me. but if i make a tiny comment about one of my special interests, please react the way i would for you. ask me questions, smile, laugh, whatever. just please, don't ignore it, slag me off, or talk to me in an undecipherable tone. LISTEN THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE LISTENED TO, TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED, ALL THAT !!!!!!!

anyways rant over :33

[shih-coulda-had-it]

35. “Why are you looking at me like that” i want to see what you do with this one

Anon, give me free reign, and I will return with some of the nichest interests to fandom. Another sourdough starter! This is for a time-travel AU with Yoichi/Sorahiko (Yoihiko) for end-game. Sorahiko's canon is set after Nana dies, and before Toshinori heads to the States.

//

So Sorahiko got punched some thirty-plus years into the past.

Fine. Typical One for All bullshit.

(He is going to punch Toshinori so hard if he ever gets back to the present. Regardless of how much Gran Torino deserved a humbling, Sorahiko did not sign up for this.)

It’s a nightmare of a time period, especially because pro-heroes aren’t exactly a concept yet. Sorahiko is unlucky enough to be picked up by some kind of guerrilla faction, and even more unlucky when he finds out they are connected to All for One. Not in a friendly way, mind.

The leader of the resistance and his right-hand man interfered before Sorahiko could be summarily interrogated and killed. To be fair to the guerrilla faction, Sorahiko had been shooting his mouth off left and right, because this whole situation was awful, and he wasn’t shy about taking his frustration out on assholes.

Things that alarmed them: his gear, his hair, and his unheard-of Quirk.

“Are you related to Shigaraki?” the leader had asked, suspicion written all over his face.

“Who the hell is Shigaraki,” Sorahiko had answered, eyeing the leader’s gauntlets.

Talks are, believe it or not, uphill from there. Once Sorahiko is confirmed to be thoroughly, passionately agreeable to using violence against All for One, he is more or less folded into the resistance. And before long, the resistance launches an all-out assault on All for One’s base.

Gran Torino is mercilessly placed on the front lines, nearly shoulder to shoulder with the leader (determinedly nameless) and his right-hand man (Sanjuro Yojimbo).

“Easier ways to take me out of the game,” says Sorahiko, checking the suction seals of his gloves. He grimaces at the loosening fit; although his time hadn’t been the best with the daily grind of patrol - villain - paperwork, its miserable characteristics did not hold a candle to the present.

These are lean times.

“Gran Torino, you’re the one who wanted to wear your shining beacon of a costume,” says Sanjuro. The man adjusts his bandana, fussing with fraying seams.

“I wasn’t going to repaint my gloves and boots.”

“And now you’ll attract all sorts of attention,” sighs the leader. The three of them are sharing one last quiet moment, staring at the hastily-scrawled map Sorahiko managed to draw up. Honestly, he has no idea if the resistance would have managed this fight without his help.

They certainly aren’t in any records.

“Sure you won’t tell me your name?” Sorahiko needles. “Dead man’s request.”

“As you like to remind us, it’s hard to kill you,” the leader says. He folds the map into squares, slides it into his jacket, and cracks his neck from side to side. “Send the signal.”

A red flare shoots up into the sky.

Gran Torino, as the fastest, hurtles himself over the gates and dodges the first slew of projectile Quirks. Nothing particularly dangerous, nothing tricky. However much All for One is in his prime, the Quirks of this era are… lacking in potency.

That, or All for One has already snatched the strongest of them up.

He supposes the real nightmare is that All for One’s followers are simply that. Followers, willing to do what the man wants, in broad daylight. Vicious, vindictive, villainous. The civilians can’t fight back, because the ban on public Quirk usage affects them the hardest. The government flounders, still is floundering by the time Gran Torino had hit the streets, so… it makes sense that this resistance appeared to fill the gap.

His entrance into the building is preceded by an unconscious woman’s body, thrown through a window. Presumably, the leader’s gauntlets will blow open the front doors, but once Gran Torino is on the move, he tries not to stop.

“Get him!”

“What the hell is he wearing?”

Gran Torino kicks that commenter in the face. He moves on. One, two, five, ten--there are more guards than he anticipated. Further down: a stairway, a hallway, a large heavy door with a spinning handle attached.

Despite knowing of the smart thing to do (wait for reinforcements), Gran Torino sets on to open this door.

It does not turn easy. But it does turn, and the door does open.

He shoves it, steadies his footing, and braces himself for a surprise attack. The light from the hallway floods into a dark room, and Sorahiko can barely discern a cowering figure on the floor, pale-haired and green-eyed.

“N-nii-san?”

Sorahiko blanches as the sound of an explosion shakes the floor above. He knows of very few people with hair like theirs, and this trembling voice does not sound like All for One. Stumbling back so his shadow doesn’t fall over the other man’s, Sorahiko has a crazy thought: whoever this relative of All for One is, he looks--kind.

“You’re not my brother,” says the man, green eyes going wide. “You--”

“Do you want out?” Gran Torino demands.

“I…”

“This estate is being attacked,” he says, trying to pick his words carefully. Shimura was always better at reassuring terrified civilians, or de-escalating emotional spirals on the verge of a panic attack. “If you need help, then… the people I’m with can provide it.”

“You don’t know who I am.”

Gran Torino exhales, sharp, and stalks into the vault. The man stays on the floor, staring up and up, except his eyes hold less fear and more fascination. They follow Gran Torino as he crouches, and then they skitter to gaze at the outstretched hand.

“I don’t need to know who you are,” Sorahiko says. “I wasn’t sent here to find you. All I know is that you’ve been trapped in this room, guarded by more goons than feasible for a hallway patrol.” He tilts his head. “Makes for easy lines of attack, I gotta say.”

“... Your Quirk?”

“Trade secret,” says Sorahiko simply. He wiggles his fingers. “This is an offer. Get out of jail free card, you could say.”

The man hesitates, but he reaches back, thin fingers ever smaller against the size of Gran Torino’s glove. They curl into a surprisingly strong grip as Gran Torino levers them back up.

“Can you run?”

“I’m not in the best of shape,” says the man, sheepish.

He considers his options. Escorting a malnourished unarmed civilian will turn them both into sitting ducks. Carrying him? That’s doable. It may also deter Sanjuro and the leader from automatically killing the man.

“Ever get motion sickness?”

“Never had the opportunity.”

Gran Torino nods and says, “I can carry you. In my arms or over my shoulder, pick your poison.” Upon seeing the flustered expression bloom, Sorahiko rolls his eyes. The man won’t see; the lenses are opaque. “If it helps, it will be faster if you’re in my arms. I can compensate for the extra weight easier.”

Not that you look like you weigh much, Sorahiko adds silently.

“Whatever works,” says the man, faint, and Gran Torino hooks one twiggy arm around his much broader shoulders and scoops him up off the floor by the knees. He’s right. The man doesn’t weigh much at all. Fingers curl in, grabbing a handful of his cape.

“This’ll work,” he confirms, and turns smartly on his heel to exit the vault. Before Gran Torino reenters the hallway, he stops and warns, “Bodies up ahead.”

The fingers tighten. “You killed them?” the man asks woodenly.

“Mine will wake up with a severe migraine.”

“Ah.”

That’s about as much as Gran Torino’s willing to throw his comrades under the bus. He forges on into the light, picking his way past the fallen unconscious bodies. Being in the past has turned him more cutthroat, but… he’s been hardwired to perform swift knock-outs. For most wannabe villains, getting kicked unconscious once is embarrassing enough to turn them onto milder paths.

Better a shoplifter than a mugger, in Gran Torino’s eyes.

These ‘guards’ had been pretty pathetic. Supposing the resistance doesn’t send a ‘clean-up’ squad, the idiots might be able to turn over a new leaf.

He would use Jet, but the hallway is kind of tight. So Gran Torino is stuck walking until he reaches the stairs, and he tries not to jostle his passenger. This effort does not go unrecognized, a fact Sorahiko realizes when he glances down to check in.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, unsettled by the shining green irises.

It looks uncannily like when Toshinori actually respected Gran Torino, instead of hating him to the point of sending him far into the past.

“You’re a hero,” the man whispers, almost giddy with the naming. “You’ve got to be.”

Sorahiko bites the inside of his cheek. His face feels too warm, a fact that he will have to blame on the floor being heavily insulated. Slowly, to better communicate a disbelief that he doesn’t actually feel, Sorahiko says, “And what makes you think that?”

“Your suit. The cape. A refraining from meting out ‘righteous justice.’” The man layers the sarcasm thick on the last two words, like he’s quoting some egotistical asshole.

“Some villains make the cut,” mutters Gran Torino.

“Exceptions to the rule?”

They’re at the bottom of the staircase. Sorahiko can hear the resistance wrecking shop upstairs, and he is keenly aware that he will be entering the fray with another man in his arms, in a one-person lift more commonly associated with bridal carries.

“When a villain promises to destroy your whole world,” he says, “when they already have destroyed a crucial part of it, with no remorse, no intention to atone... I think…”

This is hardly the time to indulge his grieving heart.

Nevertheless, the man presses his hand against Sorahiko’s chest. Sorahiko, startled, meets those fascinated, fascinating green eyes.

“I hear you,” he says, quiet in his empathy. A quick breath. “My name is Shigaraki Yoichi. It’s nice to meet you…?”

Sorahiko swallows past his trepidation.

“Call me Gran Torino, Yoichi-san,” he says.

[fe-husband-heaven]

Commission! Niles X OC

Commission for @pompurii ʚ♥︎ɞ

Thank you so much for being my very first commission! I loved making this and your OC is absolutely adorable, no wonder Niles is after her ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Once again, thank you! You've been so understanding that I wanna cry dndndnfn

4,685 words in total!

1k requested + 3.6k free of charge!

If you find it unsatisfactory, please notify me!

I hope you enjoy!

_____________________________________

The halls were warm with filtered sun, the sounds of lone footsteps reverberated through the quiet air. The distant tweeting of birds and the exhausted sigh of a tired summoner were the only sounds to be heard.

Holding her beloved book close, she took solace in one thing being a constant in her life. Shaking her head, Nana brushed away negative thoughts, choosing instead to remember that no matter how many villains appeared, from Surtr to Hel, her heroes were always with her. 

Lost in her thoughts, Nana let out a surprised squeak when she ran into someone, nearly dropping her book. She let out a flurry of apologies before realizing who it was she was speaking to.

"O-oh...it's just you, Niles."

Standing there with an impish grin forming, Niles looked Nana up and down before leaning forward into her space.

"Just me? You weren't expecting someone else were you?"

His sly smile made the lewd implication of company quite clear. Turning a darker shade of pink than her already rosy cheeks, Nana turned her head away, leaning back a bit so he wasn't so close. Pulling her hood up, she hid her face under the cloth, it felt like Niles was undressing her with his eye and she knew exactly where it'd end up if she riled him up accidentally. 

"N-no…"

His grin grew as he pressed even closer to her, with a hand gently holding her chin, he turned her to face him, leaning just close enough to have their lips barely brushing.

Dipping a little under her hood, he purred against her lips,

"My little summoner, why do you insist on hiding your face from me? You know I love seeing every expression you make."

"Niles…" Nana made a pitiful expression, internally waving goodbye to any work she might have gotten done before Niles's arrival. He smiled at her before ending the tease and engulfing her lips with a kiss. 

His hand slid from her chin to the side of her face, a thumb gently caressed her cheek, while his other hand went to sneakily pulling down the hood she'd rose seconds ago.

Watching intently, Niles grinned into the kiss the redder Nana got, he always wanted to see her face during things like this, to watch the shy and sweet sink into the depravity that is his touch.

What a naughty summoner…

Hands that sweetly touched the blushed skin of her cheeks 3 seconds ago began their teasing descent down the curve of Nana's sides. Adept fingers ghosted their way to the ends of her skirt before sliding under the fabric to run along the stretch of her thigh. 

Niles knew exactly what he was doing and where he wanted to go, he only needed to seduce Nana into bed for him to have accomplished what he set out to do.

It only took a small squeak from Nana when Niles squeezed her thigh to have him gathering her up in his arms in spite of her surprised yelps.

"Niles! Please…Oh, how embarrassing…"

Niles allowed a huff of amusement to leave him, despite Nana's seemingly shy reluctance to being carried in bridal fashion, she certainly wasn't making any effort to squirm out of his arms. 

She'd been carried before, by strong muscled heroes who thought it easier to have her manhandled than to risk her being struck in battle. Heroes like Draug and Hector, heroes who Niles found he was not too fond of…

But Niles noted how she'd constantly beg for them to put her down, wiggling every which way she could to try to escape their hold. In his arms, Nana stayed still, simmering in mortification but she made no attempt to be free of his touch. Choosing instead to just play with her hair, she allowed herself to be whisked away. Niles could almost feel her heart thundering in her chest and the nervous bite of her lips.

Niles licked his lips, it's almost like she knew exactly what would make him want to press her against a wall, slide that skirt up, and-

"Niles..."

Niles drove his divine thoughts away in favor of humming out a Hmm? in question of her call to attention.

"Can we…" Niles' eyes shone with a predatory gaze when he looked down at Nana who looked up at him earnestly and pleading,

"Can we at least do it in my room?" She was beet red and Niles thought she looked delectable like this. Taking on a cat like smirk, Niles cooed,

"What? You don't like the library? Or the garden? Not even the closet outside of the little prince's door?"

Niles knew he was being cruel, and he hadn't even started the real fun yet. Meanwhile, Nana had to simmer in remembrance of events that happened in each of those locations where Niles had already had more than enough fun ramming himself between her legs at the expense of Nana never being able to return to those places without remembering his touch.

Memories of having to quiet her moans with the back of her hand as other Heroes walked past, Niles doing everything in his power to get a loud cry out of her. Memories of quivering knees with driblets of white running down her thighs, and worst of all, the memories of aftercare baths meant to care for her that only ended in another round of Niles' games.

Niles felt a wave of arousal run down his navel, and apparently, he wasn't the only one as his eye focused keenly on the subtle shift of Nana's legs, pressing tight before subtly rubbing together once. The shaky breath that followed gave her away.

Stepping forward, Niles began his trip to Nana's room. Just this once, he'd allow one wish of hers to be granted, considering what he was about to do to her in bed, it was only fair.

It wasn't long before he stood in front of her door, smoothly, he raised a foot to the handle and twisted it up before entering. Closing the door with the side of his hip, he looked down at Nana.

"I hope you're ready, Summoner. You haven't been very good lately, ignoring me in favor of work and all. I think it deserves a nice punishment."

Opening her mouth in protest, Nana was cut off with an "Ah-ah-ah" before she was ceremoniously tossed onto her bed.

The squeak she gave out would only be a small sample of everything Niles had planned.

Closing the door, he purposefully avoided locking it. Nana noticed and pointed a finger at the door but Niles only let out a chuckle with a shake of his head. Frowning, Nana sat up on her elbows, pink strands being tucked behind her ear as she reasoned with him.

"Niles..!.You can't leave it unlocked...someone might come in."

Once he kicked off his shoes, Niles sunk the bed under his knee as he drew closer to Nana, 

"That, my dear Summoner, is the point."

Nana blinked up owlishly at him, her round eyes the color of yellowed daisies were filled with confusion before shock took over at the scandalous implication that Niles would be more than fine if someone walked in on the two of them. 

But before she could get a word in otherwise, Niles had already made his way between her legs, holding them apart as he pressed himself against her, her skirt flipping backwards as fair skin presented itself like an offering to him.

She shuddered at the cold air.

"Now, Summoner, what do you think I did while you were busy?"

Nana swallowed thickly and eyed warily the bulge that Niles pressed against the fabric of her underwear. 

It's true she hadn't seen Niles in a little while, but she didn't think it'd been that long. Niles usually wouldn't allow for him to be ignored for extended periods of time...was he busy as well? 

Typically, even when she was hounded by work for the Order, he'd tag along making whatever salacious comments he could, but she couldn't recall him doing so as of late…

Niles watched the gears turning in her mind, admiring a change in expression. He wanted to see everything about Nana, know everything about her, outside of all those duties of a timid summoner, he wanted to unravel her.

"I couldn't help it, you know. It was much too painful a wait, I had to give myself a helping hand." 

Niles maintained eye contact as he grinded his hips up into Nana, not missing the way her breath shook a little at the movement.

"Oh?"

Niles pulled himself away just far enough to look down at Nana's undergarments.

"What do we have here?" he purred, pressing a finger to the fabric before running it down along the slit that it hid. It was clear that he was more than pleased at the dampness of the garm.

"We haven't even started yet and you're like this? How unfair, Nana."

Drawling out her name, he repeated the motion, pressing just a little harder than before. Niles couldn't help the little bit of adrenaline that rushed to him when Nana arched her back a bit at his touch.

"Niles.." It sounded like a whine, "Don't tease me too much…"

Niles laughed, she could be so earnest sometimes. 

"Impatient are we? Very well, just this once.."

Slipping his index fingers under the sides of her underwear, he pulled the cloth off, making a show out of undressing her. Leaning forward to support his weight on one arm, he caged Nana partly, under him.

He himself wanted to keep a very close eye on whatever delectable faces she makes, but he also knew Nana would want to be able to kiss him during whatever sinister nonsense he was up to. 

He locked eyes with Nana, and he could almost see his own hungry expression in them. 

Finally, a finger dipped into Nana, Niles's thumb coming up to press & rub light circles against her reddening nub. If Niles's grin could get any wider, it would have at the way Nana's hips rose up from the bed into his hand.

Her eyes trailed down to his working fingertips, she almost wanted to hide her face from the squelching sound that was emitting from his touches. She nearly felt ashamed, he hadn't even started his ministrations more than 20 seconds ago and she was already this wet.

Turning back to Niles, Nana reached for the belt looped around his pants.

"Uhm..you too…"

She barely managed to get her hands on the clasp before Niles sat up, holding her wrist.

"Ah ah ah, not yet."

Nana's lips parted, a "But-" on her lips before Niles went back to caging her beneath. Sliding another finger into her folds. Nana made a small squeak at the sensation.

"Don't you have bigger things to be worried about, Summoner?" he cooed into her ear. His innuendo for what's to come wasn't at all missed, another wave of heat resonated through her stomach, Niles was beginning to pick up the pace.

His thumb was pressing down harder, and his fingers were jutting in and out, eager to earn whatever reaction he can garner from the pink haired girl. The bed groaned softly at the movement from Nana, who's hips kept rolling up, searching for more.

She shuddered out his name the more she felt herself pulse, in response, Niles licked his lips… before pulling his hand away completely.

Nana made a confused sound at the sudden cold air between her legs, feeling empty, she turned quizzically to the one eyed thief.

"...What..?..You didn't think I'd let you finish so soon..did you?"

Nana felt herself flush with embarrassment, she'd forgotten who it was she was dealing with. It's never in Niles's repertoire to simply let her finish.

He's like a cat with a toy in the bedroom, and she, the mouse who kept coming back.

"Awww...Niles!" She was whining, yes, but she also knew Niles was a big fan of begging and wouldn't let her go without a couple of "please"s. She didn't know what he found so enticing in it but she's done it with him enough times to know his mannerisms.

He hushed her before sitting up on his knees, the bed springs squeaking in response. Nana watched as nimble fingers, some with a sheen from being pushed in and out of her earlier, unclasped his belt and unbuttoned his pants. Nana gulped at the bulge protruding through the cloth.

"Now, do tell...what is it that you want me to do to you?" Niles was playing with her, knowing how flustered he can make her through his lewd comments alone. His question lacked innocence, it was the same as if he had said "Tell me that you want me to fuck you into this bed."

He was only looking for one answer.

Nana, who covered her face with her hands at the question, peeked at him through cracked fingers. Pulling down his pants, and undergarm along with it, he gleaned expectantly at Nana in a silent "I'm not moving till you beg."

Nana felt a bit of her die inside, she'd never get used to having to say outloud what she wanted from him. Niles would never tire of watching her face morph through various emotions due to his actions. It was addicting.

It hadn't started like this, he'd mentioned it before but he wasn't always Nana's biggest fan. You see, he very much does not like being told what to do, especially by absolute strangers that summon him out of a rock. He completed his tasks of course, but he didn't like it.

He of course continued his salacious comments back then, he enjoyed watching Nana squirm, but at that time, it was out of spite. Over time, he enjoyed watching Nana squirm out of affection instead.

With the number of shenanigans Nana found herself in all the time, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. What had originally been a duty done at the behest of Lord Leo, was instead done out of a need to keep her nearby. He dreaded the idea of her being out of his reach, and lately, she had been.

Through no fault of her own of course, she was bombarded with the tasks of a summoner despite the plethora of heroes who could be of aide. Anger bubbled at the surface when he heard things like "Leave it to the summoner, she can do anything!" without thinking that it might be shoving her down a deeper hole of sleepless nights.

Regardless, this was much more than a fuck because he managed to find Nana in the hallway. She'd accepted him long ago but he wondered if she knew just how much he was attached to her.

"Do I have to..?"

Nana tried, never hurts to, but she knew the answer before she had even asked the question. Pressing himself between her legs and rubbing himself against her mound was the only answer he gave, Nana could feel how hard he was and it only made the room feel hotter.

She murmured something, not loud enough for Niles's ears to pick up on. 

"Hmm...I can't hear you." He sing songed, "I hope you don't mind repeating yourself?"

Niles knew he was only making her heart pound faster by the way the blush on her cheeks travelled down her neck.

He leaned over, purposefully pressing himself against her, and pried her hands from her face.

A hungry smile graced his lips as he looked at her, awaiting.

But it seemed Nana had other ideas. Rather than begin her usual "No way, that's too embarrassing…", she reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair. 

Suddenly being hit with the feeling of wanting to be close, she just wanted Niles near. Niles felt the change in mood and sighed into her touch.

He closed his eye and leaned into her hand as it travelled down to hold his cheek, fair skinned fingertips held him so tenderly that an uncharacteristic swell hit his heart.

She gently guided his face down, and leaned up to press a sweet kiss to his lips. Niles in turn returned the kiss, and began melding their lips together, briefly, before Nana pulled back just enough to look him in the eye.

Murmuring against his lips, her eyes took on a soft longing look rather than the dishevelled visage from before.

"Niles..please…please put it in…"

Niles almost wanted to laugh as she had avoided completely naming what exactly she wanted inside her but he was feeling much too connected to Nana at the moment to care. 

His length twitched painfully at the unfairly adorable straightforwardness she'd displayed.

Beads of white leaked out from the tip of his member, and he took a moment to regain himself.

Humming quietly, he gave a "Because you asked so nicely" before burying his face in the curve of her neck. Shifting, he pushed her legs further apart before positioning himself, ready to sheathe himself inside her.

He gave her a second to prepare herself before slipping in, still drenched and sensitive from before, Nana gasped softly and wrapped her arms around Niles's neck and torso.

She attempted to take the lead, rolling her hip up onto him but Niles placed a hand on her side, stopping her movements.

"You didn't think I'd forgotten did you? You can move only when I say so."

His voice was laced teasing so Nana whined halfheartedly, but he frowned into her skin.

He was trying to get a hold of himself, Nana's insides were hot and wet, if he moved even an inch, he'd finish before he'd even started.

He's been in this position many times before but her earlier affection had riled something inside him, and it was having trouble not spending itself inside her right then and there.

To keep her from beginning to worry, he pressed a kiss to her neck, before licking a spot, intent on maring it.

"If you're good, maybe I'll consider it."

She didn't know what constituted "good" but at this point, she just wanted Niles to move so she sat still, awaiting whatever dubious instruction he'd come up with.

Niles himself focused on the spot he'd kissed before, lips hovered over it briefly before he took the skin in his mouth and began to suck before taking the area between his teeth, nibbling just enough to leave a noticeable bruise.

Nana, who knew she had to be patient, tried to keep still against him but it was getting more difficult by the second. It only grew worse when she felt Niles hand run up her side before reaching up to begin undoing her blouse.

Shoving her bra up, his mouth soon found its way onto her chest rather than her neck. He took a nub into his mouth while his hand kneaded her other breast. Sucking it perk, he swirled his tongue over the hardened tip as fingers tweaked the other.

Nana believed she deserved an award for keeping her hips still, Niles was touching everything sensitive and it with the heat of Niles being inside her, it was almost becoming too much.

Niles figured he'd waited long enough when he felt her clench around him, if she kept it up, he'd be in trouble.

He rolled his hips into her once, and the way Nana wrapped her legs around him to push him deeper inside her was all the incentive he needed.

His hip pulled back for a deep thrust before he slammed himself inside her, registering the mewl that fell from Nana's lips. His arms circled around her waist, holding her in place as he thrust himself hurriedly into her. The bed creaked with each thrust, and the sound of skin slapping against wet skin was beginning to fill the room.

Nana's lips were parted in a silent gasp, Niles's mouth was still working her chest as he shoved himself in and out of her, digging her hands in his hair, she cried out his name.

It only served to rile Niles up more as his flurried thrusts only increased in speed. 

The thought of stopping when Nana was close crossed his mind for a brief moment, but the protest from his aching cock begging him to fill her and spill himself inside quickly cast those thoughts aside. 

Some part of him wanted to claim her, every inch, inside and out. He wanted to stake his claim, to defile and corrupt her with his touch to have her cry moan out the name of someone as twisted as him.

He wanted Nana to say she loved him.

"Niles..mmhaah..please..harder..!"

He laughed in between thrusts, "What a greedy summoner..!"

She'd been good this entire time, he figured this is as far as she could go for today. Nana's own hips were snapping up to meet his, and the familiar feeling of a knot forming in her stomach was beginning to mix with white heat.

"Niles-" she could barely choke out his name through a desperate moan.

Her hands shook as she reached to cup Niles's face and pull him up to her, smashing her lips to his, teary eyes were squeezed shut as his tongue darted into her mouth, returning the kiss and swirling his tongue around hers.

She moaned into the kiss and Niles's own grunts were growing more frequent with each buck of his hips. Her chest bounced from the force of his movements as she began seizing around him, she pulled her lips just enough to cry out.

"I love you..!..I love you, Niles-..!..I lo-"

She was cut off by lips crushing hers, and the furious pounding of frenzied thrusts. She clenched around him a final time before she felt herself spasm and slip into a haze of ecstasy. For a moment, she could feel nothing but Niles's warmth and a burning hot white that overtook her.

Niles followed suit, jagged and erratic thrusts came to a halt as a final slam into her pushed him over the edge. Thick white hot cum spurted out of his cock as Nana relaxed against him, leaking down the curve of her skin, a part of him found satisfaction in being the only one to be able to fill her like this.

His cum mixed with her essence, and he briefly admired the way the sticky substance connected them as he pulled himself out. Both of them feeling the loss of each other.

He would crush this little petite summoner of his if he just collapsed on them now, so he slipped off to the side before encasing her in his arms.

She looked absolutely tuckered out, completely spent, as if all her energy had gone into lying below him and letting him use her body as he pleased. 

He knew that was not the case but he found it amusing nonetheless. 

She'd shut her eyes now, no doubt exhaustion had dragged her off a nice long sleep.

But not before she muttered a tired,

"..l..ove..you..Nil..es.."

 ________________

He'd been lying of course, he'd never once touched himself in her absence. 

Firstly, why would he? It was much more entertaining to watch her struggle to look at the general vicinity of his length and gingerly grasp it while making the most nervous of expressions.

It felt much better in her hands than his sullied ones. 

But second of all, he wouldn't have the time. Even as Nana lay beside him, exhausted by his teasing, she was left unaware of his going ons while she had immersed herself in her work. 

It very much annoyed him. 

It annoyed him how much work was shoved onto his Summoner, overrun, and without a moment's reprieve, it bore a gnawing feeling of disgust in him.

She shouldered so much he was surprised she hadn't broken yet, he didn't like so much being placed on her, if anyone was to break her, he preferred it to be him.

He spent a good portion of the night just watching her chest rise and fall, not a bad way to spend his time, he's used to seeing it making sharp movements in between gasps but a restful steady breathing was a welcome sight.

Good, all his work hadn't been for naught. He hadn't been gallivanting off to play with himself as he'd suggested, but rather to handle some of the responsibilities Nana had no business undertaking. 

That timid nature of hers while absolutely divine in bed, often led people to attempt to push their chores on her. The meekness and kindness in her did nothing to reject other heroes unwelcome requests. 

So he undertook those in her place, he'd keep that little bit to himself though, he wasn't searching for praise. In fact, he could hear her now, "Niles..Why didn't you say anything..?" in a squeaky little voice overcome with emotion. She'd always been a little bit of a crybaby, and he found no fault in it, it was always a delectable experience so long as he actually hadn't hurt her feelings.

He tucked a loose strand of light pink hair behind her ear, feeling it between his fingers before he did so. How shattered a being he was and yet she never once turned away from him, unfortunately for her, he's grown attached and refuses to let her go now.

He'll continue working unnoticed on the sidelines, the puzzled face she makes when she finds that someone has already done what she set out to do was a reward in itself. No expression on Nana went unappreciated, though his heart did like to twist and turn whenever she was truly upset.

Pressing a small kiss to her forehead, he smiled against her skin. He'd worn her out, got her to sleep after running her out of energy. Though he'd love to continue the fun, he accomplished his mission, getting her to take a break.

When he found her walking the halls earlier, she ran straight into him, probably preoccupied with whatever task she had next.

He thought his method rather effective, seducing Nana into bed for rest, would he daresay he might be a genius?

Niles sighed, as mushy and lovey dovey as this all was, she was going to get up tomorrow with that same dutifulness she thought her heroes needed of her, and it would be the same cycle all over again. 

Nana shifted in her sleep, curling further into Niles. It was almost as if the world was teasing him, for a moment, he almost considered waking her for another round.

...Oh...Oh.

Niles couldn't help the quiet chuckle that escaped him.

Yes...what a perfect idea, tomorrow he could just...

His epiphany was brought short when he felt something poking at him under his shoulder. Letting an arm release Nana to grab the object netted him a...white clip?

He recognized it as Nana's and he looked down at her, he hadn't noticed when, but her hair was loose, it had come undone. A quick eye scan of the bed revealed a couple of white ties scattered across the sheets. 

He felt a puff of air escape him in amusement, he'd been entirely to focused on whatever face she made to notice the mess he'd made of her hair. It stuck out in a couple places but he found it endearing, her cowlick had stayed in place the entire time funnily enough.

He pressed another kiss to her temple, and in her sleep, she shifted a little closer to him.

He gathered whatever he could grab without disturbing the sleeping summoner and set them closer to the headboard of the bed.

There was no use putting them back in her hair, tomorrow morning, he'd simply make them fall back out again.

Shutting his eyelids, the warmth of Nana's body lulled him into sleep. A smile on his lips as he imagined Nana's protests come morning sun.

[shimchangmins]

i was on twitter and somehow ended up on a thread about m*mamoo getting hate, and honestly, i’m not here to either defend or condemn them because i simply don’t know enough about them to make a fair judgement, but it doesn’t really matter. 1st of all, people are fucking disgusting with their comments, wishing death, r*pe and etc on them, like what in the actual fuck?? idc if you have legitimate reasons to dislike them, this shit is just not okay, period. plus, i swear to god kpop fans are a bunch of fucking hypocrites:

1st they keep preaching about idols’ mental health, and then they literally repeatedly bully them online lmao, yikes.

2nd idk how to tell kpoppies and stans in general this. but attacking the way someone looks just because you dislike them? it’s not okay or progressive in any way, nor does it make you the coolest bitch on the block. you’re just contributing to the perpetuation of harmful standards that hurt a lot of fucking people. so, calling hw*sa ugly and other godawful crap? just makes you a piece of shit and you’ve already lost my interest in whatever you have to say.

3rd they will literally use m*mamoo, and hw*sa in particular, as scapegoats for when their faves fuck up or have a scandal. i can not even explain how disturbing this is to me. because these people hate m*mamoo for being bigoted, racist, etc. but when THEIR faves do the exact same shit, they try to cover it up. it’s honestly laughable. you either care about these issues and therefore call out everyone, or you simply do not give a shit. and clearly they don’t. ch*ngha had cornrows?? hw*sa’s fault and influence because ‘i love ch*ngha and i don’t want to cancel her’.... lmao, yeah sure, you really seem to care a lot about culture appropriation there, jfc. ch*ngha is a grownass woman with a functioning brain for goodness sake, she makes her own decisions and should be the one being held accountable for them. i honestly really have to wonder exactly how many of these people are actually black or a poc in general, considering how they don’t seem to be that bothered by systematic racist, as long as it comes from their faves.

^^^^^ this (the 3rd point) in particular grinds all my fucking gears, because kpop fans really use certain kpop groups (whether they are deserving of all the hate or not) as convenient punching bags, and will literally go on witch hunts on them to protect their faves WHO MAKE THE EXACT SAME MISTAKES!!

they clearly don’t care about actual problematic stuff and changing things, they just don’t want negative attention aimed at their faves, and it’s disgusting. 

idc if you like m*mamoo or not, that’s not the point of this post. but if you do this shit or enable it in any way, either with them or other idols? you’re absolute trash. stop with the witch hunting of groups you don’t stan/dislike and focus on your faves’ own problems, because i guarantee you they have them too.

[hannahlovestheatre]

Riverdale + Heathers = how very...(a good rant and review)

Ok so to start off if you're someone who doesn't watch Riverdale and only watched it solely to watch this episode because you thought it would be "trash" or you were politely curious or whateva whateva, here's a small, spoiler free synopsis of what's been going on this season...

This season of Riverdale has had a hard focus on cults and a massive drug possession. The people running this cult are complete wackadoos and Betty Cooper is determined to stop them as they have taken her mom and sister and also they are bringing out the worst in the citizens of Riverdale and ya know KILLING SOME OF THEM. The cult branches out from a creepy board game come to life called Gryphons and Gargoyles but we don't have to touch on that as much. The drug thing is all on Veronica Lodge's father but her mom has been helping on the side and so has Jughead's mom. Everyone in the town is turning against each other and it's been hard to find trust in people that don't see things through the eyes of "The Farm" or are trying to distribute some strong ass drugs.

Tbh that's not even a good description but it gives some good background on the main points of drugs and cults. Now...

Heathers is a world renowned CULT classic movie. The creators clearly used the term to their advantage (literally the only people to applaud at the end of the school's production were the MEMBERS OF THE CULT) and once again connected their characters to the characters of another piece of work and saw this as another opportunity to do a musical episode considering their Carrie one was a success for them even though it wasn't everyone's favorite, but of course I liked it, and Heathers is now a staple to the world of musical theatre.

I think that the Heathers episode was executed a lot better than the Carrie one. I appreciated the Carrie one more because that musical is so slept on and they were able to get the word out about it. But the Carrie episode was more focused on being an episode about the school musical and showed more of the rehearsal process and what the numbers looked like in their production rather than incorporating the songs into real life to make them seem more relatable. The Heathers episode actually incorporated itself into the current storyline of the show and helped tie up some loose ends with the relationships of this season. All the songs they used supported the conflicts and state of mind for each character. They didn't even have the cast sing songs that their Heathers characters sing like for example Betty and Jughead sang Seventeen even though Betty was cast as Duke and Jughead isn't even in the show (we will touch on this later because I think my puddle of tears is still in the living room). They also heard our prayers to have Casey Cott sing more and then threw Cole Sprouse in there to make it even better. (Thanks Riverdale creators!)

Long story short, it seemed more like if Glee were doing a Heathers episode which I stan hard as I am the biggest gleek to ever gleek.

I think they picked all the right songs, Fight For Me was the biggest surprise choice to me but I liked what they did with it again for context sake. If they had found a way to add Freeze Your Brain, The Me Inside of Me, and/or Shine a Light I would have been interested in seeing that. It also would have been cool to see I Say No (Betty would have nailed it as she is saying a big fat no to this cult).

I also wasn't as mad about them using the lyric changes that are in the school edition because it hit me. This is a HIGH SCHOOL putting on a production of HEATHERS THE MUSICAL. Since most schools would either get a big checkmark in the NO box to even put on the show, if a school did get the clear to put on Heathers, they would 100% have to do the school edition. So ya know what haters, they're actually being realistic with the production they actually got the rights to put on. It makes so much sense coming from a hardcore theatre nerd like myself.

Yes I would say some of the cast was autotuned but my mom thought everyone was a great singer and she was very genuine in that comment. Casey Cott, Lilli Reinhart, and Camila Medes are definitely the most polished but Vanessa Morgan, KJ Apa, Madelaine Petsch, Ashleigh Murray, and COLE SPROUSE are also very strong singers. They have more guts to sing this hard score than most people do in community theatre productions of Heathers.

I do think the casting of their musical was mostly spot on only I didn't really see Josie playing Veronica. But going back to my point on the episode not really touching on the actual musical production of Heathers that's happening, it didn't really matter. They pretty much never showed her singing Veronica's stuff so it went right over my head. I think Toni could have been a great Veronica as her Dead Girl Walking had spot on interpretation but actually Betty could have knocked it out of the park as Veronica and Toni could have been Duke to heighten the conflict between her and Cheryl at the time. They didn't HAVE to do it this way because they know the show better than we do but if I were casting Hearthers with Riverdale characters, that's where my head was going.

I know everyone said Betty should be McNamara and Veronica should be Duke but as I watched the episode, I realized everyone based that off looks because McNamara's dad is "LOADED" and the poor girl tries to kill herself because of what goes on outside of the social circle aka literally what Veronica is going through on the show right now. It all clicked. I believed her when she sang Lifeboat. And Betty is a low key savage. She isn't thirsty for Cheryl's power in real life but she does want to make a statement and be heard and to win this battle over the town cult. It made sense once I saw it in front of me.

Cheryl is Heather Chandler. Period.

And again they didn't really focus on their actual production of Heathers and that particular cast but let me say this rn. If Cole Sprouse does not play JD at any point on the future, the world is cancelled. I really didn't think he would ever sing in these kind of episodes or at all, because the show does have the actors perform on occasion. However, when they announced this was happening, I had a glimmer of hope that Jughead would play JD because it makes so much sense...and then he didn't...and then he sang Seventeen anyways and broke my fucking heart. I'm not sure if he really was singing the entire time because the man went up an entire octave between the verse and the chorus but man I was picturing a future production of Heathers starring Cole Sprouse and Lilli Reinhart. It needs to happen. This was literally 2 minutes of the episode and idek if y'all feel the same way but man it wrecked my emotions and my OG Disney Channel stan was losing her mind over Cole Sprouse singing her favorite song from Heathers.

It's 11:47 PM so I need to wrap this up before I fall asleep and forget everything lol.

As a wrap up, I really liked this musical episode and I really liked the other one but it really grinds my effin gears when people jump to conclusions because theatre people aren't doing theatre things. Theatre is inclusive. The arts are inclusive. We can't close our walls to the select few people that "got our criteria to be in the community" (oh wait, isn't that like a cult...? I guess their plan worked).

If you've seen my other posts you know I could rant about this topic for days but long story short, if you aren't willing to not just be a part of the community and welcome everyone in and accept everything as its separate entities but still have your opinions on it without jumping to conclusions...did you eat a brain tumor for breakfast because what's your damage? ❤💛💚💙

[mandl27]

Before the Mystery: Chapter 1 - In the Future

Everything is normal for a Pokémon battle enthusiast in New Bark Town until he gets a dream from Palkia tasking him with saving another world's dying future. It seems simple, but of course, no journey with Pokémon ever goes as planned, much less so when he becomes a Pokémon himself...

While this fic is derived from a run of Explorers of Sky I recorded a while back (nine months!), I'm taking creative liberties with many of its events, creating a fic I'd describe as "like canon, unless noted".

“Matthew…” I hear. The voice sounds distant, yet I heard it from within, as if the voice was projected directly to my mind.

“Hello?” I call out, looking over the violet array of holes, each a different shape and size. They seemed arranged before me in a completely non-Euclidian grid.

“Matthew…” the voice says again.. This time, it sounds clearer, being a deep baritone that conveys an aura of power. “We need you… This entire world needs you.”

“Needs me?” I repeat, thoroughly confused by what this voice seems to be laying out. “For what?”

“First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Palkia, the Legendary Pokémon of space. Though I am not the Palkia of this dimension. In the dimension I am from…time has stopped,” the voice continues.

“Time stopped?” I ask Palkia. “But how? Doesn’t Dialga ensure that never happens?”

“Ordinarily, yes, Dialga governs the flow of time. But the Dialga of my dimension has lost all sense of self, causing time to grind to a halt. I fear if it is not rectified immediately, it may spread to other dimensions.”

“I see why you need me now,” I say. “What do I need to do to fix this?”

“Already there is a movement seeking to restore the flow of time. Gifted with the ability to understand Pokémon and to sense different time periods when near concentrations of chronal energy, your goal would be to work with this movement to track down the locations of Time Gears. With that knowledge, do whatever you can to restore Temporal Tower.” Palkia instructs.

“Wait a second,” I interrupt. “I already have several questions. Time Gears? Chronal energy? Temporal Tower?”

“Time Gears are artifacts created to ensure the flow of time. Functionally, they’re large masses of chronal energy,” Palkia explains. “The rest shall become clear, I am certain.”

“Alright. If this is the mission that you need me for - that this dimension needs me for - I’m ready.”

“Very well. Good luck, Matthew, and may you succeed in your mission.”

I awaken on a cold, hard surface. Where am I? I think to myself as I get up, seeing that the hard surface in question is actually stone-grey grass. Is this…is this what Palkia mentioned? I make my way over toward a wooded area in the distance when suddenly a flash of green darts between the trees. “What was that?”

I instantly regret vocalizing my confusion, as three bird-like creatures with sharp metallic feathers emerge from hiding behind a nearby string of boulders, while the string of boulders reveals itself to be a rocky-skinned serpentine being. I back away slowly, unable to defend myself from the sudden ambush when the green flash from earlier zips by, knocking all four Pokémon to the ground.

“Impossible…” the figure, who is now clearly revealed to be a leafy lizard known as a Grovyle, says as he comes to a stop next to me. “A human? There’s no way there could have been a human in this world, much less one living for so long in this dark future. And yet…”

My eyes widen upon noticing the Grovyle was somehow uttering coherent speech. I then shake my head, dismissing the shock as I remind myself that Palkia gave me the ability to understand Pokémon. “Dark future? Is that what they call this place?”

“It’s not really ‘they’ anymore. Most of the Pokémon here have given into despair and gone completely feral,” the Grovyle mutters, tilting his head down. “Er, are you alright?” he asks, offering a green scaly hand.

I gently grip his hand and shake. “I’m fine, thanks to you. Do you know where we are?”

“We’re in a clearing near the Sealed Ruin,” the Grovyle explains. “I was on my way to meet Blossom so we could begin scouring the mainland for Time Gears.”

“Weren’t those destroyed?” I ask, confused as to why this Grovyle’s assessment of the situation is conflicting with what Palkia said.

“Yes, but if we can locate where they used to be, we could take the Passage of Time to the past and recover them before Temporal Tower is destroyed.”

“Sounds complicated,” I respond with a small, confused frown. “But at the very least, it should work. Shall we go look for…Blossom, was it?”

“Yes,” the Grovyle agrees. “I’m Thorn, by the way. And you are?”

“Matthew.”

“Follow me, Matthew,” Thorn instructs. “If we find more wild Pokémon in these ruins, leave them to me. I’ve been fighting for my way in this desolate land since the day I hatched.”

“Got it,” I say, letting him lead me through the grey, barren landscape that is the dark future. We soon come across a large stone structure, which likely would look a lot more impressive if it wasn’t all grey.

“Here we are. It shouldn’t be far from here,” Thorn says. “I take it you haven’t been in a mystery dungeon before?”

“No…?” I respond, tilting my head. “What are those?”

“Y-you don’t even know what they are? Simply put, they’re ever-changing areas filled with hostile Pokémon,” Thorn explains, surprised at my unfamiliarity with them. “Stay near me, but don’t let the wild Pokémon get too close to you. I doubt you’d like what would follow.”

“If it’s anything like what those Skarmory looked like they wanted to do, you’re absolutely right,” I say as I follow Thorn into the ruins’ entrance.

If just one possible layout could be as disorienting as this, I’d hate to see what others look like. It felt like we hadn’t made much progress at all, and already we’d rounded more corners than I could possibly keep track of. “Are mystery dungeons always this confusing?” I ask Thorn.

“Usually,” he responds as he parries a swing from a fluid, violet mass with his leaves before tunneling under it and popping back up, sending it flying against a wall. “All my life, I’ve been going through these. You get used to it after a while.”

“Meanwhile, I haven’t,” I say, “so forgive me for any newcomer questions. Good job with that Muk, by the way.”

“Type advantages aren’t everything,” Thorn comments. “What really matters is training. Train yourself, and you can overcome any foe.” The Grovyle then leaps at a mass of vines in the distance, slicing into it with his leaves until it falls unconscious.

The rest of the dungeon passed without much incident. Thorn must’ve trained a lot, if he can deal with hostile Pokémon this well. Soon, we reach a large hall in the middle of the ruins. “Is this where you were going to meet Blossom?” I ask.

“Indeed,” Thorn confirms. “Usually she doesn’t take this long to show hers--”

“Hi!” a feminine voice rings out through the chamber as its source, a small pink fairy-like creature, emerges from behind a rocky pillar.

My eyes widen at this revelation. “A…a Celebi?” I stammer out in complete awe. “And you’re…pink?”

“Yep!” she responds. “My name is Blossom. And yours is?”

“I’m Matthew,” I answer. “Thorn found me out in a clearing, surrounded by Skarmory and Onix.”

“That sounds scary for a human!” Blossom comments. “But with us, you’re safe. We’ll defend you!”

Not going to question the fact that I’m a human in this world, huh? I think to myself before looking over at Thorn. “I think that much was made obvious as we went through the Sealed Ruin to get here.”

“Isn’t Thorn amazing?” Blossom says, her tone dripping with infatuation.

“I wouldn’t exactly put it that way…” Thorn grumbles, clearly not enjoying the Celebi’s implications.

“Aren’t we supposed to be going to the mainland to look for Time Gears, or at least where they used to be?” I remind the two Pokémon, hoping to get them back on track.

“Oh, right!” Blossom quickly snaps back to the more pressing matter at the moment. “Do you have a plan, Thorn?”

Thorn’s face pales as he realizes his plan was actually nonexistent. “Uh…”

“Palkia told me something before I wound up in that clearing,” I interject. “Something about being able to sense other periods of time when near a Time Gear’s location.”

“Palkia?!” Thorn echoes, stepping backward in shock. “How…how could you have even met him?”

“He contacted me in a dream,” I answer. “When I woke up from that, I was where you found me.”

“And you’re saying he gave you the power to sense the past or future just by being near Time Gears?” Thorn asks.

I nod. “Correct. That should help immensely in our hunt for Time Gears.”

“Now where on the mainland am I taking you?” Blossom asks.

“Should we start in the east?” I suggest.

“Works for me,” Thorn says with a shrug.

“You ready?” Blossom asks as she flies over to the two of us.

“Ready,” Thorn and I assert at the same time as a bright flash emanates from Blossom.

When the light fades, I find myself in a grey forest. A thick layer of fog looms overhead, severely limiting visibility. “Well this is a good start,” I say.

“We’d better start searching,” Thorn instructs, “but with this fog, it’ll be hard to keep ourselves oriented.”

“Do either of you happen to know Defog?” I ask. “It’d clear the immediate surroundings, at least.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Thorn responds. “All of my training has been focused on managing hostile situations, not anything like this.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a faint red glow. “Hey, what’s this?” I ask as I go to pick up the glowing object. “It feels kinda warm…”

“Perhaps that’s what we need to use?” Thorn guesses. “We should look for something it could be used with.”

I nod and once again follow Thorn through the forest. “Why do I get the feeling this’ll be another mystery dungeon?”

“That’s extremely likely,” Thorn says. “I would expect Time Gears to have been hidden in high-mysteriosity areas like this.”

Once again, the forest appears laid out specifically to befuddle all who enter. I end up relying mostly on Thorn for navigation; an easy task, considering he’s already been dealing with any hostile Pokémon we run across. “So, Thorn, can you explain what led up to time stopping?”

“Dialga has regressed into a barely sentient state,” Thorn explains, leaping after a small brown and beige raccoon before it could attack me. “I’ve begun calling this state Primal Dialga. Without Dialga to govern the flow of time, time ceased to flow, which destroyed the Time Gears.”

“Palkia mentioned that much,” I say, referring specifically to Dialga’s regression. “But what could have caused Dialga to go primal like this?”

“The only possible cause that I know of is the collapse of Temporal Tower.”

“Temporal Tower? Isn’t that where Dialga resides?”

“Even after its collapse, yes,” Thorn confirms, leaping up onto a tree branch to scout for hostile Pokémon. “At this point, though, it’s more where rebel Pokémon are sent if Dialga finds out they’re planning to change time.”

“So we’re fugitives,” I conclude with a sigh. “Great. Back on the topic of the tower crumbling, though, I’m guessing you have no idea what led up to that.”

“Not at this point,” Thorn answers, swinging his leaves at a kangaroo-looking mushroom ‘mon. “I once found the remains of a settlement near the west coast of the continent, but none of the records there even discussed the tower.”

“I guess whatever Pokémon lived there before the tower went boom were as clueless as we are now,” I dryly joke as I climb over a knocked-over tree.

After what felt like several hours, but was in reality no time at all, we arrive in a clearing with a statue depicting a vaguely reptilian beast roaring toward its grey surroundings.

“Matthew, look,” Thorn instructs. “There’s a hole in the statue.”

I glance at the stone I had picked up earlier. “Might this go in it?” To test my theory, I try fitting the stone in the hole.

It fits perfectly, and the statue begins to glow brightly. All three of us shield our eyes at the light, having been so acclimated to the dull lack of brightness this whole world is enveloped in. Once it fades, we find the fog suddenly cleared. “Of course,” Thorn mumbles. “Groudon is the legendary Pokémon of the land, but he’s better known for the clear, hot weather his presence brings. That must be why that statue dispelled the fog.”

“I’m getting a feeling we’re onto something big,” I tell Thorn. “Let’s keep going.” We head toward a cliff in the distance, and I begin to make out a cave entrance framed by some ornate-looking stone structures. “Might there have been a Time Gear here?”

“It’s very likely,” Thorn replies as he looks over a pattern on the ruins. “These patterns line up with everything I’ve found on them. There’s no doubt about it - a Time Gear existed here in Fiery Vent.”

“One down…uh, how many to go?” I rub the back of my head in slight embarrassment.

“Four,” Thorn answers. “There are only five holes atop Temporal Spire, so we only need five Time Gears to fill them. Let’s look for others now.”

We then begin trekking elsewhere on the continent. “I’m guessing you know your way around the place, Thorn?”

“I’ve been around this place my entire life,” Thorn says, easily scaling a cliff with his reptilian claws. “Honestly, I’m more concerned about you keeping up.”

I look for footholds to climb up the cliff with, soon getting to the top a bit after Thorn did. “I’ll try; that’s about all I can say.”

“Trying is important. Without an attempt, nothing can happen.”

“So, how will finding these Time Gears, or at least where they used to be, help us restore time?” I ask.

Thorn ducks into a cave mouth and motions for me to step in. Shortly after I do so, a purple imp-like ghost walks by where we just were, seemingly searching for something. Not finding whatever they were after, they continue onward. “Phew,” Thorn exhales once the Sableye was out of earshot. “Anyway, knowing where the Time Gears are is useless to us now. But once we go back to the past, we can use this information to find the Time Gears and take them to Temporal Tower before it crumbles.”

“How are we going to go back in time, though?” I ask, clearly not understanding a crucial part of Thorn’s plan.

“I’m in charge of that,” Blossom says in an uncharacteristically subdued tone. “I can open the Passage of Time, letting you and Thorn go to the past.”

“And once we’re there, it’s simply a matter of returning to the locations we’re scouting out now,” Thorn adds, digging into a bag slung over his shoulder. “Need an apple?” he offers me, taking out another one for himself.

“Sure,” I say, taking the apple from his clawed hand and biting into it. “I have to say, that’s a much simpler plan than I was expecting.”

“Based on the records I found in that ruined town, taking a Time Gear will stop time in the surrounding area,” Thorn informs between bites, “but Dialga needs several Time Gears at Temporal Tower to restore the tower should it get damaged. With the Time Gears spread about the continent like these ruins suggest they were, Dialga can’t amplify his power enough to save the tower. This is the only way, I’m afraid.”

“I hope the Pokémon of the past understand that we’re doing what’s necessary,” I say, glancing outside the cave as I finish my apple. “And if they don’t, well, I guess they’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Our snack break over, the three of us resume scouring the mainland for where Time Gears used to be, so we could get them in the past and restore Temporal Tower. We find similar ruins in a desert and in a cave filled with crystals, which Thorn refers to as Sandstone Pit and Crystal Hollow. Our last stop, Forgotten Copse, gives me my first glimpse at the structure meant to contain a Time Gear: a simple stone pedestal arcing up on both sides, which the Time Gear would presumably fit inside.

With our search for Time Gears finished, Blossom teleports us back to where I woke up. “So what’s the plan now, Thorn?” I ask.

“Now, we go back to the past and secure the Time Gears. Once we have enough, we take them to Temporal Tower and prevent this future from ever happening.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“That’s where I come in!” Blossom interjects. “I open the Passage of Time for you to go through.”

Oh, right, Celebi can time travel, I mentally remind myself. “I’m guessing we need to go somewhere for this.”

“The Passage of Time is located deep in Dusk Forest. Follow me,” Thorn says as he dashes off into the foliage, me and Blossom not far behind.

Much hacking, slashing, and jumping between trees later, we arrive at a cliff face with a glowing tunnel-like thing leading into it. “Is that the Passage of Time?” I ask.

A deep, reverberating laugh from atop the cliff interrupts my conversation with Thorn. “Hoohoohahahaha!”

“Of course!” Thorn grumbles. “I should’ve known Yoru would show up. Hurry into the tunnel!”

I scramble toward the Passage of Time at Thorn’s behest. “Who’s Yoru?!” I panickedly ask him.

“I’ll explain later! There’s no time now!” We leap into the Passage, ready to be sent back to the past.

I grip his claws with my hands, not wanting us to get separated. But then…something happens. A bright flash, followed by what felt like the entire world shaking, both of which result in me losing my grip on Thorn.

“Matthew!” Thorn calls out as I tumble away from him, barely even able to recognize his voice. I feel my body shifting, a tail growing in as my face stretches forward a bit. As these changes continue, I fall unconscious, the earlier attack’s impact finally getting to me.

[savinscripts]

CHAPTER 5:

❝ I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. ❞

Faye’s knuckles were white as she gripped the arm of the seat. She was sat as far from the window of the plane as possible, on the aisle seat, but that didn’t help the rumble and jerk of the craft as they hit a spot of turbulence. She pressed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth. It passed soon enough, and as they smoothed out, Faye called for the stewardess. “Can I get six bottles of whatever liquor you have? Please?” She handed the woman a few bills. “However much that’ll get me.”

The woman merely took the money and nodded, and brought Faye what she asked for. “Thank you,” Faye said. She twisted the top off the first bottle and turned it back, wincing and coughing a bit as she swallowed. “I fucking hate flying,” she said to herself, twisting off the top of the second bottle. Getting drunk enough so that she passed out seemed like a good idea.

Carrington merely glanced at her from the window seat. So much alcohol probably wasn’t a good idea. But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned back to look out and the sky. At the clouds passing beneath the wings of the plane. They were halfway through their journey home. Well, to what would be home for awhile anyway. A place that Locke had said would be safe. Anything was better than where they’d been. Though as they slowly moved towards their destination, Carrington couldn’t help but wonder if things would change once they got there.

Ever since the other night in the alley, he hadn’t been able to summon the vitriol that had once been so easily tossed around. Not for Locke at least. Remy… she still managed to get under his skin. He’d snapped at her more than once since then. She’d been restless. Nervous even. Like someone that was expecting the sky to fall in at any moment. Perhaps it was the impending flight - which she was not enjoying - or perhaps it was something else. Whatever it was, she was on tenterhooks, and it was getting on his nerves.

So he decided to simply ignore her for now. He decided to simply ignore them both, as much as he could, until they got where they were going and figured out where the hell they went from there.

“Hadn’t noticed,” Fane commented drily as he glanced aside at Faye when she was screwing off the bottletops and promptly trying to drown herself in booze. Mostly because well, this was about the tenth time she had updated them to that particular fact. He was just thankful Carrington decided not to add his two cents to the mix, not wanting to have to put up with the pair of them bickering across him for the duration of a fourteen hour flight.

Things had changed, at least a little since the other night. Fane had noticed that Carrington hadn’t been so inclined to snapping his head off, he was more tolerant and patient. At least, Carrington was with himself, not so much Remy and more than once he’d been forced to try and solve whatever issue the pair of them seemed to have with one another. It was tiring, so the chance to sit for several hours and just sleep? Fane had taken that opportunity the moment it was offered.

To say Fane was stuck between two people at entirely opposite ends of the spectrum would be a rather apt and very literal description of his present predicament. Faye, the absolute image of nerves who looked like she was about to jump out of her skin if they hit another pocket of turbulence. While Carrington to his left was either dozing or staring out of the window. Fane had ended up putting in his headphones and jacking up the movies on the entertainment system to keep himself entertained for the most part. Cycling between killing a few hours with a film, playing a couple of games or watching the map update itself with their journey across the ocean.

Eventually the plane touched down in London, considering no direct flights existed between the other side of the pond and Scotland. It wasn’t too much longer before they collected their luggage (which they had stowed) and made their way around to the terminal for their connecting flight North. No papers had been checked yet thankfully, but Fane had made a phonecall to one of the contacts in his network to make sure they were integrated into the system. It wouldn’t do to get picked up at border security. An hour and a half after leaving London they landed, an hour with no issues at border security (thankfully) they were stepping out into the muggy weather of Scotland. Cold and a far cry from the humidity they had left behind sixteen hours before. Walking over to the rental office, Fane got the keys to a SUV and popped the boot so they could load their things into it and get on the road.

The moment they touched down onto solid ground, Faye heaved a sigh of relief. After nearly a day in the air, the hour and a half to Scotland was nothing. But once they were out of the last airport and on their way to the car - getting through security et al. with little to no problems, thank fuck - Faye had relaxed a hundred times over. The air was cold and brisk, but compared to the sweltering jungles they’d come from, it was heaven on earth to Faye. She just stood with her face turned into the breeze as the others loaded their bags.

Carrington had seemed a bit wistful as they’d touched down in London. Looking around the airport as if it was someplace he remembered from a long time ago. He’d been born not far from the city, but had moved there with his mother and stepfather when he was about fourteen. He missed it. Years had passed since he’d been back, despite his travels. But he didn’t say anything, just loaded onto the next flight, and watched it pass beneath them once more. He said just as little in Scotland, loading his luggage and waiting on Fane to do the same. He closed the boot once all was in, and even gave Faye a cursory, “Let’s go,” once it was time.

Faye sat in the back, content to watch the scenery roll by. Once they passed from the city and into the countryside, a small smile grew on her face as she watched the fields turn to forests turn to mountains. It was like a different world here. Not just another country, because of course that was true, but an entirely different plane of existence. Frozen a hundred years in the past. She didn’t say anything, merely watched with something akin to childlike wonder as they continued on to their destination.

Fane noticed the wistful look on Carrington’s features when they passed through the terminal, all around them was a somewhat familiar accent. Similar to the one their companion spoke with, and Fane wondered quietly to himself as they passed strangers how long it had been since he’d been here. Fane himself had been sent South

Following everything that had happened with his family. Boarded since he was six years old and hardly ever been back since, he’d lost his accent a fair while back now and hardly ever thought much on it. The less things to connect him back to this place the better, unfortunately, it seemed history had a habit of catching up with you no matter how much you tried to flee its grasp.

Once everyone was loaded up in the car, Fane slid in behind the driver’s wheel starting up the engine and switching the radio over to give them some background noise as they made their way long the last leg of their journey. His eyes scanned the signposts every now and then, though the address loaded into his phone served to help him navigate also. He couldn’t particularly help how his fists tightened just a fraction more around the steering wheel as they neared their destination however. Old memories creeping up on him, he said nothing, they needed somewhere safe to work and figure out what to do. The others didn’t have to know what had happened here, but it was the safest option they had.

Main roads gave way to rural country backroads that wound up and round through fields and forests alike. The car weaved the turns and zig-zags until their route flattened out some headed into the thick undergrowth of another forest road. Though a couple of trunks a large expanse of a loch of water stirred with small lapping waves on its prussian blue surface was visible. Fane gave no commentary, his eyes fixed on the stone gateway ahead slowing as they approached, “wait here.” Was the only thing he said before climbing out, leaving the engine running while he approached them.

Thankfully the gates weren’t down, and though he had to put his shoulder to the large gateway managed to force ancient hinges to turn with a shrill creaking grind of metal on metal. With them open, Fane walked back to the car and climbed back in. Putting it in gear he slowly guided the car through the passage and onto a road towards a granite estate backing onto the forest beyond. Arriving outside he parked up and sat back in his seat, staring up at it out of the window but shook himself out of his reverie quickly enough. No use dwelling, and Fane briskly strode around to the boot.

The urge to get out and explore was nearly overwhelming for Faye. She’d hardly ever been to Scotland on her journeys. Inverness once. Edinburgh another. That was it. And she’d never strayed from the city itself. London she’d been to several times. But again, she’d never stayed long. So this place, with it’s foggy mountains and it’s dark forests, looked to Faye like something from a dream. But she stayed in the car as Fane told them to wait, peering through the middle of the seats as both she and Carrington watched him at the gates.

The other man shifted as he watched Fane through the windshield, wondering if perhaps he needed assistance. But the way was opened soon enough, and they were moving again. Carrington merely glanced aside at Fane as he drove them forwards.

They pulled to a stop in front of a stone house that looked like it had come straight from a period movie set. Faye had noticed Fane’s quietness on the drive, but then they’d all been rather quiet over the course of the last day. Carrington speaking the least of all. Though even he looked at the house with what Faye interpreted as quiet appreciation.

They got out a few moments after Fane did, and Faye shut her door, walking a bit out from the car to stare at the estate. She turned in a circle, looking out at the loch, at the near-black water that reflected the setting sun. It was colder here than it had been at the airport, and Faye wrapped her arms around herself. The house was beautiful, but it looked… lonely. Like no one had lived there in years. The longer she looked, the more she noticed. While not completely taken by the elements, the signs of neglect and abandonment were still there. Ivy had taken over some of the higher windows. There was a broken pane in one of them. Grass grew in patches here and there in the gravel drive. Cobwebs hung in the doorway. She looked over at Fane who was still at the boot, masterfully ignoring the looming house in front of them. A glance at Carrington revealed that he was looking at Fane as well.

Carrington felt Remy’s eyes on him. He glanced over, but didn’t say anything. Only pressed his lips together in a well-used expression of irritation and moved to help with the bags. “Go unlock the door,” he said to Fane. “I’ll get these.” It wasn’t a question. He scooped up all three bags, shouldering two and moving to hand Remy her own as she stood staring back at the house again. “Close your mouth. You’ll catch flies.”

Faye merely blinked as her pack was shoved into her arms. “Only a few,” she muttered to herself. “The rest are buzzin’ around your bullshit attitude.” But she hefted her pack and followed towards the entrance.

Fane felt their eyes on him once the three of them were up and out of the car, but he pointedly ignored them and the looming grey building in front of them. Time had certainly done a number on it, but it was still standing he supposed that counted for something towards the builders who had set their minds to crafting its walls and spires. In comparison to other castles and estates in the area, the building was a relatively modest square-based design. Nothing overtly fancy but in its simplicity came a certain elegant beauty that rivalled its larger counterparts. Certainly more homely than a fortress. It was a beautiful sight, Fane knew, could appreciate it for that but it didn’t change the things that had happened.

It would need a bit of work while they were here, things patched and adjusted to make it habitable but between them Fane was sure they would get it up to at least livable conditions.

Of course he had fond memories of this place, but they were overcast in the lingering shadows of things that once were. Not to mention the infinite things that might have been. He was hanging by the boot, knowing eventually he’d have to go inside but not quite sure if he was ready to do so just yet. But they couldn’t linger here, Fane knew. So when Carrington circled around, Fane got to moving again and was about to protest when Carrington yanked all of their packs out in one go. Eyeing the other man for a moment, particularly as he went from silence to getting in a verbal teta-a-tete with Remy once again.

“For fucks sake,” was all he had to say at their present spat moving over to Carrington and taking his pack back with perhaps a little too much force. Tiredness bled over into frustration at their ongoing feud over who the hell knew what but before Carrington could say anything in response Fane was walking off. Moving to climb up onto a wall near the front door and root around underneath a couple of the tiles that made up the roof of the porch, it took a few minutes of blind feeling about until he came away with a triumphant noise. Hopping down a set of keys swinging from his fingers he trudged up to the door and started unlatching the locks, the last clicked out of the way and Fane pushed on the door which swung in revealing the silent and dusty interior of the abandoned place.

With a shallow exhale Fane stepped over the threshold, unlike what might’ve been anticipated it was bright inside; large skylights in the roof of the vaulted ceiling flooding the stonework with light. His boots echoed on the wooden floorboards of the foyer not really letting himself linger too much before he was breezing past a large oil-painting portrait on the wall, larger by contrast to the other portraits that hung on the panelling around but he had no mind for them, or the intricate embossings carved into their wood. He walked through the hallways pausing every now and then to glance through doorways and check the state of rooms still not having said a word of explanation. Not until he was certain that they would be secure here. It couldn’t be helped, but a little paranoia was healthy in measured doses. Especially in their occupation.

Carrington tried to keep his grip on the pack as Fane took it from him. But it was snatched away before he could say much of anything about it. So he said nothing. Merely watched with the same expression he’d given Faye. Who for the life of him, he honestly wouldn’t have been able to say why he was short with. He just… was. Perhaps it was the way they’d met. The way they’d been tossed together without so much as an ‘I’m sorry’ from either of them. Perhaps their natures were less forgiving than Fane’s. All Carrington knew for sure was that she irked him more than anyone he’d ever met. And he had no idea what to do about it other than be short with her.

Faye, on the other hand, thought she was trying to make friends with Carrington. She had certainly been worried sick when he and Fane had gotten into that street brawl. And had wanted to help him afterwards. But he’d brushed her off. It had taken Fane’s insistence to get the stubborn man to even let her clean his cuts. But she didn’t outwardly provoke him. She didn’t insult him. She wasn’t confrontational. At least not until he acted like a complete shit to her for no apparent reason. Was he trying to make her leave? Trying to be hateful and mean in order to force her away from him and Fane? The thought stirred to life her fears of being left behind. Of the two men - who she could tell were closer for some reason - banding together and cutting her out. Cutting her off. Abandoning her.

Faye swallowed and shouldered her bag. Following the others, she made her way into the foyer. She shut the door, being the last inside, and flicked the lock. Fane was moving off down the way, looking here and there, and Carrington was leaning against the wall nearby, watching him intently, his fingers rubbing a slow line across his bottom lip. Faye frowned, but didn’t say anything. She moved out into the space, turning in a circle and taking it all in. The picture caught her eye, but she only lingered for a moment before moving on. It was beautiful, she thought. Though a bit sad. A place like this… it was meant for light and warmth and laughter. For music and the smell of food cooking. Not cold and damp and neglect.

The others stayed behind, and perhaps it was for the best. Fane wasn’t sure he would be able to be around either of them acting the way they were without snapping. He’d been able to deal with it to a point, and while Carrington’s temper with him had eased some with Faye… He had no idea what was wrong there or how to fix it. But it wasn’t on his mind as he circled round, passing a sealed door and for half-a-second debated while standing outside of it… His eyes narrowed, head dipped and he moved on from the study that lay sealed behind the door. Not just yet. He did happen to find the electricity switch and after fiddling with that for a while managed to get it on. Whether things would work or not he couldn’t say but they’d just have to see where they ended up. The same went for the heating once he cranked the boiler into order.

Jogging up a staircase to complete a circle of the upper floors, coughing a little at the dust. It would need a clean down and a trip to the shops was needed to stock up the pantry but otherwise… It was passable save for the draft upstairs from the broken pane of glass. Though Fane vaguely remembered a storehouse out back. He appeared a while later, on the staircase leading down to the foyer where the others waited. “It’s safe, bit drafty and it needs a decent clean but… we’ll be alright here.” His voice echoed in the vaulted room “there’s rooms upstairs, I’ll show you both… You can have whatever one you want.”

As Fane busied himself with the lights and the heat, Carrington eventually pushed off from his perch and meandered around the large foyer. It was opulent. Or had been in its prime. The beauty was still there of course, under the dust and the cobwebs and the years of being forgotten. He wanted to ask how old it was. Architecture not being a specialty. But he refrained for now, thinking perhaps Fane would tell them about it later.

On Faye’s end, she looked around as well. She’d seen large homes before, more opulent than this one even. But she’d never lived in one. Back in New Orleans, she’d had a tiny apartment that was barely two rooms. So this was… she was a bit taken with it. She explored what she could of the foyer until Fane came back down with the all clear. And then the offer of bedrooms. There was no helping the excitement on her face. “Real beds? With real sheets and real blankets?” The hotel beds had been subpar. Though she suspected that whatever linen was still here most likely needed washing. A task she didn’t mind seeing to if needed.

“Lead the way.” She even smiled over at Carrington, who gestured that she should be the first to follow Fane back upstairs.

Fane didn’t bother descending the stairs, hardly seeing the point considering they would be headed back up in a moment. So he simply waited for the others to come and join him, leaning his hip against the wooden railing though realising moments later that his arm was covered in a film of dust that he brushed off, sneezing as some got in his nose. Cleaning was definitely a priority. “I know right, real beds with real mattresses and everything, most even have their own bathroom.” Not all, but most.

Once the others started up the staircase he spoke again. “There’s a few things that need fixing up, windows and the like… A couple of us will probably have to go to the supermarket to get food and washing detergent and stuff for the bedding and our clothes. There’s a Tescos about twenty minutes from here.” If there was one thing he always missed when trekking it was clean clothes that didn’t smell like stale sweat dried several times over not to mention some good food.

Arriving at a room on the front of the house Fane pushed open the door, the bedroom beyond was spacious and held a closet, drawers and large four poster canopy bed all made from glossed mahogany though it's shine was lost from the layer of dust on their surfaces. “This one’s nearest the library” Fane paused to point to a large stonework fireplace “all the rooms have radiators but it still gets a bit chilly from time to time so there’s log fires if needs be.” Figuring Carrington wouldn’t mind this one, Fane glanced over at him where he had wandered in to inspect the space having noticed several bookshelves within.

Still, Fane led them on to another down and around the corner from the prior room. The second was similarly furnished, more rustic in appearance with large floor to ceiling windows looking out towards the forest and mountains towering behind the estate. Similarly, a large double bed was spaced near another stone fireplace and a crest hung on the wall. They were both good spaces but there were others if they wanted to move. It hardly mattered really at the end of the day. “Either one of these or there are loads more but these are the two largest guest rooms we have here.” Fane didn’t mention his own unsure which room he would take if his own at all.

“Bathrooms too?!” Faye grinned. “Holy shit… no more beard hairs on the sink.” She let out a peal of laughter as she practically ran up the stairs to meet Fane. “Is there a bathtub? Please tell me there’s a bathtub?” A hot, steaming soak sounded better than sex right about now. The last time she’d been fully submerged in water she’d just been spit out of a mountainside after being shot at.

They started down the way, Carrington hanging back a bit as Faye bounded ahead slightly. “I’ll go to town with you,” she said. “If that’s alright?” Glancing back towards the two men, a slight look of uncertainty on her face. “I mean… I do know how to cook and do the wash. Just didn’t think…” Faye sighed. “Nevermind. Just… I’ll go if Winston doesn’t want to.”

Her excitement died down slightly after that, Faye feeling as if she’d said too much or been too exuberant.

Carrington didn’t say anything really, merely watching her as she bounced around with all the energy of a highly caffeinated rabbit. Truth be told, he didn’t care about going to town. He’d rather have a look round at what needed tending to most. What the priorities were in fixing things. He’d been too idle for too long, and the waiting was absolutely maddening. So now that they were here, with projects in the form of studying the relic and working on this safe haven Fane had brought them to, he felt like he could breathe.

And as Fane opened up the first room, the slightly stale smell of dusty linens and unmoving air wafting out, Carrington caught sight of a rather generous set of bookcases. This place could definitely grow on him. “I’m fine staying here if she wants to go,” he said to the others. “I can strip the beds and find some firewood.”

They moved on, Carrington following out of respect for being shown what he could only assume was Fane’s family home. But having already chosen the initial room as his own. He doubted Faye would mind.

The second room, Faye let out a breath as they went inside. The view was… spectacular. “Can I stay here?” she asked. “Please? Oh, this is…” There were no words she could find as she moved towards the windows and the sun behind the mountains. It was chilly, but the fireplace was close to the bed, and the radiator was closeby as well. She trusted Fane to know if the old things would work or not. Turning from the view after a bit, she moved around the room. The crest of the wall was interesting, and she made a note to study it more later. Once they were settled and things a bit more tidy.

“I think we should stay fairly close together,” Winston said out of the blue, from where he leaned in the doorway. “For safety’s sake.” He glanced between Faye and Fane. He didn’t know where Fane would be staying, but being within shouting distance didn’t seem like a bad plan. “Anyone opposed?”

Faye shook her head that she was in agreement. It was a good idea. All things considered. She looked to Fane for his input.

“Locke?” Carrington said softly, watching the other man as well. “It’s your place. Your call.”

“Hilarious,” Fane deadpanned as Faye all but bounded up the stairs in all honesty finding her enthusiasm rather adorable. “Most if not all have a bath and a shower,” Fane nodded in confirmation of this fact. At least, they did if memory served correctly. The offer to come to town with him was about to be met with yet another nod figuring Winston would want to stay here though the sudden change in her caused Fane to look at her quizzically, unsure what had brought it about entirely. “Uh hey, yeah! Sure. It’ll be good to have the company.”

Fane saw how Carrington eyed the space around them with a critical eye, likely seeking out odds and ends that needed tending to. The man needed a job as Fane had come to notice over their time together. “

The bookcases were full of all sorts of things, fiction, non-fiction and several old poetry books. “That works, if you just strip the three rooms and leave the stuff in the laundry room downstairs we’ll put them on to wash when we get back…” how well everything would work was debatable but they’d just have to go with the flow of things. “If memory serves, I’m pretty sure there’s a storeroom outside too, if you wanted you could probably find some of the glass panes that’ll fix the windows too, you’ll probably find an axe in there too for firewood if you wanted some other jobs” Fane said to Carrington.

“Sure, wherever you feel comfortable,” Fane said simply in answer to her inquiry also because he generally wasn’t so sure how long they would be staying here for. It was a beautiful room, they all were, underneath the dust that had covered them all. But a bit of work would get them up to scratch in no time Fane was sure of that, and how it would look… It had always felt so empty, the thought of returning here after everything that had happened. Perhaps it would be easier with other people here.

“Yes, no yes you’re right…” Fane agreed with the other man’s remark and he’d been about to let slip a quip about whether it was just because Winston wanted to be near him. Teasing him of course. But considering everything he merely sounded his agreement. “Mine’s just up the hall and round the corner, big set of double doors. You’ll both probably want to wander around…” Fane paused before adding, “the only place I’d ask you to avoid is the study… But that’s locked anyhow so… don’t worry about it.” He knew his voice was a little tighter with that particular request, but it couldn’t be helped really. There was unfinished business there that needed tending to before Fane felt comfortable letting others walk into it.

“I guess there’s one other thing to say while we’re here-- You probably already know but… My name’s not Locke. It’s Fane, Fane Savin.”

“I’ve basically lived with you two for weeks. I don’t trust either of you to pick out much of anything edible that isn’t already cooked and plated. Plus I’d like to know the lay of the land.” The words held a hint of teasing, and she turned to look over her shoulder at them. “But really, I don’t mind laundry or cooking. It’s… normal.” She let out a little huff, shaking her head and taking another look around the space. “I think we could all use a bit o’ that.”

“For once, I agree,” Carrington said to Faye’s comment on normal. “We could all use a breather. If this place is as unconnected to you as you say it is, Locke, then I agree that we should be safe here for a good while.” He knew it was most likely not permanent, and that they would need a contingency plan in case they needed to get out quickly, but for now, Carrington let himself settle ever so slightly. And if he was honest, the thought of being able to use his hands for something other than firing a weapon or pummeling punks in an alley was fairly exciting. “Don’t worry about linens. They’ll be sorted when you get back,” he nodded. Carrington also made a mental note about the possible location of firewood and the axe in case the heat decided to give up the ghost. If it got too cold, they could all stay in one room to conserve it, he was sure. They were more than big enough and a mattress was easily movable. But they would cross that bridge when they got there.

Faye was surprised to hear Winston agree with her, but decided to just roll with it. She grinned her thanks at Fane as he said she could take the room. Honestly, she couldn’t wait to go to bed and be able to see the stars from under her blankets. She and Winston shared a rare questioning glance with each other as Fane told them the study was off limits.

“Fair enough,” she said.

Carrington simply nodded. Though both of them put in a pin in that particular fact, to be revisited later.

As Locke revealed his real name, Faye just grinned. “I like that much better than Locke.” She glanced at Carrington. “What about you? Your name really Winston?”

Carrington merely glanced between them from where he was leaned against the wall. After a moment, he sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “In a for a penny, I suppose. No. My name isn’t Winston. It’s Carrington. Carrington Bishop. Formerly of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.” He glanced at Faye. “That’s us two done. What about you, Remy?”

Faye chewed her lip, scratching her arm a bit uncertainly. “Ain’t like I’m hard to find. Um… name’s Faye. Delacroix. Of New Orleans. As if you cain’t tell.”

Fane snorted at her commentary on their respective cooking abilities but his grin was ever-present and not about to shift any time soon, “so what? You think we’d end up giving you food poisoning if we were let loose in the kitchen? But sure, you can come along with me.” He could certainly agree to her statement about them needing normal. Normal would be a welcome change after everything that had happened to the group of them.

Carrington’s agreement was a surprise though and Fane looked at him for a long moment before he glanced about the place. “well, as you can see it’s not been used in a long time…” Fane hadn’t used his name all that much since he’d decided to change it when he was younger. Not wishing to be associated with the legacy of this place and thus having all but run away only to end up coming home the long way around. “But it’s a plan, you start sorting the house while we get supplies then when we’re back we’ll muck in too.” Fane would have to check the systems just to make sure but he just hoped things were still in working order. They would just have to wait and find out.

Fane had been speaking from further inside the room and while looking at the view missed the shared look between the others. He was better for not seeing it. They didn’t need the trouble of knowing what had happened here. With the given confirmation of that he seemed to ease a little once more “then I’m going to see about getting us some funds… Because if we’re staying here we’re going to need clothes that are warmer than shorts and tank tops - we’ve only been here an hour and I’m bloody freezing.”

Though there was the issue of their true identities and with the revelations of the other’s names Fane’s smile grew a fraction more. “Well then, pleasure to make your acquaintances, and for the record I prefer both of those as well. So, let me go find a pad of paper and how about we meet downstairs in the kitchen in say-- fifteen? Settle in a little then, draw up a list or things we need them we’ll head off,” Fane said gesturing to himself and Faye.

With the group in agreement not too much longer they had a list of food and other necessary items (clothing mostly) that were needed. Not to mention a shit ton of cleaning and laundry supplies. With it all organised Fane ripped out the paper and pocketed it, “alright then…” looking over to Faye before he spoke again “shall we get going?”

“I didn’t say food poisoning,” she pointed out. “Just that it might not be edible. But… at this point I’d eat anything if it wasn’t in a stryofoam container.” It was agreed upon then that Faye and Fane would go to town for essentials, and Carrington would stay behind to sort the initial needs of the evening as far as the residence was concerned.

As Fane stated the painfully obvious, Carrington merely looked around and nodded. It was a bit sad that such a beautiful old place had fallen to disuse, but as a few more pieces fell into place - specifically the study being locked and off limits - Carrington started to realize there was probably a story there. It seemed that Faye did too as they two of them shared a look. But neither said anything, merely agreed to Fane’s wishes. Most things revealed themselves in due course, after all. Uncovering things hidden and secreted away was their line of work, after all. But it was for later. If ever.

Faye nodded that clothes would be good. They could see their breath in the air, and heat and a fire only went so far without the proper gear. Things moved on, and once they were organized, Carrington moved off back upstairs to start on the bedrooms, and Faye nodded that she was ready to go.

Once Carrington drifted off after Fane explained where any spare keys were kept and Faye indicated she was ready to go he started moving, the sooner they got to the supermarket the sooner they’d be able to get some semi-decent clothes. For now, though they would simply have to brave the weather outside and crank the heating up in the car. As they left via the same way they had entered, Fane glancing back over his shoulder as he trailed towards the jeep. There was something about being here that left him feeling uneasy, but he pushed those feelings away for now.

Climbing in behind the driver’s wheel he started up the engine, cranking the heat up to warm them up and adjusting the volume for something quiet in the background. Once that was done he put the car in gear and soon enough they were trailing back down the route they had followed to get to the tucked away residence. He said nothing as the residence grew smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror, eyes rather deliberately fixed on the road ahead.

Anything to not think about the memories being back here was dredging up, leaving him gripping the steering wheel just the other side of too tight. It was unavoidable really and Fane knew eventually questions would surface. They drove in silence for a while, but a glance aside at Faye said there was something on her mind. “What is it?” he eventually asked, better to rip the plaster off he supposed.

Faye rubbed her hands together in front of the heater vent as they drove off. It was frigid here, and even though she had cargo pants on, the light t-shirt and tank top did nothing to keep her warm. Though her climber’s jacket was fairly insulated, and she’d pulled it on over everything. Unlike Fane, the house only made Faye feel excited. For a hot bath, a soft bed, and real food cooked on an actual stove. She didn’t look back as they drove away, but ended up looked off out the window at the passing scenery.

Her expression settled into a frown as they got further away from the house. She hoped she hadn’t made things worse by wanting to come. Though Carrington seemed fine with staying behind. It was odd of him to be so agreeable with her all of a sudden. That only made Faye frown a bit harder. Was he trying to throw her off? Did he want her to feel like perhaps they were coming to some sort of accord now that they were here? She had no reason not to trust the man. But her experience told her that in the end, she would end up as excess baggage.

So, when Fane spoke, asking what was wrong, Faye blinked at first. She looked over at him. “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Jus’ tired.” A tight smile and she turned to look back at the mountains and the trees.

Faye hadn’t done anything to make things worse, in fact, the more company they had was welcome it was simply… Fane had been anticipating more questions. About the house, about himself or well, more questions aboutanything. So to have received none from both Remy and Winston-- wait, no, Faye and Carrington he corrected himself. It left him wondering whether they had any at all, or what was going on to cause them to hold their tongues. He didn’t like being treated with kid gloves and a part of him was wondering if that was why they hadn’t asked. So he figured cutting straight to it may be more beneficial.

So, receiving nothing much more than an I’m tired caused Fane to look aside at her. “Definitely? Because…. If you have questions about stuff or…. If anything’s up you know you can trust me right?” A part of him had been hesitant to say trust, and he wasn’t sure how she would take it considering it had only been today that he’d even given her his name. Though even that was a sign that he was willing to trust them. He wasn’t sure how far their trust went, but Fane hoped they were at least somewhere near a point they could talk about some things. At least the things in their surroundings namely a certain six-foot man who could be a bit of an asshole.

But if she didn’t have anything to ask… Fane lapsed into a quiet state of thoughtfulness over everything watching the valleys and fields roll by in an never-ending window of green pastures.

Faye had questions. She had a hundred of them. But most were intrusive and overly personal. Or at least she thought they were. And mixed with her other thoughts about potentially being left behind, she was hesitant to press too deeply into Fane’s life just yet.

Fane.

The name made her smile a bit. It felt different, knowing who he was. In part. And the house was a part of him too. She was curious, but there was a vibe there that held her tongue. Something hidden away that was best let lie for now. So it wasn’t kid gloves she was using, it was respectful caution. Which was another thing entirely.

Faye looked at Fane for a long moment. She had no reason /not/ to trust him.Logic told her she could. Even her gut, which she relied on constantly, told her she could. “Yeah. I know,” she said. Turning to look out on the passing trees again, Faye chewed on a fingernail. “Why do you call yourself ‘Locke’?” It wasn’t too personal she hoped. Her own moniker wasn’t all that hard to figure out. Fane already had back in the jungle.

“And why would anything be up?” She huffed, but glanced aside at him. “I’m fine.”

She wasn’t, but she would pretend. It’s what she was good at.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the house, as the car drove out of sight, Carrington turned down the hallway in the direction of the one place in this huge mansion that was apparently off limits: the study. He was struck with a sudden, overwhelming curiosity. Why this one room? When nothing else was? Perhaps it was just personal things that he didn’t want them traipsing through. Though Fane had seemed slightly odd since they’d arrived. Family ghosts, perhaps? Skeletons? All Carrington knew was that he was at least going to take a quick peek in the door. A dip into his pack for his lock picking kit, and he was steadily making his way through the house, testing to see which doors were locked. To see which one might be the infamous study.

The house, to a point Fane was willing to explain, what happened there not so much. It was a personal topic as the others had gleaned from his minor shift in attitude since their arrival there. More wary than he had been in any moment prior to that time. Fane always had a plan, a backup for that and a backup for that backup. Coming here hadn’t been truly anticipated, nor the proper preparation taken to mentally prepare himself for walking these halls required. A lifetime of running away only to end up right back at the spot he’d been fleeing for so long. Ironic really. But he supposed he should have at least somewhat anticipated it happening one day.

His attention was fixed on the road as he waited, debating whether or not it had been the right cause to ask her. To point out she could trust him. “Locke?” it wasn’t the first question he was anticipating, and thus caught him off guard. “Well, for one I enjoy the irony considering my occupation. For two?” Fane’s eyes drifted to the stretch of water nearby, “I guess it’s a nod to where I’m from too, a point to remind myself of who I am even if I do change my name but you’d want the Scot’s pronunciation loch.”

The huff was noticed but went uncommented upon, “I don’t know,” he thought on it for a moment before speaking “you sometimes seem-- nervous? Not so much since we’ve been here, but your-- behaviour changes every now and then. Like earlier-- you say something and you’re excited which is cool but then you suddenly reel it back like it’s wrong somehow.” It was odd, and Fane wasn’t quite sure why she did it.

-_-_-_-

Most of the doors he tested were open, and in his search for the infamous and off limits room Carrington was slowly developing his mental maps of their new home for the time being. He noted the doors, their locks and the occasional window that would need repairs. His wandering exploration ultimately led him through to the heart of the residence; a three storey tall library that he had to crane his neck to see the skylight set in the ceiling above. It was beautiful, and he was momentarily distracted in his admiration of the craftsmanship of this place (not for the first time either). After browsing a few of the shelves, he found himself turning back to his task at hand. If the study was anywhere logic reasoned that it should be nearby to the central hub of research that was the library. He couldn’t be far off, and with that in mind he continued his search for the door he anticipated would be locked up tight.

Faye got it. As much as they’d shared in the last couple of months, there were some things that just didn’t need to see the light of day. Ever. Faye had her own secrets. She was certain Carrington did as well. And while they were willing to share to a point - their true names being a start - the level of trust that was required for the deeper, darker parts of their lives hadn’t been reached yet. Faye doubted it ever would.

No one ever stayed that long.

She glanced at him as he answered her question and gave him a smile. “Savin isn’t exactly a Scottish name though is it? Unless you changed that one too?” Her gaze turned back to the water as he mentioned it. Black and still. Like glass. “Do you have a waterhorse in your loch, Locke? I think I’d like to see one one day.” There were no such things as sea monsters, or loch monster. Or kelpies or fairies. Faye knew that. But it was fun to imagine.

Her whimsical thoughts disappeared as he commented again. She stared hard out the window, thumbnail finding it’s way between her teeth. There were a thousand different things she could tell him. A hundred different lies. But would it serve any purpose? Other than to add one more thing to the list of lies she’d had to keep up with over the years? They drove on for a bit, perhaps another mile or two, before Faye made up her mind to say something.

“I don’t… um…” She paused, smiling a bit nervously. “Carrington… he… he hates me. I don’t know why. I don’t… know what I’ve done. I try to be nice. Try to be helpful. But he’s just… a fucking dick to me.” The sound of exasperation that rushed out of her was a bit forlorn. Because she had no idea what to do. “I’m not… a sad person. I’m not… grim all the time like him.” Faye shook her head and looked away. “Sometimes I forget he hates me so much and that’s when I get excited about things. Then I remember… and…” She shrugged. There was another bit of silence.

“I think he wants me gone. It feels like… he’s tryin’ to drive me away. And I can’t say it’s not... nevermind.” That was all she said, the last being mostly to herself as she clamped down on the tightness rising in her throat.

~*~*~*~*~

Back at the house, Carrington finally stood in front of a locked door. He had tried the handle a few times, thinking maybe the years of disuse would have loosened the bolts. No luck. He then searched the surrounding area, the nooks and crannies, the raised edges along the walls. He even pulled a chair over and checked higher up for the presence of a hidden key. Still no luck.

So he’d replaced the chair and now stood in front of the door again, arms crossed over his chest. He could pick the lock. It was easy enough. Or looked to be. So what was he waiting for? Another minute of thinking. Finally, he pulled the kit from his back pocket and went to a knee in front of the door. It didn’t take him long to find the right bits from the kit, and soon he was working the lock with an expert hand. It took less than five minutes for Carrington to hear the tell-tale ‘click’ of the door giving up it’s secrets. He sighed and pulled the pins out. But instead of getting up and opening the door to take a quick look, he stayed where he was. Staring at the now unlocked door of the only room in the house Fane had asked them to stay out of. The muscles in his jaw flexed as he debated with himself. Fane would never know he’d been in there. Cari wouldn’t leave a trace. He’d never know the door had been unlocked either.

But Carrington would know.

“Goddammit.” The curse was muffled and short, and he wondered what the fuck he was actually trying to

accomplish here. Did he honestly care what was behind this door? He was curious, yes. But was it the be all end all of things he needed to know? If he was honest with himself then no. It wasn’t. He didn’t need anything from this. There was nothing behind that door that would benefit him in the least. Not even if it was filled with stacks of gold or pounds or silver pieces.

There was nothing in there but a loss of the trust he’d been given. A self-sabotage that he would have no one to blame for but himself. Was that was he was doing? Trying to give Fane a reason to distrust him? Before anyone got too close? Was that what he was doing with Remy? Faye, he reminded himself. Pushing?

With a growl of frustration, Carrington had the door locked again in less than a minute. He shoved off the floor - having more questions than he did before this ill-advised venture - and made his way outside. In the direction of the shed. Hopefully the ax was where Fane said it would be. Because he had the sudden urge to break something, and splitting firewood would at least benefit someone besides him. He’d been selfish enough for one day.

“I have no idea what you mean, Savin is a perfectly Scottish name” Fane’s voice raised a little as though he took offence to the notion but it dissolved in a laugh a little while later. “But you’re right, originally my ancestors were Romanian-- they ended up settling out here though.” A mild way of saying they had all but been driven out, but it was what it was and Fane wasn’t about to make a big issue over it not to mention he didn’t feel like now was probably the best time for a full family-history briefing. “A water horse?” Fane looked over at the water for a moment, “well, not that I know, but I’m not the sort to say there isn’t one.” Call him superstitious, or perhaps it was simply the people he’d grown up around but Fane simply didn’t have it in him to entirely deny the tales or beliefs of this or many other lands.

Every story had some origin after all. At least, it did in his opinion.

When she went silent, Fane figured he must’ve said something wrong. Or upset her. But when she started speaking, more skittish than she had earlier Fane studied her curiously. Indirectly of course, figuring looking at her straight might be a little unnerving and plus he was still driving. Listening to what she had to say his brows pinched a little “he doesn’t hate you. Granted he’s way too serious and a total jerk but he doesn’t hate you.” That much Fane was certain, a few weeks ago Fane might have agreed to a point but recently his opinions of the other man were subject to change considering the insight he’d taken the opportunity of utilising to try and understand why the other man was the way he was. “You’re not,” he agreed on the topic of her being a sad person but it was slowly starting to click “and you think you’re annoying him?”

What she said next though, that he felt deserved his full attention and with a flick of the indicators he pulled over into a small verge in the road. Putting the handbreak on he sighed, “I can’t speak for that… But I don’t think he wants you gone and I certainly don’t want you gone. I’m very fond of you actually,” he offered her a smile hoping it might ease some of the anxiety she seemed to be feeling. Fane tilted his head back against the headrest. “I think… We’re all complicated people and I think we’ve all been hurt a lot over the years to the point we’ve developed our own ways of trying to keep ourselves safe from experiencing that again.” He shrugged his shoulders, propping his elbow on the edge of the door. “But if it helps, I really don’t think he wants you gone.”

“Romanian, hm? Like… vampires and stuff?” She was kidding. Mostly. Like Fane, she believed that all myths had a basis in reality. And who were they that such things weren’t real? A belief that Fane unknowingly seconded a minute later when he answered her question about a loch monster. “I always heard they were gentle things. At least that’s what the stories I’ve read say. Maybe we’ll see one.”

Though her optimism faded when it came to Carrington. “How do you know?” she said a bit more sharply than she intended. Though Fane’s surety spoke to a level of closeness that Faye wasn’t aware of. Or seemed to at least. Carrington’s attitude with Fane had certainly changed since that night he got his ass kicked in that alley. Perhaps the fight had been more serious than either had let on. Perhaps there had been some… near miss that could’ve left one of them badly injured. Perhaps Carrington owed Fane a debt now. Faye’s mind ran in circles, and a small glance in Fane’s direction, followed by a sullen silence, answered his question. Yes, Faye thought she annoyed Carrington greatly.

She tensed a bit as Fane pulled the car over, glancing at him with a frown. What he said… Faye wanted so badly to believe it. Especially as he said he’d grown fond of her. Because she’d grown fond of him too, truth be told. And Carrington. Both despite her better judgement. “You don’t have to try and make me feel better,” Faye mumbled down at her hands. It seemed like the truth - him saying he was fond of her - and she returned the smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Keeping themselves safe was something Faye could understand completely. Too much heartache had passed through her over the years, too much guilt, too much shame… to let it happen again. And until these last couple of months, Faye had been mostly alone for a long time. By choice. So she swallowed past the tightness in her throat again, and made herself nod at Fane’s words. “I don’t wanna leave…” she admitted after a moment of silence.

“I promise I don’t bite much, unless someone wants it,” his grin grew a tad sly but much as it often was, the look didn’t last long before softening to something gentler. “Maybe we will, who’s to say what might happen.”

His fingers lightly tapped on the steering wheel, unfazed by the sharpness of her voice. “I--” Fane closed his mouth for a moment, turning to glance out the window himself now. “You know I’ve never given you reason to not trust me. So I’m not going to lie,” his fingers drummed again for a few beats “I can’t say for certain, because honestly I don’t really know anymore about him than you do but I just have a feeling there’s more to it than meets the eye and I think that’s the case for all of us to some degree or another.” Pulling his hand back Fane scratched at his chin the bristles having grown out a bit, “for whatever reason we’ve all chosen this job which leaves us isolated. Logic would suggest by that account we all have issues with forming-- connections with people, either we’re not enough for them, afraid of what they’ll do or… we just feel it’s better to be alone instead of risking the chance of being hurt… Probably all three.” He rubbed his neck then, looking over at her not unkindly but patient, thoughtful even “correct me if I’m wrong.” It was an insight into his thought processes, the deduction through which he came to his conclusions; funnelling ideas down until he came to a more concise theory.

“I’m not trying to make you feel better, I’m being honest with you. I want you here. I like having you here but Carrington--” Fane wasn’t sure how to put it. “He’s a soldier, I don’t know how long for but long enough that he doesn’t answer to anything other than a firm command.” Fane didn’t think Faye dim, he knew what his words might imply and as she started to speak or choose to question what he said he cut her off. “I fucked him,” as plain and simple as it was and the words brought about a rather concise end to what she had to say, “and beyond that I told him that he was going to get his act together or else because frankly I was fed up of his bullshit attitude.” Fane shrugged a little, his hand falling from his neck “but I thought it might make him less of a moody fucker, apparently not… But it doesn’t change the fact that I like you both a lot… And I wish I knew how the fuck I could help solve this because... I don’t want you to leave.” He turned to look at her directly then, but his voice remained quiet “I really do want you to stay… and not just because of what you can do… I want you to stay because I like and greatly enjoy your company.”

The comment earned him a small, genuine laugh. “Well, I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m in the mood.” Her cheeks flushed a bit, though she did seem happy with the idea - silly though it was - of possibly seeing a waterhorse.

She listened as Fane explained what he thought about the situation. It made sense. And more than once Faye had told herself that it was very, very hard to judge someone based off what one saw on the surface. Especially people like their small group. People that made up identities. People that made a living with lies and shadow games. But they were also people that figured things out. Figured out ways to get to things long-hidden. They worked puzzles, solved problems, translated dead languages, evaded the bad guys… surely this couldn’t be so hard, could it? Getting along?

When he asked her to correct him if he was wrong, Faye simply shook her head. Fane wasn’t wrong. Not about her at least. “Nobody has ever wanted me to stay. I’ve never... been enough.” Faye didn’t elaborate much further, but it was something at least. Some small insight into her own fears and insecurities.

Fane’s continued insistence that he didn’t want her to leave tugged at something in Faye’s chest. She wasn’t sure if it was fear, or dread, or… hope? Of the three, hope was the one that would hurt the most if she let it out and it got trampled on. So she kept it locked away for now, and merely nodded at the explanation of Carrington’s behavior. Faye had known plenty of soldiers across the years. A few she might have called friends in another life. But until Carrington, she hadn’t taken any sort of invested, long term interest in any of them. Because well… everyone left.

She opened her mouth to say something, but it promptly clapped shut as Fane blurted out what came next. Faye could only blink at him owlishly before looking away. That explained… well shit. That explained… almost everything. The change in attitude towards Fane. The way he had been so quiet that night- OH. Ohhh. Faye sank a bit in her seat. Had they really gotten into a fight? Or had they… beat the shit out of each other? She had even more questions now, but she could only turn and look at him again. Their eyes met, and Faye’s were full of uncertainty. Not distrust, but merely an insecurity about herself. About her worth.

“Why?” she asked. “Why do like my company? Sayin’ it’s all well and fine, but why?” Her eyes shone slightly, and they were tight at the edges. Fane didn’t have to answer, of course. But she wanted him to. She wanted him to very badly.

“Darling you let me know any time you like,” Fane said with a playful wink. He was glad to hear her laugh if only a little.

The small elaboration she gave was met with a nod of understanding, she didn’t have to say anything more than she had already. He’d already gleaned that much from what he’d learned about her so far in their time together. Insecurities often had a way of showing themselves eventually and Faye’s were making themselves blatantly and rather painfully obvious. Even so, it caused him to reach over and take her hand holding it with a small amount of firm pressure. “And I get that’s a hard thought process to change, but to me, to us you are enough.” In all honesty, Fane had come to care for the both of them a great deal in their time together.

Fane wasn’t quite sure what to make of Faye’s expression, or how she sat back. He kept a hold of her hand though, despite it all the pressure still firm and unyielding. Not willing to simply let go right now. So he figured he’d explain to a point “Yeah, I found him in the alley with a bunch of local thugs about to beat the shit out of him… And I was so done with him doing shit like that.. So I did the only thing that I could think of… I gave him a choice, to straighten himself out or to leave… He chose to stay.” So, Fane could only hope it was a sign that some things had changed.

But then she questioned why he liked her company, “why? Oh, well how long have we got? Because you’ve been a good friend to me when you didn’t have to be, been kind to me when you didn’t have to be even if the trust between us has been slow to form. That you did those things without expectation of receiving anything for it?“ Fane paused, “or maybe it’s because not only are you a good person, you’re an amazing woman who deserves the world and more. But I don’t want you for what you can do, or what you might bring to this team… Sure your skills are useful but they’re not the things that make me like you.” Fane looked down at their hands, toying with her fingers gently as it gave him something else to focus on. “I like the dumb fact that when you manage to get coffee you put a disgusting amount of sugar and creamer in it, and the fact you have a beautiful singing voice but you only sing in the shower when you think no one can hear.” He shrugged, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles “there’s countless things I like about you and they all contribute to why I want you to stay… And I think Carrington sees those things too… But I think the thought of bridging that connection scares the shit out of him more than anything else he’s lived through.”

Faye’s blush only increased at the comment, but she didn’t say anything else.

What he followed up with, that she was enough, Faye wanted to believe it. She wanted to believe it more than anything. And the thing was, she did. She did believe him. Believed his sincerity at least. In this moment. They’d been through a great deal together in the short amount of time since they’d met. That was true. And situations such as that, they tended to bring people closer. A commonality of survival and not being alone. She understood that much. But what happened when it was over? When there were no more people chasing them? When there was no more relic to translate and study? When it was just… them? She highly doubted that any of them would be able to settle into a life that didn’t involve traveling the world or uncovering things that had been lost. No matter how much Faye herself wanted a ‘normal’ life one day. Normal meaning not getting shot at or chased by men in helicopters.

When he reached for her hand, it was unexpected, so Faye flinced a bit. But she didn’t pull away. Instead she watched him toy with her fingers, his thumb rubbing patterns over her skin. He was warm. Very warm. And his hand was so much bigger than hers. In the end, all she could do was nod, believing that Fane meant what he said, even if Faye was certain it wouldn’t last.

She scrubbed her free hand through her hair as the fight was elaborated on. “So… what? You two… beat the shit outta these thugs and then… you gave him a talkin’ to and…” Her raised eyebrows said the rest for her. She was no prude, she was simply still wrapping her mind around the fact that Fane and Carrington had fucked in an alley. It was surprisingly… Faye swallowed, the flush of her cheeks having nothing to do with anything Fane said to her this time. She cleared her throat, trying to push away the pictures her mind was forming.

Thankfully, Fane elaborated on her other question. About herself. She looked down at their hands again. “I always figured… why be cruel if you don’t have to be, right? We were all… stuck in this shit together. Might as well make the best of it.” Faye had experienced her own share of cruelties in her life. People sucked. Hard. And most were only out for themselves. So it was Faye’s experiences that said ‘no one will ever care about you.’ Because it had been true all her life.

So his reasons for wanting her around were… well, they were new to her. She’d never had anyone tell her that before. It seemed impossible that it had never happened. She was in her thirties for God’s sake. Surely someone in her life would have told her those things? But no. It had never happened. Partly because she never let anyone close enough to find out those things. “Black coffee is a sin,” she huffed, but it was more laugh than anything. “And you’re both… pervs for listenin’ at me in the shower.” But she was still smiling slightly. Her eyes followed the movement of his fingers, and she wanted to reach out and touch him with her other hand. But she was still… scared. So she just moved her fingers against his for now, stroking the underside of his wrist.

Since they were being honest, and Fane had shared so much, what could it hurt for her to do the same? Like him, she kept her eyes on their hands. “Ilike you both a lot. And I don’t… like people. I don’t let myself like them.” A long breath sighed gently through her nose. There was a moment where she seemed to struggle to find the right way to say something. “I like… the way you’re such a nerd-” She grinned a bit. “- and you’re smarter than I’ll ever be. The way you… talk to yourself in different languages. With your glasses about to fall off your nose.”

There were things she liked about Carrington as well, when she could see past the shitty attitude. “I’m not… good at this. I’m… scared of it. So even if he does see it, like you say he does - like you do - who’s to say I won’t just end up hurting him? Or you?” Her hand tightened a bit in his. “I don’t want that.”

His movements were slow and once he had her hand he held it gently at first to let her grow accustomed to the action. He did it for no other reason than he wanted to do it. Wanted to feel the warmth of her hand in his own and it explained the soft play of his fingertips against her own even as she tried to get her head around what he’d told her. Fane’s eyes were bright and unwavering as he watched her muddle through it, “I can be very mm… convincing when I want to be.” His lips twisted into a wry grin, and perhaps it was evidence there was far more to him than the bookish persona he typically presented. Of course, there had been hints at it, the odd flirtatious quip thrown about here and there; even earlier in their conversation before getting onto this topic he’d offered her a bite.

Quite literally.

Carrington liked to refer to him as a glorified librarian every now and then but Fane liked to think he’d somewhat muddled the soldier’s brain on that particular opinion. So Faye’s blush only caused him to laugh though it was done quietly and under his breath. A laugh that grew a bit louder when she spoke in response to what he had said. “Guess I’m going to hell then for more than one reason,” his teeth flashed at her in a cheeky grin. “Hey,” he protested as if that point was rather unjustified “at least I was thinking about you singing and nothing else that might’ve come to mind ‘bout you in the shower… maybe.” His face scrunched up a little as he laughed again glad to see her smiling and Fane had deliberately kept a hold of her hand.

When she started talking about him though, Fane sobered up just a fraction but the mirth still glimmered in his eyes. “I don’t think I’m smarter than either of you, I mean god you’ve got that mad memory trick. If anything we’re both geniuses.” But the look grew a bit sheepish, moving to nudge the referenced item up his nose a notch. “Well, they have this habit of wanting to slip down every now and then.” He hadn’t gotten round to fixing them properly, always too many other things on his mind to remember to do it until it always was left undone.

But Faye’s concerns were real and valid ones, and Fane gave her hand a gentle tug to get her attention. “You think any of us are better?” his smile was more faint now. “You won’t hurt us and if you do… or if we do, then we’ll talk… But I think there probably needs to be a fair bit of improvement in terms of communication to achieve that before we reach that point.” He raised her hand, moving to press his lips to her knuckles “but I really am serious about wanting you to stay… There’s nothing I want more than that.”

“Can you now?” Faye said. A tiny smile turned her mouth as she focused on the warmth of his hand in hers. It had been a long time since someone had held her hand simply because. And she found she liked it.

His laugh was warm as well, and Faye found that she couldn’t help but do the same. “I think all of us are,” she agreed. “And well… it’s not like I’ve got all that much to offer looks wise. So at least I’ve got a nice voice.” She was mostly kidding, having never suffered from a lack of willing partners. But it was always flashbang and done. No one ever stuck around. No one ever called, including Faye. There was no reason to.

“Well, I think you are,” she said. “So deal with it. Doesn’t mean I think I’m stupid, cause I don’t. But don’t sell yourself short, hm?” His acknowledgment of her photographic memory made her blush a bit. She hardly ever flaunted her talents. But she could remember most anything she’d ever read or seen. Especially if it was important and a constant fixture in her life. “I like them,” she said, watching as he pushed the frames back up his nose. Her eyes may or may not have lingered in his mouth as she did so.

But as he tugged her hand, they moved back to find his own again. Faye nodded, agreeing that there were many steps to take before the one she was afraid of. Communication being one of the main ones. “Alright then.” Her fingers tightened in his, and she brushed his hand with her thumb. It was getting darker, the sun lowering over the mountains through the window. His eyes were lovely, glowing with a hint of amber as the sun shone in on them. Hers were a bit nervous, as was she. When she realized she was staring at him, Faye cleared her throat and looked away. “We should… probably get goin. Don’t wanna leave Carrington by himself for too long.”

“Are we ironically going to be playing highway to hell while we’re going? Because I am a hundred percent for that idea.” His eyes crinkled a little behind his glasses but he scoffed at her next comment starting to chuckle “oh shut up, have you looked in a mirror? Lady you’re gorgeous even when you’re covered in cobwebs and dirt,” and Fane said that in full confidence of the statement because any idiot with eyes could tell that. Though he had a feeling Faye knew it already, but hey, did it really hurt to tell a woman she was attractive?

Fane merely rolled his eyes a little at being told to accept being called smart, it always left him feeling a little odd. People commenting on his intelligence, of course it was a useful aspect, but it wasn’t always so amazing as people made it out to be. More often than not it had just led to taunts and bullying. “Yeah, who knows what he’ll get up to.” But he didn’t argue, or dispute the fact. But eventually they settled in some sort of understanding, and Fane shifted enough to put the car in gear and switch the headlamps on getting them underway once more.

Arriving at the larger supermarket and getting a trolley Fane’s first stop was the clothing section, at this time it was relatively quiet so Fane took his time to grab a few pairs of jeans, t-shirts, jumpers, socks and boxers. General but practically comfortable clothes. While he grabbed things for himself Fane made a conscious effort to also pick up some things for Carrington, the man had given him sizes so it was just a matter of picking the things. Fane just hoped he wouldn’t hate them though Faye helped in deciding on a couple of items. With clothes sorted for them and Faye having done some browsing in the meantime for herself then came the process of food. He’d rather forgotten what it was to be in a country with aisles jam-packed full of all sorts of tasty treats and it was hard not to go a little overboard in the confectionery and biscuit aisles. Making sure they had enough things for dinner, lunch and breakfast they took it to a till, packed it into bags and paid the bill of which Fane covered with one of his reserve accounts he’d saved up from over the years.

Loading the car up with the food and other bits and pieces they had picked up (wash stuff, plenty of cleaning things too) they eventually found themselves on the road once more. “So, what are you treating us to for dinner? ‘Cause I’m ravenous.”

“Shotgun gets to pick the music, so sure,” she grinned. But it turned to another bit of blushing as he told her she was attractive. Gorgeous even. “I’m used to… bein’ told I’m pretty,” Faye admitted. “But it’s always been because they wanted something. Because they thought it would get them somewhere.” Her fingers slipped along the underside of his, feeling the slightly calloused tips. “Can’t blame ‘em for tryin’. Not that I was stupid enough to believe most of it. But… thank you.” The last two words were said softly. And she looked up at him with an expression that said unlike all those others, she believed it when he said it.

Being smart was nothing to be ashamed of. But Faye understood Fane’s reluctance. Where she came from, being too brainy got you ostracized. And if you were pretty and smart? Well, you must be sucking dick to get ahead. Which was why as much as Faye loved her hometown, she had gotten the hell out of there as soon as she graduated high school.

Things seemed to settle a bit between them after that, and they moved on to the shop. Faye let Fane get most of Carrington’s things (giving her opinion when asked) and moved to get some personal items once he had most of it sorted. Shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, new toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste, feminine items, razors, and a few odds and ends completed her own bit of shopping. She glanced at the condoms as she passed by that section and paused. Would it be presumptuous of her? She looked around to see if Fane was nearby. He wasn’t, but after some debate, Faye moved on, leaving the box where it was. Like that would happen anytime soon.

Back in the car, Faye pulled on her new sweater against the chill before putting her jacket back on. “I’m thinking some comfort food is in order, don’t you? Somethin’ deep fried and covered in gravy? Or I could do some homemade bread and vegetable stew? Whatever you like.”

[uro-boros]

looking for astronauts

The first few days after re-entry are lost in a buzz of pressers and parades, of viral videos showing Shiro wobbly-legged under newfound gravity and laughing, of interviews and photo shoots, smile nothing short of warm, wide, and winning. He was lucky to be photogenic and handsome, his handlers had told him more than once, and easy to root for; it did most of the work for him.

It takes nearly a week for the excitement to die down, and half of another week after that for Shiro to move back into his small, dusty apartment, which looks positively enormous post-International Space Station. It takes two weeks for his bones to settle into his frame again, their heaviness lost under the weight of everything else. It takes three weeks for him to get off of his couch, where he's spent hours catching up on bad reality tv and ice cream, and find a coffee shop.

It takes three weeks and three days (two hours, 17 minutes, and some seconds that he doesn't bother to know) since re-entry to meet Lance.

—

It's not arrogance that has him donning a baseball cap and sunglasses to leave his apartment. Shiro doesn't think people on the street are going to recognize him the way someone might recognize George Clooney or Brad Pitt. He puts them on because the day is bright and sunny, and his handlers have started chastising him about crow's feet and wrinkles in backhanded compliments about nearing his thirties.

And maybe a part of him does do it because he craves the anonymity of being able to get a coffee without having to be prepared to give a lecture on the vastness of space, the enormity of the galaxy, the scope and scale of human curiosity and his part in humanity’s forward trajectory. Shiro just wants coffee, non-instant, and maybe if he’s feeling fancy, cold-brewed.

“We just ran out of cold brew,” says the barista apologetically. “Hunk got our last cup.” The barista—Lance, reads the tag on his shirt, with a little golden star drawn next to it—nods over at the aforementioned Hunk, a big guy in a corner fiddling on his laptop and looking progressively more and more wrecked by whatever is on his screen. The last of the cold brew is, indeed, next to him.

Being disappointed over coffee is illogical, so Shiro isn’t. “Just regular coffee, then,” he orders instead, “there’s always tomorrow.”

His smile is met by Lance’s, which is brilliant and bright, flanked by dimples and the crinkle of under-eyebags. Their fingertips brush in the transfer of the cup and as Lance leans into his space to give a conspiratorial wink to murmur, “I’ll save it for you tomorrow.” In that second, it feels like it did the precise moment Shiro broke atmosphere, when all the weight went out of the ship, and the world was distant and silent, and before him stretched out the black-blue expanse of space.

What he means to say: Lance is cute.

And Shiro, who has been equipped with media training and Russian language training, military water survival courses, the best education and preparation the military can shovel into one person, is poorly equipped for what it feels like to have a crush. He can feel the heat of a blush creep up his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose, where it must look stark behind the length of his scar, and burn the tops of his ears.

He’s suddenly very glad for his sunglasses, which give him something to hide behind. And glad for the brim of his cap—which he can tug down over his ears. And with that, Shiro, who faced the unknown multitude of the universe with open arms, doesn’t precisely flee, but walks faster than normal away from the coffee shop and from Lance.

—

“Okay, wow,” says Keith, “are you serious?”

He reflects that Keith probably shouldn’t have been the first person that he told. That Matt or Allura would be better, gentler, more prepared to coax him through the steps of nursing a crush; in that same vein, that they would be more merciless in their exploitation of it, more tongue-in-cheeked about it.

Which is why he had called Keith, because Keith had the subtlety of cavemen bashing rocks against each other to make pointier rocks. Keith saw problems and threw himself bodily against them, heedless of the beating he took in the process. Eventually, in his mind, something would have to give—and history had proven that something always gave before Keith did, for better or for worse.

It helped, too, that Keith still looked at him with the rosy glow of a brother-figure; that in different circumstances, Keith would have been up in the stars with him.

“You spoke three words to him, and he spoke three words back, and now you have a crush? How does this work? Are you that bad at people? Is this what space does to people?”

“I saw the same five people for a year, Keith,” Shiro sighs, “forgive me if it’s nice to see someone new.” And before that, even, his friends had been the same class of people for eight years, interspersed with the overwhelming rush of new faces and new names that came with press tours.

“Okay, but most people still don’t go from hi, how are you, to I want to profess my undying love to you in the span of thirty seconds,” Keith points out, probably rightly.

“I just said he was cute.”

Keith’s arms are folded across his chest. The line of his mouth is long and thin, and when he speaks, it’s with a tone of resignation. “Shiro, when you met Allura, you said you admired how strong she was. You never said anything about her being cute. In fact, when someone did call her cute, you told them, and I quote, ‘Allura is a valuable asset to the team, and we’re lucky to have her.’”

Shiro frowns. “She is. We are.”

“Wow,” says Keith, openly gaping at him, “you honestly have no idea, do you? And people say I’m bad at this. They have no idea. Talk to the barista. You’re hopeless, and I don’t know what I ever saw in you.”

“His name is Lance,” he corrects Keith, letting the other comments slide. He’s always known, unlike Keith, how to pick his battles.

“Lance,” Keith repeats, as if a dawning realization is on him, “the barista’s name is Lance?”

“Yes.”

Keith says, with complete sincerity: “We’re doomed.”

—

He makes it back to the coffee shop one month out of re-entry. It takes him time to work up the nerve, to feel right in his skin.

“Cold brew!” calls Lance from the counter, stretching out across it to wave at Shiro. He has the lanky proportions of a college student, maybe just on the opposite side of twenty. Younger than Shiro’s twenty-seven going on twenty-eight (going on thirty, according to his media coaches, wear more sunscreen, drink more water).

The day outside had bloomed grey and cloudy, so there are no sunglasses this time, and Shiro’s traded the baseball cap for a knitted beanie. Recognizable enough, to a certain audience, but only as cold brew to Lance. He finds himself smiling.

“I didn’t catch your name last time,” says Lance when Shiro approaches the counter. He rearranges himself off of it, the awkward gangliness of his limbs dropping and turning into something lithe and liquid. “Did you want a cold brew again? I saved you a cup last time, but you never showed up.”

“In order of questions, it’s Shiro,” he says, “and no, a regular coffee again, and also, sorry that I didn’t. Things came up. I just moved back, so—you know how that is.”

“People to see, places to go?” muses Lance. His sharpie makes squeaking noises against the cardboard cup as he writes out Shiro’s name; against the tail-end of the looping O, he adds in stars, their crossed lines mimicking the one on his own name tag.

“Something like that,” Shiro agrees. His smile is rewarded with one of Lance’s—still bright, still dimpling, and his heart still stuttering staccato in his chest.

He is painfully out of his element—and though he knows the periodic table nearly by heart, Shiro isn’t sure that the element he’s out of is listed on there in the first place. He doesn’t know what to do. It’s the first time, in a long time of regimented courses and drill instructors, that he’s been totally at his own devices.

He’s forced to the realization that his own devices might have rusted from disuse.

“Would you like to get coffee?” he blurts out.

Lance blinks at him. His hand is curled around Shiro’s coffee cup, finger tips stained a slightly darker shade of brown than his skin tone, and behind him are stacked bags and bags of beans. Shiro’s rusty devices grind their gears in all the wrong ways. There’s a pursed moue to Lance’s mouth.

“That was stupid,” he says, leaning against the counter and sighing.

“It was pretty stupid,” Lance agrees, voice warm and teasing. He brushes his stained fingers over the top of Shiro’s hand. “I drink like, so much coffee. I’m probably 85% coffee right now,” he says. “Take me out for ice cream or something. Save coffee for the third date, at least.”

And well, that—that’s something Shiro can do.

—

Shiro meets Keith somewhere between Keith’s third foster home and his fifth new school. At the time they meet, Keith’s hair is buzzed short and regulation, and the tight line of his shoulders say fire and fury, a 150 pound teenage ordnance.

It���s easy to become Keith’s friend, because Keith doesn’t have any, and he craves them with something fierce and dying inside of him.

So when Keith, sitting next to Shiro, a blanket of stars laid out in the sky above them says about Lance, “Be careful,” Shiro knows he means it. The wounded beast in Keith’s chest picked its friends and family carefully and guarded them jealously.

“I will,” he promises.

But Shiro keeps forgetting that the gravity on earth is different than on the moon, and he falls harder than he’d meant to, hits the ground faster than he’d expected. It’s only in hindsight that he realizes this is what Keith was warning him about.

—

Their first date is: hamburgers from McDonald’s in the park, Lance stealing Shiro’s fries (he said they tasted better, despite having his own), and one of the one-dollar ice cream cones, because Shiro’s always been good at retention of information and Lance had wanted ice cream, he said.

He learns this: Lance is the youngest of seven—seven, he repeats, with a wave of his arms for added emphasis—and he’s studying marine biology because once, when he was real little, one of his three older sisters (he doesn’t specify which one) took him to an aquarium, where he learned that sharks in utero would sometimes eat their siblings, which was sort of an appealing thought when you were the youngest of seven. So that was cool, and his sister bought him a stuffed shark when they left, and the rest was history.

And then quieter, Lance adds: the ocean made him feel small, but not in a way that was frightening. It was comforting, actually, to be dwarfed by something so much larger, to mean less than all his anxieties convinced him of; there was comfort in being a speck, of being inessential, of being one tiny, tiny mote of dust. He could mess up, and it wouldn’t ever tip the grander scale.

There is a heartbeat of silence before Lance grins and laughs, shaking off whatever had passed over him. “That was too serious,” he says, “wow, that was way too serious, I’m sorry.”

If Shiro were better with words, he might have said he felt the same in that lurching minute of the shuttle hurtling through the atmosphere. He isn’t better with words though, so he flounders and settles on an awkward clapping of Lance’s shoulders that serves no purpose and does nothing. Lance’s brief, confused smile in response is a little bit heartbreaking—and Shiro flounders more, in its wake.

Lance draws back after a second of silence, leaving a deliberate inch of space between them. His smile goes slightly wooden and he stands, brushing grass and dirt from the seat of his pants. “Hey,” he says, “this was fun, but I should probably get going. Things to do. You know. Shouldn’t hold you up all day.”

He doesn’t know. Shiro is good about knowing things, but this—this isn’t something he knows. But when he opens his mouth to say that, what comes out is: “Yeah. Don’t worry about it. I should get going, too.”

Lance nods, like he isn’t really paying attention, smiles, and leaves. It’s all very brusque and strange; there’s still ice cream in the hamburger bag, melting away.

And Shiro, who has scored perfectly on every exam he’s ever taken, comes to the sudden realization that he’s failed at something, for the first time in his life—completely and utterly flunked.

And he doesn’t know how or why.

—

“Oh, Shiro,” breathes Allura, her accent making a soft blur of her words, “I’m so very sorry.”

She takes one of his hands with both of hers, and her palms are warm and soft. In a different world, he’s probably madly in love with her; in this one, he’s just grateful for the contact and the tea she’s provided, strong and herbal, and her steady presence by his side.

“It was just a first date,” he points out, achingly aware of how miserable he sounds. “Those don’t go anywhere all the time.”

Allura squeezes his hand and gives him a searching look. “But it’s alright to have wanted it to go somewhere,” she tells him, “and it’s alright to feel bad that it didn’t, or to feel as if you lack closure as to why it didn’t. You liked him.”

“I met him three times. I barely knew him.”

There are things Allura could say. Pointed things; not designed to hurt, but to cut away precisely, like a scalpel, to the very core of Shiro. Things like: He’s a private figure living a public life and living a public life that was carefully, systematically, managed. That he so very rarely got to be himself, so very rarely got to be Shiro rather than Takashi Shirogane, the first man in over four decades to step foot on the moon.

She doesn’t say any of those things. Instead, she says, “I’ll put the kettle back on,” and does just that, her form disappearing into the arched entryway of the kitchen.

—

Keith says, “You really don’t know, huh.” The leather of his jacket, today, is red, and his hair is uncombed and unkempt. He looks like he hasn’t slept for a week. Which, at least for Keith, is good in the grander scheme of things.

“Listen,” Keith sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You should just talk to him. I know Lance. He’s an idiot, but not an asshole.”  

“I had a bad date,” Shiro says. “It wasn’t even that bad, but he isn’t interested, and that’s okay. I don’t know why everyone is so worried.”

Keith gives him a look that is only partly dark and partly dangerous. He contemplates something, and whatever decision he comes to must not be one he likes, because his words are bitten out and chewed thoroughly when he spits them up. “Lance likes you. More important. Everyone likes you. And everyone wants you to be happy because everyone likes you. But especially fucking Lance, who you just had to go and have a crush on. Who’s an idiot who makes up stupid stories and says I have a mullet. But you like him so. I’ll deal.”

“He left our date,” Shiro points out quietly.

“Because he’s an idiot! How many times do I have to say it? But it wasn’t because he didn’t like you. It’s because he probably likes you so much that he thinks he’s fucking everything up, because he’s had your stupid newspaper articles tacked over his bed for the past year. Which I know, because I’ve seen them, unfortunately.” Shiro opens his mouth—and promptly closes it when Keith holds up a finger. “Shut up, you don’t get to talk except to say ‘Thank you, Keith, I’m going to go ask out Lance McClain because I have no taste.’”

“Thank you, Keith, I’m going to ask out Lance?” Shiro ventures.

“Because you have no taste,” finishes Keith. He rolls his shoulders, like he’s getting rid of heavy weight. “Lance likes you. Lance followed every single dumb thing about your mission with bated breath, and literally teared up during your first interview from the station. So. Yeah. There you go. Have fun.”

The day before Shiro was scheduled to go to space, he had dinner with Keith. They’d gone to a diner off a long, dusty strip of road, and for miles around them there was silence, save for the chirping of crickets. In their quiet booth, Keith had unscrewed the cap from a shaker of salt and spilled it out over the table. Despite the action being deliberate, he picked a pinch of it and tossed it over his left shoulder ritualistically. With what was left on the table, he etched small patterns and waves, and finally, a little sliver of a crescent moon.

Keith said, “I’m used to people leaving and not coming back.”

That was it. He didn’t ask for more, or try to extract a promise. It wasn’t his style, and Shiro wouldn’t have given him one even if he had. Keith had been let down by too many promises before.

They ate their dinner, and Shiro covered the bill. At the end of the night, Keith kissed him, and when Shiro drew him away, Keith laughed and pressed his forehead to Shiro’s chest, right above where his heart lay. “I figured,” he said, and he didn’t sound upset or particularly bothered. After, he ambled his way off into the dark, a slight silhouette that gave way like a mirage into the desert. He wasn’t there to see Shiro off; but Shiro had never asked him to be, either.

—

He finally musters the courage to go to the coffee shop on a blustery Tuesday. Winter roared in the week prior, and the soft powder it had initially brought has turned to hard ice.

Inside the shop, the decorations are decidedly Christmas-themed, red and green ball ornaments hanging down from the ceiling, garland twining around the outside of the counter. The shop is also decidedly-empty, except for Lance, on the wrong side of the counter and dressed down in worn jeans with a sweater, groaning at the guy who took the last of the cold brew the first time Shiro visited behind the counter.

“Hunk,” Lance is saying, “feed me.” The e elongates along a stretched syllable.

“Pay for it, and I will,” is Hunk’s response. “Or get out of the way if you’re not so someone else can order.”

Lance pouts, but folds his limbs back up obligingly. He gives way with an exaggerated bow, bending low at the waist, before straightening up with a grin.

A grin that disappears, quick as it came, when he comes face to face with Shiro.

“Hi,” says Shiro. From the corner of his eye, he catches Hunk’s form turning and making its way into the back room.

“Um. Hi.” Lance says. There’s a flash of—something, across his face. That half-second deliberation of fight or flight, before the more reasonable part of his brain quells the animal instinct. Plus, Shiro’s blocking the door. He may have done that on purpose.

“Did you know,” Shiro says—and he rehearsed this, which makes it better and worse, that he actually practiced this—“that time slows near a black hole.”

“Um,” blinks Lance. “I guess? I was sort of aware of that.”

“I’ve always thought that would be a perfect place to fall in love,” he says. And then, because he’s an astronaut, and not a poet, and practically reigns supreme. “If you could ignore the spaghettification, that is.”

Lance keeps blinking at him. And blinks again. “I—what?” he finally settles on. The hunted flash that crossed his face at first seeing Shiro is gone, replaced by a rising bemusement.

“Spaghettification,” Shiro repeats, “is the stretching that happens in a very strong, non-homogeneous gravitational field. It’s what would happen if we ever stood near a black hole. So it wouldn’t really be the best place to fall in love, because no object can withstand it, but I was told it’s the thought that counts. Time slows there, so falling in love would be more romantic there, I assume.”

“I know what spaghettification is,” Lance says. His brow creases, like he’s sorting through something. “It’s sort of romantic, I guess? Being a noodle isn’t that romantic though. It’s hard to be a sexy noodle.” His bemusement eases into something closer to amused than puzzled. He leans back against the counter, his limbs set at an easy angle. “Any reason you’re telling me this?”

“Because,” Shiro says, and finds the words coming to him easier than he thought they would, “I like you. And I don’t know how I messed up our first date, except that I did. But I like you, Lance. And I’d like to take you out again.”

“Oh,” Lance breathes. “No. I—no.” Shiro’s heart sinks, but before it plunges, Lance grabs his hand, “You didn’t mess anything up. I messed it up! I said all of that stupid stuff about feeling dumb and small and like, overshared by 78% too much on a first date. And I thought you deserved better than me, because you’re Shiro,” and the way Lance says his name isn’t like how most people say it, like Shiro’s a cut above them, but like the word is special to him, “and so I figured I should just. Like. Let it go. It’s like being in love with Prince Charming, but I’m not Cinderella, I’m one of the mice.” He waves his free hand to illustrate his last point.

“I like mice,” Shiro says. When Lance face scrunches, Shiro squeezes his hand and insists. “I do. Mice are really interesting, they’re thought to empathize with the experiences of other mice, and I—I am really bad at this, huh?”

“Yeah,” Lance laughs, “pretty bad.” But he isn’t drawing away, and his expression has crossed over into something soft and fond. He sways a little closer to Shiro, so that Shiro can feel the warmth coming off of him in waves.

“Lance,” says Shiro seriously. He’s good at serious and sincere. “I like you. I do.”

“I like you, too,” says Lance, his mouth curving into a smile.

He realizes how close they are, then, when the curve of Lance’s mouth seems endless, when he realizes that he’s holding Lance’s hand up against his heart, pressed into the warm boundaries of their bodies. Lance is shorter than him, though everything about his build gives the impression of stretch and length, and it’s easy to bend over him and press a kiss against his mouth.

Once, tumbling in suspended free fall in a metal can in space, Shiro had fallen head over heels and kept falling until he smacked up against a wall panel and clutched it for stability. He hadn’t realized it was possible to do the same on earth, figured gravity was enough to keep him grounded. Kissing Lance tosses the notion of gravity out of the window.

Precisely until Hunk clears his throat behind them and says, “I’m still here, guys.”

[fanfictionlive]

PSA: Proper Dialogue Formatting (it's really easy!)

Hey, y'all! Hopefully I don't get downvoted for drawing attention to something rather negative, but this has been something that's been grinding my gears for ages, and people rarely seem to address it. I'm actually vaguely surprised that it's not talked about more, because it's probably my biggest pet peeve in fanfiction, something that turns me off a lot of fics: improper dialogue formatting.

It's just... such an easy thing to do right! And when it isn't done right, it sticks out (to me, at least) like a sore thumb. It's such a common issue, too - I want to say that maybe 50-80% of fics in my main fandoms fail to format their dialogue correctly. It's gotten to the point where proper dialogue formatting is one of the first things I scan for in a fic when deciding whether or not to read, because while not all fics with improper formatting are bad, most fics with proper formatting are fairly well-written in other aspects, too.

What's most frustrating to me is that I don't understand why it's such a common issue. It's mind-boggling, honestly, because examples of proper dialogue formatting are everywhere: in news articles with quotes, in every fiction book ever, etc. To be fair, I'm mostly in anime fandoms, so there's probably a much higher percentage of improper formatting than in book fandoms, or fandoms with on average older fans. And I understand that maybe some people just never noticed things like the difference between a comma and a period at the end of a sentence of dialogue, or saw so many incorrect examples in fanfiction that they didn't realize they were doing something wrong at all. So if this post manages to clear things up for even a single writer, then I'll consider it a success. :)

Now, then, on to my examples:

​

"For sentences with a dialogue tag at the end, finish the sentence off with a comma, not a period," Sasuke said.

"That's only for regular sentences, though!" Sakura replied. "The comma replaces periods, but not exclamation marks or question marks."

"And don't capitalize the dialogue tag, since it's only a sentence fragment, not an individual sentence!" exclaimed Naruto.

"But if the dialogue tag is an independent sentence, then it's capitalized, obviously. And then the dialogue would end in a period, not a comma." With a bored expression, Sasuke turned back to the book he was reading, How to Kill Friends and Avenge People.

Naruto gave Sasuke's book a strange look, then added, "And this is how you format punctuation and capitalization if the dialogue comes after the dialogue tag."

"And notice," Kakashi said, "how my sentence is broken up, but the second section isn't capitalized." Then he turned back to reading his own book.

​

And that's that! For more resources, you can check out this link or this one. Hopefully this post was informative and manages to help one or two people, and doesn't come off as passive-aggressive or patronizing - I just really wanted to bring attention to an issue that I feel is really under-discussed. I figured a fic-style piece of dialogue would be a fun way to get the idea across, heh. Dialogue punctuation is really easy to do correctly, and it makes fics feel infinitely more smooth, readable, and professional. :) If you made it all the way to the end of this very long post, thanks for reading!

submitted by /u/sanatoria [link] [comments] from FanFiction: Where Magical Ponies battle Imperial Titans https://ift.tt/2Fx5gHz

[ellebeebee]

Seachange

Part Two/Nine

Part One

Mira has to make her first decision about who to wake from cryo.  She’s confused and worried.  Liam helps.

1929 words, Liam/Female Ryder, teen rating

AO3

-

“What about the lab technicians?  How long until production can start rising?” Mira asked.

“It would depend on several factors, Pathfinder,” SAM stated over her omni-tool.  Him using her internal implant still made her head ring sometimes. “First, there is the post-cryo acclimatization period which has varied widely among the current sample population.  Secondly, there will be varying opinions on what research projects to prioritize.  Finally, there is no way to predict the ultimate timelines of these projects.  There are too many variables to say for certain, Pathfinder.”

Mira deflated.  She laid back, the plates of her armor clacking as she flattened herself against the top of the Nomad.  An abandoned datapad sat beside her.  Her eyes clenched at the alien sun straight above her.  Eos’s radiation had come well within acceptable limits since accessing the vault, but the heat could still be overbearing.  She’d have to escape the exposure of sitting on top of her utility vehicle soon; there was already a few drips of sweat collecting at her temples.

Some yards away, the incoming and outgoing shuttles kept shifting the air pressure within the valley, the steep rock cliffs surrounding Prodromos shielding it from the broader menaces of the area.  Distant, unintelligible chatter of the colonists slipped to her through the clusters of prefab dorms, offices, and labs.  She could catch a few words, even under the whine and hiss of the shuttles.  “Acceptable risk.”  “Compatible compounds.”  “Digestible, but at what cost?”

The Tempest shimmered over them all, like a great mirrored bird.  She shifted; one of her… butt plates (there really was no other word for it) was digging into her crack.  She should adjust it when she got back onboard.

“Maybe special forces?” Mira asked. “The kett are a huge problem that’s not going away anytime soon.  And Prodromos is already geared toward science.  Or maybe recon?  I mean, I know I’m biased, but intelligence on kett movements and encampments would help a lot in protecting the colony.”

“I am afraid this is a matter you must decide on your own, Pathfinder,” SAM told her.

Mira sighed.

Who thought this would be a good idea?  Like, really?  Hey guys, let’s give the twenty-two year old Alliance grunt that tripped and fell face-first into this job complete license over the lives of thousands of people.  Deciding the best people to bring out of cryo, the best people to keep up the fragile momentum the Initiative now had?  Psssht, piece of cake for the Pathfinder, right?

Right?

“Ryder?”

Her eyes popped open.  She rolled over to peek over the side of the Nomad.  Liam stared up at her, shielding his eyes with a thick white glove.

“What are you doing?” he asked.  A smile crept about his lips and in the squint of his eyes.

“Um,” she said. “Meditating?”

She regretted the words the instant they left her mouth.  Ugh.  Ughughugh.  Why was she so, like, the complete opposite of witty?  This was why she was recon.  Give her an extended scouting and stakeout mission, any day.  A long waiting game behind a scope.  Anything other than having to deal with the way her tongue dried up and her skin caught fire at the sight of Liam Kosta’s face.

Especially when she was trying to be “Pathfinder.”

“Meditating?  Really?” he asked her, taking another step closer until he could lean his weight against the Nomad.  Except he said it like, ‘Reeeeaaally.’  Annoying.  He could be so annoying sometimes.  Grinning like that.

She sat up, picked up her datapad, and jumped over the side of the vehicle.  She released the landing-tension in her legs, and pushed the datapad into his chest.  He glanced into her face, then took the pad from her.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“All the data on the cryo bays.  I have to decide on who to release.  And soon.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, scrolling without really lingering on the information.

Mira shifted.  They stood in the partial shadow of the Nomad’s enormous tires, but still getting a lot of the heat and glare of the sun.  All of the crew’s suits had internal temp regulators.  (Even Liam’s ballistic-weave, smart fabric gear.)  Still, their faces had a sheen to them.  She struggled not to get mesmerized by the trail a particular bead of sweat at his temple took, down his umber skin and over the hills of his cheekbones.  At least he was wearing a shirt.

But what was with the way he was clearly not looking at the datapad properly?  Was he seeing something she wasn’t, some obvious correct answer that had eluded her?  Was he trying to figure some polite way to tell her she was being an idiot?

Shit, why couldn’t someone just tell her how to do this?

Liam glanced up at her.  He took in her expression, smiled, and leaned past her to place the datapad up on one of the Nomad’s tires. (Nearly pushing his ropey neck, and its scent of dirt and the field into her face, damn him.)  He straightened.

“Got a minute?” Liam asked innocently.

Mira cleared her throat. “Not really?  I have to decide this.  Like, soon.  What do you think--”

He waved his hands defensively around his chest. “Nuh-unh.  That’s above my paygrade, Pathfinder.  But maybe this will help?  C’mon.  It’ll just be a minute, and you’re clearly not making any ground worrying yourself to death on top the Nomad.”

She sighed and rubbed at her forehead.  She needed to rehydrate.  And the braids she kept her hair in while in the field were starting to itch.

“Okay,” she told him.

His grin broadened.  And before she knew what was happening, he’d caught up one of her armored gloves in his hands, his own gloves tucked into his waistband.  As he tugged her into a trot away from the Nomad, her stomach turned and fluttered.  His hand was large, and enveloped hers even with her armor.  Carelessly, blunt-cut fingernails.  A cut or two on his fingers from tinkering with tech.  And if she could feel his skin with her own, she’d bet there was a bit of roughness; gun and grenade callouses.

But after only a few steps, he let go.  Her stomach dropped.

Well.

Just as well.  Pathfinder business, right?  Big, important problems, right?  She couldn’t be dumb like this, getting distracted.

Ugh.

Sans-the hand holding, the two of them kept trotting to the edge of the valley, toward a staggering in the sheer cliff face.  Mira pulled up, avoiding the sudden heavy pressure and loud air blast of Liam’s jump-jets.  She glared up at him, orange dust and skree skittering around where he stood above her on the rock face.

“C’mon,” he called down at her.

Mira muttered to herself for a moment, but followed anyway.  Soon, they were several meters above the valley floor.  And eye-level with the nose of the Tempest.  She hadn’t noticed they were that close to the ship.

Liam cleared his throat, catching her eye.  He pointedly nodded his head in the direction of the Tempest’s hull.  She looked at their ship.  Then at him.

“You can’t be--”

“You’re the Pathfinder,” he grinned, grabbing her hand again. “You can do what you want.”

“That’s not exactly--”

But she had to stop her protest as he bent his knees, preparing for the force shift of his jump jets.  She bent too, and then-- the thrust of their jets pushed them out into empty air, floating for just a moment.  Liam clutched her hand, and it wasn’t just the weightlessness, that totally brief divorce from the pull of gravity, that turned her stomach over.  It wasn’t just the jump that caught in her throat.

They landed on top of the Tempest with a loud boom.

“Ryder!  Again!?”

Mira let go of Liam’s hand, fumbling her omni-tool. “Sorry, Kallo.  Last time, I promise.”

Liam was snickering, so she punched his shoulder half-heartedly.  He shook his head and, still grinning, walked away to the other side of the ship.  Arrayed around them, nestled within the embrace of beautifully striated cliffs, sat the infant colony of Prodromos.  People-- humans and asari and turians and salarians-- walked between buildings, chatted in the shadow of eaves, lifted cargo from the shuttles.  Evening wasn’t that far off, and soon they’d all be gathering in the mess halls and private kitchens.  Chatting about the day’s discoveries, its trials.

She watched for a moment, aware of Liam looking at her.  Finally, she turned to him.

He was smiling.

And the sun’s reflection off the ship’s hull-- so merciless and vivid-- clung to the deep sepia of his skin, the broad nose, the lips always so generous with a smile or a laugh.  The light clung to his dark and coarse coils, to his black stubbled jaw, to his adam’s apple.  And, to her perception at least, the sun was all caught up in his accent; his dumb, terribly funny, and always honest turns of phrases.

“See?” he was saying to her, waving out toward Prodromos. “This was your doing, Pathfinder.  Without you?  The Initiative would still be grinding itself down, burning resources, with no way to establish an outpost.  You made this possible.”

“You were there, too,” Mira stated, letting her gaze wander.  She made herself bring her eyes back up, though.  Eye contact.  Right.

He grinned, noticing.

But he went on without commenting, “Yeah, but without you… Look, Mira, this?  It’s good.  You’ve done good.  There’s so much more to do, but you’ve got this.  And we’re all behind you.” His own gaze slid to her again. “I’m behind you.”

A tension she hadn’t noticed, right in-between her shoulder blades, underneath her jump jets, released.  Just those words, and he’d undone something in her she hadn’t even known she’d needed.  Tears threatened to crawl up her throat.

He was looking out over the colony, all caught up in light and optimism and-- goodness.  That’s what he was, Liam Kosta.  That’s exactly what he was.

“Shit,” he said softly, smiling at Prodromos. “It’s beautiful, huh?”

“No, you’re beautiful,” Mira instantly said.

Liam’s head whipped around. “What?”

She stared back. “What.”

As he stared at her, what she’d said fully hit her.  Blood flooded into her face, and she did not ever want to know what sort of expression her gaping mouth and flown-wide eyes composed.  Liam’s soft smile had exploded into a broad grin, and she couldn’t stand it, so she slapped her hands over her face.  Her armored gloves no doubt leaving red marks.

“I don’t--,” Mira stumbled, “I mean-- I didn’t say that--”

“I dunno, have you checked my medicals?  ‘Cause my hearing’s pretty good, and I could have sworn you said--”

“SAM!” she stopped him loudly, practically shouting.

“Yes, Path--”

“I meant SAM!  He’s beautiful!  You know, the blue sparkley orb thing.  It’s… It’s really… He’s really…”

She peeked over her hands and instantly regretted it.  Liam was still beaming at her, eyes totally reading: ‘You are so full of shit.’

“Thank you, Pathfinder, I think you are beautiful as well,” SAM intoned with absolute sobriety.

Liam lost it.  And she could only glare at him full-out laughing for so long before she got all caught up in giggles, too.

Liam finally pulled up from where he’d been hunched over, helpless.

“Ryder-- you,” he wheezed, chuckling. “You-- You’re really, really bad at this.”

“Shut up,” she said, slapping his shoulder.

He only started laughing again.

Damn him.

-

“You thinnnk I’m beauuutiful.”

“Nope.”

“Yes, you doooo.”

“No.”

“You thinnnk I’m beauuutiful.”

“You’re fired.”

He just laughs.

[dioskourixx]

In The Blood Ch.5

I woke up earlier than usual today. I was too excited to sleep much longer. Today was the day I was waiting for. I was finally going to be done with midterms for the spring semester. Fortunately, I had finished all of my written exams earlier in the week and all I had left to do was turn in my art project, finally being able to experience the sweet taste of freedom for a whole week. I quickly threw my covers off of my body and got up to get ready for the day.

It didn’t take long for me to get ready this time around. I took a quick shower and opted for a simple look; jeans and a thin maroon t-shirt that I got from an organization fair for free. I threw my hair in a messy bun for today, knowing that my curly hair was not going to cooperate today, since I was to lazy to braid it down the night before. Trying to drag a tangle brush through it would’ve been a waste of time and bristles. Finally feeling satisfied with my appearance, I grabbed my large portfolio that contained my midterm project and headed out the dorm, leaving a drooling, yet peaceful sleeping Raven in bed.

On my way to the art building, I decided to make a quick detour to a nearby shop that was a little further down from the café. I wanted to give Ms. Sven a small gift, showing her my appreciation for all of her help so far this semester. I honestly don’t know how I would’ve met all of my deadlines if she hadn’t entrusted me with a key to my designated class when it was unoccupied. When it got really hectic, she allowed me to stay in the class even after she had left for the day, as long as I promised to bring it back the next day, when the office opened. As I walked up and down the aisles aimlessly, nothing stood out. As I pondered what to get her, I recalled a story she had told me during one of our lunch dates. When she was in college, she experienced a great deal of anxiety, much like the students today. Her best friend at the time noticed and bought her a candle, even though they were forbidden in the dorm rooms. Her friend suggested aroma therapy and surprisingly, it helped a bit. I’m not sure if she still suffers with anxiety, but I felt that a candle would be an appropriate gift. The question now was which scent should I get her. After sniffing about ten candles, my nose began to go dull. I did however, remember that the large vanilla and cranberry candles had a more pleasant scent, but wasn’t too overpowering. Feeling confident in those candles, I decided to get them along with an emerald green medium sized gift bag with gold accents. The girl who usually works there quickly rang me up and sent me on my way in the same fashion she always does…silent and in a rush. I didn’t really mind it as long as my things were scanned properly, but I know a good bit of customers have complained about her customer service.

It didn’t take long for me to reach the art building. As I entered the small office, Ms. Sven was already sitting at her desk, looking over some paperwork. She wore a white button up shirt, paired with straight legged navy blue slacks. She looked really pretty to me today. The clothes complimented her small frame, and her long thick hair was pinned back with a few strands framing her face nicely. She always looked pale. If you didn’t know her, you’d probably think that she was a sickly older woman. She could never tan that well.

“Hello dear! How are you?” Ms. Sven greeted you brightly. I gave her a warm genuine smile in return.

“I’m well Ms. Sven. How about you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain. Are you here to turn your project in? I don’t think you’ll need the key this time. I saw Ms. Holmes come in a few minutes after me. Oh yeah. How did your project turn out dear?” I could only giggle at Ms. Sven’s bubbliness so early in the morning.

“It came out pretty decent, I think. But I actually came here to give you something.” I saw Ms. Sven’s eyes watch my movements as I sat my portfolio aside and placed the green gift bag on her desk. Her eyes stretched slightly upon seeing the bag.

“Oh, honey, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Her face became softer as she pulled the gift bag closer to her, reaching in to take out its contents. She looked at each candle, inhaling each scent, letting out a small sigh. A shy smile graced her lips and I felt satisfied that she seemed to like them.

“I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you helping me out this semester. I wouldn’t have been able to make any of my deadlines if it wasn’t for you. Thank you.” She finally looked up at me when I finished speaking. She stared at my face for a while, the shy smile still playing on her lips, showing early signs of wrinkles.

“Oh, I would do anything for you honey. You know that. I’m very fond of you.” At that I smiled gratefully at her. The feeling was definitely mutual. She was one of the nicest ladies I have met during my college years so far. Well, her and that older Korean woman at that market that Yongguk took me every now and then. She always gives me extra food. Ms. Sven picked up the cranberry scented candle and sniffed it once more.

“Oh, sweet pea thank you so much. I love them.” I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind her, realizing the time.

“I have to go now Ms. Sven, but I’m really glad that you like them. I’ll call you later so we can eat dinner together or something.”

“Okay dear. I’ll see you soon, then. Enjoy your spring break hun.” I picked up my portfolio and headed for the door that lead me out of the office, waving ‘bye’ to Ms. Sven at the same time.

I finally reached Ms. Holmes’ room after climbing two flights of stairs. The door was already opened, so I assumed that she was moving about inside. When I walked in, I saw Ms. Holmes’ round figure behind her desk, glasses perched on her nose, looking intently at a sheet of paper.

“Ms. Holmes?” she tore her gaze from her paper and looked up with me.

“Why, hello Ms. Hazel. I didn’t expect you until later on. Came to bring your project?”

“Yes ma’am.” I said politely.

“You can just stick your portfolio in that closet. I’m kind of rearranging the room at the moment, and right now the storage closet is the safest place for your class’ projects. Wouldn’t want to lose them now, would we?” I felt my teeth grit slightly as I tried to smile at her. Ms. Holmes wasn’t my favorite professor to say the least. She had a weird musky smell to her and had an “I am superior to everyone” attitude. She grinded my gears if I was forced to talk to her for a long period of time.

“No ma’am, we wouldn’t. That would be extremely unfortunate.” I say this as I made my way towards the walk in storage closet, rolling my eyes on the way. Just before I was able to make it to the closet, someone carrying a big box of paint emerged from the opening. I backed up a little, giving the person enough space to walk without obstacle. As they did that I quickly placed my portfolio on a shelf inside the closet. It smelled of old paint and charcoal. Not the most pleasant scents in the world, but a familiar one that I grew to love. The closet itself was almost empty of all of the cluttered boxes and discarded papers that were once thrown in carelessly.

“Hazel?” I turned towards the opening upon hearing my name. Standing there was a tall figure with slightly damp black hair. The wetness made his hair curl loosely around his face, making him look almost child-like. And of course, those pale grey eyes, staring back into my dark brown eyes. My heart felt like it skipped a beat.

“Ethan?” I breathed out his name.

“Hey, how have you been?” He displayed his charming smile, showing his perfect teeth in the process.

“I’m good. How about you?”

“Oh, I’m great. Just helping out ya know.”

“Yeah I can see that. She’s not working you too hard is she?” He chuckled at my question, as if it weren’t possible.

“Nah. I can handle it. I’m not exactly fragile you know.” As I looked over his frame, I could see he wasn’t lying. He wore a pair of grey sweatpants and a black shirt that hugged his frame. No. He definitely was not fragile.

“Mr. Ethan, I’m going to step out for a minute. You can continue your work without my supervision for a few minutes, can’t you?” I fought to roll my eyes again towards her snarky comment. Ethan, on the other hand, seemed like he didn’t notice her snooty tone. With the sweetest smile, he replied with a simple “I think I can manage.” We watched her walk out of the room with her clunky heels, fading in the distance the further she got away.

“So,” Ethan started, looking at me now. “How’s the little guy adjusting to his new home?” It took me a minute to realize that he was talking about the bear he had won me earlier.

“Oh, he’s fine. He’s resting comfortably on my bed as we speak. I named him Benny actually.” He chuckled at the name.

“Benny the Bear, huh? I like it. It has a nice ring to it.” I felt the corners of my mouth tug upwards. “Hazel I have something to ask you, and feel free to say no. There’s absolutely no pressure.” I suppressed my smile as he rambled, waiting for him to ask his question. When he realized that I was waiting for him to speak, he began again. “Would you be willing to go out with me sometime?”

“Oh…” was all I said. I felt my heart quicken again.

“Yeah…” he chuckled again, only this time, out of nervousness.

“How about dinner sometime this week?” Ethan pushed, waiting for an answer. I thought about it for a moment. He was handsome, and I was definitely attracted to him. There was no doubt about that. What did I have to lose going on one harmless date with Ethan. Would Yongguk support it? Would it matter if he did or didn’t?

“Sure…why not?” The words escaped my lips in a rush.

“Really? Great! Um, then I’ll call you later, and see what day is good for you then?” It was cute seeing the excitement in his eyes and the nervousness he tried to hide. “So, I’ll see you later then?” He asked, trying to confirm my answer. I nodded my head.

“Definitely.”

[panic-in-tarir]

One year in review

That’s it! The OH IT’S BEEN ONE YEAR post is here!

The closer my first anniversary was, the more excited I got, and the more thoughts I gathered for one “summary” post. Now that it’s time, suddenly, bam, all of them gone. :’> *wipes sweat*

Recently I had someone asking about my progression and how I managed to get there (???? where? derp). Well, I guess, I could just start telling about my first deeds in GW2, and then see if I can add something.

This might or might not be relevant, but I come from Wakfu, a colorful 2D game with turn-based combat. It’s cool visually, but also has terrible management issues, lack of developer care, one of the worst customer supports ever, list goes on.. I played it since 2012, and year by year, only grew angry, disappointed and hurt. That was like an abusive relationship I couldn’t get out of. I refused to try different genre and engine games. Finally, @aketan​ / @flame-squad​ / Rika got me lowkey interested in GW2 (she was commenting expressively while playing, and I peeked over her shoulder), I decided to try it. And stayed. Migrating to a real-time 3D game wasn’t easy! Yet, it was my lifesaver decision. GW2 has everything that I wish was there in Wakfu. It took me several months, if not a year, to get fully “healed”, to recover from the bad game and start believing that good games exist. When I had to contact GW2 support, I was touched to tears.. Everything and everyone is so nice here.

That wall of text was a foreword! Or explanation why I’m so excited and grateful about every aspect of GW2.

I started without putting too much thought into the char creation, as a result, now I have yet another main whose name is literally foreign language swearing or pun. GG me. After having been completely lost and confused by the controls (I LITERALLY ran backwards and yelled), after having a short but comprehensive lesson from bff, I started derping around on my own. I think I was only guided until lvl 5 or so, then my buddy let me do whatever I want. I come from a sandbox-wannabe game so it didn’t take me forever to get comfortable and set my first goals. Of course, I had a shit ton of questions, which I didn’t hesitate to spam Rika with. It’s cool to have someone ready to explain you the basics and patiently show you things. :D My several first days, or even weeks, were intense. I didn’t rush levels, but was eager to see the world. It was so amazing to me that I was spending 8-10 hours a day, running around, completing maps. I started in Metrica but quickly wandered away to Caledon (”oh! a portal?!”), where I spent a handful of time then.

With such a desire to discover and observe, and after having seen the title you’re awarded for 100% world map completion, I set it as my first ultimate goal. I approached it rather seriously, and had an incredibly fun time, at least until I had only Orr left undiscovered. x’D As a squishy (and slow, and dumb) ele, I was frightened and a bit discouraged by the amount of, well, deaths here. If I recall correctly, I still wore yellows at that time, although I was 80. Rika helped me and accompanied me for a bit. Orr was tough and I legit cried out of anger and frustration when I was alone, but that was the only unpleasant moment in entire year, and only because I wasn’t good at the game yet.

In the meantime, I was leveling my first alt, human engi. Do you actually remember that f2p accounts only allow 2 chars? Later, after buying HoT, I finally got loose.

They say, you always remember the place where you finished your first world map. For me, and oddly enough, for Rika, it was Field of Ruins. We reached the last POI at the same time, and, boy, did it feel great. My first big accomplishment. It dropped like.. Like a norn fart in a moot (c) Jory \o/ I still use the title btw, “been there, done that”. \o/

Then, there was a relatively dull period before buying HoT. I focused on doing my personal story, maxing out my alt and getting into crafting. The latter quickly became addictive to me. It’s so smooth, fun and exciting in GW2. Artificer was my first discipline, and after getting the hang of it, I breezed through 100-500 in a single day’s course.

That’s what the progression of my first 4-5 months looked like! I still was f2p, did only open world content and had one person to play with. I’m my own boss so it’s up to me to decide if I want to spend 30 minutes or 8 hours ingame.

HoT was a blessing in every aspect possible! I never regretted buying it, never regretted taking my time and not buying it earlier though - I needed that f2p scrub time to learn the basics, and to appreciate all the convenience and QoL improvements that come with HoT.

That’s where the real game starts, if I could say that. Core Tyria is by all means amazing, but you can go only this far if your account has those market and mail restrictions.. I used to enjoy playing market in Wakfu (while it was still alive) and I was excited to try it in GW2. When I bought the expansion and got my account fully functional, I got some skins and dyes ahead of all, then proceeded with crafting since I was really addicted to it and excited to max all the disciplines as my medium priority goal.

GW2 is encouraging altoholism! So I found myself leveling a third character (tried revenant and didn’t notice how I got her to level 20-ish and it was too late to delete), then fourth, fifth, then more char slots.. You see my weakness. I quickly realized the perks of having alts: storage, gathering, alternative personal stories, so on. When you’re an altoholic, plus you have yet to finish gearing up your main, plus you can barely hold yourself from leveling another crafting discipline.. RIP GOLD. I never had more than 30-100g at that time period.

Since market and wealth are one of my biggest passions ingame, I learned ways to earn me some coins, one by one. It’s not that hard if you’re a patient gatherer like me. Just run around, chop trees, collect ore and herbs.. I enjoy it so much, maybe it’s grind for someone, but I find it relaxing. Also it brings you gold. \o/ I found a few niche crafts that I could keep making and selling, then got familiar with market flipping, still not doing it like “big daddies” do, I might be too inefficient and lazy at it. But still, I found my own stable sources of income. Not gonna lie, the game just seems to like me and spoils occasionally. I don’t wanna brag, but there was like 4 precursor drops for me, 2 from mystic toilet, 2 practically dropped from the sky. I might be a little luckier than the average player. But that’s well deserved given how much suffering I had in Wakfu. :’D

When we talk about luck, we can’t avoid mentioning gambling. I learned about mystic toilet quite early, but never was a slave to it. Tarrktun has a bit more power over me, but I’ve never lost too much, only gained little by little. Black Lion Keys are the most evil gambling aspect if you ask me, I’ve spent quite a bit of money on those, though sometimes got nice things in exchange. Either gold to gems or gems for real money, I don’t mind spending it on Anet since they very, very well deserve it.

Given my passion, patience and luck, you must think I should be filthy rich by now.. Hah. :’DD Sadly, I’m just as good at spending as I’m at earning! I blew a lot of money on my own “needs” and “wants” and “why not”s, I keep investing into long term sales, I also often buy gifts for my buddies, mostly Rika. Money comes, money goes. GW2efficiency says my account is worth 14k gold currently. Not a bad progress for a year, I suppose.

So.. My biggest interests and playstyle are gold wars, fashion wars, altoholism.. I became quite a lore geek, completed PS, LS2, available LS3 episodes & most of current events, most of HoT? I should finish it but I procrastinate for some reason.

My current achievement number is 7610, mastery rank is 129 iirc. I’m not a casual derp anymore, but still too afraid to fail in front of strangers so I don’t really do dungeons or fractals. I mean I DO, when my bff literally holds my hand and goes there with me, then 3 strangers vs two of us is tad bit less scary. My combat skill, my reflexes and reactions are rather pathetic, even if I got significantly better after HoT and LS3 maps. I must train more, so recently I made a tanky character to practice, I hope to get good enough to clear story mode dungeons and low level fractals alone. Maybe I’m being too hard at myself, but combat skill has practically the biggest influence in this game, so I must git gud, at least acceptable, so I don’t feel ashamed to play with other people and don’t let them down. :’D

I’m a pve trash. Tried WvW and don’t mind coming here again, but not too much. PvP is a big no-no. Just.. Not my thing. Never. Not with my current skill and mindset (people = stress).

I’ve still got a mind-boggling amount of things to do. Personal goals, mere achievements, secrets and mysteries I’m yet to uncover, lore things to read. Maybe I’ll play GW1 one day, if there’s ever a discount sale. \;w;/ I’m super curious about every tiny bit of lore, also want some skins that are exclusive to GW1. That pleasant, sweet feeling that there’s so much interesting things ahead. I will take my time and never grind anything to frustration, for example, I’ve been working on my first leg, Sunrise, on and off and I’ll wait several months more, until I get all the clovers from the monthly chest. I don’t sweat it and just enjoy the game however I see it. Feelsgoodman.

I hope I managed to answer that person’s question, how did I get where I’m currently? Just took my time, learned my own pace and enjoyed every minute I spent online. Love the game, and it will love you back. \o/

[kspell09]

Waco 70.3

Yesterday I completed my 3rd Half Ironman, 2nd where I got to do all three legs (Austin swim was cancelled in 2016). Half Ironman distance is 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run for those of you wondering. This race meant a lot to me. I had taken some time off since the marathon in 2018 to do some healing, physically and mentally. I realized triathlon had become an addiction for me and I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. I had a lot of stuff to sort out and I felt that Jesus was telling me to stop for a bit. I hadn't planned on racing again. But after a number of little 'coincidences' I found myself longing to get back to the sport. Even though I was previously racing for others instead of myself, I had a passion for all three sports. In April, I was talking to a girl I had met at the gym who just happened to be on my old team about the idea of doing Waco, my spirit came alive and the thought popped up 'do it with her.' So I signed up! I had no idea what was in store for me. You see, during that time off, without the regimen of training, I had gained a bit of weight and my fitness was not what it used to be. Coming back was HARD. Letting go of the expectations and comparison to my old times was HARD. Two weeks into my training I started having issues with my hamstring. I went to my sports doctor and he told me I had hamstring tendinitis. After a bit of google research, I realized that during the time off I was doing tons of hot yoga and I guess I had overstretched my hamstrings. When I started running again it's like it was the straw that broke the camel's back. It hurt to run. It hurt when I wasn't running and I got really discouraged. It wasn't supposed to be like that! Coach told me to keep training but I had to go slow. She wanted me to build up my endurance but protect the hamstring. I hated it. One day as I was complaining to her about how I hated going slow, she pulled me aside and gave me the talking to I needed. She told me that for whatever reason God was slowing me down in this season and to be grateful that I could run at all. She was right. I had a bad attitude. But that day, my perspective shifted. I swallowed my pride and did the training even though for several weeks I was always the last to finish at track which was tough for me, but I started finding things to be grateful for. I started swimming more and found my stroke improving and also started to realize the benefits of swimming in terms of recovery. I struggled with my hamstring for many months but I realized it had finally healed at the end of September and I was able to start running a bit faster. During that time, I also struggled with the weight. I had stopped eating meat back in June just to see if I could and I found that in doing so my muscles started to recover faster. But after that, I gained more weight! It was hard figuring out how to get the nutrition I needed without meat and I got it wrong a lot at first. Even though I was training more, the weight loss just didn't happen like I expected it to. I had always been thin, to the point people would always tell me I was 'skinny' (DON'T do that to people by the way, just don't comment on people's bodies period). My body was a part of my identity in a way. It was really hard to not be able to lose the weight but I learned to stop focusing on what my body looked like and started focusing on how strong my body was and what it could do. When I stopped obsessing about it, it's like it just started to happen naturally and the pounds slowly started to melt away. That and I was training more and eating better, but anyway, that's how it seems when I look back. So at the end of September, I did an Olympic Triathlon in Kerrville and I BOMBED the run. I messed up my nutrition on the bike, didn't stick to my plan and had to walk for the first time ever in a race. I was the last on my team to finish. Again. BUT I survived! I wasn't perfect and I survived! And I learned a lot. You either win or you learn right? I am SO GLAD that happened to me right before Waco. It changed everything. I let go of all expectations. So going into this race I was in a totally different mental state than ever before. I just wanted to have fun, no expectations. A few weeks before the race we got our race numbers assigned and just like I always do I looked for different Bible verse that matched the numbers in some way that I could cling to. You know, just to see if Jesus was sending me a sign or something but once again, nothing. So check this out! When I got the email for the race which had a link to the bib numbers I went back to look and my number had changed. It got changed to 777!!! WHAAAATTT! I was just like 'oh Jesus you are so so sweet to me. You see me. You knew I was disappointed because I didn't get a Psalm 23 something bib.' heh. Anyway, I knew this race was going to be for me and my best friend Jesus. No limits and no expectations for him or me. So! Onto the actual race report haha. So before the race a cold front had come in and the temperature race morning was 45 degrees!! I tried not to think about it because I couldn't change it and decided I wasn't going to change my plans at all as far as my gear was concerned because I didn't want to waste any time and it wasn't THAT cold. We would get to wear wetsuits on the swim but it would still be chilly. My morning started off great, I got up at 330am and was able to have some quiet time/stretch/worship session before starting to eat all the food. I got to the race site right on time and met up with my team around 530. From there we went to set up the transition area to set up and then took some pictures and headed to the start. I ended up waiting in line for a port-a-potty for like 30 minutes before the race so I ended up starting a bit late. But I found two of my teammates and we all started together. The start was rolling start so you just lined up and they put 4 people in the water at a time. Getting to wait with the girls I had trained with was awesome and definitely eased my nerves and I wasn't feeling nervous at all by the time I heard the beep and off I went. The water was COLD. But I just jumped in and got right to it. I love swimming and swimming in a wetsuit is just fun. We were swimming downstream in the Brazos River in a straight line. Easy enough! I tried to stay close to the buoys so I didn't swim too much over the distance but I ended up getting dunked and kicked a few times and kept having to go around people. A girl stopped in front of me and I smacked into her which startled me and I also swam into some kind of floating thing people were holding onto which also startled me but other than that no issues. I got to the last red buoy and we had to turn around and swim upstream to the start. I got out of the water, didn't slip or fall (success!) and started heading to transition. It was COLD. My feet were so cold. I got my wetsuit half off and found the wetsuit strippers, they yanked it off and I was on my way. Transition was super easy, didn't have much to do but grab the bike, put on my helmet, glasses and shoes. The lot was really muddy so there was a bit of congestion coming out but no real issues. I got on the bike and I was on my way! I really didn't even notice the cold at this point. I saw coach as I headed out and she gave me a boost of energy. The bike course was a bit hilly and there were a couple small hills right off the bat to get those legs warm. The miles just went by the first half. There was a lot of wind, but I just stayed focused. Making sure to keep up my hydration so we didn't have another Kerrville run. I decided I was going to push harder than I normally do on the bike. I had always held way back. I just stayed focused, there were a lot of people. The roads were pretty congested. A little before mile 20 my left knee started hurting. I started freaking out because I just got fit again and it wasn't supposed to hurt! Where did this come from. I knew this was going to effect my run. I still had almost 40 miles to go. But I just pushed through it. I tried not to think about it but the pain got worse as the ride went on. Then around mile 30 the wind picked up bad. Every time we turned I expected some relief or some tailwind but there was none. Just crosswind that was shaking me and I was having to hold on tight to my bike because I thought I would fall over or headwind where I just kept telling myself to grind it out and not get discouraged by my slow, slow speed. That bike beat me up. The roads were really rough all over so I was also a bit uncomfortable on the saddle. I had to go to my go-to song and sing 'Raise a Hallelujah' quite a bit on that one. I kept looking at my bracelet I was wearing that says 'Do not fear for I am with you Isaiah 41:10.' I talked to Jesus a bit. Then around mile 40 I saw my teammate coming up behind me. I thought she was ahead of me, we had started together. She is so strong on the bike. So I told myself to push. I just wanted to hold her off until mile 50, I knew she was going to pass me but it gave me motivation to push. She ended up passing me at mile 55 woooo but I didn't let her get away I stayed right behind her and we got into transition together. We shouted words of encouragement to each other and we were on the way. I had a super fast transition and was on my way to the run portion. Soon into the run I saw coach and Sophie and my teammate Lisset. They gave me a ton of energy. I was feeling so good. I was trying to keep a 10 minute average pace on the run. About mile 1.5 my teammate Victor came up behind me and gave me a hug and some encouragement and off he went. Then I started my way to the park. I was expecting ONE big hill and some smaller ones. Boy was I wrong. The hills seemed massive. Up and down, up and down for a couple miles. When I got to the top of the second hill I stopped at the bathroom. My shoes were really tight and I was well hydrated from the bike. My heart rate had crept up and I was starting to not feel so well. But I felt better after the quick stop and made my way around the park and decided to take the hills a bit slower. I realized this 10 minute pace goal of mine wasn't going to happen so I gave myself grace and slowed the pace down and told myself I can pick it up if I feel ok later but now I just needed to put one foot in front of the other. There was still a lot of miles ahead of me. I reminded myself of my goal to have fun and smile and give out all the high fives so I did that. I had so much fun dancing with the spectators and kept high fiving my teammates when I saw them. Before I knew it I was out of the park and onto flat land. My legs were hurting and my running form was off because of the knee issue. My left leg just wouldn't bend right and my legs were so tight from the effort on the bike. But my heart rate was good and I wasn't cramping so that was good. I got to see my twin Marisa as she was coming in off the bike and she screamed at me and I screamed at her and that gave me energy. I loved all the spectators as I started approaching the turn for the second loop. I was hurting all over. As I made my way back I saw my coach again and high fived everyone and was feeling good again. Then I got back to the park and the hills again and my stomach started cramping. My legs were so heavy. I was going so slow up the hills I decided it would be faster for me to power walk so I started walking up the hills. It got really bad. I wasn't feeling well. Around mile 9 I decided to drink some coke to settle my stomach and it helped a lot. I was able to pick my pace up a little but not much. I knew whatever goals I had were gone and I just wanted to finish at this point. I kept seeing my teammate Eva on the run, (the one who passed me on the bike earlier :P) and she was getting closer and closer and closing the gap more and more each time I saw her. I just love her and seeing her getting closer motivated me and pushed me through the hard parts of the run. Before I knew it I was approaching the finish line and getting myself pretty for the pictures heh. I wanted to sprint down the bridge but I just couldn't. So I ran as fast as I could which wasn't fast at all and then I hit the red carpet and heard them call my name. I pumped my fists, biggest smile, posing for all the cameras and got my sweet medal!! This was definitely the hardest race I have done yet, physically and mentally. But I did it and I'll only get stronger and smarter with each lesson learned. My favorite part was at the finish line, I found Eva and she told me she was so proud of me and just melted my heart. I love this sport. I love the relationships formed with other crazy folks like myself and how much of a family my team is. There’s nothing like suffering together and then celebrating after. I've got a long way to go before the full Ironman in April but I'm even more excited for it now. My legs still hurt so bad and I'm cursing myself for buying a two-story house because I am struggling to make it up and down the stairs today but it was all worth it. These types of endurance events remind me that I can truly do anything I set my mind to and that it won't always be easy, but he will always be with me. 

[airoasis]

Black Desert ? Updated PVX Class Guide for Beginners (2019)

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Black Desert ? Updated PVX Class Guide for Beginners (2019)

Whats up guys Anders here with the a lot awaited 2019 up-to-date category guide. It’s been a whilst when you consider that I’ve made such a, but it surely’s about time I get to it and with it we must go over a few matters due to the fact that it is a advisor geared in the direction of more moderen gamers, although i know a few of you veteran gamers like to observe as well. Black desert has 17 classes to decide upon from as of the date of this video, with definitely extra to return in the future, this implies it is going to be hard for me to give you the in depth evaluation in comparison with anybody who has been taking part in a single category because the of the sport can offer you. I’m one of those players that likes to play the whole lot, which leads me to be grasp in nothing. Form of like actual lifestyles. So with that stated all of those statements are of course from my perspective and are my opinion and i encourage to search out your category discords and veteran gamers who have been taking part in your type of alternative for a protracted very long time.The pitfall many more moderen avid gamers fall in is making an attempt to play each classification from the beginning and then being led by means of what’s the stronger class at that given time. The meta won’t subject to you considering by the point you as a new player attain the equipment stage required to competitively PVP the meta may have shifted and you can be caught with a class that wasn’t as strong as you desired it to be. That is why I say are trying the lessons out, after this consultant see what appeals to you, examine out the addendum to this video, which is the category Trailers video I posted a little whilst back and spot the way you enjoy the class. For newer gamers the class dynamic will exchange largely if you hit degree 56 after which at 60 so it’s a good proposal to at the least degree a class you are interested in to degree 56 Awaken it, because of this do a questline to acquire that classes second weapon after which make a decision in case you like the class or no longer.All courses within the game are gender locked so keep that in mind when making your selections. I am together with some temporary ability demonstrations in this video to offer you a taste of what every type can do, but they’re basic, so preserve that in intellect. Extremely skilled players make some lessons look insane so seek these out if you are . With that long however crucial intro lets get into the ranking procedure which I was truthfully not going to go with a rating method this time around, but its a good gauge so that it will provide you with an proposal of how a class efficiency in distinctive instances. 1v1 circumstances quite often mean dueling or open world combat.PVP huge scale approach how the class does in guild wars, pve clear just manner how speedily a class kill monsters which, i will say this now, depends on the grind area you prefer. Some courses are higher at different locations relying on the monster density so this ranking is an usual, a class may also be better or worse than I cost. I just give an common score. Hold that in intellect. And eventually now we have ability ceiling.So the higher the ranking the extra space you have to reinforce and be taught. A excessive rating approach the category is generally quite complicated to master. Some high ability ceiling classes may also be best and moneymaking to play, however it’s routinely the case the place a less complicated type will nonetheless beat you at equal levels readily seeing that your type matchup is unfavored. Ok so those are the ratings and explanations out of the way. I count on there’ll nonetheless be people who complain, so comment section is down there and in case you are a veteran participant of a class and also you hopefully aren’t offended, but if you are tell us why you feel a class deserves a greater score, but hold in mind I’ve tried to examine all of the lessons collectively so I’ve tried to be as reasonable as viable.First up. Warrior. Classic classification. Male. Makes use of a Longsword and a protect and has a Greatsword as it can be Awakening weapon, which is it is second weapon. Warrior is very good in 1v1 circumstances. It used to be a lot more tanky before it obtained some nerfs, but it’s received a number of buffs lately which can be hanging warrior back on track to fitting a relatively respectable type. Now not as wellknown this present day, however one of the most OG classes. I like to name it the consistently accountable classification and one of the vital lessons with relatively good efficiency all around. It can be PVE clear used to be probably the most worst, however at the moment each classification clears okay and there are lots of special spots and exclusive equipment levels which you could grind in to seek out one who fits your kind of play. It is now not the quickest grinder, but it surely’s significantly better than it was once. Warrior has a excessive ability ceiling which means once you master this class you are going to be capable to receive some first-rate mobility and lovely lethal burst.It’s presently outshined by means of every other classes that do the tanky function better at the present time, however it is under no circumstances unable at least attempt to play that position. Subsequent up we’ve Valkyrie, feminine. A Paladin-esque class that uses a Longsword and safeguard and has a Lancia as it’s Awakening weapon. Valkyrie is very good in 1v1 instances, however requires mastery of the category to do well in normally all aspects of play. PVE clear is mediocre, however she gets higher the more equipment you’ve got and they’re capable to use some help utility abilities that may have an impact on your workforce participants making her continuously first-rate to have in enormous scale pvp. Her heals don’t seem to be mighty, but they are still utility. Her shielding capability is rather powerful, but particularly the place she shines is in her wonderful burst potential. Skill ceiling isn’t as excessive as Warrior, though it nonetheless takes a lot to grasp the category and if you do you’ll be feared by means of anybody you deem unworthy. A good Valkyrie is sort of a comet whilst you see them combat, it is type of scary. They’ve been outshined by means of different classes that do not want as much effort let’s simply say to play good, but lately she bought some buffs which have put Valkyrie within the direction of being whatever to appear at severely when identifying a category to dedicate your time to.Next up we now have Berserker. Male. Large race class that makes use of Axes and a decorative Knot and a Iron Buster for it’s Awakening. Berserkers are the usual excessive wellness excessive injury hybrid tank esque category of Black desolate tract, but they require numerous apply to do well in PVP occasions. They’re okay on 1v1 duels and traditional in huge scale, though because of your excessive health and ranged CC which you can end up a variety of DP Berserker that Crowd Controls enemies after which sets up your teammates to get kills. It can be not functional and it rather best works in smaller pvp instances like 3v3 duels, however a just right Berserker is a horrifying class. Simply when you consider that they’ve high health though, does not relatively imply they have got inherently powerful defenses. They’re mobility at high talent phases are insane and they’re PVE clear is particularly good total. Berserker has many grabs and limited variety by means of it’s Awakening, but it’s a class i would say is really fun to study and play at greater phases.Warrior, Valkyrie, and Berserker form of make up the tank function in the event you were to seem at a trinity like MMO, however they do not emerge as playing that means seeing that Black barren region is solely an additional sport without a roles particularly.Sarcastically the mages who are on the whole squishy make for some lovely excellent tanks in distinct situations. Wizard and Witch. Let’s start with Wizard. Male. Uses a employees and Dagger and then Godr Sphera for it can be Awakening. Wizards and Witches play identically earlier than getting their 2nd awakening. Which you could cast hearth, ice, lights storms. Chain lightning, heals, resurrect, however most significantly they can cast a skill known as blanketed field which makes them essentially the most sought after guild wars category within the sport. That talent amplifies your allies defenses by using an obscene quantity of a brief period of time which allows for pushes into enemy bases. In it is Awakening the Wizard makes use of hearth and Water elemental potential and can summon an elemental pet, fire for melee. And water for ranged. The Wizard also has a number of protected competencies which means it’s difficult to Crowd manage a Wizard, and his tremendous AOE talents make grinding with wizard fairly effortless. He does battle a little bit at larger grind zones, however overall he’s one of the vital pleasant grinders and surely a nice type for more moderen players.He’s draw back is his whole failure at dueling. That you can be positive in smaller 1v1 fights, but the odds are broadly in opposition to you quite simply considering that Wizard and this go for Witch as well expertise maintain you rooted so it is vitally convenient to grab and combo a Wizard and Witch. Regardless of them most of the time being the worst 1v1 lessons in the recreation, they do make up for being one of the vital exceptional PVE clearers and Guild conflict lessons. Witch. Female. Also uses a employees and Dagger. However makes use of an Aad Sphera for her Awakening. She instructions Earth and Lightning in her Awakening and is equipped to summon an Earth elemental for melee.And a Lightning elemental for ranged. I must be aware that each Witch and Wizard have talents that allow them to aggro over the mob restrict so that you would be able to kill more monsters at a time. The Witch has a block that increases her resistances and her talents have slightly more levels then Wizard. Wizard I forgot to say has a snatch instead of the block. Very sluggish grab, and not very dependable. Given that Witch and Wizard have the same pre-awakening advantage they are able to both use protected area which makes Witch very sought after in Guilds for Guild Wars. PVE clear is excellent as well, with struggling a little in high end zones, however again one of the best clearers in PVE and one fo the pleasant courses in Guild Wars.Both Witch and Wizard will not be terribly complicated to study, in order that they make for original selections for newer gamers. Witch and Wizard can grow to be protective heavy with apparatus and Witch specifically may also be an annoying Crowd control variety classification in smaller PVP that can most likely do some injury even at shrink assault values. Subsequent up we have the Sorceress, feminine. Makes use of an Amulet and a Talisman. And makes use of a Scythe for her Awakening. Sorceress is a cellular dark magic user with first rate 1v1 capabilities thanks to having a number of iframes, or invincibility frames. She isn’t as valuable in greater scale battles, but her perfect black gap capacity is still very priceless in group fights. She’s been nerfed over time, so she’s inferior to she was once. Couple that with the truth that this category takes numerous time to grasp and play good, she becomes probably the most technical classes in the recreation. She has just right potential and is quite good at grinding, even at excessive finish areas.Strong category total, but i wouldn’t say it’s a new player friendly class since you need to apply so much and then you definately need really slightly of equipment to compete at excessive phases. When played well, though she’s in most cases unstoppable. Subsequent up we have dark Knight, female. Elven race. Makes use of a Kriegsmesser and a decorative Knot for her weapons and a Vediant for her Awakening. Vediant is a magical glove that summon one-of-a-kind sword shapes. Kriegsmesser is like a very long dagger. Darkish Knight used to be the great classification in the recreation palms down, but has due to the fact been nerfed multiple instances to now being in one of the most weakest lessons. That’s not to say it can be a horrible category. Dark Knight now requires somewhat more useful resource management, which adds to it can be obstacles and requires a specific mastery of the category to do well in PVP instances.It can be quite squishy type with first rate mid variety AOE. It can be mobility has lately been nerfed so she’s lost some mobility, but is under no circumstances gradual. Her PVE clear remains to be superb, even at high finish areas and is a quite simple class to study in case you are opening out. Dark Knight overalls is a shadow of it’s former oppressive self when it released over a 12 months ago now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an k classification if you happen to benefit from the playstyle and put the time and apparatus into it. Next up we’ve got Tamer. Feminine. The Loli category i guess you possibly can call it, although you can customize a Tamer to be much less childlike for those who for some reason have a main issue lolis. She uses a Shortsword and a Trinket for her Weapons. And the Celestial Bo employees for her Awakening. Tamer is equipped to summon Heilang, a magical wolf pet that she will be able to journey on, unlike the Witch and Wizard pets. Heilang does a random Crowd manipulate while you order it to assault. That plus Tamer having probably the most quickest grabs within the recreation and splendid burst make her very lethal in 1v1 situations.She is still very squishy and very complicated to grasp. So one mistake and you’re mostly useless except your opponent messes up or anything. Her PVE clear is really just right in any respect areas of the sport due to the fact she is rather mobile and has excellent resource administration. Like I stated she is tremendously complicated to gain knowledge of and grasp and isn’t great in any respect in greater scale fights, so you’ll to find your self unable to relatively support. I suppose it can be valued at bringing up she does have a bit of little bit of a party utility buff, but it surely’s nothing particularly to depend upon. She’s a excellent classification overall with it can be apparent shortcomings, but we contemporary buffs she should be getting a little bit higher moving forward. Tamer makes it the last of the Magic damage customers. These are Witch, Wizard, Sorceress, darkish Knight, and Tamer. All of them deal Magic damage of their assaults, even supposing they use melee it’s going to be regarded Magic harm.What this means is the following two classes will be proof against a component of that harm considering the fact that Striker and Mystic have inherent Magical Defenses. Let’s with Striker. Launched was underpowered at the time. Male type. Makes use of a Gauntlet and a Vambrace as his weapons. And a Gardbrace as his Awakening weapon. Tanky because of it is magical defenses, however didn’t fairly put out a number of damage when it first came out. At the moment although they have nice burst and excellent mobility.They’re strong point comes from being able to summon more than one clones or stands if you will through precise expertise that deal harm alongside you. They are PVE clear is very good, though in view that of their awkward mobility it may be cumbersome to grind in targeted areas of the game, so he is constrained in that ability. 1v1 he is rather robust if performed good. And in large scale fights he has satisfactory AOE and may withstand somewhat greater than ordinary because of these magic resistances.Would not say he is tough to play, so he does make for a more moderen player pleasant type. As for Mystic. Female. Additionally makes use of Gauntlets and Vambrace for her weapons and a Cestus for her Awakening. Her signature trait is the potential to summon a water spirit dragon that does injury alongside her with exact capabilities. Tanky because of her magical resistances. Quite just right shielding knowledge. Quite cellular. Quite resource recuperation. Her injury isn’t as excessive as a Striker, but her sophisticated Crowd control expertise make up for that. She’s competent to built like a Crowd manage bot with super high defenses low attack, however able to try and Crowd manage enemies even as your teammates take them out. Her PVE clear is one of the fine, if no longer the quality currently in most areas of the game.She’s somewhat harder to play than Striker, but i would not say she was particularly complex to master. Does take time, do not get me unsuitable but extra commonly than not you will have to be liked in most matchups. If you wish to have an reply to what is the strongest category in the recreation total. It could be Mystic. Some courses do better in some areas, however Mystic does the whole thing relatively well with out requiring you to play for a long very long time to grasp. Next up we now have Musa.Male. Uses a Blade and a Horn Bow for his weapons. And a Crescent Blade for his Awakening. Musa is highly mobile with large AOE expertise making him fairly lethal at high equipment stages. His PVE clear one of the crucial great within the sport. He’s just fast and with huge AOE expertise is ready to dash from one % to an additional killing them with one talent really with ease. He even does fairly good at high finish grinding areas with sufficient assault worth. This makes him pretty decent in significant scale battles as a strong Musa can mow the garden so that you could speak, mow down weaker gamers with one ability practically. Beautiful cool to see to be sincere. 1v1 is slightly more challenging and requires relatively a bit of observe and a degree of mastery earlier than that you may doing well. His Horn Bow is frequently a PVP device, so do not expect too much range simply considering he has a secondary weapon that may be a bow. And total, i would say he is relatively excellent, particularly enjoyable, undoubtedly a just right class to select if you are new. Subsequent up we now have Maehwa, feminine counterpart to Musa.Uses a Blade and Horn Bow for her weapons. And a Kerispear for her Awakening. Maehwa is also totally cell with conal AOE abilities. Her PVE clear is not as fine as Musa’s, however still quite excellent. Her mobility helps so much with that. It is going to simply rely on the place you might be grinding on account that larger packs are relatively harder to hit with her conal aoe knowledge. She has really slightly of Crowd control and is respectable at 1v1 occasions, though as of late she’s in need of some buffs to put her 4 stars.I suppose those buffs are coming really quickly which is why i’m maintaining her four stars for 1v1 instances, though maintain in mind she takes quite a few mastery to do well in pvp so it is definitely a skill reliant classification if in case you have the apparatus. In larger fights she struggles a little bit due to the fact she’s just a little squishy. She’s a just right type overall and is fun like the Musa, however you’ll wrestle in case you are available in with little talents concerning the sport, so i wouldn’t call her new player friendly. Next up we have now the Ninja and Kunoichi. These are the murderer variety lessons you will be accustomed to from different MMOs.Ninja and Kunoichi each use brief Swords and Kunai and Shuriken for their secondary weapon. Each courses can use either Kunai or SHuriken, though capabilities for Ninja are tied to the SHuriken and expertise for the Kunoichi are tied to the Kunai which is why you can use the correct ones for you category. We are going to with Ninja. Ninja makes use of a Sura Katana for his Awakening. Multiple katanas that he’s capable to use in his Awakening capabilities. He is cellular briefly distances and has some pretty just right combo damage. He is very problematic to study and grasp, however certainly one of, if now not, the most flashy looking lessons in the game. They had been just lately nerfed slightly considering that they had been unable to be countered in some occasions, so Ninjas are nonetheless one of the nice 1v1 courses within the sport.Their grind velocity will likely be dependant on the place you grind, butis total middle of the road. Ninjas don’t seem to be tremendously useful in larger guild conflict fights, but they may be area of expertise is 1v1 fighting and open world pvp. Kunoichi may be very an identical they share the identical capabilities pre-awakening. But Kunoichi, being the female counterpart to Ninja, uses a Sah Chakram as a substitute as her Awakening weapon. This offers her quite better PVE clear, but total is in a an identical state to Ninja. Each Ninja and Kunoichi are ready to go invisible and might get the jump on you in an open world state of affairs, making them appreciated as a traditional murderer type evil karma character. Kunoichi has advanced Crowd manipulate competencies to the Ninja.Is problematic to be taught and master and is likely one of the better 1v1 lessons within the sport. Guild Wars shrewd she struggles a little bit, but can be quite priceless as a Crowd manipulate bot if you’re practiced ample. These two lessons will not be very beginner pleasant, and Ninja is the extra widespread alternative over Kunoichi, who is likely one of the least preferred lessons in the sport correct now. Subsequent up we have now Lahn, female.Makes use of a Crescent Pendulum, and a Noble Sword as her weapons with her Awakening being Crimson Glaives. God of conflict-esque. Lahn is mainly the most underrated class in the sport right now. They have got the particular potential to fly for a brief length. Extra like a glide fairly, however still pretty cool. They’re AOE is decent and their PVE clear is quite just right. Excellent resource administration. Some excellent iframes. Ranged snatch makes her probably deadly in 1v1 occasions. When you consider that she is so unpopular no longer many folks be aware of find out how to combat a Lahn, in order that extra probably than no longer turns into and capabilities, however she is incredibly squishy so one mistake or a foul injury exchange will mean detailed loss of life. This additionally makes her no longer as potent in Guild Wars given that she are not able to really live on for lengthy. Total excellent classification, although. I’d say she’s now not tremendously handy to learn, however there is room for mastery there that can make you pretty powerful in most aspects of the sport external of Guild Wars.Subsequent up we have Ranger. Female. Elven Race. Makes use of a Longbow and Dagger. And a Kamasylven Sword as her Awakening, which is only a longer dagger almost. Ranger is strictly ranged pre-woke up before you hit level fifty six. You then end up mainly melee with using the Kamasylven Sword. She’s fairly cellular offers a quick style of play. Her PVE clear is relatively good, although her largest crisis is excessive resource consumption.Mana, though in my view no longer as unhealthy because it was once. But Stamina consumption was once nerfed a at the same time back and that is the more demanding aspect for many Ranger avid gamers. She has very good injury. 1v1 she may also be lethal with ample gear. Prior a special assault value she is going to simply one shot you if you let her CC you. I might say she’s not the easiest category to learn or master. It takes plenty of time and apparatus, but she presents a different kind of play that I in my view to find fulfilling. In terms of Guild Wars she’s no longer very useful primarily at lessen gearscores you is not going to be very effective. And it is foremost to note that her variety skills are there, however she is not a pure ranged personality, so preserve that in mind.For pure variety you need to be watching on the final class we are going to be speaking about. Archer. Male. Elven Race. Uses a Crossbow and a Ra’Ghon, a Magic Glove as his weapons. And he uses a Greatbow for his Awakening. The only category to start along with his Awakening so you don’t need to degree to fifty six to get your 2nd weapon. You start with it. His range on some of his competencies is extreme. This classification remains to be quite new so no longer many individuals have cracked the code so that you could speak to meet the entire talents of this class, however he is regularly getting buffs so he is surely a robust type, we simply have no idea how powerful but.Variety is continuously robust and he has various it and his mobility is relatively excellent as good as his useful resource management where he does not rather suffer an excessive amount of like the Ranger does for instance. PVE clear is excellent in precise grind spots, but it is reliant on grind areas and density so he can be a bit awkward to grind with until you discover a just right rotation to use. 1v1 duels i’d say he’s mediocre to excellent, with these buffs lately he maybe just a little higher, however he’ll fairly shine in guild wars where he can CC and deal harm from afar with the help of his teammates. Quite fascinating talents as good, he has one potential that is extra novel than useful, nevertheless it uncovers any enemies in stealth and then prevents them from using stealth for a short window of time.No longer very functional, but cool that he has something like that. Not so much else to say, however this category is the newest category brought to the game, so he’s going to by using sheer will of the devs be at the least a decent class moving ahead till we get a new category as more moderen courses get more love and are customarily, now not invariably, overtuned. And that is it from me for this 2019 consultant. Went via the basics and the flavor of every class. Expectantly it gave you an thought what courses you may wish to assess out. When doubtful play Witch or Wizard. Or Mystic or Striker. Easy as that. If you wish to have enjoyable and benefit from the recreation for along time, are attempting the classes out, see what you like and grasp the class regardless of future changes or the category ranking within the ever changing meta leaderboards.Let me be aware of what you inspiration about this video in the comments down beneath, when you have any questions i will do my first-class t reply them once I get a hazard. If you haven’t already make sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon to get notified as to once I upload my next videos and as consistently guys thanks for looking at, thanks for listening, and unwell see you all within the next one. Take care. .

[batterymonster2021]

Black Desert ? Updated PVX Class Guide for Beginners (2019)

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Black Desert ? Updated PVX Class Guide for Beginners (2019)

Whats up guys Anders here with the a lot awaited 2019 up-to-date category guide. It’s been a whilst when you consider that I’ve made such a, but it surely’s about time I get to it and with it we must go over a few matters due to the fact that it is a advisor geared in the direction of more moderen gamers, although i know a few of you veteran gamers like to observe as well. Black desert has 17 classes to decide upon from as of the date of this video, with definitely extra to return in the future, this implies it is going to be hard for me to give you the in depth evaluation in comparison with anybody who has been taking part in a single category because the of the sport can offer you. I’m one of those players that likes to play the whole lot, which leads me to be grasp in nothing. Form of like actual lifestyles. So with that stated all of those statements are of course from my perspective and are my opinion and i encourage to search out your category discords and veteran gamers who have been taking part in your type of alternative for a protracted very long time.The pitfall many more moderen avid gamers fall in is making an attempt to play each classification from the beginning and then being led by means of what’s the stronger class at that given time. The meta won’t subject to you considering by the point you as a new player attain the equipment stage required to competitively PVP the meta may have shifted and you can be caught with a class that wasn’t as strong as you desired it to be. That is why I say are trying the lessons out, after this consultant see what appeals to you, examine out the addendum to this video, which is the category Trailers video I posted a little whilst back and spot the way you enjoy the class. For newer gamers the class dynamic will exchange largely if you hit degree 56 after which at 60 so it’s a good proposal to at the least degree a class you are interested in to degree 56 Awaken it, because of this do a questline to acquire that classes second weapon after which make a decision in case you like the class or no longer.All courses within the game are gender locked so keep that in mind when making your selections. I am together with some temporary ability demonstrations in this video to offer you a taste of what every type can do, but they’re basic, so preserve that in intellect. Extremely skilled players make some lessons look insane so seek these out if you are . With that long however crucial intro lets get into the ranking procedure which I was truthfully not going to go with a rating method this time around, but its a good gauge so that it will provide you with an proposal of how a class efficiency in distinctive instances. 1v1 circumstances quite often mean dueling or open world combat.PVP huge scale approach how the class does in guild wars, pve clear just manner how speedily a class kill monsters which, i will say this now, depends on the grind area you prefer. Some courses are higher at different locations relying on the monster density so this ranking is an usual, a class may also be better or worse than I cost. I just give an common score. Hold that in intellect. And eventually now we have ability ceiling.So the higher the ranking the extra space you have to reinforce and be taught. A excessive rating approach the category is generally quite complicated to master. Some high ability ceiling classes may also be best and moneymaking to play, however it’s routinely the case the place a less complicated type will nonetheless beat you at equal levels readily seeing that your type matchup is unfavored. Ok so those are the ratings and explanations out of the way. I count on there’ll nonetheless be people who complain, so comment section is down there and in case you are a veteran participant of a class and also you hopefully aren’t offended, but if you are tell us why you feel a class deserves a greater score, but hold in mind I’ve tried to examine all of the lessons collectively so I’ve tried to be as reasonable as viable.First up. Warrior. Classic classification. Male. Makes use of a Longsword and a protect and has a Greatsword as it can be Awakening weapon, which is it is second weapon. Warrior is very good in 1v1 circumstances. It used to be a lot more tanky before it obtained some nerfs, but it’s received a number of buffs lately which can be hanging warrior back on track to fitting a relatively respectable type. Now not as wellknown this present day, however one of the most OG classes. I like to name it the consistently accountable classification and one of the vital lessons with relatively good efficiency all around. It can be PVE clear used to be probably the most worst, however at the moment each classification clears okay and there are lots of special spots and exclusive equipment levels which you could grind in to seek out one who fits your kind of play. It is now not the quickest grinder, but it surely’s significantly better than it was once. Warrior has a excessive ability ceiling which means once you master this class you are going to be capable to receive some first-rate mobility and lovely lethal burst.It’s presently outshined by means of every other classes that do the tanky function better at the present time, however it is under no circumstances unable at least attempt to play that position. Subsequent up we’ve Valkyrie, feminine. A Paladin-esque class that uses a Longsword and safeguard and has a Lancia as it’s Awakening weapon. Valkyrie is very good in 1v1 instances, however requires mastery of the category to do well in normally all aspects of play. PVE clear is mediocre, however she gets higher the more equipment you’ve got and they’re capable to use some help utility abilities that may have an impact on your workforce participants making her continuously first-rate to have in enormous scale pvp. Her heals don’t seem to be mighty, but they are still utility. Her shielding capability is rather powerful, but particularly the place she shines is in her wonderful burst potential. Skill ceiling isn’t as excessive as Warrior, though it nonetheless takes a lot to grasp the category and if you do you’ll be feared by means of anybody you deem unworthy. A good Valkyrie is sort of a comet whilst you see them combat, it is type of scary. They’ve been outshined by means of different classes that do not want as much effort let’s simply say to play good, but lately she bought some buffs which have put Valkyrie within the direction of being whatever to appear at severely when identifying a category to dedicate your time to.Next up we now have Berserker. Male. Large race class that makes use of Axes and a decorative Knot and a Iron Buster for it’s Awakening. Berserkers are the usual excessive wellness excessive injury hybrid tank esque category of Black desolate tract, but they require numerous apply to do well in PVP occasions. They’re okay on 1v1 duels and traditional in huge scale, though because of your excessive health and ranged CC which you can end up a variety of DP Berserker that Crowd Controls enemies after which sets up your teammates to get kills. It can be not functional and it rather best works in smaller pvp instances like 3v3 duels, however a just right Berserker is a horrifying class. Simply when you consider that they’ve high health though, does not relatively imply they have got inherently powerful defenses. They’re mobility at high talent phases are insane and they’re PVE clear is particularly good total. Berserker has many grabs and limited variety by means of it’s Awakening, but it’s a class i would say is really fun to study and play at greater phases.Warrior, Valkyrie, and Berserker form of make up the tank function in the event you were to seem at a trinity like MMO, however they do not emerge as playing that means seeing that Black barren region is solely an additional sport without a roles particularly.Sarcastically the mages who are on the whole squishy make for some lovely excellent tanks in distinct situations. Wizard and Witch. Let’s start with Wizard. Male. Uses a employees and Dagger and then Godr Sphera for it can be Awakening. Wizards and Witches play identically earlier than getting their 2nd awakening. Which you could cast hearth, ice, lights storms. Chain lightning, heals, resurrect, however most significantly they can cast a skill known as blanketed field which makes them essentially the most sought after guild wars category within the sport. That talent amplifies your allies defenses by using an obscene quantity of a brief period of time which allows for pushes into enemy bases. In it is Awakening the Wizard makes use of hearth and Water elemental potential and can summon an elemental pet, fire for melee. And water for ranged. The Wizard also has a number of protected competencies which means it’s difficult to Crowd manage a Wizard, and his tremendous AOE talents make grinding with wizard fairly effortless. He does battle a little bit at larger grind zones, however overall he’s one of the vital pleasant grinders and surely a nice type for more moderen players.He’s draw back is his whole failure at dueling. That you can be positive in smaller 1v1 fights, but the odds are broadly in opposition to you quite simply considering that Wizard and this go for Witch as well expertise maintain you rooted so it is vitally convenient to grab and combo a Wizard and Witch. Regardless of them most of the time being the worst 1v1 lessons in the recreation, they do make up for being one of the vital exceptional PVE clearers and Guild conflict lessons. Witch. Female. Also uses a employees and Dagger. However makes use of an Aad Sphera for her Awakening. She instructions Earth and Lightning in her Awakening and is equipped to summon an Earth elemental for melee.And a Lightning elemental for ranged. I must be aware that each Witch and Wizard have talents that allow them to aggro over the mob restrict so that you would be able to kill more monsters at a time. The Witch has a block that increases her resistances and her talents have slightly more levels then Wizard. Wizard I forgot to say has a snatch instead of the block. Very sluggish grab, and not very dependable. Given that Witch and Wizard have the same pre-awakening advantage they are able to both use protected area which makes Witch very sought after in Guilds for Guild Wars. PVE clear is excellent as well, with struggling a little in high end zones, however again one of the best clearers in PVE and one fo the pleasant courses in Guild Wars.Both Witch and Wizard will not be terribly complicated to study, in order that they make for original selections for newer gamers. Witch and Wizard can grow to be protective heavy with apparatus and Witch specifically may also be an annoying Crowd control variety classification in smaller PVP that can most likely do some injury even at shrink assault values. Subsequent up we have the Sorceress, feminine. Makes use of an Amulet and a Talisman. And makes use of a Scythe for her Awakening. Sorceress is a cellular dark magic user with first rate 1v1 capabilities thanks to having a number of iframes, or invincibility frames. She isn’t as valuable in greater scale battles, but her perfect black gap capacity is still very priceless in group fights. She’s been nerfed over time, so she’s inferior to she was once. Couple that with the truth that this category takes numerous time to grasp and play good, she becomes probably the most technical classes in the recreation. She has just right potential and is quite good at grinding, even at excessive finish areas.Strong category total, but i wouldn’t say it’s a new player friendly class since you need to apply so much and then you definately need really slightly of equipment to compete at excessive phases. When played well, though she’s in most cases unstoppable. Subsequent up we have dark Knight, female. Elven race. Makes use of a Kriegsmesser and a decorative Knot for her weapons and a Vediant for her Awakening. Vediant is a magical glove that summon one-of-a-kind sword shapes. Kriegsmesser is like a very long dagger. Darkish Knight used to be the great classification in the recreation palms down, but has due to the fact been nerfed multiple instances to now being in one of the most weakest lessons. That’s not to say it can be a horrible category. Dark Knight now requires somewhat more useful resource management, which adds to it can be obstacles and requires a specific mastery of the category to do well in PVP instances.It can be quite squishy type with first rate mid variety AOE. It can be mobility has lately been nerfed so she’s lost some mobility, but is under no circumstances gradual. Her PVE clear remains to be superb, even at high finish areas and is a quite simple class to study in case you are opening out. Dark Knight overalls is a shadow of it’s former oppressive self when it released over a 12 months ago now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an k classification if you happen to benefit from the playstyle and put the time and apparatus into it. Next up we’ve got Tamer. Feminine. The Loli category i guess you possibly can call it, although you can customize a Tamer to be much less childlike for those who for some reason have a main issue lolis. She uses a Shortsword and a Trinket for her Weapons. And the Celestial Bo employees for her Awakening. Tamer is equipped to summon Heilang, a magical wolf pet that she will be able to journey on, unlike the Witch and Wizard pets. Heilang does a random Crowd manipulate while you order it to assault. That plus Tamer having probably the most quickest grabs within the recreation and splendid burst make her very lethal in 1v1 situations.She is still very squishy and very complicated to grasp. So one mistake and you’re mostly useless except your opponent messes up or anything. Her PVE clear is really just right in any respect areas of the sport due to the fact she is rather mobile and has excellent resource administration. Like I stated she is tremendously complicated to gain knowledge of and grasp and isn’t great in any respect in greater scale fights, so you’ll to find your self unable to relatively support. I suppose it can be valued at bringing up she does have a bit of little bit of a party utility buff, but it surely’s nothing particularly to depend upon. She’s a excellent classification overall with it can be apparent shortcomings, but we contemporary buffs she should be getting a little bit higher moving forward. Tamer makes it the last of the Magic damage customers. These are Witch, Wizard, Sorceress, darkish Knight, and Tamer. All of them deal Magic damage of their assaults, even supposing they use melee it’s going to be regarded Magic harm.What this means is the following two classes will be proof against a component of that harm considering the fact that Striker and Mystic have inherent Magical Defenses. Let’s with Striker. Launched was underpowered at the time. Male type. Makes use of a Gauntlet and a Vambrace as his weapons. And a Gardbrace as his Awakening weapon. Tanky because of it is magical defenses, however didn’t fairly put out a number of damage when it first came out. At the moment although they have nice burst and excellent mobility.They’re strong point comes from being able to summon more than one clones or stands if you will through precise expertise that deal harm alongside you. They are PVE clear is very good, though in view that of their awkward mobility it may be cumbersome to grind in targeted areas of the game, so he is constrained in that ability. 1v1 he is rather robust if performed good. And in large scale fights he has satisfactory AOE and may withstand somewhat greater than ordinary because of these magic resistances.Would not say he is tough to play, so he does make for a more moderen player pleasant type. As for Mystic. Female. Additionally makes use of Gauntlets and Vambrace for her weapons and a Cestus for her Awakening. Her signature trait is the potential to summon a water spirit dragon that does injury alongside her with exact capabilities. Tanky because of her magical resistances. Quite just right shielding knowledge. Quite cellular. Quite resource recuperation. Her injury isn’t as excessive as a Striker, but her sophisticated Crowd control expertise make up for that. She’s competent to built like a Crowd manage bot with super high defenses low attack, however able to try and Crowd manage enemies even as your teammates take them out. Her PVE clear is one of the fine, if no longer the quality currently in most areas of the game.She’s somewhat harder to play than Striker, but i would not say she was particularly complex to master. Does take time, do not get me unsuitable but extra commonly than not you will have to be liked in most matchups. If you wish to have an reply to what is the strongest category in the recreation total. It could be Mystic. Some courses do better in some areas, however Mystic does the whole thing relatively well with out requiring you to play for a long very long time to grasp. Next up we now have Musa.Male. Uses a Blade and a Horn Bow for his weapons. And a Crescent Blade for his Awakening. Musa is highly mobile with large AOE expertise making him fairly lethal at high equipment stages. His PVE clear one of the crucial great within the sport. He’s just fast and with huge AOE expertise is ready to dash from one % to an additional killing them with one talent really with ease. He even does fairly good at high finish grinding areas with sufficient assault worth. This makes him pretty decent in significant scale battles as a strong Musa can mow the garden so that you could speak, mow down weaker gamers with one ability practically. Beautiful cool to see to be sincere. 1v1 is slightly more challenging and requires relatively a bit of observe and a degree of mastery earlier than that you may doing well. His Horn Bow is frequently a PVP device, so do not expect too much range simply considering he has a secondary weapon that may be a bow. And total, i would say he is relatively excellent, particularly enjoyable, undoubtedly a just right class to select if you are new. Subsequent up we now have Maehwa, feminine counterpart to Musa.Uses a Blade and Horn Bow for her weapons. And a Kerispear for her Awakening. Maehwa is also totally cell with conal AOE abilities. Her PVE clear is not as fine as Musa’s, however still quite excellent. Her mobility helps so much with that. It is going to simply rely on the place you might be grinding on account that larger packs are relatively harder to hit with her conal aoe knowledge. She has really slightly of Crowd control and is respectable at 1v1 occasions, though as of late she’s in need of some buffs to put her 4 stars.I suppose those buffs are coming really quickly which is why i’m maintaining her four stars for 1v1 instances, though maintain in mind she takes quite a few mastery to do well in pvp so it is definitely a skill reliant classification if in case you have the apparatus. In larger fights she struggles a little bit due to the fact she’s just a little squishy. She’s a just right type overall and is fun like the Musa, however you’ll wrestle in case you are available in with little talents concerning the sport, so i wouldn’t call her new player friendly. Next up we have now the Ninja and Kunoichi. These are the murderer variety lessons you will be accustomed to from different MMOs.Ninja and Kunoichi each use brief Swords and Kunai and Shuriken for their secondary weapon. Each courses can use either Kunai or SHuriken, though capabilities for Ninja are tied to the SHuriken and expertise for the Kunoichi are tied to the Kunai which is why you can use the correct ones for you category. We are going to with Ninja. Ninja makes use of a Sura Katana for his Awakening. Multiple katanas that he’s capable to use in his Awakening capabilities. He is cellular briefly distances and has some pretty just right combo damage. He is very problematic to study and grasp, however certainly one of, if now not, the most flashy looking lessons in the game. They had been just lately nerfed slightly considering that they had been unable to be countered in some occasions, so Ninjas are nonetheless one of the nice 1v1 courses within the sport.Their grind velocity will likely be dependant on the place you grind, butis total middle of the road. Ninjas don’t seem to be tremendously useful in larger guild conflict fights, but they may be area of expertise is 1v1 fighting and open world pvp. Kunoichi may be very an identical they share the identical capabilities pre-awakening. But Kunoichi, being the female counterpart to Ninja, uses a Sah Chakram as a substitute as her Awakening weapon. This offers her quite better PVE clear, but total is in a an identical state to Ninja. Each Ninja and Kunoichi are ready to go invisible and might get the jump on you in an open world state of affairs, making them appreciated as a traditional murderer type evil karma character. Kunoichi has advanced Crowd manipulate competencies to the Ninja.Is problematic to be taught and master and is likely one of the better 1v1 lessons within the sport. Guild Wars shrewd she struggles a little bit, but can be quite priceless as a Crowd manipulate bot if you’re practiced ample. These two lessons will not be very beginner pleasant, and Ninja is the extra widespread alternative over Kunoichi, who is likely one of the least preferred lessons in the sport correct now. Subsequent up we have now Lahn, female.Makes use of a Crescent Pendulum, and a Noble Sword as her weapons with her Awakening being Crimson Glaives. God of conflict-esque. Lahn is mainly the most underrated class in the sport right now. They have got the particular potential to fly for a brief length. Extra like a glide fairly, however still pretty cool. They’re AOE is decent and their PVE clear is quite just right. Excellent resource administration. Some excellent iframes. Ranged snatch makes her probably deadly in 1v1 occasions. When you consider that she is so unpopular no longer many folks be aware of find out how to combat a Lahn, in order that extra probably than no longer turns into and capabilities, however she is incredibly squishy so one mistake or a foul injury exchange will mean detailed loss of life. This additionally makes her no longer as potent in Guild Wars given that she are not able to really live on for lengthy. Total excellent classification, although. I’d say she’s now not tremendously handy to learn, however there is room for mastery there that can make you pretty powerful in most aspects of the sport external of Guild Wars.Subsequent up we have Ranger. Female. Elven Race. Makes use of a Longbow and Dagger. And a Kamasylven Sword as her Awakening, which is only a longer dagger almost. Ranger is strictly ranged pre-woke up before you hit level fifty six. You then end up mainly melee with using the Kamasylven Sword. She’s fairly cellular offers a quick style of play. Her PVE clear is relatively good, although her largest crisis is excessive resource consumption.Mana, though in my view no longer as unhealthy because it was once. But Stamina consumption was once nerfed a at the same time back and that is the more demanding aspect for many Ranger avid gamers. She has very good injury. 1v1 she may also be lethal with ample gear. Prior a special assault value she is going to simply one shot you if you let her CC you. I might say she’s not the easiest category to learn or master. It takes plenty of time and apparatus, but she presents a different kind of play that I in my view to find fulfilling. In terms of Guild Wars she’s no longer very useful primarily at lessen gearscores you is not going to be very effective. And it is foremost to note that her variety skills are there, however she is not a pure ranged personality, so preserve that in mind.For pure variety you need to be watching on the final class we are going to be speaking about. Archer. Male. Elven Race. Uses a Crossbow and a Ra’Ghon, a Magic Glove as his weapons. And he uses a Greatbow for his Awakening. The only category to start along with his Awakening so you don’t need to degree to fifty six to get your 2nd weapon. You start with it. His range on some of his competencies is extreme. This classification remains to be quite new so no longer many individuals have cracked the code so that you could speak to meet the entire talents of this class, however he is regularly getting buffs so he is surely a robust type, we simply have no idea how powerful but.Variety is continuously robust and he has various it and his mobility is relatively excellent as good as his useful resource management where he does not rather suffer an excessive amount of like the Ranger does for instance. PVE clear is excellent in precise grind spots, but it is reliant on grind areas and density so he can be a bit awkward to grind with until you discover a just right rotation to use. 1v1 duels i’d say he’s mediocre to excellent, with these buffs lately he maybe just a little higher, however he’ll fairly shine in guild wars where he can CC and deal harm from afar with the help of his teammates. Quite fascinating talents as good, he has one potential that is extra novel than useful, nevertheless it uncovers any enemies in stealth and then prevents them from using stealth for a short window of time.No longer very functional, but cool that he has something like that. Not so much else to say, however this category is the newest category brought to the game, so he’s going to by using sheer will of the devs be at the least a decent class moving ahead till we get a new category as more moderen courses get more love and are customarily, now not invariably, overtuned. And that is it from me for this 2019 consultant. Went via the basics and the flavor of every class. Expectantly it gave you an thought what courses you may wish to assess out. When doubtful play Witch or Wizard. Or Mystic or Striker. Easy as that. If you wish to have enjoyable and benefit from the recreation for along time, are attempting the classes out, see what you like and grasp the class regardless of future changes or the category ranking within the ever changing meta leaderboards.Let me be aware of what you inspiration about this video in the comments down beneath, when you have any questions i will do my first-class t reply them once I get a hazard. If you haven’t already make sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon to get notified as to once I upload my next videos and as consistently guys thanks for looking at, thanks for listening, and unwell see you all within the next one. Take care. .