#whoooshes away

[aroseyetbloomedwrites]

Yes, even you, even a Harrier, will be welcome down those cobbled streets, and under warm lamp posts, between buildings which will not shutter their lights at your coming. The wind of Change will continue blowing this way. And you will find a home, at last.

[tapakah0]

OKAY CAN I I JUST I MEAN I SO MUCH LOVE SUCH SCENES CAN I A MOMENT RUN AWAY FROM ME OKAY WE SEE THE TECHNODROME

THEN WE HAVE IT CLOSER AND SEE WHERE MIKEY IS ABOUT TO APPEAR

THEN THE PERSPECTIVE JUST TWIIIIIIIST WHOOOSH

AND THEN WE SEE FROM ABOVE WHEN MIKEY APPEARED AND THERE'S CITY

IT'S JUST OH I SO MUCH LOVE IT

[smolvenger]

Life Day Gift

Summary: When you were a kid, you became close friends with Din Djarin. But after you escaped the Seperatist attack on your village, your beloved Din is assumed dead. Now you're an adult working a Life Day shift, where a visiting Mandalorian arrives. You assume he's just like any other customer, minus some armor and a baby, but there's a surprise beneath that helmet...

Pairing: Din Djarin x fem! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Death, Din defends you from a creepy older boy and rude customer's at your restaurant job, swearing. Childhood Friends to Lovers. Some sassy banter. Fluff to Angst to Fluff again. Life Day. Eventual Happy Ending.

Word Count: 2K

Link to my A03

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Etsy Link For Comfort Character Letters/Playlists

A/N: Hi there, @againstacecilia! It is I! Your Secret Santa! Here is your gift for @trekkingaroundasgardsevents and @startrekkingaroundasgard's Holiday Fic Exchange! This is my first time EVER writing for Star Wars, so I hope you like it! Reblogs and Comments are appreciated! Happy Holiday Season!

Also, a short playlist inspired by the fic can be found HERE as a bonus! :)

REBLOGS AND COMMENTS AND ASKS ARE APPRECIATED!

THE PAST

You would never forget the boy. Your own home village was quaint, peaceful. The adults talked worriedly of the empire, but it didn’t matter to you. What did matter was that little boy, Din.

You met when an older boy was being far too creepy to you for your comfort when out of nowhere- WHOOOSH! - he was pelted by a rock.

“Hey! Leave her alone!”

Looking into the light from the street corner you were targeted on, he almost seemed to glow. He was small and skinny with dark eyes and dark hair. But despite his smallness, his courage made him stand like he was a giant.

“Or else what?” the older boy sneered.

His answer came in the form of another rock that pelted him so hard in the face that it knocked him down, nose bleeding. You ran away from him, clutching the hand of the little boy.

“Hurry! Let’s go!!!” You pleaded, and both of you ran off.

Hardly anyone believed you about the older boy. You were a child, and he was a teenager. The few who did confront him. The older boy cried and said he was sorry, and he was quickly forgiven In the eye of the adults. They patted his back and smiled and invited him to their Life Day dinners coming up next month.

 Your own pain didn’t matter, but his feelings did. It hurt you so much you ran outside the house to cry.

“Hey…is that you again?”

You turned your head up to see the dark-haired little boy.

“Yes, it’s me…”

“What’s your name?” he asked you.

You gave your own, wiping snot and tears off your sleeve.

“And what’s your name?” you asked.

“I’m Din Djarin. You can call me Din.” He introduced.

“Din…teach me how to throw rocks like you do, can you? Please?”

And that was the beginning of a friendship. You were strangers at school but became thick as thieves. You swapped cookies together. He taught you how to throw rocks and even a bit about how boys would fight and throw punches. It made you feel safer and stronger as that older boy prowled the streets. But Din never left you alone. You scraped your knees, laughed, talked together, and visited each other’s houses. His mother would pour out blue milk to sip on. You would take him to your house and read him some of your favorite stories with you doing all the voices. And Din would go into your room to see your things.

“Trinkets?” He would gasp, looking at the shiny rocks and rings.

You nodded your head. “Mmhmm- let me show my collection!”

Your first Life Day together, Din gave you a special gift. From inside his pocket, he pulled out a string necklace with a beautiful stone on it. It was a golden pendant on a leathery string with a bright star in the center.

“Oh, Din! This is the best gift ever! I love it! Thank you!” you squealed.

And you gave him the biggest hug. He always gave the best hugs.

It all seemed so different later. The attack. The separatists. It seemed like one day; you both were running home from school to laugh about the teacher and snack on blue cookies from your mother.

And the next morning when you woke up there were blasts and screams right outside. Your parents rushed into your room.

“Y/N! Y/N! We must leave, please! Now!” your father insisted.

The pendant was around your neck as you hurriedly put on a coat and grabbed whatever you could. You clutched your pendant, your eyes looking worriedly as villagers fled for their lives around you.

“Where’s Din?! We must find him! We must take him with us!” you pleaded.

“No, Y/N! We don’t have time! There’s a ship we have in the back- they’re taking only the first few who arrive! We must run- NOW!” your mother begged.

You ran with them as you freed your hands to grab theirs. Hearing the screams, the stomping of Stormtrooper boots, and your own terrified heart ringing in your ears and keeping your eyes forward, though your peripheral was filled with the bodies of your friends and neighbors. But you kept running, forgetting the tiredness and the fire in your lungs for what of breath.

Your family hopped onto the ship and flew away to safety somewhere else. But your heart never stopped racing and you didn't stop shaking the whole trip.

Once you had landed on a new planet with a new life, you asked constantly for news about the Djarin family. About the boy.

And it arrived.

Your parents took your hands as you sat at your new table and looked you in the eye. Your mother had a communication device in her hand that she had just turned off. They were already frowning and starting to tear up.

“Y/N…The Djarin family was killed by the Separatists.” she told you.

“Including Din?” you asked.

“He was never found. But we know they burn bodies after. So…including Din…” your father answered.

You leaned into their arms, sobbing for your friend.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CURRENT DAY

“Hey Y/N! If you have time to lean, you have time to clean!”

Ugh, to think I have to spend Life Day working you cursed, getting up from your thirty second break.

Working at a bar wasn’t glamorous, but it was stable and paid the bills. And if you worked on holidays, there was a bigger bonus and here you were. The fact it was a bar and a restaurant brought over even more customers which meant usually busy shifts.

It was a huge pain in the ass, but it was something. And you knew you had two bills due this week at least. Maybe it was better than another awkward holiday with your family.

You got out and grabbed a rag, cleaning up remnants of a spilled drink on the table. Ooof, you would need a new one.

Why can’t these customers ever learn to clean up after themselves? You thought this as you returned the rag to the kitchen. Didn’t they realize you were human too?

To be fair, you had alien and droid customers frequently so perhaps human wasn’t the right word. Hmm, maybe…being? Creature?

Once you pondered this, you heard a sound like a little coo and looked over.

Speaking of creatures, a tiny green creature was by your feet. He let out another innocent babble. He had big dark eyes and wide ears and was so small, he had to waddle and tug at the end of your pants to get attention.

“Why hello there!” you greeted.

He cooed in response, wiggling his ears.

“What’s your name? Do you have a seat? Want anything to eat or drink, buddy?!” you asked, bending down your knees to greet him.

“Hey! He’s mine!” a voice barked.

You looked up and your blood froze to see a fully armored Mandalorian approach you.

“Oh, I wasn’t doing anything,” you protested, hands on your hips.

The little one waddled to him and the Mandalorian scooped him up in his arms.

“I can’t let this guy get hurt,” he said.

“I wasn’t hurting him, I was just greeting him like I do anyone else,”

“Fine. Is there a table?”

“You’re lucky this one is just cleaned up.

“Aright, give us both some Rootleaf Stew with Polystarch bread. Plus save a slice of Blackberry pie- this little one likes dessert,”

“One thing at a time…I’ll get it!”

You left and re-arrived with the food in hand. In the back the band was blasting all the Life Day hits that you heard so much you wanted to scream.

But once you bent down and were serving the dishes, you felt the little green babies’ hands on you. You paused to see that your pendant had slid out of your shirt and the baby was playing with it. The Mandalorian froze. You glanced down. The baby pawed at your pendant like a cat, giggling.

“Oh, you like this, buddy?” you asked, showing him the necklace.

You investigated the helmet defiantly “is that against your own parenting code, hm? This is the way and all that and a cup of tea?”

The Mandalorian kept looking directly at you through his helmet.

“Where…where did you get that necklace?” he asked.

“Old friend, Life Day Gift,” you answered.

You wiped the stains from your hands onto the rag tied onto your belt.

“Who is your friend? What planet did they come from? What was their name?” the Mandalorian kept asking.

The little green baby kept digging into his food with a content babble.

“Look, it’s…it’s personal, alright? And he…he died. Killed in a Separatist attack with his parents, okay? How is that? I…it’s a lot…”

He nodded his helmet down.

“Oh…I’m sorry. I had no idea…” he then said.

He gave you a spare napkin to wipe the tears at the ducts of your eyes.

“Would…would you like your pies with cream or plain?” you asked per your practice.

“Cream,” he answered.

Once you arrived with the pies, the Mandalorian left a generous tip.

“When is your shift over?” he asked.

“In…in an hour and a half? Why do you ask? Why do you even care?” you said.

“I…I want to speak to you after, if that’s alright,” he answered.

Your blood was cold. Were you being hunted?!?! You hadn’t done anything! But then again, his voice didn't word it as a threat...

“Okay, you can…” you replied.

He stayed at the table. You took a deep breath and released it. After getting a brief sip of water, you continued your shift. Though noticeably, if a customer was being short to you, the Mandalorian would walk up.

“Hey. Show some respect. It’s Life Day, after all.” He would threaten.

The rude customer’s jaw would drop, their color draining, and then act with more manners. You bit back a large smile.

Finally, the shift ended. Once you turned in your apron, you met him outside. But then you felt a splatter of rain from outside.

“Ugh, Maker help me! What an ugly storm!” you complained.

“Come to my ship.” He offered.

The rain pattered on him, making a louder noise against his armor. He seemed rather unbothered by it.

“What?” you cried.

“It’ll be dry there.”

“Okay…that does sound better," you shrugged.

You followed his dark cape, the little pod for the baby floating by his side. Once you got into the ship, you shivered from the rain on you.

He opened a quadrant and pulled out a cloak.

“Here..it’ll make you feel better,” he offered.

You nodded and accepted it.

“Why are you doing all this? You’re just supposed to be a Bounty Hunter. Why me? Just Life Day Spirit in you?” you asked.

There was a pause.

“Is your name Y/N?” he asked.

Thunder shot through you.

“Didn’t I give you my name when I got your food?” you asked.

“You didn’t,” he said.

“How do you know my name?” you questioned, taking a bold step forward.

“You have that necklace that your friend gave you. Were you children then?” he asked.

“Yes,” you answered, feeling the floor give in beneath you.

“And he was killed?" he continued.

“By Separatists, yes.”

He folded his arms in front of him.

“What was his name?”

“Din Djarin. I’d just call him Din. And he was the sweetest boy…not that the Empire cared. They killed him one and the same.” You said, tears welling up.

There was another pause. Quietly, the Mandalorian reached his hands up to his helmet.

“What…what are you doing?” you asked.

He gripped the sides and slowly began to slip it off.

“What! Stop! Isn’t that breaking the code? What about you-“

Once it slipped off, you saw him. Not a boy, but a man. He had matured. There was a small mustache beneath his nose. But his eyes and dark hair and face were almost the same.

“What…what…no…are you…” you started to mutter, both hands flew to your mouth and the world around you spun with shock.

“Y/N. It’s me. Din…”

You caught onto the wall to keep from your dizziness overcoming you. You saw the green baby tilt his head to the side.

“You’re alive…how?” you gasped.

“My mother hid me somewhere. Then a Mandalorian saved met that day. Took me in like their own. Raised me to be one of them …” he answered.

You then looked up. You saw he was starting to tear up too. You ran up and wrapped him in a large hug. He hugged you back and you both began crying.

“Do you…do you have any tea?” you asked.

“Tea?”

“Whenever I see my parents, we drink tea…it’s a drink of reunion!” you said, with a little laugh.

He blinked and then smiled with a nod.

“Yes, I have some…”

He put a small kettle on with three cups enough in the back. The little green baby waddled around freely, excited for a cup.

“Who is that one?” you asked, bending down to pat the baby’s head.

“His name is Grogu,” Din explained.

Both of you cozied up with mugs of tea- added with cream for a bit of flavor. Slowly drinking, you both talked.

He told you what he could about the Madalorians. Memories growing up training. The few adventures he had. How he met Grogu and saved him from being a pawn for The Empire. The misadventures they had together. Your tea was long finished by the time he stopped.

“Well…all that’s exciting! And here there’s old me- what happened to me? I just work in a bar and restaurant now! And look at you- a true Mandalorian warrior!” you praised.

“That’s not true…” he said, looking into his cup.

“What…what do you mean?” you asked.

“Y/N…you learned how to fight. You survived an attack. Every day you get up and brave unpleasant people. Even back when, I thought…”

He blinked his eyes again, looking this way and that. Then he looked up at you.

“I thought you were a good person. A great person in fact,” he said.

“I think the same of you,” you replied.

Grogu waddled to a window and waved his arms, babbling.

“What is it, kid?” he asked, turning around.

Grogu pointed out the window and you followed his tiny finger to look out. It was night by now, but the lights were all on- decorations glowing and the lights on every building felt like the stars were down and decorated in the town.

“Oh, Din- look! The lights and decorations for Life Day! They’re beautiful!” you gasped.

He went up and looked out at it. All of you admired the beauty of it for a quiet minute.

Then you turned to the side.

“Din…can I…can I…” the breath left you.

He looked at you with soft eyes.

“Din, can I join you on your ship…you could use help with Grogu. You can teach me how to fight like you did as a kid. I can give my job a two weeks’ notice.”

“How come?” he asked.

“There’s so much of the galaxy I’ve never seen…that I’ve always wanted to see and…and…”

“And?” he asked.

“I just…I don’t want to be separated from you again,” you confessed.

He gave a small smile.

“I don’t want to be separated from you either…ever again,” he confirmed.

You took his hand and squeezed it.

“I can’t think of a better gift than that…Happy Life Day, Din.”

“Happy Life Day, Y/N.”

You gave him a kiss on the cheek, which he accepted. His smile didn't drop from it either.

[tmntxthings]

eeee !!

that’s so exciting, okay,,, cause most folks only do rise or bayverse stuff!

anyways! Would you be up for doing a 2012 donnie x reader where he’s doing patrols and meets the reader because they quite literally fall for him? Like, he’s out doing nightly patrols, and the reader is looking over the roof of their apartment at him like “ᗡᗡ: it’s him again?” but then like the railing wobbles and they go whooosh and are like “?!!?” And he looks up and is like “?? Ayo?? *catch* ????? Is this just normal human behavior???”

Purple Savior

author’s note: my first 2012 request, :D lesssss goooooo, hehe hope you enjoy~~~

warnings: slight cursing, cute meet, fluff

> part two <

—————————————————————————

It was a nice night in New York City and you had your window open as far as it could go. Being on the top floor had its perks, though you didn’t know if it beat having to walk up six flights of stairs multiple times a day. You sighed, smiling as you ducked your head deciding to go up the fire escape to the roof. Just for a couple of minutes, then you’d settle in for the night.

Fall was your favorite season. The night air finally turning with the tides and becoming cooler. As you made your way there you noticed how rickety the climb was and the railings on the roof were even worse. It made you a little nervous but once on the roof you let out your breath. “Wow!” You said astonished to see a couple of stars, it was a clear night sky. The view was nice as you walked around the entire perimeter of your rooftop. Peering over the railings but refraining from touching, they looked pretty rusty.

And it was as you had been turning to head back to the stairs you saw movement in your peripheral. Staying quiet you looked around, wondering if you had just been seeing things. But off in the distance you saw something! You squinted and rushed back the way you came, coming to a stop at the ledge of the roof. It was a figure far off but coming closer, it looked to be moving pretty fast.

But about four rooftops away, the figure made a sharp turn. Purple, you noted the bandana waving in the wind, thanks to the clear night sky and the bright moon. You watched as whoever it was jumped from building to building, easily scaling over the alleyways. “Holy!” You breathed out to yourself in amazement. And then they were out of sight! You wondered how crazy someone had to be, to actually jump rooftops. You looked at the apartment complex next to yours, and peered down at the drop. Shivering you shook your head, yeah they had to be pretty insane or maybe just super talented?

The next night, you were back out on your roof. Yes… you were hoping to see some crazy jumping action. BUT, this time you would be a little braver, maybe call out to them at a safe time obviously, not mid-jump or right before. But just to, well you didn’t really know, maybe say how you cool/insane they were for parkouring whole buildings and at night too!

So when you saw the figure make the same sharp turn you called out, “Hi!” and you didn’t really know what you had expected, but you hadn’t thought the figure would freeze and then take off as fast as possible without turning back. Your mouth dropped open. Well, that went dandy! You sighed, guessing you’d never see them again if they were so totally antisocial to not even wave. You didn’t know why you waited around, thinking maybe they’d come back, curious, but when you saw nothing but pigeons you gave up. Calling it a night.

The third night was probably the worst, it had been raining but you still couldn’t stop yourself from just checking. It seemed you and the stranger had a similar schedule when it came to going out onto rooftops. With your god damn umbrella, you climbed the fire escape. Once on the roof you realized the rain was kind of coming in at a slant, and the wind was trying to pull the umbrella from your grasp and you wondered if it was worth losing or just going ahead and getting drenched. You’d need the umbrella in the future, so rather than letting it blow away you quickly closed it. Flinching at the cold rain as you tried to see past just the neighboring rooftops.

Pointless! It had all been pointless you thought as you shivered like a wet dog and stomped back to the stairs. Stupid! You thought, no parkourist would jump buildings in this condition, that was like a death wish. But as you reached the stairs you looked up, and perched on the rooftop you hadn’t been facing was a figure, in a crouched position. You gasped and they went reeling back, falling behind the ledge and out of view. “Hello!? Are you okay?” You called out, hope rekindling. But as the minutes ticked by, you realized the stranger wasn’t going to show themselves nor talk. Even as you went back down to your window, into your room, you couldn’t help but smile, at least they were back!

It wasn’t until the seventh night when everything changed. The closest they came was two rooftops away and you leaned against the rusty old railing despite your early reservations. The only distinguishing feature that you could glean was the purple bandana! Everything else was dark and shadowy. So you thought maybe if you leaned just a bit closer, somehow-

The railing made a low groaning noise. “Huh?” You said peering down and suddenly things were happening fast. You were falling and screaming and then you weren’t falling?? But still very much screaming as a voice said, “I’ve got you!” trying to quiet you or maybe reassure you. Your eyes were closed tight and you jerked at the sound, “Am I dead??” You asked shakily. “Alive and well!” The voice said laughing slightly. Finally you opened your eyes, the first thing you noticed was the purple, “Hey! You’re the-“

And then you noticed the green, a whole lot of green, and how you were now in an alleyway, with strong slender green arms holding you. “parkourist?” you finished quietly and with wonder, “what? no I’m a ninja!” The stranger corrected. “Oh a green and purple ninja!” You said, trying to understand. “Hah” he shook his head, “I’m a mutant, I’m green because I’m part turtle,” he said setting you down on your feet as he turned to the side to show you his shell, “purples just my favorite color,” he said rubbing the back of his neck.

“A ninja mutant turtle!” You said nodding as if that made any sense in the world. And promptly passed out, the adrenaline that had been pumping in your veins from the fall had faded completely, legs giving out as you slumped to the ground. The last thing you heard was, “oh crap I should’ve known!”

When you regained consciousness you were back on your rooftop. You sat up and someone said, “you might want to lay back, if you sit up too soon-“ you were dizzy! Your hand went to your head as you swayed and slowly went back down, “yeah that’ll happen,” the voice concluded. “Wow, I can’t believe I passed out!” You said trying to find the purple green turtle ninja mutant. “Over here,” the voice said and you tilted your head back. He was sitting cross legged, right behind you. “Oh hi,” you chirped. “Hi,” he said eyeing you like he was ready for you to pass out again.

“I blame that on the almost dying part of our meeting,” you said and he gave you a slight smile. “I would’ve eventually waved..” he said sheepishly. “Surrre,” you chuckled remembering the last six times he hadn’t. “Hey I wasn’t trying to force your hand or anything, that fall was coincidental!” You felt the need to explain and he didn’t say anything. “Oh come on, you’ve gotta believe me!” You said, not knowing how else to persuade him.

“Huh, oh yeah I know, you should be more careful.” He said sternly. You blinked not expecting that, “yeah well, like I said it was an unexpected accident!” and he peered over at the place where you fell. “I don’t know the rusty old railings kind of give off the sign ‘don’t touch we’re about to collapse’”

You narrowed your eyes, tired of looking at him upside down. “Okay wise guy!” You snipped, sitting up and thankfully not feeling so dizzy. “I was just trying to..” he waited, “get a better look…” you sighed, now that you admitted it out loud it sounded kind of embarrassing. “Well here I am,” he said begrudgingly, like he was embarrassed too. “I wanted to tell you, how I thought you were really cool and brave for jumping rooftops at night,” you blushed, crossing your arms.

“Oh-h? That? That’s nothing compared to what else I can do!” He said pulling out a long staff that you hadn’t noticed sticking from his shell. He stood and started twirling it around with ease. Your eyes widened as he performed, he really was a ninja! When he finished, you clapped, “wowwww!” You said in awe of his talent. “And I can also…”

The rest of the night he listed off all of his achievements. How he was an accomplished ninja, fought crime and was really intelligent. How he built this and that. The list was quite impressive and you listened to him ramble on. “So, what’s your name?” You asked once he had finished. He laughed, “right, the name’s Donatello but I go by Donnie” and you smiled, “well Donnie, not to brag but I made a B- on my last math test,” you said smugly. And he quirked up an eyebrow, “oh?” he smiled holding back a laugh. “Yeah, and I’m pretty good at video games too!” You said and his eyes brightened, “what games do you play??”

By the time the two of you had finished talking the sun was coming up and that made him gasp. “Ohhh no I’ve got to go,” he paused looking at you expectantly, and it took you only a second to realize what he was asking for, “Y/n!” you said and he repeated your name, nodding. “See ya next time!” He said as he jumped off your roof, heading off being chased by the rising sun. You smiled sleepily. You couldn’t believe you just stayed up the whole night talking to a purple teenage mutant ninja turtle, but you knew you were gonna do the same thing tomorrow!

[starseneyes]

Spock / Nurse Christine Chapel - Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2 Ep 1

Yes, folks, I am back with more Meta analysis of my unexpected-but-welcomed favorite ship of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. If you missed my Season 1 Meta, here's a handy link to my Spock/ Chapel fun!

Yes, we know from the TOS timeline that it all ends in tears. But I'm still wildly invested because Ethan Peck and Jess Bush are crushing these compelling scripts. If you're like me, you're going to have a blast with this one!

I hadn't decided if I was going to post weekly or all at once, but the poll was overwhelmingly for weekly. So, the weeks we get solid Spock/Chapel, I'll post a Meta. If it's borderline, I'll batch the episodes, instead.

SPOILER ALERT: I'm as liberal with spoilers as Spock is with Blood Wine. Don't click the Read More button if you want to keep your obliviousness intact!

Everyone clear on how this works? Huzzah! Let's dive in.

The Broken Circle

Feeling All the Feels in Sickbay

Spock sits in the observation area with Dr. M'Benga, still reeling from the events of the Gorn. It reminds me of T'Pol confiding in Dr. Phlox on Enterprise. Both Vulcans found themselves in similar situations—usually carefully-guarded emotions unleashed.

And both will have to learn to live with it.

For T'Pol, a part of her enjoyment of emotions was the new intimacy she found with Commander Tucker—Trip. For Spock, his growing attraction to Nurse Chapel is torture.

But I love the set up of Dr. M'Benga as confidant. He is the only one who knows both sides of what's happening, here, even if he doesn't have the details.

All of Spock and Christine's more intimate moments prior to this episode have been in a bottle, so-to-speak. Yes, T'Pring and the Serene Squal crew witnessed the fake-out-not-so-fake kiss.

But T'Pring wrote it off as part of deception, as did most of the crew (save Angel, who was actually paying attention).

None of the Enterprise crew was there to witness their lip-lock and subsequent unease. Nobody was listening in on their conversation in Sick Bay later. When she held him in the corridor, everyone else was at the wake for Hemmer.

To this point, Christine hasn't even spoken to Erica about Spock. She's kept it bottled up inside.

But Dr. M'Benga is observant. And he has a whole array of sensors (or sen-sores, if you're Spock) on our half-Vulcan/half-human boy.

As Spock plays notes and cords his fingers remembering the fundamentals of mathematics and music taught as a child, Dr. M'Benga monitors. Yes, that's helping. His heart rate is going down.

Until, whooosh, she walks back into Spock's life. And his heart rate shoots up. The discordant note rings out as Dr. M'Benga looks back to the monitor.

Spock's eyes follow and he awkwardly stands, trying to right the askew chair without looking back at it.

Chapel greets him without emotion.

"Lieutenant."

This is even more divorced from intimacy than her typical, "Mr. Spock". Because now they both know he has a growing attraction to her.

Before the hallway in 1x09, I think we could argue that Spock was not completely aware of it. Yes, he felt things in 1x07 with that kiss. But both T'Pring and Christine told him what he wanted to hear—it's not possible for him to have feelings for her.

But as he wrestled with the floodgate of emotions overwhelming him during Hemmer's wake, it was Christine who was there for him. She enveloped him in her arms, offering comfort and respite. She offered herself as a safe space in that moment.

And as they pulled away, I'm convinced they were still holding hands or she was holding his arm, based on how her arm swung as he departed. Spock didn't understand what he was feeling as he looked at her, but he knew he was feeling.

Spock made the choice to walk away that day because he knew he wanted to kiss her. And she knew it, too.

Christine has always been the one to put up hard blocks between them. He's a shipmate, and I doubt she sleeps with shipmates in her quest to avoid attachments. She certainly didn't want to be on Dever's ship!

And I get the impression she doesn't want to be the other woman. She doesn't even want a real relationship. They terrify her.

But Spock's a relationship guy. She already knows that because he's bloody engaged. So, she's going to do everything she can to create distance between them... even though we all know she feels something for him, too.

The awkward chair adjusted, Spock excuses himself. Christine's eyes follow him long after he's walked out the door and down the hall. Yes, she's putting up barriers... but only because she needs them as much as he does.

"Fascinating." "Isn't that typically his line?"

She's still looking his way. This awkwardness sucks because they actually have a pretty decent friendship. But it's necessary to keep the distance.

"It's just that when he saw you, I-" "Don't even." "No. No. I wouldn't."

These two are dear friends who have been through hell together. He knows her so well, and I appreciate that so much in this episode—their beautiful friendship.

I've replayed this scene over and over. I don't think it's likely she's confided in Joseph what happened in the hallway. But, I think she also knows he's got a unique view, here.

And he knows better than to meddle in her love life.

He also knew from the moment she walked in that she had more to discuss than coming on duty. That suggests to me that he properly took a read on the room—whatever this Spock/Christine thing is... it goes both ways.

Remember that as we work through this episode.

The Plan

Spock stands in front of the amassed group, speaking equally in all directions. What stands out is who he has assembled for this conversation. Most of them make perfect sense, right? Folks from the Bridge, the head of Sick Bay.

And Nurse Chapel. None of the other nurses have been invited to this shindig. But no matter what else is going on between them, Spock trusts her. He wants her there, to be someone to offer counsel, if needed, as she always has.

"What plan?" "I would have thought it obvious..."

Christine is standing on the other side of the island, putting some physical space between herself and Spock. But she's leaning toward him—all in.

He looks to her in surprise, then surveys the rest of the group to see if they are also confused. Yup. Spock managed to leave everyone out of his plan even as he's stating it.

"We must steal the Enterprise."

Look at our girl smirk. I saw a bunch of people post, "hijinks!" at that moment in the show, and it made me laugh. We know she's up for some hijinks.

"Stole the Enterprise? ... Wow. I would have lost so many bets." "Yeah, Vulcans can surprise you."

Christine is swelling with pride looking at him right now—her eyes not leaving him during this entire exchange. It was the right call, even if it technically was the wrong one.

And look at Spock staring back like a schoolboy basking in the radiance of his crush's attention. We both know she's been surprised by him on more than one occasion. But this time is different.

This time, he had to disobey a direct order to make the right call. That's a very difficult thing for any person to do, let alone someone who is half-Vulcan. Logically? This was a crazy call.

But it was the right call. And that's fucking sexy.

Also, there's a very personal edge to Christine's line and the way she holds Spock's gaze. This isn't the first time he's surprised her.

I think nothing surprised her more than his hand on her ass and his tongue in her mouth. Like, seriously, the guy can kiss. But, again, that's something only the two of them (from their crew) know about.

Now, others are getting to see just how surprising their resident Vulcan can be.

"Sir. What if Nurse Chapel and Dr. M'Benga on that ship?" "They thought it worth their lives to prevent another war. Logical."

Simultaneously this hurts like hell and feels like warm sunlight after a frigid night. Because from the point of view of everyone on that Bridge, Spock's words are pretty stark.

Void of emotion. Praising their logical choice of self-sacrifice. Ouch.

But we know beneath the surface, there's a volcano churning and waking, just waiting to erupt.

I think it also makes him care for her that little bit more. Not just that she's in danger, but that she's able to make such logical decisions where others might surrender to emotion. I think they're very evenly matched, there, at this point.

Christine shirks emotional attachments and love. She keeps a shield up around her heart and leans into logic. Spock was raised on Vulcan to be a Vulcan—attached to logic and devoid of emotion.

As he is grappling with the emotions unleashed in the wake of losing Hemmer and battling the Gorn, she is struggling to keep a cap on her own emotions—to keep him at a distance when more and more she wishes she could close it.

It's not a lack of desire that keeps them apart. Spock is engaged and doing his best to stay true to the promises he has made. He's never had to struggle to this degree before.

And Christine understands his struggle more than most—she witnessed him wrestling with it after crushing a bulkhead. She knows he struggled with judgment and derision growing up. She knows he doesn't know what to do about this.

So she's making the decisions for them, and that's a good thing.

"Photon torpedoes locked on the federation ship. Full spread. Mr. Spock?"

Watch his face. He knows he needs to order it. He knows what the logical thing to do is. But his emotions are getting in the way, like he feared.

"Not yet. Any signal from Nurse Chapel or Dr. M'Benga?"

And there it is. He's waiting. He's trying to wait it out long enough to give them a chance to escape. To give her a chance to escape.

"Mr. Spock, it's now or never." "Fire photon torpedoes."

The emotion in his voice. He knows this is what he has to do. It's the right call. But this time it feels wrong.

Spock closes his eyes. He can't watch it happen. He can't watch his order destroy the ship where she is.

He can't handle the impact of his emotions swirling and swimming within him, threatening to explode in the Captain's Chair as the False Flag Federation ship does in space.

He killed her. Of course, we know that he didn't. But he believes that in this moment where he chose to do the right thing... he killed her.

And we all saw how destroyed he was with his loosed emotions by losing Hemmer—a friend. Yes, Christine is a friend, but she's also his safe place, his confidant, the first woman he's ever desired in a Human way.

Notice I put that last. Because the connection he and Christine forged was over shared bullying, over her being a good friend and offering advice, over the two of them sharing hijinks and learning to trust one another.

The desire came in later. It's not desire for her that's destroying him right now—it's the severing of one of the deepest connections he's ever made in his life with another soul.

Christine has been there for him. She stood up for him. She helped him. She accepted him. She comforted him. They forged their bond strand by strand, and to have that cord suddenly severed... it's agonizing.

Spock's eyes finally open, and there are tears in his eyes as he beholds the destruction. He's holding back... but barely. It won't take much for those tears to spill.

"Sir, I'm detecting a Federation EV suit transponder."

Hope. It hits him hard, and he leans into it as he stands and strides off the bloody Bridge to meet them in the Transporter Room.

He doesn't know what he'll find when he gets there. It's a single transponder, right? Will he find M'Benga standing there without her? Find Chapel standing without M'Benga?

All he knows is that he has to be there. He can't hear about it secondhand from the Bridge. He needs to see it with his own eyes—whatever he's about to see.

Transporting to Enterprise

Visually, this is a stunning sequence with us wrapped in the transport with M'Benga and Chapel, then settling with Dr. M'Benga as he reaches helplessly for the out-of-focus, unconscious Christine. We're seeing through his eyes—the blurry vision of a friend who's too still.

We're at floor level when Spock rushes into the room. He can see M'Benga clearly moving, but zeroes in on the lifeless Christine.

He kneels on one knee and shakes her shoulders, hoping for a response, for some smart-ass comment. But none come. He shakes, again. Nothing.

He leans down to her lips, hoping to feel the rush of her breath, hear the exhale and inhale of life. But it doesn't come.

Now, I'm not going to get into the science of Spock's actions, because I've seen a lot of discourse about it, and smarter people than I can say what is feasible and not after 45 seconds in space. I'm only going to talk about Spock, Chapel, and M'Benga.

Spock laces his fingers together, and for the first time we see the perspective staring up at him. The voice is distorted—as though heard through a tunnel.

"I waited. I waited. I waited for you."

Oh my gosh. Spock just admitted to her that he held off on destroying that ship and stopping the restart of the war... for her. How very... human.

And, oh, how Spock's heart is breaking right now. He's desperate for her to know that he did what he could... that he didn't want to kill her... that he chose to hold off. He needs her to know.

And he doesn't even fully understand why, yet. I posit he's never experienced romantic love. Marriage to T'Pring is logical. He cares for her, but he does not love her.

He's falling in love with Christine... and he doesn't even realize it. He doesn't understand it. But when he thought she was dead, a part of him was dying, too. It was revived long enough for him to find her... lifeless.

No. This is not how this ends.

"You don't die. You don't die. You do not die."

It's a plea. A wish. A dream. And somewhere in her haze between life and death—she hears him. She feels him. She knows he's there.

A gasp escapes her lips and as it does, Spock collapses to the side, nearly on top of her, his leg that was holding him up as he administered compressions giving out.

The weight is gone. She lives.

His right hand goes to her shoulder, gripping as though releasing her would lead to losing her, once more. His left hand falls the other side of her as he leans on it for balance.

Christine focuses first on getting air back into her bloody lungs. But her second urge is comfort. She sees Spock hovering over her, knows he's the one who brought her back, and can feel his weight against her.

M'Benga smiles to see her breathing, again, and bears the only witness to this interaction (save the Transporter tech, who is apparently somewhere off-camera and not at all bothered by lifeless bodies).

Christine's hands both reach up, but one can't make it past a bent arm. Her right grips onto Spock's left arm, working its way up to cup his face.

Her fingertips graze his Vulcan ear as her thumb wipes away his Human tear. All parts of him, she accepts. And what a beautiful visual representation of that.

Spock is exposed, here. Completely vulnerable. Yes, the block that kept his emotions at bay has been removed. But he makes no attempts to conceal his pain and relief from Christine. He is wholly himself—for better or worse.

And Christine knows him. Much as she fights what is between them, right now, those lines don't matter. Neither of them is pretending.

She sees that even though she's the one who almost died, he's the one who needs comfort. And as her fingers linger as long as her strength remains, she quips.

"Why you gotta be so rough?"

Her hand falls to his shoulder, then his arm, and then down. Her strength is gone, spent on a moment of comfort for Spock... but not wasted. No, never wasted.

Because whatever this is, it's far from one-sided. Yes, they are both running from it, and for good reason. Spock is engaged. Christine doesn't want to tangle with that, or the threat of an actual relationship.

I mean, c'mon, Spock's clearly a relationship guy. That's not what Christine wants at this point at all.

But in this broken moment caught between life and death, they allow themselves that contact they would otherwise shirk—they allow themselves the moment.

SIDE NOTE: The instinct of Jess Bush to wipe that tear away is so fucking perfect. Do I know for certain that it wasn't in the script? No. But looking at the angles, that perfect falling tear isn't always there. So, I like to think Ethan Peck pulled out an amazing performance and Jess Bush's instincts kicked in and we got that stellar shot that says so much. And I'm grateful.

The door opens and others whisk in. Spock straightens, breaking away from the intimacy, but he holds his grip on her shoulder until Uhura's voice breaks through, calling him back to the Bridge.

Have you ever had someone in your life you could break around? Just completely break down and let all the stuff show without worrying about them judging you? That's what Spock's found in Christine.

He gave into that moment. He let the emotion flow. Yes, he's having trouble controlling it, right now, but we see him composed in the very next scene talking to the Klingon Captain. He can rein it in.

But with Christine he doesn't have to. He lets her see his brokenness. Lets her wipe away his tear. Lets her see his hurt.

He doesn't have to be anything in particular when he's around Christine. He doesn't have to worry about being too human or too Vulcan. He can simply be.

"You wanna know the worst thing about living almost forever?" "The loss of those you love." "Oh, you sweet, un-Vulcan Vulcan. No. That's a pain shared by all those who live with even a half-open heart."

This strikes me. Because while I don't know if I'd call what Christine and Spock share "love", yet, it is certainly a form of it.

Spock nearly lost her before they had a chance to figure out what it is. And while we all know it'll end in tears based on the TOS timeline, I'm still strangely addicted to finding out what happens next with these two.

And, not for the last time this episode, someone calls Spock out on being an abnormal Vulcan. And he appears to take ownership over that distinction a little more each scene.

Angel once told him that it wasn't about "what" he is but "who" he is. And though these emotions flowing freely are a pill, they are forcing him to confront that a little faster than he might've.

Sleeping Beauty

Spock stands over her bed, as if holding vigil while she sleeps. She's still recovering, still resting, still recuperating from her time in space. And much as he doesn't understand it, Spock knows he has to be there.

He has to reassure himself that she's living. He has to relive the moment of losing her, getting her back, losing her again, only to bring her back to life with his own hands.

With his words he killed her. With his hands he restored her.

And yet he still cannot believe it until he sees her there, in the flesh.

"Mr. Spock. I didn't hear you come in. Are you alright?"

It's almost a courtesy to even ask. He can tell from the man's posture that he is far from alright. In fact, I feel like M'Benga is almost giving Spock an out... the opportunity to deflect.

But he is still Vulcan... and lying isn't his strong-suit.

"Yes. I just..."

Because physically, he is alright. But emotionally, he's a wreck. M'Benga reaches out, placing a hand on Spock's shoulder. You can see him relax into his emotions just that touch more with the acknowledgement.

"She'll be fine."

She will. It's true. Someone else said it. And we know how much Spock values people telling him what he wants to hear.

But he's still crumbling. Because he knows, now, what it's like to lose her. Yes, it was only for a moment... but that moment destroyed him.

And, look, I'm not trying to be melodramatic. But Spock's emotions are running crazy, and we already saw what he was like losing Hemmer. He was unhinged. He was denting freakin' bulkheads.

He was angry about losing Hemmer. Losing Christine? He was devastated.

Hemmer was a friend. Christine is so much more. So, even though they're destined to burn out and it'll all end in tears... she's a part of him, now.

And losing her—even for a moment—tore into those fresh emotions like a hot knife through flesh. Burning, aching, agonizing.

Scars from something like that don't just disappear—even with dermal regenerators. Spock is going to be feeling the side effects of that moment for a while, yet.

"I'm not... I..."

Words fail him. Because he doesn't know what truth to tell. What truth this is. Because all of this is new, and it's frustrating, and it's confusing, and he's not sure what any of it means.

There isn't a nice, neat formula when it comes to love. It's messy. It's problematic. It's heartbreaking. It's chaotic.

"I have no words for what I feel."

Facing him fully, Spock puts a level of trust in M'Benga, here. And M'Benga sees just how upset Spock really is... to the point of tears.

"Yes," M'Benga breathes as they both look to Christine.

Spock tears himself away, turning over the same should he did when he left Christine in the corridor in 1x09.

The camera zooms in on Christine, turning a little fuzzy around the edges before cross-fading to Spock's fingers on the instrument... an expression of emotion, right?

And right now, he's overwhelmed with emotions for the blonde nurse who stood up for him against a bully. For the woman who refuted his belief that he was broken, and instead offered him comfort. For the person who bonded with him over childhood trauma, but isn't afraid to tell him plain truth when he needs to hear it.

He plays for himself as he tries to let the melody unwind all the tightly wound emotions choking him within.

This episode spent a lot of time establishing Spock's status as "not your typical Vulcan". The Klingon Captain calls it out. Pelia calls it out. And Spock himself affirms it.

He's still a Vulcan... but his humanity does make him unique.

And while M'Benga established that Spock's emotions are heightened due to his Vulcanness, he's approaching therapy from a Human angle—and it's working.

Is Christine Chapel more than a vehicle for Spock to explore his burgeoning emotions? Heck, yeah! I think this episode did a good job of establishing that for the season. A war veteran. A kick-ass fighter. A brave Human willing to give her life to prevent a war.

Yes, there's going to be more Spock/Chapel to come in this season... but the show did a good job of establishing early in episode 1 that there's so much more to her than that.

And even if she's destined to meet her future fiancé on bloody Vulcan (how cruel is that!?), I'm still excited to see what comes of her and her pointy-eared would-be suitor.

Where do we go from here? Heck if I know. But I do know that I'm enjoying the ride.

Thanks for reading! And I hope to see ya on the next.

[ihni]

Soulmate AU ideas (silly and not)

I have a notebook by my bed so I can scribble things down when I wake up in the middle of the night, and a while ago I apparently woke up and needed to write down ideas for Soulmate AUs. Some of them are silly, some of them are not, only a few make sense, but here you go:

Soulmates are rare, but they share the same fingerprints. This is especially troublesome when one of them is on the wrong side of the law.

There are healing qualities between soulmates. Being close to them can help with the healing process, their touch can relieve pain, etc etc.

When soulmates meet for the first time, they stop aging. Which is unfortunate when they meet young, so certain steps have to be taken to show a person's true age. (They still live out a normal lifespan, after)

When they meet their soulmate, their hair starts growing. Too fast, and too long, and it won't stop until they sleep a night with their hair braided together.

When you are a child, you dream of your soulmate. You see snippets of your soulmate, and what could be your life together. Some people remember these dreams and it helps them identify and recognize their soulmate when they meet, but most forget. Many parents write down or record what their children say about their dreams, to help them find their soulmate later in life.

Some people have special bonds with animals (usually cats), and those animals will only really accept your soulmate. Basically, cats continue to be assholes but when they reluctantly accept someone else in your life, you know you've found your Person.

Soulmates balance each other out. If your soulmate is tired, you can choose to sleep for them. If your soulmate is hungry, you can choose to eat for them. If they're in pain, you can carry some of it for them, etc etc.

You start to hear/see snippets of your soulmate's thoughts the first time you touch. They pop up into your brain like intrusive thoughts and are impossible to control at first, but the longer you spend time with your soulmate and get to know them, the less it happens. After some time in a working relationship, you can choose to send thoughts to the other, if they accept them. (Very handy for when you sent someone off to the store and forgot to ask them to buy eggs, too.)

Soulmate bonds can snap, either because of a long distance or from a long time away from each other. A snap is something they can choose to accept, or reject. Either way it can be fatal. The chance for survival increases the younger they are. If they meet again later in life, a bond can be rekindled.

You get headaches/migranes when your soulmate is afraid or their adrenaline levels are high. Nature's way of telling you to get off your feet and do something to help. When your soulmate calms down, your pain disappears at the same speed.

Soulmates share tickles. No, no, listen, this is a good one. When your soulmate is being tickled, you feel those sensations too and can't help but react to them. Even if you're not ticklish beneath your feet, but your soulmate is? You'll still be on the floor, squirming.

Your eyes itch or burn when your soulmate cries. Tears optional, but you always know when they're crying.

There's a growing feeling of unease leading up to your first meeting with your soulmate. The closer you get to them, and the longer you stay in their vincinity, the more your annoyance/unease/pain/cramps increase. It all ends in a whooosh of relief the first time you touch.

Soulmates short out at the first touch. Like, go unconscious. Just, you know, like those fainting goats that go all stiff and fall over? One touch, and they're out like a light. The time they're unconscious depends (and it has not always ended well, depending on the situation). When they wake up, a bond has formed.

This was what my sleep-addled brain decided I had to wake up to write down at like, 3 am. Enjoy.

[sailorsenshishitposter]

Why you should never bring twin demons to a McDonald's

Tonight was your first month anniversary with the twins and they had wanted to do something special. You were all prepared to go to a fancy restaurant for the evening but were kicked out before you could enter due to Dantes unfortunate taste in clothing. The owner took one look at him and noticed he was wearing hot pink booty shorts with a t-shirt that said "pizza slut" on it and said "I think that place over there is more suited to your needs...". The man pointed to a building with large golden arches in the shape of an M. Vergil took out Yamato and stabbed his brother in the stomach (causing all bystanders to flee in horror). He smoothed his fingers through his hair and screamed "DAMN IT BROTHER, YOU ALWAYS DO THIS!" You noticed steam starting to rise from him and you decided to descalate the situation. "Really it's okay guys, I'm fine as long as I'm with the both of you."

You were now at McDonald's with a grumpy Vergil and a smug Dante. Not wanting to deal with twin toddler tantrums, you decided you would go find seats. Dante was about to get the food but Vergil was insistent on being the one to do it. "You've already ruined this night enough, your spending privileges are revoked. Now get out of my sight." The younger twin was happy not to be paying for once and so he agreed. Dante was about to go sit down with you when he noticed the second room next door. "No way, they actually have it! Woohoo!". The man ran straight for the ball pit.

You glanced at your watch and wondered what could be taking them so long. You then remembered that Dante had the brain of a goldfish and was most likely trying to swim like one in the ball pit. "Shit!" You cursed and you went after him. Meanwhile Vergil was standing at the cash register waiting for his order to be taken. He had waited five minutes and thought "I've had enough of this" and as he was walking away he accidentally stepped into the touch screen menu. He stared and pondered. "What form of power is this. Technology in my day was no where near advanced as this. Am I to believe that humans have been replaced by machines?"

You eventually found your boyfriend and it was time to get him back to the table. "DANTE!!" you yelled, "You're too old for this! This room is meant for children!" There he was doing backstrokes while pushing his lips together so he could imitate a fish. Dante even made little "whooosh" noises as if he was actually in a body of water. Sadly it was time to pull the plug and you grabbed him by the ankle. "NOOOOOOOOOO JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES I SWEAR, PLEASE!!!!!" he cried but you just kept pulling as hard as you could. Grabbing a 250 pound demon was going to be a hassle.

You were exhausted by the time you made it to the doors but you finally managed to drag Dante out with you. Since he wanted to act like a child he was going to get the booster seat. You went to find one only to notice Vergil banging his fists and screaming. "WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING! WHY HAVE YOU FORESAKEN RONALD! ALL I WANTED WAS A CHICKEN BURGER! WHY IS V ALLOWED TO HAVE PRECIOUS MEAT BUT I CAN'T EVEN HAVE A CRUMB OF A CHICKEN TENDER!"

You ran to your other boyfriend and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Vergil what's wrong!?" you asked. He started to sob into your shoulder and mentioned something about how being gone for over twenty years has left him with no idea how modern technology works and that he lost to what was essentially a vending machine. You rubbed his back and said "Let's go home you guys. Dante I'll fill the tub with rubber balls so you can play fish. And Vergil I think some gardening will cheer you up. Just remember that it stays in the house and that you can't feed plants with blood." Vergil wiped his eyes and said "Understood"

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Not like this...: Part 1

This isn't gonna go as easy as you think it will, Kanade!

Well, fortunately for me, I'm not the cocky sort!

And UNfortunately for you...I don't comply to any Batman code of honor!

Stay where you are Hibiki.

...

...!

*SMACK!*

!!?

*CH-CHAK!* *BAAANNG!*

HNGH!

*Setsuka takes her coat off to retrieve a pistol, but before she can aim, Kanade throws her hatchet and moves it to knock it out of her hand. Setsuka ducks as Kanade catches the hatchet, reloads its shotgun end, and fires.

Hrgh!

*BANG!*

NGH!

*CHOW!* *CH-CHAK!*

Hrugh!

*BAAANNG!*

Tch-!

*SMACK!*

*BANG!*

Feh!

*As Setsuka dives to avoid her, she grabs the gun she dropped and tries to shoot Kanade, but her shot is blocked again. When Kanade tries to fire the shotgun once more, Setsuka leaps forward, seizes the hatchet, and points it upward. After punching the former Ultimate Billiards Player's hand away, Kanade deflects one gunshot and breaks Setsuka's hold on her.

*WHACK!*

PEH!

*SCHWING!*

NGH! Hah-!

*SMACK!*

RRGGH!

WAAGH-!?

*WHAM!*

*Setsuka tries to punch again, but Kanade catches it with her hand. Setsuka then ducks down in time, just in time as Kanade grabs her dagger and try to sever her face. After that, Setsuka manages to disarm her by grasping the dagger, but Kanade charges through and knocks her to the ground after flinging her over her shoulder.

She's...surprisingly...strong! For someone so...little! Ugh...

Note: Adult Kanade Otononokoji is 150 cm tall. That's the same height as Himiko Yumeno. By comparison, Setsuka is a solid 20 centimeters, or 7 inches taller. So yeah, picture that hilarious little scene in your head.

...Hehehehe...

HRGH!

*WHACK!*

*BANG!*

GRGH!

*When Setsuka attempts to fire again, Kanade sidesteps her arm with a kick.

*WHOOOSH!*

Huh!?

*BRRRUMMMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUMRUM!*

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAH!

TCH!

*SMACK!*

!!?

!!?

[sonderwrit]

C121: Sincerely

I Have to Be a Great Villain - Masterpost

Author's 木火然 Weibo post:

The couple next door drives quickly* (no home base), even holding a long-distance romance (no). Next chapter will debut the adult Wang Yi! 😘😘😘 This world's XY will definitely love each other; if there's anyone to blame then blame Qin for being high-quality wood (in other words: blockhead).

*to "drive" is an euphemism for snusnu in Chinese *cough*

—

Wang Yi: Can I ask…

WY: What you're thinking right now?

[TL: is that blobby bit in there the "piece of X" that Qin Xian left in Wang Yi after feeding him himself in the last world ahhhh]

Qin Xian: Disciple seems more cheerful, but your soul hasn't changed, nor have you been resurrected from the dead.

WY: ?

S-0: ?

WY: (He's actually more concerned with whether his disciple's been soul-snatched.)

WY: Right, nothing's changed, but it's still different. If this was the old Wang Yi, he'd probably still try playing the obedient disciple to disguise his identity.

WY: But I've already "tricked" you too many times, so I don't want to hurt you anymore.

WY: (I've yet to confirm the visions in my head.)

WY: [I still don't know what S-0 means by "averting the crisis."]

WY: [I only know that Qin Xian's last few worlds weren't probably as easy as he claims. He must have been suffering most of the time.]

WY: [The same with this world.]

WY: [Even if I keep pretending, what awaits him is—]

(SCENARIO) Wang Yi: "Apologies, Master." WY: "My poison has aphrodisiac properties."

WY: [Betrayal from a disciple he gave everything to teach.]

WY: [So it's better to explain in advance since my heart can't deceive others anyways.]

WY: I said I'd pursue you.*

*implied to be romantically

WY: So no matter whether you remember the past, I'll still treat you well.

WY: (Ah, ah, why do I feel so happy just thinking of biting him.) [Looks like I still haven't calmed down yet.]

WY: You can read minds, so you should understand disciple isn't lying.

S-0: Host, what are you saying? Mr. Qin sealed his memory personally, so it's very easy for him to recover them as long as he wants to.

WY: (I really want to kiss him, bite him, and make a mess of him before swallowing him up.)

WY: (Blurred thoughts)

QX: ….

WY: If he can remember, then what's he doing right now?

S-0: Eh?

QX: Disciple.

QX: You said before for Master do [do what I want to do].

(FLASHBACK: Wang Yi telling Qin Xian he can do whatever QX wants)

QX: Were you sincere?

WY: Ah? It was sincere.

WY: (Why's he asking like that?)

WY: (Nothing to fear, I'll still chase him 'til the end of the story.)

QX: ….

S-0: So it's irrecoverable?

QX: I understand.

QX: I—

QX: Shall do as you wish.

WY: Huh?

S-0: ?

WY: (As I wish means…?)

S-0: Gahhh—

QX: For some reason, Disciple Wang Yi awakened a demon clan bloodline.

QX: It's certain that his mind is affected by primordial instincts with a tendency to deteriorate further.

WY: Hold on?

WY: What's this all of a sudden?

QX: He shall be exiled to the people,

QX: And never allowed entry into the sect again.

QX: The demon's mark has been engraved. I wish my disciple to live smoothly without worries from this day on.

WY: That's not it, Master! Whatever you want to do, I can do with you.

WY: (He wants to abandon me? What did I do wrong? He didn't even used to react when he knew I bit people.)

QX: Apologies.

QX: As long as you're here, I can't move freely. With your ability, it'll be better to live freely in the mortal world.

*WHOOOSH*

WY: Master?!

WY: Hah…?

WY: (He's never moved so quickly when we used to travel together… Was it taking my cultivation level into account?)

WY: Doesn't this…mean that I've never caught up to him.

S-0: Host!

S-0: What happened? I was blown away by the sword aura just then!

WY: (Aish, what a mess. I wasn't prepared at all.)

WY: Qin Xian seemed to have decided on something after reading my thoughts. He left a demon seal on me and left. Quick, help me check if it's got any debuffs or something. [It shouldn't have been done with malicious intentions.]

S-0: Oh, okay!

*SCANNING…*

S-0: Sigh.

WY: What?

WY: (He's got wrinkles on his forehead.)

S-0: The results of your full-body scan indicates that this is a daoist spell that [will hurt yourself as soon as you hurt others]. Yunshan Sect seems to use the sigil to identify those of other species.

WY: Oh. 

WY: It's as if he really kicked me out of the sect…

S-0: But the strange thing is, Host still has a layer of strong celestial sword aura (Tiangang Sword Aura) around him left by a high-ranking cultivator. Its function is probably to resist fatal attacks from cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage.*

*Reminder: In the cultivation world the levels are: Qi-Refining > Foundation Building > Golden Core > Nascent Soul > Immortal Ascension > Overcoming tribulation and becoming a god

DIAGRAM: "Injury Backlash Spell," "Tiangang Sword Aura" 

S-0: It'll be sensed by the caster during attack.

WY: The Tiangang Sword Aura is…Qin Xian's ability.

WY: (The huge spell formation just then didn't feel like a counterspell…)

WY: (More like…)

WY: …….

S-0: The Sword Saint might not have wanted to abandon you. Host, what were you thinking at the time?

WY: After eating the realgar and thinking about biting Qin Xian, I got a bit excited. But I quickly suppressed that thought with common sense…

S-0: Oh?

S-0: That's it?

WY: !

WY: ….

WY: I think.

WY: I know the reason now.

Wu Zhen: I know of the incident Sword Saint speaks of.

Wu Zhen: But the child you mentioned who underwent heavenly tribulation isn't my disciple.

[WU ZHEN: Yunshan Sect sect leader, early stage Nascent Soul cultivator]

Wu Zhen: He was probably using the sect's name to do evil deeds.

QX: Better send someone to investigate, this is no simple matter.

QX: (That child didn't lie regarding this point.)

Wu Zhen: ……

Wu Zhen: Since the Sword Saint insists, this really may be an anomaly. It'll be done as you said.

Wu Zhen: Speaking of which, where's your disciple? Why didn't I see him come receive the reward for slaying demons?

QX: …….

QX: My disciple left to gain experience and won't return anytime soon.

Wu Zhen: Oh? That's unlike you. How could the Sword Saint bear to let the disciple who clings to you all day suffer out in the world alone?

QX: …..mm.

QX: It's so he won't suffer.

[FLASHBACK] 

WY: (I really want to kiss him, bite him, and make a mess of him before swallowing him up.)

WY: (Urk, I can't think like that. Otherwise, the future where Qin Xian digs out my celestial bone* and tosses me down the cliff will come early.)

*In cultivation novels, those with the aptitude to cultivate are sometimes in possession of special "celestial bones".

[END FLASHBACK]

QX: That I let him go.

QX: (Wang Yi and that spiritual cat seem to be saying)

QX: (That as long as the demon bloodline exists, in the near future I will personally slay my own disciple, right?)

QX: Oh right, help me investigate how to strip demon bloodlines out of someone along the way.

Wu Zhen: Hah? Along the way?

QX: (But I—)

QX: (Don't want to do such a thing.)

[penig]

So, on my one episode a day rewatch of Good Omens prior to the airing of Season 2, yesterday was E4, "Saturday Morning Funtime," which is a hard episode to stop at the end of btw, and some ideas I've been percolating for a long time finally brewed up.

One of the most striking things about the adaptation, and why it hooked me so hard (I'd been a fan of the book for thirty years without ever feeling a need to fic about it), is the way Aziraphale and Crowley communicate in modern day. The first two episodes adhere closely to the book. We are introduced to the archangels and Beelzebub and get views of Heaven and Hell setting up the adaptation's characterization of them as competing departments occupying the penthouse and basement, respectively, of God's vast impersonal corporation, as opposed to the original Cold War analog; but otherwise those of us who have already read the book get no new information, just the pleasure of seeing familiar material onscreen.

Then comes the E3, "Hard Times" teaser, all 30 pre-credit-rolling minutes of it, and suddenly that familiar day-long conversation in which Crowley convinced Aziraphale to work with him to balance the antichrist's influences isn't the same one anymore. Suddenly every conversation they have, every communication they make to each other, is a hundred times richer. Because now you know that they talk in code - every conversation is the sort of allusion-dense, shorthand-riddled, blank-filling communication that happens between old friends, married couples, roommates, and siblings who have private conversations in public. Once you realize that "Let's do the Ritz" is a reference to the conversation in the car in 1967 - "You said maybe one day we could dine at the Ritz. Well, time is running out for it - now or never -" and add into it the significance of the revolutionary crepes, and how shared meals operate for them - well, I for one get impatient with fanfic that claims they can't communicate, and wonder what happened with the gravlax in dill sauce that got it into the opening salvo, because you can't fit much of 6000 years into a 30 minute teaser but now I know that every single item on that list of things that'll go whooosh with the earth has its own reference point in their shared past, and every harsh-sounding attempt to parry with the regurgitation of the company line, on Aziraphale's part, is a plea: Make it possible for me to do something about this.

Every conversation is like this. Every conversation has to be like this, because of the fear of surveillance by Heaven. (Crowley's electronics can ambush him at any moment, but he clearly is on a longer leash than Aziraphale; Heaven is the one we see with pictures from the Earth Observation files and each one we see is, indeed, a picture in which they are performing their conversational Dance of Deniability in order to subvert their orders). It is also, of course, a huge convenience, as any couple who has ever won a team game by exploiting their private communication system can attest.

And then it starts to break down at the Bandstand, in the very same episode, as Aziraphale tries desperately to hang onto all his disparate loyalties, dithering and lying to everybody and trying to find a better solution that covers all the bases, including protecting Crowley from his own side. Because if Crowley kills the antichrist, or is responsible for his coming to harm, Hell will destroy him unless an equally powerful force protects him. (It annoys me to see people reading the Bandstand as Aziraphale rejecting Crowley when his agreeing to run away with him would mean abandoning Earth. A lot of things are going on at the Bandstand, but rejecting each other isn't in there, even though breaking up the team is.)

Then next episode it breaks down completely, a panicked Crowley discarding the dance in order to make a direct plea, trying to save what he can from the inevitable destruction of Earth - his car, Aziraphale, and whatever Aziraphale elects to pitch into the back seat. (Of course he intended to drive his car to Alpha Centauri.) No codes, no tempting, none of his serpentine subtlety: he sees Aziraphale on the street outside his shop, screeches to a halt, and leaps out making his pitch for escape. And what does he lead with? An apology.

But Crowley never apologizes.

He never acknowledges responsibility.

Oh, sure, he "exaggerates in memos to head office." He claims credit for all sorts of evil deeds that he may or may not have had any hand in, and accepts his commendations. But from literal Day 1 he is deflecting his responsibility for anything happens, when he talks to Aziraphale; it's the very first element of the conversational dance established. If God didn't want the humans to eat the apple they shouldn't have put it on a tree in the middle of the Garden with a big "Don't Touch" sign and what's so bad about knowing the difference between Good and Evil anyway?

A lot of this excuse making is acknowledging human agency in a way that Heaven and Hell's official policies never seem to. In the "Hard Time" opening Aziraphale accuses Crowley of orchestrating the ongoing disasters in both the French Revolution and the Blitz and Crowley denies it outright - the humans thought of this themselves. In the conversation in the bookshop after Warlock's party he bemoans having been saddled with responsibility for the antichrist and makes excuses about making false claims to his bosses - the humans do these things before he can get around to tempting them, that's not his fault.

Nothing's his fault - pedestrians in London are on the street and know the risk they're taking, he didn't hit Anathema she hit him, "we lost the boy" when Aziraphale knew nothing about the delivery of the antichrist until well after the switch was complete. Before humans even enter the picture, he didn't so much fall as "saunter vaguely downward." When talking to God/himself/his empty apartment about the Fall he "only ever asked questions" and "hung around with the wrong people." Even his declining to be thanked when he does something for Aziraphale feeds into this general refusal of responsibility. He, apparently, has no agency in any of these things.

I've seen meta to the effect that, while Aziraphale lies like a rug to everybody, including Crowley, Crowley lies to everyone except Aziraphale, and that's true as far as it goes. But thanks to the code, when Aziraphale lies to Crowley (except about the location of the antichrist) he's really saying something quite different which Crowley understands, right up until the bandstand, and Crowley's excuses are also incorporated into the code. Aziraphale's accusations of wrongdoing, his pontificating about evil, "get behind me foul fiend - after you" is all ritual. A certain amount of it is probably private joking, in which Aziraphale's stern straight face is the funniest thing of all.

But what's the first thing out of Crowley's mouth in the street in front of the bookshop, surrounded by witnesses, in full view of any Heavenly or Hellish operatives who happen to be around? "I'm sorry, Angel, whatever I did, I apologize." For what? For the bandstand breakup? For being unforgivable? For being a demon, losing the antichrist, not knowing how to save the world, not tempting properly the first time he suggested running off together? You'd think what would seem to be his first ever acceptance of responsibility in 6000 years would be for something specific but nope, he just tosses it out there in the street - an apology for everything, everywhere, all at once.

You can tell the world is ending, because the Serpent of Eden is apologizing.

But Aziraphale, fresh from being mugged by archangels, in possession of truly occult knowledge, is still desperately trying to dance. He still has one last throw of the die to make before he resorts to the killing-the-antichrist-together solution that is so likely to get Crowley destroyed. So he Forgives Crowley, an apparent direct response to a direct plea, but Crowley's not dancing now, he's just desperate and for the first time ever he loses the beat and doesn't understand what Aziraphale is trying to tell him. With Crowley having disrupted the steps, it's possible that Aziraphale doesn't understand what he's trying to say, either, except that this may be the last speech of all and if that's so, he wants to give Crowley the one thing that he by definition cannot have.

Maybe he has tried to stop dancing, too, but no longer remembers how.

So they go their separate ways, Crowley to don his hazmat suit and booby trap a door, Aziraphale to call in the biggest gun of all, while Adam frightens his friends and his Dog to the point of rebellion, and the weather goes weird and everything climbs into the handbasket to go to Hell, but Shadwell rallies to save Newt (and incidentally trigger a subdisaster within the larger disaster) and Anathema decides that y'know, there's worse ways to go out than orgasms with a hapless virgin witchfinder so let's do something fun and life-affirming during the tornado like Agnes predicted, and she can sort out what the implications of that are if there's a later.

It's really hard to stop watching at the end of this episode.

I wonder if I've gotten to the bottom of those conversations yet.

[osakaso5]

Nagi, Ryunosuke, & Torao Shuffle Talk Part 1: Nagi, Ryunosuke, & Torao

Part 2 | Part 3

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Brrr... The wind sure is cold today...

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Ah, good morning, you two! Sorry for making you wait out here!

Torao Mido: Ah, Ryunosuke... It's fine, we didn't wait long.

Nagi Rokuya: No problem. You are not late.

Nagi Rokuya: Besides, this temperature is nothing special to me. Springtime in Northmare is more or less this cold.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I knew North Europe was cold, but I had no idea it was THAT cold! I guess you really are used to freezing temperatures, Nagi-kun... I just can't stop shivering!

Nagi Rokuya: At the same time, you can enjoy the summer heat, while the sun's rays make me run for the hills.

Nagi Rokuya: It would seem we specialize in very much the opposite conditions.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Ahaha, I guess so!

Torao Mido: .........

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: ...Torao-kun, why are you being so quiet? Are you cold, too?

Torao Mido: Ah, no... I'm fine, I just...

Torao Mido: ..........

Torao Mido: ...Ryunosuke, is there anything you'd like?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Huh!?

Torao Mido: You're cold, right? I could get you a hot coffee, at the very least.

Torao Mido: Or would you rather I buy you a down coat? I'm acquaintances with a brand designer. Their coats are thick enough to keep you warm, even in mid-winter Manhattan.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Huh? No, I'm good..! I may be cold, but I can buy my own coats just fine..!

Nagi Rokuya: Mido-shi! If you are going shopping, I think a full director's cut Cocona blu-ray box set would be a great treat!

Torao Mido: What are you talking about..?

Nagi Rokuya: OH! Do you not buy things to treat yourself!?

Torao Mido: Treat myself..? I just wanted to get something for Ryunosuke...

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Ah...

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Torao-kun, there's no need to be nervous. We're here to have a fun shoot!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I was really excited about today, you know!

Torao Mido: Ryunosuke... Thank you.

Torao Mido: I look forward to today's shoot, too.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Great!

[Whooosh...]

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Brrr..! But it really is cold out here..!

Nagi Rokuya: Is it, really? You leave me with no choice, then.

Nagi Rokuya: Here. You may both use these, just this once.

Torao Mido: Heater packs, huh. I didn't think someone as supposedly fine with cold weather as you would use this kind of stuff.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: And they're Cocona heater packs! So toasty... Thank you, Nagi-kun and Cocona-chan!

Nagi Rokuya: You are most welcome. With Cocona by your side, the cold will be no match for you.

Film Staff: There you all are! We're terribly sorry for making you wait out in this cold..!

Film Staff: It's a pleasure to be filming Antique Treasure Hunt! with you all today.

Nagi, Ryunosuke, & Torao: Thanks for having us.

Film Staff: That's the antique store we'll be filming at today. First, we'll do an exterior shot where you explain the basics of the project for our viewers.

Film Staff: Let's get started right away!

Nagi, Ryunosuke, & Torao: Yes, sir! 

- - - -

Film Staff: We're rolling! Action!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Hello! For this off-shoot of Antique Treasure Hunt!, we'll be your reporters!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I'm TRIGGER's Ryunosuke Tsunashi...

Nagi Rokuya: Hi! I am IDOLiSH7's Nagi Rokuya!

Torao Mido: Hey there, I'm ŹOOĻ's Torao Mido. This here's the antique shop we'll be visiting.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: What an elegant place! I can already see all kinds of fancy furniture and trinkets from the window.

Nagi Rokuya: It certainly looks like a treasure trove! Our mission here is to find an antique item we like.

Torao Mido: And that's not all, right?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Nope! In addition to our antique hunt, we'll also play a game of werewolf!

Nagi Rokuya: How exciting! I am great at werewolf!

Nagi Rokuya: I have never once lost a match, even against my online friends!

Torao Mido: Hmm. So you're a veteran player. Mind telling me what kind of game it is?

Nagi Rokuya: OK! Allow me to explain the rules!

Nagi Rokuya: First, the players are split into villagers and werewolves. The wolves infiltrate the villagers' ranks and eat them, and it is the villagers' job to catch the wolves!

Nagi Rokuya: If all the wolves are discovered, the villagers win. If all the villagers get eaten, the wolves win!

Torao Mido: That sounds simple enough.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: It's simple, but also nerveracking. If you're the werewolf, you have to be careful not to get caught...

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: And I'm really bad at lying to people..!

Nagi Rokuya: Do not think of it as lying, think of it as a strategy that will help you enjoy the game.

Nagi Rokuya: Besides, we are not here for any ordinary game of werewolf. Our main objective is still the antique hunt.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Yeah, apparently! We'll each have to find an antique we like before we do anything else.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Only the wolf among us has had their item chosen for them.  

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: There's a fake antique hidden in the store, and the wolf's item will be that one.

Nagi Rokuya: Hmm... And we are to ascertain whether the items are fake or not?

Torao Mido: And the one who chose a fake antique is automatically the wolf, I see.

Torao Mido: That's a pretty clever way to find the imposter.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: ...Exactly! Good guess, both of you!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: The showrunners have already decided which one of us will be the wolf. They're going to tell the wolf their role after this.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Ugh... I'm still really nervous..!

Nagi Rokuya: I am excited!

Torao Mido: OK, so that's all for the rules. Sounds like a fun game.

Torao Mido: I've been staring at authentic antiques ever since I was a kid. I'd say I'm pretty good at appraising them.

Nagi Rokuya: Indeed. This will be a nice brain exercise!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I'm still nervous... but I'll try my best, too! Let's have a good game!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Time to go inside and start hunting!

Nagi Rokuya: YES!

Torao Mido: Yeah.

End of Part 1.

[psychicpanic]

hiii :3c today i had a really hard time with the demon trying to convince me that he will be in my life for as long as i live, etc etc and felt like really bad abt it until i asked archangel michael for help. WHOOOSH problem solved. the demon cowered away and i got to talk to my angels for a while. if was very nice. hopefully tomorrow will be better too

[maximummusesarch]

Fire! The jack-o'-lanterns are on fire, Scott! Not in the way jack-o'-lanterns are normally on fire with a little candle inside. No, this is a fiery conflagration of pumpkins doused in gasoline and lit by a match, or... something going on with mutant powers. The pumpkins stare at him with shriveling, despairing faces... right before the fire spreads to the trunk of a nearby tree.

From nearby, a student who definitely isn't old enough to be drinking cries out, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Summers!!"

WHOOOSH! Fire! Fire! Fire!

Scott Summers can only sigh to himself. Maybe a little too loudly but still sighing to himself nevertheless. The fire is a problem already, but that can easily be taken care of, provided he made sure Bobby got the right information.

Then he looks at the student and sighs again, this time even louder. Quickly, he swipes the drink out of the student's hand. One whiff is all the confirmation Scott needs, and he recoils away due to the smell.

For someone who is straight edge, Scott has been thinking I need a drink an awful lot.

"Go back to your room. I'll have a meeting with you about this in the morning."

[larrysballetslippers]

LIYAAAH you're my favourite strawberry idk why i said that you're very sweet tho nom nom here to give you a cuddle and be embarrassing so you'll either smile or cringe idk but hope it makes whatever (if there's anything tho i hope not) mean run away from your brain like whooosh

im sorry I'm sleep deprived rn and hyperactive on a lot of sugar but i love you even when i turn insane so it doesn't matter ! :)

Hello hello my lovely🥺🥺 Thank you for the cuddle and the sweet words, you're my favourite blueberry 🥰🥰🥰 I smiled and felt very warm inside so thank you☺️ Not the best day, hormones are just annoying my body (pms stuff fun fun). You made my night much better 💜💜💜 Go to sleep, hope you can sleep well. Maybe drink some hot milk? That might help! Love love love you too💙💞

[angstyaches]

!!!! Definitely excited to see what you've written!!! Also I hope you enjoy seeing your family again (even if it's still a few months aways). Sending good vibes

*whoooshes the good vibes to you*

- VFP anon

Thank you!! *stirs the good vibes into my coffee lol*

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Deactivated.

Hrrggh...GRRGH!

*Sparks continue to fly off the heavy door as Kuripa’s sword carves through it.

Kuripa Kurafto!

Oh, good, you’re here! I almost got it, give me a hand!

Right!

*Munakata readies his blade and they both stand back.

On three! One...two...!

HIYAAGH!

*SLASH!* *WHAM!*

*Simultaneously, Munakata and Kuripa slice open the door with their swords. Kuripa reels back and kicks it out of place, with the two of them and their accompanying soldiers storming into the landing platform.

Up there!

HIKARU ANDO!

!!!??

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

GRRGH!

*By the time they burst in, the platform with the getaway chopper on it is already climbing, with Ando still up there trying to power up the chopper. Upon realizing that the Future Foundation have burst through, he starts shooting down at them with a revolver. They all dodge and look up at him.

Soldier: He’s getting away!

Soldier: How are we gonna get up there without grapples!?

...Throw me...!

Huh?

KURIPA KURAFTO! THROW ME!

!!!??

*WHOOOSH!*

OOPH!

*At his insistence, Kuripa grabs Munakata by his suit and spins around, throwing him up into the air like a ball in a hammer throw. Munakata flies up high enough and grabs onto the ledge of the platform, heaving himself up onto it.

...Hehehehe!

!!!??

*Ando lowers his gun, and instead reaches into his pocket, pulling out three parasite grenade like the one’s he used on Shuichi and Kyoko earlier.

!!!??

*Upon seeing the grenades, Munakata starts to panic.

Hold your fire! If Ando drops any more of those worms, we’re finished!

OLD MAN! SNAP THE FUCK OUT OF IT!

TAKE THIS!

!!?

*Kuripa’s shout, combined with Ando’s declaration, snaps Munakata back to reality. As the doctor lobs the three bombs at the one-eyed enforcer, Munakata lets go of the platform and flies backwards, catching the grenades as he falls.

OOF! Hah!

*He lands and rolls on the ground, catching the last grenade before it explodes upon impact.

Phew!

You alright!?

Yes...I’m sorry.

For what, saving our lives? Don’t worry, I got this! HAH!

*Kuripa rushes towards the wall of the chamber, light shining down on him as the landing hatch starts to open. He jumps high into the air and plunges his sword into the wall, utilizing his body weight and yanking himself upwards with his arm strength. He uses his momentum to run up the wall, then bounds off it, tucking and rolling on the landing platform.

Haha...Always a show off...

Grrgh!

...!

*Once again, Kuripa and Ando square down, Ando pointing his gun at Kuripa while Kuripa points the tip of his blade at him.

Drop your weapon, Dr Ando...

Why in God’s name would I do that?

Well for one...you’re out of bullets.

!!??

*click!* *click!* *click!*

*Ando panics and tries to fire, only to find out Kuripa is right. The platform grinds to a halt once 

What? I know how to count.

...O-Oh yeah...!? Hmph...

*Ando drops his gun and pulls something out of his pocket.

In that case...

*He triumphantly pulls out a handful of live parasites, wriggling in his hands.

UGH! Gross! You’re like the kid in Year 1 who put worms in his pocket!

You wanna count!? COUNT HOW MANY PARASITES ARE GONNA BE INSIDE YOU!

!!!?

*Kuripa readies his blade as Ando raises the parasites above his head.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! YEAH YEAH! HAHAHAHA!

SUIICIIDE DIIIIIIIIIIIIVVEEE!!!

*WHAAAAAAAAM!*

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!!!

Grgh! DAGH!

*Out of nowhere, Eden shows up out of nowhere and tackles Ando to the ground before he can throw the worms. The force of her dive is so strong, Ando loses his grip, and the worms fly into the air. Kuripa drops his sword and dives to catch them before they hit the ground, crushing them in his grip as soon as they enter his hand.

Uugh...NO! MY RESEARCH! MY-OOPH!

You ain’t goin’ nowhere buddy!

*Eden’s dive forces Ando to drop his case full of parasites. He struggles to retrieve it, but Eden turns him over and stamps on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Kuripa grabs his blade and points it at Ando’s face, standing alongside Eden.

You know, I changed my mind. You are DEFINITELY Akane’s sister.

This isn’t over! You’re out of time!

*He raises his wrist timer and shows it to his two captees.

...

...

The bombs will go off and we’re all going to evolve! HAHAHAHA! YES YES HAHAHAHA! HAAAA-

*Powering down noises.*

...!

...!

Wh...What happened?

Bomb Squad: Deactivated ma’am. And with plenty of time to spare~

Good Job.

*inhale*

AAAAAAAHH! 

*Kaede lets out a sigh, or more accurately a cry, of relief.

That was...TOO close for comfort...!

*As Shuichi slumps against the wall and rolls down it, Kaede takes her comm and activates it.

Everyone, this is Kaede. We’ve retrieved the last bomb from the Monokubs and it’s been deactivated.

Good work Kaede Akamatsu. Kuripa Kurafto. Did you get Dr Hikaru Ando?

Deactivated as well. Thanks to Miss Owari here.

Aw shucks.

Kaede, you got Shuichi and Kyoko?

They’re both right next to me.

I’m ok too by the way. Thanks for asking.

Hehe...

...Nggh...

//Dr Ando has been captured.//