#zack is going something im not sure i could ever do

[yerifes]

hm, anyways... get hype for hitball!!

[fluffytheocelot]

Hello it’s extremely late oops. Did not realize how long this thing would take (28 and a half hours apparently according to procreate lmao) but finally, here it is!

Carmen Week Day 8: La Femme Rouge

Holy crap that was a lot of characters! For day 8 I wanted to draw all the ways I've drawn/imagined Carmen over the last 5 years! There are many I didn't do for one reason or another, but it mainly boiled down to space lol. These 10 (11 including canon Carmen) are (most) of my favorites of my AUs :)

this turned out so cool im putting it in a frame when i get a chance lol

Info and solo drawings for each under the cut! it is. so long lol

as usual, i'll gladly answer asks about em :) i have plans to write a few for sure, but it's gonna be A While for them lol

Cat:

Both a Warriors AU and also just my "_____ as a cat" style!

This ones a lot less fleshed out so just bear with me lol. (ATM there might only be 2 clans, ACME and VILE, idk yet lol. idk what to name em either cos stickin "clan" on the end don't feel right XD)

In the Warriors AU, Sheeppaw grows up learning 2 contradictory versions of the Warrior Code: The true one from Shadowstalk, and the VILE version from older warriors. She gets made an apprentice a couple moons early, but is relegated only to camp duties until shes 6 moons old.

She trains alongside Cracklepaw, Tigerpaw, Molepaw, Goatpaw, and Silentpaw. At her first gathering she meets another apprentice, maybe a few moons older, from the other clan: Jewelpaw. The two hit it off and become good friends (and develop little mutual crushes). Sheeppaw also sneaks out and meets a kittypet: Player, who she also becomes very good friends with.

When her mentor, the deputy, Shadowstalk fails her on her final warrior assessment she pretty much has most of the same reaction as the show, just in the WC style.

After witnessing a murder, she hightails it out of there and encounters the newly named Crackletail. Panicked, she hastily and vaguely tells him she saw something and needs to Leave.

She makes it to Players yard and lays low for a while, and he introduces her to the neighbor cats, a sibling pair named Zack and Ivy. The four brainstorm and Sheeppaw is renamed Carmen. They know they cant let VILE keep doing what they're doing. So rogue Carmen and her kittypet friends start figuring things out from behind the scenes.

Pirate Cat:

Exactly as it says, bipedal cat world. Black Sheep was dropped off at a random orphanage in England, with a small stuffed black sheep (where she got her name). Since everybody are cats, Black Sheep isn't that atypical of a name. Sorta a mix of normal people names and cat names.

She grows up there alongside her self-appointed older brother Graham. When she's about 10-11ish she meets the princess: Julia Argent. Childhood friends to lovers letsgoo (its a recurring theme in these lol. its cute i like it).

The two eventually get together (in secret, yay homophobia and also societal status) It doesn't help that Black Sheep had a habit of getting in trouble so she could see the princess her princess.

The two get caught one night, and Black Sheep is nearly executed for "corrupting royalty", but Julia manages to talk her father down from that. Instead, she is exiled. If she ever sets foot in the kingdom after dawn, she WILL be killed this time.

Julia visits one last time, and Black Sheep promises to return someday when she finds somewhere where they can be together freely. She gives Julia her stuffed sheep to look after while she's gone, and asks her to take care of Fuega while she's gone (on one of their sneak-outs, they found a baby dragon that Julia managed to convince her dad to let her keep). Julia gives her the triangle choker. yay tearful goodbyes ;-;

Black Sheep and Graham (because no way is he letting his little sister go into exile without him) go from place to place, stealing when they need to and end up accidentally stowing away on a VILE pirate ship.

VILE pirate training to avoid death, they escape. Graham appoints the newly named Carmen Sandiego captain of their little ship, and they also pick up Zack, Ivy, and Player along the way. Carmen becomes very well known around the globe: civilians/lower class people see her as a Robin Hood hero (correct), while most royals and nobles see her as nothing but a filthy pirate (incorrect).

A few years go by when suddenly the crew gets word that the King of England is trying to marry off his daughter, who has recently come of age. Cue panicked race home + childhood lover reunion.

Daughter of Poseidon (Carmen Sandiego and the Olympians):

Percy Jackson AU! Replace Percy with Carmen, Grover with Player, Annabeth with Julia, and switch/move around some plot points and that's about it lol. I keep telling myself I'll do some scene rewrites of this one so we'll see. Includes PJO and HOO acting as prequels for Carmen Sandiego. Def wanna do dome rewrites for the canon show for this AU too lol

Dino Squad:

I'm out here combining one obscure kids show with another lol. If you haven't seen it, Dino Squad is this early 2000s animated show about these 5 teenagers that get mutated and can turn into dinosaurs, and go around stopping the bad guy from turning everything into dinosaurs. (I think the entire series may be on youtube lol. its goofy but man i loved it as a kid. i wanted dino powers so bad)

This is basically a high school au but most of Team Red has dinosaur powers. :P

In this, Dr. Bellum is experimenting with bringing dinosaurs back, but instead of just cloning them, she figures out how to mutate already-existing organisms into others.

(in the OG dino squad, the bad guy IS a dinosaur that evolved into a human--long story--and believes everything should still be dinosaurs. hes technically right, tbf, if the meteor hadn't hit they prolly still WOULD be dinosaurs. why does bellum want dinosaurs? because she's Bellum and she Can lol)

Carmen Wolfe and her twin brother Graham (they're fraternal twins. why? bc i thought it would be funny. yes he still has his accent. its my world i do what i want) are raised by Carlotta and Dexter Wolfe in Kittery Point, Maine. Carlotta is a paleontologist/biologist and Dexter is a history and geography teacher at the high school. They do know of VILE and what Bellum was working on and have been monitoring it in secret from the kids.

Carmen and Julia are those friends that met bc they were both hiding under the slide in like. Preschool and just stayed friends lol. They're the kind of best friends that will just. Show Up. usually Julia at Carmen's house because "You have better snacks" also Julia's parents just Don't Like Carmen. (Why? idk bc i said so. idk they think she's a bad influence. she's really not lol) Literally Julia has like a spot on the couch and a table setting. She's basically the third twin these three have known each other essentially their entire lives.

Zack and Ivy joined the group in middle school, when Ivy had the same class as Carmen, Julia, and Gray. Zack joined via association. (Zack and Ivy, on the other hand are not twins. again. bc its funny. each sibling pair thought the other was like them. zack and ivy thought Carmen and Gray were just normal siblings, and Carmen and Gray thought Zack and Ivy were twins. Julia had to explain to all of them it was not the case lol)

Player is Carmen's online friend that the whole group includes. they all game together and he gets ALL the public school tea. hes about the same age as Zack, so about a year-ish younger than Carmen, Gray, Ivy, and Julia.

At the end of their freshman year, Carmen and Julia start dating. Their friends and Carmen's parents know, they keep it secret from everyone else. At the end of the summer everybody (aside from Player) go to the beach for one last day of freedom before school starts. They swim through the mutant goo, and over the next few days discover their powers.

Carlotta IDs each dino: Carmen is a (large/person sized) pyroraptor, Gray is a T. rex, Julia is a troodon, and I still cant decide on Zack and Ivy's dino forms lol. Carlotta and Dexter explain the whole VILE thing and the group just kinda simultaneously goes "welp guess we're superheroes now. cool"

so yea dealing w highschool and also mutant dinosaurs and superpowers. this ones fun bc they can just be stupid kids lol

The Last Wolf:

My werewolf AU. The one that started all this mess and my love for making AUs of this show. It was my first fanfic i ever wrote, and it is very near to my heart. it's also gotten out of hand and become a franchise at this point it's ridiculous. (Seriously i've got a prequel of her parents planned and also a series of shorts set in the universe) It's gonna be a long ride, boys. Hope people still like CS by the time it's done lol

A Thief's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse:

Zombie apocalypse AU! Talked about this one a bit for AU day, and also as of this post I have ~1k words written of the first chapter! I also have a bunch of the major plot points outlined too ;) I wouldn't expect anything soon tho lol.

She wears a wetsuit under the coat bc it's really hard to bite through, especially with rotten jaws. She's got some boots she probably scavenged or traded for, and of course: the Walkman she probably found looting some abandoned building. She collects cassettes to listen to. Gotta keep sane in the end of the world.

How is this one a literal apocalypse and its still more lighthearted than the one based on FNAF lol

Redd Wolf (Five Nights at Redd's):

FNAF AU. I've truly lost it lol. I have this one completely outlined, nothing written but a lot of things are VERY clear in my mind. This ones uh. a lot more intense than even Thief's Guide. It's FNAF. its immense violence and child death. Seriously, Carmen, Player, Gray, Ivy, Zack, and Julia all end up possessing animatronics at some point. It ends happily, but it is based off a horror thing so if that's not your thing b careful <3

its supposed to be more of a mystery that gets unraveled, but if anyone wants specifics of it u can drop an ask :) i only have animatronic designs for Carmen, Julia, and Gray so far tho. I have ideas for the others too.

This is one I wanna share with y'all at some point. its probably the shortest of the AUs I have outlined so far, so yk. maybe in this lifetime lol.

Carmen and the Age of Wonderbeasts:

Mega Jaguar Carmen. This ones more of a ~vibe~ than an actual plot but i like drawing mega jag carm :)

Plushie Dragon:

This one's not an AU, but actually based on doodles of these 2 plush dragons! Matching red/gold and blue/silver dragons named after carmen and julia lol. I'll get around to posting more drawings of em cause they're cute

the plushies <3 (they have spikes u just cant see em:

ik they look goofy i lov them anyways

Wings of Fire:

Wings of Fire AU! Carmen is a rainwing/skywing hybrid (rainwing dad, skywing mom) She can camoflauge, fly decently fast, and has a prehensile tail. She can't breathe fire or use typical venom, BUT she figures out her venom, while not face-melting by itself, IS in fact flammable. again, more of a ~vibe~ than a story and plot, but I like drawing dragons.

Canon Carmen:

She's front and center, the one that started all this.

Way back in 2019, the autism and ADHD departments in my brain came to an agreement: This show is the greatest show of all time.

It was the first fandom I actively contributed to/interacted with. (I still read fics from other fandoms before, but had never been active in a fandom) Like I mentioned with Last Wolf, I had never actually written fanfiction before, and definitely never posted it. I love writing and telling stories (and boy howdy do I have A Lot of stories rolling around my brain). between all of the AUs ive come up with, I've gotten to practice so much worldbuilding and characterization. English classes usually focused on expository stuff, with like. a brief fiction writing thing. So I've definitely gotten to stretch my creative writing muscles with this show, and hopefully I can put em to use on original projects someday <3

I fell in love with the first season, and got ridiculously excited for every new season and the interactive. (heck, i played every possible option for the interactive the day it came out, and binged every subsequent season the day they aired.)

This show has been a big part of my life the last five years, and the original show will always be special to me. It's the reason I started learning to draw people lol, I have a drawing of Carmen from 2020 that I'm still really proud of. It's hung on my bedroom wall to this day.

So thank you, Carmen Sandiego. For everything.

[isaacapatow]

* * #SOLAR PANEL YARD WITH @davxdalexander & @zackastor

in which zack spills the beans about ike covering for mayra; david decides to let zack back among the hunters; and things get closer to the status quo

Ike: So I wanted to talk to you. About Zack. -chews his bottom lip for a moment, looking at david- Away from most everyone, that's why we came out here.

David Alexander: -David raises an eyebrow at him- Yeah, I was starting to wonder why you wanted to talk all the way out here. What do you want to talk to me about with him?

Ike: Well, I think you got some idea, Davey. I hear the come-to-Jesus talk you and Little Big Boss tried to have with 'im didn't go so good. Which is why he ended up on the road with me.

David Alexander: Yeah, that's putting it lightly. And I'm taking it he was just as lippy with you as he was with me.

Ike: -shrugs- I think he's got a different approach with both of us. I wanted to know -- did you send him to me? Was that something the two of you decided on?

David Alexander: No. I told him that I'd be willing to find a compromise and figure out how to work with each other and if he didn't want to do that he could find a new job. He's the one that walked out and chose to come to you.....why?

Ike: -snickers a little when david describes the talk, shaking his head and looking down before giving david a derisive grin- ...seriously? You seriously thought trying to pull the "I'm so reasonable and sensible" talk would work with that guy? God damn, Davey. You sure did choose a personality outta the box and try to stick to it, huh.

David Alexander: -David sighs and runs his hand down his face- Is there a point to all of this, Ike? I doubt you pulled me all the way out here to crack jokes about my lack of personality.

Ike: Yeah, you're right. That's just a bonus. -rubs his thumb against the corner of his jaw for a moment- What's your read on him? Has he told you much about his past? I know he ran with a pack of his own, the Wolves. I know Nicki was with 'em for a while and I'll likely talk to her, too. I wanna know if he told you anything direct, or if he did anything that stood out to you.

David Alexander: I know he was former Marine and deployed. He didn't tell me that - he didn't have to. We can spot a combat vet a mile away. I knew about the Wolves and something happened to them, but nothing outside of that.

Ike: Great. -grinds his teeth, looking pissed- So nothing about what motivates the guy.

Zack Astor: -he was out on a run, nothing unusual for him, when he spots Isaac and David; furrows his brows slightly before he puts on a smile as he makes his way up to them- Well, didn't think I'd ever seen you two have a secret meeting. The hell are you doing here? Something wrong with the solar panels?

Ike: Solar panels ain't what's got something wrong with 'em.

Zack Astor: -keeps on smiling- Pretty mean of you, Ike. David can't help it.

David Alexander: If you find that out, you let me know. -he looks over and spots Zack running to them. He's ready to just pass it off as a chat but he hears Ike's reply and sighs before running his hand down his face. He has a feeling this is not going to end pleasantly-

Ike: -presses his lips into a tight not-quite-smile at Zack- The two of us are having a performance review of your work, Zack. And you're falling down hard on the 'disposition and teamwork' section.

Zack Astor: Oh really? Well -claps his hands, his grin becoming slightly mocking- I'm all ears. Tell me, what can I do to be better? Offer complimentary blowjobs? Kiss your asses some more?

David Alexander: -David inwardly groans- Maybe lay off the sarcasm for a moment, alright? Look, whether you like it or not but we all need to work together and we can't do that if there's a constant butting of heads.

Ike: --and see, now, I might like the blowjobs and ass kissing.

David Alexander: Not helpful, Ike

Zack Astor: -casts a quick glance at Ike- Sorry pal, you gonna have to be the one sucking my dick. -he turns back to David- Last time I checked, I'm pretty fucking good at my job and getting shit done. I don't see a damn problem.

Ike: -spreads his hands in a shrug- That's exactly my point. Now, you don't gotta like both of our styles, buckaroo, but you gotta pick one. And you gotta fuckin' abide by it. You're not a free agent out there beyond the gates anymore, doing whatever the hell you want. That's the problem.

Zack Astor: Do I now? -he steps up to Ike, barely a few inches away; he lowers his voice- Or what, Ike?

David Alexander: -as soon as Zack toes up to Ike David puts his arm in to push them apart- This ain't the fucking wild west, alright? Zack, back off.

Ike: -rocks back half a step and starts breathing again-

Zack Astor: -turns his eyes onto David- We're just talking David. Nothing more. -notes Ike's reaction with a slight grin- I'm doing my job. David, you just don't like it that I'm not in awe of your tough guy routine. Ike... well, you know what I think is wrong with you. So, I suggest you take it or fucking leave it.

David Alexander: Right, because going toe-to-toe with someone is just talking. You were goading him and I am not explaining to anyone why fists were thrown. -he can feel the tension in the air- See, that's where you're wrong, Zack. I don't care if your impressed. I ain't here to impress anybody. Like you, I'm here to do my job. So is Ike but we can't be doing our jobs when you're fighting us every step of the way. So maybe you need to take a look at yourself and figure out what you're willing to deal with. Telling us that we just need to deal with your attitude is not how we work as a team.

Zack Astor: Wasn't goading him either. -turns away from Ike to stare at David- Don't be so damn dramatic, David. Never got us wrapped up in danger, now did I? Like I said, I do my job, and I'm damn good at it. I'm just not kissing your ass. And -he grabs Ike's shoulder- Ike and I get along pretty fucking good on raids. Don't we Ike?

Ike: The raids ain't the trouble. It's the after. -doesn't protest as Zack jostles him, just angles out of his grip once it stops- Being good at your job is the bare minimum. You were military. You know what it's like when there's one hump in the platoon who nobody else wants to be on lookout with. That's you, hombre.

Zack Astor: So, let me get this straight. Your problem with me seriously is that I'm not nice enough? Are you fucking shitting me?

David Alexander: It's not about being nice - it's about be civil and being a team player. You don't gotta like us but you gotta work with us.

Ike: Believe me, nobody's rushing to call me 'nice'. -inclines his head at david to include the other man's comments- You're hard to want around. And this is survival situations. People gotta want you around for you to be on one of our details. Otherwise you're gonna have to choose a job around town and only answer to Ermano. 

Zack Astor: Fucking hell. You're serious. -regards them both with narrowed eyes- So, you're threatening to throw me out. If that's what you mean, have some fucking balls and say it.

Ike: Nobody's throwing you out. That's not what we do here. It's a reassignment, at most.

Zack Astor: You're gonna throw me out of the raiders. -scoffs- I get along pretty damn good with the other hunters. Jake's never had a problem with me. Nicki and I get along well enough. It's just you two. And because of that, you're trying to put me on desk duty instead of letting me do what I'm fucking good at.

David Alexander: Have you not been listening? What part of compromising and finding common ground have you not understood? I told you before, I don't mind you being a hunter but if you are we need to find a way to work together. You decided to go off to the raiders instead. And now Ike here is having the same problem. You gotta work with us, not mouthing off at every little thing we say or do.

Ike: -abruptly- No, it's -- it's more than that. I could handle the lip, I don't give a fuck about him opening up a mouth to me. And yeah, your work's good. -stares at zack, intently, for a long moment- It's more than that.

David Alexander: Well, you've always been an enigma, Ike.

Zack Astor: -stares at Isaac, licking his lip- It is. And that's nothing your intervention can fix, Ike.

David Alexander: -David is looking between the two of them in confusion- Someone want to explain what is going on, then?

Zack Astor: -grinning- If Ike wants me to, I'll gladly will.

Ike: -giving Zack a heavy, dark look; he swallows, saying painfully- Zack here took me behind the woodshed a little while back. When I had... -gestures at his face, a few lingering shades of bruises and cuts from the beating he took- ...he's the one knocked me around. It's not important why. But it's not a precedent he gets to set, in dealing with shit.

Zack Astor: -raises his eyebrows- It's pretty damn important why, Ike. You just don't like the why.

Ike: It's not important why.

David Alexander: -David sighs loudly as he runs his hand down his face- Ike is right - the why ain't fucking important. Jesus god damn Christ. There ain't no good reason to be yanking people around and fist fighting. Is that how you ran things with your old group? If so, that shit needs to stop because that's not how we handle things here.

Zack Astor: No. No I didn't run things like that with the wolves. -Zack leans back slightly, casting a gaze from David to Ike- But none of my wolves were stupid enough to protect people who could be a danger to us.

Ike: -his lip ripples in warning to Zack, but he doesn't say anything-

David Alexander: -David moves his gaze from Zack to Ike with a questioning sort of gaze- Ike?

Zack Astor: -shrugs at Isaac's glance, slight grin on his face- Ball's in your court, Ike.

Ike: Ball's in my court. Oh-kaay. If you believe that, Zack ... -raises his eyebrows, mouth turned down- ...then the ball was in my court for the other thing, too. That's what happens when you've been put in charge of shit around here, you get to make some decisions, unilaterally. -bites back a sneer, but just barely- Now -- you got to smack me around for it, but you don't get to call the shots.

Zack Astor: -stares at Isaac, unwavering- Tell me - is Mayra really that good of a fuck?

Ike: -blinks back at him- You wouldn't understand even if I told you.

Zack Astor: Ah, that's where you're wrong. -puts his hands into his pockets, letting a breath whistle out between his teeth- Just that my people didn't get as lucky as yours did.

Ike: Well. I'm sorry about that. I truly fuckin' am. But you don't get to ride roughshod over us to make up for it, man.

Zack Astor: -narrows his eyes slightly- I'm not making up for shit, Ike. That's the thing you don't understand. Letting Mayra get away scott-free is asking for something worse to be coming through that wall next time. Because people like you -he points at Ike- protect people like her.

Ike: -freezes, then turns away, rubbing his face- Ahhhh, shit, Zack.

David Alexander: -David has remained pretty silent to try and figure out what the hell is going on but he's only getting more questions than answers- Ike....what did Mayra do?

Zack Astor: -his expression darkens slightly, the grin has disappeared a long time ago- I warned you.

Ike: Please don't. Just ... there's no point. Don't do it.

Zack Astor: -cast a glance at David, before steadying his gaze back on Ike- The hole in the wall was Mayra's. She was the one who kept it a secret for god knows how long. Ike was just the one who took the fall.

David Alexander: -David's arms that had been crossed across his chest fall in disbelief. He glances between the two of them, not exactly sure what to say. Jesus Christ, what did he just get in the middle of?-

Ike: -slightly bolstered by david's lack of reaction, looks at zack- There you go. You managed to spill your secret and it doesn't even matter.

Zack Astor: Do you really think that? After how hard you tried to keep it a secret from everyone? -puts his hands back into his pockets, a tension in his body- Tell me Ike - does she feel sorry? Do you think she understands how easily she could have gotten everyone killed? Can you say that and believe it?

Ike: It doesn't matter. David isn't gonna tell anybody.

Zack Astor: So you can't. -he tilts his head- Let David decide that. And even then, I still know, Ike.

David Alexander: -David has a bunch of questions for Ike but he also knows it would be better not to ask them in front of Zack- Zack, can you give us a minute? Ike, a word. -motions with his head to walk away from Zack for a minute so he can get to the bottom of this without Zack adding his two cents-

Ike: -reluctantly walks aside with david- It makes sense, Davey. It wouldn't be good for the town if everyone knew Mayra was using that hole in the fence for god knows how long. It's cleaner to let people believe I just fucked up in reporting it.

David Alexander: -David sighs as he looks over at Zack for a minute- I'm not arguing with you on that, but if I'm gonna know, I need to know and then we need to decide what we're going to do about Zack because obviously he thinks he's holding something over your head.

Ike: I don't know what to do. There's nothing to stop him from telling other people.

David Alexander: Well....if he's trying to blackmail you then maybe we need to keep him away from you. Can't exactly use his leverage if he doesn't know when to use it. But we can't exactly just reassign him again.... -he sighs with a long groan- How bad is this, Ike?

Ike: -gnaws on his bottom lip for a moment- Bad. I don't care if people think it was my fault, I can take it. I don't want anybody confronting Mayra about it because she's liable to ... I dunno. I don't know. She's liable to take it hard and do something. To herself, maybe even.

David Alexander: -David takes a deep breath and nods- Alright.....alright, this is what we'll do. I'll put him back on the hunters, get him away from you and then I can keep an eye on him. Does anyone else outside of you, me and Zack know? 

Ike: Jemma and Ermano both know. So that's most of the Council. All of us except Renee.

David Alexander: Well, maybe we need to tell Renee then, too. So that way the Council knows and they can handle anything that may or may not come up if Zack decides to start blabbing.

Ike: -deflated- Yeah. That makes sense. -looks over at zack- I really, really don't want him spreading this around town. But maybe him being back on the hunters would help. He'd get something he wants.

David Alexander: I can see that and I understand why. Ain't no reason to cause unnecessary panic in the town. Everyone is already on edge enough and we don't need a witch hunt. So I'll leave you to inform the Council and I'll....-he sighs- I'll deal with the Zack problem.

Ike: Okay. I'm ... I think I'm gonna have to go talk to Mayra about this. -sighs in an echo of david- Can I leave you here with him?

David Alexander: Yeah, you probably should. -David glances at Zack and nods before stuffing his hands in his pockets- Yeah, yeah I'll take care of Zack. -he thinks about adding a you owe me for this to the end of it but decides against it- Just go take care of your end and I'll deal with mine.

Ike: -gratefully- Thanks, man. -claps david on the shoulder and lopes off, without looking back-

David Alexander: -David nods and waits for Ike to saunter off before bracing himself as he walks back over to Zack- Good news, Zack, you're back on the hunters.

Zack Astor: -casts a glance at David, eyes narrowed- What did you and Ike talk about?

David Alexander: You and what to do about this little secret of his. He's gonna go tell the rest of the Council and I get the luxury of having you back in the hunter party. You should consider that a win, Zack. I mean, that's what you want, right? Back in the hunters, Ike handling the Mayra issue and making sure it doesn't become a problem again.

Zack Astor: Just the council, huh? -sucks in a breath through his teeth- I'll decide what's a win and what's not.

David Alexander: Yeah, the Council, and then they can decide what they want to do. But I think I know what they're gonna say and it's going to be talk to Mayra and then ensure nothing comes out of it. Because if I were on the Council, I wouldn't want to spread undue panic which is all that's going to happen if you decide to start telling people around town. So until the Council decides what they want to do, you're my problem. Lucky me. -he sticks his hands in his pockets and appears nonchalant- I found some deer tracks head out East the other day so we'll go see if we can bag anything tomorrow. Gives us a chance to figure out how to make this work. Sound good to you?

Zack Astor: Maybe some 'undue panic' would do Mayra some good. Some kids have to get burned before they stop trying to touch the stovetop. -he eyes David up- Fine. Sure. Deerhunting. Sounds good. David Alexander: Great. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. -he claps his hand on Zack's shoulder before passing by him- Looking forward to it. -no he wasn't-

Zack Astor: -he looks at the hand on his shoulder, before glancing at David passing him; he doesn't say a word while David walks away; when the hunter is out of sight, Zack inhales deeply, running a hand through his hair, expression weary- Fucking hell. -deciding to finish his run, he jogs off-

[andymull]

NJPW G1 Climax 33 Preview

Its that special time of the year....no not the return of The Hot Tag, but this years NJPW G1 Climax 33 is nearly upon us. This years tournament is the biggest ever with 4 groups in action showcasing 32 competitors from not only NJPW but also other companies talent too thankfully.

Lets dive into the groups separately and give a quick over view of what to expect and lay some predictions out there

A BLOCK

SANADA

Chase Owens

Hikuleo

Ren Narita

Shota Umino

Yota Tsuji

Gabe Kidd

Kaito Kiyomiya

What's being look at as the young boy group with Sanada and Owens, with Sanada being the obvious favourite as reigning IWGP World Heavyweight champion. Its rare the world champion goes undefeated throughout the tournament and usually drops a match or two to setup future title matches before the January 4th Dome show. Id expect the key names looking to get that role will be the likes of Kiyomiya, Tsuji and maybe even Narita.

Kiyomiya should be one of the breakouts of this years G1, the current Pro Wrestling NOAH star has had some exposure in NJPW after feuding with Okada and will hope to follow in the footsteps of fellow NOAH star Katsuhiko Nakajima in the 2016 G1 Climax, who had some superb matches that year.

Also in this group is the newly announced group of the Reiwa Three Musketeers, in Umino, Tsuji and Narita. The Three Musketeers stable name has been used previously in the company with the last trio being that of Shinsuke Nakamura, Katsuyori Shibata and Hiroshi Tanahashi, its a very valuable name for the promotion to hand out and is a sign of how talented they see the current trio both the current scene as well as the future of NJPW. Will be VERY interesting in seeing their bouts against each other which I imagine will start out harmless and competitive, but will quickly descend into something heated when they realise the pecking order could be set here for how each guy is seen by the NJPW audiences for a long time. Alot of depth story wise here as well as potential for great matches, will be a big talking point for the Japanese media during and after the tournament as well.

Have to go for a Sanada win, with im guessing Tsuji coming in second place only slight infront of Kiyomiya.

B BLOCK

Kazuchika Okada

YOSHI-HASHI

Taichi

KENTA

Great-O-Khan

Will Ospreay

Tanga Loa

El Phantasmo

I really hope this group turns into a sprint between Okada and Ospreay, pretty sure they have 2 matches each following their one on one match on July 27th. Imagine they go the time limit versus each other and the raised importance of those final matches will be immense. Tanga Loa and El Phantasmo for Ospreay and KENTA then Tanga Loa for Okada, not the hardest bouts but the atmosphere for near falls will be superb.

I like O-Khan but he isnt in the league of the main two guys and their booking is vital for NJPW's future shows. Okada over Ospreay in the standings.

C BLOCK

David Finlay

Tomohiro Ishii

EVIL

Tama Tonga

Shingo Takagi

Aaron Henare

Eddie Kingston

Mikey Nicholls

Even though this group features one of my all-time favourites in Shingo, I really cant get into the feel of it overall. It feels nasty to say its alot of nearly but not quite guys if that makes sense, hopefully they can change that in the future but so far its been alot of promise and the start of something then it all slowed down (Tonga, EVIL) .

Its really nice to see Eddie getting his chance in his dream environment, he must be so happy every morning he opens his eyes in Japan then at the same time falls asleep wondering 'what if' the likes of Tenzan/Kojima/Honma/Nagata were still in the running so he could bang with them nightly.

Has to be between Finlay and Shingo for the leadership, with the need for the Bullet Club leader to look strong winning out, Ishii, EVIL and Tama all running close.

D BLOCK

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tetsuya Naito

Hirooki Goto

Zack Sabre Jr.

Toru Yano

Jeff Cobb

Shane Haste

Alex Coughlin

Another strange feeling group and ive no idea why, well I do alittle but more on that latter.

The Ace continues on and wont be stopped by age or his knees looking like they explode most nights lol Every year I feel its a year too far for him he goes deep in the running to prove me wrong, and I love him for it even more than normal. I see him getting the wins this year but dropping the key matches to who I think will be the key three in this group.

Those three being Naito, ZSJ and Cobb, Jeff may surprise people with the pick but I see them building him up for the United Empire so that Ospreay can be in the position to go back for the world title and Cobb can be the next era for the US belt. Naito and ZSJ are the constants over the past few years, be it in the G1 or the New Japan cup, consistency and the big scalps and I dont see that altering anytime soon.

In terms of a winner Id lean on ZSJ for the upset over Naito, who also really needs the win after the Sanada turn. Some big booking needed by NJPW in making guys as well as not cooling the others down too far, it really is the toughest booking gig of the year.

Quarter Finals - August 10th

Sanada vs Shingo

Okada vs Naito

Finlay vs Ospreay

ZSJ vs Tsuji

Semi Finals - August 12th

Sanada vs Okada

Ospreay vs Tsuji

Finals - August 13th

Okada vs Ospreay

Winner of the G1 Climax 33 - Will Ospreay

What better way to build the tournament than by having the two guys sprinting through their group, who go to a draw on the way, have to finally settle that score in the final with the guy who finished second taking the crown overall.

The knockouts should be awesome setting up multiple future bouts such as Okada getting a title match after beating Sanada in the semis, can he win the title before the actual winner gets his shot against Sanada his-self setting up another match between Okada/Ospreay at the Dome on January 4th?

To conclude I think as normal this tournament will be great and will have tons of superb matches and moments, the bigger issue for me is that bigger numbers dont always mean better tournaments. Some of the groups feel like they have too much filler with ALOT of younger guys getting the nod and entrance. Its great for them to gain the experience this provides but for me im a sucker for the 2 group concept 20 guys maximum. This needs to be treated as the most superior tournament wrestling has to offer, the younger wrestlers need to prove theirselves more before gaining access.

Why not develop a young lions tournament for guys under a certain age with the winner taking a spot in the tournament wit the others missing out, letting them stew and develop to be better for next year where they could win the thing or even become so much better they are offered a spot on merit instead?

That aside im pumped as normal for this and will always be ready to see who Yano can tie up in duct tape up the aisle and beat :) Always a gut punch knowing we arent getting Yano/Omega again

Enjoy folks

Bye for now

Andy

(Credit to NJPW for the graphics)

[mejomonster]

So im still in chapter 12 of ff7 rebirth but. Still WILD to me that the plot the game has had so far is at least 50% my "happier outcome headcanon" i had after playing crisis core YEARS AGO. Now, i never wrote it down, just fanfic in my head basically. But hear me out

My idea of a happier outcome headcanon: post advent children, aerith and zack meet in lifestream. They also meet sephiroth kind of (in that 3 person split thing), but sephiroth is also of course possessing cloud forever advent children and beyond. The planet decides it wants to be saved from humans, and aerith is Kinda OP now, so the planet figures she has sephiroth under control (she has kadaj etc under control), so the planet "brings to life" aerith and zack and sephiroth and puts them in the past around FF7 original time. Kind of how in ff13 the la cie change people to do their bidding, only this ff7 planet is using the dead people in the lifestream. Aerith somewhat or totally knows qhat happened, but planet may want humans Dead and shes not quite up to fulfilling that. Zack hands down thinks they have to resist the planets wishes and come up with a new option. Sephiroth goes off the rails. 1 because he was only half cooperative to begin with and he can use cloud to stay alive in a way aerith and cloud couldnt without the planet 2 hes not sure if he wants to kill humans cause sure he Would but he doesnt wanna help the planet, and hes got his own agenda he fucks off to to do. Zack trails him trying to stop him. Aerith joins ff7 original plot group and pretends she doesnt know the future and intends to change things. What she'll do? Not sure yet. But all the major players are alive, so theres hope it could turb out better this time.

The actual Ff7 remake and rebirth: remake, aerith has memories of another timeline (check), sephiroth also seems to have memories of another timeline (check), zack is alive and in present ff7 timeline (half check, he doesnt die then come back like my planned plot). Rebirth, im not sure if theres one or two sephiroths as in a present and future one or just a future knowing one, but he does seem to have a bit more goals and knowledge than ff7 originals plot (half check). Zack is alive, in present time but a Parallel Timeline and is trying to stop sephiroth (half check). Other people who died are Alive in a parallel timeline or dead in a parallel timeline like Biggs (half check, i was right about timelines and people alive but wrong about which characters). Theres a few characters alive in both timelines, cloud and aerith for sure and Potentially sephiroth too (half check, i guessed multiple characters in one timeline so i was right about time stuff but didnt expect 2 parallel stories). I predict its possible sephiroth is going between both parallel timelines, and if so id give myself another half check for guessing sephiroth has some New knowledge and new goals.

I think so far my personal headcanon was decent to the new games though... so far, i was right on time travel, aerith knowing the future for a while, and zack being alive. Things ive always had in my headcanon of a happier potential post advent children but not something i ever thought canon would Actually Do. But with nomura... and kh plots i was raised with, i guess i shouldve expected my hoped for headcanons to turn out somewhat happening. I still have to see how it continues.

Did anyone else have an indulgent headcanon or plot u actually expected for sequels for ff7, that landed close to the actual ff7 remake games?

[aimeelouart]

I’m stress writing again, but this time I got a little distracted from 7C9S.

From @im-totally-not-an-alien ‘s  Final Fantasy 7 prompts # 45:

8. Time traveler Cloud casually curing Angeal and Genesis's degradation with vials of Aeriths holy water.

He feels betrayed when they try to drag him to Shinra, despite their benevolent intentions.

“Hey, Asshole!” - 1368 words, pairings open to interpretation

“Hey, asshole!”

Genesis turned instinctively at the shout, Angeal pausing along with him. Verbal abuse from the public wasn’t exactly unknown to him⁠—no one with significant notoriety will ever be without their detractors, deserved or not⁠—but he was a little startled to have someone shouting at him so brazenly, in broad daylight, in one of the more affluent sectors, while he and Angeal made their way back to the Tower after having lunch.

He opened his mouth to respond, zeroing in on an approaching blond man. A very quickly approaching blond man. “Wh⁠—”

Genesis never had a chance to finish the question. With the speed only an enhanced person can have, the blond seized a fistful of his hair, yanked his head back, and poured a small vial of water into his mouth. He swallowed out of sheer surprise.

Angeal made an alarmed noise, immediately lashing out to get the blond off of Genesis, and was deftly flipped into a headlock for his troubles. Genesis was still regaining his balance as the blond man tipped a second vial down Angeal’s throat.

Then the man unceremoniously released him and left.

The whole thing had taken place in the span of maybe ten seconds. Angeal touched a hand to his mouth as he straightened, bewildered. Genesis ran his tongue over his teeth. If there had been anything but water in that vial, he would have been able to taste it. But why in the Goddess’s name would someone assault two SOLDIERs to…, what, hydrate them? Why would someone enhanced⁠—

Someone enhanced.

Genesis looked at Angeal. Angeal looked back. Without a single word, they both took off after the blond man. 

He’d managed to get a fair distance away, but he also seemed fairly unconcerned with any kind of escape. He was just... leaving. Fortunately for them, his shock of bright gold hair was unmistakable (and about as ridiculous as the wild mane of Angeal’s student, thought Genesis).

“Excuse me!” Angeal called, his tone somewhere between bewildered and angry. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Genesis was a little surprised when the blond man actually turned toward them, even if he did keep walking backward. He had a preternatural ability to dodge oncoming pedestrians without actually looking back. “What?” asked the man, seeming genuinely shocked to be questioned in such a way. “I’m solving problems before they escalate. Can’t you feel the difference?”

Then he pointed to Genesis’s shoulder⁠—the shoulder that wasn’t healing, which he hadn’t told anyone about yet, though he had decided to go to Hollander tomorrow. The Commander barely kept himself from bristling defensively, which was absurd because how could this random whelp off the street know something he’d never even told Ange⁠—

Wait. 

His shoulder.

His shoulder. 

It wasn’t hurting. One hand shot up to grab it while the other gripped Angeal’s bicep, just for something to anchor him as he reeled in shock. Had the little blond actually healed him? How? It was impossible for some stranger to even have known there was a problem, much less how to solve it!

The blond cracked a grin, apparently following Genesis’s train of thought perfectly. “Yeah, see? ‘S all good now. Bye.” Then he offered a sloppy two-finger salute and turned back around, apparently intent on continuing his departure to parts unknown.

Genesis dropped his hands and closed the distance in three long strides, seizing the blond’s arm without a thought. “My friend, do you fly away now?” he quoted breathlessly. It wasn’t quite the proper context, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He needed the man to come with him, back to ShinRa, just so he would have enough time to wrap his head around the whole thing and offer an appropriate response. “Please, hold for a moment, stranger.”

“Genesis?” Angeal asked cautiously. 

But the blond frowned at him, slowing to a stop. The crowd flowed around them like a river around and boulder, though the three hardly paid them any mind. “Why? Take it and go. I’ve got important things to do.” This close, Genesis could see the gleaming mako blue of the man⁠’s eyes. There were even unmistakable strands of green threading his limbal ring.

“I don’t recognize you, but you must be a SOLDIER,” Genesis said contemplatively, keeping his grip firm. “Who are you? What rank? I suppose you must be one of the ones who are overly fond of those ridiculous helmets.”

The blond looked at him strangely, and as Genesis became less distracted he started to notice how wild and unkempt the man looked: dirt-smudged, hazy-eyed, and standing still Genesis could pick up the faint tang of blood, both dried and fresh. Honestly, he looked like he’d just returned to Midgar from a month-long solo extermination mission in the wilderness. The circles beneath his eyes were deep and dark. 

“I’m not a SOLDIER,” the blond said, as if such a suggestion was absurd on its face.

Genesis frowned at him. “There’s no use in lying, dear. I can see the mako in your eyes. I know my reputation likely precedes me, but I swear to you I’m not angry. I don’t know how you...well, suffice it to say, you have nothing to fear from me.”

Angeal shot Genesis a very pointed look⁠—the one that said we’re going to be talking about this later⁠—but he turned his attention on the blond and seemed to see exactly what Genesis did. “Are you alright, SOLDIER?” he asked, putting his hand on the arm opposite to the one Genesis was still holding. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks.”

The blond blinked slowly, glancing down at the hand on his arm. He seemed to know exactly what Genesis did: that it was there both as reassurance and in preparation for restraint. He was certainly a SOLDIER if he knew Angeal that well, most likely one of the SOLDIERs in Angeal’s section.

“Oh,” he said after a second’s delay, sounding oddly surprised. “Sleep. I knew I was forgetting something.”

Genesis and Angeal exchanged another glance. “Ooookay,” said Angeal, drawing the word out. “I’m still not entirely sure what’s happening here, but why don’t we all go back to the Tower and get you seen to?”

“No thanks,” said the blond. “Let me go, please. I’m busy.”

How precious. He thought they were going to let it slide.

Genesis smiled charmingly. Anyone who worked with him for any length of time knew to be afraid of that smile. It meant, quite plainly, that Genesis had decided on something and there was not a thing anyone could do to dissuade him. “I’m sure you are, dear, but believe me when I say that you’ll feel much more capable once you’ve had a chance to rest. Why, you may even accomplish your...tasks...more efficiently!”

With Angeal’s help, he started to drag the squirming man back toward the Tower. SOLDIER strength or not, it turns out to be quite difficult to run away when your feet aren’t touching the ground. Who knew?

“Put me down!” the man demanded, though he sounded far more offended than truly angry. “I’m busy, you assholes!”

“Of course,” Genesis agreed pleasantly, his grip like iron. The man was very sturdy for someone of his stature and build, but keeping him from getting any leverage to squirm free took only a fraction of the Commander’s strength. He really was quite small. Come to think of it, Genesis didn’t know of any SOLDIERs who were quite so...fun sized. “We won’t take up much of your time, I promise.”

“This is what I get for doing Zack a favor,” the blond muttered irritably. Angeal shot him a sharp look. Genesis made a mental note. One of the puppy’s many friends, perhaps? But a favor? How had Zack known? Had Zack known?

Genesis shook his head to dismiss the thoughts for now. He didn’t care if he had to let the mysterious blond crash on his couch and use his personal shower. Hell, he didn’t care if the had to cook the man a meal himself⁠—one way or another, Genesis wasn’t letting the man who’d miraculously healed him out of his sight until he got answers.

[mengyan]

I’ve been really enjoying your sge au so far and absolutely love the dynamic you’ve created between Carmen and Julia in it! Im curious to know how their relationship progressed from their first meeting was it in a similar way to cannon or differently? Also how they eventually started dating and how they even managed a relationship between a never and an ever.

thank you so much anon!! honestly these two create the dynamic themselves, they’re such fun characters to write and make it so easy for me!! again, replies are under the cut!

i’d say they were “rivals/enemies” for the first week? julia was just super skeptical at first and thought she was stubborn, hotheaded and had a bad temper (not a poor assumption, considering carmen had her fingerglow lit in her face) and overall only tolerated her because of player. i’d say after carmen opens up about her father and how she just wants to learn more about her past, she starts to warm up a bit? she begins to understand carmen’s motivations and how her upbringing with the faculty made her the way she is.

carmen on the other hand thinks julia is too uptight and serious. she always tries to crack jokes and like, shapeshifts sometimes and singes some poor kid’s hair while hiding in the trees during their surviving fairy tales classes just to get her to laugh, but julia’s mostly unimpressed and tells her to pay attention.

“how you’re evil’s top student amazes me. are you sure it’s not nepotism?”

“how you’re highest ranked at good amazes me,” carmen scoffs back, dropping her shift and stealing some of julia’s berries they were forced to gather (to distinguish what’s edible and what’s not). “all you do is hang out in the library and ruin my plans.”

“i’d hardly call them plans. childish pranks at best, maybe. and so what if i spend most of my time at the library? at least i didn’t get ranked second during yesterday’s surviving fairy tales class because i messed up the wicked witch of the east and west.”

julia grabs a handful of berries from carmen’s basket and puts them back in hers, and continues along the forest path. carmen sputters and chases after her, yelling. “hey! that was a simple mistake!” (she was distracted staring at julia, trying to figure her out and definitely not because she looked pretty in good’s button up shirts, but she couldn’t just say that, could she?) “anyone would have gotten them mixed up!”

“right,” julia deadpans, not even looking at her. “i didn’t.”

anyway. they bicker a lot, and player unfortunately has to witness most of it. (zack and ivy usually spend lunch brewing potions or learning the borderline illegal spells that carmen wrote down for them.)

how they eventually started dating... hmm. i’m a sucker for angst and moments of realization like “oh my god please don’t die on me turns out i don’t hate you and i’m actually in love with you”, so during the trial by tale, i think? one of them stumbles upon the other and finds them unconscious or badly hurt. i love the idea of carmen finding jules lying near the river barely keeping herself awake and immediately shaking her like:

“jules?! jules, what the fuck? who did this to you?! i’ll kill them,” she seethes, pulling her into her arms and her fingerglow absolutely blazing red. (magic follows emotion!!!!!!)

“carmen,” julia wheezes, eyes slipping shut. “my flag’s in my boot, just let me go. i don’t want to slow you down.”

“not until you tell me who did this to you,” carmen says fiercely, gripping her tighter.

“it was dark, i couldn’t see very well-” julia coughs, her ribs aching. carmen turns to look at her glasses- they’re cracked, one of the lenses completely gone and the other punctured. “they had, uh- light bending. manipulation. made it darker. even with my talent i couldn’t see who it was because it was so dark.”

carmen freezes. she recognized that talent. “mime bomb,” she snarls. “that stupid teacher’s pet.”

“at least those other classmates of yours didn’t find me. i think the cat one would’ve torn me to shreds, or the electric one would’ve shocked me with his lightning bolts.”

julia coughs again, shifting in the moonlight. it illuminates just how scratched up she is- blood and dirt stains her breeches and her armor is pierced through. carmen’s fingerglow gets impossibly brighter as she hauls her up to her feet, throwing julia’s arm around her shoulder so she can carry her.

“not going to drop my flag, huh?” julia asks weakly, the two of them limping down the river bank. “that’s not very evil of you.”

“i’m starting to think that being evil is overrated,” she says softly. “and i- look, you’re a pain in my ass sometimes, but i care about you, okay? we’re friends.”

“friends,” julia echoes. “thought evil didn’t have friends, just henchmen.” carmen opens her mouth to retort, but julia continues. “you’re like... a good kind of evil, i think,” she whispers. her words are starting to slur, the pain and exhaustion catching up to her. carmen slips her makeshift sword into the sheath at her side and lifts julia gently, carrying her bridal style.

“a good kind of evil,” carmen repeats. “i like that.” julia closes her eyes, humming. carmen speaks softer, brushing her hair from her face. “i like you, jules. i’ll get us out of this, okay? trust me.”

“always,” julia mumbles, falling asleep.

carmen finds some herbs and stuff, does some illegal spells, heals some of her wounds and all that jazz. there are like 5 students left in the woods at this point, the other 3 being mime bomb, gray, and chase.

chase effectively takes out mime bomb (as a pun, i’d like to think his talent is super speed and agility, so whenever mime bomb tries to hide in the shadows chase can get there in time), but gray takes out chase (because like, even if you’re fast, lightning can take you out).

once julia can walk again, they start searching for gray, and aksfjfkdfkj omg gray shocks carmen or something and julia is furious and screams, channeling enough of her power to override his lightning and disrupt it, reducing it to small, harmless sparks.

carmen wastes no time and grabs his flag, throwing it down. he disappears into the clearing, leaving both carmen and jules as the last two students.

they’re both exhausted and don’t want to fight anymore and julia brings up the earlier “i like you” thing, both of them leaning against each other propped up against a tree and she’s like “for the record, i like you too.”

they kiss just as the sun comes up and the trial ends!!! everyone bursts in and sees them holding each other and are like. Well. What The Hell Are We Going To Do Now.

not me practically writing a whole fic for this response ASKDKFJ BYE i hope this is enough anon! thank you again for asking and fueling this niche au!! <3

[lunarrumor]

I JUST FINISHED WATCHING CARMEN SANDIEGO AND I HAVE MANY THOUGHTS SO I HAVE TO SHARE

@sandiegocarmen this is all your fault /nm /lh

(written probably not in order bc i have a really bad memory,, and also: i curse a lot so be warned)

- first of all jules/devineaux friendship !!!!!! they're so cute he was so excited to be working with her again :*)

- GRAHAM GOING TO THE CHIEF ?? AND HELPING CARMEN !!!!

- i love him he just wants the best for carmen. i wish we could've seen more of their friendship and how they care for each other throughout the show

- SPEAKING OF

- THIS WAS THE SERIES FINALE. THIS WAS THE SERIES FINALE

- okokok back to that later because what the fuck

- jules looked so hurt that her girlfriend didn't recognize her im so sorry babe </3

- also carmen kicking devineaux's ass (again),, damn her fighting is ruthless when she's like this

- also there were so many julethief moments here. ALL THE LITTLE COMMENTS FROM JULES ABOUT "THE CRIMSON GHOST" SHE'S SO PROUD AND IN LOVE <333

- (and yet with all the julethief they didn't do ANYthing with it at the end,,,, but ill talk about that later)

- i was so scared for gray, carmen just fucking SUPER TASED HIM

- but he's so smart for that ?? he changed the settings ? genius. brilliant. talented. he thinks ahead

- and more dad shadowsan moments ?? adorable . i love his relationship with carmen,, a found family of criminals if you will

- now i feel like i should talk about the ending

- OKAY I WAS TRICKED

- FUCKING MISDIRECTED

- vile was taken down, gray was good, el topo and le chevre we're living a domestic life as husbands, carmen got her memory back, shadowsan was also alright, they found carmen's mother

- wait just a lil break to talk about HOW CUTE EL TOPO AND LE CHEVRE WERE . THE FOOD TRUCK . THE WINK EL TOPO GAVE . THEYRE IN LOVEEEEE IM SO HAPPY FOR THEM

- okay back to our regularly scheduled programming

- i was confused bc wth this is a great ending i expected pain

- AND THEN

- WHAT ??!?!!?!!

- HORRIBLE ENDING

- carmen left zack and ivy, her and shadowsan also split up, she never got to see jules, and gray also didn't wanna see her?

- WHAT THE FUCK

- WHY ARE WE JUST ABANDONING FRIENDSHIPS LEFT AND RIGHT

- I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO SEE YOUR MOM BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO DITCH YOUR FOUND FAMILY

- WHAT WAS THE REASONNNNN

- okay. calm :) . whoever wrote this i just wanna have a few words. maybe an explanation of the thought process that went into this

- i have to admit i did like seeing acme! zack and ivy and now i want to see their friendship with jules + devineaux BUT

- while i loved seeing zack's slicked back hair i would have preferred team red

- it's just such a nonsensical ending to have?

- like parts of it i get (carmen going to see her mom, vile being locked up, etc) but it didn't make sense for carmen to completely abandon all contact with her closest friends ????

- maybe i misinterpreted the scene and she didn't leave them forever (though the note made it sound pretty permanent) and they could've been friends this whole time still but,,,, why

- why do that why would carmen ever have to leave behind all the people she loves just to find her mom (they could literally come with her)

- and we know that carmen is very loyal. that's like a big part of who she is. so WHY

- none of this makes any sense my brain hurts

now to pick the weeds out of the field of canon,,, aka what i would keep the same in the canon in my head and what i would toss out (because this ending. did not happen. :) )

beautiful flowers that i will let stay in the field:

- el topo and le chevre domestic husbands <33

- gray being smart and surviving

- carmen going to find her mother

- shadowsan going to his brother

- i could accept zack and ivy being acme agents but only under certain circumstances which i will talk about in the next part

- im pretty sure that's it. everything else either sucked or i cant remember

now the weeds im picking out (what im changing):

- gray not wanting to see carmen. it does kinda seem like something gray would do (not wanting to complicate her life) BUT I WANTED TO SEE CARMEN BUSTING IN THERE like "no ?? you just saved me and i want to make sure you're okay you're not just gonna disappear from my life idiot"

- carmen saying goodbye to ivy and zack. (still not clear if that was a forever goodbye or ???) either way why split up team red :(

- and it also wasn't clear if shadowsan just completely abandoned team red as well,,, but if he did then no he didn't. i say he lives by his brother but still stays in contact with team red

- now about zack and ivy being a part of acme,,, i can accept this if the situation is carmen wanted to retire and they were bored + wanted a job fighting crime so they joined acme (and became best friends with devineaux and jules bc they have to approve of carmen's girlfriend)

- speaking of,,,,, whatever happened with jules and carmen (did they not see each other either, ??) they're actually girlfriends now and carmen commonly hangs around acme to help them with big cases and to spend time with her girlfriend (+ zack, ivy, and devineaux)

- also carmen and player's friendship,,, i just wanted to see them meet in person and hug each other but im glad they stayed in touch

and i could talk about how there should be another season or (because i get that they might not have enough plot for that) an animated movie to wrap it up a little better, and the fact that they're doing a live action movie which im,, not very excited for but ive worn myself out a little soooo final thought:

- WHAT IS HER GIVEN NAMEEE

[carmenxjulia]

do you ever just think about how carmen's first reaction after hearing julia's voice in the fashion caper went from mild surprise to a smile? or how after she quickly disarmed julia, she gently put her gun back in her coat. or how carmen grabbed julia's hand? or how she made julia iin charge of her group despite barely knowing her? im still thinking about it and i cant fully explain why these small moments are so good? can you, please?

Absolutely. You’re talking to a person who created a 20,000 word fanfic based on a 45 second interaction. You want a Carmen and Julia analysis? I’d say you’ve come to the right place.

Yes, I do think about that scene a lot.

Let us begin.

Last season, Carmen and Julia interacted for less than a single minute. In that time, Carmen came to know and trust her enough to pass off the Magna Carta to her for safekeeping. And Julia got to have a real conversation with someone who was an international criminal and by some, might have even been branded as dangerous.

But Julia had always believed in her innocence and clung to the idea that there was more to each theft that most people didn’t see. Carmen leaving the Magna Carta was solid proof towards her theory that Carmen was one of the good guys. And it was a show of goodwill, a symbol of trust, that Carmen was banking on Julia doing the right thing and not taking full credit for its safe return (at least among her colleagues).

Then we get to season 2. Julia has, almost inexplicably, doubled down on her insistence that Carmen Sandiego is doing good in the world and is not actually a criminal at all. From the very first moment that we see her, she is trying prove her innocence. She asks Chase to wake up so that he can clear her name. She tries everything she can to wake him, and we as the audience are made to think it’s because she is concerned for his well-being… until the scene ends with, “we need you to tell us that she did not do this to you.”

Now, while I’m sure Julia would never wish death or permanent damage to Chase, she’s not trying to wake him because she particularly cares about him. He was rude and selfish and constantly dismissed her and yeah, Julia is the type of person who would still care after all that (refer to the first sentence of this paragraph), but it’s really really important to recognize that she’s not there for him. She’s there on behalf of Carmen.

So, what does that have to do with “The Fashionista Caper”?

We, the audience, are privy to Julia’s private conversations with Chief and other members of A.C.M.E. We get to see her defending Carmen, over and over, in the episodes leading up to episode 4. It’s not just speculation anymore! In Season 1, Julia had her theories, but was actively open to being proven wrong when provided with evidence to the contrary of her hunches. In Season 2, she is certain she’s right, and she stands by her belief that Carmen is good.

Carmen doesn’t see/hear any of that. She has literally no idea Julia has been defending her behind her back. No idea just how hard Julia has been fighting to clear her name with A.C.M.E. Not a single clue how conflicted Julia actually is, with having a job to do versus wanting to stand by the facts right in front of her.

She doesn’t see Julia again after the train incident (“The Chasing Paper Caper”) until they meet in Italy (”The Fashionista Caper”). All Carmen knows is that Julia is not as hellbent on catching her as Chase was, and that the Magna Carta were returned safely.

We, the audience, have a front row seat to watch Julia go from shaky theories to boldly proclaiming Carmen Sandiego is not who everyone thinks she is, despite seeming to be the only person who actually believes that.

Legitimately, Carmen has very little reason to trust Julia other than a gut feeling. There is no explanation for not only roping her into the caper, but immediately giving Julia her gun back and fully trusting she wouldn’t use it. Any other agent would have ignored Carmen’s request for help and gassed her right then and there. Carmen just inherently knows Julia is different.

We actually see an example of this just a few moments earlier. When Agent Zari tells Carmen to freeze, Carmen sets the gun off and turns it on her right away. When Julia shows up and demands more or less the same thing, the two have a little back and fourth banter. Carmen, no doubt, notes Agent Argent’s hesitation.

Carmen’s surprise no doubt came from her not expecting another agent, or at least, not expecting an agent to give her a chance to respond. Whereas Zari wasn’t afraid to get up close and point the gun directly at her face, Julia is standing quite far off. It probably took Carmen a moment to register who was speaking to her, and once she realized it was Julia, she relaxed, and smiled.

Julia helped her before, with the Magna Carta. So, why not seek her help more directly? Test the waters with the one agent who was willing to give her the time of day.

Not only that, but undoubtedly Carmen was re-formulating her plan to include Julia in it, right at that very moment. Honestly, the whole thing went far better with 4 people instead of the initial 3 (Carmen, Ivy, and Zack). So Carmen was probably like ‘oh hey that very reasonable agent from the train that I can probably count on to help me out if I also present myself as a sane and reasonable person.’ And then it actually worked.

But we can dissect this small change in her expression even further. Carmen is genuinely happy to see her/hear her voice. Not just because she knows Julia is raw and untrained and easily disarmed, no. Upon their first meeting, Carmen gave her the nickname “Jules”. In fact, Carmen has literally never spoken her full name, “Julia”. Even when passing off leadership in front of Ivy and Zack, Carmen still sticks to the Jules nickname. She doesn’t do this with anyone else. (Sure, Player is “Player”, but that’s purely upon his own request.) Maybe this is a reach, but, it feels like this indicates a completely different type of relationship and level of intimacy that Carmen shares with Julia and no one else.

Getting back on track.

Carmen probably took her hand as an extra precaution to prevent Julia from deciding to whip out her gun again. I mean, sure, it was also faster and easier to lead her by holding her hand. But also consider that the gun was holstered against her left hip, making it awkward to try to maneuver around her jacket with her left hand to try and grab it. With her right hand occupied, it would have taken too long for her to pull it out again, even if she’d tried. Honestly, taking her hand was the most practical action in this scenario, even if it was a bit intimate. It doesn’t have to mean anything, but it can.

It is also worth noting that although Julia believes Carmen is on the same side as A.C.M.E., she is probably rightfully confused starting from the moment Carmen takes her gun and then doesn’t gas her.

Julia’s orders from A.C.M.E. were to capture Carmen Sandiego in order to protect the Medici gowns. So when it turned out Carmen wasn’t planning to take the gowns, Julia had to decide that saving the dresses overruled the order to capture Carmen. The original mission she was given changed in a matter of seconds, making her have to pick a priority (Carmen or dresses). It also gave her an opportunity to work with Carmen and show A.C.M.E. she’d been right all along. But Julia, much like Carmen, had to trust her gut about this woman she barely knew, but had the utmost faith in.

As far as putting Julia in charge of getting the gowns to safety, that was probably the easiest decision of the evening for either of them. Carmen already knows Julia is one of the good guys. She doesn’t need to question her motives, at all. Not only that, but as mentioned above, Julia had already proven she could be trusted by ensuring the safe return of the Magna Carta.

Carmen knew V.I.L.E. wouldn’t be far behind, and dividing her attention could have been disastrous for the mission overall. I mean, she’s Carmen Sandiego, so, she could have probably handled it. But it was a much smarter move to put Julia in charge. She knew that Ivy and Zack were better at taking orders than giving them. She knew Player wouldn’t be able to coordinate well enough from his location. Carmen needed someone on the ground, right there, right then. Julia was available.

One final piece of this scene, that although it was not mentioned in the original ask, I feel is worth noting. Julia is actively worried about Carmen Sandiego’s safety. She outright asks, “what about you?” when Carmen instructs the others to get the gowns to safety. Why should she care? Her mission, saving the  Medici’s, is about to be complete. She’s about to really and truly prove herself to A.C.M.E. by being the agent responsible for saving the gowns. And yet she pauses, wanting to ensure Carmen is safe before she goes anywhere. A person that is supposed to be her enemy, although Julia has never truly believed that.

This is followed by Carmen pushing Julia back, not only urging her to leave with the gowns and Carmen’s own team, but moving her further away from danger as well as physically putting her body between Julia and potential harm. There are smashing sounds coming from the ceiling; clearly something bad is on its way. As usual, Carmen puts the safety of her friends before her own, which is a completely new experience for Julia. She is getting to see a caring and protective side of the super thief, one she was previously unaware of. Even for someone she barely knows, she’s willing to put her life on the line to save that of someone else.

And finally, even after Julia runs after Ivy and Zack, she turns back one last time to see how Carmen is doing. She doesn’t want to leave her behind, but ultimately realizes she has no choice. She certainly wouldn’t be any use in a fight. Plus, her number one objective is to save the gowns. Carmen Sandiego is probably going to get away. But the items she was sent to protect are now in A.C.M.E. hands. Job well done.

But Julia is left with the knowledge that Carmen Sandiego played an integral part in the success of the mission. She and Zari could not have saved the gowns alone (especially with the knowledge that Carmen was being attacked). Carmen Sandiego did in fact steal things- but it was to get the jump on another person or organization before they could do so themselves, smuggling the valuables away and returning them at a later date. Just as was the pattern Carmen laid out in Season 1.

Julia not only had her long-standing theory validated, but she got to see just how self-sacrificing Carmen could be. Putting herself in harms way while everyone else was encouraged to find somewhere safer. For someone labeled as a criminal, that was probably completely unexpected. Among a multitude of other unexpected things that had just happened. But that one may have been the most surprising.

All in all, there is a lot to say about this scene, and I could honestly go through it frame by frame and write a comprehensive essay. But hopefully this will sufficiently answer your query, and if not, feel free to send another ask.

[whetstonefires]

god i am OBSESSED with the idea of future sephiroth confronting gillian. does he already know she committed suicide when confronted by angeal and tries to plan around it or does he just. notice theres poison in her tea and. set it on fire or something. i have to admit i really enjoy sephiroths opinion on gillian in angels.

OH WOW this is a lot. Lol okay, I’m gonna put all these asks in one rather than stringing them out.

I’m not sure Sephiroth knows any details about what happened with Gillian, but he read the report where Zack presumably wrote down something about how Angeal seemed to have killed his own mom, and he got a sort of follow-up impression later from Angeal’s ghost on the general subject of suicide, so he knows what she did, very generally, and when, and what the fallout was.

I think this version of him is even more annoyed with her than he is in Angels in fact, because he knows for a fact her choice heavily influenced Angeal’s, so he’s going to tear into her about responsibility and abandonment and influence and stuff.

XD Probably going to get his own issues all over that one, too. Sephiroth...doesn’t compartmentalize well outside of his basic system of ‘all the feelings go in this box which I intend to leave closed and then someday die,’ which as we all know didn’t work out.

(I feel bad about Gillian in Angels, I totally had an opportunity to unfridge her and stuck her right back in the coldbox because I didn’t want to deal with her impact on the narrative beyond the established impact of fucking Angeal up worse, which I wanted to explore.)

ALSO elmyra is more put together right? like shes a functioning person? because i feel like her perspective on sephiroth and aerith stubbornly Not Acknowledging whatever the hell is going on would be really funny. at this rate im going to have to go hunt down playthroughs of ffvii and crisis core so i can write fanfic. i mean technically i could just write fanfic but it feels weird writing fic without having interacted with the source material at all 

Elmyra is a functioning adult yes but she is also very long in the habit of not prying into Aerith’s Weird. I honestly cannot guess what she’d do in that situation, we don’t see enough of her! I’d have to make it up.

...I feel like it’s likely being forcibly recontextualized would be likely to break her and Aerith out of their pattern of pretending nothing’s going on, since presumably Elmyra wasn’t in the habit of telling people a fraction as much about Aerith’s backstory as she unloads onto the party after her kid gets kidnapped by Turks.

And lmao I mean yes you can write fic based entirely on fic, this is a fandom where it’s pretty common, even. Personally I couldn’t bear to, I just didn’t feel I had a sufficient grasp. And I was right! The fandom incarnations are lacking. Once I had played through the OG I had so much more to say, and vastly more nuanced grasp of character.

Personally also I cannot endure game playthroughs? I get awful brain static trying. The pacing. The experience of being confronted with a UI that says I’m in control, but not having it. I die. But for people who enjoy them they should work fine!

Also last I checked the original FFVII was available on Steam for like $20? You could probably play it.

ALSO ALSO because my brain is a disaster of random connections i keep picturing an au of angels wherein both angeal and sephiroth have traveled back in time but they dont realize immediately that the other one is also back in time. because! i dont have any context or anything but if they ended up having the whole what would you want me to do if you went insane and tried to destroy the world conversation it would be hilarious. sephiroth, having every single mental breakdown imaginable: uh 

Hahaha AU crossing over one of my time travel AUs with the AU of my AU you previously proposed! Hmmmm yeah. I feel like they’d notice something was off before too long? But they might get to a version of the ‘what would you want me to do’ conversation lmao.

I think this Sephiroth would honestly give very intense and detailed instructions on how to shut him down and only then be like ‘why do you ask? what do you know.’

...if Angeal explained his timeline all the way up through Advent Children and DoC,  this version of Sephiroth would not take it well. 😞

also now im back around to thinking about angels and zack was first class when genesis started degrading so that's probably a ways off right? unless they find a way to avoid it entirely but. at least he'll be a bit less desperate when he defects? if he defects i guess but he's too dramatic to not defect. whats he supposed to do let angeal be the dramatic one?? also ALSO if angeal and sephiroth both traveled back in time i think that would make genesis the most stable member of their group. wild.

He was Second Class, actually! He’d been recommended for promotion but it hadn’t gone through. They ultimately moved him up to First for killing Angeal, if you can believe it. Ghoulish, huh?

Well, technically they mostly promoted him for killing Genesis, who was much more of a threat. But Genesis faked his death and Angeal didn’t, and it wasn’t not for killing Angeal. It was all the same mission. I have no idea how Zack copes so well.

But yeah, the officially released timeline for CC claims Angeal &co are only about four years older than Zack, but the timeframes presented in the actual games suggest Sephiroth should have died around age 25, which is far enough from 21 to make a difference, and fits their character designs better. So I’m treating them as being about eight years older, with Genesis as the oldest, so Angeal has about three and a half years to work with before degradation originally kicked in.

But the trigger for that wasn’t necessarily a certain amount of time, so he can’t count on that schedule.

What Angeal does have is a Lifestream-side perspective on how Genesis got healed the first time around, so he knows to focus on the spiritual end of things over Science, which he knows failed to help, and this ups his odds of doing something useful in a useful amount of time considerably.

XD Too dramatic not to defect. Well.

also back to the time travel au what would tseng even do about sephiroth kidnapping aerith?? like he was the main one watching her right?? hes just hanging out and then sephiroth??? oh now hes got aerith??? what is he doing??? whats tseng even supposed to do in that situation

I don’t believe they have the manpower to keep up a constant guard? Tseng certainly does do other things, they just. Check in on her sometimes.

I don’t think it was ever truly clarified in canon whether Tseng was covering for Aerith somehow all those years, finding some weird wiggle room in the phrasing of his orders so he could put off admitting he’d found her or taking her in indefinitely so long as he didn’t lose track of her and let her get away, or if Hojo knew where she was and was just like ‘whatever, I don’t need her back right now, just keep an eye on my specimen and make sure she doesn’t die or escape.’

So it’s hard to know what he would do when we don’t 100% know what his reasoning was for the things he already did, or what kind of oversight he’s dealing with! Tseng is a difficult character for that reason.

-

Also while I do like getting asks, you should feel free to mix the contact approach up a bit when you have this much to say! This was a lot of content for this format. 😂 Tumblr chat IMs still mostly work, and there’s a link to my Discord server from my author page on AO3, where we’d love to have you. (It was proposed for people to talk about my fic, but much more often we wind up talking ffvii meta lmao. This is like...the midpoint of those two subjects so.)

[chiibinomonodamon]

Doujinshi Translation

Yeah. I finally sat my ass down and finished the first ZackRay book I purchased. xD Don’t like the ship?; well you can f*ck right off. :)

*There is nothing sexual in the book.

'Ai Wo Kuratte, Baka ni Naru' Eating Love Makes a Fool of Me by Tokiko Nao Translation by Chiibi. Please do not repost and do not make scanlations without crediting me.

Page 01 Ray monologues: I do not understand what 'love' is. Because it is not something that I've touched even once. 'Love' from a family. 'Love' from a friend. Or 'love' from a lover. I've never had even one of these. But if 'love' is an emotion we do not understand... Perhaps the identity of this feeling I don't understand could be...

Page 02 [Ray is sitting on the bed looking anxious] : Zack is late...but he said he was only going out for a minute... The police didn't find him, did they? He's going to come back, right? Loneliness, worry, and doubt are all spinning around in my head... I'm scared. My heart is aching. No...I'll stop thinking negatively... There's no point in thinking about 'what-ifs'. [music from the TV] Page 03 : This drama is...still going on? I was watching this just to kill time at the last motel we were at. TV dialogue: "I love you! Please don't leave me behind anymore...!" [Ray lays down on the bed, thinking] : "Love"...? "I love you"... What type of situation do you call 'love', I wonder... [she thinks of her mother] Was that love? [her father] Or maybe that? I'm certain those were both wrong. Because the story I watched before didn't seem that painful. They didn't scream or degrade each other. Page 04 The woman just whispers "Only being with you makes me so happy, darling." Is that 'love'? If I too...until my last moment of life... just be next to Zack... TV: "We will now continue with today's news" "Some time ago, around 10 p.m., the bodies of a man and woman couple were discovered by OO River." "A rather dangerous-looking knife was found at the scene of the crime." "It is thought to be the same type of weapon from the incident at XX River from the previous day. The culprit is thought to be among the escaped prisoners on the wanted list of..." [Ray looks scared] : "Zack...!" Page 05 "Yeah...did I scare ya? Ya still up, huh? Whatcha doin' with the lights off, anyway?" Ray: "Welcome back...you went quite far this time, right?" Zack:" Yeah..." Ray: "Did you...kill those people?" Zack: "So what if I did?" Ya gonna bitch about it now, after all this time?" Ray: "No, I won't. I just wanted to make sure." [Zack pulls off his coat]: "That so..."

Page 06 Ray sits on the bed, shyly twirling her hair around her finger. "I wonder if they were in love." Zack: "HAH?" Ray: "Those people were...a couple, right?" Zack: "I don't friggin' know. Don't mean shit to me." Ray: "Hey Zack, do you know...           what love is?" [He grimaces at her] Page 07 [Tousling Ray's hair] "I should be askin' YA instead!" "Ya think I actually KNOW!? Yer gonna make me puke again!" Ray: "Stop it~"           "Well...I don't know..."            "But I..."             "I think I'm happy...just being with you...              so I wonder if this is what love is..."              "I mean, that's what the drama said...Zack, what do you think...?"

Page 08 [He gets mad] "THAT'S DAMN GROSS! ARE YA TALKIN' IN YER SLEEP OR WHAT!?" "C'mon! It's time for little brats to go to bed! We're leavin' this town tomorrow, right!? You'll oversleep!" [Ray pouts thinking] The one I'd worry about doing that is YOU actually... [She gets into bed] :" Take a shower before you go to sleep, okay?" Zack: "Yeah yeah" Ray: Thank God he came back...          It's strange...how before I was so scared, I couldn't stand it... Page 09 But now that Zack is here, I'm okay. I feel warm and comforted. I don't want to give him to anyone. I won't let anyone destroy this. I won't let anyone get in the way. For that I would... Page 10 [birds chirping] Zack: We leavin' already....? Let's keep sleepin'...it's still 5 a.m.... Ray: There's no way we can do that.          Because of yesterday's incident, the police are going to be more watchful than ever.          So please behave yourself just for today, all right? [He yawns] "All right..." Page 11 Ray: I'm going to go check out what's ahead of us. Zack, you stay here. [rub rub] Zack: Don't go too far. Ray: I know. [she grins a little] "I'm just going to take a peek around the corner." Ray thinking: No matter how deserted the town is supposed to be...all these shops have security cameras so we have to avoid the main roads... "This area looks clear." [peeks to and fro] [click of a gun] [scream] Zack: RAY!? Page 12 : HEY! RAY...!? Ray: Don't come over here!! Policedude who's touching Ray like how dare you: "You're the wanted criminal, Issac Foster, aren't you!" Ray: Zack! Police douche: Walking around with this kidnapped girl...! Ray thinking: Oh! Come to think of it, that was on the news yesterday...! Zack doesn't have a weapon now...! Because I made the mistake of choosing this way, he might be killed this time...! That can't happen! I have to do something...! Page 13: Ray thinking: Even though I've been caught, they won't kill me! I have to get Zack to escape!! [she grabs douche] : "HURRY AND RUN FOR IT!" douche: What the...let go!" Ray: ZACK...! GO NOW!! Zack: If I run, what're YOU gonna do?! Ray: That's not the problem right n- Zack: That IS the problem right now.            You know, Ray? I'm not givin' up.             I'll kill 'im with my BARE HANDS and run if I have to! Ray thinking : Ah... I see.        I finally get it now.      This is all the same as that drama show.     In that case I... Douche: Stand back! If you go with that man, he will kill you for sure! Page 14 Ray clicks the gun "That's OUR VOW." "Don't get in the way." I no longer fear sin Zack: Are ya glad ya used that? Ray: No...the truth is I never intended to do so.          But it would be troublesome for them to find out that I'm traveling with you or that I have a gun on me.... [panting] I intended to distract him so you could escape. I knew that's what I should have done yet... Yet I didn't like it. Page 15 Ray crying: "I DON'T WANT TO BE SEPARATED FROM YOU ANYMORE!"                        "That's why my selfishness took over. I'm so sorry..." [He sighs] Ray: I'm sure the reinforcements will get here soon and find this. Zack: Yeah. Ray: And then they'll find out about me, how we have guns, and everything we've done up to now. Zack: Yeah. Ray: And escaping them is going to be harder to do than ever before...         I'm sure the past version of me        would never have done something so rash and stupid...       But I don't regret it!

Page 16

Ray: I did something I wanted to do so... [Zack wipes her face^^] : Ah geeeze ya talk way too long!  Say yer main point already!! If ya don't regret it, then it was obviously the right action. Quit thinkin' about EVERY LITTLE THING, stooooopid. [sniffle] Ray: ...okay. Zack: Good grief and if yer gonna kill 'im, shoot 'im faster! Ray: I can't do that...          If I were to act without thinking the same way you do, we'd... Zack: Ya ended up shootin' 'im without thinkin' ANYWAY!            Tryin' to start somethin' with me!?             Let's go now. [sting]              Their backup guys might be comin'. Ray: Yes, you're right. [thinking] Back then... Page 17 I remembered the drama I saw on the TV at the motel. There was a scene with a lover being killed. The one who killed and the one who was killed both said "It's for the sake of love." When I remembered that, I thought such a burden of sin was a lovely thing. That's why I finally understood. If it's for your beloved, committing a sin is a way of loving that person. Speaking of which, Zack too [peek] killed that man in order to save me. But maybe he just wanted to kill him anyway. Yes, the probability of that is pretty high... Page 18 Maybe Zack also... Zack: What're ya starin' so hard at a guy's face for? [Ray blushes] ...nah I'm probably overthinking the convenience of it. Zack: Yer face is bright red, ain't it? Still cryin'? Ray: ...don't look! Last page [Now that she knows the taste of love, she cannot go back to the wise girl she once was] Omake: Zack: Ray suddenly started the waterworks [blah blah] Her emotions are pretty unstable... BUT I HAVE NO CLUE WHY SHE'S CRYIN'!!! [blah blah] [yeah] And she's talkin' too much! [blah blah] [yeah] Seems like a pain to interrupt her an' ask... But I can at least be a yes-man, I guess... Ray: But I don't regret it!          It hurts if you do that... Zack: IS THAT ALL THIS IS ABOUT!!?          Don't freak me out like that, dammit! [End!]

[nadjadoll]

Afraid, Bats, Candles, Cobwebs, Ghost, Nightmare, Vampire, Sweets

afraid: what's something you are no longer scared of?

idk if it counts but im not as scared of small spiders as I used to be still terrified of every other spider though

bats: do you sleep with stuffed toys?

again im not sure if it counts but yes and no, I have a sock monkey and a little sloth stuffed animal on my bedframe so I dont technically sleep with them but they're very near to where I sleep

candles: whats your favorite scent?

right now its the oatmeal cookie candle i have in my room! just in general I think it would have to be something sweet like cupcakes or flowery like lavender

cobwebs: are you scared of insects?

100% do not want them near me just last night a spider so lovingly decended down right in front of my face and I nearly had a heart attack so thanks for that spider

also not a fun of really any bug except maybe snails and those chunky little fuzzy bees can stay

ghost: have you had a supernatural encounter?

oh im positive I have! When I was little my dad lived right next door to my grandma so I bounced back and forth from their houses and I knew growing up that one or both of those houses were haunted

one thing that still freaks me out to this day is every so often when I was staying in my room at my grandmas house, I would hear actual whispers in my bedroom while trying to fall asleep. Like real people were standing in my room whispering to each other, it was so loud. They always went away when I opened my eyes though and you know that sound when you drag something heavy across the floor? Once in a while I would hear that in my bedroom too and it thoroughly scared me

This is going on too long but also across the hall from my old bedroom is our atticy/computer room and I used to sleep with my door open and you could see right into the darkness of the attic room and I always imagined there were things watching me sleep from that room

I blame that one episode of suite life of Zack and Cody where they investigate the old haunted hotel room

nightmare: what's your favorite Halloween movie?

the nightmare before christmas, hands down

vampire: what do you want to dress up as for Halloween?

birds of prey harley! here's a little sneak peak from the other night when I was really feeling myself 👀

i'll pretty much just be dressing up for myself to sit around the house on Halloween but oh well at least i'll look 🔥🔥

sweets: have you ever been trick or treating?

not for years! I wasn't a big fan of it when I was younger because of my terrible terrible social anxiety and because I didn't like candy that much

[scatterpatter]

Some expanded thoughts on FF7R under the cut [SPOILERS]

So! Overall I freaking LOVED the remake and I can’t wait to see the rest! Midgar feels so alive and expanded, you really feel attached to everyone, it’s... muah! Honestly a lot of the points I’m gonna make are more nitpicks than anything. I won’t make any commentary on the gameplay because I watched a let’s play instead of playing by myself(im broke and cant afford a PS4 and $60 game >_>)

So the designs are GORGEOUS... no, the entire GAME is gorgeous. Midgar looks so good and detailed, there’s so much great implementation of color theory! Cloud is sooooo good looking!!! Barret and Aerith and Sephiroth are all GORGEOUS! Reno Rude Tseng and Rufus.. AAAA!!! The only slight complain I have is that- okay so Tifa looks AWESOME, but I honestly wish she wasn’t so skinny. Like she’s a melee fighter, but her waist and arms are so thin! I wish they gave her a bit more tone and muscle, but, oh well. I honestly can’t stop staring at the character models they look SO good

Plot-wise, I really like most of the changes/additions they made! Especially with Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. They’re wonderful and I love them and did I mention that I love them because they’re just so dorky!!! And good!!!

Honestly, I like that Aerith is actually written to be likeable. I know that doesn’t seem like much but a lot of games fall into the trap of telling you that you’re supposed to like the female protag(looking at you, Breath of the Wild) or tell you that she’s a strong character, but they fail to show that, so the player feels like they’re just being told to get attached. Aerith, though, is actually really likeable in this game!!! She’s cute and down-to-earth, really dorky and even snarky, easily seeing past Cloud’s tough-guy act, and she can fight! It’s just so nice to see a game that shows a strong female protag instead of just telling you.

Legit everyone is horny for Cloud and I’m so here for it

Okay so like. I love Roche. I didn’t at first but he quickly grew on me. He’s so awfully chaotic and I just- I love him. I’m mad that he was just kinda forgotten, though. Like! He could’ve shown up at the ending chase!!!

THEY REALLY WROTE HOJO TO BE AS CREEPY AS POSSIBLE HUH. Like I’m not complaining because like he’s basically the reason why everything happened, but! Ahhhh he makes me squirm he’s a creep with a gross science fetish and I wanna stab himmmmm

Okay so. President Shinra is a little bit TOO stereotypically evil? Like having a gold statue of himself and not even caring about sabotaging one of his own reactors when one little console gets destroyed??? Like it’s almost comical how evil he’s written to be. Though, I do like the scene where he calls Barret out on his ideals, that was neat!

Nowww, Heidegger Scarlet Palmer and Reeve? MUAH. Heidegger and Scarlet are written so sadistically but like in such a likeable way, especially Heidegger. God I hate them both but you just love to hate them!!! Palmer is HILARIOUS- I love how he’s written to be the spoiled kid whose parents forced the other kids to include him so he’s just there even though he doesn’t do anything. And Reeve? Well...

SO REEVE IS MY FAVORITE ATM SINCE WE DON’T HAVE VINCENT YET, AND REEVE IS JUST... <3 <3 <3 Okay so first off, his design is perfect. He doesn’t really stand out in the same way that Heidegger Scarlet and Palmer do. He just has a normal build, normal suit, normal hair slicked back- he just looks like a normal employee, totally inconspicuous... which is very fitting considering how he ends up being undercover and needs to look inconspicuous ;)

Though Reeve shows clear signs of overworking himself and being emotionally abused by his coworkers which... sucks. I mean it’s good writing but I feel so awful for him- Like you know it’s bad when someone just has to hold up a hand to get you to shut up and sit down. I like that he tries to do good things but steps down when he’s told to, that he’s empathetic but cowardly. It does a great job at setting up his character arc in future chapters <3

Okay so one thing- I thought the build-up for the plate dropping was amazing, but honestly... the plate itself falling was slightly underwhelming, to be completely honest. Like- I just didn’t feel the impact that a plate falling would have! Mainly because, you don’t see a single death which is interesting. Like you see people running from falling debris, but legit not a single death is implied. Honestly? I thought the scene would have been far more impactful if they showed:

Seventh Heaven actually being destroyed

The people topside reacting to the ground beneath them collapsing and them falling to their deaths(They only tried to evacuate Sector 7 slums! Not the topside!!!)

More people actually being implied to have been crushed(No, Im not counting Wedge). Like in the original FF7 there’s a scene where someone’s watching tv and you see the plate falling from outside the window- and there’s a reporter just doing his normal shit before he suddenly looks up and things go to static- like- thats an intense scene and I wish the remake did more stuff like that!

They do great showing people REACTING to the plate falling which is why its so appalling to me that they dont show much of the actual devastation DURING plate fall

I LOVE that Cait Sith shows up at the plate falling! It shows that Reeve actually tried to warn people(something he asked to do and was denied earlier), even if he was too late. The only problem I have is that new players who dont know who Cait Sith is will be horribly confused as to who and why he’s there???

Also, when the crew goes back to Sector 7, you don’t really... feel the impact right away. Keep in mind, an entire section of city just fell onto another section of city WITH the supports holding it up, there should have been way more rubble. Yet, the area where Seventh Heaven is just... looks like it was hit with a major earthquake. There should be way more rubble, like mountains of it. It’s weird since the opening cinematic really captures the scope of how huge Midgar is, but the plate falling just doesn’t really show the scope of how much devastation there was to losing an entire plate.

The scope of it is done a bit better when climbing up Sector 7, but I still feel like the weight and scope of destruction isn’t lived up to its full potential.

Okay so- Wedge and Biggs. ... Yeah, it takes away from the impact of their deaths to have them not die. I mean, I can’t make a total opinion on this just yet, because the other parts haven’t come out yet, but... if FF7R is gonna keep them alive, they better have a good reason for it tbh.

They might have done a little bit too much foreshadowing with Cloud and Aerith? Like I like Cloud having memory issues, it’s kept pretty vague... but him going “Mother?” with Jenova is a little bit too spoiler-y. Like yeah you gotta tease his whole thing but like- don’t give it away this soon!!!

I also don’t mind Seph showing up as much as he does. Like, in the original, you don’t even hear about him until close to the end of the Midgar arc. Obvi since the remake ONLY covers the Midgar arc so far, I totally understand bringing him in sooner. Again, having the clones existing might be a little too spoilery for the big twists later on, but I can let it slide since it’s still treated as very “wtf” and I’m sure anyone new to the story hasn’t put it together yet.

Did I mention how much I love Seph he’s so creepy and his eyes are gorgeous and he’s so intimidating by just being there

And the Whispers... I honestly didn’t like them. I kept forgetting that they existed honestly. They just feel so... detached from the plot. I don’t mind adding new content/story, but the Whispers just... didn’t feel well-implemented. They also felt really campy towards the end. Like, the fact that they could un-stab Barret and shield Avalanche from car accidents while they were escaping? They were legit like “no you can’t die even if you tried because fate” and takes away any tension of the scene because... well, they know they cant die.

That being said, the ending was interesting. I uh. It was interesting! So they actually defeat fate itself in order to change... who knows what. The future, maybe even the past??? I’ve got many thoughts on this

If the future is changed, that can be exciting since people who know the original’s plot won’t know what’s gonna happen next so like- okay!

If the past was changed... y’all know I’m talking about Zack. Was fate changed so that he could live? Keep in mind, we see Whispers surrounding Midgar before they dissipate and Zack’s like “ohey did I get all of em?”, implying that fate would have forbade Zack from ever getting to Midgar. Having the team defeat fate means... Zack may have now reached Midgar. 

Is alternate reality/timeline stuff going to happen now???

Cloud’s character revolves around Zack dying. What’ll happen to Cloud now???

I feel so bad for people new to the plot who don’t know who Zack is.

Nomura... you madman.

So with the ending... Nomura and Squenix is setting something up. They’re going for something huge. I uh. I fear, honestly! Because this could very likely get WAY too ambitious and WAY too confusing(Think Dream Drop Distance’s bullshit plot), and could totally fall on its face and end up being Squenix’s biggest flop of all time. But... if this succeeds and they actually pull off whatever they’re trying to pull... holy shit. I would be floored.

I honestly am a bit afraid that the plot will be too confusing for new players. Like- no one would know whats going on with Zack unless they knew the original plot, so like while this would be a great game for FF7 fans, I’m really worried that it won’t be a good game for people new to the series.

Cloud in a dress is the greatest thing and I’m so happy they kept that scene I love him so much the entire scene is so queer <3

But overall, despite some nitpicks, it was a SUPER SOLID game and I’m soooo hype to see where they go with it! I wanna see Cait and Yuffie and Cid and Vincent!!!!!!!!!

[armyhallows]

Crown (a TXT inspired story)

summery: this story is about a girl named laana who is looked at as a devil by every one she knows,but as life goes on she just realizes how special she is with the help of her friend she found her crown.

warning:none

**request: no **

Crown masterlist

Chapter 3-Chapter 5

How did my quest to find zack and thank him for helping became me losing my tempo and shouting at him...i just i’m really frustrated and not really sure of what i’m doing after 30 seconds of me standing still and realizing what i did i ran in search of zack to give him an apology. i guess the dude is athletic or something cuz again no luck in finding him.

well i start heading back home thinking about a good apology to give zack.all i really wanted to do now was lay on my bed and think for a solution for all the situations that happened today “what did quara mean by living hell even if i forgive will he ever forgive me back will i be able to finish that project due at Tuesday” but what i didn't know was that there was still way more to add up in this story

as i got inside my uncle’s house i was greeted by the smell of alcohol...i knew something was wrong write away cuz uncle was never home he would rather hang out with friends than his useless niece.i didn't want to get in trouble so i head to my room as quite as possible. i was waking up the stairs and when a took my next step the step creaked!! it goddamn creaked and it wasn't soft either i’m sure even our neighbors were able to here the creek!!!

i paused to see if uncle heard the creak and i didn't hear anything so i sigh and say

“he must be to drunk to notice”

but i was wrong

“come here now!!”

i turn around and slowly started heading towards the kitchen

“yes sir”now you may wonder why did i just call my uncle sir well thats becuz he dosent want to be related to me by anyway so he warned me to never call him uncle and that i wasnt his niece but was is maid

“DO YOU KNOW WHATS THE TIME!!” he shouted

“n-no”the only person im scared is my uncle,beleive me when i say hes the biggest asshole youll ever see and if i ever disrespect him i get punished well its more like a trip to hell to be honest but--

“WHY DUMBASS”

i stayed silent

“I TOLD YOUR FATHER NEVER TO GET WITH THAT DUMBASS OF YOUR MOTHER BUT HE NEVER LISTENED!!”

thats it i lost my temper

“YOU HAVE NO HELL OF A WAY TO CALL MY MOTHER A DUMBASS!!”

uncle got up 

“what if i want to huh? you know what your mother was the dumbest person ive ever seen and theres nothing in the whole goddamn world that could change my mind”

i bit on my lips tear forming in my eyes

“and i called you to say that i lost my job”

i looked down

“and i think its time you start paying me for all these years you have lived here”

i looked at him with disbeleif 

“how am i supose to do that i dont even have my own phone!”

“hey you dont have any right to yell at me”

“but uncle im just trying to say that i dont have any money to pay”

“HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD I TELL YOU TO NOT CALL ME UNCLE” 

and he threw the bottle in his hand inches away from my head

“im really sorry sir”i said scared

“your lucky im tired or else you would have got the belt”

i nod my head

“and you can search for a part time job”

“but sir-”

“no buts go to your room now”

i go to my room weeping not knowing waht to do

End of chapter

[redthreadoffate]

(infinity) days of snow // c. 2 [tom hansen]

a repost, originally posted in my former writing blog

ship: tom hansen x oc

warnings: swearing; edited thrice in a span of…a few minutes so mistakes may be present

notes: i really enjoyed writing this before, super fun

summary: after summer is autumn, .after autumn comes winter. and during winter, there is snow.

(856)

During one of their coffee breaks, Tom notices that she isn’t as lively as usual. “Ava, what’s wrong?” he asks. “Are you having a bad day?”

She shakes her head and takes a sip from her tea, which he should’ve known was the first sign. She only has tea when she’s stressed. “No, it’s just that…my old friend is coming back tonight and we kinda left things in awkward terms.”

“Oh,” is all he says. “What happened?”

“Um…we were close, questions were asked—the question was asked and…um…I declined the offer.” She shrugs. “We never really had much contact after that…because I’m not sure of how it’ll work out so I’m really nervous.”

“It’ll work out,” he encourages. He shouldn’t have. He really shouldn’t have. Because once they’re back in the office, once Tom steps out of the elevator, whispers and chatters could be heard all around him. He asks Butch what’s happening. “Is something wrong?”

“Zachary Williams is coming back, Tom. And we all know what that means,” he smiles, “wedding of the century!”

“What wedding?” he asks. There’s a small smile on his face; he’s never been fond of weddings but he has imagined himself as a groom in more than one occasion.

There are cheers and claps coming from near the door. There’s a sharp-dressed man with dark hair and blue eyes. Handsome. People are shouting “welcome back” to him. The man smiles sheepishly as he acknowledges the ones around him. With careful and confident strides, he stops in front of Tom’s desk.

“Are you Tom Hansen?”

“Uh…yeah. Can I help you?”

“I’m Zack Williams. I heard you’re close to Snow.” There’s a pause and Tom can figure out why. “She isn’t in her office upstairs. Her dad didn’t notice her slip away and her secretary won’t give me proper answers. Would you happen to know where she is?”

Tom shakes his head. She hasn’t IM-ed or texted him. “I’m sorry, no.”

“Oh, I see. I also heard you two have dinner together almost every night,” the man says with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, “do you mind if you bring her to Sundae’s Best tonight? The restaurant near the theatres in—”

“Yeah, I know where that is,” Tom cuts him off gently, “and sure, I’ll bring her.”

“Thanks,” Zack smiles, “thanks a lot, Tom.”

“He introduced himself as Zack to you, Tom,” Sasha says as she fans herself with her hand, “that’s big. He must really want you to bring Miss Lanché to Sundae’s Best. He introduces himself as Zachary to everyone who isn’t in the same status.” Butch jokes that Zack could have him murdered if he doesn’t bring Snow to Sundae’s Best. He doesn’t want to take the chance. Zack Williams really looks like someone who could do that.

When he meets up with Snow for dinner, he suggests that they go to Sundae’s Best. She tells him that he doesn’t like the place because it’s too expensive. “Did Zack put you up to this?” she asks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he murmurs.

“If it was him, you have to tell me, Tom,” she demands, “I don’t know how to answer him yet. I can’t…Tom! Is it Zack?”

“Yes,” he answers, finally, “but you can’t back out now.” They’ve stopped right in front of the store and Zack waves at them from behind the glass door. “What did he ask you, Ava?” She doesn’t answer, instead she takes a deep breath and enters the building. Tom follows and he’s surprised to see some of his co-workers but he sits on one of the stools beside Butch. “What’s happening?”

Sasha appears and begins to squeal. “Oh my god, it’s happening! It’s happening! We’re getting an answer!”

“Who is Zack Williams anyway?” Tom asks.

“Zachary Williams, is only only the heir to the Williams fortune! They own the Kipping Bank!” Sasha replies.

“So I’m no match for him,” he mumbles dully.

Butch turns to him. “You like Miss Lanché?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Tom,” Sasha says in a whisper, rubbing Tom’s shoulder sympathetically. “I…I…well, for what it’s worth,” she begins to bite her lip, “I’ve always thought that Miss Lanché had a thing for you. I think she rather fancies you more than she ever fancied Mr. Williams.”

“That doesn’t boost up my spirit at all, Sasha. And awhile ago you were cheering for him,” Tom reminds her sourly. “Or are you sorry for that, too?”

She frowns. “I was just…they were the power couple, Tom. They’re meant to be together.”

“Save it, Sasha,” Butch snaps, handing Tom a beer. “Drink. It might help.”

Tom rolls his eyes but takes down a huge gulp, not minding the burn that goes down his throat as the liquid passes by.

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I’d just like to make a little speech for the most beautiful woman in here.”

It’s Zack and Tom can’t look away from the scene playing in front of him. Snow is standing awkwardly in the middles of the room, facing him, with Zack beside her and looking at her like she’s the best the best thing in the world. And for Tom, he can’t blame Zack because she probably is the best thing in the world.

“Snow, three years ago I asked for your hand in marriage. You didn’t accept because you said you that you needed time. I was heartbroken. But I respected your decision and gave you the space you wanted. So I went ahead to Europe despite being so angry at myself because I haven’t won you over and I just kept wishing that I had you waiting for me here as my future wife. I hope the time we spent apart from each other was enough for you to think…and ask you again. I love you, Snow. I have never stopped loving you. I would think about you every day. You’re amazing. Simply amazing. I’m not telling everyone here our story for sympathy, but I wanted them to hear our journey.” He gets down on one knee, reveals a black velvet box from his vest and asks, “Will you marry me?”

Snow doesn’t reply at first. She looks around her and then, their eyes connect. Her eyes are pleading but Tom doesn’t falter. Looking down at the man, she says, “Yes.”

*~*

(857)

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks her.

Snow had the decency to visit him in his apartment the next day, and he’s not sure whether to be happy or not. He had wanted to talk to her since last night but never had the guts to call her, and he’s also…hurt. It’s like his ex-girlfriends (and not so ex-girlfriend) all over again. Except he and Snow never had a romantic or sexual relationship.

“I didn’t think it was important.”

His voice rises, “I’m your…” and then stops himself, “your best friend. You could have told me you had a boyfriend who’s out of the country.”

“He isn’t my boyfriend,” she corrects.

“Right, he’s your fiancé now.” He rolls his eyes.

“Yes, he was my boyfriend but we took a break when he asked me to marry him because I didn’t feel the connection. I thought that there was someone out there for me. I love Zack, I really do, but not in the same way as…not the same way I love you, Tom.”

“You picked him last night.”

“Because you said you don’t feel the same way!” she snaps. “Why are you so mad? He was also my best friend before but it changed when he left. There was awkwardness and no sense of closure. He asked me to marry him three years ago and I declined.”

“If you knew he was coming back then you should have never told me that you loved me.”

“But I did and I still do! I thought you felt the same way, that’s why I told you. When you told me that you didn’t feel the same way, I didn’t want to tell you about him right away because I didn’t want you to think that you might have just been a scapegoat! And then it just slipped my mind, but I found out that he was coming home earlier than expected and I just panicked.”

“Well I love you!” Tom shouts.

She stands still. “What?”

“I love you,” he repeats. “I love you, Ava! And yes, I admit, this whole argument is my fault, I should have told you sooner that I love you. I fucking love you, Ava! And now that you have…that,” he eyes her engagement ring, “and him….”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

*~*

(745)

“I think I love her,” Tom says to his sister. They’re in the diner and he’s telling her all about Snow. Rachel seems happy for him and she urges him to tell her. “Do you think it’s too late, though?”

“She’s still with you, isn’t she?” Rachel confirms. “She hasn’t told you about some boy she’s seeing, right?”

He searches the back of his mind for an answer. “You’re right. I’ll tell her.”

*~*

(747)

He’s being blocked by a stack of boxes inside the elevator. The men pushing the cart had apologized but the people inside were squeezed like tuna in a can. That’s when he overhears some gossiping workers.

“Miss Lanché is hanging out with that architect a lot.”

“The cute one?”

“Tom, I think is his name. I think they make a cute couple, don’t you think?”

He feels himself smile at that.

“But she can do so much better,” the same person continues.

He frowns.

“I agree. She’s beautiful, she’s smart, she’s the heiress to this company and she’s rich. She can have any man she wants and she’s going to get it with someone who’s not even in the highest position in the architecture department?”

“But I heard that Mr. Lanché is close to Tom. Surely he doesn’t want his precious daughter to marry someone of…lesser status, right?”

The elevator dings and the doors open. He hears their voices begin to soften and he deducts that they’ve gotten off. Their words continue to ring in his ears and infiltrate his mind.

That night, he calls Rachel and tells her what happened. “They said that!? Those bitches.”

*~*

(903)

Their relationship was never the same. They constantly tried to avoid each other. Once, he was on a blind date with a woman. It wasn’t a disaster until the very end; he called the wrong name in bed. He even said ‘Snow’. This caused the woman to make him leave right away. Talking to Paul and McKenzie didn’t help either. Rachel was helpful but she wasn’t always present.

Just a week ago, the newspapers, tabloids and especially magazines, have been posting pictures of the newly engaged couple. Many journalists have tried setting up interviews, but with Snow living a private life and Zack busy, all were turned down. Tom hates seeing headlines and pictures of them together.

Tonight is the annual winter ball and Tom had tried his hardest to look his best. He wanted to impress people, to show them that he can just be as good looking as Zachary Williams. Last year, Mr. Lanché had informed them that his daughter wouldn’t be able to make it due to her illness; now that he thinks about, Tom hopes that she wasn’t too sick.

When he reaches the hotel, cameras are flashing around. Last year, he had Butch and Sasha walk the red carpet with him. This year, he knows how to handle it and he swiftly gets inside the building. In the ballroom of a lavish hotel, Tom sticks mostly to Butch and Sasha.

“Do you know when they’ll be arriving?” he asks.

“Miss Lanché always makes an entrance, her gowns are to die for,” Sasha fawns. “I wonder what she’ll wear tonight.”

After about half an hour, the doors open, Sasha squeals, and in comes Mr. Lanché in a custom suit, with a tie that that matches his wife’s blue dress. Zack is also with them, and his tie is silk silver. And then there’s Snow. Her dress is silver with beautiful, elegant patterns all over it. There’s even a snowflake that hides her cleavage. At first glance, it looks like a skimpy, narrow, off-the shoulder dress that reaches the floor. But upon closer inspection, Tom sees that the skin that is revealed at the topmost of her body is being covered by sheer material. Her hair is down, with ringlets around her shoulder, and her make-up is not at all exaggerated.

“Are you going to just stare at her,” Butch starts, “or are you actually going to go talk to her?”

Tom does manage to talk to her. It’s already eleven when he gets the chance, though. All she did so far was socialize with the elite and talk and dance with Zack. He spotted her leaving the room and heading to the restroom. “Ava!” he calls out when they’re alone.

She turns around. “Tom.”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Sure,” she says, “what’s up?”

“Um…first, you look very beautiful tonight.”

She smiles. “Thank you, Tom. You look very handsome yourself.”

Taking a deep breath, he says. “And…I don’t want you to marry Zack.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“I love you, Ava. And…I can tell that you don’t love Zack.”

“I loved him before, Tom,” she says, folding her arms in front of her, “I can love him again just as much, maybe even more. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to check my appearance.” As she starts to walk away, he can’t help but tell her one more time about how beautiful she looks. “Thank you.”

*~*

(1385)

The day of the wedding.

He had planned on not going, to spare himself, but Butch and Sasha had made him go. Paul and McKenzie thought it was a bad choice until they thought of an idea. It would be embarrassing from the beginning, probably be the laughing stock if it failed, but hey, if it works, then it’ll be all worth it.

Even if it’s the most beautiful wedding he’s ever gone to, even if it took months for this to happen, and Snow’s dress is as beautiful as she is, and maybe the cameras around the church would make things more nerve-wracking, he didn’t want to back out.

So as the priest says the words that he’s been waiting for, Tom jumps up from his seat, pretending that the wedding is a disaster and that the cameras all over the place would not face him and dare put his name in the headlines next to the wedding of the century’s or that Zack and his family could probably declare him missing in a day, and exclaims, “I object!”

Gasps could be heard all around. Snow and Zack turn to look at him with wide eyes. Snow begins to shake her head, wanting to save him from embarrassment, most likely.

“I’m not rich, I’m not the heir to some company and I may not be as good looking as the groom,” he starts, swallowing down his pride, “but I work hard, I’m educated and I love you, Ava. I should have told you sooner, I know I should have and we could have saved ourselves from this, but I was terrified. I didn’t…I didn’t want to be turned down because I wasn’t worthy of you. You’re beautiful, you’re smart, you’re the heir to one of the world’s biggest companies even when you want to be a teacher.” He smiles when he sees her smiling. “In society’s eyes I’m not worthy of you, but I can prove to you that I am. I can and I will.”

She smiles wider. He grins. It doesn’t even take her a second to decide as she quickly turns back to the man in front of her. “Zack—”

“Save it,” he stops her, “let’s not go through the drama. I should have known something was up when you hesitated to answer my proposal.”

“Zack, I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs and kisses the top of her forehead. “This doesn’t mean that I’m burning and drowning at the same time inside.”

She frowns as he casually steps down and moves pass everyone. His parents run after him but not before they give evil eyes at the bride. Cameras flash and murmurs can be heard. She lowers her eyes for a moment before walking down as well. She stops in front of her parents and gives them a pleading look.

Mr. Lanché smiles at her. “Just because I’m your father and I own a company doesn’t mean that I’ll stop you.”

“He must be really worthy if he had the courage to stop a wedding that’s being watched by millions,” Mrs. Lanché adds.

Snow hugs them both before running to Tom who had been waiting for her in the aisle. She jumps and he catches her effortlessly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he responds. “It would’ve been easier if you broke off the engagement,” he jokes.

“And give you an easy time? I don’t think so,” she says. She smiles and kisses him.

*~*

(2480)

Three years of dating all leads to this.

It’s snowing outside and Snow had thought of building a snowman, just for fun. They’re now on the body, with Tom handing out buttons that had fallen off shirts for Snow to press on their masterpiece. “There’s one more,” he says.

“We don’t need more,” she argues and then looks at the man, “do we?”

“He needs a heart,” Tom continues and hands the item in his hand to her.

“If you say so,” Snow says smiling and begins to put the round item on the man made of snow. But as she does, she looks at it first and then gasps. “This isn’t a button, Tom.”

He shakes his head and gets down on one knee. “Ever since you came into my life, everything’s changed. You’re my good luck charm, if you didn’t notice. And I tried my best to show you how worthy I am to be yours and for you to be mine. Now that my position in your family’s company is more secure,” he had just been promoted to president of the architecture division, “and I finally realized why all my past relationships didn’t work, and why winter is my favorite season,” he kisses the back of her hand, “it’s because of you. You know I love you. I love you so much. And I would love to come home and call for my wife.”

“We work in the same place and get off at the same time.” She giggles.

He smiles. “Then I get to say, 'I get to go home with my wife’ every day. And I think we’re ready to have Casey and Spencer, too, don’t you think? I know I’m ready to teach Casey all my tricks and spoil my princess Spencer.”

She laughs. “Does that mean I’m the less-fun parent?”

“We can be both.” He chuckles. “So what do you say? Will you marry me, Snow?”

She grins. “Yes, Tom. I will marry you.”

Despite his bad luck with…life, in general, Tom finally did get a happy ending.

*~*

(1)

[archivedatl]

AP web exclusive: All Time Low tour diary

Posted by Scott Heisel on 08-Dec-06 @ 04:43 PM

Last month, Baltimore pop-punkers All Time Low took to the road with Sugarcult for a series of shows on the West Coast. Here's some of what they saw, in words and pictures. Learn more at www.alltimelow.com.

#1------------------------------------------------------------ Ooohooo So last night we celebrated two awesome occasions...well 3 since matt's molars finally grew in...anyways yesterday was Haloween and our first night of our tour with Sugarcult. I must say, it is pretty strange touring with a band who I spent the better years of my middle school life watching on MTV. Regardless of where this band has been, it definetly didn't eff with their personalities. They were all super nice to us and each came up and introduced themselves. The show went pretty well but it wasn't a good judgement of our the whole tour is going to be because Sugarcult didn't even headline, the Eagles Of Death Metal did, and the tickets for $25 on Haloween night :) I'm sorry but I would never go to a show if those were the circumstances...I'd be out expanding my collection of holiday treats. Tonight the 'real' tour begins so we will see how it goes. We are playing Washington State University in Pullman Washington. We haven't done too many college shows, so this should be interesting...anyways before we got on the road a couple days ago we were couped up in Ben Harper's (formely of yellowcard, now in amber pacific) house/studio in long beach, CA working on our new CD :). We demoed some hot licks that were going to send over to our producer matt squire so that he can put in some input. I heard my blogs are going to be posted on the Alternative Press website for this tour, so if that's the case then...helll yeah! Well I just woke up from sleeping in the van so I am gonna walk out into the freezing streets of Pullman, WA crack my back and grab some Qudoba. Much Love, Jack --jbstar #2------------------------------------------------------------ Yoo dooodds, So I'm gonna update you guys on the passed couple shows...on Wednsday we played Washington State University. Those kids are freaking crazy! Everyone seemed to be having a good time and we made some awesome new friends. I cannot stress enough, how cool the Sugarcult guys are. Which is really cool because I have been listening to those guys since 6th grade! Anyways before we played, matt thought it would be a good idea to have a fork and knife fight backstage...yeah it turned pretty ugly and we should have some footage online soon enough. That night we partied at 'The Christmas House'. Lets just say that I'm pretty sure alex made out with a dog...I really miss Hit The Lights :( Anways...we played Seattle after the college show and it was offf the hoooook. Everyone in the room was dancing and it got pretty redic. As soon as we told them the alex/dog story they went nuts. We met up with the Pink Spiders that night. We were nervous about that because we've heard some stuff...but for real those guys are the shit. There all super nice and we have no complaints about them. We have yet to tour with a band who we don't get along with (fingers crossed). We also heard that we may be doing a few shows with Cobra Starship in Dec, if that happends that would be sick. I'll keep you guys updated. Someone made us a bucket of the craziest donuts ive ever seen at the portland show last night!! They were reallly good. Sorry for the lack of pics, I'll make sure my next post has more, its just hard to take good pics on a sidekick :). Talk to you guys soon!!Jacko #3------------------------------------------------------------ Yo Babaayyss, Last nights show was off the hook! I love playing at The Boardwalk in orangevale calii. The crowd was as wild as usual and a bunch of kids were singing along. A lot of the same kids who saw us there on the Amber Pacific tour came back. Its always cool to see so many familiar faces,,,cough cough hint hint nudge...you get the idea folks! The next couple shows should be interesting...reno and vegas. I wont be able to gamble but at least ill be able to look at a lot of lights. We all have family comming out, so that should be exciting. I havent seen my brother and sister in ages and i know their gonna be wasted so that means they will be even more friendly :) Also Meg n Dia join up in vegas which is sick, SO SIKED FOR THAT!!! We met them on warped and their super nice. anyways i think its time, i go to In and Out because after this tour im not going to be able to go back for a while :( im going to eat there everyday twice a day until we leave Arizona. Ive attached pics from our set on the Epitaph stage at this years Bamboozle Left and also some pics of our acoustic set the 2nd day! Thanks to everyone who watched us either/both days :) love you peace peace n a bottle o' hair grease, jack #4------------------------------------------------------------ Wow...vegas has to be one of the strangest places on this earth. First of all we showed up in Reno (shity city) only to find that only sugarcults crew was there and the show probably wasnt going on. We were welcomed by a hooker in a pink tanktop and no teeth asking if we had any shirts we could give her...Thankfully we have power windows and middle fingers. Thankfully zack was asleep or he might have took her up on some of her offers...he's getting desperate you know..just kidding! Anyways we decided to hang out with sugarcults crew for a little then start the drive to vegas early since it was 8 house. We got to go over the Hoover Damn which was sweet. It's seriously Vegas Vacation all over again! Anyways, we got to vegas around midnight and it was a fantastic site! My bro and sis were staying at the MGM so thats where i headed. Rian to the Excalibur, Alex and Matt to the Venecian and Zack to the Luxor. We all split up and hung out with our fam for the evening. My brother took me around vegas and boyyy was it interesting. I was approached by numerous drunk people. It was basically like an Ocean City, Maryland for older people. It's just a place for adults to drink, walk around drunk, act like teenagers and maybe gamble a bit here n' there. it was Akward to say the least. Anyways the next day was the show at the House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay...probably one of the nicest venues we have ever played. We introduced ourselves to the Meg n Dia folks and got to know our new tour mates as we shared a dressing room. We soon found they are awesome people and they share a love for getting wild! The show was pretty cool, and the crowd was big. It was weird though because the merch was not in the venue, it was in the cassino haha. Anyways Vegas was an experience we wont forget, and I cant wait till we go there again. I hope the next time we go, were 21...actually nevermind because that would be three years :)stay rad, Jack #5------------------------------------------------------------ Lame! Tonight was our last show on the Sugarcult Tour featuring The Pink Spiders and Meg n Dia :( Damone will be taking our place on this great lineup. I am jelous that they get to join up! Anyways we made some lifetime friends on this tour and it was a great experience for everyone. Every single show was amazing and the fans never let us down. Traveling to bumfuck arizona and hearing a couple hundred kids sing your song is the coolest feeling ever. Sugarcult was very warming towards us and their personalities suprised the shit out of me. they were such cool guys and even when zack was sick they made him soup and gave him Emergen-C. WHO DOES THAT !?!? Thats like something my mom does...so in a way Sugarcult are our parents. They actually reffered to us as their younger brothers on stage. At the last show of the tour in Little Rock, Arkansas us and Meg n Dia ran on stage during "Bouncing Off the Walls" and started bouncing around and took over Tim's Guitar n Mic, Marko's (my twin) guitar and Airens Bass. It was so fun to bro down with a band that ive been listening to since middle school haha. Alex also got to soundcheck with sugarcult at Texas AM College because tim was at the hospital taking care of his sickness (i think he had a nasty cold). It was so crazy to see alex soundcheck with a band who for the past few years have held a special spot on my ipod and in my cd player :) I attached a pic of him sound-checking for fun. At the end of the show we said our goodbyes and gave our hugs. This is'nt the end of these friendships though, only the beggining...now we head home to write a new cd. Catch us on the road in the northeast in december when we head out with Cobra Starship! Stay safe, Jack