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razieltwelve · 2 years

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Optic Blast (Final Effect)

“How are you doing?”

Shepard glanced up. It was Captain Cobalt. The veteran’s faceplate had gone transparent to let him see his expression. Old soldiers were often some of the toughest there were, and the captain had proved it during the initial assault to reclaim Earth. He’d led his troops with calm professionalism, calling out tactics and directing manoeuvres that had allowed them to secure a beachhead with minimal difficulty.

“I’m doing fine.” Shepard sighed. “It’s just... a lot.”

The ruins of New York spoke volumes. They’d found survivors. Most had either been lucky enough to reach emergency shelters in time - shelters that nobody had ever thought they’d actually have to use since joining the Citadel - or cunning enough to hide and evade detection. But they’d seen a lot of people who weren’t so lucky.

Some had simply been crushed beneath debris after the Reapers had begun their assault. Others had been hunted down by husks and other Reaper troops. And still others had simply been caught in the crossfire between the Reapers and Earth’s defenders.

There hadn’t been many soldiers left, though. They’d done their duty, and they’d paid with their lives. But even if they hadn’t been able to stop the Reaper onslaught, they’d been able to buy precious time for Shepard to contact the Empire and forge an alliance with them to take back the Earth and its system.

“I know the feeling,” Cobalt said. “Back home, we’ve got these things called Grimm. If you ever wonder why we need weapons capable of blowing up solar systems, it’s because of them.” He shook his head. “I was only a kid when my planet got attacked. I lived way out on the rim. It was a tiny mining colony.” His eyes hardened. “We didn’t get warning early enough to run, so we had to hold out. Three weeks. Three weeks we held out. Finally, help came. By then, almost everybody was dead. It turned out the Grimm that had attacked us were part of a larger swarm, one numbering in the quadrillions. That’s why it took so long for help to come. The Fleet had to blast its way through all of that before the Infantry could hit the surface and start looking for survivors.” He patted his power armour. “I joined the Infantry as soon as I was old enough, and I’ve been fighting ever since.”

“Three weeks?” Shepard had seen the Empire’s fleet in action. Any enemy that took three weeks for them to blast through was something she could barely imagine. “What now?”

“Well, I was coming to check up on you. The boys and girls upstairs have decided that we’ll be launching a night assault. We’ve got orbital supremacy, so there’s no reason to wait until morning. There are still plenty of those husk things and other enemy ground troops around, so the longer we wait, the greater the risk to your civilians and remaining military forces.”

“Right now?” Shepard checked her armour’s settings. With dusk falling, she’d already activated the night-vision setting, and it was better than she remembered it being. “You guys are equipped for night operations, right?”

“Yep.” Cobalt grinned. “Most of us have ways of seeing the dark well enough, but the power armour makes it a breeze. How are you doing ammo wise?”

“I’m good,” Shepard got to her feet. “Let’s do this.”

“Since this is an urban operation, we’ll be getting some... special assistance, on account of you being a VIP and all.” Cobalt’s grin widened. “I think you’ll find it quite... interesting.”

“Oh?”

“I won’t spoil the surprise.”

X X X

Shepard fell into step alongside the rest of the troops under Captain Cobalt. He’d assigned her to his own squad as they went door to door searching buildings. When they found husks or other enemy troops, they killed them. When they found civilians or friendly soldiers, they pointed them back toward the forward operating bases they’d established.

Several hours into the operation, Cobalt called a halt.

“We’ve got a large concentration of enemy troops up ahead,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s because they’ve realised if they don’t gather their forces, we’ll pick them off piece-meal. They might also have noticed we don’t have any heavy ordnance with us.”

Shepard had noticed that, but she had assumed it was because they could call in air support or had some way to teleport their tanks, mechs, or other armour to the battlefield.

“The thing is,” Cobalt said. “What they don’t know is that we do have heavy ordnance with us, just not in a form they’re familiar with.” He glanced to the side. “Yun-Farron, you’re up. Heavy artillery. Scorched earth.”

One of the other troops stepped forward. From the voice Shepard had heard over their comms, Yun-Farron was a woman.”

“Sure thing, captain.” She glanced at Shepard. “Should I try to make an impression?”

“I’m guessing that’s why they loaned you to my squad. Go nuts.”

Shepard shot a questioning glance at the other woman. “What are you planning to do?”

“Just sit back and enjoy the show.” Cobalt smirked. “I never get tired of seeing it.”

Yun-Farron stepped out from cover, and there was a flash of blinding light. The filters in Shepard’s armour managed to keep it from completely blinding her, but she could still barely believe what she saw.

A... blast of energy had just come out Yun-Farron’s eyes. It struck the closest clump of enemy troops and detonated in a massive explosion. An instant later, another blast lanced out, and more enemy troops went flying. A third blast followed, and instead of a brief flash of light, it was a sustained beam that resulted in a sustained roar as the enemy vanished in a cloud of raw devastation.

“How’s it going?” Cobalt shouted.

The blast stopped momentarily, and Yun-Farron glanced up. Another blast fired upward, sweeping across some nearby rooftops before returning to street-level, obliterating anything stupid enough to remain out in the open.

“Pretty well. Whatever shields or armour they’ve got can’t stand up to it. Hmm... they’re getting behind cover now, though.”

“Is that going to be an issue?”

“No although I will have to be more discerning now that they’re hiding in the buildings."

“Civilians?” Cobalt asked.

“I believe so.”

“Wait -” Shepard cried.

“Relax. I’ve got this.”

Yun-Farron’s eyes flashed again, but instead of a huge beam of destructive power, what emerged were twin lances of pure energy, each about an inch in diameter. They streaked down the street before doing an abrupt ninety-degree turn into a building.

Moving out into the open, Shepard peered at the building. She could hear the sounds of husks being killed and see flashes of light.

“What are you doing?”

“She can guide those eye beams of hers,” Cobalt said. “Even see through them, so she can clear out a building without even moving from the spot.”

“This is taking too long,” Yun-Farron murmured. “And there are, in fact, more civilians than we expected in these buildings. Signal the advance, I’ll provide covering fire.”

“Advance!” Cobalt shouted. “And don’t freak out if you see energy beams. They’re from Yun-Farron.”

As Shepard and the others broke into a sprint toward the buildings, the two original eye beams petered out. A moment later, more than a dozen of those same incredibly narrow eye beams raced past them, each picking a different building and doing their deadly work with incredible swiftness.

“Son of a bitch,” Shepard whispered. “How does that work?”

“Classified,” Cobalt said. “Although you’ll probably hear about it in more detail sooner rather than later.”

An eye beam streaked past Shepard, around the corner, and then up through the ceiling. She heard a husk come apart at the seam and then hastened into a room where their scanners had detected civilians.

“Come on,” she said to the people huddled there. “We need to move. Now!”

The building shook as something exploded and debris rained down - only to be intercepted by more eye beams.

“I am so asking about this later,” Shepard muttered.

X X X

Author’s Notes

The Yun-Farron in this snippet is descended from Diana and Fujin. Fujin, remember, has the eye beams. At full power, Fujin’s eyes beams are an optic blast that can be used to dish out immense damage. One of her children with Diana keeps that same Semblance, but the Ragnarok genes cause it to appear in both eyes (not just one) and to mutate into a variety of other forms in her later descendants.

This particular descendant has a variant referred to as the connected-directable-split’ variant. Basically, her eye beams are connected to her visual sense, allowing her to see through them (i.e., think of her eye beams as being able to function as a really weird periscope). They can also be directed after being fired, which allows them to go around corner and the like. The ‘split’ part refers to her ability to split her eyes beams into multiple smaller eye beams. This occurs due to a mutation in the eye.

Fujin’s eye beams are projected from the pupil, but she only has one pupil in her eye. Some of her descendants have evolved to have multiple pupils in their eyes (thanks Diana!). The more pupils they have in the eye, the more they can split their eye beams.

This particular Yun-Farron has been lucky enough and has trained hard enough to manage more than a dozen eye beams at once, which means her eyes have far more pupils than standard eyes. These are not always present. Instead, they appear in response to the Semblance being used.

Although not all of Fujin’s eye beam descendants share her crimson eyes, the vast majority of them have inherited her silver hair. In general, if a Yun-Farron from Diana’s branch of the family is born with silver hair, the first thing they check for is eye beams because the Semblance tends to manifest early (usually preceded by eye pain and the like).

Yeah. Fujin’s descendants are pretty cool.

#final effect #fanfiction #shepard #cobalt

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tsarisfanfiction · 4 years

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Grounded pt4

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family Characters: Scott, Tracy Family

7k words later and this thing that was supposed to be a short explanation for what I saw as a plot hole in Venom is finally at an end. Got rather out of hand but since when is that unusual with fics? This’ll be proof read, edited, and then posted on AO3/FFN soon; I’m still undecided if I should chapter split it or have it all as a oneshot but it won’t be exactly as it’s been split here because I’ve posted this as I wrote it.

Someone mentioned ‘what if the ep was really like this’ so I’ll reiterate some of my earlier notes: this fic is a reaction to the lack of TB1 or Scott doing any sort of piloting in the S3 Venom despite it being a rescue where speed was important. All the events in part 2 fit around the events we see in the episode seamlessly (I literally watched it in 5 sec bursts as I was writing to make sure of that), so to them and everyone else who thought that: this fic is designed to be that episode, just viewed through a different lens. And then I made it worse after the episode was over because why not.

The reaction to this has been fantastic so far, way beyond anything I expected! Thanks for that, and I hope you enjoy this last installment as much as the rest of it.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

There was a steady beeping, calm and methodical. Beep… beep… beep… it went, more of a reassurance than an irritant to the dregs of his consciousness. Scott recognised it, but couldn’t place it, and found himself more interested in the fresh air flowing around his mouth and nose. That was more immediately familiar, a constant from his last bout of consciousness, and it didn’t take his stirring brain long to label it as a rebreather.

Was that really necessary? Frowning slightly, he lifted a hand to his face and tugged the machine away, fresh air replaced with warmer air that had just the faintest tang. The air of the sea. He’d been on Thunderbird Two, but Thunderbird Two’s air didn’t taste of warmth and salt, rather the recycled air of an enclosed plane in flight, crisp and just a little bit off. If this wasn’t Thunderbird Two and he was tasting sea air, there was only one place he could possibly be.

He smiled, hand still holding the rebreather falling to his side limply. He was home.

Opening his eyes was a little more of a challenge, eyelids still heavy and eyelashes catching on each other, but as he blinked his way into awareness, beads of moisture forming in the corners of his eyes but not falling, he realised that he was almost sitting upright, the bed raised to its full extent so he was facing the wall with its fake holographic window rather than the plain and boring ceiling.

Scott appreciated that, letting the rebreather fall from his fingers as he wiped the sleep and moisture from his eyes. He’d spent far too many hours staring at the ceiling that never changed, and at least the hologram could change. The actual reasoning behind his positioning was more likely his rib, which Scott would worry about later. It wasn’t his rib that had tried to kill him, and he looked down at his left arm.

A neat band-aid – a childish one, decorated with bright red biplanes soaring across a blue background that he’d always fought for as a kid – stood out against his bare skin, just below the elbow, and he smiled, wondering which of his brothers was responsible for that one. On that same forearm he also saw a cannula, attached to tubing with translucent liquid passing through, and grimaced. He never liked being on a drip.

He was no longer in his uniform. Part of him – the part that contained his pride – bristled at that, wondering who had stripped him while he was unconscious and why, but the clothes he was wearing were comfortable, well-worn, and unmistakable as his favourite pyjamas even without him looking at them. His comfort-pyjamas, although he was fairly certain he’d never made the mistake of letting that slip to anyone. The ones he turned to whenever things got particularly rough, a plain unassuming dark grey with worn patches from the times he’d needed all the support he could get.

It could just be a coincidence, although Scott was uncomfortably aware that if there was one person he couldn’t keep anything truly secret from it was John, but whatever the reason, he was glad of them now. There was nothing like comfort clothes after a near-death experience.

Considering he’d just had a near-death experience, the lack of anyone in the room with him was somewhat unusual. Virgil in particular he’d expected to see, his younger brother blaming himself for bringing him out on the mission even before he’d been bitten, let alone afterwards. Kayo hovering unassumedly in the corner, sharp eyes full of concern. John flickering by his side, watching him for the slightest change. Grandma, retired from caring for strangers but never too old to stay up all night with her family.

Scott eyed the drip. If none of his family were with him, physically or virtually, then that meant something else was going on that trumped his condition. In their family, there was very little that trumped an unconscious brother or grandson. And if they weren’t with him, he had no intentions of staying put.

He’d removed drips hundreds of times – his own and other peoples’. By this point, he had it down to an art, even if his sneaky family had tried to make it harder on him by putting it in his dominant arm; there were benefits to being ambidextrous. He reached across with his right hand, fingers gently probing the needle, and had just found the sweet spot when there was the unmistakable hsss of the door sliding open.

“What do you think you’re doing, young man?” Grandma demanded, striding in and gently but firmly forcing him to release his grip. “That’s there for a reason.”

“Hey, Grandma,” he greeted, grinning at her and ignoring that she’d just caught him trying to escape. “How long was I asleep?”

“Your siblings brought you back four and a half hours ago,” she told him, picking up the discarded rebreather and placing it on the bedside table before perching on the bed. Scott watched her carefully, accepting the hand cupping his cheek as a thumb swiped at what was presumably some sleep he’d missed. “Trust you to wake up the one time I have to use the toilet. This old bladder can’t hold it in like it used to.”

Scott grimaced good-naturedly at the tmi and she chuckled at him, patting his cheek lightly twice before letting her hand rest.

“You gave us all a scare there, Scott,” she said softly, eyes running over him once before meeting his own. “You don’t have to try and beat Gordon on that score, you know. It’s okay to let someone else have that crown.”

“I’d appreciate it if he never gave me another scare in my life,” Scott admitted, before glancing around the room again. “Where are they, anyway? Not to sound self-centred, but I don’t usually wake up here alone.”

“Alan and Kayo are dealing with a stalled freighter just outside of orbit and Gordon and Virgil are responding to a sinking cargo ship,” Grandma told him. “They’ll all be back soon, and delighted to know you’ve decided to re-join the land of the living.” She tangled her fingers with his, pressing them to her chest with a hand that was almost trembling. “It was a close call, Scott. Your brother almost didn’t make it in time.”

His brother? Virgil? John? John had had a plan, he remembered that much, although he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the details. Wait…

“I heard Thunderbird One,” he said, recalling the roar that had soothed him to sleep like a purr. It could have been a figment of his imagination, but he didn’t think so. A smile spread across his grandmother’s face.

“Of course you did,” she laughed. “You boys and your machines. Well on your way to see your mother and you still recognised your ‘bird.” The smile was bright for a moment before it dimmed again. “Alan flew all the way to a lab in China to collect a dose of the antivenom before rendezvousing with Thunderbird Two to deliver it. I’ve never seen that ‘bird fly so fast without you in the hotseat.”

Alan. Scott could well imagine his youngest brother, face screwed up in concentration and fear, sat in the pilot’s seat. The idea tied a knot in his chest, but at the same time there was pride, and an unexpected thankfulness for the rib injury that had kept him grounded and subsequently given Alan more flight hours in his ‘bird. Without that…

Without that, he might well have died. The realisation doused him like cold water, his eyes leaving his grandmother’s to stare blindly at his lap. He’d known he was dying, remembered a desperate fight against whispered promises of the stars and seeing his Mom again, but sitting in the infirmary, home and safe, it carried a different weight.

“Oh, Scott,” Grandma whispered, releasing his hand and cheek only to draw him in to a careful hug around his shoulders. “It’s okay. It’s over.” After a moment his hands found the back of her always there purple onesie, fisting around the fabric as his head rested in the crook of her neck. “It’s okay.”

There was the slightest of cracks in her voice, a reminder that no matter how much steel she was made of, she wasn’t immune to the idea of loss. Her parents, long ago, before Scott’s memories began. Her husband, daughter in law. Her son, who might still be alive and waiting for them.

“I’m okay,” he repeated, as much for her benefit as his. “I’m okay.”

Her hand found the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair softly as though he was a young boy woken from a nightmare again. It was the sort of treatment she didn’t give him in front of his brothers, knowing that he preferred to keep up the illusion of strength in front of them, no matter what.

“I want you to take it easy,” she told him after a minute or so, releasing him and instead gripping his hands in hers. One pair was trembling, but he didn’t know if it was his or hers. “I know that’s not in your vocabulary, but I refuse to let you throw yourself back in harms’ way until you’re fully recovered after what happened today.”

“But-” Scott protested, complaints and reasons why he shouldn’t be bedbound queuing up one after the other on the tongue. A single look from his grandmother quelled them all before he could vocalise any.

“If you can’t do it for the sake of your own recovery,” she said, something in her voice implying that she thought he should treat himself better – he treated himself fine! – “then do it for our peace of mind, Scott. We were all terrified when we heard what happened. Virgil was stuck watching you slip away with no way of stopping it. That fear doesn’t magically go away, Scott. We all know that.”

He was saved from answering by the swish of the door opening again. He glanced over, wondering who it could be when he hadn’t heard any Thunderbirds come in to land. Brains and the Mechanic were the only others on the island, and while it wasn’t unusual for Brains to check up on the infirmary, Scott didn’t want the Mechanic near him in his current condition.

It wasn’t the Mechanic. It wasn’t Brains, either – or MAX, for that matter.

“h’Oh, you’re h’awake!” Parker said with a surprised but delighted grin as he fumbled his way into the room carrying a tray laden with food. “h’I was just bringing food for Mrs Tracy…” he trailed off, but continued to approach the bed.

“Parker, you shouldn’t have,” Grandma smiled, releasing one of Scott’s hands to move the rebreather off of the bedside table. The older man set the tray down before stepping up to Scott’s side. He didn’t reach for him, keeping his hands loosely behind his back, but sharp blue eyes raked him up and down.

“’Ow are you feeling?” he asked after a moment.

“I’m fine,” Scott replied, ignoring the eye roll from his grandmother, who clearly didn’t agree with his assessment. Aside from some token weariness, which he knew was normal after a spell of time unconscious, he really did feel perfectly fine. Even his rib wasn’t bothering him.

“h’I suppose that’s because you’re h’on the good stuff,” Parker shrugged, making Scott pause. He should have realised that, especially after all the trouble his ribs had given him on the mission. The temptation was there to ask how badly his recovery had been set back, but that would have just given Grandma even more ammunition to stay in bed. Besides, he’d be told eventually. Of more immediate interest was Parker’s unexpected visit.

“What brings you to the island, Parker?” he asked, glancing around the room again. “I don’t see Lady Penelope around?”

“M’Lady’s in the lounge,” Parker told him. “We came ‘ere to drop off the Centurion-21 fuel for Brains, but ‘eard h’about you and M’Lady requested to stay h’a while.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Grandma reminded him, and Scott smiled in agreement. “Is she making any progress?”

“h’I couldn’t say for sure,” Parker shrugged. “But I know M’Lady and Master John won’t stop h’until they get their way.”

Scott frowned. Combined, John and Lady Penelope were an almost unstoppable force, but he couldn’t think of any reason for that tag-team, not right now.

“What are they doing?” he asked, because anything that big, he needed to know about. Especially if working on that was a higher priority for John than checking in on him – John, the brother who was too used to sitting out of the loop and firmly inserted himself virtually into any situation with a brother operating at less than one hundred percent. Scott knew he wasn’t at one hundred percent, not even by his own standards.

“Making sure today’s events never happen again,” Grandma answered, curling her hand back around his again.

Today’s events. The rescue? Him being bitten? That was all bad luck, how could they possibly ensure it never happened again? Although, he supposed, if anyone could, it would be the duo currently working on it.

His confusion must have shown on his face, because Parker took it upon himself to explain. “h’It transpires that the reason the ‘ospital ran h’out of h’antivenom was a funding problem,” he said, sounding somewhat unimpressed. Scott didn’t blame him – whenever money was the problem, he found himself wanting to strangle whoever had decided lining their pockets was more important than human lives. “M’Lady h’is setting up a charity to make sure all ‘ospitals can ‘ave all the h’antivenoms they need.” Admirable and welcome, but that didn’t explain John’s involvement. He certainly hadn’t been needed in any of her past charity ventures.

“So what’s John doing?” he asked, hoping his brother was not ruining whoever had decided money was more important than lives. It wouldn’t be the first time, and while Scott agreed that they deserved it, sometimes John could go a little too far.

“Arranging for International Rescue to have our own stock of all known antivenoms,” Grandma told him, squeezing his hands gently. “We might not be able to stop spiders sneaking into our Thunderbirds, or you boys throwing yourselves in front of each other, but there is no reason why you should have had to suffer for an hour because you didn’t have the right antivenom on hand.”

That made sense, and Scott nodded his approval. International Rescue did have a stock of common antivenoms, as well as everything they needed to deal with the local fauna on Tracy Island, but if they could broaden that, at least to the most dangerous venoms, it would only be a good thing.

It was also a typical John reaction – finding out why something had gone wrong and immediately finding a way to stop it happening again. That, at least, told Scott that John was okay. If he’d found a solution to the problem then he would be satisfied. No doubt Scott would find himself under close holographic scrutiny in the near future so John could see for himself that he really was fine, but with a solution the what-ifs wouldn’t be playing on his mind.

His other siblings would be less easily pacified. He had no idea what Gordon knew, having not seen his water-loving brother at all that day thanks to a fishing trawler in trouble, but Virgil and Kayo would be kicking themselves black and blue, and Alan would be stuck in the what if I’d been too late loop. Scott knew that feeling very well indeed.

He hadn’t yet decided if the fact that it had launched rather than exploded made the fact that he’d reached the Zero-X too late better or worse. He wasn’t sure he’d ever decide.

“Still, I think we’d better let them know you’ve woken up,” Grandma said, releasing his hands. “I won’t be long, so don’t even think about getting out of that bed, young man.” She shared a look with Parker. “If you’re hungry, see if you can eat some of that food Parker’s brought in.” A gentle hand touched his cheek lightly before she stood up and left the room.

One look at Parker told him he wasn’t going to be going anywhere, especially when the man perched on the section of bed Grandma had just vacated. Parker was the one he’d learnt many of his escaping tricks from – if there was one person that would see through them all, it was the butler.

“h’I wouldn’t be in too much of a ‘urry to h’escape, Master Scott,” the older man said, and Scott found himself relaxing back against the bed. Master Scott. It was his favourite of Parker’s ways of referring to him, but also the rarest. He’d graduated to ‘Mr Scott’ after the Zero-X, the man’s acknowledgement that he was now the head of the family without using the dreaded Mr Tracy. Parker never called him that, not even in public when the rest of the world insisted. Sir was a substitute when society demanded, and Scott always appreciated that.

Master Scott only came out when Parker was being fussy, and never with an audience. Just like Grandma, he knew and accepted there was a front to be held in front of younger siblings – even if neither of them approved. If he was Master Scott, he wasn’t expected to make any decisions or take on any of his father’s responsibilities.

“Some food?” the butler asked, gesturing to the tray. It was homemade, but not by Grandma, and Scott would have to be far worse off to even consider declining that. In answer, he reached for the toast, only for Parker to lightly touch his wrist and stop him. “You’ll get crumbs h’everywhere if you h’eat like that,” the older man scolded lightly. “Stay still, there’s a good lad.”

The tray was relocated to his lap, and Scott tore into the offering as soon as Parker retracted his hands, to an amused chuckle from his companion.

“h’It’s not going anywhere, Master Scott,” Parker reminded him.

“He’s just trying to finish it before the others get home and want to share,” John commented, and Scott’s head jerked up to see his brother’s hologram materialise alongside him. He looked tired, not that that was an unusual occurrence over the past few weeks. “You’re looking better, Scott.”

“I can’t imagine that’s hard,” he managed through a mouthful of food. The last time he’d been aware of John’s presence, he’d been deep in the clutches of deadly venom. If he’d looked half as had as he’d felt, it would have been an awful sight. “How’s the campaign going?”

John pulled a face. “They’re asking for money, which by itself isn’t a problem because I expected that, but they’re trying to charge us triple what they charge hospitals, and as Lady P’s working to get those rates reduced because they’re extortionate, I’m not letting them use our lives to line their pockets.”

Scott grimaced along with him. Money grabbers were the worst.

“So what’s your plan?” he asked, because there was no way John was letting that slide.

“Persuading them that it’s better in their interest long-term to not try and bankrupt us,” John offered, a bemused look on his face. “We could afford it, but if they think that they’ll be driving the prices up with every new shipment. More realistically, I’m talking to Colonel Casey to see if the GDF can’t pull some weight. As they’re military and not private, the companies couldn’t charge them as much. It would leave us needing the GDF’s good will for access, but we already know the GDF don’t dare put us out of business.”

It was Scott’s turn to pull a face. He hated getting the GDF involved in anything; for as long as Colonel Casey was a dominant figure in the organisation International Rescue wouldn’t have any issues, but in the longer term he was brutally aware that she was their father’s generation. At some point, she would be forced to retire and then they’d – he’d – have to handle the full force of the GDF without inside help.

Still, he trusted John and Colonel Casey. Anything they implemented would be beneficial to International Rescue.

“Let me know what you come up with,” he requested, and John nodded, turquoise eyes briefly scanning across him.

“Alan and Kayo will be returning home in five minutes,” he told him. “Do you want me to tell them you’re awake or let them find out for themselves when they check in?”

“Tell them once they’ve landed,” Scott decided. “Virgil and Gordon, too – what’s their ETA?”

“They’re racing Thunderbird Three home,” John shrugged. “But Thunderbird Three will win.” Scott chuckled. Alan somehow always won their races home, no matter how much further away he’d been.

“What are they betting this time?” he asked, and John grinned.

“Loser gets to be your slave for the week,” he said.

“Mine?”

“Well you’re not doing much on your own any time soon,” John told him matter-of-factly. “Has Grandma given you the rundown?” Scott blinked, pausing mid-bite.

“I thought I was supposed to be walking around with the ribs,” he ventured tentatively. “But no, I haven’t been told what the damage is yet. Care to fill me in?”

John glanced away at something Scott couldn’t see.

“Your rib re-broke,” he started bluntly. “Which I’m sure you’ve realised. So that’s another six weeks grounded, and this time no-one’s sneaking you onto a Thunderbird before that’s up.”

“Six weeks?” Scott groaned. John raised an eyebrow in his direction.

“Well what did you expect?” he asked. “Kayo filled us in on the mission details once you were stable. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.”

“But-” Scott protested. “What about the mission to find Dad?” John shook his head.

“The new Zero-X will take longer that to construct,” he told him. “Brains and the Mechanic finished the T-Drive while you were out in Brazil and we’ve got the fuel, so they’re going to test fire it tomorrow to make sure it’s all working before they start on the craft itself.”

“Tomorrow?” Scott asked. “If it’s ready why not today?”

“Even engineers need breaks sometimes, Scott,” John scolded lightly. “They’ve been working almost non-stop for the past five weeks, which I know you know.” There was a slightly accusatory tone at the end of his sentence, and Scott realised John knew how closely he’d started watching the two engineers. “Besides, Grandma and Virgil won’t let you out of that bed for at least twenty four hours, and we all know you won’t be happy unless you see it for yourself.”

Well, they weren’t wrong.

“You still haven’t told me why I’m getting a slave for a week over a broken rib,” Scott realised, and John once again raised an eyebrow at him.

“You haven’t tried to get out of bed yet?”

“Don’t h’encourage ‘im, Master John,” Parker groaned. “Mrs Tracy ‘ad to stop ‘im h’earlier and ‘e ‘asn’t ‘ad h’a chance since.”

“It was an hour before the antivenom reached you, Scott. The damage doesn’t get miraculously fixed just because the venom’s gone,” John continued. “Your blood pressure is still low so I’d wager you’ll probably pass out if you try to stand right now, no matter how ‘fine’ you feel, and we don’t yet know for sure if it’s done any damage to your heart.”

“My heart?” The soft background beeping caught Scott’s attention and he turned his head to the EKG. It was on, signalling that it was receiving data from wireless transmitters. He put a hand to his chest; underneath the pyjamas he felt the tell-tale patches, leaving him with no doubt that it was his own heartbeat it was recording. “Oh.” That was low. Not dramatically so, but lower than his normal resting rate.

“It’s recovered reasonably well, but Grandma and Virgil still aren’t happy with it,” John told him. From his tone, it wasn’t only the family medics unhappy. “I know you don’t like staying in bed, but unless you want to fall over and make your ribs worse, I would suggest you stay put.”

Scott scowled.

“You’re also recovering from dehydration, so drink up and leave that drip in,” Grandma added, walking back in with a large cup, complete with straw. “I see there’s nothing wrong with your appetite,” she observed. Parker obligingly removed the now-empty tray away from Scott’s lap and stood so that she could sit back on the side of the bed. “Drink.”

Obediently, he took the cup with both hands and sipped at the liquid, which revealed itself to be simply water. A dull rumbling even through the soundproofing of the infirmary told him Thunderbird Three was back. John confirmed that before signing off to talk to their returning siblings.

Scott made a note of the time, wondering how long it would take before he had visitors.

Three minutes later and the door slammed open to find Kayo and Alan shoulder-to-shoulder, clearly racing each other.

“No running in the house!” Grandma barked, but neither of them looked the least apologetic. They did at least walk the distance from the door to his bed, where Grandma had slipped off to let them get closer. Both stopped short, Alan fidgeting from foot to foot at he stared at him with open relief, and Scott rolled his eyes.

“Come here,” he told his youngest brother, spreading his arms in demand of a hug. As always, Alan needed no further invitation, crashing into him and wrapping his arms around him tightly, although it didn’t miss Scott’s attention that it wasn’t Alan’s usual rib-squeezing hug. He appreciated that, curling his own arms around his brother’s shoulders.

Alan was trembling. “I thought I was going to lose you,” he mumbled into Scott’s neck. “I thought-”

“I��m still here, kid,” he interrupted quietly. “And I hear I have you to thank for that.” The sniffle he got in response told him it was Alan, the baby brother, rather than Alan the emergency responder he was dealing with. “You did good.”

“I thought I was too late,” Alan mumbled, and there were tears against Scott’s skin. He tightened his grip on his brother. “You looked d-dead. I d-didn’t think you were breathing.”

“I’m here and breathing,” Scott reminded him, letting him sob on his shoulder as long as he needed, rubbing the neoprene – both siblings were still in uniform – underneath his hand reassuringly. He remembered the same reaction after EOS had first made herself known to them, only that time it had been John Alan had clung to in tears, post-adrenaline rush. They needed to stop putting their lives in Alan’s hands like that.

But Alan would settle, barring the new nightmare fuel that never went away, once he’d let out the initial emotions. It was either a blessing of youth, or a coping strategy he’d been forced to employ too young. Kayo, who was watching with unguarded relief across her face, was like John; pragmatic and level-headed. A serious conversation would settle her, although when she met his eyes, he linked his hands together behind Alan’s back and made them flutter, shooting her a quick grin.

The resulting glower she sent him didn’t hide the softening in her eyes, or the way her shoulders slumped. Satisfied for the moment, he returned his attention to his youngest brother, who seemed content to stay where he was. Scott let him, nodding at Parker when the older man gestured that he was going to leave the room.

No sooner was Parker gone than Gordon burst through the door, Virgil hot on his heels.

“Scott!” Gordon skidded to a stop just behind Alan, reaching out to put a hand on Scott’s shoulder where he could. “Don’t do that again,” he demanded, amber eyes flicking to the EKG for a split second before he found some space to perch on the bed behind Alan.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Scott shot back. Gordon grinned.

“I won’t if you don’t,” he said. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

They couldn’t really promise that, not in their profession, but Scott saw something lift behind Gordon’s eyes, the banter regardless doing something to reassure him. Gordon had always used humour to cope.

Four siblings down, or at least addressed, and one to go. Somehow, Scott didn’t think a hug or joke would work quite so well on Virgil. Guilt was deep-set in brown eyes, but Virgil didn’t look at him directly, focusing on the EKG and drip as he bustled around.

“Virgil,” he said, pulling one hand away from Alan to catch his brother’s arm the moment Virgil got in reach. It was the arm with the needle in it, bright band aid stark against his skin. Virgil’s eyes focussed on it and Scott sighed, tightening his grip on the neoprene beneath his fingers. “Look at me.” He couldn’t do much, not while Alan was still clinging to him, but hell if he was going to let Virgil shut himself away and stew in a self-inflicted puddle of misplaced guilt.

Virgil stilled, but didn’t obey. Scott closed his eyes and sighed again, squeezing Alan lightly. The blond snuffled but didn’t otherwise move.

“Virgil.” That was John’s voice, his final brother reappearing holographically at the foot of Scott’s bed. The middle brother ignored him, too.

“Kid, your brother’s talking to you,” Grandma chipped in. “At least have the manners to look at him.” Despite the words, there was no scolding in her tone, just a quiet encouragement. Virgil glanced up at her, and a look passed between them that Scott couldn’t see before Virgil slowly turned to face him.

“Thank you,” he said before Virgil could apologise, or say something else nonsensical. Whatever his brother had been gearing up for, it clearly wasn’t that; he blinked, startled, before opening his mouth to probably-protest. “I know it was Alan that got the antivenom, but you’re the one that kept me alive long enough to get it.”

“I’m the reason you needed it in the first place!” Virgil snapped, looking away again. “If I’d paid more attention… if I-”

“If nothing,” Scott interrupted, conscious that they had an audience but unable to ask anyone to leave. He wanted his family there, with him, and knew they were all busy reassuring themselves that he was going to be fine. “You’d have done the same thing if our positions were reversed, except I’m not as good as you with all the medical stuff.”

“You’d have done enough,” Virgil mumbled, and Scott rolled his eyes.

“And you did enough,” he returned. “No what-ifs, Virgil.” Hell knew he’d told himself that enough through the years, with varying levels of success.

Virgil at least met his eyes again, even though Scott could see it wasn’t enough to lift the guilt. That would take much longer, including him making a full recovery and a conversation without the rest of the family listening in, intentionally or not.

“You’re staying in that bed,” he said instead, and Scott made a grumbling noise of protest.

“So I’ve been told,” he replied. “I can’t say I’m happy about it, but John made quite the compelling argument.”

“Does this mean you’ll listen to me for once?” John asked disbelievingly, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

“What do you mean, for once?” Scott asked. “I listen to you!”

“When it suits you,” John rebuked. “I have a list, if you’d care to hear it.”

Scott wouldn’t put it past John to actually have a list. He turned his attention back to his other brothers without responding, to an amused noise from the space monitor, and gave Alan a grin as the youngest finally pulled back from his shoulder, eyeing him with teary blue eyes.

“I’ll sit on you if you try and get up,” the youngest told him firmly, look somewhat ruined by those eyes. Gordon laughed.

“Alan, you’re a twig.”

“Am not, fishboy!”

“Are, too!”

“Not!”

“Boys,” Kayo interrupted, taking a few steps closer to the cluster on the bed. With one arm now free, Scott reached for her and got a light hug at his silent request. It didn’t last long, but it was enough for the rest of the tension to leave her shoulders before she stepped back, out of his reach again.

“Hey, where’s my hug?” Gordon demanded, and Scott raised an eyebrow at him.

“You want a hug, you’ve got to come get it yourself,” he said. “I’m not moving.”

Permission gained, Gordon shoved Alan out of the way, the younger falling off the bed with a squawk of indignation, and wrapped himself around Scott. It was far looser than his usual hugs, but out of all his brothers, Gordon was best at gauging what an injured person could take. Scott rested his chin on his shoulder, feeling the dampness of the neoprene that betrayed that Gordon had been in the water during his mission.

Tension drained out of his aquanaut brother’s powerful shoulders and Scott found himself relaxing as well. He’d always found it easiest to relax and wind down when his brothers were okay, and with three out of four openly reassured, his own nerves were less on edge.

“I’m still sorry,” Virgil said after a moment. Scott still had hold of his bicep, and glanced up at him as he spoke. That pain and guilt was still there in brown eyes, but it was Gordon and Alan that Virgil was looking at. A big brother himself, he too was being drawn into some sort of reassurance by the youngest two calming down.

There were many responses Scott could give, and maybe later once it was just the two of them he’d dive deeper in if Virgil hadn’t managed to settle himself and needed a stronger release, but in that moment, with his family around him and the knowledge that whatever happened next, they’d survived this hurdle, there was only one thing to say.

“I know.”

Surprised brown eyes met his, as though Virgil had expected another rebuke, another it’s not your fault, but Scott knew better. He didn’t blame Virgil at all, but it wasn’t his forgiveness Virgil needed; his brother needed to forgive himself for his perceived transgressions, and that he couldn’t do as long as Scott stayed stubborn. He tugged at the bicep in his grip, coaxing Virgil closer with an inviting smile.

Virgil hesitated, understanding but unsure. Scott didn’t say anything else, didn’t push harder, but then Grandma put a hand on Virgil’s other arm and whatever remaining fight there was seeped away.

It was Gordon’s turn to squawk as he found himself nudged out of the way, but he went willingly, surrendering the space to Virgil as Scott’s dark-haired brother wrapped his arms around him cautiously.

“I’m okay,” Scott murmured into his brother’s ear, returning the hug as fiercely as he could. Like Alan before him, Virgil shook ever so slightly under his touch, but unlike the youngest, no tears were shed.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Virgil mumbled. “You stopped breathing for a minute just before Alan arrived and I thought that was it.”

“I heard you,” Scott admitted, just as quietly. “I don’t think I’d have had the strength to keep fighting without you. Alan might have got the antivenom, but you saved me, too.”

Virgil gave a shuddering breath and his arms tightened, just a little.

They stayed like that for several minutes, Scott managing to relax further now that was the fifth and final sibling’s immediate concerns addressed, but eventually Virgil pulled back, the ghost of a smile on his face. He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Gordon crashed into him.

“Group hug!” he declared, reaching out to snag Alan and pinning an unprotesting Virgil in place as Scott’s three youngest brothers gathered as close as they could for a tangle of arms and bodies on Scott’s bed. Alan flailed in Kayo’s direction and the woman stepped closer, slipping an arm delicately around the back of Scott’s neck and more tightly around Alan. Scott grinned at her before looking past the mass of brothers to lock eyes with the one he couldn’t reach. John grinned back at him, and even though he wasn’t physically there, Scott didn’t need it to know his immediate brother was just as relieved.

The hug lasted until Grandma intervened, suggesting that they let him have a little bit of space. He didn’t need space, but they all heard the underlying reminder that he was in that bed for a reason. After that, it was back to business as usual, his on-Earth siblings scattering to change on Grandma’s order and reconvening later in their civvies with various forms of entertainment while John went back to his latest project.

Lady Penelope poked her head in later, but he didn’t see Brains – or the Mechanic – until the next day.

“I-it’s time to t-test the T-Drive e-engine,” the engineer told him the next morning, after checking him over in his own desire for reassurance; there was some guilt there as well, for pushing him out on the rescue, but thankfully Brains was much easier to calm than his brothers – the fact that Brains hadn’t seen him almost dead helped.

“Give me five,” he said, reaching for the drip stuck in his arm.

“Make that ten, Brains,” Virgil rumbled, catching Scott’s hand. “Scott’s not up to walking even if he thinks he is.”

Scott groaned, but Virgil raised an eyebrow at him.

“I thought John made a convincing argument for you to stay in bed?” he challenged, and Scott shrugged.

“That was yesterday.”

“And your heart rate still isn’t back to normal, so it’s the hoverchair or nothing,” Virgil rebuked, rolling his eyes.

Scott sighed but dutifully held out his arm for Virgil to remove the drip instead.

“No, that’s coming with you,” Virgil corrected, gently pushing it down to his side again. “Just the EKG.” The machine was turned off, but Virgil made no move to relieve him of the transmitters, telling Scott that it was being linked back up later. Wonderful. “Now then, let’s get you out of this bed-”

Scott leaned forwards and swung his legs around, placing them on the floor and pushing himself to his feet.

“Woah!” Virgil sprinted around the bed and caught him as his vision fuzzed. “John’s compelling argument?” Scott was vaguely aware of being shifted around as the world spun around him, but it was a surprise to find himself in the hoverchair by the time he was fully aware of his surroundings again. Usually, Virgil would dump him straight back in bed.

“Okay, John’s compelling argument still holds,” he admitted, leaning against the back of the chair and closing his eyes briefly as the world tried to spin a little more.

“Let’s get going,” Virgil sighed. “Hands off the controls; I’m steering.” Scott grumbled, but had no doubt that the controls had actually been disabled. “As soon as the test is over, you’re coming straight back.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” he asked, and Virgil chuckled.

“Not at all.”

They were last to the balcony; it didn’t escape Scott’s notice that the Mechanic was the other end to the rest of them, talking quietly to Brains but otherwise ignoring the Tracys. That suited Scott just fine; if the test worked, he was well aware he owed the man an apology for his accusations of sabotage. Although maybe he’d keep that back until the Zero-X2 launched successfully and Dad was home. Just in case.

“You look pale,” Grandma commented. “Did he try to stand up?” she asked Virgil. Scott glowered as Virgil rolled his eyes in answer.

“What do you think?” he asked rhetorically. “He didn’t pass out entirely, otherwise the test would be happening without him, whether he liked it or not, but it was close.”

“He is right here,” Scott grumbled.

“And he’s going to keep his mouth shut and drink this up,” Grandma informed him, pressing a cup of water, complete with straw, into his hands. “You shouldn’t be out of bed at all, young man.”

“T-test is ready,” Brains announced before Scott could find a retort that wouldn’t get him taken straight back to the infirmary. “I-igniting T-Drive in three, two, one.”

Without binoculars, it was difficult to see what was happening on the platform, but nothing exploded and after several moments all that could be seen or heard was the whining of an engine. It was higher pitched than the engines Scott was used to, but there were none of the warning noises suggesting that something was wrong.

Beside him, Virgil sighed in relief while Gordon and Alan whooped.

“C-cutting engine,” Brains called, and it powered down easily. Smooth as any of the best plane engines Scott had piloted – and he’d piloted many.

It had worked. They had a T-Drive engine.

They could go find Dad.

“Scott?” Virgil sounded worried, and he opened his eyes – when he had closed them? – to look up at his worried brother. Alan and Gordon hovered nearby, and he looked at them all in turn, even John’s silent hologram – his ginger brother hadn’t been there when the test had started, hadn’t been expected after he pointed out their holotech’s range didn’t reach that far. “Are you okay?”

Was he okay? He had a broken rib, was recovering from a near-fatal spider bite and its side effects of dehydration, bradycardia and hypotension, and the man who had almost killed his brothers multiple times was standing the other end of the same balcony.

But they were one step, one significant step closer to Dad.

“Yeah,” he said, staring out past them, at the platform cradling the most important engine International Rescue had ever created. For the first time since that horrid trash mine day five weeks earlier, he could honestly say, “I’m okay.”

Fin

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds are go fanfiction #tsari writes fanfiction #scott tracy #john tracy #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #grandma tracy #aloysius parker #lady penelope creighton-ward #brains #the mechanic #kayo kyrano #grounded

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dyingwill · 4 years

Note

hii I was wondering if I could get a poly for hibari and tsuna? I love your writings so much!! Keep up the good work 💕

this 100% turned into a fleshed out fic with reader backstory and not headcanons so ,, idk enjoy, i guess? this very quickly became one of my favourite pieces as i was writing it, so if anyone wants an au or extra content of this au, hmu with your requests.

ALSO ALSO, join the khr 2020 big bang @ khrbb

warnings / notes: death tw (but not a canon character), survivor’s guilt tw, panic attack tw, reader is bisexual, implied biphobia.

They’re both hard to get to know. Hibari, obviously, in the sense that he distances himself from everyone, and the handful of people he interacts with has to tick this mental rubric of standards or else he deems them unworthy of his time.

Tsuna, on the other hand, is so awkward and anxiety-inducing, with friends so loyal that it’s impossible to get to know him without also getting to know his friends. It’s in the act of getting to know Tsuna that you realise how lovable he is. There’s a warmth to him, pulling people into his orbit without even knowing it, and one day you just realise―oh, you like him.

But it’s in this same orbit that you see that it’d be improbable that you’re the only one that likes him. Kyoko’s the school’s idol, the prettiest girl in class and no matter how much she insists she’s friends with everyone, there’s no way that Tsuna himself doesn’t have a crush on her. And technically, you don’t blame him. Then there’s Yamamoto himself, who’s the captain of the baseball team, surrounded by so many people willing to be his friend and more. And yet, all Yamamoto is interested in doing is hanging out with Tsuna and their shared friends.

Maybe you can at least find comfort in the fact that Hibari is the only person that seems to not care, but that’s mostly due to the fact that he rarely cares about the social lives of Namimori students.

But it’s cute, you think, that this group of people have made bonds so deep. There’s always the feeling that you’re missing out on something in the times that you hang out with them; like they’re keeping something from you. You brush it off as how long they’ve been friends for; it’s no secret that Tsuna is still one of the most unpopular kids, despite the people he surrounds himself with. There’s bound to be inside jokes or friendships that you can’t even begin to broach, seeing as you haven’t known him for as long as they have.

Kyoko, with her open and kind heart, consistently makes sure she keeps you near her whenever you hang out with the group; looping her arm through yours as you walk together, sitting next to you, involving you in conversations to make sure you’re not left out.

Tsuna and Hibari have some kind of understanding; it can’t really be called a friendship, can it? Hibari respects Tsuna’s strength; Tsuna basically idolises and is intimidated by Hibari’s power. And really, who can blame him?

You have no idea when it started, but Hibari calls Tsuna ‘little animal’. Everyone knows that Hibari is fond of his animal-like categorisation for people―herbivores or carnivores. And yet, Tsuna is the only one that gets the little animal nickname.

And, well, Hibari is especially fond of little animals, as seen by his tenderness for Hibird so you don’t think it’s too surprising that you come to the realisation that maybe Hibari could have a crush on Tsuna.

God, if Hibari’s the one that has a crush on Tsuna, you know you should nip your feelings right now. There is no way that you could even compete. Not that you were ever a candidate in Tsuna’s eyes, you think.

So you spend your time burying your feelings and trying to get Hibari and Tsuna together. You’ve built enough of a rapport with Tsuna that it’s not unusual for you to hang out with Tsuna or talk to him on your own. You notice that whenever you want to talk with Tsuna, Kyoko gives you a bright smile and shepherds Gokudera and Yamamoto away with Ryohei’s help.

Tsuna’s almost always a flustered mess whenever you ask about Hibari, and that brings you to the conclusion that they both have crushes on each other. Your plan will probably crawl at a snail’s pace, but you think it’d be worth it in the end.

Tsuna, on the other hand, has the realisation that you’re the one that likes Hibari. For weeks, now, you’ve hung out with Tsuna. He appreciates how open you’ve been compared to how shy you were when you started hanging out with them, but you spend a lot of the time trying to redirect his attention to Hibari. So then, Tsuna, being the good friend that he is, conjures up a plan to get you and Hibari together. He seeks out Yamamoto’s and Kyoko’s advice, keeping the situation hypothetical and vague, seeing as he doesn’t want to accidentally embarrass you if you’re not ready to confess.

With the both of you running two separate plans and involving Hibari, it doesn’t take him long to figure out something is afoot. He doesn’t know the specifics, but the amount of times a flustered Tsuna appears and rambles through his invitation to hang out with the group at lunch is enough to make Hibari show up uninvited, if only to spare Tsuna the constant blustering. Tsuna gets a relieved smile every time he sees Hibari, and you tell yourself that feeling in your chest is happiness―you should be happy that Tsuna is happy.

In the very least, the beginnings of the plan are awkward. You make plans to meet up with Tsuna outside of school and (not so) subtly ask about Hibari. Tsuna readily agrees to ask Hibari if he has any time to spare. Hibari outright refuses the first couple of times, and while Tsuna almost resorts to begging, the first couple of outings are just you and Tsuna. You could almost convince yourself that you’re dating, if not for the constant reminder that this boy you have a crush on does not like you.

It’s after the seventh or eighth time that Tsuna asks that he suggest you try asking Hibari. After all, Tsuna is very much getting a negative response. So you do.

“Come on. Please? It’ll make Tsuna very happy,” you say.

“Why do you care about Tsunayoshi?”

You shrug. “We’re all friends. Plus, the two of you are really important to each other, right?”

Hibari narrows his eyes at you as soon as important comes up, but you keep up that clueless, innocent act. “Fine,” he huffs.

You smile at him. “Thank you!” You end up getting his number in your phone so you can text him the details of the meetup. You’re quick to also send his contact details to Tsuna.

The first couple of actual three-people meetup is… well. Clumsy. Hibari had shown up because he was invited. Tsuna is a very non-sociable person, only because he spent most of his childhood running from people rather than befriending them. You try, at the very least. But you’re not Yamamoto or Kyoko, so you don’t have an ability to put everyone at ease and make social interactions a not-awkward thing.

After you establish a routine of going out with the two of them over the weekends, you finally send them a text in your group chat telling them that you’ll have to miss out on one of your planned meetups because you’re sick. It’s been long enough that they two of them should be able to get along, you think.

Instead, the two of them show up at your place and you tell your mother to tell them that you’re sick and should remain resting. It’s not hard to convince her that you’re not feeling well, seeing as there’s something twisting in your stomach, your face not quite ready to pretend to smile.

When you show up to school on Monday, Tsuna is quick to shove homemade soup in your hands, red-faced as he tells you Nana made it when he told her that you were sick. He’s glad you’re feeling well enough to show up to school.

Hibari, on the other hand, tells you that if you’re still sick, you should take the day off, seeing as he doesn’t want the rest of the students to get sick and deal with mass absences.

“That… wasn’t very nice,” Tsuna says.

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

You laugh at them. “Thank you,” you tell them both. “We should share the soup.”

Tsuna looks like he’s about to interject, so you pull your best begging eyes.

“Please? I don’t think I can finish this all anyway.”

Tsuna gets red but agrees. “We probably can’t go up to the roof, though,” he mumbles.

You’re about to ask why when you remember you’re supposed to be sick. “We can eat in Hibari’s office, then.” You turn to him.

Hibari says nothing, opting to head for the office that he’s claimed for himself. It’s when he’s stopped by the end of the hallway, looking over his shoulder to the both of you that you realise he’s waiting for you to follow him. Grinning, you grab Tsuna’s wrist and follow Hibari.

It’s around here that you’ve realised you’re in trouble. Somewhere, in the middle of your plan to get Tsuna and Hibari together, you’ve managed to not only fail to bury your feelings for Tsuna, you’ve also developed feelings for Hibari.

You want to see your plan through, but on the other hand, you don’t want to deal with this. The decision is taken out of your hands, really, when your parents decide to move out of Namimori. It’s over the school break―your mother got a new job closer to the city. There’s a part of you that knows your parents had always wanted to move, but you forgot about it. You send a text to everyone, letting them know that you’ll have to leave.

Tsuna’s the one that suggests one last meeting the day before you leave―a mini-picnic under a tree. Hibari doesn’t come, and some part of you is disappointed. Tsuna looks so too, seeing as he frowns at his phone at regular intervals. Another part of you knows that Hibari would avoid crowds.

Amidst the goodbyes of everyone promising they’ll keep in touch despite the distance, you feel like you could fool yourself into thinking that it’s just a regular day where you’re hanging out, until you try to direct your gaze to quiet areas, looking for a lone figure to give him a smile; a teasing look; something to remind him that despite his distance, you haven’t forgotten he’s here.

It’s when the picnic is wrapping up and most of the others head off, when the sun is setting that Hibari comes.

“I told you to stop texting me, little animal,” Hibari says.

Tsuna, predictably, yelps in surprise, phone slipping out from clumsy fingers.

You can’t help the fond smile, still sat on the picnic blanket, watching the sky turn into a deep red.

“Sorry! I just didn’t want you to miss out!” Tsuna says, retrieving his phone.

The three of you spend a couple more hours together. After you’ve helped pack up the blanket into the basket, Tsuna insists on walking home together, and you can’t really find it in yourself to decline, wanting to soak up your time together. Tsuna’s the first house that you reach, and it’s when you see the mailbox that you’ve seen Yamamoto and Gokudera hang around so many times before that you realise this might be the last time you see this―see him.

“Wait,” you say, and you instinct grab onto his wrist. Hibari’s standing further away, back turned towards the two of you.

Even in the soft glow of the streetlamp, you don’t see Tsuna blush. “Yeah?”

You slide your hand down his wrist, intertwining your fingers. “I’m glad we were friends,” you tell him, smiling, despite feeling like crying.

“I’m glad too,” he says. The fact that he looks like he’s about to cry as well makes you laugh a little, cheeks lifting up to squeeze unbidden tears out.

He reaches his other hand out to wipe them away, and you both draw close enough, looking at each other. Waiting, maybe.

“Goodbye, Tsuna,” you say.

Hibari walks you the rest of the way home.

“Thanks for walking me,” you tell him. You give him a hug, and one of his arms very gently comes up to your back. Like everything about Hibari, it feels comforting, like safety surrounds you.

It’s when you’re in the car heading out that you text Hibari: i think you and tsuna would be good together, btw

What? comes his reply.

i had a plan! i can’t really meddle anymore but do me a favour and at least don’t stop being friends with tsuna just because we can’t hang out anymore

Hibari’s icon tells you that he’s typing, but it disappears after a drawn out moment. This is the last time you text each other privately; he responds in the group chats with Tsuna there.

Your friendship with the others, including Tsuna, lasts a little longer. But despite the promise made by a group of highschoolers, you lose contact with all of them, eventually. Kyoko is the only one that occasionally checks in with you, and you with her.

―――

It’s been years. You’ve built a life away from childhood innocence. But it’s crumbled around you after a car accident; it’s been almost a month and you don’t think you can face the reminders in the city anymore.

You find yourself moving back to Namimori. There are bruises on your body that will fade in time, but the marks on your soul are there forever, you think. Guilt carves scars into your flesh; surgery completed to save you—you know that if you had even been remotely awake in the aftermath, you would have insisted the paramedics attend to your fiancée first.

It’s by chance that you even meet Tsuna again. You’re at the local supermarket, texting Kyoko to let her know that you’re back in Namimori when you literally bump into him. The contents in your shopping basket jostle against each other.

“Oh no, are you okay?” you ask. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“I’m―okay. It’s okay.”

“Sorry,” you say, hoping that your face isn’t red.

“It’s okay.”

You give an embarrassed smile, about to walk away in the hopes of ending the interaction so you can kick yourself for your awkwardness.

“Wait,” he says, almost reaching out to stop you, but refraining himself. His arm returns to his side, expression sheepish. “Are you―did you used to live here? Like, a long time ago?”

Your heart feels like it’s in your throat. “Yeah,” you answer, “I did. I went to Namimori High until senior year.”

“I don’t know if you remember but I’m―”

“Of course I remember you, Tsuna.” And how could you not, with the warmth in his eyes at that fluffy hair that doesn’t seem to have gotten any tamer.

Tsuna looks a little surprised, like he hadn’t been expecting to hear his name coming out of your mouth. “Oh. I’m glad you remember.” He smiles at you, bright and disarming.

“I’m glad you remembered me too.”

You part ways, after he says you should meet up with everyone else. You agree, but you’re partly wary that it’ll be like that long forgotten high school promise.

Tsuna doesn’t forget. He makes plans with Kyoko and you find out that the group never really strayed too far from one another. There are a few people you haven’t seen before, like a man with dark blue hair and a woman with purple hair. The woman is quick to introduce herself as Chrome; the man as Mukuro, but the man himself remains quite distant from the others, despite the social gathering.

You’re standing a little to the side yourself, pretending to browse through the selection of snacks on the side-table when, “This party is supposed to be for you.”

You startle a little, looking to the side to see Hibari. Grinning a little, you laugh self-consciously. “Sorry. But hey, you’re here. Fairing a little better with crowds?”

“I still hate them,” he deadpans.

Your smile turns a little more genuine. “Good to know some things never change, no matter how long it’s been.”

He gives you a look you can’t really decipher, but you brush it off.

The next time you see them again is a couple weeks down the line, once you’ve resettled into life at Namimori. You’ve all been keeping regular contact, revitalising your old group chats with the others.

Once you feel like you’ve settled, you visit the city again. The only reason you come back is the cemetery; staring at the tombstone, placing flowers alongside bouquets that her family have already placed. Her family had shared nothing but condolences with you, but you felt this horrible twisting feeling inside, like you hadn’t deserved their pity and tears. You deserved condemnation, you think, because it should have been you.

You’re heading home, heading to the mall when you meet Tsuna, and it’s something in the tremulous smile you give him that makes him ask if you want to hang out with everyone else.

Home, instead of living with Nana, is a place he shares with his friends, now. Kyoko gives you the brightest smile and the biggest hug, and something about her kindness makes you tear up―despite her being the only one you talked to, you hadn’t told her about the car accident. And yet, here she was.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, cupping your face in her hands, dabbing at your tears with the ends of her sleeve. “You’re home.”

Tsuna keeps a hand to the small of your back, almost touching but not quite as he takes you around the house, giving you a tour and reintroducing you to everyone. You’re hit in the face of how much time has passed when you see Lambo and I-pin.

You meet the man in the suit who was at the party, and he looks at you so calculatingly; Reborn’s dark eyes makes you think he knows something, and it makes you uncomfortable being in his presence.

It’s later that night, when you’re not quite ready to go home and Tsuna isn’t quite ready to let you go either. You’re both sitting on the couch, your head resting on his shoulder, eyes starting to droop despite the television playing in front of you.

You manage to fall asleep, and the injection of Hibari’s voice in the quiet atmosphere makes you stir a little. You keep your eyes closed, figuring out that you’re now laying on your side, head in Tsuna’s lap. His fingers are in your hair, playing with the strands.

He murmurs something to Hibari, and you hear him draw closer, fingers brushing over the blanket that’s covering your legs. “Did you say anything about…?”

Tsuna sighs, fingers tightening in your hair. “Not yet.”

“When will you?”

“Does it have to be me?”

“You expect me to talk?”

Tsuna chuckles softly. “Fair point. Wait, are you going to bed?”

Hibari hums. “I’m tired.”

“C’mere.” There’s a rustling of fabric, a silence, then a quiet, “Good night, Kyoya.”

“Good night, little animal.” His voice is so close to where Tsuna is.

You forget about this interaction, because the next time you wake up, it’s early morning and you’ve somehow appropriated Tsuna’s personal space, lying on top of him. You try to move off but Tsuna’s arm tightens around you, mumbling something and turning the both of you so you’re pressed between the back of the couch and him, face buried in your neck as he breathes.

You wake up again to an empty couch, the blanket tucked around you. Kyoko’s the first to notice that you’re awake, and she tells you that she already went and bought basic toiletries for you in the main bathroom. “You can stay here if you want,” she says. “It’s Tsuna’s place but everyone basically lives here now.” She shows you the bathroom, lending you someone’s clothes she’s grabbed from one of the rooms.

You’re back in the kitchen when you’re reminded of Hibari’s and Tsuna’s interaction last night; Tsuna has his face pressed into Hibari’s back, whining his displeasure and Hibari doesn’t look anywhere near annoyed. Instead, Hibari takes a mug of coffee that Gokudera has placed down on the counter, turning to give it to Tsuna.

“Thanks,” Tsuna mumbles, wincing slightly when Hibari threads his fingers through Tsuna’s hair, tugging.

You smile at the sight of them, because there’s that younger self in you that had wondered if they ever did anything after you told Hibari. You turn your attention away before you get caught by either of them, graciously accepting another coffee that Gokudera gives you.

“Do you have any plans?” Kyoko asks.

You don’t, not right now, but you find that you don’t want to let yourself have this small piece of happiness. It’s not what you deserve. “I have to get home,” you say.

“Do you need a ride? I can get my brother to take you.”

“Yeah,” Ryohei agrees from where he’s sitting by the counter, throwing a thumbs-up in your direction.

But you’ve already flinched at the mention of getting a ride, fingers automatically feeling the rings on your necklace, hidden under the shirt you’re wearing. “No, it’s okay,” you say, giving Kyoko a smile. “I can walk. Thank you, though.” Finding your coat and shoes by the front door, you leave.

In the next few days, you use your spare time alternating between your apartment and travelling to the cemetery. You rely solely on public transport, your fingers subconsciously playing with your rings for the duration of the ride. You’ve made it a routine before you cross paths with Hibari as you’re leaving your street to get to the bus stop. He keeps pace beside you.

“Are you following me?” you ask him.

“I’m patrolling.” But he stays next to you, waiting until the bus comes before he leaves. It becomes a pattern, then a habit, then you tell him that he’s allowed to wait for you at your apartment. He insists he’s only patrolling, but the next day, Tsuna’s the one that shows up at your front door, and when you make it past the block, Hibari joins the both of you.

You fall into another routine, and you find yourself spending more time at Tsuna’s place than your own. You realise Kyoko wasn’t kidding when she said that everyone else basically lived here too.

It’s almost a year later, on the day that should have been your wedding that you make it to the cemetery alone. You usually keep a schedule, going on the same time and the same day to keep the routine with Tsuna and Hibari. But today falls on a different day. It starts with showers, and some part of you wondered how your fiancée would have reacted to the dismal weather on a day that was supposed to be joyous. You don’t know how long you stay there for, talking to her like she is still your best friend, relaying every anxious thought, every insecurity, and fear for a future without her.

You get a call from Tsuna, asking where you are. “I’m out,” you answer.

“Are you ready to come home?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back in an hour. Maybe more.” You hear the rain fall harder.

“Where are you? I can come pick you up.”

“No.” Your heart stutters at the thought of getting into a car again. “I’m fine.”

“It’s raining,” he tries to reason.

“I’d have to wait for you to come, anyway,” you say. “It’d take longer.” You’re already leaving the gates. “I’m fine, Tsuna.”

When you get back, the rain’s picked up and Tsuna’s letting you know that he’s parked at the train station so you don’t have to take a bus. Everything in you wants to sneak away to the bus and tell him that you got his message when you were already on the road, but you get the feeling he’d know you lied, even if you weren’t face-to-face.

So you gather your nerves, and force a smile, “Thanks for picking me up.” You really do try, but it’s the first time you’ve been in a car, and you try to take solace in the fact that you’re not behind the wheel this time; that Tsuna is and you trust him and he’s safe and warm, but isn’t that what your fiancée thought of you?

Tsuna says your name, one of his hands reaching for yours, gripping the side of the seat you’re on, but as soon as he makes contact, you pull your hand away like you’ve been burned.

“Don’t,” you say, forcing your eyes to focus on the glove compartment. In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four. “Please just drive,” you manage in between your breaths.

You barely make it to Tsuna’s place. As soon as the car stops, you’re out, going through the front door. Pressing a hand to your lips, you toe off your shoes, trying to avoid brushing against people to head up the stairs to the guest room that’s essentially being turned into your room.

You take off your jacket, scrabbling at the scarf. Your breathing hastens when you struggle, feeling too shaky and confined and trapped and hot, despite the fact that you’re still wet from the rain outside.

You end up yanking the scarf over your head, thinking you hear it rip. You sit with your back against the foot of the bed, knees up. Five things you can see—the wall, the carpet, the window to the side; how many have you’ve numbered? Three? Four?

Start again—one, the wall; two, the window; three, the dresser.

It’s not working, you think, and you can’t even do something as simple as breathing right and God, it should’ve been you, it should’ve been you. You crawl to the bathroom, shedding your shirt. Raising yourself to your knees, you turn on the tap, adjusting it to cold water as you try to breathe with your head next to the stream of water. Tight grip adorn the edges of the sink.

Someone tries to touch you.

You brush them off, flinching to the side, away from the sink. “No, no, don’t touch me.”

Tsuna crouches in front of you, moving closer.

“Don’t. Just—” You move further away, until your back is against the bathtub, and your knees are to your chest again and your head against it. “Just stay there,” you say.

He doesn’t try to move closer, but he doesn’t leave either.

Under your breath, you go acknowledge your surroundings starting with five, ending it by assigning the coffee you had in the morning the one thing you can still taste.

Tsuna stays there, until your breathing calms down and your loosen your fingers and there are half-moons imprinted onto your palms.

“I’m sorry,” you say.

“Can you breathe?” he asks.

You lift your head, grabbing at the discarded shirt to wipe your tears and snot. “Yeah.”

“You should get some rest. You’re tired.” Tsuna slowly rises to his feet, hesitating. “Can I touch you?”

You nod, grabbing his outstretched hand when he offers and he pulls you up. He gently guides you out of the bathroom to the bed where he sits you down. “I’m sorry,” you repeat.

“Your pants are wet,” he says.

“It’s fine.”

“You’ll get sick if you sleep in it.”

So you take them off, folding it in half and placing it on the hand he reaches out. You move under the blankets, and Tsuna sits, his weight dipping the side of the bed.

“I’m sorry,” you say again.

“It’s okay,” he says, but you shake your head, feeling tears well in your eyes. Tsuna reaches out, but he hesitates, pulling his arm back and you feel even more horrible. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep,” he offers.

You swallow thickly, wiping the tears as you nod.

The next morning, the first thing you do when you groggily wake is touch the rings on your necklace. Except they’re not there—the chain isn’t either. You spring up, feeling under the pillows and blankets. Too involved in searching, you don’t notice the door open, nor the person walking in until a hand closes around your shoulder, stilling you.

Hibari moves his hand down to yours, flipping it over and dropping something in it. You look—the necklace.

“You broke the chain yesterday,” he says. “Tsuna took Lambo and I-pin to get a new one for you. He left it on the table.”

“Thank you.” You avoid his gaze, leaning your head forward as your clasp it around your neck, feeling the two rings between your thumb and forefinger and it settles on your chest. “Is… Tsuna okay?”

“Yes.” He pauses. “Are you?”

Drawing your knees closer to your chest, you pull the blankets up. “I think.”

“You’re cold.”

You look down at your arms, goosebumps rising on naked flesh. You went to bed almost naked; of course you’re cold. “I’m… gonna take a shower.” Because you distinctly remember your hair still damp with rainwater as you slept.

Hibari stands from the bed, letting you escape to the bathroom. When you come out again, he’s gone, but there’s new clothes already laid out for you. Once changed, you make sure the necklace is under your shirt and head downstairs. It’s quiet ambiance, despite the people still scattered around the kitchen.

Chrome slides a plate of fruits in your direction, and Gokudera places a mug of coffee next to it. Hibari swaps out the coffee for tea.

“Who’s going to drink the coffee, then?” Gokudera grouses.

“I don’t know. Find someone to drink it before Lambo does.”

Gokudera glares at Hibari with no heat behind his eyes, grabbing the now abandoned mug of coffee. “I try to do one nice thing,” he mutters.

“Thanks, Gokudera,” you say.

“No, not you. You’re fine. This one—” He jabs a finger into Hibari’s chest “—needs to learn some manners before I beat him up.”

“Something tells me you’ll beat him up anyway.” Yamamoto takes a grape from your plate.

“That’s not for you,” Chrome says, swatting his hand away too late.

You push the plate a little closer to Yamamoto in silent permission.

Yamamoto grins, sticking his tongue out at Chrome.

Chrome’s mouth falls open, rounding her gaze onto you. “This is betrayal. You’ve enabled him.”

“Ha! Takeshi thinks I can beat you up,” Gokudera says to Hibari.

“You can certainly try,” Tsuna butts in, leaning across the counter to grab at the spare coffee that Gokudera has.

“Oho,” Chrome nods, “now that’s betrayal.”

“Yeah, of course you’d be the first one to defend him.” Gokudera keeps the coffee away from Tsuna in retaliation.

“He doesn’t need defending,” Tsuna says.

“I don’t need defending,” Hibari says at the same time.

“It’s okay, Gokudera,” you console. “It’s only because they’re fucking.” Picking up your tea, you raise it to take a sip.

Chrome’s false surprise morphs into a real expression of shock, while Gokudera sputters. Yamamoto rests his head into the crook of his elbow on the counter and laughs, the sound muffled.

“I’m sorry, was that supposed to be a secret?” you ask, not at all apologetic as you compose your best neutral look, glancing between Tsuna and Hibari. You grab the plate of fruits with your other hand. “I’ve been here almost a year. I have eyes. And ears.” You scrunch your nose.

Yamamoto laughs louder. It’s his laughing that makes your composure break, not that it was very well structured to start with—Tsuna’s face is very very expressive and bewildered at this point. You chuckle, shuffling into the living room to settle onto the couch.

“Hey,” you greet Lambo, who’s sprawled over the furniture, blanket covering his body. “What’re we watching?”

Lambo scrambles for the remote, keeping it near him. “Dunno. Was just channel surfing. This looked interesting.”

You hum in agreement, popping a cubed mango in your mouth. “You want some?”

“No, thanks. I already ate.”

I-pin finds her way onto the couch, snuggling against you. “Hey,” you say softly, and she leans forward to place the fruits onto your lap so it’s in closer reach. “Both of you helped pick out my necklace, right?” you ask.

I-pin hums in answer.

“I really like it,” you say. “Thank you.”

“S’was just a chain,” Lambo says, cheek pushed into the arm of the couch. Like he’s remembered something, he sits up. “Hey, what were the rings for?”

“Lambo.” I-pin stretches her leg out to kick him.

“No, it’s okay,” you placate, running your fingers through her hair. Looking at Lambo, you smile gently, not wanting him to feel bad for asking. “I was engaged to someone. I was supposed to get married yesterday,” you tell him.

“What happened?” he asks, his voice a little softer now, leaning closer a little.

“There was a car accident. She didn’t make it out alive.”

I-pin tightens her arm around you. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

Maybe it doesn’t erase all the pain, but just by volunteering a little bit of information, it makes it easier to breathe.

What you don’t know, is that Tsuna does his research into the grounding technique you used; he makes sure the other Guardians know so that they have the knowledge on hand in case you have an attack in their presence.

―――

You stir.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Tsuna’s placed you onto your bed, having decided to move you when you fell asleep on the couch. He leans away, about to leave but you reach, fingers barely grasping his stray ones but he stops like the touch is more than just brief contact.

“Stay,” you murmur, and you look at the door to see Hibari standing there. “You too.” Your flash of confidence dwindles in the silence, and you retract your hand back under the covers. “It’s fine—”

But Hibari’s wordlessly moving, closing the door to your room and Tsuna’s lifting the covers to let himself in. Hibari rounds the other side of the bed, tucking himself in behind you.

You breathe, slow, steadying, falling asleep with the comfort of them around you. When you next wake, Hibari’s arm is around your middle, puffs of hot air against the back of your neck; Tsuna’s face is tucked to your neck, his hair almost in your face, an arm lazing next to Hibari’s, hand splayed on the side of your thigh.

Hibari wakes—you feel him shift, pulling you closer, sliding his leg between yours. A part of you wonders if he’s forgotten where he is, and another part of you hopes he remembers and he doesn’t care anyway. He moves his hand to join Tsuna’s on your thigh, and yep, he remembers.

You feel your breath catch in your throat, heat flushing your face.

“Is this okay?” he asks, his voice throaty and low and hoarse and it shouldn’t do things to you but it does.

“Mm-hmm,” you answer, not trusting your voice. You feel his lips grin against the skin of your neck.

“Go back to sleep.”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

He hums in confirmation, but doesn’t move.

After this, the three of you start sleeping in the same bed more. Almost every night, they come into your room and you fold back the blankets for them. It doesn’t move much from lingering touches, heat left behind. You don’t know what to call it and they seem content to let whatever this is move at the pace that’s already been set.

―――

You’re at the hill, under the tree, a slowly setting sun painting the sky orange. It’s an outing between the three of you, reminiscent of the ones from high school.

“How’d you know?” Tsuna asks.

You play with the fraying edges of the blanket, laid on your back; Tsuna’s next to you, and Hibari’s next to him. “It was a feeling,” you say, “I got when I was with her.” You’ve been more free with the information about her, more open about talking about her now.

“What was it like?”

You chuckle, embarrassed. You sit up, shifting a little so your back is to them, curling your knees up like it’d make you smaller in your moment of vulnerability. “Like in high school,” you admit softly, “when it was the three of us. I didn’t know it was the same feeling until I was with her, but we weren’t—I’d already moved away and I thought…” You huff out a breath, hearing your voice become quieter. “I remember thinking that I didn’t want to lose her too.”

Hearing Tsuna shift to sit up, you hunch further, hugging your legs. He says your name, and you feel the heat of his body getting closer. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. When he places a hand on your shoulder, you unfurl your arms and he laces your fingers together.

“I still think it should have been me.”

And Tsuna knows, because accidents like this never leave people; he sees it in Gokudera and Chrome and now in you.

“Then you wouldn’t be here,” Hibari says from behind you.

You smile self-deprecatingly. If you were looking, you’d see the furrow between Tsuna’s brows because he’s well-acquaintanced with that expression. “Would you even know?” you ask. Drawing your hand away from Tsuna’s, you let your knees drop, maneuvering yourself to sit cross-legged instead. “Thirteen months ago we weren’t even talking,” you shrug. “And that’s okay. We both moved on, at that point. Maybe Kyoko would have known and that would have been it.”

“And your fiancée.”

“She had her family.”

“You don’t?”

You look down. “They—uh, my parents—they didn’t exactly like my dating choices when I was in university. I tried to come out to them—with my partner at the time and it didn’t work out. I didn’t even tell them I was getting married; and they still don’t know about the accident. I don’t even remember if she ever met them.”

Tsuna lets out a heavy exhalation and you look up at him. There’s sadness in his eyes and the sky is darkening; there’s guilt in yours. “C’mere,” he says, soft. He reaches for your hand and pulls you towards him and you go, letting him rearrange you on his lap, legs on either side of his waist as he rests your foreheads together. “None of this is your fault.”

You shake your head, fingers gripping the front of his shirt.

“And I know it’s selfish, but I’m glad you’re still here with us.” Tsuna cups your face with his hands. “Can we kiss you now?”

You blink, drawing back as much as you can with his hands still on your face. “What?”

“Can we kiss you now?” he says slowly.

You bring a widened gaze over Tsuna’s shoulder to Hibari. We, Tsuna said.

“Answer the question,” is all Hibari gives you, eyes dark and studious and hiding something predatory.

Tsuna snorts, one of his hands trailing down your neck, his thumb brushing against your jaw. He says your name as the question instead.

You look back at him, swallow thickly. You wet your lips and his eyes follow the quick movement. “Yes,” you breathe, leaning forward to press your lips together. How many times, you think, have you thought about this when you were in high school? When it was you were on the roof, when you had your picnics, when you were in Hibari’s office, pretending to be sick?

Tsuna’s the one to open his mouth, tongue and wet and heat and saliva; his fingers trailing, moving. One of his hands finds themselves under your shirt, thumb kneading flesh and you can’t help the gasp, shivering a little. Tsuna draws back, ducking his face into the crook of your neck, openmouthed kisses leaving goosebumps.

You barely have time to catch your breath, to look at Hibari’s direction before he too claims your lips. It’s like you’re overheating, caught between the two of them; Hibari doesn’t try to ease you into it, nipping slightly at your bottom lip while Tsuna’s other hand slips under your shirt, moving upwards to your chest. Your sharp intake of breath lets Hibari lick into your mouth, tongue pushing against yours. Hibari has a hand in your hair, tugging your head back.

The sound you make—Tsuna huffs a laugh against your ear, grazing your earlobe, making you shiver. It’s like he’s made it a mission to find every sensitive area on your body; his fingers are skating across the goosebumped skin of your chest, thumb brushing over a nipple, pausing just to take in your reaction.

Your legs tighten around Tsuna’s waist, Hibari swallowing aborted moans as he takes your air, thumb pressed against the pulse of your neck.

Hibari pulls back and you can’t stop the whine, trying to reach out to pull him back by the tie but Tsuna grabs ahold of your wrist to stop you.

“You whine more than Tsuna.” Hibari sounds amused.

You flush, leaning forward into Tsuna’s chest to hide your face.

Tsuna hums. “We should get back home,” he says.

Hibari stands, taking your hand and Tsuna lets your wrist go so Hibari can pull you up. You walk back in the night, both of them on either side.

#1827 #khr imagines #khr scenario #hibari kyoya #tsuna sawada #sawada tsunayoshi #tsunayoshi sawada #1827 x reader #katekyo hitman reborn #reborn!#khr #tsuna.#hibari.#polyship #anonymous

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arolla-pine · 4 years

Text

I, Marinette - p.2

(2) – Physics

I left the Dupain-Cheng bakery in a hurry. Of course, I had to hug Tom who gave me some pastries for brunch. I thought he’d crushed all my bones while he hugged me but surprisingly I was OK. I suspected I was protected by one of the rules of this unreal universe.

Traffic lights stopped me for good, so I had to run as fast as I could to get the school on time. Somehow, I managed to enter the François Dupont courtyard at the moment of the school bell ringing.

“Here you are!” I heard somewhere around.

Alya.

Of course.

How could it be otherwise?

“Hi…” I breathed.

“We’d better hurry up, because I’d prefer not to be examined in physics.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s better not to be noticed…” I nodded and reminded myself to sit quiet and not to put Marinette into trouble.

Alya ran towards the class, and I followed her astonished with her red hair which was quite impressive. If we were to stage “Harry Potter, she should get Hermione’s part. Wait a minute! Had I just thought “if we were…”? It looked like I got into character too seriously…

When we entered the classroom, the teacher wasn’t there yet. Lucky me! I forgot to feel relief, because I was too shocked. Sweet mother! The Mrs. Mendeleiev classroom! A real laboratory – if you could use the word “real” in relation to a cartoon… I could see students sitting at desks – all Miraculous characters with Chloe Bourgeois in a front row. She was watching me with a wry smile on her face. What a masterpiece of pride and disgust! I felt like writing a story with her as a main character! I checked the rest of students and when I noticed lack of Lila Rossi, I sighed with relief. She was the only one that I would be afraid of.

I saw Nino and Adrien smiling. Right…

“Marinette…” Alya whispered significantly.

Oh, God! I was standing in the centre of the classroom and staring at people! What a blunder! I felt that my cheeks became red, so I lowered my head and rushed to my place. I couldn’t miss Chloe’s snort:

“Clumsy-Cheng…”

I should definitely write a story about Chloe. And that would be my first angst ever! With the main character’s death. That perspective helped me right away.

“I thought you wouldn’t make it!” Nino started, because Mrs. Mendeleiev hadn’t come yet.

“I was waiting for Marinette…” Alya explained. “You have to leave home earlier, girl! You’re always late!”

“I couldn’t get rid of my parents…” I muttered. “Too much hugs…”

Alya looked at me astonished, Nino cleared his throat uncomfortable. I kicked myself virtually. Marinette was never mocking, especially when it came to her parents!

“I think your parents are the best!” Adrien said, glancing at me with a smile.

So, here he was! A golden boy with green sparkles in his eyes. And with a loving smile for his “just a friend”… Riiight…

At first, I was surprised that I didn’t faint or something like that. Oh, come on! I was looking at the love interest of half of school. Forget a school! Of half of the city! And I felt nothing. Zero. Then I remembered that I’m older than them. And my heart was already taken for good. So, there was nothing weird in me not falling for him. Yet, I realised that if I stayed here for long I could unintentionally ruin Adrienette ship. Actually, I could ruin the whole LoveSquare…

“They’re the best!” I replied to Adrien, hoping that my friends would forget my previous comment. I had to be more careful!

The teacher finally entered the classroom, so we had to end our conversation. I felt relief and stress at the same time. On one hand, I could relax because pretending Marinette in front of her best friends wasn’t easy at all. On the other hand, I became anxious about the classes because I was unprepared.

“Today we’re going to talk about the Solar System!” Mrs. Mendeleiev announced.

I couldn’t believe how lucky I was! I always loved tv programmes about the space, I had some books about it at home. When I had been at school I took part in some contests. So, even if I was questioned I should be able to answer correctly and Marinette wouldn’t get a bad grade. I could relax…

Too early… The teacher began her lecture in so boring way, that after five minutes half of students fell asleep. How could she kill such an interesting topic?! I’d bet I’d be better! But I stayed quiet, because I remembered to stay invisible. I needed to be extra patient because Mendeleiev’s lecture frustrated me more and more…

Finally, the teacher realised that her students didn’t listen to her at all, so she changed the tactics. She decided to start asking questions to activate the students.

“Who knows which planet of the Solar System has a rotation in the opposite direction to the rest of planets?” she asked with a smile like she found some extra news for us.

“Venus…” I mumbled, knowing the answer before she finished her question.

“Very well, Miss Dupain-Cheng!” the teacher was impressed.

I caught Alya’s surprised glance and heard some whispers behind my back. I remembered that Marinette wasn’t good in physics. My bad… I liked this subject.

“Venus is a very interesting planet because Venusian year is shorter than Venusian day.” Ms. Mendeleiev continued.

I focused on staying quiet and on keeping my knowledge for myself. I still forgot that I was older than the rest of students (and a nerd by the way)… Thankfully, I heard Chloe’s snort that reminded me that fact:

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! A year shorter than a day?!”

‘Poor girl…’ I sighed to myself. ‘Do you have any idea what means a year or a day?’

“Who knows what means a year and a day for a planet?” Mrs. Mendeleiev asked.

Geez! I wanted to start chewing my desk! Suddenly, I understood why Hermione Granger had to answer every teachers’ question. ‘Please, let someone say something…” I prayed. I was too old for school!

“A day is time needed to rotate about its axis, and a year is time needed to orbit the Sun.” Adrien answered and I could relax.

“Perfect, Mr. Agreste!” the teacher was satisfied. “So, Venus rotates about its axis longer than it orbits the Sun. As you can see, this planet is unusual among the Solar System planets. Do you know how many planets we have in the Solar System?”

I thought I couldn’t be more frustrated, but I was wrong. I started drawing the Solar System in my tablet just to stay quiet. This lesson was like a nightmare!

“Eight.”

Adrien. Again. Thank goodness, this boy had some extra classes after school. The teacher had a partner for a discussion. And I didn’t eat myself…

“For many years the scientists believed that there were nine planets in the Solar System.” Mrs. Mendeleiev continued. “However, after some research they decided to exclude one from this list. Does anyone know…?”

“Pluto…” came out from me, before I realised. ‘That’s what happens when I’m frustrated…’

“Perfect!” The teacher didn’t try to hide her surprise, and I could congratulate myself on being an idiot.

At that moment we heard a school bell. No one stood up nor collected their belongings. Apparently, Mrs. Mendeleiev – not a school bell – announced the end of classes.

“For the next time all of you will prepare a paper about one of the Solar System planets. Miss Dupain-Cheng and Mr. Agreste don’t have to write anything because they proved their knowledge during the lesson. The class is dismissed!”

After this announcement everyone began gathering their tablets. I followed the example. By the way, I heard Chloe complaining to Sabrina:

“It’s not fair that Dupain-Cheng doesn’t have to write the paper! She didn’t answer any question only mumbled something under her breath. Besides, how did she know that? I’m sure she was cheating! Or Adrien told her! Why didn’t you prompt me, Adrikins?” she asked the boy.

“I didn’t prompt Marinette.” Adrien replied and turned to me: “I didn’t know you like astronomy.”

Damn it. I was sure that Marinette knew as much about the Solar System as about Cat Noir’s identity! Why hadn’t I sat quiet?! Come on, Lena! Say something! You’re intelligent, I heard…

“I don’t know… Recently I’ve seen a programme about the space. So, probably I remembered something…”

“That’s what I call being lucky!” Nino commented when we left the classroom. “You don’t have to write anything… Alya? Do you know what planet you want to write about?”

“I suggest Venus and Mars for you two.” I said, before I bit my tongue.

“Why those?” Alya asked surprised.

“W-well… it’s been said that women are from Venus and men are from Mars…” I stuttered.

“Who’s said that?”

“I don’t know… Some people?”

“I’m taking Mars!” Nino yelled. “Which one is it?”

Geez! What did they teach those kids?! I focused on being silent, because Marinette couldn’t become an expert in physics overnight.

“Maybe you should check in books?” I suggested.

“Google is faster.” Alya ignored my stupid comment. “The question is if Professor Mendeleiev will accept a paper about Venus. You know, we talked a lot about it today, so… Yeah… I should take something else. What planets are there?”

“Earth…” I mumbled.

The three friends froze and stared at me in amazement. I felt uncomfortable. I looked around and noticed that luckily there was no one next to us.

“I… I mean… You know… Earth is one of the Solar System planets, isn’t it?” I explained uneasy.

“You’re so right, Marinette!” Adrien laughed and broke the spell. “How’s it possible I didn’t thing about the same?!”

“But you don’t have to write a paper…” I reminded.

“Nevertheless… I’ve started thinking about which planet I would choose. And I didn’t think about Earth at all! Brilliant, Marinette!”

“Thanks…” I mumbled and smiled embarrassed.

Adrien’s words only made me aware how far from my plan of being invisible I was. Instead of sitting quiet I turned Marinette into a physics genius! I could sum up the first lesson as Miss Dupain-Cheng with one word: a failure.

—

I, Marinette - p.1 <- Previous part | Next part -> I, Marinette - p.3

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #I Marinette #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Lena Klimka #alya cesaire #fanfic

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ohayohimawari · 4 years

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Lunar Landings

A drabble that was written for the Kakashi Lounge Discord Server moon prompt!

Rated: G; no archive warnings apply

Pairings: KakaMei (Background Kagumo)

Summary: “Dissatisfied with the moon, Kakashi seeks a colorful and lively alternative elsewhere in the cosmos.”

WC: 1945

Read: AO3 or below the cut:

Lunar Landings

“What is it, my love?” Kakashi felt his mother’s fingers weave through his cowlicks in a soothing gesture meant to coax honesty from him. “You seem so listless lately,” Kaguya added.

Kakashi sighed through his nose as he stared at the blue waters of Earth before it disappeared from the horizon of the moon.

“Are you so unhappy here that you want to return?” She urged and ran her open palm over the top of his head.

“No, no, that’s not it at all,” he answered quickly, but quietly. “I’ve no desire to return to such an unstable place as Earth. Ever since father passed, it hasn’t been home.”

“Then what’s troubling you?” Kaguya asked again, more gently at the mention of her late husband.

“I love you, Mother, and I enjoy your company,” Kakashi began with two truths before he stated a third, “but there is no atmosphere here.”

He turned his head to look at her. “I miss the effervescence of life. I miss how colorful it is, most of all.”

Kakashi tilted his face and lifted his hand to the infinite space above them. “Here, the sky is always black, whether it’s night or day, and everything looks dull and grey to my eyes.”

Kaguya hummed and nodded her head in understanding. “I thought that Earth was bright and lively, but I admit that it overwhelmed me at times. I am more accustomed to the muted tones of the moon, and so I brought you here after we lost Sakumo.”

She lifted her eyes to her son’s. “Perhaps I’ve been too selfish and kept you to myself for too long,” she humbly admitted. “You’ve grown into a strong and intelligent man; of course, you’d want to seek your place in the cosmos.”

His excitement at the prospect of such an adventure must’ve shown through Kakashi’s eyes because Kaguya smiled warmly at him. She trailed her fingers across his forehead, brushing his hair to the side. “If not Earth, where would you want to go?”

Kakashi glanced to the side as he thought for a moment. “Jupiter has long held my interest. It’s the largest and most colorful planet I have ever seen,” he replied.

“It’s a dangerous beauty, I’m afraid,” Kaguya cautioned her son. “The entire planet is nothing but clouds and storms. There’s nowhere for you to stand. However,” her hand stilled as inspiration struck, “Jupiter claims the most moons in the galaxy. There would be plenty for you to explore near it,” she smiled.

Kaguya called on Sirius to bear and protect her son, as well as Procyon to guide him through his journey. As soon as the shining dog stars arrived and Kakashi’s destination was decided, they set out for the moons that orbited Jupiter.

Procyon proved his knowledge of the short cuts through space, and their first destination came into focus, an ancient moon easily identified by its many multi-ringed impact scars. In nearly no time at all, Sirius lit down upon the battered surface of Callisto.

Kakashi was too impatient when he hopped off of Sirius. He lost his footing and tumbled down to the center of the nearest of countless craters that covered the surface. He stood and dusted himself off as Procyon barked a warning to him.

Alarmed, Kakashi looked up in time to see a meteor hurtling towards him. Before he could react, however, it was encased in a translucent cube and pulverized into dust.

“Who are you?”

The cranky question came from behind him, so Kakashi whipped around. He found the cantankerous-looking old man that had asked it hovering above the surface of Callisto.

“I am Kakashi,” he hesitated when the old man’s eyes narrowed dangerously at him. “Son of Kaguya,” he offered, aware that his mother’s name would be better known than his own.

“Ah,” the old man relaxed his scowl. “I am Ōnoki, and this is my moon—”

He was interrupted when another meteorite whizzed past him, disrupting his balance in midair. Kakashi could see that Ōnoki shouted angrily as he righted himself, but the loud crash at impact drowned out his curses.

The ground shook beneath Kakashi’s feet, and he toppled over again. “If you’re going to be here, make yourself useful!” Ōnoki hollered down at him.

Hard rock encased the old man’s fist, and he pummeled another meteorite before it too could crash into Callisto. “Is it always like this?” Kakashi shouted as he got to his feet.

“Yes,” Ōnoki growled as his eyes scanned the sky for the next projectile that dared to mar his moon.

Kakashi tensed and looked around as well. He spied another space rock approaching fast, and coming dangerously close to Sirius.

Lightning crackled in the palm of his hand, and Kakashi wielded it like a sword as he leaped to meet the meteorite, shattering the massive rock before it could do any harm.

“I might risk my safety, but I won’t risk yours,” he assured Sirius and Procyon when he dropped down on the back of the larger dog star. Procyon yelped his approval and bounded back into space, guiding the others once more.

“Tell your mother that she’s welcome here anytime,” Ōnoki called after them without looking away from the next massive meteorite that bore down on Callisto.

“Remind me to forget that message,” Kakashi mumbled to his companions once they were out of earshot.

Their next destination was impossible to miss. Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, was bigger than the planet Mercury. As they neared it, Sirius and Procyon stilled their limbs and allowed the magnetic field that surrounded the moon to pull them in. Kakashi marveled at the auroras as they drifted down, encouraged by the color that hovered high above the surface.

They touched down, slipped, spun, and finally skidded to a stop in a layer of frost. As soon as they stilled, booms as loud as thunderclaps came from below them, betraying a hidden layer of ice which they’d cracked on landing. Kakashi gently eased himself onto his feet as his eyes frantically searched the surface for solid, secure ground.

Before he could find it, however, something broke through the ice. A burst of water shot up and rained back down in icy droplets.

“Who are you?” A menacing voice cut through the spray, and its question rang more like a threat.

Kakashi wiped the saltwater droplets from his stinging eyes as Sirius and Procyon growled on either side of him.

A man with sharp, spiky black hair and grey skin bobbed in the hole that exposed Ganymede’s subsurface ocean.

“Who are you?” Kakashi responded by hurling the same question back at him.

“I am Kisame,” he said through the most dangerous smile Kakashi had ever seen, “and you are trespassing on my ocean, and my moon.”

Kisame turned his attention to the snarling dog stars. “It’s been a long time since anyone dared to challenge me; this should be fun,” he could barely contain his enthusiasm as he pulled himself as well as a massive sword out of the water.

Kakashi didn’t have much time to react, and he hoped rather than assumed that Ganymede’s ocean would behave like the ones he remembered on Earth. He wove hand signs quicker than the eye could follow, and the alien waters obeyed him, taking on the form of a dragon that engulfed and dragged Kisame back below the ice.

“Let’s go,” Kakashi commanded his canine companions. He ran to keep pace with them, mounted Sirius, and the three raced to the safety of the stars above Ganymede. As the immense moon disappeared below him, dismay caused him to second-guess his adventure, and for the first time since setting out, he considered that perhaps, what he sought in the cosmos couldn’t be found.

Kakashi’s apprehension grew as the lines that crisscrossed Europa came into focus. Procyon guided them toward the equator, where the distant sun shone the strongest on that moon. There were no mountains or craters to avoid, but landing proved problematic just the same.

As they neared the surface, great pillars of ice almost ten times Kakashi’s height rose to meet them. They were arranged in rows and, although gigantic, appeared like a crowd of humble, penitent figures.

“Who are you?” A voice reverberated.

Kakashi looked around him as he dismounted Sirius, and found the reflection of the youth that had spoken.

“I am Kakashi,” his answer bounced off the ice that surrounded them. “Who are you?” He asked when he discerned the boy amid his many reflections.

“I am Haku,” the youth replied, his eyes still captivated by the ice mirror in front of him, “and this is my moon,” he finished his introduction in the same emotionless tone.

Kakashi turned to the side and, in so doing, caught a glimpse of himself. He approached his mirrored image, astonished.

The ice reflected the bleak greys of Europa’s eternal winter, and how flawlessly he blended in. He looked as colorless as the moon that he’d left from the start.

“What is your purpose?”

The youth’s monotone voice was barely audible through the hypnotic trance that Kakashi had fallen into. “My purpose,” he repeated, so quietly that only his reflection could hear.

Suddenly, his odyssey seemed ridiculous to him, and his goal unattainable. The longer he stared at the dreary prospect in the ice mirror, the more convinced he became that he ought to give up and remain there, numb and frozen like Haku.

Procyon whined as the dog stars strode in between Kakashi and his reflection, momentarily breaking the spell. “Take me away from this place,” Kakashi let himself fall forward as the last vestiges of hope fell from his lips.

Sirius caught him on his back and carried him far away from the desolate wasteland of Europa as swiftly as he could. Kakashi nuzzled into his companion’s back as he sought warmth and shivered from doubt. He raised his head, blinked his eyes and curiosity and craving flared in his heart once more.

Io had risen before them. Volcanic plumes painted the moon yellow and orange. Jupiter loomed large behind it, providing a backdrop of swirling clouds in shades of pink and rose. Kakashi smiled at the spectacle, breathless at finding a place in the cosmos that not only met his expectations but exceeded them.

He scanned the surface as they neared it, and saw a woman with long, red hair that flowed like lava behind her as she ran to meet them. Sirius and Procyon touched down, and Kakashi hopped off when she approached. He stared, entranced as she caught her breath. Her cheeks were flushed from running, her deep green eyes sparkled with vivacity, and he thought he’d never seen a lovelier creature.

“Who are you?” He asked eagerly, coming near enough to touch her.

“I am Mei, and I’ve been waiting for you. I mean—” she blushed deeper, “I’ve watched your journey, and I hoped that you would make it here. I knew that you could.”

Her voice rang gentle, melodic, and suited her perfectly. Kakashi’s hand lifted of its own accord to cradle the side of her face in the palm of his hand. Warmth flooded into him at the touch and spread all the way to his extremities. “Welcome to my moon, my shining soldier,” she cooed and leaned into his touch. “I hope that you will find whatever it is that you seek, here.”

“Call me Kakashi,” he said, pulling her close in an embrace, and initiated the first of what he knew would be countless kisses. “I already have found it, Mei, and more.”

The End

#hima writes #kakamei #Kakashi Hatake #Mei Terumi #Kaguya #Onoki #Kisame #Haku #Galilean Moons #Moon prompt #The Kakashi Lounge

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smuttymess · 4 years

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bts astro soulmate reading | for cassandra

sign: taurus sun | libra moon | virgo rising

lover: kim namjoon | soulmate: min yoongi

This reading is for Cassandra, a fellow NY area moot and SOPE double bias - taste! I hope you enjoy this one, love. <3

With your sun Taurus, you are the “producer” of the zodiac, known for your reason, practicality, dedication, and strength. Whether at work or your personal life, know how to set intentions and explore them with patience, diligence and determination that only an earth sign can possess. While you are prone to frequent anxiety and worry in your internal world, on the outside your persona manifests as cool, calm and reasoned as you generally try to take time to think and observe before reacting. Your down to earth persona and innate goodness is very reassuring to others, offering a refuge from the harsh realities of daily life, which in turn attracts many people into your orbit - you have a quiet, naturally confident charm about you that makes people feel secure in your presence. This is only further enhanced by your Libra moon, the cornerstone of your notably friendly personality that people admire you for and you take pride in. Optimistic about the goodness of others, you are extremely loyal - your Virgo rising helps you wisely choose your relationships carefully so as to protect your ego and your sensitive soul. You certainly don’t trust everyone, but there is nothing you will not do to achieve harmony and balance amongst these various important figures in your life. You value relationships that can go the distance, and want longevity and depth in your personal and romantic world.

When it comes to your surroundings, you appreciate life’s many luxuries, but you prefer to stay far away from the superficial or fleeting material world. Your Taurus Sun/Virgo rising means that you want nice things, but are in all ways a quality over quantity type of person, which is reflected in the things you enjoy. Your classy, refined Moon in Libra also supports your deep appreciation for the finer but simpler things in life in moderate quantities: good wine, the arts, and serenity of the natural world. If you could pick your ideal evening, you’d rather enjoy a beautifully chef crafted meal with the best ingredients or a yoga session in the park with your closest friends than a raucous night of debauchery at a club. A true Libra Moon, you are a pro at bringing people together, and your home is your sanctuary which you are pleased to share with others as regularly as possible. It is at one of the many intimate dinner parties that you organize at your home that you meet Kim Namjoon, a guest of a mutual friend. He is striking in his presence, but not intentionally so. You are attracted to equally high-quality individuals, and so its no surprise you are drawn to Namjoon whose Mercury in Libra exhibits a quiet strength and intellectual nature akin to your own, though he is more reserved in nature. From across the table, you can’t help but find yourself staring and wondering what he is thinking, how easily your hands could slide beneath his grey sweater, or how his lips would feel against your nipples. Though he is not seated directly next to you, as the night goes on you find yourselves closer and closer to each other, your quiet, understated charm workings its magic until you are practically attached at the hip on a couch in the corner of the room, immersed in conversation. He is highly attracted to your optimism, energy, intellect and beauty but also the practicality of your Virgo rising (which his Sun directly resonates with.) In those initial hours it seems you talk about everything and nothing, time standing still as the party continues to buzz around you.

From that night on, it becomes clear that his stoic Virgo never stood a chance against your star combination: a lethal combination of intention (Taurus Sun), flirtation (Libra Moon) and execution (Virgo rising). In the months that you spend together, you are thrown into an intellectual and physical affair that could only be achieved by two, grounded earth signs - though it takes some time getting off the ground. Though equally hesitant to dive into a deeply romantic relationship, you are the one to take the lead to act on those basic, primal thoughts you had that first night you met him, and decide not to waste time in fucking his brains out. It is not unusual for you to invite Namjoon over for drinks and conversation, with barely a full hour passing before you’re straddling him on your couch. It’s amazing how you how quickly you can go from casually talking current events and social justice issues to having him sucking and biting on your nipples as you ride him mercilessly into the cushions. Namjoon is an absolute perfectionist, and you enjoy the precision in which he uses his fingers to expertly rub tour clit, his eyes ablaze as he takes in the full view of you nakedly bouncing up and down on his cock. You two are not ones to mess with a good thing, valuing frequent satisfying, sure-fire approaches to getting each other off before indulging in pillow talk about your shared hopes and dreams of the future. While Namjoon often presents as unemotional or subdued, with you he feels uninhibited, strong, and irresistible. He is able to lose himself with you as your eyes lock in pure, unadulterated lust while he thrusts into you, his name spilling repeatedly from his lips. Oh my god, yes, you take me so fucking well, baby...you’re so beautiful. I could fuck you just like this forever, just like this.

Your inner and outer Libra seeks to please, negotiate and bring peace to those in conflict in order to be seen as kind, reasonable and fair in the eyes of others - it is then that you feel you have succeeded in your goal. You are generally easy going, and diplomatic while he is argumentative, frank and serious. Namjoon’s Virgo sun is often more interested in more definitive outcomes and engaging in lengthy debate to come to a more or less "correct” answer, which contradicts your internal desire for balance and to avoid conflict. With his Sun in Virgo and Cancer in Mars, he especially sees conflict as a necessary and even enjoyable part of life that leads to growth. Eventually, not even hot-and-heavy makeup sex can ease the resentment you feel from his often argumentative and critical nature. This, combined with his inability to give you the full time and attention you require in a partnership, forces you to walk away and find someone more tailored to cater to your sensitive, emotional heart.

After your breakup with Namjoon, you take a good deal of time to reconnect with friends and family in the comfort of your own home. It is only after friends finally drag you out back into the real world that you are reminded of your naturally social nature, quickly shedding your fear around getting back out there - after all, you strive for balance and too much solitude can leave you feeling depleted and craving social energy. On one of these nights you attend a whiskey tasting, wherein you are immediately drawn to the boy at the end of the bar in his black bucket hat that hides most of his face. Clearly knowledgeable of his spirits and friendly with the bartender, you decide to get to know him further by discussing his recommendations directly. Upon bringing his eyes to meet yours and introduce himself as Min Yoongi, you are taken aback by his beauty and gentle but firm energy - there is a kindness in his slightly glossy eyes that you can feel, and it’s extremely attractive to your generally reserved heart. While his Virgo Moon is reserved, Yoongi is incredibly charming, fully understanding your subtle flirtation and using his knowledge of whiskey and very carefully spoken, deliberate speech (and sexy low voice) to get to you. It is not too long before you find yourself tipsily pressed against his side, your eyes moving between his lips and his delicate fingers that draw circles around his glass. His eyes move from your lust-filled stare to your curves as they are accentuated in your casual ensemble, and you swear you see his tongue move across his lower lip as he takes you in. But before you’re able to verify, he closes out your tabs. You’re not ready to hang with the big drinkers, love. How about I call you cab home?

Your relationship blossoms in the light of day, outside of the haze of the whiskey bar and in cafes around city or in your respective homes as you’re both homebodies and romantics at heart. When water and earth signs come together, there is often a very symbiotic relationship at play. Though initially stoic in his persona, the Pisces Yoongi is emotional, compassionate, sentimental which pairs well with your romantic Libra tendencies. Yoongi, the endlessly hard worker and creative force, makes every effort to see, hear and get to know you all the while giving you a great deal of attention which you appreciate. You adore his ability to give you ample quality time, which you require in a partner, while also affording the independence you need to progress on your own. Luckily, his Venus in Aries makes him more direct and enterprising in areas like his career so it balances out his more lethargic side that simply wants to lay in bed and talk about big picture ideas and fantasize about a better world. Like you, he seeks equilibrium between work and play, and is successful in helping you establish said coveted balance in your own life as a trusted partner and friend. He teaches you to let go and trust the process, while you show him the beauty in said process.

You and Yoongi understand each other on a deep level beyond traditional communication, and when the conversation ends you are easily able to use nonverbal communication to express how you truly feel. It is here where the two of you are able to be authentically yourselves without the pressures of the right words or expectations - you intuitively know what the other wants and needs. Yoongi’s exceptional creativity and desire to please extends to the bedroom, where his skills merge with his imaginative nature with you, taking you for a literal ride. Your Virgo rising equips you with a strong mind-body connection, making you an attentive and very deliberate in bed, while Yoongi is more interested in transcending the physical. Sex with him is entirely sensual, an all-consuming means of pleasing each other - he does not stop until your toes are curling and your entire body shakes in tension and arousal. You can feel your eyes roll back when his lips purr against you as his tongue circles your clit, two fingers slipping in and out of your aching center. You have no idea how amazing you taste. How lucky am I, hmm? It is not unusual for you to pin him to the bed after he’s been away too long in the studio, nibbling at his neck and making him growl in your ear. He knows what you want, his gorgeous hands grabbing your hips and pressing you down onto him before sliding your shorts to the side and slipping two fingers into you, curling them to hit your g-spot. Has my baby been waiting long for me? So impatient, are we? Come on, show how much you missed me.

Ultimately, you and Min Yoongi are able to come together as two sensitive, diplomatic, and create souls to create a life of harmony and deep intimacy - he is your muse and you are his anchor. While you are driven and high-achieving in select areas of your lives, you both are no strangers to rest and relaxation after a long, hard day’s work. Together, you create a true sanctuary just outside of the city where you can spend a great deal of time crafting art - he in his studio and you in your own workspace - or making meals together in your enviable kitchen. Know that through life’s inevitable ups and downs you have each other to rely on, and your shared fierce loyalty towards one another can whether any stress-related emotional outburst or time apart due to his fast-paced lifestyle. At the end of the day, you are happy to find that after years of searching you do not anything outside of your the four walls - or each others arms - to find peace.

#bts #bts astrology #astrology readings #horoscope #fiction #taurus #virgo #pisces #bangtan #bangtan astrology

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timeagainreviews · 4 years

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The Doctor Shows Great Praxeus

One of the more amusing aspects of being a Doctor Who fan is fantasising about one day travelling with the Doctor. I’ve heard grown-ass adults tell me that they have thought "I kinda want to get in shape, in case the Doctor ever comes." We’ve all asked ourselves which Doctor we would most want to travel with. The next question, of course, is- "Anywhere in time and space, where do you want to go?" Usually, my response is "the future." As a trans person, I don’t much fancy a visit to the past. But lately, even the future seems a grim place to be. Part of me wants to see the future because I want to see Star Trek in action, but part of me just wants to know if we survive.

When I heard that an episode in series twelve was going to tackle the subject of plastic pollution, my first reaction was "Autons?!" I also braced myself for a heaping dose of cringy edutainment. While it is a very clear and present danger that should be treated as such, I don’t expect Doctor Who to tackle the issue with much finesse. It’s no secret around these parts that I have questioned Doctor Who’s capacity for dealing with heavy subject matter. However, it would seem as though writer Pete McTighe has cracked the code- make it part of the story!

I’ve had Pete McTighe on my mind this week as he showed up on the "Behind the Sofa," segments in the new Seventh Doctor blu-ray boxset. (I’ve not forgotten that by the way, I do plan to cover one of the stories.) I knew McTighe was set to pen an episode this season, so I had been looking forward to that. If you’ll recall, I was a fan of his episode "Kerblam!" Some of my more anarchic friends wrote the entire episode off because the Doctor doesn’t dismantle the company at the end. So does Pete show better praxis with "Praxeus?" Let’s get into it!

The episode opens on several different locations- Peru, Madagascar, and space. We’re introduced to three groups of very different people. We’ve got Adam, an astronaut plummeting to earth in a capsule. We’ve got Gabriela and Jamila, a couple of travel bloggers forced to camp amongst rubbish. We have Jake, a cop on sabbatical who appears to be struggling with anger issues. And then we have Suki and Amaru, a couple of scientists working in a lab next to a beach where a survivor from a submarine accident is about to wash ashore.

I was concerned at that moment as I was worried they may have bitten off more than they can chew. So many new characters and settings all at once could easily become lost in the chaos. But the action is given focus by Jake learning that his husband Adam, the astronaut, has crashed. After a mysterious text from Adam, he heads to Hong Kong in search of his missing love. In a very short amount of time, there is a very strong sense of character development for Jake. This left me somewhat concerned as most of the companions have taken the backseat to secondary characters this year. It’s not been to the show’s detriment, as such, but it did leave me wondering if their solution to the problem of character development would be to ignore it completely. But here, that simply isn’t the case.

Tosin Cole is in particularly fine form as the Doctor’s man in Peru. We’ve seen each of the companions grow and take on traits of the Doctor, but Ryan shows a maturity and confidence we’ve not fully seen from him previously. When Gabriela wakes to find her friend Jamila missing, it’s Ryan that calms her. It’s Ryan who takes a sample of an infected bird. It’s Ryan that finds Jamila’s body, moments before she succumbs to a strange blight. Seeing him like this, he’s less like the boy we met on his bike, and more like a man. Even Gabriela was unable to deny just what a man he is. I’ll admit that I was just a touch envious of her getting to pat him down.

All the while, the Doctor has discovered the sailor from the submarine on the beach who suffers the same fate as Jamila. Some sort of infection seems to be taking over random people and the birds, causing skin abrasions and odd behaviour until ultimately exploding into a dry powder. It’s a grim way to die, and one of the better ones I’ve seen in Doctor Who in ages. Above the research facility, swarms of birds swoop in large groups, moving like a single organism.

Graham and Yaz intercept Jake in Hong Kong, where they find Adam, still in his spacesuit like this was the Impossible Astronaut. While unhooking him from what is clearly alien tech, they’re interrupted by gas-masked scientists with laser guns. In the scuffle, Yaz holds a piece of equipment hostage, which prompts her to believe that whatever it is, it’s valuable. Thanks to some badassery on Jake’s behalf, they manage to get Adam unhooked from the equipment and reconvene with the Doctor. However, Yaz decides to hang back along with Gabriela so they can nab that valuable device.

Now, I’d like to take a minute to talk about the way in which the Doctor and her companions are operating as a team. Not only are they keeping in touch with one another through cool little communication devices in their necks, but they’re also using the damn TARDIS! It is easily one of my biggest gripes about Doctor Who that they never use the TARDIS in interesting ways. Most writers seem content treating the TARDIS like a tram to get from point A to point B. I know that in a lot of ways the TARDIS could easily become an overpowered McGuffin, but that doesn’t mean you never use it for stuff. Allowing them to move about in the TARDIS to chase leads made a global story seem manageable.

Yaz and Gabriela’s little team-up was such a treat. Not only was I loving Gabriela as a character, but they finally gave Yaz some good stuff to do. McTighe isn’t just writing the ensemble of three companions well, he’s actually managed to build a small supporting cast of characters, each with their own individual arcs. On top of that, the Doctor’s dialogue was on point this week. Even the humour struck the right balance of eccentric and scatterbrained (or is that brainsed?) I’m not saying he’s my current favourite writer on the show, but I may start thinking that if he keeps this up.

Yaz and Gabriela locate the device, but as they’re retrieving it, one of the masked scientists shoots at them and uses a teleportation device to escape. I loved that Yaz was willing to see where the teleport led to, as it illustrates the Doctor’s influence on her companions once more. The Doctor has always banked on the benefit of the information gained from experience as opposed to wondering. If you can get captured, perhaps it will bring you right where you need to be. Following this logic, Yaz and Gabriela find themselves within what looked like a spaceship made of rubbish. Bits of rubber and plastic adorn the walls like the inside of the Skithra ship. And oh hey, there’s the submarine!

Back at Suki and Amaru’s lab, the birds are growing in number and getting restless. Amaru keeps watch while the Doctor and co. search for a cure for Adam who is also afflicted with this Praxeus pathogen. I loved that the Doctor delegated the task of dissecting a dead bird to Ryan. It was one more thing for her companions to do, which also made logical sense. While Graham has rather a lot less to do this time around, I was really pleased by his playing nurse for Adam. The subtle nod to his history with cancer got my heart stirring a bit. By the time Graham and Jake have their little heart to heart, I was already a big ball of emotions. This is Graham doing what he does best- giving granddad advice to a confused young man.

Now, I will admit, by this point in the episode, the plot began to confuse me. But this wasn’t the usual kind of confusion where "This doesn’t make sense because it’s dumb." It was more like "This doesn’t make sense because I’m dumb." There’s a lot going on, but if you paid attention, you will be able to make sense of things. Poor Amaru gets pecked to death in what has to be the shittest job as a lookout. It’s like sitting in place waiting to see if a brush fire will advance toward you. Meanwhile, Ryan has discovered the bird he found died with a belly full of plastic.

The Doctor deduces that the pathogen is attracted to plastic and found a feast within humans who are full of microplastics from the environment. It’s a grim outlook for the 2030s, but a sober one. And it’s a very relatable concept to imagine. How many times have you seen a bird hopping along and eating anything off the ground that looks like food? As I said, they managed to talk about plastic pollution by incorporating it into the story. As the information is important to understanding the plot, it doesn’t feel as though we’re being spoonfed information for the sake of information. We’re learning by peeling back the mystery of this episode, and it worked beautifully.

The Praxeus pathogen appears to be intelligent, which is both why it’s been so stubborn to eradicate, but also why the birds have been behaving so aggressively. If a person gets scratched by a bird, they become infected. This could also be why Jamila wandered off into the night. Just about this time, Yaz rings up to inform the Doctor where she is. We learn that the Hong Kong lab was transmitting data to two locations- somewhere in the Indian Ocean, and Madagascar. Knowing she’s been made, Suki reveals she’s not from Earth, but actually a scientist from a planet that was nearly wiped out by the Praxeus pathogen. However, it’s at this point that the birds have found their way into the lab forcing the TARDIS crew and their new friends to flee for the safety of the blue box.

The Doctor meets up with Yaz and Gabriela where they discover Yaz hasn’t actually discovered a new alien planet, but are actually deep within the Indian Ocean, the third location triangulated with Hong Kong and Madagascar. Suki’s ship has attracted a sort of vortex of junk and debris which also interferes with nearby tech like say submarines or orbiting space stations. They find the scientist they had been persuing only to discover they too were infected by the pathogen. When they removed the mask to show a face full of what looked like teeth, I yelled out "Tim Shaw!" It’s at this moment when they find Suki has teleported aboard this little garbage island.

Suki being a callous scientist willing to infect an entire planet to save her own was some mad scientist level villainy on par with the Rani. Is she the Rani? She’s the Rani, isn’t she? It’s never the Rani. As things turn out, Suki appears to also be infected, and before she can stop the Doctor from stopping her, she too succumbs to the pathogen, exploding into a powder. Adam, on the other hand, is fairing better as the Doctor’s search for a cure has yielded positive results.

The plan at this point is to allow Suki’s ship to autopilot into the atmosphere and distribute the cure across the earth, thus ridding it of this horrible blight. However, as everyone is escaping they fail to realise Jake has remained onboard. Seeing the autopilot is broken, Jake finds the perfect opportunity to show his love for his husband by sacrificing himself. However, the Doctor shows some Capaldi level TARDIS manoeuvring as she saves Jake last minute. This was a nice change in pace from series eleven which seemed to take great glee in introducing gay characters only to kill them off. The two lovebirds’ passionate kiss had my boyfriend and I saying "Awww!" and holding hands.

After last week’s wonderfully befuddling episode, I expected them to give us something tame. Episode six after a big midseason reveal seems like the perfect place to put your run of the mill filler episode. Instead, I found this to be one of the best episodes so far. The plotting and pacing were on point. The dialogue was superb and believable. Add to that some stellar performances from the entire cast, and you’ve got the makings of an instant classic. Even the side characters were lovable and interesting. Gabriela’s continuous disappointment that nobody recognises her from her vlog was an endearing bit of character work that had me saying words like "honourary companion." I know the TARDIS is a bit full, but I’d be way into more of her in some capacity.

It’s hard for me to say if I have many complaints about "Praxeus." As I said above, there were moments when the plot lost me a bit. After a brief look around the internet, I realise I’m not alone in this. Others found it a bit dense, but I am confident that over time that will subside. I did find the idea that they had to search three solar systems to find a planet as messed up as ours to be a bit heavy-handed. But that is sort of where we’re at as a planet. Writer Chuck Palahniuk once said something to the effect that the beaver wasn’t saved from the brink of extinction by freedom fighters chaining themselves to the last few beavers. It was the person who designed a more fashionable hat that didn’t require beaver skin. People stopped killing beavers to make hats, and the beaver survived. What I am getting at is that "Praxeus," doesn’t succeed by doomsaying, but rather through charm. By the end of the episode, I didn’t feel exhausted by information. Instead, I found myself feeling something far more constructive- thoughtful.

#doctor who #praxeus #Thirteenth Doctor #Jodie Whittaker #tosin cole #mandip gill #Bradley Walsh #Ryan Sinclair #Graham O'Brien #yaz #yasmine khan #pete mctighe #TARDIS #bbc #Time and Time Again

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darkestwolfx · 4 years

Text

Distribution

Sorry this was meant to go up yesterday, but things got in the way, so you're getting parts 7 and 8 tonight instead!

7: Distribution

Summary: In the early days, running International Rescue was a very similar process. The calls came in and he distributed their resources as he saw fit.

Words: 1440

Spoilers: None. Potential references to 'Relic' [S1E15], but no real spoilers.

----

Distribution, thanks to years in business, was a process that Jeff was highly familiar. It was a large part of his life, after all.

And in the early days, running International Rescue was a very similar process. The calls came in and he distributed their resources as he saw fit. It was harder though, harder than business.

Because these weren't products or figures he was talking about, rather real flesh and blood: his flesh and blood, his sons. And unlike cargo which you could mostly reorder and fix the supply chain, his boys couldn't be made again. They were once in a lifetime fixtures and one moment could lead to their downfall.

He thought for a long time, with Scott desperate to follow him - so much so that it was like kicking heels - whether he was doing the right thing by his boys. It was one thing for Lee to help him; the man was knowledgeable and experienced and an adult. He'd lived a life and he knew what he was signing up for. Scott wanted to fly the TV-21, desperately, so much so that Jeff would have let him (with some assistance, when he knew it was safe), once it had survived the test flight–

But it didn't.

He'd come back, because he had experience in the field, and he knew what he needed to do. How could he expect the same of his sons? How could he push them into that life?

But he never had to. Lee was right on that account.

Scott was sad – a melancholy that rivalled Jeff's own – that they lost the TV-21 for days, but his eyes had brightened at Thunderbird One which emerged in its place. And John was almost just as bad, his eyes heading skyward every night as though they would bring the waiting Thunderbird Five into his orbit so he could simply climb on and fly away from gravity.

It hadn't taken long for Virgil's eyes to catch the wide-spreading spark either, and soon Jeff found himself inexplicably pairing his boys to the Thunderbirds he was designing. And then Gordon had seen there was a submersible in the works and – because he had been much younger then – signed himself up if it would give him the chance to find Mermaids. Jeff knew, then and there, that Virgil was going to hold onto that for blackmail material against the prankster.

He might be there father, but he wasn't blind.

He'd intended to build International Rescue and the Thunderbirds as a legacy to leave his sons, something they could be a part of one day maybe, when they'd lived out their own lives and had decided it was what they wanted to do. Decided that for themselves, not out of any sense of obligation either.

For a long time that was what he feared.

But by the time Scott was supposed to be leaving for college, it was clear he and John had made every plan to put their own feet down, so to speak, and fight their corner on the matter. Jeff was a little put out to not be the one doing the 'foot putting down' in that moment, but it was undeniable that Scott and John had thought this through with precision thinking (likely belonging to the red-head) which left little room for a counter argument.

Then Virgil had come rushing in demanding he wanted the same deal and agreed point blank with his brothers.

Jeff had never quite got the truth out of his boys, their faces all smiles and confusion and 'what do you mean, Dad?', but he knew anyway without needing to break through their charade. He was certain Virgil had been brought in on the plan and was planted to stay outside until such a time that his arrival would be key – like waiting for the opportune moment to move the right piece in chess. Yes, the impetus may have been Scott's, but that plan was undeniably John's.

No International Rescue, no college.

That was the boys very insistent position.

Jeff had argued almost until he was blue in the face, throwing out every reason except for the one which really lived in his heart. He didn't want his boys to think he had certain expectations of them… not ones like that anyway. If they wanted to do anything else with their lives, well that was ok with him, but it seemed – regardless of his opinions – they wanted in.

"I want Thunderbird One – the plans say it's the fastest."

"I have no interest in it. I'm having Five."

"Says who?"

"Says me because it's in Space."

"I'm not arguing that one," Scott assured. "I like gravity."

"Well, good, because I want Thunderbird Two."

Clearly that hadn't been discussed beforehand for Scott and John's eyes widened and brows furrowed. "Why?"

"I don't have to tell you my reasons."

"You don't have a reason do you, Virge?"

"Yes I do."

"Is Gordon right? Is it because you want to be like f-"

"We're done here! Right Dad?"

He nodded. Not really sure what he was meant to say as Virgil went about pushing his elder brothers from the room, leaving Jeff none the wiser as to his middle sons' ambition, nor reasons for wanting Two. Scott and John were obvious and always had been, so he didn't even need to ask. And ok, he couldn't deny they'd been the images in his mind, but he decided he wouldn't share those, not when the boys had taken such control over their own futures.

"You see, Jeff. You needn't have worried, just like I told you."

"I know, Lee. I know. But how was I supposed to know they all felt so strongly?"

"You could expect that enough as you can expect a meteor shower."

"Lee, we can predict meteor showers."

"Oh yeah… Well I guess that's my point."

"So you saw it coming did you?"

"Course I did! Not. Er, well, I'll be off."

"Yes, Thunderbird Five will nearly be ready after this upgrade."

"Right you are, Jeff. By the way, you don't mind that boy of yours coming with me, do ya'? Um… John?"

"John?"

"Claims it's his so he should accompany me."

He chuckled at that. Yes, he did – sort of, with a lack of words – agree to the boys having their own Thunderbirds, he supposed. It would be good for John to go up with Lee whilst they were finishing the final details of the space station too, good knowledge for the future, and he trusted Lee to teach on valuable lessons.

And he'd been up there many times. It was perfectly safe, just as safe as Thunderbird One now was, which had delighted Scott when he last came home on break. Yes, Jeff remembered the many hours he'd spent sat as a co-pilot whilst his eldest circled round the island trying to find his top speed and get used to the controls.

He supposed it would only be a matter of time before Virgil was itching to get his hands-on Thunderbird Two. Heck, his third son had already spent enough time being part of the paint job.

And then there was Gordon, who was still jumping around waiting for his chance at a test run (so he could see Mermaids, still, although he was much quieter about that since he realised Virgil could lord it over him).

He supposed it would only be a matter of time before he was redundant, sat back at his desk doing both but distribution. Well, there were a few years to go still, he was easily fit enough to keep going on missions, at least until he'd seen all the boys out on enough of their own.

"No, Lee, I don't mind at all."

And like that, his best friend was off, and a little after that he heard Thunderbird Three roaring to life in the low atmosphere.

Something in the back of his mind nagged at him, and he recognised it as the same feeling which had been present when Scott had been screaming his lungs to death at the joy of finally being allowed to fly his Thunderbird. One by one his boys were growing up, becoming a part of International Rescue, leaving him behind to think about how they were getting on.

He supposed he should fill that gap with something else, something productive, like work. Maybe Virgil would like to work on a little more than the paintwork…

Yes, he knew that one day he would be nothing more than the distribution man, but there were many years to go yet.

#thunderbirds are go #writers on tumblr #downwithwritersblock #march prompts #support your fanfic authors #scott tracy #John Tracy #Virgil Tracy #Gordon Tracy #Alan Tracy #Jeff Tray #Captain lee taylor #international rescue #Darkestwolfx

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thisweekingundamwing · 5 years

Text

This Week in Gundam Wing 17-30 March 2019

Here’s the roundup for the last two weeks!

Remember to give your content creators some love! And join in on the events at the bottom!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

Conversewit

And they hold counsel with the stars (Ch. 1) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18082163/chapters/42740324

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Gundam Wing

Heero Yuy/Pansy Parkinson, Chang Wufei/Ginny Weasley, Quatre Raberba Winner/Padma Patil, Duo Maxwell/Parvati Patil

Lady Une, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei, Quatre Raberba Winner, Duo Maxwell, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Pansy Parkinson, Ginny Weasley

Post-Eve Wars (Gundam Wing), Alternate Universe, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant

Prewett Chang had definitely had better days in his 18 years of life. Currently watching a group of space Leos lay siege to L4 was definitely not one of them. Even if batty old Sybil Trelawney had come out of retirement to predict this he wouldn’t have believed it.

DarkeStar

Not the Usual Marriage Arrangement https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092927

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei

Fluff, Humor, Slight Crack - Heero is a bit of a special cupcake, Preventers (Gundam Wing), Honestly I prefer to consider it more a sprinkling of absurd rather than crack

Wufei discovers something unexpected, learns his friends are even weirder than he thought, and the game of solitaire gets the last word.

Deathscythe_Demiguy (@deathscythe-demiguy [Please tell me if you’re not the same person!])

We Will Rise (Ch. 3-4) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18134567/chapters/43095503

Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Nearly a year after Duo's death, Heero and Wufei are finally starting to heal, together. But what happens when when a discovery is made that will turn everything they thought they knew on its head? Will they hold tight to the new strength they've found in one another, or let their relationship crumble?

From the Ashes https://archiveofourown.org/works/18124721

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy

Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei

Character Death, Aftermath of Torture, Dreams and Nightmares, Beginnings, Complicated Relationships, Polyamory, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Love Confessions, Falling In Love

When Duo dies after a botched mission leaves him, Heero, and Wu Fei in the hands of the enemy, his partner and his best friend escape together. But what will they do now that their reason to keep fighting has turned to ash in the ruins of an OZ compound?

From the Ashes Alternate Timeling: Lost Boy https://archiveofourown.org/works/18126875

Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy

Chang Wufei, Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Hilde Schbeiker, Howard (Gundam Wing), Relena Peacecraft

OOC, Wakes & Funerals, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Songfic, Alternate Timelines

This is a bonus scene for FTA that I decided not to include in the original story in order to write a sequel that conflicts with this. Heero and Wufei attend a funeral service for Duo. kind of OOC, but I think its still worth posting.

@doctormegalomania

Masters of Our Own https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159329

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Post-War

Just after the war, Duo has a little time to discover what it’s like to be him.

Eldritch Holiday (Creature of the Night) (Ch. 8-10) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17802668/chapters/43113845

Explicit

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Lady Une, Sally Po

Horror, Body Horror, Occult, Comedy, Eventual Romance, Post-Break Up

There’s something wrong with Happiness. Duo doesn’t know what, and he’s determined to find out. The rest of the Gundam Pilots tag along to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed.

@duointherain

Beneath: The Gayest Hug https://archiveofourown.org/works/18140063

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

First Kiss

Heero and Duo have a first kiss.

Beneath: LSD (Ch. 4) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17860106/chapters/43198217

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell, Relena Peacecraft, Dorothy Catalonia

Drug Use, enlightenment, Sex Education

Duo learns the birds and the bees.

Beneath: Love Sweets and Death (Ch. 4) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17860106/chapters/43198217

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell, Relena Peacecraft, Dorothy Catalonia

Drug Use, enlightenment, Sex Education

Dorothy is very naughty girl and gives both Relena and Duo LSD.

@fadedsepiascribbles

Cabbapple Tides (Sequel to Crabbapple Sunset) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18211340

Cabbage/Pinapple

More vegetable emotions, views on dogs and humans... and the ocean.

Muddled Allegiance https://archiveofourown.org/works/18280934

Dorothy Catalonia, Trowa Barton, Zechs Merquise

GW Cocktail Friday, Drinking, Mint Julep

Dorothy Catalonia takes the evening to enjoy a drink, and to play a bit of a game.

@helmistress

Cabbapple Ocean https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260204

Cabbage/Pineapple

The Oceans take on things.

Jenjengundamfan

The Forgotten Star (Ch. 3) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18080930/chapters/42889328

Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

The year is After Colony 207 Relena has not seen Heero in ten years. She hosts a ball in celebration of Peace day, and is hoping Heero will come. After a group of terrorists disrupts her party, it forces Heero out of the shadows. Will he keep Relena safe? He's been training for this day for ten long years.

@kirinjaegeste

WIP Wednesday https://kirinjaegeste.tumblr.com/post/183602988232/so-i-started-a-gw-fic-because-sense8-inspired-me

So I started a GW fic because Sense8 inspired me and all of a sudden I have a monster on my hands. Best part: it has nothing to do with Sense8.

This is mostly about Newtypes, and bringing back old enemies with a dark past and too many mysteries.

Starring all the GW pilots, Relena, and one of my favorite minor characters, Midii Une.

Here’s a taste of the beginning, but this is a wip, so there might be changes.

@ladyunebarton

The fundamentals of caring (Ch. 6) https://archiveofourown.org/works/12722562/chapters/43139873

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy. Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, WuFei Chang/Sally Po, Relena Darlian/OC

Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, parenting, Adoption, Kid Fic, Adopted Children, Childhood Memories, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn

Summary: After a fire on an Orphanage left three kids without a home. Heero and Duo decide to take them into their own for the meantime. But this decision will make them reconsider where they are and what they want from life...

@lemontrash

Cabbapple Sunset https://archiveofourown.org/works/18209831

Cabbage/Pineapple

Some vegetable emotions, and views on humans.

Single Male Ordered (Ch. 7) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17799557/chapters/43076123

Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy

Chang Wufei, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell

Mail Order Brides, Strangers to Lovers, Mission Fic, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Arranged Marriage, Marriage of Convenience

Wufei is suffocated by the demands of his status, dragging his heels towards a wedding neither he nor Meilan want. Heero is at a loss, relocated to a new city but uninterested in making a fresh start. When a peculiar opportunity to fake an identity as a mail-order bride presents itself, Wufei takes a rash leap of faith - Heero is taken aback to find himself the guarantor of a stranger who has no interest in being the language tutor Heero thought he'd commissioned. Wufei meanwhile has ten days in which to convince Heero to marry him before he's deported back to a colony that's outraged by his defection, but Heero's personality doesn't make his odds seem good, and a burgeoning political disaster might make their problems seem very minor indeed.

Radio Meteor https://archiveofourown.org/works/17971154/chapters/42447008

Welcome to Radio Meteor, a podcast where I watch an episode of 90's anime Gundam Wing and ramble about it for many reasons. Each week I watch one episode and discuss the characters, language, translation and world building. Welcome to orbit!

Radio Meteor Episode 10 https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183518726889/episode-10-heero-distracted-by-defeat-by-radio

Podcast

Radio Meteor Episode 11 https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183816485324/episode-11-the-whereabouts-of-happiness-by-radio

Podcast

@lifeaftermeteor

LAM Snippet https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/183660370898/directors-suite-preventers-headquarters-geneva

Director’s Suite, Preventers Headquarters

Geneva, Switzerland

11 February 211

LAM Snippet https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/183829091421/location-undetermined-rainforest-vietnam-13-march

Location Undetermined

Rainforest, Vietnam

13 March 211

Luvsanime02

Liquid Courage https://archiveofourown.org/works/18201023

Trowa Barton/Relena Peacecraft

Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor, Marriage Proposal, Cocktail Friday

Relena has to be mistaken about what Trowa just asked her.

Safety First https://archiveofourown.org/works/18122246

Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei

Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor, Cocktail Friday, Dialogue Fic

“...How do you survive if you never cook or bake anything, ever?”

“Safely.”

To Consume https://archiveofourown.org/works/18281414

Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton

Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor, Friendship, Cocktail Friday

Duo's suspicious of the leaf in his drink. Trowa suffers.

Phoenixrebirth88

Unexpected complication (Ch. 14) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7201409/chapters/42963068

Trowa Barton/Other(s), Trowa/Reader

Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Catherine Bloom, Reader

Reader-Insert

What if you woke up near somebody you can't remember meeting. What if you decide to stay, trying to escape your own life. Is such a thing really possible?

Revy679

Peace Achieved (Ch. 15) https://archiveofourown.org/works/15888729/chapters/43090298

Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy, Zechs Merquise/Lucrezia Noin, Trowa Barton/Lady Une, Dorothy Catalonia/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Sally Po, Catherine Bloom/Original Male Character, Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker

A love that survived war and the worst humanity had to offer. Now, can they handle what a peaceful life has to offer?

Rhea314

The Ion Arc by Sunhawk15 https://archiveofourown.org/works/602820/chapters/1086697

Podfic

Riru

О делах сердечных https://archiveofourown.org/works/18146075

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Romance, Humor, Getting Together, Fluff, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian

Дуо слышит тревожные сплетни

Относительность https://archiveofourown.org/works/18146093

Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Schmoop, Fluff, Post-Canon, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian

иногда Кватре слишком много думает. Часто его мысли оказываются о Трове.

Robot_Qwerty

Finding Home Again (Ch. 24) https://archiveofourown.org/works/10496823/chapters/43185521

Gundam Wing, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Chang Wufei/Quatre Raberba Winner, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Original Male Character(s), Sally Po/Lady Une/Original Female Character(s)

Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Original Male Character(s), Original Female Character(s)

Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Mental Health Issues

Morgan lost any family he had left during the horrors of the Canadian Civil War, he lived on his own and carved out his own existence at eighteen years old. Adventure and magic only existed in fairy tales and daydreams, survival is all he knows anymore. The Civil War ends a little before the Eve Wars. So when the new laws after the Eve Wars come into place, his world was turned upside down and Canada's new government left little choice to the die-hard patriots. Finally escaping to the Sanq Kingdom wasn't the sanctuary he had hoped it would be. Add the former Gundam Pilots to the mix and he might just find his escape, or will he never find the freedom he craves?

Rogue53

The Ion ficlet for Sunhawk16 https://archiveofourown.org/works/18153230

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

ShenLong1 (ShenLong on AO3)

Bound, Bonded and Betrayed (Ch. 79) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9726683/79/Bound-Bonded-and-Betrayed

Genre: Drama/Romance

Rated: M

Character: Heero Y., Duo M.

Summary: Heero is the eldest son of the King of Colonia. His 21st birthday is approaching and as tradition dictates his betrothed is soon to arrive. However he is also bound by tradition to select his own personal slave. The events that unfold lead him down a path that not only tests his sanity but his humanity and love as well.

@softnocturne

Many Ways To Say I Love You (Ch. 3) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17964329/chapters/43231040

Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

One Shot Collection, Cuddles

Quatre's had a hard day at work.

Spicy_Marmalade

Let’s Dance (Ch. 1) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18173366/chapters/42981941

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Hilde Schbeiker

Anything for the mission?

Duo and Heero go undercover at a gala to try and expose remnants from the war. Rich socialites gather at a charity gala with the claims they have the blueprints to a new mobile suit. Heero and Duo are sent in to stop them, disguised as socialites themselves Duo is forced to crossdress in an effort to blend in. Unfortunately for him, he blends in too well and draws unwanted attention.

Strailo

Bits and Pieces of Many Worlds (Ch. 1-45) https://archiveofourown.org/works/11796954/chapters/42848084

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Harry Potter - Fandom, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Naruto, Transformers - All Media Types, Weiß Kreuz, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files, Hellboy (Movies), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Gundam Wing, Saiyuki, Bleach

Various relationships

various - Character

Short Stories, random pairings, some smut, nothing graphic, please note the pairings, at the beginning of each chapter

Various stories that fall under various worlds that just never got very far.

(I’ve no idea which ones are GW, I didn’t really have time to look through it all.)

Thai_Tea_Addict (@thaiteaaddict [Please tell me if you’re not the same person!])

Wolves and Lambs (Ch. 8) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13351587/chapters/42776327

Gundam Wing, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Harry Potter, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, maybe Heero Yuy/Duo Maxwell/Harry Potter

Duo Maxwell, Remus Lupin, Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Harry Potter, Sirius Black

Family Reconstruction Act, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Politics, Wizarding Politics, War, Disturbing Themes, Technomagic/Technomancy, Gundam Newtypes are Space Wizards, Family Feels

On the cusp of war, Remus Lupin discovers he has a son. Facing a prejudiced wizarding world unwilling to believe Voldemort has returned, Remus must now navigate his duties as both a member of the Order and as a father to one Duo Maxwell.

Duo doesn't know a lot about families, but he knows war.

HP Fifth Year, Post-GW main series

@vegalume

WIP Wednesday http://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/183759504665/wip-wednesday

Pairing: Trieze & Heero —COLLIDE—

Wings_Landing

Broken (Ch. 3) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18057017/chapters/43059692

Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy

One of the greatest love stories never told... this way.

Snowstruck (Ch. 6) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17868848/chapters/42170189

Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy

Heero Yuy. Relena Peacecraft. Duo Maxwell

Relena is kidnapped by terrorists after she disobeyed Heero's direct orders. Obligated by his promise to protect her, a very frustrated Heero rescues her with the help of Duo. However, Duo claims to not be able to rescue them from their not so winter wonderland. Leaving both soldier and princess to survive in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. What could go wrong?

@ziggystarsandmars

Prompted https://ziggystarsandmars.tumblr.com/post/183503596224/ziggystarsandmars-stringthe0ri

A sad. WuFei Chang... Quatre and mention of Duo.

Fanart:

@bluesquishylemon

https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/bluesquishylemon/183759008372

Quondam Legends, Quatre & Trowa

@christianmswanson

http://christianmswanson.tumblr.com/post/183593500864/since-ive-been-working-on-a-new-deathscythe-i

Deathscythe, model

@gundayum

https://gundayum.tumblr.com/post/183667955461/it-feels-like-forever-since-ive-doodled-so

Duo & Hilde with Heero & Relena dolls.

https://gundayum.tumblr.com/post/183742368001/here-have-some-more-ultra-90s-fashion

Hilde, Zechs, & WuFei

https://gundayum.tumblr.com/post/183752404451/lemontrash-hes-beauty-hes-grace-hell-bootay

Zechs in ‘high fashion’.

@helmistress

https://helmistress.tumblr.com/post/183660383819/boys-bein-bros-line-art-by-kirinjaegeste

Trowa and Duo, Line art by @kirinjaegeste color by @helmistress

https://helmistress.tumblr.com/post/183762566279/i-um-may-have-slipped-up-in-my-headcoldd-state

Pinebage/Cabbapple V_V

@kirinjaegeste

https://kirinjaegeste.tumblr.com/post/183642604902/ok-so-i-started-well-see-how-this-goes-im-not

This became the one above. ^_^

@lemontrash

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183629906524/froot-bug-buddies

Duo, Quatre, Heero

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183657678069/lemontrash-fadedsepiascribbles-edited-because

WuFei writs fic

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183681328274/sequel-to-this

WuFei burns fic

Photo Prompts/Prompts:

@lemontrash

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183633639839/so-i-looked-up-funny-wedding-photos-and-i-was-not

Funny Wedding Photos, Relena/Heero shoes

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183633972609/so-i-looked-up-funny-wedding-photos-and-i-was-not

Funny Wedding Photos, Trowa/Quatre, Duo highfive, glaring WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183584944354/lemontrash-incorrectgundamwingquotes-wufei

Apple Juice/Apple Tree fiasco, @incorrectgundamwingquotes

Head Canons:

@doctormegalomania

https://deathscythe-demiguy.tumblr.com/post/183824592645/incorrectgundamwingquotes-doctormegalomania

A Quatre headcanon lies here.

@lifeaftermeteor

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/183639019581/this-is-because-when-you-gotta-run-anything-for

Trowa Barton

@writewithlight

https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/writewithlight/183737552810

Another hidden headcanon this time for Treize.

Chats/Discussions:

@gundayum

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183627958674/some-of-you-need-to-chill-with-the-crack-pairings

Cabbapple/Pinebage discussion.

@lemontrash, @helmistress, @fadedsepiascribbles, @seitou, @incorrectgundamwingquotes

Quotes/Dialogues:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183529341987/catherine-why-is-there-only-one-way-in-or-out-of

Cathy & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183533726484/heero-care-to-sit-im-sure-youd-like-to-take

Heero & Dorothy

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183537260698/heero-i-have-an-idea-its-very-uncool-but-not

Heero & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183581584808/wufei-there-are-no-stupid-questions-heero-if

WuFei & Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183614036841/quatre-texting-trowa-see-you-soon-baboon

Quatre

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183618342692/duo-do-you-want-some-of-my-leftovers-wufei-what

Duo & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183642855515/une-i-dont-trust-birds-fucking-hollow-bones

Une & Treize

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183634759920/relena-heero-is-an-angel-that-fell-from-heaven

Relena & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183627625663/wufei-im-heero-yuys-emergency-contact-nurse

WuFei & Nurse, about Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183627151319/heero-whats-that-movie-where-they-bring-that

Heero, Trowa, & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183639029818/sally-would-you-rather-punch-a-cactus-or-kick-an

Sally, Heero, Duo, & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183628506999/incorrectgundamwingquotes-heero-date-a-boy-who

Heero, Duo, & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183669213774/whats-the-first-thing-you-do-when-you-wake-up-in

The crew answers a question.

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183668158852/heero-i-had-a-dream-i-dropped-the-l-word-and

Heero & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183685252895/zechs-alright-think-whats-the-number-one

Zechs & Otto

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183645855279/hello-there-treize-long-time-no-see-except-in

WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183645462179/on-the-lunar-base-duo-alright-heero-i-know

Duo, Heero, & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183660381698/at-preventers-hq-wufei-not-much-could-ruin

WuFei & Zechs

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183664809688/at-preventers-hq-une-alright-everyone-pay

Une & Quatre

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/183606145364/incorrectgundamwingquotes-wufei-today-duo

WuFei & Sally (@incorrectgundamwingquotes & @lemontrash)

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183829103890/catherine-i-know-you-snuck-out-last-night-trowa

Catherine & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183800951064/relena-noin-i-need-to-borrow-your-hair-dryer

Relena, Noin, & Dorothy

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183824582143/police-officer-youre-being-pulled-over-for

Police Officer & WuFei Chang

https://deathscythe-demiguy.tumblr.com/post/183800963676/ransomedbard-incorrectgundamwingquotes-hilde

Hilde (Turned into screencap quotes by the wonderful @ransomedbard)

http://outofworkshinigami.tumblr.com/post/183777747697/gwkimmy-incorrectgundamwingquotes

The Apple Tree drinking Apple Juice debate continues!

@incorrectgundamwingquotes, @lemontrash, @gwkimmy

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183763332604/at-preventers-hq-heero-to-une-i-am-an

Heero & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183762394256/quatre-hey-trowa-i-brought-you-coffee-trowa

Quatre & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183757582761/duo-honestly-fuck-viruses-theyre-not-even

Duo & Quatre (I’m of a mind to agree with Duo at the moment.)

https://noirangetrois.tumblr.com/post/183749892790/incorrectgundamwingquotes-i-came-into-this

Dorothy (>_>)

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183752653521/during-mariemaias-rebellion-duo-this-is-a

Duo & Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/183717778013/duo-i-know-im-getting-married-ro-but-its-ok

Duo & Heero

No Idea What To Put This Under:

@gundampilot

http://mooncrystalpower.com/post/183763878040/recommend-with-headphones-in-full-screen-my

Video edit

Calendar Events:

@acworldbuildingzine

Rhythm Generation https://acworldbuildingzine.tumblr.com/post/183502874098/hello-from-the-rhythm-generation-zine-crew-with

Donations have 6 prime locations!

The Rhythm Generation zine will be released digitally as a PDF on May 4. To receive a copy, please be sure to sign up via our Mailing List Form!

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, April 5th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/183817930931/nbcwillandgrace-hitting-karen-where-it-hurts

For those going to Pillowfort, find us here.

If anyone has ideas for prompts, PLEASE send them in! Our ask box is always open.

@our-summer-of-zechs

Summer of Zechs 2019 https://our-summer-of-zechs.tumblr.com/post/183734829321/summer-of-zechs-2019

Come vote for a month to host it in and send in prompts!

Month Vote Count https://our-summer-of-zechs.tumblr.com/post/183825139256/votes

Here’s the Pillowfort discussion.

@thisweekingundamevents

Gundam Wing Mini Bang https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/183830183720/mini-bang

Let us know if you’d like to participate and if you’d like it to have a theme!

#Gundam Wing #This Week in Gundam Wing #Weekly Roundup #17-30 March 2019

24 notes · View notes

ask-jaghatai-khan · 5 years

Text

Da Deff-Flash Raidaz

// Homebrew for an Ork Freeboota warband I’ve been thinking up for some time. A distillation of all my favorite things about Orks in Warhammer.

“I’z ridin’ dis high ‘til Ragnarork comes!”

History

In the clustered and chaotic regions of the galactic center, there could be found a hostile dustball world orbiting a red giant. Though in the center of major orkish territory, it was of little interest to most passing overlords, save as an occasional source of boys. Those parts of it not dominated by great desert flatlands were composed of stormy seas, colossal mountains, or the rare and oft-disputed jungle infested with disease and mutated predators. Phalton Prime, or “Kruzbal” to the Orks, had seen many apocalypses, yet its surface was still home to millions of greenskins, most of whom had since devolved into a savage state. These savage orks were often press-ganged for cheap labor by the few but powerful Tek-Tyrants of the wastes, mountains, and seas.

It was on this world of Kruzbal that one unfortunate Freeboota was waylaid, setting of an explosive chain of events. Kaptin Gorn Blast’ead’s space hulk Black Grog, damaged and flying from the Warp after an unknown misfortune, crashed deep in the deserts of the planet’s singular continent. Crawling battered and stranded from the wreckage, and rounding up what few crew he had left, the Kaptin surveyed the forgotten world he’d found himself on. Within hours they were set upon for their trove of scrap and tech by raiders, which Gorn just managed to fight off, earning him the ire of the first of many tyrants on the world.

Requiring more ork-power, Gorn set about conscripting the local tribal greenskins. Though tough and quick to worship the space-bound ork as some manner of demigod, many could not handle the strange wonders of technology he brought with him and quickly went mad. Among this number was a boy by the name of Ur-Kog, though his change was markedly different. Ur-Kog showed a knack for survival, and a level of control over his insanity. Starting off lame, dumb, and runty by ork standards, Ur-Kog nonetheless started climbing the ranks faster than any of Gorn’s new soldiers. His knowledge of the wasteland was of immense help to the Kaptin, and the newly-appointed Nob’s skill with rallying mobs and tinkering with technology completely unknown to him before grew and grew, along with his physical form. Soon, Blast’ead had become a mythical figure to the savage orks of Kruzbal, slaying the Tek-Bosses and gathering a massive WAAAGH! with Ur-Kog as a prominent general. All was almost lost, however, when Gorn was at last laid low by Da Immortul Slagg, greatest of the coastal Raida Tyrants. The WAAAGH! would have been scattered if Ur-Kog hadn’t seized control of the mobs, assaulting Slagg’s fortress and claiming the Warboss’ head, along with final control of the planet.

For all the barren, ransacked wastes that covered Phalton Prime, the world was host to a strange and powerful hidden treasure. Known as “Kwiksilva”, this metal was prized and fiercely fought over by all the greenskins who called the planet home. Found in scrap deposits in many of the deepest and most treacherous ruins of the wastes, kwiksilva was solid and incredibly durable in its base form, to the point it could not be easily “forged” and so was either used for trinkets, or large and unwieldy armor plating. Bluish-silver in color, when exposed to the right alchemical properties, the normally impenetrable metal could be rendered into an unstable semi-liquid state. In this form, the metal had powerful narcotic properties. It could increase healing factors on injection or inhalation, as well as sending the user into a berserker rage, at the cost of severe physical and mental degradation for most all users. Kwiksilva was prized more than gold or iron, and is still one of the few reasons Kaptin Ur-Kog will return to his old homeworld, save for the occasional mob of “tradishunul boys”.

Since refitting the Black Grog, Madkap Ur-Kog Flashmaw (as he is now known) has made a name for himself across orkdom as a figure of insane but jovial chaos. He first came to prominence during his lootings of the Octarius sector and its neighboring regions, earning the respect or anger of many warbosses, as well as the Imperium of Man. Ur-Kog styles himself as a “collector”, and behaves eccentrically even by Freeboota standards, being easily taken by certain obsessions, and commanding a motley band as mad as he is. With the gathering power of WAAAGH! Ghazghkull, Kaptin Flashmaw has decided to throw in his gaudy cap with the Warlord, for a chance at going on the biggest looting spree the galaxy has yet seen.

Behavior

The kultur of the Deff-Flash Raidaz, as Ur-Kog’s Freeboota krew is known, is a bizarre and distinct thing. Many superstitions and curiosities can be traced as holdovers from their tribal roots, influenced by their Kaptin’s own oddities, and the unconventional makeup of the krew, being composed of many different clans of orks, a large proportion of grots, and even a few non-greenskin mercenaries. This mix has inspired an orkoid culture markedly distinct from most others.

Ur-Kog’s madness takes the form of wild mood---swings that can see him go from cruelly ruthless, to jovial even by human standards. The Kaptin’s greatest strength is his ability to inspire loyalty in his krew. He is fond of grand displays of prowess, as well as trying out new “toys” and weapons, and so will reward heavily any boy who distinguishes himself. Ur-Kog claims he has an “eye fer anytin’ orky”, which influences his looting decisions. He has stolen and refitted Imperial walkers, xenos tanks, and even broken deadly creatures like Tyranid bioforms. Many Ogryn mercenaries can be found in his crew, whom Flashmaw seems to like for their brute strength and loyalty. Though happy to get in a good scrap, Ur-Kog’s intense greed influences his decisions more than bloodthirst.

Even before the dawn of technology on Kruzbal, the tribals of the desert wastes were just a step away from becoming full-blown Speed Freekz, with squig-breeding and boar-rearing being major vocations. Nearly all the krew of the Black Grog are members of the Kult of Speed, devoting many hours to tinkering on their kustom bikes and buggies. Many “Old Way” superstitions can still be found amongst the greenskin mechanics, along with nautical traditions from the oceanic tribes, and so Deff-Flash vehicles tend to be outfitted with many trinkets and skulls, designed to make each bike and trakk appear like a living, mechanical beast. This extends to spacecraft and aircraft, as well. Due to the high proportion of grots to be found in the WAAAGH, Meks have an easy time scrounging extra scrap and making repairs, as the tiny greenskins are excellent at crawling into small places – though sometimes a cooked gretchin has to be pulled out of an engine afterwards.

Ur-Kog himself is in possession of two personal bikes, a speed-buggy, a fighta, and a massive command trukk. Though not taken to the field as often, the Black Grog is also home to an arena in which the Kaptin likes to showcase his many other “kollecturz bitz”, including Tyranid beasts, experimental walkers and deff-dreads, Mega-Gladiators, savage muto-wolves, boars, and squiggoths. Even clever orks have trouble determining what Ur-Kog considers “orky”, but the Madkap is very clear that he only collects the orkiest monsters around.

Central to the kultur of the Deff-Flash Raidaz is kwiksilva. Initially a treasure found only on Kruzbal, the clever Meks of Flashmaw’s WAAAGH! have since found ways by greenskin alchemy to refine the substance out of certain high-quality metals, in a process not even fully understood by said Mekboys. Any boy in the mob experienced enough to have bought their first bike likely also has at least one small trinket of kwiksilva on their person. More powerful orkz will have armor, weapons, and even vehicles covered in the alloy, prized for its durability and rust-proof, lucky shine. Nobs may sometimes wear injector-rigs, courtesy of the Painboys, which will fill their veins with liquid metal in the heat of battle. Other boys may inhale the substance as an aerosol spray, dulling their already minute pain-sense and inspiring them to acts of suicidal bravery.

Notable Members

Kaptin Gorn Blast’ead — “Ya fink dere’s nuffin’ left ta take from me? Wrong! Ya just took me patience! And I ain’t got no patience!” — A veteran Freeboota who prowled the inner systems for many a century before a freak post-looting Warp accident waylaid him and his on the dusty world of Kruzbal. A highly ruthless and intelligent ork, Gorn quickly found promise in the savage orks of the planet, using their madness to his advantage as he toppled the raider warbosses one-by-one. Gorn’s preference for encouraging reckless behavior in his warriors would in turn lead to Ur-Kog taking charge, and madness becoming the rule of the day in the Deff-Flash krew.

Madkap Ur-Kog Flashmaw — “I’z so flash ye could melt a humie’s face wif me smile!” — The current Kaptin of the Deff-Flash Raidaz, known as the Madkap Flashmaw. Ur-Kog is renowned across the Five Segmentae as a notorious looter, bloody reaver, and lunatic as far as orks are concerned. Ur-Kog plies the spaceways in his eternal quest to assemble the “orkiest WAAAGH!” around, collecting outcasts and oddballs from across orkdom, hoarding technology, and building a menagerie of the meanest xenos beasts alive. Flashmaw is roundly hated by anyone not a part of his own loyal krew, with many orks finding him weirder than can be tolerated. Still, Ur-Kog has since fallen under the banner of WAAAGH! Ghazghkull, impressed by the power of the Goff Warboss, and happy to take part in a level of carnage the orks haven’t seen in millennia.

Wazzmek — “It’z got flash! It’z got speed! It’z da Morkiest machine you’z eva seen!” — Known only by his title, Wazzmek is the head mekboy of the Raidaz. Touted as one of the best meks in the galaxy, Wazzmek is usually left to his own devices when not working on the Kaptin’s own rides. The Mek is viewed by most with a hefty mix of respect, awe, and fear, as he’s been given free reign by the Madkap to do whatever he pleases in the name of whipping up new and deadly gadgets. Wazzmek is a sight to behold thanks to his many kwiksilva bioniks, which can make him look more like a humie space marine or xenos construct than an average Mek, thanks to the lucky, stainless shine.

Grendus Rendus — "GRENDUUUS!!!” — Ur-Kog’s closest bodyguard, an Ogryn taken from an abandoned prison world in the Segmentum Ultima. Grendus is a scarred old beast, larger than the average ogryn, heavily enhanced with cybernetics, and with a distinct orkiness about him, having sallow skin, big teeth, and a dull fire in his eyes that even Nobs fear. To survive as the personal guard to an ork warboss is no easy task for a mere abhuman, and Grendus is renowned for his foul temper and sheer refusal to die.

Meek da Lukky — “I’z got meself some scrap! Eh? Eh? Happy, Boss?” — Personal gretchin servant to Ur-Kog, and occasionally Wazzmek, though the grot is loath to do anything that puts him in harm’s way more than usual. Meek has served the Kaptin since his pillaging of Greater Octarius, and is noted for the unusual amounts of luck he seems to have, avoiding death and misfortune where many hundreds of grots would have died. Though he hasn’t gotten away completely unscathed, Meek’s done his best to keep the streak going, including bathing himself in lucky blue warpaint.

Organization

The Deff-Flash Raidaz are led by Kaptin Ur-Kog Flashmaw, whose word is final, leading by virtue of his might, cleverness, and massive horde of gubbinz. Immediately beneath him are the veteran oddboys, such as the Chief Mek and his crew, the senior Painboys, Weirdboys, Runtherds, and more. Also included among the Kaptin’s “Best Mates” are his Nobz and bodyguards.

The main mob of the WAAAGH! consist of the many boys and lesser oddboyz of the krew. Generally the first thing on any new boy’s mind is the purchasing of his first bike, which will ensure he has a chance at glory on most any mission. Most of the Black Grog’s krew have an obsession with tinkering, and if not making modifications to their ostentatious and savage vehicles, they’ll be decking themselves and their weapons in fearsome charms meant to help during boarding actions. This culture of eye-catching style seems to make each warrior more reckless, as they feel if they’re going to die, at least they’ll look “flash” doing it.

Distinct amongst ork mobs is the odd makeup of Flashmaw’s krew. Though not the most numerous WAAAGH, the boys are generally quite hearty and wealthy – this is thanks to the disproportionate number of grots the greenskins have found themselves in possession of. Gretchin take care of most minor repairs, menial labor, and food sourcing (sometimes in a direct sense), leaving the Mekz with plenty of assistants and the boys with more free time to spar and tinker. The grot population boom has gotten to the point where it can sometimes be hard to account for all the little buggers, and many areas of the space hulk are even home to pockets of grot “tribes”. Flashmaw nonetheless views this as ideal, as he is also fond of recruiting many oddboys, from Mekz to Madboyz, surrounding himself with greenskins as insane as he is. This has lead to an elite crew that are nonetheless extremely eccentric. In addition to the many beasts and artifacts the Kaptin has collected, Ur-Kog also makes use of Ogryn mercenaries spirited away from lost Imperial prison worlds, who are often rubbed down with green paint, cybernetically enhanced, and used as bodyguards and enforcers more loyal to the Kaptin than even his own Nobs.

Of course, the Deff-Flash Raidaz are diehard devotees of the Kult of Speed, and so any battle plan that can get away with it more often than not includes hordes of bikes, trukks, trakks, tanks, buggies, and jets. Ur-Kog is a flyboy himself, though his need to lead from the front usually sees him taking to a bike or trukk at the head of his mob. Though Ur-Kog prides himself on having at least two of every gubbin, from grot-artillery, to heavy walkers, to Kommando electro-stabbaz, the vast majority of his battle plans prefer a massive armored cavalry charge, with plenty of screaming air-support.

Appearance

Of all the insults and ire laid on Kaptin Flashmaw, his favorites include being called “the most garish being in the galaxy” by an Eldar commander, and making a Blood Axe Warboss’ eyes water. Red features heavily on all Deff-Flash clothes and vehicles, due to the krew’s obsession with speed, and its ability to blend in with the rust so common on “flash-poor” vehicles. In addition to this, black tribal markings, and trinkets made from gold and kwiksilva are used for in abundance. Boys of all stripes will often coat themselves in white and black body paint – a holdover from tribal practices meant to protect against the searing sun of Krusbal, and a signifier of strength. On top of all these colors and baubles, boys will sometimes decorate their vehicles with personal colors and symbols, and all the krew are fond of such decoration, using bones and precious metals to make both themselves and their mounts look as savage and piratical as possible. The resulting mix is an eclectic and indeed eye-watering palette of colors and designs, with bright treasure gleaming against filth and rust, and warriors at once dressed in the tattered remains of the finest clothes they could loot, on top of dusty and oily tribal paint.

Notable Battles

Ransack of Greater Octarius — After refitting what remained of the Black Grog, the newly proclaimed Madkap rallies his first ever spaceborne WAAAGH! to see the galaxy. Not far from the Phalton system lies the Ork Empire of Octarius, where greenskins by the billions waged constant war against numerous threats that had the generosity to assault them on all sides, from within and without. Knowing no allegiance, and itching for adventure, Ur-Kog’s Deff-Flash Raidaz hop from planet to planet at random, fighting anything they encounter, and looting the spoils down to the last rusty nail. It is here that Kaptin Flashmaw’s madness first becomes fully manifest, and his obsession with collecting strange trophies and defining the elite and flamboyant nature of his krew solidifies. By the end of the first WAAAGH! Ur-Kog, the Deff-Flash krew is brimming with oddboys the Madkap took pains to press-gang, in preparation for his next great exploit.

Da Inkredible WAAAGH! — With enough resources to fully realize his wild dreams, Ur-Kog takes to the greater galaxy, moving in an unflagging loop around all five Segmentae. The Madkap’s krew has become much different in makeup that when it started. Where previously there were droves of savage orks lead by insane Nobs, getting by on unpredictability, numbers, and a few unique perks, now there was a full-blown WAAAGH! brimming with vehicles, specialists to maintain the arsenal, mercenaries, and a shocking boom of laborer-grots. The Deff-Flash Raidaz become established as a major force of the Freeboota and Speed Freek ork kulturs, with Ur-Kog’s name being spoken of with bemused respect or bitter irritation by warbosses and other commanders around the galaxy. Ur-Kog makes a habit of indulging in great debauchery, and when not in an active warzone, the krew entertains itself with exotic arena fights, copious amount of grog and chems (including kwiksilva), tinkering on their beloved vehicles, and searching for new opportunities to loot and pillage. Still, Ur-Kog remains restless, in some small way resenting the lack of respect paid by other overlords and bosses, despite his immensely orky WAAAGH! and great trove of loot.

Throwing in Da Kap — Word reaches the Madkap’s ears of a new power rising, with one notable name only being spoken of more and more across the galaxy — Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. While ever a wildcard at heart, the Kaptin decides that the best new opportunities for loot, recruitment, and carnage lie under the banner of one powerful Goff warboss. Gathering up as many preliminary resources as he can, Ur-Kog seeks out the warlord’s WAAAGH! back in the Octarius system. Ghazghkull accepts the Madkap’s allegiance, though is predictably happy to be rid of the Freeboota once it comes time for the greater WAAAGH! to sally forth. In truth, Ur-Kog cares little for the Goff’s dismissive attitude, as he knows the straightforward nature of such a traditional warboss will make for a disciplined central WAAAGH! — allowing the good Kaptin to continue on with his chaotic pillaging as he wishes, knowing there will always be a great horde to retreat into if ever his victims seek to retaliate. The Deff-Flash Raidaz continue their wild ride, with opportunity fresh in their hungry eyes.

#warhammer #40k #homebrew #orks #freebooters #speed freeks

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opinionsandfeelings · 5 years

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The Wandering Earth Review

My rating: 4.5/5

Best quote: Let’s light Jupiter up.

Man, what a fantastic film.

Here’s the setup: our sun is expanding and within a hundred years it’s going to swallow the whole solar system. Earth’s global community somehow puts its differences behind them and comes up with a comprehensive plan move, MOVE, the earth from its current orbit to another system. This comes in the form of giant rockets propelling earth from orbit and everyone living in underground cities to compensate the ecological effects of said move. Ambitious AF this movie is.

So we’re introduced to our main characters, the handsome Liu Qi and his sidekick kid sister Han Duoduo. Mm, Liu Qi’s actor, Qu Chuxiao, is beautiful and I hope he’s in many more films. I digress.

Liu Qi is apparently a genius, he seems more like a moody teenage protagonist than anything at the beginning but calls himself a ‘genius’ enough you get the idea it’s probably mentioned for a reason. Kid sister on the other hand is basically there for cute support, I don’t consider that a bad thing since it helps humanize the cast.

Mr. Genius and his sidekick live with their grandpa in underground Beijing since their dad is an important astronaut on the global space station (in this universe there’s a United Global Government but countries still, I think, have some sort of autonomy? Film didn’t get much into that but everyone’s got a state flag on their uniforms). Genius decides to steal his grandpa’s vehicle pass and since kid sister wants to see the earth’s surface she comes with.

Genius is not the best at driving grandpa’s rig but he manages and they head out, kid sister’s amazed by all the ice and snow aaaand then they’re arrested for stealing a rig. They meet Tim in jail, a white chinese native. There’s a reason for this person, he literally does nothing useful but you’ll see why he’s there as they go along.

Grandpa’s called, he comes and gets the kids but in a convenient twist there’s a massive earthquake that breaks open their jail cell. Out of pity/human duty Liu Qi frees Tim and they hustle out of there and back to there rig where grandpa hauls ass back toward home.

At this time time we learn a bit about Liu Qi’s dad who is up in the space station observing all this and also learning that, as they’re passing Jupiter, there’s a very real chance Jupiter’s gravitational pull will drag earth in and bam, we’re all dead. Hey guess what, it’s happening!

Back on earth Team Get-Home-Now is accosted by the military because, for some reason, the grandpa is the best driver they could think of and they need him to deliver a ‘lighter cord’ which is what will relight Beijing’s rocket. When the earthquake happened it knocked out basically majority of the earth’s rockets and that isn’t helping the Jupiter situation. The Military, and all it’s counterparts around the world, are all trying to get these fuses to said rockets ASAP. “Why aren’t they stored right next to each thruster?” is a question I would say you’re not going to get an answer to so, don’t worry about it.

Team Military and Team Get-Home don’t particularly enjoy each other’s company but do their best to get the lighter cord to the nearest rocket. This involves driving rigs through an icy canyon of Shanghai which is definitely not a good idea. They barely make it through but grandpa dies in the process. Liu Qi and Han Duoduo are understandably upset. In grandpa’s final flashback we learn money is evil and he adopted Han Duoduo who was orphaned around the time Shanghai was swallowed by massive tsunamis (see consequences of stopping earth’s orbit).

Up at the space station everyone’s been forced into hibernation to save energy but Liu Qi’s dad thinks something’s wrong and breaks out of his hibernation chamber. The rest of his part basically deals with him battling an out of control space station AI and showing how friendly China and Russia are. Honestly, it works and I wish more propaganda was handled in this fashion. More on that later.

Back on earth Liu Qi and Duoduo (and Tim, yes Tim’s still there) head off on their own because um, Team Military basically helped kill grandpa. They end up tracking down a rig that sent out a distress call and it turns out it was another military team taking their own lighter cord to another rocket. Their rig crashed during the earthquake and only one person survived, the resident genius thankfully. Team Get-Home hop on board and decide to swing back to the military team.

Whoo boy, Team Military had a moment once Team Get-Home left. They’re fighting amongst themselves about the lighter cord and one of them, the girl of course, shoots the lighter cord dead because, in her words, ‘no more deaths’. Aka, she’s certain this cord is doing more damage than not. Everyone’s at their wit’s end about what to do.

Then Liu Qi shows up with a rig, they hash it out and mash into one super team. I’ll call them the Team Danger. Team Danger has to get the last lighter cord to the nearest rocket and now, but, word gets out that the rocket has had a meltdown and the entire city beneath it is gone, as is the rocket. It looks like a volcano. Team Danger doesn’t give up hope yet tho, they just change their destination to the Philippines because there’s a rocket base there that still needs a lighter cord. Cool!

They head there and fuel up at a supply station near Sulewasi (the base in the Philippines) and learn a few things: One, most rockets have already been turned back on (great!) but two, earth is definitely about to crash into Jupiter so hug your loved ones and say goodnight, no one apparently has hope anymore. In this moment there’s a lovely scene with Liu Qi, pissed off, looking up to the sky and seeing Jupiter’s looming presence. He hones in on the planet’s famous ‘eye’, a massive eternal storm, and has his genius moment: if we shoot into Jupiter’s atmosphere we can cause an explosion that will propel us away from Jupiter! I’m not a scientist but the idea sounds alright. I mean, it’s the end of the freaking world, let’s try any and all options.

Team Danger hashes out the logistics: they’ll still head to Sulewasi and use that rocket as their weapon, turn off the rocket to do some manual overrides, shove the lighter cord in and see what happens.

They get to Sulewasi and while everyone else is sad it’s the end of the world Team Danger is rushing in put their plan into motion. Han Duoduo gets on the global broadcast asking for help but nobody is listening, Liu Qi and Tim drive into the rocket’s reactor to deliver the lighter cord, Team Military is using all their manpower to pull the reactor’s ‘pin’ (but failing), and the rest are busy downloading new override commands. Liu Qi can’t get the reactor to open and take the cord, the override commands aren’t working, everything is at a halt. Another earthquake happens causing even more panic.

At a loss Han Duoduo calls the space station and reaches the only person on board not in hibernation—Liu Qi’s dad. She tells him the plan, he tells the United World Government and they’re like “yeah no, we already thought of this plan and it’s not gonna work”. He’s like *sigh* “it’s the end of the world, we have to try something” and government still won’t budge, but it does say they’ll broadcast Duoduo’s message. So, a tearful Duoduo pleads out to the world for help and wouldn’t you know it, helps finally arrives from all walks of life. See? She is the humanity piece of Team Danger.

Team Military receives help and can pull the pin, Liu Qi manages to unstick the reactor, Tim pulls him out just in time before he’s crushed, and the rest of Team Danger manages to load the override system. Everything’s shoved into motion, the rocket blasts out at Jupiter aaaand….

Is a couple thousand kilometers short of it’s target. So basically they just wasted all that time and effort to shoot at Jupiter and nothing’s happening. Up in the space station Liu Qi’s dad realizes there’s over a hundred thousand tons of fuel on board, detaches the fuel holding part from the rest of the station and dives head in to the storm. He and Liu Qi have a heartfelt conversation and he sacrifices himself for the greater good of humanity.

Surprisingly, this works. The beam from both the rockets and the space station exploding are enough to react with Jupiter’s atmosphere and cause a massive, I mean MASSIVE, explosion that propels a shockwave back toward earth. Everyone scrambles to hide underground, Liu Qi and his sister (and Tim) don’t quite make it but survive when the blast hits thanks to some handy tools.

Cut to three years later where things are just about the same as the beginning of the movie except Liu Qi is now a real driver, not just a moody kid, his sister is his driving partner, and one of the guys from the Military team is their new third wheel BFF. Tim and everyone else is seen living out their lives both in the underground city and above ground and it looks like we’re going to survive after all. The Wandering Earth plan is repeated and you have hope that maybe, just maybe, after a hundred generations the earth will settle at its new location.

First thought though: pretty sure we’ll run out of fuel before that happens, just from what we see of the rocket at Beijing it’s like they’re mining the majority of the earth around them just to keep it running. If there are thousands of these rockets and they all need that much earth to be powered, my assumption is we’d scrape the earth all the way down to it’s core before actually making it to our destination. Despite that, maybe along the way we’d come up with better ideas along the way?

Second thought: this film is produced, directed, and financed from China/Chinese backed companies. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I just find it interesting since it does it’s own propaganda in very different ways from what you would find in a US-backed project. While it’s very Chinese-centric it still portrays the whole world as working together and in doing so still manages to push a lot of diversity into its background plots. I highly appreciate that.

Beyond that, there’s never a point in the film where a single person carries the entire plot. The story only works with teamwork as its core value, everyone has to pitch in or else the world’s fucked. The only time it comes close to doing so is when Liu Qi’s dad flies into the beam to Jupiter. He only manages to do this however by killing the station’s AI and can only do this with help from his Russian friend on board who died in the process of figuring out what was going on with the hibernation. No one is a single hero, everyone is. That’s propaganda in itself but it’s also true: one single person is not enough to do everything.

Then there’s Tim. Why is Tim in this movie? At first I assumed he was the token white guy to appeal to an abroad audience but you begin to see through the film he serves two purposes: one, yes, to appeal to the abroad audience, but also to further that Teamwork-is-Everything point. He’s totally useless on his own but he never once abandons the team. Furthermore, he does add diversity to the team.

Overall I greatly enjoyed the film. I thought it was very unique and had many actually plausible ideas and concepts in terms of the whole Wandering Earth project. Again, I’m not a scientist but some of the ideas seemed at least reasonable. What did make me sad however is I’m very, very sure none of this would ever happen. No, not the part about the sun expanding and such, that part’s true and it will happen in several million years (very slowly, don’t worry). The sun’s expansion parallels with a lot of issues that surround climate change to explain why earth had to move. What’s unrealistic however, in my opinion, is the fact that the entire world decided to work together to actually pull this project off.

Maybe I’m cynical but you can’t convince me at this point that the human race didn’t just spend over a thousand years grouping themselves off and hating anyone that wasn’t part of their own group , only to suddenly change their minds when faced with the threat of total extinction. Do I wish that would be the case and everyone would set aside their manufactured differences? Hell yes, my hope would be to be proven wrong and see everyone suddenly working together for the race to save our own planet.

But…I mean, we can’t even slow climate change. We’ve known about climate change for over a hundred years and have done, essentially, nothing to curb it. Instead we’ve decided to be in denial and focus more on becoming nationalistic entities that would like to point out our differences more than point out the million more things in common.

So, I very badly wish The Wandering Earth universe existed in our own, maybe not the Wandering part, but the part where people would get along enough for a common cause to do what’s necessary to survive, not just for ourselves but for our planet and the other billions of organisms that live here.

To conclude, again, I loved this film. It made me cry several times and was so worth seeing. It has a lot of fantastical ideas and executes them on screen very well. Would recommend to anyone who likes sci-fi stuff, apocalyptic stuff, or just action/adventure in general.

Also, Qu Chuxiao is pretty handsome. He (and his dad, who’s actor is Wu Jing) are solid hunks. That’s just me though :)

#the wandering earth #film #review #commentary #thisismyblogandI'llbloghowIwant #qu chuxiao #spoilers

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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The Weekend Warrior Home Edition 8/14/20 – SPUTNIK, THE SILENCING, FREELAND, SPREE, THE BAY OF SILENCE

Another week, another batch of movies to get through in hopes there’s one or two worth writing about… and then writing about all of them anyway. (Sigh). I hope there are people reading this, at least. If so, go to the bottom of this column and drop me a line!

Before I get to this week’s movies, I want to give a special congratulatory shout-out to the wonderful Melanie Addington, because this is the final week of the 17th annual Oxford Film Festival. I have to say as someone who regularly covers a couple other bigger festivals, she’s done such an amazing job pivoting to the virtual world, to the point where what usually is a five-day very localized festival turned into a nationwide digital festival that’s been stretched out for 16 weeks! Those bigger festivals like SXSW and Tribeca could take a lesson from Oxford, because what usually are two highly-anticipated festivals every year became a whole lot of nothing thanks to COVID. It’s like they gave up, rolled over and just died. Oxford, meanwhile, has done Zoom QnAs with a lot of the filmmakers and casts from its films to help maintain the community feeling that makes the festival such a great destination for those in-the-know. (I haven’t even gotten into the amazing drive-in screenings or the year-round On Demand program they’ve been having over the past couple months.)

Anyway, OFF ends this week with the world-premiere of a movie that was supposed to open at SXSW, Mario Furlani and Kate McLean’s debut feature FREELAND, starring Krisha Fairchild from Trey Shults’ movie, Krisha. Freeland is a similarly strong indie r drama, this one starring Ms. Fairchild as Davi, a black market marijuana farmer in Humboldt County, Norther California, who sees her way of life changing when she’s forced to go legal after California legalizes marijuana. Instead, these changes might run her out of business. It’s a beautifully-shot (Furlani is also the cinematographer) character drama that spotlights Fairchild giving another memorable performance, surrounded by an equally excellent cast that includes Lily Gladstone from Certain Women. I hope a good distributor like IFC or Magnolia will scoop this up for release, as I think it’s an interesting look into the pot business from a unique perspective. I also think it could do VERY well at the Indie Spirits. You can watch Freeland for a couple more days (at least) with a QnA with cast and crew on Thursday night right here.

Also, check out the Eventive site for the final week line-up which includes a TON of shorts. (Be mindful, that some of the content, specifically The Offline Playlist, will only be watchable if you’re in Mississippi.)

Also starting this week on Thursday is the 5th Annual Dallas-based Women Texas Film Festival (aka WTxFF), also going virtual this year, which I don’t really know that much about, but it’s run by my friend, Justina Walford, and she generally knows her shit when it comes to movies. Its mission pledge is right there in the title, but all the movies in the festival have a woman in at least one creative role. You can check out the full list of movies playing here, although they are geoblocked to Texas unfortunately. The festival’s series of panels and QnAs, though, can be watched anywhere in the United States, and those should be good.

Let’s get to the regular releases….

This week’s “Featured Flick” is Russian filmmaker Egor Abramenko’s SPUTNIK (IFC Midnight), a sci-fi thriller taking place in 1983 after an incident the Russian spaceship Orbit-4 that leaves one of the cosmonauts in detention after the death of his commander. Oksana Akinshina (who was in The Bourne Supremacy) plays Tatyana Klimova, a psychologist sent to study the surviving cosmonaut, Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov), and she learns that he brought back something with him from space.

I was a little worried about this movie, only because the opening reminded me so much of my experience watching the original Russian film Solaris so many years ago. Its quizzical opening in space leads to Akinshina’s character being introduced in a way that’s so slow and talkie that I worried about what I should expect from the movie as a whole. Thankfully, about 20 minutes in, we meet the creature that’s seemingly come down from space inside the cosmonaut, and it immediately changes the very nature of the film.

I don’t want to spoil too much about why the movie gets so interesting, because it’s not non-stop creature kills, although the movie does get quite exciting every time this creature emerges, particularly when it’s being fed various Russian convicts. Even so, the film always remains fairly cerebral about the creature’s origins and its relationship to the cosmonaut, who abandoned a child before his fateful space accident. Adding to the grey area about whether Tatyana should ally herself with Konstantin is her supervising officer, played by Fedor Bondarchuk, who clearly wants to use the creature as a weapon, knowing that both Konstantin and his “other” only trusts Tatyana, so they all need her.

Needless to say, the creature design is absolutely fantastic, and the comparisons this movie is going to get to Alien are quite apt, because the creature is on par with the xenomorph. I only wish I could see it better since it only comes out in the dark, and watching a movie that plays with light like this one does is just not conducive to watching on a laptop. (In fact, if you’re in a position to see Sputnik in a theater, even a drive-in, and you’re not averse to subtitles, I’d recommend going that route.)

Sputnik might fool you at first into expecting something in the vein of the original Solaris. In fact, it’s more in line with The Invisible Man, a creature feature that explores one man’s inner demons through the lens of science fiction. This probably would have been a better Venom movie than the one we actually got.

Jamie Lannister himself, Nicolaj Costar-Waldau stars in THE SILENCING (Saban Films) the English language debut of Belgian filmmaker Robin Pront (The Ardennes), a dark action-thriller set in the rural area of Echo Falls where a serial killer is hunting and killing young women and girls.

Robin Pront’s The Silencing is usually the type of movie I’d enjoy, if only I haven’t seen the exact same movie so many times before. I wasn’t sure whether it’s Costar-Waldau’s alcoholic hunter Rayburn Swanson, whose daughter disappeared years earlier, or it was cause of Annabelle Wallis, the town’s sheriff, Alice Gustafson, whose troubled brother Brooks (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) is caught up enough in the towns drug issues to act as the movie’s second-act red herring. Throw in the Native American aspect of the movie, and you’re right back at Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River, which was just a much better version of this movie all around.

Adding to the lack of originality is the fact that there are now so many television shows about serial killers, which is a shame since Pront’s previous film showed so much promise but also suffered from similar issues. Costar-Waldau gives a credible performance, maybe slightly better than Wallis, but we’ve seen this movie so many times before that even trying to throw in a twist or two goes awry since no one ever commits. The major plot twist about halfway in has an opportunity to change everything but instead, it’s negated mere minutes later.

Slow and grim, The Silencing suffers from being an overused genre that’s been done so much better before. It’s already been playing on DirecTV but will be in select theaters, On Demand and Digital this Friday.

Next up is the thriller THE BAY OF SILENCE (Vertical Entertainment), starring Claes Bang from The Square as Will, whose girlfriend and baby momma Rosalind (Olga Kurylenko) vanishes with their twin daughters and baby son, and her father Milton (Brian Cox) seems to know more than he’s telling. The film is written and produced by British actor Caroline Goodall (who has a small role in this one), adapted from Lisa St. Aubin de Teran's 1986 novel and directed by Dutch filmmaker Paula van der Oest, who has made some decent films like Black Butterflies and the Oscar-nominated Zus & Zo.

We meet Will and Ros as they’re having a romantic moment in the titular bay in Luguria, Italy, and after a few odd occurrences, Ros vanishes with her twin girls and the baby boy they had together. It doesn’t take long for Will to find her, but she seems to have gone insane, and Will needs to find out what happened.

Honestly, it’s not worth getting too deep into this movie’s plot, not so much due to spoilers, but more because there are just so many WTF moments that happen out of the blue, and then the next moment they’re forgotten. For whatever reason, the movie just doesn’t allow any of the tension or mystery to build, and even the most horrificly grim plot turn is handled so matter-of-factly.

There’s no question that van der Oest is a fine filmmaker, something you can tell from the general look of the movie, but the pacing and tons is generally all over the place as nothing happens and then a LOT happens. Bang’s decent performance is countered by a lot of overacting from Kulryenko, and while Cox plays a much bigger role in the story than you might expect, his scenes do very little to elevate the film’s plodding tone.

The Bay of Silence is a highly uneven and bland thriller that tries to offer a twist a minute with very of them ever really connecting, instead feeling grim and tedious and like a lot of wasted potential. Oddly, it feels more original than The Silencing above but just doesn’t come together even as well.

Where do I even begin with Eugene Kotlyarenko’s SPREE (RLJE Films) except that it stars Stranger Thing’s Joe Keery as Kurt Kunkle “of Kunkle’s World,” a social media vlog where he tries to get viewer’s attention and likes. He finally decides to go on a killing spree (get it?) while picking up passengers in his car ride service Spree (see?), until he encounters a stand-up comic (Sasheer Zamata) who fights back.

Listen, I understand fine why a movie like Spree might get made, since it’s meant to be relevant to the youngsters, who are much like Kurt, totally obsessed with their own social media and getting attention. The idea of some kid becoming a serial killer just to draw more attention to himself is not exactly incredible. I found Kurt so annoying that I didn’t think I would ever be able to have any empathy for him, and I was right.

We basically watch Kurt driving around and killing various people, most of them pretty horrible, granted, but Keery comes off more like a bargain-basement Christian Bale in American Psycho. Zamata is generally the best part of the movie, which is why the last third starts to get past some of the movie’s earlier problems to become more about an actual influencer showing Kurt how it’s done. (Zamata’s “SNL” castmate Kyle Mooney can’t really do much to make their scenes together funnier, since it’s just another sleazeball hitting on her.)

David Arquette also has a few funny scenes as Kurt’s father, but what’s probably gonna throw a lot of people off and make or break the movie is that so much of it is made to look like it was filmed on a smartphone, complete with running commentary from the viewers that you’re supposed to read, and presumably enjoy? Me, I just found it annoying.

Spree is gonna be one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies depending on which side of the age gap you’re on. To me, it just seemed way too obvious and not something I could possibly recommend to anyone over 19.

Okay… Documentary time!

I really wanted to like Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ BOYS STATE (A24/Apple TV+), which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and received Special Jury Prize at SXSW Film Festival, but it’s a pollical doc that deals with a subject that just didn’t interest me very much. It follows a thousand teen boys from Texas who come together to form a government from the ground up, and that’s the problem right there. The fact this is all about guys. I just couldn’t get interested enough to watch the whole thing since it seemed obvious how it would turn out. Boys State was supposed to open in select cities last month but instead, it will be on Apple TV+ Friday after getting a few drive-in preview screenings, cause that’s just the way things are going these days.

Willa Kammerer’s Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America (Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation/Abramorama), which will open in Virtual Cinema Friday after a Virtual Premiere tonight. It seems very timely, as it deals with investing in high-quality early child education. Just as timely is Muta’Ali Muhammad’s Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (HBO Documentary Films), which premieres on HBO tonight, looking at the events around the 1989 murder of teenager Yusuf Hawkins by a group of white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Erik Nelson’s doc Apocalypse ’45 (Discovery/Abramorama), which will be in theaters this Friday and on Discovery over Labor Day weekend, is about the end of World War II, using never-before-seen footage with narration by 24 men who were there for it.

Quiver Distribution has two movies out this Friday, both which could probably be seen as young adult movies – not really a genre I like very much, so your mileage may vary?

ENDLESS from director Scott Speer (Midnight Sun) is a romantic drama starring Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse) as graphic novelist Riley, whose boyfriend, Nick Hamilton’s Chris gets stranded in limbo after he’s killed in a car crash. Taking the blame for his death on herself, Riley struggles to find ways to reconnect with Chris in the afterlife.

I wasn’t sure if this movie would be for me, since I’m not a very big fan of young adult movies generally. So many of them have hard-to-believe high-concept premises involving two lovelorn teens – Midnight Sun being a good example. Unlike so many of these movies, Endless isn’t based on a popular book, and I was a little worried about Speer’s skills as a director and whether he could avoid turning this into a very obvious teen version of Ghost. There’s a little bit of that but on a whole, the movie isn’t a complete waste of time. For instance, Shipp is decent in this sort of dramatic role, probably better than Hamilton, and it avoids getting too weepy thanks to DeRon Horton’s animated Jordan, who befriends Chris in limbo and quickly becomes the movie’s frequent saving grace.

Otherwise, the movie feels like any other soppy teen romantic drama, being very predicable with way too much overacting, particularly from Fammke Janssen as Chris’ Mom. Even though the relationship between Shipp and Hamilton works fine, unless you’re on board with the whole concept of the latter spending the entire film as a spirit, you’re going to have a hard time fully enjoying the movie.

In Bobby Roth’s PEARL, Larsen Thompson plays the title character, a 15-year-old piano prodigy whose mother Helen (Sarah Carter from The Flash) is murdered by her stepfather (Nestor Carbonell). She’s sent to live with Jack Wolf (Anthony LaPaglia), an unemployed film director, who used to be one of her mother’s ex-lovers, who also might be Pearl’s father. I know! Let’s spend an entire movie going back and forth trying to figure it out, okay?

I don’t have a ton to say about this movie, but if for some reason, you want to watch it just cause you’re a fan of Carter from The Flash, you should know that she appears in the movie via a series of black and white flashbacks to show her relationship with Jack, but those might be the best part of a very bad movie.

Thompson just isn’t a very solid actor to carry this, and Roth must have pulled a lot of favors to get this movie made ‘cause it wasn’t financed based on the script. Her relationship with LaPaglia just seems kinda creepy. Things just gets worse and worse, especially when Pearl goes to school and the other girls act like they’re in prison. There’s also Barbara Williams as Pearl’s alcoholic grandmother – the fun just never begins, does it?

At its worst, Pearl comes across like a Lifetime movie – not the first time I’ve used this statement this year and probably not the last. It’s just very dull and not a very good movie; LaPaglia is way too good an actor who deserves better than this.

Also on VOD this week is Kevin Tran’s Dark End of the Street (Gravitas Ventures), an indie horror movie involving a community in the suburbs plagued by someone who is killing the residents’ pets. This wasn’t a terrible movie but I had a hard time getting past the general premise about killing pets, so it was hard to get into what Tran tried to do in terms of putting a twist on a tried-and-true horror genre. Maybe I’ll give this another try after finishing this column.

Also, Ben Galland’s action-comedy Gripped: Climbing the Killer Pillar (1091) follows Rose (Megan Kesley), a L.A. gym climber who falls for rugged outdoorsman Bret (Kaiwi Lyman) as they embark on a trip to climb the “Killer Pillar” in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, only to get caught on a cliff edge.

The Metrograph’s Live Screening Series is continuing with a great line-up over the rest of August with the Satoshi Kon Retrospective continuing with Millennium Actress playing until midnight tonight, plus Masaaki Yuasa & Koji Morimoto’s popular 2004 film Mind Game starting Wednesday night at 8pm. Claire Denis’ Trouble Every Day (2001) will screen on Friday at 8pm, and then Monday, Jenna Bliss’ animated The People’s Detox (2018) will join the screening library. To become a digital member, it’s only $5 a month or $50 for a year, which is a great deal for the amount of movies you see.

Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema will stream Paulo Rocha’s 1963 film Change of Life starting Friday while Film Forum will stream Weiner Holzemer’s doc Martin Margiella: In His Own Words about the fashion designer, as well as Bert Stern’s Jazz on a Summer’s Day which is a 1959 documentary about the fashion photographer filming the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, Mahalia Jackson, Thelonious Monk and many more.

Apparently, Netflix has a new movie out on Friday called Project Power, starring Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but I received ABSOLUTELY NADA about it from Netflix, so this is all you get. Watch out, Netflix, there are a lot of streaming options out there now!

Speaking of drive-ins (which I was WAY up there), on Wednesday, you can catch the latest in Amazon Studios “A Night at the Drive In” series. “Movies to Make You Open Your Eyes,” which will screen Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and Jordan Peele’s Get Out.

Next week, more movies not in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

#TheWeekendWarrior #Movies #Reviews #OxfordFilmFestival #Sputnik #Spree #vodun #TheSilencing #TheBayOfSilence #BoysState #Pearl #Endless

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whispers-of-gallifrey · 6 years

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As We Sit By the Fire

This is my @classicwhosecretsanta gift for @monsterfisken, who asked for Nyssa and Tegan hurt/comfort. I’m...not sure about this, but I really hope you like it! I’ve also done another fic that doesnt follow any of your prompts, but I got the idea from them so I’ll post that next. Happy Holidays!

Set after Emerald Tiger, but before Prisoners of Fate

There are approximately 17 sitting rooms in the TARDIS, all located somewhere within the vast confines of the Gallifreyan ship. Approximately because the TARDIS likes to change things up every so often and the Doctor is never entirely sure whether it’s a new room he’s stepped into or if it’s Room 3 but with a different carpet, or is it just Room 1 every time?

Anyway, this story takes place in what is probably Sitting Room 12, but it might be 18. In any case, it’s a room with sofas and armchairs and a fire.

The atmosphere of this room was warm and welcoming. The aforementioned fire crackled and flickered, casting dancing shadows across the walls. The scent of pine needles hung in the air- the source of which was a large tree in the corner. Despite its positioning, this was the centre piece of the room, adorned with sparkly tinsel and ornate baubles (in his 3rd regeneration, the Doctor tried to claim these had been given to him by a God-like creature in the Mutara Nebula, but Jo said they looked exactly like the ones she’d seen in the antiques shop last week.)

It was positively cosy, and should have been a room entirely at peace.

So naturally, an argument was taking place.

“I don’t understand, Doctor,” Turlough complained, “Why are we celebrating Christmas?”

“Because, Turlough, it’s been roughly a year- relatively speaking of course- since we last celebrated it. Besides it’s rather good fun!”

“It also means we get cake and presents!” Tegan chipped in helpfully

Turlough looked at her.

“Oh come on, Turlough! Don’t be such a Scrooge!”

“Doctor! Tegan’s using Earth culture references again!”

“Well, you should know that one- you went to school!”

“Yes, and I do not need to be reminded of the time spent listening to my English teacher droning on and on about how this guy was dead to begin with!”

The Doctor stepped between them, arms raised in defence. “Alright, alright you two. Tegan, stop winding him up- don’t argue- Turlough, we are celebrating Christmas as a group and that means getting on, okay? I’m not putting up with you two squabbling any more till this holiday is over.”

The two exchanged sullen glances (although both were on the verge of bursting into laughter at the other’s expression.)

“Right! Good that’s sorted. Now, I am going to see if there’s anywhere or time on Earth we could visit that you would enjoy.”

“Good luck actually arriving there,” Tegan muttered.

The Doctor gave her a look that told her he wasn’t even going to dignify that response with an answer, then left the room.

—

“All I wanted to know was why we only seem to celebrate Earth holidays- holidays from merely one religion at that! Why do we never do one of mine – or Nyssa’s?”

Tegan had been about to reply with ‘you barely talk about your home- it took an entire kidnapping for us to even know something!’, but the mention of Nyssa silenced her. Their companion was in the room, yet hadn’t spoken at all- which wasn’t unusual in itself- but she hadn’t even attempted to stop their bickering, which was unusual.

Glancing towards their peacemaker, they saw she sat in the armchair, gazing deeply into the fire. The soft glow reflected of something on her cheeks. Tear tracks.

Tegan and Turlough turned to face each other and, in the silence of their stare, they came to an understanding. Turlough mumbled a non-specific excuse and dashed out the door. Tegan made her way carefully over to Nyssa.

“Did Turlough really just mumble “a non-specific excuse”?” She joked.

Nyssa made no indication of having heard the quip and continued to observe the fire, as if it held all the answers.

Tegan’s demeanour changed in an instant, from sarcastic Australian, to concerned friend. She stepped closer, making to perch on the arm of the chair; slowly she reached her arm out to place it round the Trakenite’s shoulders.

At the contact, Nyssa glanced up, eyes glistening with untold sadness.

“Oh…Tegan, sorry I didn’t notice…” she trailed off, eyes returning to the fire.

“Hey, hey it’s alright,” Tegan’s usually abrasive voice was soft and soothing, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s n-nothing Tegan. I’m fine.” Nyssa dabbed at her eyes with the cuff of her jacket, carefully ignoring Tegan’s stare. It wasn’t a very convincing lie.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll be forced to guess and you know what my guesses are like!”

Nyssa let out a shaky laugh at this, hopefully remembering the last Christmas the TARDIS team celebrated together, where they’d played charades and Tegan spent 10 minutes trying to guess what Adric was acting. Suddenly that moment felt, to her, like an eternity ago, and it must have felt even longer for Nyssa. When she’d left she’d been younger than Tegan, and now she was many years older.

And we’ve swapped one annoying brat for another, Tegan thought, trying to ignore the pang of grief tugging at her memories.

Her happy memories of all the banter, the frustration of all the arguments, the calm of the private moments she shared with Nyssa. Their family had changed so much-

That’s when it clicked.

Family.

“You- you miss your family don’t you?” she asked, emotions suddenly threatening to overwhelm her.

Nyssa nodded, then whispered, her voice catching slightly, “All of them.”

Tegan wasn’t certain on how to respond, so she asked: “Do you want to talk about it?”

–

Nyssa’s first instinct was to shake her head, but she knew bottling it up would only cause it to overflow at a later date- better get it done now, then she’d be better prepared to help others later.

Taking a deep breath (and a moment to consider her words) she began:

“All this talk of mentioning Christmas, it makes me think of all the other festivals and holidays in my life- making me realise all I’ve lost. I miss everything. I miss my family. My father, my mother, Kassia.

“On Traken we had this festival of light. It would be celebrated at the completion of every orbit our planet made of the sun, to remind us…”

The sun was beginning to set for the final time in that rotation. Dying rays of dazzling orange cast dark shadows across the land. It was not a scary sight; these shadows were dancing along with their owners, to the soft melodies that hung in the air. In a few moments, the lanterns would be lit, holding the light until it was the sun’s turn to lift it again. The festival would continue until the rays began to peak above the horizon, signifying the new beginnings for the Traken Union. Despite the advancing darkness, the atmosphere was light, laughter intertwined with the music and love was at the very core. The laughter and love were at their strongest between a group of three people. A man, a woman, and a young girl. The girl was wearing a brand-new dress; flowers adorned her chestnut hair. The other two were her parents, laughing at her joy as she swayed to the music, loving with all their hearts as she came back to them for hugs. They say Utopia cannot theoretically exist, but this must be the closest ever achieved.

–

Tegan’s own eyes were glistening with tears after listening to Nyssa recount the beauty that was Traken in the twilight.

“Wow…that sounds so…perfect…”

“It was. Back then, those nights felt like they would never end. But now-” She took a shaky breath. “But now they’ll never start again.”

Tegan gazed into Nyssa’s eyes. Eyes full of so much sorry and tragedy, but Tegan knew they could shine bright with hope and intelligence, and she’d do all she could to bring that back.

—

It was a few moments before either of them spoke, and when they did, they began discussing Nyssa’s children

“They’re the most wonderful children anyone could ever ask for. Neeka is strong and brave- she’s like you Tegan. A bit sarcastic and argumentative but she always knows what’s right. Adric is intelligent like his namesake – though he definitely eats less!” The two laughed gently at that.

“And Lasarti- he’s the most wonderful man I’ve ever met. He’s kind and…I love him”

Tegan tried to ignore the jealousy twisting at her heart. This was about Nyssa, not her feelings.

“Tell me more about them. What holidays do you celebrate on Terminus then?”

“The last thing we celebrated together was Lasarti’s birthday…"

The girl had spent hours trying to perfect the cake. It was slightly more difficult that synthesising an enzyme, but it was manageable. It had to be perfect. Her brother was creating a distraction to prevent their father from discovering the surprise, asking him hundreds of questions about his work- a topic the boy usually showed no interest in. When the cake was finally complete, the girl presented it with a flourish. Their father laughed in delight and declared it a masterpiece, although it was a little burned in places and she'd accidentally used salt instead of sugar in the top layer. Their mother looked on, smiling softly. Her son made the cake for her birthday and it had been an interesting mess of colour. They spent the evening playing games and the boy repeatedly refused to admit he was in the least bit tired because he's a teenager now and doesn't need to be told what to do. He fell asleep curled up to his sister, who fell asleep on top of him. The parents shared an adoring glace and decided to sleep in there with them.

"...And, despite all the horrors in the outside world, it was so cosy and peaceful…” Nyssa trailed off, the warm atmosphere fading like the embers in the fire “…t-that was the last time we ever spent together as a family”

“Nys…” Tegan replied softly, her heart breaking.

Nyssa brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Tears ran anew down her cheeks.

“I lost my parents, Adric, my family. I lose everyone. I’m- I’m cursed! Don’t you see, Tegan, it’s only a matter of time till I lose you too!”

“You won’t lose me. I won’t leave you”

“You left before”

“No. You left me at Heathrow. And besides, you left too. But we both came back and that’s what matters.”

“You’ll get back to them, Nys. You’ll deliver the cure for Richters and save millions- billions of lives! You’ll become a universal hero and your children will love you more than ever!”

Nyssa lifted her head and gave a tearful smile. “I appreciate the sentiment Tegan, I wish I had your optimism.”

Tegan hugged her tightly, impulsively, “You will see your children again Nyssa. You will. They’ll be overjoyed to see you and you’ll celebrate so many holidays together” She paused, “…but at least make the most of these ones too”

Nyssa gazed up at Tegan, and returned the hug, “I will.” She pressed a kiss gently to her cheek and whispered

“Thank you”

—

“Ah, there you are,” the Doctor stepped into the room, “You know, I could have sworn this room was closer to the console room. Anyway, we’ve managed to land at a Frost Fair in London so if you…”

He trailed off as he noticed his two companions. They were curled up together like kittens in the armchair, fast asleep, expressions of peace and contentment on both of their faces.

#classicwhosecretsanta #monsterfisken #doctor who #Nyssa of Traken #tegan jovanka

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a-man-adrift · 7 years

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Argh! I still can’t make up my mind!

OK, followers of The Anti-Agathics War, I need your help to decide what to do with the latest thing I’ve written, which is under the cut. I can’t decide whether it ought to be the beginning of the next chapter, or if it’s just too gosh-darned slow and info-dumpy, and I ought to replace it with something shorter that just establishes the important plot point (that Phil is at a ceremony with a bunch of old Marine friends) and move this to SFLOPS or something. Let me know what you think please and thank you.

Shepard’s eyes opened as he awoke naturally, and then the first thing he chose to do, after the disorientation had worn off, was close them again and sigh over the fact that he was waking up alone. Can the galaxy look after itself so I can go home, please? It was an unfair question in a lot of ways, but it crossed his mind anyway.

He got up, stretching stiff joints and grimacing, and looked out of the hotel room window over the estuary of the River Exe. A pleasant enough view, he had to admit: the next time ceremonial duties brought him back here, he resolved to bring Liara and the girls along to enjoy it.

After showering and attending to necessary duties in the bathroom, he forced himself to walk properly, powering his knees through their morning stiffness and out the other side. He picked up his omni-tool and cancelled the alarm he’d ended up anticipating, and with the half an hour or so he had in hand, he sat on the edge of the bed and eyed his uniform contemplatively rather than rushing to put it on.

It was laid out neatly on a valet stand: Shepard had been worried that his hosts might insist on providing him with a steward or something, but apparently he’d been reading too much historical fiction: British officers didn’t have those any more.

It was a new uniform, which was just as well, he had to admit: after fifty years out of harness, and getting increasingly enthusiastic about cookery, fitting into his old one would not have been an option even if protocol had allowed it. Fortunately contacts had directed him to a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop on the 56th floor of a tower in Shalta Ward, where a sympathetic and Savile-Row-level talented tailor had done magic to flatter and minimise his thickening middle, and had promised to run him up a set of Alliance blues on the same lines, in case he found himself needing them.

He stood and started to put the uniform on, pausing as he reached the tunic, and smiling a little as he examined the insignia. He had driven his staff to baroque extents of diplomatic phraseology fending off offers of honorary commissions and excessive post-retirement promotion, and they’d really done a superb job of translating his grumbles of “You can’t make an admiral out of someone who’s never commanded anything bigger than a frigate!” and “If I took commissions in every army or navy that offered me one, I’d have to sleep in the wardrobe and keep my uniforms in the bedroom!” This particular honorary appointment was different, though: accepting it was likely to cause an uptick in the number of offers again. I really don’t pay you guys enough, he thought in the general direction of the Citadel.

Sometimes Shepard suspected that the enemy that armed forces spent the most of their time fighting was change. The nations of Earth maintained armies and at least token navies, even though seagoing vessels were pretty much the preserve of hobbyists and niche-exploiters, but many nations had transferred regiments, commands and especially air forces to the control of the Alliance, with hard-fought bureaucratic battles over who would pay for what, what bases and facilities would be handed over along with the organisations, and who would get promoted, transferred, retained or eased out in the process. The Royal Marines had shown that they were almost as formidable in this kind of political warfare as in the field, but their time had finally come.

Shepard had had half his military training in England, albeit at Alliance facilities, so out of idle curiosity he’d followed the course of the struggle in the official paperwork, but nothing more would have come of it, at least as far as concerned him, if a similar rearguard action against change hadn’t been being fought within the Alliance Marine Corps at the same time: Shepard’s own former unit, the Pegasus Brigade, was being dragged kicking and screaming into admitting that fast-flyby orbital insertions by unsupported infantry were very little more than a showy and expensive way to get Marines killed. Shepard himself had had a fairly spectacular share of proving that on Akuze, and to its credit the Alliance had responded promptly, replacing the old Grizzly armoured vehicles with drop-capable Makoes so that troops jumping in might at least have some extra firepower, but once humanity met the other races out there and got to know just how sophisticated their detection and early-warning systems really were, it quickly became apparent that orbital drop tactics as they’d originally been envisioned were not something a responsible general ought to employ outside very unusual circumstances. Still, for sixty years the Brigade had hung on in the Table of Organisation, principally because the Light Infantry part of the Orbital Insertion/Light Infantry course made them the equivalent of elite paratroopers, able to take the pressure off constantly overstretched spec-ops groups, for their more conventional missions at least. However, the time had finally come to scale drop training back radically, if not leave it as entirely the preserve of N7s and other jumpin’ fools. Some bright spark in the Alliance Defence Secretary’s office had spotted both changes in the offing, and said “Hey, you know who else are élite, nay, commando-trained troops?” It was at this point that Shepard had made his interest known.

Once that had happened, the government of the UK had been embarrassingly eager to have him as a high-profile and influential patron: they’d offered to commission him as the equivalent of a field marshal and make him ‘captain-general’ — honorary C.O. of the whole shooting match — but fortunately the Alliance had squelched that one before his staff could get started re-phrasing his immediate reaction: it turned out they weren’t thrilled about giving even honorary rank senior to every other officer in the Corps to a man who, when last he’d served on active duty as a Marine, as opposed to a naval officer, had been a corporal… A corporal who got every last member of his squad killed… and then came within an ace of being medically retired…

After a three-cornered negotiation between his office, the Alliance brass, and the Brits, things had finally shaken themselves out: the battle honours of the Royal Marines Commandoes would be kept alive by the newly-formed Alliance Marine Commandoes; the Pegasus Brigade would become the Pegasus Corps — a conveniently non-specific term that could cover any number of Marines, however small — and Shepard would accept another spurious post-retirement promotion and become Colonel-Commandant — i.e., honorary C.O. — of the Pegasus Corps within the Commandoes. It was an arrangement Shepard was modestly pleased with, as it kept everybody happy: the British government could keep appointing those of its citizens who volunteered for the Commandoes as Royal Marines, without putting itself to the expense of training them; the Alliance would get an influx of élite troops already trained to, and past, Marine standards, and his fellow OI/LI-trained boys and girls could pride themselves on being the élite of the élite, wearing their beloved maroon berets in amongst the green under the honorary leadership of The Oiliest Boy of Them All, Shepard thought mordantly — the nickname ‘Oily Boys’ had followed the official abbreviation of Orbital Insertion/Light Infantry as surely as night followed day.

Even the British Army was happy, Shepard remembered: the name and insignia of Pegasus bore witness to the fact that Britain had won one of the very early political skirmishes, as Earth’s governments vied for prestige and influence over the ethos of the Alliance service, but most governments had since found such victories to be white elephants: the Parachute Regiment still existed, and would be glad of the extra training space as the Pegasus Corps moved from Aldershot here, to what would now be called Commando Training Centre, Alliance Marines, Lympstone.

Shepard shook himself free of all this woolgathering, and shrugged his way into the navy-blue tunic, fastening its high collar and lifting his chin as he strove to settle his head comfortably over the crimson gorget patches: the Prince of Wales was staying on as Captain-General, RM, although the Alliance, as a supra-national organisation, had declined to create an extra-high rank just for him, and so the days ceremonies called for the very fanciest possible dress, which for a colonel-commandant was very fancy indeed, he thought only a little sourly as he wrapped the gold-and-crimson silk sash around his waist and fixed spurs to the heels of his high boots, which were mercifully covered by the overalls, which were themselves mercifully covered by the tunic, so the overall visual effect was actually very similar to the sensible black shoes and side-piped trousers of the equivalent Alliance uniform.

He looked left and right, pressing his chin uncomfortably against the tunic’s high collar as he checked that the gold shoulder cords that, among other things, distinguished a colonel-commandant from a run-of-the-mill colonel were straight, and found himself grinning. Like most Alliance Marines, he’d witnessed epic levels of bitching on the part of colonels from Earth or colonial military forces on attachment to Alliance units, complaining about being ‘demoted’ because the equivalent alliance rank was — Major. For Shepard it was even worse: on the one hand, he’d last seen active duty as a naval C.O., so arguably now that he was a four-striper his Alliance rank was Captain, but now that he was on the Table of Organisation as a Marine, arguably that made him a Major: Major (or possibly Captain) Colonel-Commandant Shepard. And of course, as far as most of the public was concerned he would always be ‘Commander Shepard’, which was why he hadn’t let them bump him past Staff Commander when he retired in the first place.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he settled the red-and-white peaked cap onto his head: the occasion was much too fancy for a beret, maroon or otherwise, but there was a tradition-hallowed place for his drop wings on the right sleeve. Most importantly, there were no ribands, stars or garters, or supererogatory bits of jewellery hung around his neck. He had insisted, through his staff, that as Councillor for humanity he couldn’t accept marks of favour from any individual government, so the medals on his breast were all his own: earned, not won, in the field as the smattering of red Wound Devices — ‘hard-way stars’ as they were colloquially known — pinned to the ribbons bore eloquent witness: rumours that Wound Devices on medals awarded posthumously were referred to as ‘really-hard-way stars’ were… completely true.

To add the final touches, he hung his sword from the belt-frog concealed under the tails of his sash, and pulled on his white cotton gloves. A thought suddenly occurred to him: he didn’t expect to be parading with drawn sword, but just in case, he drew the sword and practised saluting with it, sweeping it up before his face and back down to his side in front of the mirror. Alliance service had no sword tradition even for ceremonial purposes, so he still had to get comfortable with the drill. On that note, he sheathed the sword again and started practising the palm-forward hand salute of the Royal Marines. If I am under surveillance, I might as well give ’em a laugh, he thought as he muttered: “longest way up, shortest way down. Longest way up, shortest way dow…”

A knock at the door made him freeze self-consciously and eventually remember to drop his arm. He opened it to reveal a subaltern labouring under the weight of an enormous aiguillette. He tried not to grin at the relieved expression on the man’s face as he braced to attention, seeing that The Colonel-Commandant was in uniform already.

“Good morning, sir. Are you ready?” Shepard gave him 8/10 for hiding his anxiety at the prospect of hearing any answer to that other than ‘yes’. He tucked his hat under his arm and steeled himself for a full day of ceremonial.

“Lead the way, lieutenant,” he told him, remembering at the last moment to pronounce it the British way.

#Phil Shepard #fic travails

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zippdementia · 5 years

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Part 71 Alignment May Vary: Into the Aether

Having left Hell behind, the players are about to embark on a journey through the planes, though as envisioned by me, the planes are actual planets and their vessel an actual spaceship. My plan is to take them through the four main elemental planes: air, water, fire, and earth, with some space opera adventures in between before we make it back to Toril, Faerun, and the finale of our three year level 2-20 campaign (probably four year by the time we actually finish).

Air is first on the list. For inspiration on each planet, I’m using the Manual of the Planes from 3rd edition and the brief bit about each plane that’s included in the DM’s guide for 5e. For air, I’ve envisioned the planet as a giant vortex of open air and atmosphere, filled with clouds and floating islands, frozen floasting caves made of air particulates, spires that rise from nowhere, and endless voids of currents and maelstroms. Civilization is mostly spread out and disparate, but there is one great conglomeration of cities that orbit the largest city of all, the fortress-city of the Citadel of Ice and Steel.

This citadel is a constructed thing, made of magic steel and ice that is cool to the touch but harder than stone. The Citadel of Ice and Steel consists of level upon level of gardens, courts, and labyrinths. It is a palace without stairs, and visitors who can’t fly get genie guides to escort them through the citadel. Smaller citadels orbit the Citadel of Ice and Steel, each the home of a trusted adviser or powerful lesser caliphs. At the heart of the citadel is said to be a prison cell for the grand caliph’s greatest enemy.

And somewhere on this planet is the Crystal of Air, which the players need in order to power their ship to move onto the next destination, for the crystals of Hell take them only so far as fuel.

This is a really nice break session: we have no combats, few dice rolls, and we get a chance to roleplay for about three hours as the players first move through interactions on board the space ship and then into interactions down on the planet of Air, known as Maseckael (Ma-Sec-kay-ale), where it turns out Star is originally from.

The interactions on the space ship are led by the player interests. We have a nice banter with the restored Fiona, who teases Aldric when he implies he’d like to try sleeping with her:

“You were the stupid one, right, who didn’t know what space was?” “No, I’m pretty sure I was the one you were madly in love with.” “Oh... Carrick! It’s so good to see you again! I didn’t recognize you” *sad facepalm*

Fiona also tells them, when they ask what went wrong with the spaceship in the first place, that her memory banks were erased but that there was a fourth living person on the ship. They don’t know how this is possible or what this means, and Imoaza becomes suspicious that maybe someone among the Hell’s Rebels was on their ship and sabotaged it. She decides to get a listing of all the crew from Captain Krisp. She asks Fiona to keep trying to repair her memory.

Some other fun things happen here. Hilariously, it turns out that Aldric got one of his goblin paramours pregnant and she is going to have quadruplets in a very short time (Goblin gestation period... I tell ya). He gives her possible names for them (Rodrick, Adam, Kyle, Bobbie, Sasha, Baily, Rebecca, Charlotte) and also she becomes his first recruit for his rebuilding of the Green Company, which Aldric is trying to promote. The promotion... doesn’t go the way he hopes. Captain Krisp doesn’t want to be involved in the Company (”too many captains of one ship, you know? And everyone would end up choosing me anyway.”) but he has no problem with Aldric recruiting for it, as long as it isn’t a front for a union. He even helps out with posters: the shirtless Krisp pointing a finger out at the viewer, with big bold letters: GO GREEN. No one really knows what it means, but Aldric’s goblin lady friend starts putting it around that it’s for the Green Company, a band of mercenaries that she and her children are going to give their lives for. Also, to be initiated, you have to have sex with Aldric (not true, but she misunderstands the circumstances). We all have a good laugh over this, but I really do intend it as well to be a solid downtime activity for Aldric, as his actions and rolls will determine over the course of this adventure whether his efforts to rebuild the company are successful or not.

We also try (and fail) to come up with a good name for the Surveyor’s ship. Imoaza favors The Dominion, but it seems a little domineering for the others (something Imoaza is like, “yeah, and your point is?” about). Carrick reaches inside his memories and says it was once named the Monument, but that doesn’t stick either. Puck finds the whole thing hilarious and suggests “Broken Dreams” as the name of the ship, which everyone ignores.

During this conversation, Imoaza asks Krisp if he ever met a woman named Karina in her travels, recalling that the tortured Bronze Dragon they met in the Yuant Ti temple had desired to give her a message. Krisp gets a distant look in his eyes and says it does ring a bell, but the details of his past life are hazy now, leaving him only with his old desires, not the reasons for them. He suddenly recalls the name of his old ship, the Mankey Bastard, but can’t remember how he died (”Probably saving this Karina from hordes of enemies! I leap into combat, two rapiers in my hands and a dagger in my teeth, thrusting and stabbing dozens of enemies apart before they finally bring me down, my last view of Karina making it safely to the longboat!”) He briefly suggests naming the ship the Swanky Bastard, but then determines it should really be the companions naming it as they, after all, are the reason everyone is making it off of Hell.

The rod of storms comes up when Aldric asks Otto the Warlock about it. Otto examines it and realizes it is tied now to Aldric’s lifeforce, wrapped around his soul in a way it’s not supposed to be, the result of Aldric forcing the weapon to work for him in the Demon’s Belly. Otto offers to help teach him to use it, or to help him break free of it, but he says breaking free does carry a risk of ripping Aldric’s soul asunder (he uses a minor illusion spell to illustrate hooks ripping the flesh off of Aldric’s body as a visual aid).

Carrick also has an interesting an unexpected encounter, after rolling a perfect 100 on a percentile die while looking for fellow paladins: he runs into Ramon, the young Paladin he killed during his evil days.

Time out: I’m actually not sure how much I’ve talked about Carrick’s past on these blogs? Carrick once was a corrupted Paladin who sought power for power’s sake and began to dominate and destroy villages and towns. One day, a young paladin (Ramon) hunted him down, believing as youth sometimes do, that they are destined for great things and are indestructible besides. Ramon found out the hard way that he could not kill Carrick when Carrick used his powerful dark spear to impale him and murder him. Yet in a way, Ramon did win the fight: After murdering the youth, Carrick was struck with sorrow and regret and this prompted him to put away his spear for good (though he still carries it) and to turn to a path of redemption. His meeting with Ramon now is a powerful character moment, as the two share a drink and Ramon absolves Carrick of his guilt, telling him that he was shocked he, Ramon the brave, ended up in Hell after his deeds and it made him question whether he had truly followed the will of the god of light in pursuing Carrick’s death. “Maybe the reason the god is shown with his sword always sheathed is not because we are meant to be that sword,” he ponders, “but because the god does not believe in drawing it. Perhaps true justice is not found in the blade, but in the heart.”

He tells Carrick he hopes they can fight alongside each other now, instead of against each other and ends by telling him that he recognizes that Carrick ultimately chose mercy even when fighting him, dealing him a blow that killed quickly, instead of slowly and painfully. That’s too much for Carrick: he breaks down into sobs, a conflicting wave of emotions pouring through him. Of regret for the man he was; of sorrow for the boy he killed; of relief at finding him again; grateful for the men they have both become.

As a break from all this sadness, one other ridiculous thing happens. Fiona bakes cookies and the group discovers an unknown flaw of Imoaza’s: she has a MASSIVE sugar addiction. Like, she gets high from sugar. We roll for all of this, which is part of the reason it is so unexpected and hilarious. Aldric eats cookies with her, though a little cautiously when he sees the way she attacks them (her favorite turn out to be these chocolate shortbread cookies with white chocolate swirls and candy baked into them). We also roll to see how many cookies she snags before she leaves the ship for the planet of air: it turns out to be around two dozen. I decree that each cookie heals her a hitpoint. But only for Imoaza.

Several people decide to accompany the players down to the Air Planet: Alyss goes, as does Star (who knows this world). Puck flits along as well, riding on Carrick’s shoulder. Jacobs (recovered from his mental injuries in the City of Ghosts) flies them down to the Citadel of Ice and Steel and they land in an atmosphere of unease and prophecy: a great storm is said to be building, greater than anything the planet has ever seen. Indeed, dark clouds have been forming around the companions ever since their arrival and they begin to suspect it has something to do with the Rod of Storms.

Star is very nervous being back home. When asked why, she tells them she belonged to a crime syndicate here, the Whispering Way. If anyone can help them locate the air crystal, it would be them, but Star isn’t sure how happy they would be to see her. After all, she tells them, it was the syndicate which murdered her the first time around. When Carrick asks her what kind of crime the syndicate specializes in, Star tells him “accidents.” She explains that killing is not allowed in the Citadel of Ice and Steel on pain of death (or worse) so accidental deaths, or at least deaths that LOOK like accidents, become a bit of a commodity and a source of power and wealth for those who have the skill to arrange such things.

While wandering one of the Citadel’s many bazaars, they are greeted by a familiar face: Immerstal the Red, who says he appeared here after spending an indeterminate amount of time in his pocket dimension brothel after the Battle of Brindol and he and Aldric’s last rambunctious night together. He had to destroy the dimension in order to escape and has rebuilt a brothel here in the Citadel instead. He is extremely pleased to see Carrick and Aldric, both of whom he knew from Brindol, but has no idea how much time has passed since he left Faerun behind (albeit, accidentally). His manner changes when he sees the Rod of Storms: “Why would you bring that here? Here of all places, its power is going to be immense!”

But before the players can respond, they are approached by less friendly individuals: a group of pale blue Genasi, genie born half breeds, approach and demand they come with them. Star tells the companions that they shouldn’t fight, reminding them that killing is not allowed in the Citadel of Steel and Ice.

Alyss says she’ll wait at the brothel with Immerstal, and so the others accompany the Genasi to their leader, Lakosa, the head of the Whispering Wind crime syndicate.

Lakosa is a Genasi as well: her ears are pierced in multiple places and she has eyes of pure blue and shards of crystal growing from her bald head. The players are brought to a grand structure surrounded by beautiful pools and gardens, wherein Lakosa resides. Her fortress is draped with greenery: vines and ivy cover most of the surfaces and trees sprout at odd, but obviously deliberate, angles from the fortresses’ spires and battlements.

Inside, much is made of silver, crystal, and glass. Lakosa herself greets the companions from an ornate couch, where she lounges, her sleek blue body blending in with the azure cushions. Carrick looks around appreciatively. Imoaza is, as usual, unimpressed. Aldric smiles brightly at Lakosa, liking what he sees. Puck yawns. Star is extremely uncomfortable.

“You look great, for two hundred,” she tells Lakosa.

“Oh girl,” Lakosa purrs. “You’ve been dead longer than that. I’m nearly two hundred and fifty now.”

“And yet you still remember.”

“When you’re my age, time goes a lot faster. Doesn’t seem that long since you were last here. Definitely not long enough to forget.” “

Long enough to forgive?” “

Maybe. Depends.”

Aldric actually takes the lead here, rolling well on charisma for his interactions with Lakosa (despite the dampening influence of the Rod of Storms) and winning from her favorable words and flirtations. She remains calm and in control of the situation throughout the conversation, asking what the players need and considering their answer when they tell her of their quest for the crystal. While they talk, she drifts about her chamber, graceful and smooth in her movements as if she floats upon a cloud. She drinks from a pale yellow bottle a liquid the color of sunset and eats strange berries from a crystal bowl. When Aldric tries one, he finds it to taste oddly of milk and to make his lips tingle.

Here, too, we get Star’s back story. She was a famed air racer and ace flyer who dreamed of escaping off world with her lover, Feserania, in her own spaceship. One hundred years ago, she accepted a bribe to throw a race, costing the Whispering Wind and Lakosa (who sponsored her) a ton of money. She was going to use the bribe to buy a ship and get off world with Feserania, but before she could, she was caught by the Genasi and her ship was given bad coordinates: directed into a maelstrom. She managed to eject Feserania before they hit the storm. The last thing she saw was Feserania screaming and reaching for her before the maelstrom ripped her ship and Star apart.

She asks Lakosa what happened to Feserania. “Dead,” Lakosa tells her. “The fey born live a long time, girl. But not as long as that. Not when they have a broken heart.”

Lakosa tells Star that it turns out Star has returned at a fortuitous time. There is a race coming up and Lakosa needs a ringer. The champion of the races is named Heatstroke (“a gauche name,” Lakosa says. “That’s funny,” Carrick answers, “Coming from a group that calls themselves the whispering wind”). He’s unbeatable and probably under some kind of service to the Cloud Giant who runs the race. Whether a slave or a well paid racer, he has dominated the races and is making it hard for anyone else to make money off the races.

“Win this race for me, and I’ll give you a cut of the earnings and help you with whatever you need.”

Star muses, “if I’m going to race, I’m going to need a bird.” The races, back in Star’s day, were always held on large bird-like creatures called Aether Craws, great big feathered birds shaped a little like long horses, with huge necks and four mighty talons. Lakos tells her, though, that the rules have changed: now people can enter on machines or using magic. But she believes there is still no match for a well ridden Aether Craw. Technology is known to glitch out in the environments the racers pass through and the Aether Craw are fast, maneuverable, and vicious... all good qualities to have in the race.

“But my old Craw, Lone Star, has to be long dead,” Star says. “Where am I going to get a bird and train it so quickly?”

“He is dead. But his brood is alive. They roost on the Vortexian Spires, above where the endless waterfalls form from the mists. You’ll have to claim one from the nest in a show of strength. It’s the only way it will respect you enough to let you fly.”

The group knows now what they must do. They depart the Palace of Mists, Lakosa’s fortress, and plan their next move. Star muses, telling the group that Feserania had her own bird that she was raising from an egg. “It had a withered wing, which meant any sensible breeder would have killed it. A mercy, really. It could never compete. But for Feserania, well, that was the very thing that made her pick it! She was raising it to care for it, not to use it. She believed it could still live on its own in the wild someday. I think she thought the same of me.” Star reminisces silently for a moment. After Star died, she kept praying she would see Feserania in hell. “I guess, though, that’s why I was there. Anyone who would hope their lover would go to hell just so they could see them again. It’s a selfish thing. I’m glad she’s somewhere better.”

Carrick tries to comfort her, but cannot find the words. Star smiles sadly and the subject is dropped.

That’s as far as we get this session! Next time, we go to the Vortexian Spires to try and tame an Aether Craw and then we’ll have ourselves a sky race.

#dungeons and dragons #dnd 5e #Alignment may vary #Campaign Journal #Plane of Air

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