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radramblog · 3 years

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What happened to Dirk in Homestuck^2?

Why am I doing this to myself.

I memed a little yesterday when I was posting that article around social medias about Homestuck jokes, because once again we are in lockdown and I am therefore Stuck at Home. Canned laughter goes here. But there’s a topic related to the comic- or more specifically, its aborted sequel, Homestuck^2, that I’m interested in delving into a little bit. I’m going to avoid talking about spoilers as much as possible, but considering said comic takes place not only after the events of the massive sprawl that is Homestuck but also the more linear but still messy Epilogues, some amount of sus shit is inevitable.

Anyway. Much maligned is what the Epilogues and 2 did to everyone’s favourite decapitation target, Dirk Strider, and I have a theory as to why it happened this way.

To begin with, let’s summarise what and who Dirk is through the course of the comics. Fair warning from me, though, it’s been a while since I read through this.

Dirk Strider is a teenager who grew up in a post-apocalyptic future Earth, completely devoid of physical contact with other people and only really ever gets to talk to 3 other people, only one of whom is in anything remotely resembling a relatable situation. He struggles with self-identity, having created numerous robots including an artificial intelligence based on his own brain, aka Lil’ Hal. He’s somewhat of a control freak, and a bit of a cold aloof asshole, but means well, and is pretty gay. NBD. The kinda guy to set up a plan meticulously and thoroughly, not informing any of the moving parts even if said parts are his friends, and often involving some form of self-sacrifice.

Throughout the comic he further reckons with self-identity problems and his own self-loathing including entering a relationship with Jake which doesn’t go well and he eventually breaks off since he knows his overbearing and manipulative behaviour is Not Cool and Pretty Toxic but doesn’t know how to shut it off. Eventually he reaches the God Tier as a Prince of Heart, gaining the power to literally annihilate souls, which he never actually uses since he gets yeeted into deep (Paradox) space and then everything goes to shit. Except none of that happens because of the Retcon (aside from the God Tier bit) and we don’t actually see how that shit progressed in the canon timeline. I think. Dirk’s arc, as it were, doesn’t really come full circle- while he does assist in Dave’s character…growth? he really isn’t the focus of that conversation. This immediately precedes the action climax and there isn’t literally any dialogue after that so that’s what we’re left with.

I like Dirk in Homestuck a lot. It’s hard not to, considering the flashes heavily featuring him (Unite/Synchronise and Prince of Heart: Rise Up) are genuinely excellent, along with many of his music themes being absolute bangers. He gets to interact with Caliborn a lot, with a pretty great banter, there, and the whole splintered personality thing is a really interesting hook for a character. I think he’s my favourite of the Alpha kids, a controversial pick considering I know everyone loves Roxy so much. I think, I’m not as in tune with the fandom as that statement implies I am.

And then the Epilogues/Homestuck 2 came.

Now I read the Meat half of the epilogues first, but that’s more interesting, so we’ll tackle Candy first (this is going to get real confusing for those who haven’t read this comic, huh).

In Candy, Dirk almost immediately kills himself, citing the irrelevance of the timeline as cause, an act considered by whatever mechanism governs God Tier deaths to be Just because he hates himself (and also bc of things we’ll get into), so it actually sticks. This isn’t super relevant for the discussion, but that’s just kinda so unbelievably fucked up? Entirely? I’d imagine if you read Candy first you might get entirely turned off by this, which I’m sure a lot of people did.

Meat is where the, well, meat of post-canon Dirk is. You see, a concept very quickly introduced in the tail end of the original comic is the Ultimate Self, an idea where you somehow encompass every different timeline iteration or alternate version of yourself. This was pretty clearly tacked on to make it so characters whose arcs all happened in the retcon timeline could have their not getting an actual arc explained away, but it didn’t land then and it sure doesn’t land for me now. Anyway, in Meat, Dirk becomes his ultimate self, making him near-omniscient and able to control the fabric of the story himself- for much of this story, he is the narrator. And he uses this power to fuck with all his friends really distressingly without their knowledge (or consent), including breaking up a marriage, in order to further his own goals which largely appear to be just keep the story going so to not fade out of relevance. It’s a plot that makes no sense with his previous characterisation, but I guess now that he’s the Ultimate Self he’s a different person? But I liked old Dirk, and I don’t like New Dirk. He’s a villain now, but he made a much better anti-hero.

But this would be fine if he (or the epilogues, or Homestuck^2) were written well. But they aren’t. Dirk’s dialogue is long, painfully drawn out, with tangents that tend to amount to pure wank, misused literary references and pointless metaphors that go on and on, filling the screen with a bright orange screed that hurts to look at as much as it does to comprehend. It’s not fun. And we’ve seen Dirk communicate before, obviously, the story of Homestuck is built around chatlogs, but it wasn’t like this. He was sarcastic, dryly witty, blunt at times. Even when he was literally talking to a different version of himself it didn’t get that masturbatory.

I was so confused about what the hell happened to Dirk, because I had no idea what the hell someone writing this character was thinking when they turned him into this. And then, the 21st page of Homestuck^2 dropped.

And it all came together.

What Ultimate Dirk and Terezi are referring to is Pony Pals: Detective Pony, a children’s book about some girls who hang out with ponies and solve a mystery. It’s a real book, buy it for your 5-year-old.

Except they’re not referring to that, they’re referring to the Homestuck Canon version of Detective Pony- a birthday gift from Dirk to Jane, heavily edited and to be much more obscene and eventually developing into it’s own story, stated to be “tough, emotionally draining, but cathartic in all the worst ways possible”.

Except the quote “Remember Longcat, Jane?” and references to philosophy, dead languages, and ancient earth culture aren’t referring to the three pages of the Dirk-edited Detective Pony we see in the actual comic itself. That quote doesn’t appear there.

That image is from Detective Pony, by Sonnetstuck- the 40,000 word fanfiction from 2014 that serves as a completed version of Jane’s copy of the book. An expansion of what we see in canon. And it’s a tough, emotionally draining read, but cathartic in all the worst ways possible.

It’s a very good fanfiction.

In the later bits of Detective Pony, we can start to see the origins of what would become Ultimate Dirk’s signature style of writing. Long blocks of rambling text, orange dripping down the page, references to philosophy and history and language that go on and on. And it probably does look familiar to those who read the Epilogues and ^2.

But there are a couple of key differences here. First of all, it’s just better written? The way these rambles circle back on themselves is so excellent, the absolute absurdity of this being written on top of a pony book for little girls, the humour (beyond some of the more immature stuff), it’s just a really well-written piece of fiction. Hell, you don’t even need to be familiar with the character of Dirk to enjoy it. It’s a harrowing piece, but it’s also self-aware- because it’s not supposed to be tough, draining, cathartic etc. just for Jane- it’s clearly that for Dirk himself.

The second part is, of course, that this is a fanfiction. It’s not canon, it’s not official, this is by someone who really likes Dirk for people who really like Dirk. It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, so if you bounce off it (and I’m sure a lot did), then you don’t have to keep reading it, it’s fine, thanks for playing. As much as Homestuck^2 tried to doll itself up as “dubiously canon” it’s still the official continuation of the story, and that means if it’s as difficult to get into as Detective Pony, that’s going to be a problem for a lot of people.

The other part of it is that Detective Pony’s exploration of Dirk’s character is, well, in character. When the man himself steps in as a character in his own book, the explorations of what he is as an author, who he is as a person, make perfect sense for what we see of him at the start of the comic. He is that manipulative, blunt person, and he is aware of his faults. He’s the kind of person to hide a lamentation on his own failings inside an impenetrable maze of a story layered on top of a book about fucking ponies. Ultimate Dirk does not act like Dirk, outside of the “manipulator” angle, something that Dirk was aware of and trying to improve in the comic. But I guess people don’t have arcs, right?

It’s so interesting to see the seeds of Homestuck^2 laden within Detective Pony- because the meta angle that and the epilogues take is also represented in said fanfiction. While the nature of canon is a facet of the work, the idea of authors and narrators fighting for control of a story, different ideas in mind for the characters, one being more personally connected to them than the other, it’s all there. When I wrote about Fallout 4 in the past, I mentioned being worried that Bethesda took the wrong lessons from Skyrim- seeing something successful and trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle. I think Homestuck^2 is an extreme example of this- the writers of the comic saw Sonnetstuck’s masterwork and thought, yeah that’s great, we can do that. But they just can’t. And with the comic crashed and burning, the probably won’t ever get a chance to. Dirk is forever stuck as this amalgamation of himself that looks nothing like any individual version of him ever did.

At least we will still have Detective Pony, and many other excellent fanworks, for actually good Dirk content. I admittedly haven’t looked into much fanfic written during/post-epilogues, and I’m kind of afraid of what I’ll see- I can only hope the fanbase didn’t take the same wrong lessons as the official team did.

#ramble #honestly more of an essay #homestuck #homestuck 2 #dirk strider #ultimate dirk #just ignore me accidentally posting this to the wrong account and having to reup it

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personuhh · 3 years

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I want your input on how you guys think the P4 cast’s futures would shake out! I have a general idea of where I want things to go, but I think having input from everyone is important too. Any characters that I’ve left off (Kanji, the Dojimas, Yukiko, etc) already have pretty solid arcs planned, so don’t worry, I didn’t forget them.

There are a bunch of numbered questions to make it easier to respond to, I’d be happy even if you guys took the time just answering one or two! Thanks for your interest, and hopefully you guys find this an interesting read at the very least lol.

(I’ve grouped all of the questions at the end in case you want to see them all together.)

General Info:

The game is planned to take place in 2015, so everything will take place 3 years after Arena/P4DAN/Golden Epilogue.

Because it’s centered around Inaba, it will only focus on characters still in the town (so Rise, Chie and Naoto will not be playing large roles in the game).

Yosuke:

I’ve mentioned already where I see Yosuke in 2015 (directionless, just finishing college but still working at Junes) but I’ve also been tossing around a few ideas for future careers that I think would work for him. I think him being a mechanic or just generally handy with fixing things would be a good avenue to explore, not just because of his interest in motorcycles, but also because I think it would compliment his arc nicely; for someone who’s so afraid of screwing everything up, I think it would be good for Yosuke to realize that he’s really good at fixing things. it’s not too out of nowhere (he’s a broke college student, I’m sure he’s had to fix a leaky faucet in his apartment or something, and he must have tuned up and fixed his bike after he crashed it), and could be a thing he realizes (with Yu’s help ofc) over the course of his route that he just... never thought of as a legitimate skill before.

I’ve also thought about him joining the Shadow Operatives (Mitsuru’s team of shadow fighting elites, comprised mostly of former SEES members), which is usually my go-to when thinking about what his potential career could be, but in a lot of ways it feels like somewhat of a copout. On top of it glazing over Yosuke’s critical lack of personal identity, it also feeds into the idea that he isn’t anything special without his persona, which doesn’t exactly do much for character growth. I think it’s the most obvious and canon-compliant choice, and one that he would both enjoy and be good at, I worry about what it would mean for his character. Of course, Mitsuru recognizes his skills and would likely take him on no problem, and while I love the idea of Yosuke joining them and living a life full of excitement and badassery, I don’t think he needs to do much soul-searching to arrive at this decision.

So...

#1: What jobs and/or hobbies do you see Yosuke doing that utilizes his skills (either preexisting or ones you believe he could easily develop)? Thoughts on what I’ve said regarding his potential career?

Yu:

Yu has been giving me some pretty big headaches when trying to plot this game. Obviously, as the protagonist, giving him something interesting to do that also ties into the plot is important; which is why I’m leaning so heavily toward him working for the Inaba PD. It would fit with why he chooses to return to Inaba permanently, and would be plausible within the time period, along with obvious connections (Dojima) that could secure him a position within the force. My concern is that the game then becomes either too serious, or too heavily based around Yu as opposed to the rest of the cast. I definitely don’t want it to turn into yet another Inaba mystery, and choosing another profession for Yu would likely keep things a lot more lighthearted (if Yu’s working as an elementary teacher for example, the biggest problems he’s going to face are like, the stubborn kid in his class that won’t stop shoving pencils up his nose, maybe an angry parent, nothing TOO serious that requires a complex solution) and leave more time to focus on whichever route you choose.

HOWEVER, this job also would allow for easy cameos from outside characters (Naoto, Chie, Akihiko and the other Shadow Operatives) all of whom work closely with, or directly for the police. I just worry about it taking over and pulling the focus away from other characters. I don’t want it to be Detective Simulator: Persona 4 Edition, which is why I’ve also been throwing around other alternatives for Yu’s career (the obvious ones being teacher/daycare, and veterinarian) but it needs to be a job easily securable within the 3 year timeframe and a reason for him to move back to Inaba. If he’s still enrolled in college with the promise of a job at the end of it, there would be no reason for him to move and have to commute.

#2: Would you prefer Yu’s job be something more in the background rather than one of the major driving forces of the plot?

#3: Would you prefer Yu’s role be more of a player insert protagonist?

#4: Arena-style internal narration (first person, hearing Yu’s thoughts), or stick to P4′s approach (second person, slightly more objective)?

#5: Any suggestions for what you think would suit Yu as a career?

Naoki:

I’m completely fine having Naoki’s job staying as him just working at (and eventually inheriting) Konishi Liquors, but I think there’s still plenty to explore for his character outside of that. Because his SL focuses on Naoki grieving and Yu leaning not to treat him any differently, it doesn’t account for the rest of Inaba and how they treat Naoki. Small town reputations stick, and even if he’s managed to move past Saki’s death to an extent, everyone still knows him as the other Konishi kid, and I think he would really struggle to deal with that reputation. Even if he’s learned to open up to Yu, Yosuke, and a few of his school friends by the end of his SL, I can see him becoming incredibly jaded and growing tired of Inaba because he can’t manage to escape the public’s pity. I’ve thought about him turning to dangerous, risk-taking behavior and escapism as a result of this, but it’s pretty hard to change an entire town’s opinion of you and your family, and I don’t see where it could go from here other than him essentially running away from it all and giving up.

#6: Any ideas for Naoki’s route or character in general?

#7: Would you be interested in dating him, or would you prefer it either be platonic, or for him to be kept as a supporting cast member?

#8: Are you okay with heavy topics like (underage) alcoholism, or do you believe it would be better to avoid a plot like this?

Daisuke & Kou:

I’m honestly hesitant to include these two in the game at all, as I find it a little hard to believe that they’d stay in Inaba for that long.

#9: Any ideas for potential jobs that would keep them in Inaba?

#10: Would you prefer each of them to have separate routes, or have them grouped together?

#11: Would you be interested in dating them together, separately, or for them to have their route(s) kept platonic and for them be in a relationship with each other?

#12: Any general ideas for their route(s)?

Dates:

Since I have no set time frame for the game, I’m open to including all kinds of seasonal dates, festivals, and events (like Valentines or New Years, for example) and I’ll decide on a time of year based on that.

Aside from shared events between all routes, though, I’d love suggestions for some cute character-specific dates (eg. Yu takes Yosuke to a concert, Kanji and Yu go shopping for yarn, something like that). Please go ahead and be as random and specific as you want, it doesn’t have to be a massive event.

#13: Any general date ideas?

#14: Any character-specific date ideas?

Full question list under the cut:

Question list:

#2: Would you prefer Yu’s job be something more in the background rather than one of the major driving forces of the plot?

#3: Would you prefer Yu’s role be more of a player insert protagonist?

#4: Arena-style internal narration (first person, hearing Yu’s thoughts), or stick to P4′s approach (second person, slightly more objective)?

#5: Any suggestions for what you think would suit Yu as a career?

#6: Any ideas for Naoki’s route or character in general?

#7: Would you be interested in dating Naoki, or would you prefer it either stay platonic, or for him to be kept as a supporting cast member?

#8: Are you okay with heavy topics like (underage) alcoholism, or do you believe it would be better to avoid a plot like this?

#9: Any ideas for potential jobs that would keep Kou & Daisuke in Inaba?

#10: Would you prefer Kou & Daisuke to have separate routes, or have them grouped together?

#11: Would you be interested in dating Kou & Daisuke together, separately, or for them to have their route(s) kept platonic and for them be in a relationship with each other?

#12: Any general ideas for Kou & Daisuke’s route(s)?

#13: Any general date ideas?

#14: Any character-specific date ideas?

#ada's writing #i need a tag for this game....#persona 4 #ada speaks

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 4 years

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Cold (White Demon’s Love Song, Part 1.)

Series description: A new job was what the reason you found yourself on a lonely roadtrip on the western coast, ending up in the woods of Olympian Peninsula. Yet a sudden car malfuction was what cause your unplanned stay in Forks. To your surprise, there was a lot of sinister things going on under the veil of fog.

Part summary: On your way to Port Angeles, your car just suddenly gave up, dying just in front of the Forks welcome sign. Well... It was time to call the local mechanic.

A/N: The series’ name is obviously a call-back to Twilight Saga: New Moon soundrack, A White Demon Love Song (by the Killers), used in the ending credits. Honestly, the song is amazing and you should give it a listen, or two, because it reminds me of Jacob so much.

Word count: 4.5 K

Twilight playlist: ✨ Twilight Crackheads ✨

Series masterlist: H E R E

PICTURE SOURCE

Dedicated to the best hooman being I know, my dearest, @missdictatorme

It was nothing but a small town, located close to the western coast, standing in the middle of nothing but deep, dark woods. Its population never crossed the milestone of 4.000 people at one time - neither it had a chance to do so. The town was located in northern America, in the state of Washington. Its name was Forks - close to Forks, there was a native-American territory named the Quileute reservation, La Push being its tiny, beating heart; a slightly bigger town named Port Angeles, and one big city - Olympia.

The forests and nature of the Olympian Peninsula was one of the most mysterious and beautiful to ever be experienced by a human being. There were mountain lions and bears, wolves, and bigger, more dangerous animals hiding in the deep, all-year-long green woods. For such a small town, Forks had its fair share of unnatural, mythical, and legendary creatures roaming around/in it. The deepest nightmares of horror and fairytales coming true, if you will. It also seemed that the town just can't leave the cycle of repeating events, one man in the woods thought.

It wasn't just a man, no, that wouldn't be accurate to say. It was a man with a literal animal inside his body. An animal about which he hoped will never come on the surface once again. All he wanted was to grow old without complications, that was his whole deal. Now that he was left alone, behind and Cullens, the residing vampire family, had left the town, he and his brothers had a chance to do so... Finally. Five years ago, he and Sam Uley, the leader of another pack, watched the Cullens leave the city for another... Hundred years or so. It appeared it's the time to stop with the whole wolf thing, letting them let the wolves inside of them die.

Being a werewolf, a child of the moon, a wolf, or a shapeshifter, whatever you wanted to call it, wasn't as brutal as it was described in horror stories over the years. More than anything, the men and women of the Quileute tribe were carrying the spirit animal inside - the animal was waiting inside, sleeping, until it was called to rise once more. Not everyone could become a wolf - only the ancestors of the first big chief, Taha Aki, could do so. There also needed specific things to happen for their transformation, whether it was the first one or another beginning of the cycle. They needed to smell the scent of vampires.

No-one could predict a pack of vampires taking refuge just a small bit from Forks, again. Yet this time, it wasn't the 'good' vampires feeding on animal blood; these were wild, unpredictable, and red-eyed. These could not be debated to reach any sort of agreement or truce, as the Cullens did a century ago. These had to be stopped, killed, and burned. Whether they would be acting nice or not, they were a threat to Forks and everyone living in it. Which the spirits realized - they started to re-awaken once more.

First, it caught most of the pack unprepared - both alphas of the Uley and Black pack started to feel the sensation of intense heat, of rage and fury all of a sudden. For Jacob Black, it happened when he was in his workshop, repairing an old engine. He barely had the strength to walk out of the building. His muscles were tensing uncontrollably, a high fever appeared all of a sudden. Just muttered groans of pain and heavy breathing could be heard as Jacob walked past the first line of high trees, waiting for the feeling to rip him apart like a rag doll. This shouldn't be happening. There were no vampires in Forks anymore, why was the wolf urging to come out?

The man fell on both his knees. In despair, his fingers dug deep into the forest soil as he let himself cry out in pain. No-one could see him or hear him now, it was fine. The spasms made him fall on his back as his pupils were wildly rolling. If any Catholic priest would see him, he could easily claim that Jacob was possessed by a demon. Another groan left Jacob's body, which was still writhing in convulsions until the part came - the one where his human form just exploded, a hoard of russet fur sprang out as the wolf tried to get on his feet. The man was highly confused. Why did this happen? He wasn't left in the dark for too long - soon, he heard the familiar voice of Sam Uley, who was just a few years older than him, inside his head.

Sure, both of them decided to separate some time ago, creating two packs in Forks, but they could still communicate telepathically - as two alphas, the leaders of the pack. - 'Is that you, Jacob?' - Sam screamed into the void, being scared beyond his wildest dreams. It was understandable - back in the day, Sam was the first to awaken his spirit wolf when the Cullens moved back to Forks. Naturally, he was alone and didn't get what was happening to him that much - until the elders told him. This time, it might've been the same thing, again. Naturally, Sam was relieved when he felt another mind connect into the web of shared thoughts, even if it was just Jacob. - 'Did it just happen to you too? Are you the only one as well?' - Sam asked with anxiety. - 'Yes. I can't hear Seth or Embry or Quil. You?' - Jake informed about his current situation. - 'I can't hear anyone either. Do you know what's happening?' - Yet this time, Jacob was silent.

He didn't know what was going on. The only thing he knew was that he has to protect his territory by all costs - and that something is going on around Forks.

A few days later, road 101:

"You are now tuning into Radio Forks on 140.5 FM. The weather is nice today, but remember to be careful on the roads anyway. On a request from our listener, we will now play The Violet Hour by Sea Wolf... Take it away." - A woman in the radio said, her voice mashing up into happy guitar rhythms in the end. The song was nice and fast, so it made you dance in the seat of your Beetle while you gripped on the steering wheel. The car was most probably at least twice as old as you were, it wasn't in the best condition and the stereo was also kind of shit, and the AC worked only when you pulled out the lighter out, but it was still your car in the end. Well, you couldn't afford anything better from a teacher payment anyway - the Beetle never gave up on you, it had never malfunctioned and even if it did eat a lot of fuel, you still loved the car.

Now, you were on your way to Tacoma because of the work you've been given there - starting in a few weeks, you've already had moved most of your stuff into the new apartment which you shared with a roommate. It was exciting, starting another stage of your life in Tacoma. Sure, your mom was a bit scared when you told her how far you were moving out, but you promised to call and text her all the time, so she would be calm.

But before your final settling down in Tacoma, your friends advised you to take a short trip along the western coast - especially the upper part of it. So you did as they told you - you were now close to some small town named Forks, which you wanted to just drive through quickly, before continuing to Port Angeles. These towns were small and hadn't much to offer, but according to your friend, it was magical to stay there, even just for a while. So far, you hadn't stopped in many towns, but you had to say that you liked the weather - hot, sunny days? You were starting to question them after spending a week on the road. The higher you got in Washington, the more cloudy and rainy it got. More importantly, it was freezing in this part of the world. What was the sun? You didn't know. You hadn't seen it since you entered the deep, green, and rainy woods of the state. The roads were always slipping from the rain, so you had to focus on the damn road at all times.

There was deer here and there on the road, but even if the view was mostly the same, you liked it. The air was cold and humid even though, in the nights and sometimes even during the day, it got very cold up here. You've chosen to move to Tacoma, didnt you? This was what you should be prepared for.

Quickly, you glanced over the map to see if you're still on the right road when your eyes widened in horror. The motor just made a damn weird sound. Oh no. Oh crap! You cried out internally as you felt the car slowing down. All you did was to ride to the roadside with panic as the car made a few very unpleasant sounds before the engine stopped completely. The Forks sign was mocking you from the distance, telling you that you were just a small while from the city. So much for just passing through, huh? Without too much waiting, you tried to call the local post office, the only number you had on your phone and to your surprise, the woman knew a number on the local mechanic. Why wouldn't she? According to the number on the board, this town was damn small.

Or, maybe, a lot of people called her and asked her for a towtruck.

More so, she switched you over to the workshop just moments after. You've been sitting in the car, already having your winter jacket pulled on since it was getting cold in there rapidly, watching the damn sign just mocking you silently. You were in the temptation to stick your tongue out, but it was just a dumb sign. - "Jacob Black on the phone, what can I do for you?"

First off, the voice, regarding the polite question, sounded almost fed up and annoyed - and you haven't spoken out yet. Someone had a bad day. Second of all - the man sounded quite young. Did the post-office-lady switch you to a bad number? - "Hello? Is someone out there?" - The Jacob mechanic asked again. The tone, again, was unpleasing to listen to. But this time, you gathered yourself to answer. - "Yea, yea. Hi, I got your number? They told me you're the Forks mechanic with a towtruck? Is that right?" - You quickly got out of yourself. While you were talking, you got out of the car and walked around the car in circles, trying to warm yourself up. Which was borderline foolishness when it was drizzling outside, but whatever. - "Where you're stuck? What happened?" - The man said without a hint of caring about the topic.

"My car just... Stopped suddenly." - You described. After a quiet sigh, you could almost hear the Jacob man rolling his eyes. - "I'm just a few yards from the Forks welcome sign. Can you help me or should I call someone else?" - Wow, you got straight to the point. Damn, you didn't need some fed up, annoyed mechanic. He could at least pretend to care. It wouldn't have killed him. - "Listen, miss. The nearest towtruck, except me, is in Port Angeles. If you don't wanna pay ridiculous prices for the service, it will be wise to hire me, okay? It's one mile... So I'll be asking for five bucks just to get your car to my garage, with the services and everything counted in. Is that alright?"

Again, even if the question was meant to be polite since you were his potential customer, it was said in such a manner that couldn't be described other than rude. Jacob was straightway rude with you. Also, five dollars for a mile were a bit overpriced. You could be glad that the mechanic of such backwater didn't ask for ten bucks... Let alone how much would the Port Angeles mechanic want? You had some money with you, but it wasn't much either. And for now, you had to save until you'd get to know what's wrong with your car. - "Okay. How long until you'll be here?" - You asked, now you were fed up as well. That made two of you annoyed, great conversation. - "In about... Half an hour. See you there." - And the phone line went dead. With empty gaze, you were staring into the woods with both your eyebrows raised as you listened to the long, beeping sound.

Half an hour? Did he want to let you freeze out there, in the woods, lost on the road 101? And for the love of God, you couldn't wait for the moment you'll talk with the man from eye to eye. That will be an unpleasant conversation, you could tell already. Quickly, you ran back to your car. For some time, you tried to get at least the almost non-existent heating system on, but the car was dead. It didn't even start. You were sure that you'll freeze to death before the towtruck comes to save you. And you almost did - by the time you've seen an old, big Chevy truck with a hook on its back, your mouth were already feeling your teeth-gnashing being fully set. You were hugging yourself inside the car, there was mist slowly coming out of your lips. Well, this was bad.

The man jumped out of the towtruck, watching your car in horror. How old was this thing? Sixty years? Well, it was certainly older than its owner, who was sitting inside. It could be told you weren't used to such cold, because you were looking as if you were about to die any minute. With your eyebrows knitted, you watched the man approaching your window. The first thing that punched you in the eyes was the fact he was wearing just a plain, short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. The man also had long hair pulled into a man bun and damn, these eyes could start shoot bolts of lightning at any time.

He also was... Huge. You'd swear you hadn't seen a man who would take as much space as him. This man was at least six feet tall... And a lot of inches more. As he approached you, you suddenly felt the need to scold him down about politeness fading away. As he knocked onto the window, you rolled it down with a super awkward smile, feeling every inch of you being scared by the man. As soon as you rolled the window down, the man leaned both his palms into the door - with a glance, you figured out he would be able to just break the door if he'd want to, and leaned closer to you.

"You were the one that called?" - The man asked, annoyed once more. So, this was Jacob Black himself - the local mechanic in all his glory. A freaky dude, in your opinion. - "Yep. 't was me." - You peeped out while trying to keep the smile on. Jacob straightened up and sighed, looking away from you for a moment. The way you were smiling, as if you weren't feeling physically well, was giving him the creeps too, don't you worry about it. - "Get out, I'll help this bad boy up." - Jacob patted your car's top. For a moment, you were afraid that the car might break down to pieces as the cartoon cars did - the trunk would fall, the tires would roll away and you would be sitting there on the seat with the steering wheel in your palms. That, thank God, didn't happen.

As the man worked on pulling your car up so you could drag it to the workshop, you could ask him a ton of questions - why was he naked in the middle of such weather? Was being pissy his all-around mood? How was he doing? Yet out of respect, you were just standing there with the same terrifying smile and watching him doing all the job. If you weren't standing there and if you weren't watching him without moving, he'd have so much easier job. Jacob would just take the car, drag it to the hook and click to place - but solely because of your stare, he had to pretend he was struggling with the task a bit. Yet even though he was pretending to struggle, he was done in a few minutes. - "Well, get into the trunk. We don't want you to get... Cold." - Jacob spoke out to you carefully, trying to lower the level of annoyance in his voice.

It was just a simple misunderstanding - while Jacob was worried that the weather around here, to which you quite obviously weren't accommodated to, had done something to the muscles in your face, you were just worried that the man might do something to you if you say something wrong. That was the whole problem. You couldn't know that Jacob wouldn't ever hurt anyone and he couldn't know you're just afraid of big boys. With a nod, you walked to the cabin of the old Chevy truck. It was pretty old, but taken care of - the black paint wasn't that old, it was still shiny in the drops of rain.

The way to the workshop was as quiet as hell - and uncomfortable the same. Jake didn't know what he did wrong and how to start a conversation with you. Honestly, you were just glad that the cabin of his truck was nicely warm. The color got back into your face in no time. And seemingly, the worried smile had disappeared as well. The way was quick - sooner than you'd say, Jacob already had the car inside his workshop. - "So, here's what I'm going to do. I'll check your car, see what's wrong and what can I do for you. You wanna a coffee, tea, or a cup of hot chocolate in the meantime? There are some magazines in the waiting room too, if you're interested." - The man looked at you while he cleaned his palms in the rug. - "The chocolate sounds nice if you don't mind." - "That's a buck worth of excess fare." - He mumbled to you, but walked to his office, getting the coffee machine ready. You almost wanted to tell him something back - yet just at that moment, the man turned his head at you.

His palm quickly pulled a strand of his black hair behind his eyes while his brown, warm eyes gave you a look. - "I was joking. It's counted into the services." - Jacob explained quickly. Oh. You nodded. It didn't sound like a joke, but who were you to judge that. Were all the people in Forks like this? If they were, well, this was sure a great place to live at. Just after he put the small cup on the table in the waiting room, he made sure the heating is on in there. After that, he disappeared into the workplace. All you could hear was some quiet music and rattling of tools as Jacob got into work.

All you did was that you sat there like a small kid, sipping on the warm treat. It was making you feel a bit better. Suddenly, the man almost kicked the door, standing in there with a horrified expression. - "How old is the car?" - Jacob asked simply, rubbing his palms into the rug again. Something in his eyes told you he's being freaked out by what he had seemed. - "I don't know. I bought it six years ago from my neighbor who was forbidden to drive because she couldn't see anymore." - You answered immediately, standing up to look the man in his eyes. - "I don't know how did it drive for so long. This is a wreck." - The mechanic informed you and turned on his heels, marching back to the shop. When you didn't get his hint and didn't follow, he turned his head at you and rose his eyebrow. You were there in no time at all.

"I don't even know where to start. The AC is busted, the hoses in the engine are clogged by various stuff, your alternator... Wow, I'm wondering that it's one piece..." - He was pointing his fingers around, talking about the breaks, some small parts, and various other stuff. - "Um, Mr. Black, I don't understand what you're trying to say, so... Can you get to the point? What is wrong and how much will it cost to repair the car?" - The expression you had on your face told Jacob that you, indeed, were confused as hell. He knew women, Rosalie Hale and such, who were into cars massively, so he would never say that cars were just a 'guy thing' - yet there were people who just weren't gifted in this sort of thing. - "Uh, I think it might be better to just buy some new car," - Jacob started, but your face told him you weren't thinking about leaving the beloved Beetle behind. - "Or, I can try to figure out what to do, yeah." - Suddenly, he walked to his small desk and started to work with his calculator, writing things down on a list. Then, he showed you how much you were about to pay - and the sum made you sit on the chair he had there. With a long sigh, you leaned your elbows to your knees, trying to keep it together.

700 dollars with his work counted in. That was quite something - somehow, you were positive that Jacob Black gave you a pity-discount as well. Sure, you had something saved - but you needed to eat something in Tacoma and 700 bucks wouldn't be healthy for your dying bank account. As a university student, you had multiple loans and stuff, you also had to pay the rent... And certainly, you didn't have spare 15.000 bucks to buy a new car. And you needed one. With a shaky sigh, you put your head to your palms and tried to keep it together. - "It will take me at least two weeks to get all the parts I need and then... Listen, I didn't know the car's this bad either." - Suddenly, you realized that the man is standing next to you, smoothing your shoulder. He could understand people in bad financial situations - he hadn't much himself, though it was significantly better than when he was younger.

He wanted to help you somehow, but the parts were simply too expansive against his liking. Especially for something like the Beetle in front of him. This bad boy needed to take care of everything - and Jacob, sure of his experience with old cars, knew he can repair it... Somehow. - "Is there a motel somewhere out here? Do you know the prices?" - You asked silently. Dear God, were you crying? What should he do? A crying woman, when did he encounter a situation tricky as this one the last time? His brain circuits almost burned up when he thought about what should he do with you. And suddenly... The small bulb was there. - "Um, are you a murderer or something like that?" - Jacob mumbled, trying to joke - and to his surprise, you joked back. - "I won't be killing anyone for you to repair my car with a discount." - This made him chuckle.

"That's good to know. I'll present you an idea, okay? Since I'm now sure you're not so mentally okay..." - "What did you say?" - Suddenly, you sprang up, making Jacob grin even more as he walked around the room. - "Nothing. All I'm saying is... The motel could get expansive for a long-term stay and I have one spare room above the shop. It's used for visitors mostly, so nothing you'd have to worry about. I'll ask ten bucks for a week and it would be kinda fine if you'd buy some food sometimes... And if you'd like to, you can help me out here - and in exchange for that, I'll give you a discount. I think I can lower the sum to 500, maybe 450 if I'll be lucky. I have to make something outta this, you know?" - The man leaned his ass into the car standing behind him, smiling at you carefully. Okay, this sure as hell was an act of pettiness, you could tell just by the look he gave you. But, honestly, he didn't seem to be that bad now.

Also, this was genuinely nice of him. When you imagined how much you'd pay for the motel, the car, and your food altogether, just for the two-week stay, your eyes rolled on their own. - "Why are you doing this?" - You asked quietly. You appreciated the help, you did, but it was strange. Maybe, if everyone was like the mechanic Jacob Black in Forks, the town wasn't half bad. - "Listen, I'm not some dude who would be into a kidnapping or other weird stuff... I just know how it's like not to have much money. You're young, driving this piece of crap, what do you work as, might I ask?" - "A teacher. I'll be starting in Tacoma this September." - Jacob didn't answer to your answer, he just rose his eyebrows to get his point across. - "Take it or leave it. That's all I'm saying." - "You also did miss the fact that I don't know cars at all." - There you were again, the joking-around girl he had seen just a few moments before. - "I also didn't say you'd get near my cars, God protects you if you'd try to do so. I have... Uh... Some problems with the administration if you wouldn't mind. Paperwork isn't my thing and picking up calls isn't my stick either." - "I've noticed."

For a moment, you've been looking at the dude in dead silence. Well, it was a risky plan - but you weren't in the position to do much more. Jacob gave you the best possible alternative you could hope for, it was just because he, under all the annoyance, could maybe be a pretty reasonable guy. - "I'll take your offer, only if I can tell the chief of local police that I'm staying in this workshop." - Jacob snorted at your condition, but he needed to say it was fair enough. - "Sure. So... Is that a deal?" - The man offered you a palm and you stood up, shaking it. - "It is a deal, Mr. Black. Name's Y/N, by the way. You probably should know that."

#a white demon love song #such a great song #omg #jacob black x reader #jacob black #the twilight saga #twilight saga #twilight renessaince #twilight crackheads #forks washington #the olympic peninsula #la push #the quileutes #lemme start another story babey

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winryofresembool · 4 years

Text

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 14

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: Leo's fear raises its head at the worst possible moment.

A/N: Finally some (slight) drama after I've drowned all of you in fluff in the previous chapters. Also, it was pretty exciting for me to finally get to explore Leo's studying life a bit more in this chapter.

I also want to take this opportunity to advertise a future fic of mine that I /hope/ to finish by the end of this week. The past week I've been working on a post ToN Caleo one-shot which is already over 4000 words long and at this point mainly needs some heavy editing to be posted. So stay tuned for that too if you like this ship!

Big big thanks to Cris for helping me a whole lot with this chapter! I really needed your science knowledge :’)

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And remember that comments are the only reward I get so they would be much, much appreciated!!

Characters in this ch: Calypso, Leo. Jason, Percy, Annabeth

Words: 3000+

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / next chapter / AO3

...

“Mister Valdez? Are you listening?”

Leo snapped out of his daze. He was at his engineering math class and for the past 15 minutes the professor had been explaining to the group a problem that had taken Leo about 2-3 minutes to solve. Usually he did something else while listening to his professors; finish more calculations (sometimes even ones they weren’t assigned to do), doodle blueprints and ideas for future inventions into his notebook, write down a new joke he had come up with, or text Jason that he was bored. Weirdly enough, doing all that other stuff helped him to focus on what was going on in the lecture.

However, this time his mind was elsewhere; it kept showing him images of a girl with shoulder length reddish brown hair, dark brown eyes that seemed a bit harsh at first but softened when she laughed at his joke, a couple of freckles on her light skin… He could also hear her laughter and smell the cinnamon scent that probably came from the shampoo she used in his head. The previous evening had gone so well but he had no idea what to make of it; even if he did like Calypso (which he wasn’t quite ready to admit yet), could anything ever happen? They were flatmates. Things would sure get complicated if they got together and then broke up and would barely stand each other’s company… Besides, who was to say she’d ever like him? Sure, sometimes she seemed amused by his jokes but what other reasons did he give for her to like him? Not much, he felt.

Leo started to get frustrated because he couldn’t get those thoughts out of his head and he might have started to growl to himself if the professor hadn’t called him at that exact moment.

“Yes?” Leo answered unsurely, not having heard what the professor had asked.

“Good. Then you can tell me what the solution to this problem is.” The professor pointed at the long and complicated looking problem on the whiteboard.

Leo sighed of relief on the inside. They were still talking about the same problem that he had solved over 10 minutes ago. He could do this.

“X is 3,65, Y is 5,51 and Z is 7,24,” he said, sounding almost bored.

“That is correct,” the professor said, badly hiding his surprise. He had thought this kid who seemed to be living in his dream world would be utterly confused by his question. He turned his attention back to the rest of the class and continued: “Of course, the easiest way to solve this equation is to divide X with… Yes, Mister Valdez?”

“Actually, I disagree,” Leo said, now completely awake. “Why would you divide it when you can…”

“Which one of us is the professor here, Mister Valdez?” the professor cut him off. “You may think you know how to do this but there are plenty of students here who aren’t quite as advanced and that’s why it’s better to show them one way to do it rather than to confuse them by....”

“Yeah, right, my bad,” Leo said sarcastically. “If these students are so simple minded, then why don’t you give them more practical problems to solve? You know, things we might actually need in the work life instead of… that,” he pointed at the whiteboard.

A couple of people were brave enough to nod and hum in agreement to Leo’s comments but there were also a few that started laughing.

“Alright, that’s it, Mister Valdez. Leave my class.”

Leo obeyed gladly (that class was such a waste of time anyway). He packed his things and headed out of the room, grinning widely as he left to let the professor know he hadn’t won that battle. It was almost lunch time so he decided to already go to the cafeteria to wait for Jason whose class wasn’t too far either.

About 15 minutes later Jason showed up, and to Leo's surprise he also had company. Percy Jackson did occasionally join them for a game night or a sparring session but Leo almost exclusively saw him outside the university. From what he knew Percy was currently focusing on his swimming career and wasn’t studying anything. Now he had however joined Jason for lunch and that made Leo wonder if there was some specific reason for that.

“Hey, man,” Jason greeted. “You’re early today. Are they having enchiladas or something?”

“Nah,” Leo shook his head. “I may have gotten kicked out of the class.”

“What did you do this time?” Jason rolled his eyes.

“Nothing, really!” Leo exclaimed. Jason kept looking at him suspiciously, though, so he had to add eventually: “Fine, I may have disagreed with the professor about some of his methods, but really, that’s all. Didn’t blow up the lab or anything like that.”

“One time when I was in the high school I told the teacher his pants were unzipped and I wasn’t allowed to participate in his classes for a whole week after that. Didn’t miss much, though, he sucked as a teacher,” Percy joined the conversation.

“That’s exactly what I thought about this guy!” Leo said and gave Percy a high five. “Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be in the pool at this hour.”

“Just checking the places,” Percy shrugged. Leo raised his eyebrow questioningly. “Fine, Annabeth thinks that at some point I should start thinking about my career after swimming so Jason said he could show me around today so I’d get an idea what it’s like here. Oh and, he promised me a free lunch.”

“Makes sense,” Leo said while already looking at the menu eagerly. “I’d come here for a free lunch too.”

“You pay for this one, though,” Percy pointed out.

“Back to the actual topic ,” Jason said, looking at Leo a bit worriedly. “You didn’t get into big trouble with that professor, did you?”

“I think he’ll go back to ignoring me again in the next class. “ Leo replied. “So no need to worry.”

“Good. It’s just that, after that last lab incident…” Jason started, referring to an incident that had happened in the previous semester, but Leo stopped him.

“I said no need to worry,” Leo said a bit louder. “I’ve got things sorted, OK? Just… let’s go to get that damn lunch now. Chili con carne, anyone?”

In reality, Leo knew that if he skipped one more lab class, the professors wouldn’t be that understanding. The saddest part about it was that he actually enjoyed the lab classes way more than the boring theory classes because there you got to try things out with your own hands, but… there was one big but. He couldn’t be there when…

“Leo?” he heard Jason’s voice somewhere nearby

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“You were just totally zoned out, I was talking to you like a full minute and I don’t think you heard anything I said,” Jason pointed out.

“Oh, sorry. Lots going on in my mind. So, what did you say?” Leo asked.

“I was asking about when we should meet up on Saturday? I have soccer practice in the morning and Piper has a meeting with her theater group at 1 pm but we’re free after that.”

“I have to ask Cal but I think I can organize my work so I’d be free any time after 4 pm.”

“Alright, sounds fine to me,” Jason said, but Leo could sense that he was still wondering what had been bothering him that much.

“So who’s this Cal person?” Percy asked when the boys made it to the buffet tables.

“My new flatmate,” Leo said simply, currently more interested in filling his plate than elaborating on his living situation.

“OK. I was just wondering because Annabeth mentioned that she’d been at your place, and apparently she’d helped to give this flatmate of yours a makeover.”

“Oh, yeah!” Leo said, remembering that meeting quite vividly. “From what I’ve heard they’ve been hanging out quite a lot lately. That’s good because… well, she’s new here.” Leo was going to say that she doesn’t seem to have a lot of people in her life, but decided that he didn’t want to reveal too much to someone who had never even met her.

“Where is she from then?”

“I think she moved here from New York,” Leo said. “And she’s around your age. Who knows, you might even know her.”

“New York is a pretty big place,” Percy pointed out. “I guess Cal is a nickname? What’s her full name?”

Leo was going to answer when he spotted the chemistry lab professor in the crowd and he quickly hid behind Jason.

“Don’t let him see me,” Leo said hastily. “He’s gonna…”

Leo didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence when he heard the said professor say loudly: “Mister Valdez!”

Leo peeked from behind his friend.

“Hola, professor,” he said awkwardly. “Didn’t see you there.”

“Yes you did, you were just trying to hide from me. I wanted to remind you that today is the test day which is 60% of the mark. And that means that…”

“If I skip that test, I will fail the class,” Leo added, looking down at his feet. He didn’t remain like that long, though. “I’ll be there, professor.” He put up a brave face and saluted him as the professor just ‘hmmph’ed and turned away from me.

“I thought you said you have everything in order.” Jason raised his eyebrow once the boys had paid for their lunches and started to look for a table. “That didn’t seem like it.”

“Take care of your own business, Sparky,” Leo grunted and pointed at one empty table not far from them. “Let’s go there.”

“I’m serious, Leo,” Jason continued once they got seated. “Something is bothering you. We are your friends and we do care. You can trust us on this.”

Leo let Jason’s words sink in. Friends. Care. Trust. Since his mother died, he had always been the oddball, the outsider until he got a family who actually cared about him, Jo, Emmie and Georgie, but he still got a bit overwhelmed every time he realized that he really mattered to someone.

“Thanks, man.” Leo said finally. “I’ll… keep that in my mind. Promise.”

“Good.” Jason smiled at him encouragingly. “You can talk to us whenever you feel like it.”

After that the discussion moved to other things. Percy was hopeful that he was fit enough for a new record in his next competition and he didn’t forget to praise her little sister as well. Jason mentioned having seen his father at the campus but he had barely acknowledged his presence. Leo threw a few sarcastic comments here and there to let the others know he was listening. However, he had lost his appetite after hearing about the test. He had barely tasted his lunch and was now moving the rice back and forth on his plate as it got cooler. If the others noticed that, they didn’t say anything, probably thinking that it was better to let Leo open up on his own accord.

The lunch time flew by too fast for Leo’s liking. After separating from his friends he started heading towards the lab where most of the other students were already getting prepared. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in, hoping for the best.

The lab class started with a brief written test that made sure the students were ready for the practice part. This time would be particularly important, though, because it was testing them about pretty much everything they had learned so far in that class, and would be graded accordingly.

The written test caused no problem to Leo. He’d be able to name the lab tools by heart even in his sleep and the calculations weren’t much harder to him. However, he was already dreading the actual practice part for a very specific reason…

In the practice Leo would have to mix a few compounds together to get a chemical reaction. That was the simple part. But unfortunately for him, these said compounds would have to be heated in order for them to react. And of course you’d need a flame to do that. Now that was the hard part for Leo. He hated the gas burners and it had become a habit for him to skip a lab class when he knew they would be used. Unfortunately for him, that was fairly often because apparently the university’s heating plates were used by some other group at the same time, and that was also why he was about to fail this class. But if he could handle using the burner just this once, maybe he’d be fine… He knew he couldn’t afford to fail it because if he did, it might be a sign that he wouldn’t be able to do the job he was so excited about, and that would be a huge slap in his face. Maybe even bigger than he was ready to admit.

He measured the compounds and was ready to heat them when he noticed that a fellow student nearby had accidentally mistaken two of the compounds with each other, ruining the mixture. That gave him an idea.

“Pssst. I can mix a new one for you if you heat this for me.”

“What?” The other student looked at him with confusion. “Why would I do that?”

“I just told you. I can fix that for you.”

“You just want to flex with your skills, that’s all,” the guy said, knowing Leo’s reputation as the genius who however refused to join lab classes. Probably because he felt he was too good for them. “May I remind you that this is a solo practice!” the professor yelled from the front of the class. “No talking allowed.”

“Yes, professor,” Leo said quietly, but rolled his eyes at him when he turned his back. He read the instructions one more time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything and when he was double convinced that he was in the part that he had dreaded, he breathed sharply and picked up his gas burner and some matches. He felt his heart starting to race and his hands starting to shake as he took one match from the box and tried to light it.

He tried once. Twice. Took a deep breath and tried once more. At this point his hands were shaking so furiously that the match fell from his hand. Realizing that he still couldn’t do it, he made a frustrated groan, dropped the match box on the table and started shakily collecting his things.

“Mister Valdez? Did you finish your task?” The professor raised his gaze from his desk and focused on him. A few others turned to Leo’s direction as well.

“No, sir.”

“And why not?”

“I. can’t.” Leo said with a voice so deep and raw that you rarely got to hear it from him. He left his unfinished product on the professor’s desk. Then he threw his bag over his shoulder and doors banging left the class.

He didn’t make it far when he felt his knees going weak and he had to sit down on the closest chair, burying his face in his hands.

…

“Thanks so much for showing me that place! It feels so good to see some nature even this close to the city,” Calypso exclaimed happily to Annabeth as they were walking towards the dorms. Calypso loved nature and she didn’t really feel at home in the concrete jungle, hoping that one day she could afford to buy a house from the countryside. She had once mentioned that to Annabeth who also enjoyed adventuring in the less crowded areas and had promised to take Calypso to one of her favorite parks nearby. They both had had free time from their classes that afternoon so they had decided to take the advantage of that and go to explore a bit.

The park had been pretty, having a small river running through it and little trails circling the trees. Calypso, who had grown near the sea missed seeing bodies of water so even the river had made her feel a little less homesick. The girls had been there for a few hours, taking pictures and having a small picnic while talking about anything and everything that had come to their minds.

Now, unfortunately, it was time to return back to real life and the assignments that were waiting for them at home.

“No problem,” Annabeth replied to Calypso’s comment. “Honestly, I think this break was much needed. I do love architecture and history and all that but sometimes my ADHD kicks in and I just need to get out of the house.”

“Yeah, it helps to focus again afterwards,” Calypso agreed. “Hey, do you have anything special to do this weekend? Leo, I, Piper and Jason are supposed to have a video game night on Saturday and I thought I’d ask if you want to join. You can ask your boyfriend too if you want, of course! I’m sure Leo wouldn’t mind.”

“What time would it be?” Annabeth asked.

“I haven’t asked Leo yet but he does work on Saturdays so probably not very early. Sometime in the evening. I can inform you when I know more,” Calypso promised.

“Okay, I’ll keep that in my mind. My boyfriend has a swimming practice twice a day so he may not be able to join us but I might!”

“Great!”

The girls had reached the area where Calypso lived so they turned to their own directions.

“I’ll contact you!” Calypso said before Annabeth was too far to hear. She waved at her in response.

Calypso was still smiling when she entered her flat, but the smile soon melted from her face when she saw Leo hunched on the couch, looking utterly lost. Calypso approached him cautiously, asking: “What happened?”

Leo patted on the seat next to him, gesturing to her to join him on the couch. She did, but when he didn’t say anything for a while, though, Calypso decided to be bold and wrap her arm around his shoulder. Leo looked at her with dark eyes, still appreciating the gesture.

“I may have to start making new career plans.”

#caleo #leo valdez #calypso #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #trials of apollo #my fics #caleo uni au

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 5 years

Text

Love Isn’t Always on Time Part Twelve

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

Notes: Sorry this took so long! Not Beta-read. Summary: Growing up, we were told that Steve was taken to Europe where he went on to recruit the Howling Commandos after he undertook a daring rescue mission alone. Textbooks completely glossed over the before that would inevitably happen, Steve was made to perform like a dancing bear, reading off of a script, signing pictures, kissing babies, punching a man dressed to look like Hitler.

Warnings: None?

Rating: T (this may change)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes

“This is not what I thought they meant when they said ‘the war effort’,” Steve grumbled, surly. I reached out, lightly smoothing back the hairs misplaced by the helmet they were making him wear.

Growing up, we were told that Steve was taken to Europe where he went on to recruit the Howling Commandos after he undertook a daring rescue mission alone. Textbooks completely glossed over the before that would inevitably happen, Steve was made to perform like a dancing bear, reading off of a script, signing pictures, kissing babies, punching a man dressed to look like Hitler. The last time I’d seen Steve looking so disheartened was the first time he’d come back from the recruitment center with a 1F stamped on his form.

“Oh,” Steve turned to me as I continued to run my fingers through his hair, “They told me this morning that we need to get our passports together.” My blood ran cold.

“Passport?” I repeated. He nodded.

“They’re sending us over to... Meet with the troops that are deployed.“ That was putting it nicely.

“I’ll go during one of the day shows, get myself sorted out,” I said. Steve’s smile told me that my voice sounded as calm as I’d hoped, even if it felt like my heart was pounding out of chest.

Passports had only become a requirement the year before. If I was with anyone else, I might’ve tried to slip under the radar, but there was no way I could get away with it now, not with what a big deal Steve was. It had been a fight to even get me on tour with him, but he’d refused to go unless I was allowed. I had a fake passport and ID that S.H.I.E.L.D had sent me over with, but anything I presented the army with, they’d go over with a fine-tooth comb. I could only pray that the forgeries were convincing enough.

—-

“You ever been on a plane before?” Steve asked, settling back into the seat. I nodded, wordless as my fingers cuddled with locket around my neck.

“Where’d you go?” Steve asked.

“To visit some family.” Steve didn’t ask any questions after that, just picked my hand up and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it. I turned my head to look at him, smiling a little.

“I’m guessing flying makes you nervous?” He asked, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

“A little,” I agreed. This line of falsehood was easier than the truth: Bucky’s mother had called me that morning. She’s received a telegram informing her that Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes was missing in action, presumed dead. I hadn’t told Steve; I didn’t know how to. God knows if I did he would just walk through Europe until he reached the guy. The army sure as hell wouldn’t risk any more soldiers going into whatever firefight Bucky had been lost in, and no way would they let Steve leave; they wouldn’t they even let him go to war.

The only thing that was keeping me from falling to pieces was the fact that I knew Bucky would be alright— for a time, anyway. He was part of the Howling Commandos, he and Steve still had work to do. And whether or history liked it or not, I would not let him fall again.

—

“You must be—“ I could barely focus on the words. Margaret Carter was in front of me, shaking my hand, speaking in that easy yet clipped British tone, the all-business tone I’d heard the first time I met her at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. She’d stopped talking, and was giving mean odd look. I felt myself flush as I let go of her hand; I’d definitely been shaking it for too long. “I’m sorry, I um— I didn’t sleep on the plane,” I explained, a little flustered, “It’s great to finally meet you, Agent. Steve’s told me a lot about you.” “Don’t mention it; officially, I’m not here. I’ve heard quite a bit about you. Did you really teach him how to roll a man over his shoulder?” I cast a fond look at Steve over her shoulder. “Someone had to. Little punk could never keep out of trouble.” I smiled as Peggy laughed. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.” I bit my lip, nodding. I knew it was a long shot I’d be able to stay with Stevie; I usually roomed with the showgirls while we were on the road, so it made sense that this would be no different. It didn’t matter; it had never stopped me from sneaking to Steve’s room, anyway.

—

“Nice boots, Tinker Bell!” I clenched my jaw at the sound of the solders heckling Steve. I watched as he shielded himself, hurrying off of the stage. “Stevie,” I said, but he was already yanking his helmet off as the girl retook the stage. I followed him a few paces back, watching him sit himself on the steps. I sat a step above him and he hesitated before resting his head on my knee. I combed my fingers through his matted hair. “They’re dishearten, Stevie.” “I should be helping them,” He argued. I couldn’t say a word, knowing soon enough he would be. Peggy joined us a few minutes later, hand on her hip. “That was quite the performance,” She said, looking between the two of us. Steve sat up, nodding. “Well, I had to improvise a bit. Crowds I’m used to are usually more uh… Twelve.” “I understand you’re ‘America’s New Hope’?” Peggy asked. I saw that clench of Steve’s jaw, a combination of irritation and pride. “Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit.” “Is that Senator Brandt I hear?” I watched the two of them bicker, and I could see it then. There was a spark there, something I had stood in the way of. I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably and I stood, excusing myself softly to leave them to it. I returned to my tent, kicking my shoes off and settling back. I did my best to tune out the sounds around me: the mechanical grinding of tanks and chatter of the show girls and GIs that definitely weren’t supposed to be anywhere near those tents.

—

“Wake up!” When had I fallen asleep? I blinked blearily up at Steve, pushing myself up to look at him. “What is it? Time for the next show?” “I’m going to get Bucky,” Was what he said. I froze. “Get—Get?” “He’s thirty miles behind the lines. Peggy’s giving me a lift.” I paused, weighing my options. “I”m coming with you,” I said firmly, standing and rifling around in my trunk. “No, it’s too dangerous.” “And it’s not for you? We’re going to get Bucky, we’re getting him together,” I said firmly, “And if you leave me here, Rogers, when you get back, I’m going to kick your ass.”

Tag list: @gloryevans @redryderdesigns @winter-scolder @aactuaaltraash @secretagentben @staplerrrr@moli1497@adayinmymeadow @allonszassbutt @mannls @witch-of-letters

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers x bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #Bucky Barnes #Love Isn't Always on Time

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chibistarlyte · 4 years

Text

let me love you (without having to say it)

just a fluffy kiribaku sickfic i wrote today for my wonderful friend kat @sunshineijirou. i hope i did your boys justice and i hope this helps cheer you up, my friend. <3

Bakugou was surprised when he didn't get a good morning text from Kirishima.

It had become habit at this point. The two often slept in the same room—usually Bakugou's, but on occasion they'd stay in Kirishima's as they had the previous night—but Bakugou was the earlier riser of the two. At least, if he hadn't been plagued with nightmares the previous night. He was usually out on his morning run when a text from his boyfriend would vibrate in his pocket, disrupting the music streaming into his headphones. And Bakugou was happy that he was always alone on his morning runs, because then no one could bear witness to the fond smile that inevitably made its way onto his usually scowling face.

But by the time he returned to the dorms, his phone has remained mysteriously undisturbed.

Maybe Kirishima was still sleeping?

Deciding to give his boyfriend a bit more time to wake up, Bakugou made his way to his room to retrieve his uniform and toiletries so he could hit the showers before breakfast. He ran into Sero and Kaminari in the communal bathroom after his shower, where they were having way too animated a conversation for the early morning.

He checked his phone again on the way back to his room, but there was still no text.

Now was about time for Bakugou to be worried.

"Is everything okay, Kacchan?"

Bakugou looked up from his phone and found himself face-to-face with Deku, who'd just come off the elevator with Todoroki in tow.

The blond bit back his usual biting response of, "Everything's fine, you damn nerd!" and sighed. "You guys seen Shitty Hair this morning?"

Deku tilted his head, touching his finger to his chin in thought. "Come to think of it, I don't think I have?"

Bakugou's worry intensified.

"Thanks for nothing, nerd," Bakugou said gruffly, though he did reach out to ruffle Deku's hair just a little as he stepped onto the elevator.

"Let us know if you need anything, okay, Kacchan?" Deku offered. Behind him, Todoroki gave an agreeing nod.

Bakugou gave a nod of his own, this one in thanks, as the elevator doors closed before him.

His palms were sparking at his sides, and he had to focus to keep from melting the button for the fourth floor. He worked on his breathing the entire ride up, trying to force all the catastrophic guesses as to his boyfriend's whereabouts into things not so worst-case.

Bypassing his own room and heading straight for Kirishima's, Bakugou stood in front of the door and knocked twice with his knuckle. There was some kind of musical noise coming from inside, though he couldn't hear it well enough through the door to identify it. "Oi, Eijirou, I'm coming in," he announced, mentally smacking himself at the shakiness in his voice. There was no response even as he opened the door.

Everything was just as Bakugou had left it when he went out for his morning run. That included the unmoving lump under the garish covers that was his boyfriend. The unknown noise was the alarm on Kirishima's phone, blaring some sort of heroic tune that looped infinitely on itself. And the fact that the scene was pretty much the same as before was worrisome.

Kirishima never slept through his alarm, let alone allow it to go off for twenty straight minutes. Bakugou saw it on the screen when he picked up Kirishima's phone to dismiss the alarm.

"Ei…" Bakugou said quietly, kneeling down next to the bed. He lifted the camo blanket enough to find his boyfriend's sleeping face, cheeks flushed and sweat beading at his hairline. Kirishima's breathing was somewhat haggard, as if he'd just finished sprinting twenty kilometers instead of sleeping through the night. And though he felt abnormally warm, he was shivering.

The poor idiot looked sicker than shit. Bakugou felt a boulder of guilt settle into the pit of his stomach. How did he not notice earlier, when he’d woken up that morning?

He was a terrible boyfriend.

Kirishima stirred when Bakugou moved to sit on the bed, phone in his hand as he quickly typed out a text.

To: Shitty Deku tell sensei eijirou is sick and i’m taking care of him today so we won’t be in class

“Katsu...ki...?”

Bakugou put his phone in his pocket turned his attention to Kirishima, who was looking at him blearily. The whites of his eyes were almost as red as his irises. “Hey…” he said softly, moving some of Kirishima’s vibrant hair away from his sweaty forehead.

“What time is it?” Kirishima asked in the raspiest voice Bakugou had ever heard.

“Almost eight-thirty,” Bakugou responded after a moment, trying to remember what time it was when he texted Deku.

Kirishima shot up in bed. “What?!” he exclaimed, hurriedly throwing off the covers and making to stand. “Fuck! Katsuki, why didn’t you wake me up?! I’m gonna be—oh…”

As soon as he stood up from his bed, Kirishima’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head as he swayed forward.

“Shit!” Bakugou yelled, moving with cat-like reflexes to catch his boyfriend before he hit the floor. “Uh-uh, get your ass back in bed. You’re sick, idiot.”

Kirishima, unable to support his own weight for the aches and weakness in his muscles, leaned on his boyfriend and allowed himself to be maneuvered back into bed. “But…” he said, only to have his rebuttal interrupted by a small series of coughs.

“Shut the hell up, you have a fever and you’re not going to class,” Bakugou said firmly, tucking the blankets tightly around Kirishima’s prone form. “And I’m taking care of you today, no ifs, ands, or buts, you got it?”

“But…” Kirishima tried again.

“Oi, what did I just say?” Bakugou said, more exasperated than anything.

Letting out a sigh that was punctuated by a cough, Kirishima let his head fall back against the pillow in defeat. “Alright…” he acquiesced. “Sorry to be a burden…”

Bakugou combed his fingers through Kirishima’s hair, blunt nails gently scratching his scalp. “You’re not a burden, so fuck off with that kind of talk, alright? I’m gonna go make you some tea and soup, just...just try and go back to sleep, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay…” Kirishima agreed almost too easily, coughing again as he turned onto his side and nuzzled against Bakugou’s hand.

With a gentle kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead that lasted quite a few more seconds than intended, Bakugou got up and headed for the door.

He nearly shit his pants when he opened the door and nearly ran right into Todoroki.

“Oi, Icyhot! What the fuck?” he said without any of his usual heat, just surprise to see the two-toned boy standing outside Kirishima’s dorm. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class or some shit?”

Instead of giving a verbal answer right away, Todoroki held up a container full of ice that had a few damp washcloths sitting on top. “Izuku said Kirishima was sick, so I brought these for you. To help with his fever.”

Bakugou blinked, standing stock still for a moment. That was...unexpected.

Brain finally connecting with the rest of his body, he took the proffered container into his own hands. “Uh. Thanks, half-n-half. I...you didn’t have to do that.”

Todoroki shrugged in that nonchalant way of his. “Kirishima’s a friend,” he said cryptically, then turned to leave. “I gotta go or I’ll be late. See you later, Bakugou.” And with a wave, Todoroki disappeared down the hall and into the elevator.

Once Icyhot was out of sight, Bakugou ducked back into the room and set the container on the floor next to the head of the bed. He knelt down and grabbed one of the washcloths, testing to make sure it wasn’t too cold before bringing it up to Kirishima’s forehead.

Bakugou heard Kirishima’s sharp teeth chattering as soon as the washcloth made contact with his feverish skin. Almost as an unconscious defense mechanism, Kirishima’s Quirk activated and hardened the patches of skin that were touching the cold cloth.

“Stop using your Quirk, you’re gonna wear yourself out…” Bakugou chided softly, mostly out of worry. Kirishima was already low on stamina with his body fighting off his illness. If he used his Quirk for any amount of time, it was bound to make things worse.

“S-sorry,” Kirishima muttered, his shivering evident in his croaky voice. “It’s just...cold…”

“Just try to keep it on, it’ll help with the fever,” Bakugou said, satisfied when he received a weak nod from Kirishima.

He then, finally, left his boyfriend’s dorm and made his way downstairs without any further interruptions. It was almost nine o’clock at that point, which meant that everyone was already in class. He checked his phone and saw a message from Deku.

From: Shitty Deku aizawa-sensei says to take good care of kirishima-kun! you two can borrow my notes for today if you need! :D

Bakugou rolled his eyes, more out of fondness than anything. Not that he’d ever admit it to anyone, ever.

Lost in his own thoughts, Bakugou meandered about the kitchen and gathered the ingredients to make a simple soup for Kirishima. He also set the kettle to boil for some tea. He liked cooking a lot; it helped him center himself, helped calm him down when he was feeling restless. It made him feel useful, to be able to provide something for someone else. It made him feel like he’d accomplished something, no matter how small the meal actually was.

Kirishima had been there for him enough times. It was about time he returned the favor, at least in some way.

Time passed, and soon enough Bakugou found himself balancing a tray of a bowl of soup, a glass of water, and a mug of steaming hot lemon tea with honey as he headed back up to the fourth floor. Kirishima was asleep again when Bakugou returned to the room, which was a good sign. Sleep was always the best medicine, as Recovery Girl usually told them.

Bakugou decided to let Kirishima sleep for a few more minutes, leaving the tray on the floor at the foot of the bed and running to his own room to grab a couple spare blankets. He also dug around for a couple over-the-counter pills to help with the fever and congestion. Treasures found, he went back to Kirshima’s room.

“Shitty Hair,” he called softly as he headed over to the bed. He set the extra blankets over his boyfriend with such care that anyone else would have found it appalling, coming from a tough ass like himself.

Kirishima stirred at the sound of his voice, slowly blinking his eyes open and staring at Bakugou with his lids at half-mast. A groan was all the sound that escaped him.

“I brought you food and medicine. You don’t have to eat if you’re not hungry, but...you should at least take the medicine,” Bakugou said, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding Kirishima’s tired gaze.

Coughing a little, Kirishima answered, “Medicine, please. No food right now.”

Complying, Bakugou brought his boyfriend the pills and glass of water. Kirishima had a hard time swallowing the pills with how sore his throat was, but finally managed to get them down. He flopped back onto the bed with a sigh, still shivering with fever. Bakugou took the opportunity to change out the washcloth, setting the old one back on its bed of ice. Kirishima let out a hiss when the freshly cold cloth hit his skin, but thankfully his Quirk behaved itself this time.

Once Kirishima was settled and tucked in again, Bakugou climbed onto the bed and laid down between the wall and Kirishima. Barely a second later, his sick boyfriend was cuddling up to him in search of comfort.

“You shouldn’t be in bed with me, I’ll get you sick,” Kirishima complained, but his actions didn’t align with his words in the slightest.

Smiling a bit, Bakugou wrapped his arms around the blanket burrito that was his boyfriend and pulled him closer. “I don’t give a shit, just get better, okay?”

Kirishima nodded, tucking his head under Bakugou’s chin. The cold cloth hit the bare skin at Bakugou’s unbuttoned collar, giving him goosebumps.

“You’re the best boyfriend ever…” Kirishima rasped out, voice trailing off. The blush that made itself known on Bakugou’s face was almost as red as Kirishima’s fever-induced flush.

Thankfully Kirishima fell asleep again before he could see what a flustered mess his boyfriend had become at such sentimental words, and Bakugou, finally allowing the words to sink in, followed him into slumber soon after.

#kiribaku #bakushima #bnha #boku no hero academia #kiribaku fic #my writing

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losangelesvalorant · 4 years

Text

interesting things from tactical crouch’s interview w fusion assistant coach chrisTFer on 1/21

christfer talks abt hero bans, why fusion underperformed in s2, and why their roster is what it is. ill update this post w the youtube link once its out

On hero bans

Christfer thinks hero bans would change EVERYTHING, every team would have to be able to think on the fly, strong ingame leadership, makes coaches' jobs a lot harder, have to practice every hero on every map. you'd have to coach fundamentals into players a lot more and more focus on quickly IDing win conditions and the enemy gameplan. very seriously hopes they aren't gonna drop it this season

if the goal is to have genuine diversity in hero pool, bans is the way to achieve that, but christfer thinks itll fuck up the competitiveness, level of play will go down. but any aspect that helps spectators is better for league overall

volamel thinks hero bans will excite and drive the audience bc banning players specific heroes would be hype as fuck. lotta strategy, lots of analysis. however he's skeptical bc if it happens midseason it's gonna fuck over coaches

christfer thinks if theyre gonna do it they gotta do it today. there's no other good time

yiska thinks it would be bad to implement it midseason bc the # of games teams play across the season is sooo spread out. teams have different amts of games every month

on why fusion underperformed in s2

Internally, fusion was kinda "naive" coming into s2, thought they were the 2nd best team and acted as if they were 2nd best. rarely felt happiness after scrims bc theyre "supposed" to be winning all the scrims. losing scrims also was hugely negative for the same reason

smaller roster makes it harder to kick people into gear, so lack of motivation was a big thing. they were just waiting for goats to die

thought goats wouldnt continue into s2, stage 4 was where they finally got motivation, fusion never completely understood the goats style of play or the fundamentals goats taught teams, they lost games they shouldnt have as a result. Not one big issue, lots of small issues

fusion held themselves to such high expectations that when they failed them and weren't enjoying the game as much so morale fell. (paraphrased) "as long as my players enjoy playing the game, it makes my job easier"

Christfer says fusion changed a lot for playins, changed coaching structure, overwhelmingly positive result. best theyd looked all season

shanghai had very particular strengths on certain maps. fusion was winning brawl comps vs brawl comps. got nervous and dropped maps they were supposed to take, but theyd given away too many of "their" maps to be able to lose shanghai's maps.

felt like they hit the ground running on playins, but other teams levelled up across playins and christfer believed other teams wouldve developed more than they would have

even if coaching wasnt problem if team is in a slump you need new coaches to re-fire everyone up, which is what happened w fusion.

on carpe and sado

carpe was able to play heroes he excelled at in s1, in s2 zarya was entirely different in elements of what makes a player good at the hero. carpe holds himself to a very, very high standard and playing zarya killed his morale because he wasn't so good at it. christfer considers it a failing of himself as a coach that he didn't help carpe work through that more

nobody on the team is worried about carpe’s performance. Christfer confirmed carpe wont play if he isnt up to standard (in response to reddit worrying abt how long his contract is and how much sway he has over coaches)

christfer is very upset about how people treat sado. sado is the "single nicest person you will ever meet." every single player/coach had 1 on 1s with tucker, everyone said they wanted to keep playing with sado. yiska emphasized how important it is that every player on the team wanted to keep playing sado bc for example eqo and carpe want to win more than anything and if they thought sado was the problem they absolutely wouldve said so

Other teams came to fusion wanting to sign sado

christfer said sado wasnt the greatest main tank player last year, but playing rein in a "dysfunctional" team makes the rein player look bad.

christfer thinks this is the "season of sado." has complete faith in him

the complaints abt sado’s rein "[he] can understand," says to remember sado had never played pro before s1. he doesn't have as much competitive exp which hits him hard but he's grown wildly in the last year.

sado's ability to hit every halt at the right time is incredible. compares him to alarm in how good his instincts are. excellent player in a team environment, kinda a big brother to some of the players on the team, sado is very important to the team

christfer agrees that if meta shifts and sado is sick, theres a problem, but says this is not a problem unique to fusion

on fusion’s new acquisitions

heesu surprised christfer the most. he’s “very, very, very very, very good.” hungry to learn, easy to talk to, they got a very good deal and christfer is surprised more teams didn't try to get him

heesu has a lot of respect for carpe, heesu said its a + for him to work under carpe

theyre trying to scrim w heesu daily, sounds like they intend to play him if the opportunity presents itself. excellent signing theyre very happy abt

the point of the chipsa signing was that they didnt need a 5th dps, their lineup is already perfect, they had to find someone that "made sense" from many levels. wanted a specialist. Christfer thinks chipsa understands the raw mechanics of doom better than any owl players, thinks he could legit play in a doom meta. also thinks chipsa could teach eqo doom in a doom meta. chipsa provides advertisement, no need for scrimming with him. if the situation is right he can play and if he's not playing he provides income, publicity, etc. christfer again restated he was originally against the signing. when tucker explained why hed be signed, christfer came around to the idea

having 2 way players is a headache in christfers opinion, so that was another reason why they didnt pick up a contenders player instead of chipsa.

chipsa has not had a scrim yet because he’s not in philly bc visa stuff, but christfer did not clarify whether or not he will scrim.

of all players signed, funnyastro was by far the most in demand. they had to fight for him, almost every team wanted him. he's a "sponge" where he remembers whatever coaches tell him, incredibly coachable, very mature for his age, needs to adjust his playstyle a bit to fit into the team (bc he's going for plays he shouldnt sometimes) but if they can "tune him back" a bit hes great. want to find a middle ground bc astro's ability to kill everything and doing his job (brought up moth as the "glue guy" who enables everyone by doing his job perfectly)

alarm has insane awareness, has natural affinity for positioning, understands ovw instinctively. zero attitude issues, the nicest/perfect teammate. "the whole package."

yiska said ivy has a "special type of character," quickly clarified that it’s not a “problematic” character, but needs a dif type of coaching (christfer agreed)

thinks things got difficult for ivy on toronto bc he was moving roles so much, kdg puts a lot of stock into him, a lot of kr players do too. people from toronto think ivy is insane mechanically. volamel thinks ivy should have been toronto's standout

fury wasnt signed bc of bad synergy btween sado and poko. poko wasnt the problem. fusion is very serious abt winning everything and fury is a statement of that intent. fury/poko cover every base

on new coaches

Christfer really respects seita and kdg, happy to have gotten them. has worked w both of them in the past, considers kdg similar to crusty. they signed kdg like the second he became available, christfer asked for him specifically.

seita will stay remote

yiska says mobydik is nuts in terms of game knowledge. Christfer agreed, says he thinks abt the game in a very unique way, outside of the box

misc

Fusion has a system where all 3 supports are rotating in the current meta. nobody is benched. had main support play bap originally when bootcamping, but theres places u can play 2 flex sups, so fusion has a lot of flexibility. who plays depends on situations where you can always play zen/bap vs where you might have to flex to lucio

Christfer thinks main sups doing calling/single caller system is a bit outdated and more of a western concept, trying to build comm system where everyone communicates, everyone calls their own ults. can have ingame leaders, but wants everyone to call what they need to call. in this meta everyone has to make the plays and call their own ults bc its split second and only the person w the ult can see the optimal situation

Christfer thinks the positions where you need stability in ovw is main tank and main support. subbing dps players in and out is fine but you need consistency at mt and ms.

really really think they dont need to fill their last roster spot

Christfer calls this season a "rebuild season" for fusion. if they dont do well this year christfer thinks it would be the fault of the coaches. too much talent to fuck it up.

not taking home a title is not exactly a failure, but anything within the top 4 fusion is happy with

#notes #these r barely edited so if theyre incomprehensible thats why

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jj-lynn21 · 4 years

Text

Snow in Hollywood Chapter 4

@tephi101 @sweet-teekorbs One more chapter after this. Warnings: Teasing, Wicked Queen, poison, crying. If you know Snow White you always knew where this was going.

Chapter 4

You get to sleep in which makes you wake up in a great mood. You put your hair in a ponytail, though on jean shorts and a yellow and red stripped tank top, and just a little foundation. You know later you will be getting your make-up done by a professional so no need to overdo. Everyone is sitting at the breakfast table when you come out. You sit down.

You say, “Good morning everyone.”

In unison they say, “Good morning princess.”

You grab some dry toast to eat. You don’t want your dress to be uncomfortable and that pasta last night was filling. You don’t plan to eat much before you go to pick up your dress.

Your say, “so what’s everyone up to today?”

Sam says, “I’m off to the hospital to make rounds after breakfast.”

Gustaf say, “I have to be on set soon. I hope I make it on time. I probably will.”

Laughing Alex says, “I got rugrat duty today.”

Ossian says, “I get to play jungle gym on Alex.”

Kolbjorn is passed out with cheerios stuck to him. This seems to be his morning routine. Valter shrugs.You look to Bill.

Bill says, “I have an audition in two hours. I’ll be leaving after breakfast. But I’ll be back in plenty of time for us to go to the Shoppe to get ready for the Ball Princess.”

You say, “Good luck. What’s the audition for if you are allowed to say anything?”

Bill says, “It’s a romantic lead in comedy. Its really different for me but I’d like to try it. “

You say, “I think you would make a great romantic lead.”

A few of the guys almost choke on their breakfast holding back laughter.

Bill says, “Thank you Princess.”

When he gets up, he kisses your cheek before going to get ready for his audition. You blush a little as his brothers stare. Sam and Gustaf get up to go get ready for work next. You start clearing the dishes. Alex gets the kids cleaned up as you finish clearing the table and start dishes. The kids play in the living room while Alex helps you with the dishes as he hums the clean up song. You laugh and hum along to the tune. He starts singing in Swedish and you try your best to sing along. You and Alex play with the little ones the rest of the morning into the afternoon. You laugh so hard when he lets them use him as a jungle gym. Valter stays in his room playing video games mostly, His girlfriend come over to join him and leaves after about two hours.

Regina sits tapping her fingernails on the table as your father reads a mechanics magazine. She is bored and wants him to find her some entertainment or take her out, but he is content being at home in his comfortable chair.

Regina says, “Can’t you do anything to entertain me today? I’m going to die of boredom.”

He says, “I never heard of anyone really dying of boredom. Why don’t you turn on the television? Maybe we can find something to watch together and snuggle.”

She rolls her eyes but flips on the television. Flipping through channels she stops at an entertainment gossip program. Along with a picture of Bill kissing your hand as he helps you out of the car the reporter explains what he saw.

The reporter says, “It seems Bill Skarsguard is dating a porcelain skinned beauty with dark black hair and ruby lips. They were probably heading in to get fitted in their attire for the Ball tonight at The Club.”

There are Flames in Regina’s eyes. The huntsman didn’t really do the job he was paid for. That is why he decided not to take her money and there was something a little different in those blue eyes he brought her back. She packed a bag and came downstairs.

Regina said, “I have to check on someone. I’ll be back in a day or two.”

He said, “Anyone I know?”

As she left, she said, “No one you remember.”

Bill gets home from his Audition. Kolbjorn is asleep on your lap and Ossian is playing cars on the floor with Alex as Dead Pool 2 plays on the television.

Bill says, “I have a limo picking us up in ten minutes Princess. I hope that’s ok?”

Smiling you say, “That’s fine Bill.”

Bill says, “So they made you watch this movie I was in like two minutes?

Ossian says, “I prayed really hard you didn’t die this time, but that truck just ate you all up like a big monster.”

Chuckling Bill says, “Maybe next time big guy.”

You say, “I’ve seen it.”

Bill says, “Oh, you have?”

You say, “Its not like I lived under a rock before I got here. I was aware of the work of you, Alex, Gustaf and Valter.”

Bill says, “You just don’t act like the type of girls that know our work.”

You get up to carry Kolbjorn to his bed, so you can freshen up before leaving.

You say, “You should know by now I’m nothing like the type of girls you have ever known.”

Alex chuckles. Bill stands there mystified for a moment. He freshens up after you.

Bill says, “Put a light hoodie on. Its been on the entertainment news I have a new girl so the paparazzi will be crazy. I don’t want your stepmother seeing you on TV. My Dad would kill me.”

You go grab a hoodie. Then the two of you head out to get in the limo. You are hoping for some alone time but that’s not on the agenda. A reporter is waiting in the limo to chat with Bill about up coming movies. He tries to ask Bill about you, but Bill reminds him that he likes to keep his personal life personal so if he ever wants another interview, he will let it go. You sit back quietly and listen. When you get to The Shoppe, the driver opens the door. Bill gets out first and the flashes from cameras start to go off. You put your hoodie up as he helps you out of the limo. Several other big guy swarm around the two of you to shield you from photographers. You finally make it inside where everyone is happy to see you.

You are separated from Bill, but you completely trust these people. The windows are made so you can see the paparazzi waiting outside for you and Bill, but they can’t see you. The make-up artist takes you first.

He says, “Would you like anything to drink. After we do your lips, they need to set for five minutes before you drink anything so I would recommend you drink now.”

You say, “I will take a fuji water, please.”

He snaps his fingers and you have what you asked for in seconds. He does your make-up a little heavier than before for an evening look. Your eyes are smokey. Your lips are painted redder. Your cheeks are perfectly rosy. Then you are taken over to get your hair done. After taking it down and playing with it for a minute or two the hairdresser uses a curling iron to add ringlets around your face and layers of bigger curls throughout the rest of your hair.

Your Fairy Godmother comes to get you. He is elated by the way you look already.

Your Fairy Godmother says, “You are a beautiful Princess, but after tonight you are going to be on your way to Queen status.”

You just smile as he leading you to the dressing area. His assistants help you put on your dress and shoes.

Your fairy Godmother says, “Show us a little spin Princess.” You spin for the room of people. They clap. He says, “Oh, you are fabulous. I have some ruby earrings and a necklace for you also and of course that mask. It’s the most important thing for the Masquerade Ball.”

His assistants put the jewelry and mask on you. He has you get back up on the small stage and do another little spin. When your eyes focus after spinning you see Bill standing not so far away in a scrumptious dark blue suit with a red mask that you’re not sure if it’s scary or superhot. He licks his lips as he walks over to you.

Whispering the Fairy Godmother says, “I wouldn’t blame you if you just attacked that man in the limo.” You blush as Bill takes your hand. The Fairy Godmother says, “How did I do on this last-minute magic Billy?”

Bill says, “You did awesome. I knew you would come through for me.”

The two of you walk out to the limo. You don’t need to hide from all the paparazzi since you have a mask on now. Still large guys surround the both of you until you get in the limo. You take a breath. Of course, another reporter is in the limo to talk to Bill. He let’s her take a picture of you both since you are both masked. You Get to the event. Bill helps you out of the limo. There are nonstop pictures being taken. You stand to the side for a moment before he grabs your hand and pulls you to him for some couple pictures. They are screaming questions.

Whispering in your ear Bill says, “We don’t have to say anything. Just let them take their pictures.”

You nod and smile. It is a lot more nerve raking than you ever expected. Finally, the two of you get inside. You are thankful Its quieter. A waiter with champagne walks over to you and Bill. You both take a flute to sip. Bill keeps holding your hand as he chats with several people. You talk to wives, girlfriends, boyfriends and possible some people for hire. Mostly everyone is very fascinating or at least pretends to be.

Some slow dance music starts. Serval people start dancing so Bill spins you on to the floor. Your dress twirls perfectly. A few people just watch the dancing. It might be your imagination, but their eyes seem to be on you and Bill. He pulls you close. His hands rest just above your ass. One of your hands rest on his chest as the other strokes the back of his neck softly. You look in each other’s eyes.

Bill says, “Just look at me. You are doing just fine.”

You see some flashing lights as pictures are taken. He rubs your back. You are practically on fire for him. You feel he feels the same. When the photos stop, Bill pulls you off the floor. The two of you are practically running to find a dark corner. He holds you against a wall with his body as you feel his hands sliding up your legs. He kisses your neck and you let out a soft moan.

Whispering in your ear he says, “I want you so bad Princess. Can I be your Prince?”

Breathless you say, “Yes.”

His fingers are looped in your panties sliding them down. You undo his belt.

Some people can be heard coming around the corner. He slides your panties back on. They come around the corner. His palm of his hand is on the wall pushing his body away from you and you are both breathing heavily.

One of the guys in the group says, “Hey, Bill.”

He nods to the guy. They pass. He looks at you as he does his belt back up.

Bill says, “I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for us to be together any long. No more reporters in the limo when we leave. I can have the driver drive around a few hours.”

You say, “Yeah that sounds good.”

Bill says, “Take deep breath. I just have to say goodbye to few people, and we will get the privacy we deserve.”

You nod in agreement. All you think about is finally kissing him as the two of you make your way out to the crowd again. He is saying goodbye. You smile and do what you believe is expected of you trying to keep your cool. Everyone has masks on of course even those delivering drinks. One lady in a very ugly hags mask bring you a cocktail.

She says, “Have this apple martini Princess. You will really enjoy it I promise. Doesn’t it look delicious.”

You say, “Thank you.”

You drink the cocktail. Bill catches you as you start to fall to the floor. People scream. Regina takes off her hags mask as she exits through the kitchen with a satisfied look on her face.

Screaming someone says, “She’s dead!”

Bill checks your pulse. Its weak but he can still feel it. He picks you up.

Screaming Bill says, “She’s not dead. Just open the door and cover us from the cameras. My brother is a Doctor. He will be able to help her.”

As a show a true solidarity most of the people there make a circle around Bill as he carries you out. The limo driver has the door open. He gets in quickly and starts driving.

The driver says, “Are we going to the hospital Sir.?”

Bill says, “No, just take us home.”

The Driver says, “As you wish.”

Bill calls Sam to meet the two of you at the house.

Bill says, “I have no idea what happened Sam. We were on our way out and she just passed out. Yes, she had a drink in her hand but we only had two drinks, maybe three for her.”

He hangs up as the limo pulls up to the house. Sam was on the phone with Alex when Alex rushed out and opened the door before the driver could. Bill was already crying not knowing what happened to you and blaming himself for not paying more attention to your surroundings. Alex pulled you out of the car and carried you into the house. Bill got out and followed him. His head was down, and tears were still streaming. Sam pulled in as the limo was pulling out. He ran inside.

He said, “where is she?”

Sitting with the young boys on the couch Gustaf points down the Hall. Alex had put you in Bill’s bed since it was larger than the guest bed and Bill insisted. Sam goes over with his medical bag. He checks your pulse first. He then gets out his stethoscope to check your heart rate and pulse points. Bill and Alex stand a few steps behind Sam watching. Bill’s eyes are red and blood shot. Alex has his hand on Bills shoulder trying to comfort him.

Sam says, “I’ll get some blood work to see if I can find anything. She seems to just be sleeping deeply. If she doesn’t wake up when I get back in the morning, I’ll start an IV.”

When Sam finishes his assessment, Bill pulls a chair over to sit at your bedside. He starts to cry again as he takes your hand and kisses it softly. Sam closes the door when he leaves with Alex. They head into the livingroom.

Ossian says, “Is the Princess ok? Why is bigger brother crying?”

Sam says, “She’s just sleeping Ossian. Bill is tired to. They had a big date night, so they are both really sleepy. Don’t you cry when you are sleepy sometimes?”

Ossian, “When I was littler I did.”

Sam says, “Well, Kolbjorn is already asleep so I think its your bedtime also. Gustaf always lets you stay up late.”

Ossian says, “Cause he is awesome.”

Gustaf Carries Kolbjorn to bed. Alex tosses Ossian over his shoulder to take him to bed. Ossian laugh. Its late so Ossian falls asleep while Alex is telling him a bedtime story. Valtar comes in from a date night. He sees Sam looking at the vile of blood.

Valter says, “What’s going on? Whose blood is that?”

Sam says, “Take a seat. I think we all need to talk about this.”

He sits down. Gustaf and Alex come out and sit down.

Gustaf says, “Dad is going to kill us.”

Valter says, “For what? I haven’t even been here for hours. Where’s Bill and Snow?”

Sam says, “We don’t know what is going on yet. All I know is she is sleeping deeply. By tomorrow she could just wake up and everything will be fine, but I can’t be sure of that. Bill is sitting with her Valter. She passed out while they were at the Ball, so he is devastated.”

Gustaf says, “We will call Dad when you get the blood work back if she doesn’t wake. Are we in agreement? I mean it Valter. No calling Dad.”

They all say, “We agree.”

#skarsgards #alex skarsgard #gustaf skarsgard #bill skasgård #valter skarsgård #snow white #fanfic #fairytale #reimagined fairy tale #snow in hollywood #red and the full moon #vee

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as-write-as-rain · 4 years

Text

Once Upon A Dream (remix) - Chapter 4

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: A Sleeping Beauty/Winter Soldier remix, featuring the reader as a SHIELD agent who might have powers (or just a really finely tuned intuition)

Warnings: None. If you’ve seen and enjoyed the Captain America films, you shouldn’t find anything troubling here.

The fourth chapter of my Fairy Tale AU for @moonbeambucky’s 5k Writing Challenge!

Chapter 4

While the droning computerized voice monologued, your feeling of danger had increased. And you’d been correct, as always – but it turned out things were a lot worse than even you had expected.

Still, the new information you’d obtained from the computer-claiming-to-be-a-man did serve to answer a lot of your lingering questions about why things at SHIELD had felt increasingly off, and precisely why all of you were now being hunted by your former colleagues.

As you drove back down the same highway you’d driven up only a few hours earlier, Nat napping in the backseat and Steve dozing beside you, you couldn’t help but mentally berate yourself for your inability to have foreseen this situation.

What good was an acutely sensitive sixth sense if it only told you something was up, but not what to look for? That’s like a fire station whose alarm only says there’s a fire somewhere, good luck finding it yourself. You depended upon your intuition, and your team depended on you – and you were letting not only them down, but the whole freaking country at this point.

“You alright?” Steve’s voice was a low murmur, careful not to wake Natasha; yet it startled you out of your internal diatribe.

“Yeah.” You paused and shook your head. “I mean, no. I mean – I just don’t even know anymore, you know?” He stayed quiet, listening, so you rushed to fill in the silence. “I just…how did I not see this coming?” You hated how your voice sounded strained, like you were on the verge of tears. There was no way you were going to cry.

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. None of us saw this coming.”He reassured you.

“Okay, but I’m supposed to see stuff – stuff like this. And I’ve known for a while something was up, but this….this is so much more than what I’m used to. I just feel so far out of my depth, Steve. And I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

“Y/N.” His voice was so calm and so serious you heaved a sigh and took your eyes off the road for a few seconds to glance at him. Even in the dimming twilight, the kindness in his eyes almost made you break. “Nobody blames you for this. Nobody expects you to see everything. Your quick thinking in there, shoving us into that vent shaft or whatever before the missile hit? That saved our lives. Nobody cares that you didn’t see this coming ten years earlier.”

You took a shaky breath and let it out. His words made sense; was it possible you were being too hard on yourself?

“Hell, if you wanna blame someone, blame me. I’m the one who failed to stop Zola all those years ago; if we’d managed to take him out then, this never would have happened.”

Stunned, you glared at him, quicker to leap to his defense than to your own. “Now you’re just talking crazy.”

Giving you that small, sincere Captain America Believes In You smile, he responded, “No crazier than you.”

“Steve. How could anyone think Zola’s actions – or HYDRA’s actions – were your fault? You did everything you could and then some. You were Captain Freaking America, the biggest hero of World War Two. You punched Hitler in the face like a million times! Nobody could possibly hold you responsible for anything that happened while you were in the ice.”

The volume of your whispers climbed higher, threatening to wake Nat, and Steve motioned for you to keep it down.

“What I’m trying to say, Y/N, is that the only people we can blame for Zola’s – or HYDRA’s – actions are Zola and HYDRA. Sitting around pointing fingers, even at ourselves, is a waste of time. It doesn’t matter whether any of us could have seen it coming – not that I’m even sure we could have done something to prevent it. This was put in motion long before you were even born; and even if you had noticed it last year or five years ago, would that even have made a difference?” He shook his head firmly, as if to answer his own question. “Ultimately, what really matters is what we do next, now that we know the threat.”

You made a face and chewed on the inside of your lip. There was a definite logic to what he was saying. The seeds of this had been planted eons ago. And regardless of whether you could have seen it coming, you hadn’t – so every moment spent beating yourself up about the past was a moment not spent figuring out what to do about the present. Continuing to waste time and energy on self-flagellation was far from helpful, and could honestly only make the situation worse.

“I guess you’re right,” you finally mumbled. The smartest course of action would be to immediately put all your focus into your intuition – to be fully present so you could know what to do. After all, tuning into your sixth sense took a lot of concentration, so being distracted by a self-inflicted guilt trip was bound to make it hard to hear. “Thanks, Steve.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” He gave you a wider, warmer smile; you tried to return it, but ended up yawning instead. He chuckled. “Here, pull over at the next rest stop and I’ll take over. You need to get some sleep.”

You napped until the sun came up, but couldn’t really get much more rest. Your dreams were once again full of searching – this time through a wild, tangled forest where thick branches choked out the sun and every strange sound felt menacing – so even though you slept for a good chunk of time, you still woke up exhausted.

Now the three of you were parked in a parking lot near the Tidal Basin, keeping an eye out for a guy Steve knew, a former Air Force pilot he thought might be able to help out. Apparently he jogged along the same route every morning, since Steve had seen him here on more than one occasion. Just as you were about to voice your hope that he’d pass by soon (you were in dire need of a shower and some grub), Steve turned the engine back on and started to exit the parking lot. Glancing around, you spied your target not far ahead, and sighed in relief. Steve slowly and covertly followed him back to a small complex in VA, and the three of you threw yourselves on his mercy.

One hot shower and one hot breakfast later, you’d found yourselves a fourth team member, and had at least a vague plan. You’d been impressed by Sam from the moment he invited the three of you into his home without hesitation. And his willingness to join the cause, knowing the risks involved, definitely endeared him to you.

Tracking down and threatening that jerk Sitwell had done wonders for helping you work out some of your frustration about the whole situation, and you were riding happily in the back of Sam’s car, listening to the traitor whine, when suddenly your intuition went absolutely haywire. Tensing, you grabbed Nat’s knee, and one look at your face told her to stay alert; Steve caught your expression in the rearview mirror and did the same. Sitwell was screaming some nonsense when suddenly something or someone jumped on top of the car and dragged him out of the window. You ducked instinctively, grabbing your knives from your boots and narrowly avoiding the bullets the assassin emptied into the seats.

Sam hit the brakes, and suddenly your attacker was skidding to a surprisingly graceful stop on the road in front of you, as though he hadn’t just been hurled though the air. He stood there menacingly, all black leather, metal arm, and muscle, a creepy mask covering the half of his face that wasn’t obscured by his long hair.

With a gasp, you rolled yourself into a ball, suddenly anticipating a collision. It came in the form of a heavily armored Hummer, which slammed into the back of Sam’s Impala and shoved it back into motion, propelling it directly towards the masked figure. He leapt back over the car, landing on top of it and shattering windows with the force of his impact.

“Sam!” you screamed, but you didn’t even have time to finish your warning before a metal fist penetrated the windshield and snatched the steering wheel through it, as easily as grabbing a handful of candy.

The weight on top of the car lightened considerably, and you knew the metal man in black had disembarked once again. However, the damage had already been done, and you braced yourself, knowing that it was only a matter of seconds before you were forcibly ejected from the vehicle.

Sure enough, mere moments later the four of you were rolling across the asphalt, trying to keep your injuries to a minimum. The other three jumped back up, but you lay there a minute, gasping – your head was screaming every time you looked at the assassin, and you couldn’t piece together a single coherent thought.

Once four men exited the Hummer and opened fire, marching forward with an almost mechanical calm, you dove behind a vehicle to shield yourself. The bullets tracked you relentlessly, and when Steve got flung off the bridge, you and Natasha immediately headed in opposite directions, hoping to split their barrage of bullets.

The meaty metal-armed guy – what had Nat called him? The Winter Soldier? – went after her, while the four agents focused on you. You drew your glocks and tried to return fire when you could, but their machine guns had the advantage. Luckily, Natasha swung off the bridge and managed to get in a nice shot at her pursuer, giving you the distraction you needed to deploy your own utility belt and join her at street level.

Taking a couple deep breaths, you looked around, trying to gauge exactly where in the city you’d landed. So many of the federal buildings down here looked the same, which meant it was often difficult to get your bearings.

But with enemies hot on your trail, you knew you didn’t have time to dally. You picked a direction and ran, praying your intuition would guide you to the location least likely to be filled with civilians. Luckily, it was still the middle of the workday, so you were counting on the fact that most people would be safely ensconced in their office buildings.

You spied an abandoned gift shop with a small park beyond, so you ran around its corner and knelt behind the trashcan conveniently located there, ready to ambush anyone who followed you. Your ploy paid off immediately, as two figures hurried around the corner and past the trashcan, eyes sweeping the grassy area. If it had been lunchtime, there might have been more people on the benches surrounding the bronze statue at the center, but right now it was empty.

You pounced silently from your concealed hiding place onto the shoulders of the closest agent, swiftly incapacitating him with a blow from your electrified gauntlets – Nat had given you a pair once after catching you admiring hers, and you never tired of using them.

Your assailant’s partner whirled around, but you were ready, and with a few swift kicks you managed to knock him unconscious too. Quickly checking both bodies, you disarmed the men and then used a length of cord you’d found on one of them to tie them up, back to back.

Hopefully when this was over, your team would be able to question these men and formulate a better plan for how to beat HYDRA. But for now, no new enemies arrived, and you realized the rest of the assailants must have decided to follow your friends instead of you.

You desperately wanted to get back out there and help them, but first you desperately needed to pause and get a handle on what your intuition was trying to tell you. It was something about the guy in the mask, but you couldn’t put your finger on it.

Cursing your sixth sense for the 600th time that day, you gathered yourself back up and headed in the direction of the gunshots and screaming.

You reached the action just as Steve and the Soldier were fighting one-on-one in the middle of the street. Cars had been abandoned left and right, and a battered bus lay on its side at the closest intersection. Luckily, it appeared that any civilians who might have been in the area had managed to flee. At least that much was a relief.

Natasha and Sam were nowhere in sight, though that didn’t stop you from scouring the area hoping for a glimpse of them, before finally turning your attention back to the main event. Creeping carefully behind the parked cars lining the street, you kept an eye out for an opportunity to shoot. Unfortunately, the two men were fighting at near lightning speed, literally inches apart – making it nigh impossible to get a clean shot.

Sure, Steve would likely survive if you shot him by accident, but you’d rather not help his attacker if at all possible.

Watching the action intently, you noted with interest just how evenly matched the two of them were. Usually Steve took out every opponent with ease, sometimes five at a time. But this guy was able to block a lot of his hits, and get in more than a few of his own. You quickly deduced this was no ordinary human, that he was probably enhanced in much the same way Steve was. Maybe it was gamma radiation? You’d heard some scientists had had spotty success creating superhuman strength that way.

Finally, Steve got in a few good punches and threw his foe far enough away from him that you knew it was the perfect opportunity to shoot – though you were admittedly unsure at this point whether your bullets would even make a difference, you had to at least try.

And yet, as you raised your gun, time seemed to slow down, and you suddenly found yourself unable to pull the trigger. Because when you glimpsed his face, you recognized it in an instant, and your heart leapt.

You knew every inch of that face.

You’d seen that face every night for the better part of 10+ years.

I guess he wasn’t really dead after all.

#bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #fairy tale au #marvel #once upon a dream (remix)#taras5kwritingchallenge

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charanteleclerc · 5 years

Text

find your way into my world

For mercys-adam, who requested "Seb joins Valtteri on one of his rallies". I can't find the original prompt in my inbox (I know it was there yesterday, so I may have accidentally deleted it, I'm so sorry, but I hope you enjoy!

Update: Turns out it was spidey-charles all along! Thanks for the prompt!

There was nothing like the thrill he got from rallying. It wasn’t that he didn’t love F1, the sheer speed and adrenaline rush he got from racing in his Mercedes was like nothing else. There was just something about getting into a car and driving dangerously close to the tree just got his heart going, it made him feel so alive. He didn’t have to travel thousands of miles just to race. There was no press to deal with. It was just all about the racing, pure and simple. He needed it, every so often, to race and focus on only that. It was freeing, almost.

It was so disconnected from the rest of his life, he could do nothing but star when he saw Sebastian Vettel walking towards him, looking more relaxed than he’d ever seen him. And Seb was walking towards him.

“Hey! Valtteri!” Seb waved at him, grinning. He could feel his jaw drop open, blinking a couple of times.

“Oh - shit, shit…” He panicked, clutching his mug to his chest. “He saw me, didn’t he? Oh fuck…”

“Hey!” Suddenly Seb was in front of him, looking happy and relaxed and wow, did he always look like that when he was relaxed? Was that how any of them looked relaxed?

If so, he probably hadn’t seen anyone look relaxed at the Paddock ever.

“Huh?” Was all he could manage, still blinking. “What are… er… here? You? Here?”

Seb laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I needed a break, and I heard from someone you were racing, and it’s an excuse to leave Kimi’s house for a little bit.”

“Kimi’s not here is he?” He looked around wildly, half expecting Kimi to be suddenly stood behind him. Seb laughed again, shaking his head.

“No, he’s got both the kids by himself today, and they were yelling something about going swimming. I didn’t stay long enough to get roped in.”

“Oh. Right. Okay.” His brain was still struggling to catch up, trying to piece together the information of Seb and here and now. He wasn’t totally sure he wasn’t hallucinating, half tempted to grab someone and ask ‘is Sebastian Vettel really standing in front of me?’.

“So, you just came?” He said dumbly. Seb nodded, seemingly not noticing his confusion, or if he did he was too kind to say otherwise. “You just came here?”

“Yes.” Seb said, nodding. “I realised I don’t actually see much other racing, and figured this was a good place to start. Plus, you’re here, you can walk me through all this.”

“Uh… okay. I’ve got to get in the car soon, but I can give you a quick tour? If you want?”

“Sounds great!” Seb replied cheerfully. “So where’s your car?”

“In the tent.” He made a gesture behind him. “It’s not fancy though.”

“I can see that.” Seb said matter-of-factly, walking towards his tent. “Can I have a look?”

“Sure.” Valtteri shrugged, bemused. It was no secret that Seb was interested in cars, he wanted to know how they worked inside and out, but a rally car was a very different to the finely tuned car Seb was used to. With those cars mere millimetres mattered, rally cars were solid tanks of machinery. These were designed to be thrashed around, not glided. These cars controlled you, rather than the other way around.

“Wow.” Seb breathed as he looked over his car, face alight in wonder. “It’s beautiful.”

“I have never heard it described like that before.” Valtteri laughed. “Powerful, yes. Never beautiful.”

“You don’t think?” Seb sounded almost wounded. “It might not be elegant, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s perfectly designed for its environment, almost like it’s part of it. You wouldn’t call that beautiful?"

“I never really thought about it.” Valtteri said honestly. “I just always thought of it as part of my relaxation, part of my home. We don’t have beautiful exotic locations, it’s just… life.”

“You should open your eyes more.” Seb said absently, still circling the car. “How long is the stage today?”

“25km, not the longest stage, that’s at the end this year.” Valtteri explained.

“Around the forest?”

“Yes.”

Seb hummed, eyes narrowing as he crouched down. “Speed?”

“Solidly about 70? If you get a good stretch then you can do about 80 or 90, but you don’t usually get a lot of long straights.”

“It’s no Abu Dhabi.” Seb joked. “It’s impressive, the car.” He looked up, nodding in appreciation. “Can you win with this?”

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll try anyway.” Valtteri crossed his arms. “Don’t we always want to win?”

“Can’t deny it.” Seb agreed, standing up.

“Bottas, you need to be getting ready.” An official walked into the ten, headphones on and clipboard out. “You’re due out in thirty.”

“Thanks.” Valtteri called, putting down his coffee. “Sorry, I had better listen to him. Are you staying around after the race?”

“I suppose I could.” Seb teased. “It would be stupid to come all this way otherwise, no? I’ll see you at the end.”

“Enjoy it. The rally.” Valtteri said, as Seb retreated out of the tent. “You’ll get to see some real racing.”

“Maybe I will.” Seb said, looking a little haunted, and then he was gone, the tent silent once more.

~*~

His heart was still pounding as he clambered out of the car, Timo mirroring him. There was really nothing like it, drifting so close to the trees that if he leant out of the car he would touch the branches. The adrenaline was racing through his heart, he could almost see the world clearer, sharper. His emotions were rawer, he felt more alive. He never felt like this in the glitz and glamour of F1, where you were more celebrity than racer.

Seb was walking over to him, hands in his pockets, looking every inch the average fan. He was half-expecting crowds to be following the guy, there was no doubt he’d been recognised, but he also wasn’t likely to have a lot of fans here either. Wrong type of racing, and the people here were loyal to their own, this was Kimi’s crowd, not Seb’s.

“That was a good drive.” Seb remarked as he drew closer. “I’m impressed.”

“Have you ever seen a rally race before?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“No,” Seb admitted, “But that doesn’t stop me being impressed.”

“I’m not the best guy out there.” Valtteri pointed out. “Not even close.”

“I don’t care.” Seb shrugged, leaning up against the car. “Are you done for the day?”

“Probably not, there are still guys running, this goes on pretty late.” Valtteri shrugged. “Getting bored already?”

“Of course not.” Seb flushed a little, eyes dropping. “I was just going to grab a drink, if you wanted?”

“I’ll stay on coffee, but I’ll let you know when I can have a real drink.” Valtteri chuckled. “I’d better go and check-in, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay.” Seb said, heading back down the Paddock again. That had been weird, but the entire day had been weird. He hadn’t expected to see Seb at at all today, let alone for Seb to come here for him, and then to offer to get him a drink. It was an offer he was going to take up though, because if it was some kind of olive branch of friendship, he didn’t want to reject it. Seb was so private, and only had ever really had a couple of friends in the Paddock. It must have taken a lot of courage to come here by himself, he had to at least meet Seb halfway.

~*~

He found Seb lurking in the back of his tent, looking uncomfortable. The mechanics were fussing around his car, giving Seb a deliberately wide berth. He hadn’t been lying when he said that they were dangerously loyal up here. Seb wasn’t necessarily the enemy (he’d managed to stay in the tent, which was a vague miracle), but he was just not Kimi Raikkonen. It wasn’t his fault, but he just wasn’t.

He headed over to him, holding out a plastic cup filled with cold, cheap beer. “I think you were after one of these?”

Seb jumped a little, looking relieved when he realised who it was. “Hey. Oh yeah, I was. Thanks.”

“Well, you owe me one now, so…” Valtteri trailed off, chuckling at Seb’s expression. “You offered first.”

“I’d better sort that out today, can’t have the press finding out that I bought my rival a beer.” Seb smirked, cradling his cup to his chest. “What kind of beer is it?”

“Shit beer.” Valtteri shrugged. “It’s not a top bar, there’s one type and you just take it.”

“Not exactly the champagne bar we’re used to seeing.” Seb joked, taking a gulp of his drink. “It is beer. Just."

“Sometimes it’s just what you need.” Valtteri said, sitting next to Seb. “Why did you come here?”

“I was in the area, I said that - ”

“No, why are you really here?” Valtteri interrupted. “I know you’d rather spend your time with Kimi and his kids, rather than sitting around in a cold tent drinking terrible beer. So why are you here?”

Seb was quiet for a moment, staring intently at his beer. “Looking at my options for the future. Both you and Kimi really enjoy this, and Fernando, and I thought maybe…” He trailed off. “I don’t know what I thought.”

“Seb, you don’t need to do anything else. I only do this for fun.” Valtteri explained. “You have never shown interest in this before.”

“The retirement rumours have been following me since I was twenty-six.” Seb said, sounding angry and sad and tired. The tension he was used to seeing in the other man was back, his shoulders hunched. “Eventually they’ll get it right.”

“Then you can do something you love, rather than trying to force this into your life. I said this feels natural to me, you need to find what feels natural to you.”

Seb didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then he straightened up a little, and smiled, looking a little more at ease. “Thank you. That was much better advice that Kimi gave me.”

“What did he say?”

“Something about me being a fucking idiot, and if I wanted to retire I might as well be an old man and stay in my garage.” Seb gave a small laugh. “I think he meant it as an insult."

“At least he’s honest.” Valtteri snorted. “But if you ever want to come on a rally again, let me know before? I’ll take you out in the car.”

“Well, I can’t turn that down, can I?” Seb grinned. “Might be worth freezing my balls off for.”

“We’ll convert you yet.” Valtteri teased, downing his beer. “Do you want more shit beer?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“So, the bar is that way…” He pointed down the Paddock, giving Seb his empty cup.

“Sneaky, Bottas!” Seb laughed, jumping up and walking to the front of the tent. “I’ll ask them to give you the really shit beer!”

“You wouldn’t!”

“We’ll see about that!” Seb winked, disappearing into the night, leaving Valtteri to stare at the empty tent.

“Well, fuck.”

So sorry it took so long! (I'm going to be saying that for a while I think!) As usual, crossposted to my AO3 (Charante_Leclerc), and prompts are always open (there's just a bit of a waiting period!) Enjoy ❤️

#valtteri bottas #sebastian vettel #f1 fanfic #mercys-adam #if anyone has their new url it'd be much appreciated - thank you!#spidey-charles

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science-hoes · 5 years

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A Visit

Summary: Bruce goes to visit his goddaughter Morgan for the first time and opens up to Tony about his life for the past few months.

Warnings: Endgame spoilers

Pairings: Bruce/Betty, Bruce/Natasha (mentioned), Tony/Pepper, Science Bros

Words: 1.2k+

Bruce Banner was coming to visit Tony and Pepper’s home next to the lake. He hadn’t met his goddaughter yet, but he was rather excited to. She was only six months old, and Tony insisted that she was already reading full novels.

Bruce had been keeping himself busy after the snap. After half of the population disappeared, there was a sudden need for professors at colleges. Bruce currently taught at Johns Hopkins University in physics, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. His students thrived because they finally had a teacher that helped them genuinely learn and succeed (even if it meant their other teachers had turned to dust). Teenagers across the country were dying to get into his lectures to hear him teach.

But it was Spring Break. And Bruce needed to get out of Maryland. So he drove a few hours to get to upstate New York to reach Tony’s new home. The last time Tony saw Bruce, he had fixed up his car with an updated GPS, since the snap had caused lots of destruction to several transportation paths. The GPS was certainly coming in handy while driving down the wooded area near Tony’s home.

As Bruce pulled into the driveway, he could see Pepper out in the garden planting flowers. He got out of the car and was met with a tight hug by his friend.

“Hey, Pepper. How are you?” Bruce asked, returning the embrace.

“I’m okay. And tired.” She responded, pulling away to look to the house, where Tony was walking out with a bundle of blankets in his arms.

“How are ya, Banner?” He asked, walking carefully down the steps to reach them.

Bruce smiled and pulled at his sleeves, his natural nervous tendency. “I’m fine, Tony. How’s the research going?” He asked.

Tony sighed and shook his head. “It’s…it’s not going. I’ll need you to take a look at some algorithms tonight. I’ve been too busy with this little nugget to focus.” He responded, taking a step closer to show Bruce his goddaughter. “Bruce, meet Morgan. Morgan, meet Bruce.”

Bruce smiled warmly at the baby, noting the dark brown eyes that matched Tony’s, and the light hair that would inevitably turn darker. “She’s beautiful. A perfect mix of both of you.” He complemented.

“Isn’t she? I think she’s got Pepper’s fine-tuned hearing because I swear she can hear the slightest sound of me working at night.” Tony rambled, looking to his wife.

Pepper smiled and gently kissed Morgan’s cheek. “Because she knows you’re supposed to be resting like everyone else.” She said before returning to the garden.

Tony sighed and shook his head. “You know, she keeps telling me to rest, but she hasn’t stopped either.” He noted, watching Pepper begin to plant more flowers and seeds.

It took a moment for Bruce to understand, but he remembered his own attempts to preserve what was left of life on Earth with his biology labs. “She wants to create more life.” He stated.

Tony sighed at walked up the stairs to sit on the porch swing. “Yep. And I told her we had to wait until Morgan is at least one until we can start more repopulation.” He dryly joked. Bruce sat down next to him on the swing, still pulling at his sleeves. Tony noticed this and rolled his eyes. “Bruce, what’s got you anxious today?”

Bruce immediately placed his hands on his knees. “Nothing. I’m fine.” He answered.

Tony rolled his eyes slightly. “I know you. You’re stressing over something. What is it?” He asked.

Bruce sighed and looked to Morgan. “I don’t know, Tony…I just…haven’t been around a baby in years.” He answered.

Morgan was cooing softly, kicking her feet around in the blanket. Tony smiled and brushed his fingers against her cheek. “Well, you forget that we both had two children of our own. Vision and Ultron? Ring any bells?”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Tony, I meant-“

“I know what you meant, Bruce. I’m sorry. Using humor as a coping mechanism has become more frequent these days.” Tony interrupted. He gently lifted Morgan to place her in Bruce’s arms.

Bruce carefully cradled the baby in his arms, adjusting the blankets so Morgan didn’t sink too far into them. Morgan began scanning her new holder’s face, dark brown eyes darting from feature to feature on Bruce’s face. Her own eyes resembling Bruce’s, and her toothless smile reminding him of the joy from someone else…

Tony watched the two interact and felt sorrow in his heart for his friend. He shifted slightly so that he leaned back on the swing. “I heard about her.” He said.

Bruce looked away from Morgan to react to her father’s words. He was silent for a second, figuring that Tony wouldn’t possibly remember her.

“Mr. Secretary of Defense called me not too long after my grand return home. He…he told me that she was gone. She was alone.” Tony tried to explain.

Bruce felt tears sting his eyes, and he removed his glasses. Morgan quickly grabbed them out of interest, and he let her hold them. “When I left, I didn’t know where to go. Whenever I don’t know where to go, I go back to her. And she’s always there. Angry at me for not calling her. Crying because we’re able to hold each other for the first time in years.” He explained, trying to carefully control his breathing. “But when I got to her house…she was gone. She left Leonard after Harlem…she’s been alone ever since.”

Tony carefully put a hand on Bruce’s back, rubbing gently to sooth his pain. “And she was dust?” He asked.

Bruce bit the inside of his lip and nodded. “She’d given me a spare key, so I walked in. And…she had been grading papers. She was in the middle of writing a sentence, the marker was still open. And there was just dust all over the couch.” He managed to speak.

Morgan began to babble to her father and Bruce, trying to communicate with them. Bruce managed to smile despite his heart hurting. Tony nodded, as if understanding Morgan.

“Well, Morgan says at least she isn’t living in this…postapocalyptic world. She’s at peace.” Tony said, remembering the boy whose body dusted in his own arms.

Bruce nodded. “Well, she’s right.” He said, using a finger to tickle Morgan’s blanket covered stomach. The baby let out a happy squeal and waved her arms excitedly.

Tony smiled at the interaction between his best friend and his daughter. “You could always start over, Bruce…I mean, Natasha still lives at the Avengers compound.” He suggested.

Bruce sighed and shook his head. “Natasha is a good woman. She’s probably a good match for me, too, but…she’s not Betty. And I never stopped loving Betty.”

Tony nodded, looking out to the garden where Pepper was. “I understand. No matter what came between me and Pepper…I just couldn’t love another woman.” He admitted, but then he looked back to Bruce. “I’m working on that damn time machine, Bruce. We’ll get them back eventually.”

Bruce smiled at his friend’s ambition. Morgan began to pull at Bruce’s shirt, so he held her upright so that she had better access to explore whatever she cared for. Morgan began to snatch at the peppered curls that had grown back out since the battle in Wakanda.

“I know.” Bruce finally answered Tony’s statement, feeling at peace again. For the first time in years, he felt more at peace around his family. Despite the suffering that had plagued the planet for too long, he knew that they would find a fix. No matter how long or whatever it took.

#bruce banner #tony stark #pepper potts #betty ross #morgan stark #endgame #spoilers #avengers #fanfiction #drabble #mcu #marvel #hulk #The Incredible Hulk #iron man

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banduckoot · 5 years

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Crash Bandicoot Game Idea

In the planning stages of the original Crash Bandicoot, Naughty Dog had the idea to implement an unlockable bonus game inspired by one of their earlier titles: a fighting game! Sadly, this was not to be.

And seeing how Crash didn’t get to be in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale either, it got me thinking about what a Crash Bandicoot fighting game would be like. So here’s what I’ve written down so far for my idea, Crash Clash!

Ever since the birth of his video game career, Crash Bandicoot has secretly dreamed of being in a fighting game. After getting snubbed by one tournament too many, however, Crash has decided to take matters into his own furry hands and start one of his own! No holds barred, anything and everything goes, and the champion wins the title of “World's Best Fighter”! Soon, word gets out about Crash's tournament, and now everyone in the world is invested in what has become much bigger than what Crash was anticipating. Even Dr. Cortex and his minions show interest in the goings on, and they may even take advantage of all the media attention Crash's tournament is getting...!

THE ROSTER

Crash Bandicoot Our hero, he's in charge of the tournament as well as a competitor! Crash has good stats all around and has medium weight... your most basic fighter with no outstanding strengths or weaknesses. Crash utilizes punches, kicks, belly flops, and of course spin attacks to put the smackdown on his opponents.

Coco Bandicoot Crash's little sister is a martial arts master, particularly fearsome for her kicks and chops. And just like non-mutant bandicoots, she can flip her opponents over and slam them into the ground! Coco isn't quite as strong as her brother, but she does move faster, and is a bit lighter as well. She wants to bring a whole new definition to “fight like a girl”!

Crunch Bandicoot Our favorite musclebound marsupial with a prosthetic arm that hits like a freight train! Crunch doesn't like hurting people, but he's glad for the opportunity to show off his strength. He utilizes wrestling moves to take down his opponents, as well as punches and kicks.

Dr. Neo Cortex Wherever Crash is, Cortex is sadly not too far behind. The bad doctor knows he's quite physically weak compared to everyone else in the tournament, which is why he's packing multiple weapons, including his trusty ray gun! He's also equipped with special armor to increase his defense, including a helmet for his massive noggin.

Nitrus Brio Cortex's former colleague wants to prove himself worthy for a change, so thanks to his trusty mutagen formula, N. Brio changes into his monster form to kick butt and take names! Monster Brio is pure brute strength, clobbering opponents with his fists and crushing them in his bulky arms. It'll take more than jumping on his head to stop him this time...

N. Gin Guess who built a mech suit for himself just to participate in this tournament? Yup, N. Gin did! It's not as big or explosive as his previous ones; it's just big and durable enough to give him the strength and protection he needs to take out even the biggest opponents. It's even outfitted with lasers and small missiles!

Nefarious Tropy N. Tropy relies heavily on his giant tuning fork to best his opponents, whether zapping them with energy blasts or smacking them hard with its hefty weight. He also uses his time warping powers to teleport and avoid getting hit back. The armor he always wears provides him with plenty of defense as well.

N. Trance This egg-like being from the 5th Dimension can stun his opponents with hypnotic blasts, as well as temporarily grow in size to crush them, or float to avoid them. However, being egg-like, his defenses are kind of pitiful.

Nina Cortex Not willing to let Coco have a chance to be the World's Best Fighter, Nina has entered the ring just to spite her blonde rival. Like Crash, Nina uses spin attacks as one of her offensive techniques, but she also has long-reaching, hard-hitting punches thanks to her bionic metal hands.

Ripper Roo Hopping, biting, kicking, and scratching with his razor-sharp toenails are Ripper Roo's secrets to success in the ring. He also somehow carries explosives with him, which he plants as he pleases around the arena or on his opponent.

Koala Kong Aside from punching and crushing his opponents, Koala Kong seems to have a never-ending supply of heavy objects to throw at them as well! Where does it all come from? Who knows!? Does everything have to make sense in the world of Crash Bandicoot!?

Pinstripe Potoroo Pinstripe was forced to put away his tommy gun for Crash's tournament, as actual bullets are kind of a no-no in family-friendly fighting games. Thankfully, Pinstripe is perfectly fine with good-old-fashioned beatdowns! Doffing his jacket and tailored shirt to reveal a white undershirt, Pinstripe primarily uses boxing techniques to make his opponents eat dirt.

The Komodo Brothers Komodo Joe and Komodo Moe fight as a team, swords a-swinging! Knock one of the brothers out, and the other one is left almost defenseless. Joe is lighter than Moe, the latter of whom is a heavyweight. Try targeting one brother at a time if you want to get past them!

Tiny Tiger Crushing, clawing, and biting his opponents makes Tiny a happy Tasmanian Tiger. He's especially eager to put the hurt on the bandicoots.

Dingodile Slow-moving and heavy, but pretty dangerous nonetheless. Dingodile will blast you with his flamethrower, smack you with his tail, and bite you with his sharp teeth if you manage to get too close. He may not have a lot of muscle, but his bulk and firepower are not to be underestimated.

Fake Crash As always, Fake Crash wants to prove his might against the real Crash. His fighting style is similar to that of the real Crash, but with a twist that makes it seem “drunken” and unpredictable in style. Fake Crash's moves are just a little bit stronger than the real deal's, but he moves somewhat slower, too.

Papu Papu Our favorite native chief can bonk the daylights out of you with his club, bounce you backwards with his massive stomach, or use magic to summon small clones of his opponent to do his dirty work. Papu Papu is as strong as he is heavy, so watch out!

Penta Penguin Small, fast, and light, Penta can easily dodge many a blow from an opponent. However, this also means he can be easily knocked out... assuming you can get past his spin attacks, flips, and belly slides.

Baby T Baby T is finally putting his sharp teeth to good use, as well as his powerful legs and foot claws. He can also headbutt his opponents, often charging the attack first before sprinting forward. Be careful that he doesn't fling himself out of the ring when he does this!

Tawna Bandicoot How can Tawna possibly say no to the opportunity to kick some booty in a fighting tournament? She uses kickboxing to beat down her opponents, and is all too eager to use everything she knows against a certain evil scientist...

Yaya Panda Formerly a kart racer in two different mobile circuits, Yaya has decided to return to her first true love: kung fu! She's sort of a shadow of Coco, but has far superior stats to the bandicoot, moving faster and hitting harder. So... maybe Coco is really a shadow of Yaya?

NEW CHARACTER: Porkbelly This huge mutant warthog is highly disciplined in the art of sumo wrestling, and has a fearsome and oftentimes reckless personality. It is unknown which scientist mutated Porkbelly, but he doesn't seem to have any loyalties towards anyone, anyhow. He's just a very big pig with a very big belly, and an even bigger competitive streak.

... And that’s all I’ve written so far. I want to add more characters and come up with different modes and mechanics, but I’m not sure if I can focus long enough to do that. If anyone has any ideas of their own to add, let me know!

#Crash Bandicoot #game idea #mine #fighting game #too many characters to tag

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almostarchaeology · 5 years

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Hogwarts Needs Archaeologists, Part 2: Excavating Magic

By Adrián Maldonado

In the last blog post, I realized that despite being suffused with ancient artefacts, the wizarding world of Harry Potter didn’t seem to have any archaeologists. Instead, wizards and witches live in a weirdly eternal present with little sense of how things have come to be as they are, and this ultimately caused them no end of trouble. So much of the story hinges on prominent characters not knowing about artefacts and landscapes of medieval origin that it seemed clear that the establishment of a Wizarding Museum or department of Magical Material Culture Studies at Hogwarts may have genuinely saved them from war.

Harry Potter Studio Tour: closest we’ll get to a wizarding museum (source)

Even though wizards can’t be arsed learning about their own past, it behooves us muggle archaeologists to interrogate this invisible but fundamental aspect of our shared human past. As the books make clear, muggles and wizards are all just human. The separation between the two has its roots in the same intellectual fallacy of early modern thought which gave muggles the concept of race – that human ability could be measured in purity of ‘blood’. Beyond a focus on antiquities, attention to the archaeological context of the wizarding world is essential to the project of interrogating the human condition, and will produce new insights on the muggle past and present. To learn more, we will have to conduct some fieldwork of our own.

When is magic?

Before we start planning the Godric’s Hollow Big Dig, we need to know how archaeology might work in the wizarding world. Looking back at these stories with nerd-tinted spectacles, it seems to me that magic changes over time, and the ways it is deployed may tell us something about the human journey, magically-abled or otherwise.

No - obviously no we don’t

We know there are one or two people who care about history and magical theory, because in Philosopher’s Stone we get a list of textbooks assigned to first-years at Hogwarts which includes A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot and Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling. However, we get precious few glimpses into these texts as Harry does not seem to read. We also know these are used in some of the most boring and tedious courses taught at Hogwarts, ensuring few wizards would want to go on to study them further. Occupy the curriculum!

As we explored in the previous post, it seems that history in the wizarding world seems to begin only around a thousand years ago, when Hogwarts was founded. Much of what passes for history is the merely the genealogy of famous houses. It is curiously similar to Europe in the early nineteenth century, when there was an awareness of classical antiquity, but no such concept as prehistory. Perhaps it is a world that somehow has not yet discovered archaeology?

Archaeology > time travel (source)

Perhaps, one might argue, there is no need for wizarding archaeologists because wizards have time-turners which allow time travel. However, it so happens that time travel beyond a few hours in the past is extremely dangerous and heavily regulated, and in any case all of the remaining time-turners in the Department of Mysteries were destroyed in the Second Wizarding War.

That notwithstanding, one might also argue that wizards don’t need archaeology because anyone could stand in a field and cast spells like Accio coin hoard, or Revelio Roman villa and be done with it. But as with metal detecting, simply ripping an object out the ground does not help you understand why it got there, and if done poorly it may even impede the possibility of reconstructing its context later. Similarly, chasing the walls of a Roman villa would destroy the evidence of just how it was reduced to its foundations and what happened in this spot for the next two millennia. This would not be archaeology, but antiquarianism. And we don’t even seem to have that.

That said, it would be great to magically de-turf, sieve and cart away spoil. We could sure use the help backfilling, too.

But what about excavating magical sites? Can magic be excavated? Do we even know when magic began? Could archaeologists help find out?

Awareness of enchantments

Dunno Harry - it’s either paleolithic or a horcrux (source)

A lot of our knowledge of how magic works in the Potterverse comes from the fleeting glimpses we get of masters like Dumbledore at work. In the iconic 26th chapter of Half-Blood Prince, The Cave, we watch the headmaster undertake some hardcore field survey.

“Magic always leaves traces”, he explains as he detects the curses and spells that Tom Riddle placed to secure the hiding place of one of his horcruxes.

Harry could not tell whether the shivers he was experiencing were due to his spine-deep coldness or to the same awareness of enchantments. Dumbledore approached the wall of the cave and caressed it with his blackened fingertips, murmuring words in a strange tongue that Harry did not understand. Twice Dumbledore walked right around the cave, touching as much of the rough rock as he could, occasionally pausing, running his fingers backwards and forwards over a particular spot…

Dark magic, at least, seems to be detectable, at least to those, like Dumbledore and Harry, lucky enough to have been born in Godric’s Hollow, where all of British wizarding history starts and ends. Throughout the books, we hear occasional stories of places or objects having ‘old magic’, which also gives off some sort of distinctive trace. Indeed, there seems to be nothing worse than old Dark magic, which leaves more than just a trace. This is most aptly described in the Pottermore essay on Azkaban, which was only discovered after its occupier, the dark sorcerer Ekrizdis, died and its concealment charms faded away. “Experts who had studied buildings built with and around Dark magic contended that Azkaban might wreak its own revenge upon anybody attempting to destroy it.” Wait, there are experts in magical architectural history but not archaeology? That figures, actually – in its origins, medieval archaeology was itself mainly about unearthing the ground plans of castles and cathedrals.

As many of our archaeological textbooks tell us, excavation is managed destruction. So would it ever be possible to excavate a site of old Dark magic, or would this count as an attempt to ‘destroy’ it? And how would one know until one tried to dig there? Speaking as a former archaeology health and safety officer, I can’t help but think of the threat old Dark magic might pose to any novice archaeowizard who works on such sites. Real-world archaeologists need to make sure they are up to date on all their vaccinations, but I’m not sure what can be done to prevent accidental cursing by taking a mattock to the wrong enchanted soil layer.

Revelio stratigraphy

Dumbledore’s methodology and Harry’s ‘awareness of enchantments’ lead me to believe that such threats can be averted, or at least mitigated, by undertaking preventative magophysical survey. The question is whether the traces of spells that Dumbledore and Harry can sense have a physical signature that can be isolated and detected mechanically – or perhaps, by wand. Wandmaker Ollivander’s notes on wand woods shows that some woods may be more receptive to the natural world than others; for instance, “Hazel wands also have the unique ability to detect water underground, and will emit silvery, tear-shaped puffs of smoke if passing over concealed springs and wells.” In this instance at least, it seems that wands can have involuntary, mechanical responses to certain external stimuli. Other woods and wand cores are also said to have the ability to learn and detect magical character. In short, this is an area that needs a lot more research, but would still be restricted to the wizarding population, which, as we have already seen, could barely give a toss about their own heritage.

People and things in the Potterverse

Old magic can be the most powerful (source)

Speaking of wands, these ‘objects’ open up some pretty fundamental questions about the nature of things and people in the Potterverse. This was all explored in some depth in my scriptural commentary of choice, Binge Mode Harry Potter episode 55, wherein Jason Concepcion devoted a Restricted Section to wands. From the beginning of the series, we are told that wands are semi-animate objects with agency of their own. Wands famously ‘choose’ their owners, but it does not end there; in his notes on wand woods, Ollivander observes that hazel wands die with their owners, and that

Hornbeam wands likewise absorb their owner’s code of honour, whatever that might be, and will refuse to perform acts – whether for good or ill – that do not tally with their master’s principles. A particularly fine-tuned and sentient wand.” [Emphasis mine]

Most interestingly, wands seem to become a part of their owner’s essence; as wandmaker Ollivander explains, “each wand is the composite of its wood, its core and the experience and nature of its owner”. What he is describing here is a rudimentary sort of assemblage theory.

Assembling the wizard (source)

It seems wands are only ‘objects’ until they choose an owner, at which point they become part-person. And as we saw in a previous post, wands and pensieves are often buried with their owners, as if they are indivisibly entwined with the wizard, even after death. In a similar but more sinister way, Voldemort is able to ensoul objects, and these Horcruxes take on shades of his person which enact his will on anyone who encounters them. The wizarding world is full of objects that are part-people, or is it people that are part object?

This should come as no surprise to anthropologists. For decades theorists have explored all the different ways in which we are entangled with the people, things, environments and social structures in which we are embedded. We look to other continents and distant pasts to seek parallels when they are all around us. For instance, ancient Egyptians had a complicated idea of what constituted the person, from the physical body to several aspects of what we patronisingly call ‘the soul’, mainly because we cannot translate its complexity into any other Judeo-Christian terminology. These include the name, the heart and the shadow, and it is striking how many of these aspects of the person could be made to reside into what we would call inanimate objects.

The Enlightenment notion of the individual with unlimited agency, existing only within the bounds of their own bodies and minds, is very much out of fashion, as I have accidentally already explored in previous posts on this blog. We have trouble dissociating people from their belongings after they die, as if they remain uncannily inhabited. We send our names to space by the thousands, because it matters that this aspect of our selves is preserved in some way. Wizards are merely cyborgs, but then, aren’t we all?

Excavating the self

His teaching style was unorthodox to say the least (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The problem here is that the Harry Potter cycle is, on the face of it, distinctly repulsed by the idea of a soul being split up and distributed among objects and people. But this critique always kind of rang false for me. Voldemort is guilty of lots of things (murder, bigotry, aversion to rhinoplasty), but not the inhabitation of objects. The story is full of ways in which people are permeable beyond horcruxes; wands, pensieves, names, portraits, ghosts, Tom Riddle’s diary and the Sorting Hat, which contains the ‘intelligence’ of the Hogwarts founders, all ‘store’ an essence of the person. As we saw in the previous post, the Hogwarts founders are represented by objects which act as relics. At one point, Hermione even becomes multiple selves in her third year with a time-turner. More mystical happenings involve the permeation of one’s self into another: Lily Potter’s love shields Harry; Snape’s Patronus becomes Lily’s doe; Harry’s Patronus is his father’s. Through the wands, the self is extended. In the pensieve, memory becomes material, reminding us that thoughts, emotions and perhaps even magic, are of the body. “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?”

Without digging a single trench or featuring a single archaeologist, Rowling’s universe predicted a lot that would become fashionable in archaeological theory in the 21st century. Perhaps the most important lesson imparted by the books is that the difference between muggles and wizards is simply awareness. It is not only muggles who are unaware of the magic world under our feet (and apparently latent in our blood). Wizards are also unaware of where and when their powers reside. And if wizards could be convinced to take a material turn, what might muggles achieve by exploring their own entanglement with the wizarding world? Might we excavate an awareness of the enchantment within us all?

***

Back to Part 1: Fantastic Antiquities and Where to Find Them

#Harry Potter #Magic #fantasy #personhood #material culture

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4colorrebellion · 5 years

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4cr Plays - SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech

Swedish developers Image & Form have taken on a variety of genres with the versatile SteamWorld setting. SteamWorld Dig and Dig 2 were gorgeous, polished takes on the sidescrolling action-adventure. SteamWorld Heist presented an addictive take on the turn-based strategy game. SteamWorld Tower Defense was, well, a creative take on its namesake.

Now, Image & Form are back with their most ambitious release yet. SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is the studio’s riff on the RPG genre, with an addictive card-based battle system.

Read on for my impressions.

SteamWorld Quest places you in the armor-plated shoes of Armilly - the grocer’s daughter, who dreams of living up to the legend of her hero, Gilgamech - Copernica - a college dropout who wants to bring alchemy to the people - and Galleo - a craftsman looking for a way out of his mother’s basement. Their little village is attacked by an army of mechanical monsters, and the professional adventurers prove to be completely useless. Suddenly, Armilly, Copernica, and Galleo find themselves in the spotlight, as the only ones who can repel the invaders and save the world.

The plot of SteamWorld Quest is essentially the hero’s journey at the heart of many fantasy novels. It’s a fun ride, and the charming dialogue really carries the experience. I fell in love with the characters from almost the start - you can’t help but love Copernica’s sarcasm and Armilly’s sheer, puppy-like earnestness. The general tone of the game is perfect. It’s a little tongue-in-cheek, and throws a few fun winks at the player without getting obnoxious. I expected finely-tuned gameplay from Image & Form, but was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed the writing too.

SteamWorld Quest is presented as a series of chapters, each essentially a sidescrolling “level” to explore. Whether forest paths, a dungeon, or a damp cave, you move between a series of rooms full of enemies, characters to talk to, merchants, and obstacles. You can destroy items to collect gold, and search for chests full of items. Your map shows the rooms that you’ve explored, and indicates missed paths. Of course, there are also hidden rooms not indicated on the map, so there is incentive to explore each area as much as you can.

If you get close to an enemy, combat begins. Battles are turn-based, alternating between groups - that is, your party takes a turn, then the enemy party takes a turn (rather than alternating between individual characters). Combat is card-based. Each of your three party members has a deck of eight cards, which are shuffled together to form your deck. You draw a hand of six cards at the start of the battle, and draw back up to six each turn. On a turn, you may perform up to three actions. You could play three cards, or use up to three items - like health-restoring potions - instead.

The actions you can choose are determined by your SP - “steam points”. Each character has cards that represent basic actions, either simple attacks, stat modifiers, and such. Basic actions are weak, but they cost nothing to use and grant you one SP. More powerful cards - attacks, healing, powerful spells - cost one or more SP to play. SP is held in a shared pool for the party. When choosing skills, you need to decide whether to focus on one character’s cards, or whether to spread actions between party members. If all three cards belong to the same character, you get to execute a special fourth action for that character. However, some skills are more powerful if paired with another character’s abilities. Other times, it might make sense to pair one character’s mighty attack with another’s healing touch.

Using a card takes it from your hand to the discard pile, putting it out of play until the existing deck is used up. Fortunately, with a combined deck size of 24, it is never long until discarded cards come back into play. You can also freely discard two cards each turn and draw replacements immediately. This is a great touch, helping you get out of situations where you feel “stuck” and allowing you to gamble on a definite - but weak - turn versus a potentially great turn. Since you get cards back eventually, you have a lot of freedom to try to manipulate your hand.

Each character has their own specializations, strengths, and weaknesses. Armilly is your standard “knight”, excelling at physical attacks and defense. Copernica is the “wizard”, with elemental magic attacks. Galleo is your support character - your “priest” - with healing skills, the ability to inflict status ailments like poison on enemies, and stat manipulation abilities. This impacts the kind of skills they each bring to the table, and what you can expect out of them in combat.

Each character has stats (the typical RPG ones, like strength, magic, constitution, etc.). Armilly is good at physical strikes, Copernica is not. However, Copernica makes up for a lack of strength with powerful element-based magic attacks. You also equip weapons and accessories to improve your stats, and attacks do damage based on these stats. For example, an ice attack that does 120% magic damage does 12 damage if your magic stat is 10.

You can have three party members at one time, and eventually do meet more characters that join the adventure. Like Armilly, Copernica, and Galleo, each additional character brings their own unique twists to the combat formula, and it is worth experimenting with part composition to find the one that works for how you play the game. Unfortunately, only the active party members gain experience, so unused characters quickly fall behind.

Each character has their own deck of cards. You find new cards throughout the world, and defeated monsters yield materials that can be used to craft new cards at the merchant. Very quickly, you end up with many more cards than can be used in your eight card deck, and choosing the right cards becomes an interesting optimization problem. You have to consider not just that character in isolation, but also the decks of the rest of the party. Galleo might not be the strongest attacker, but you still might want to include some of their attack cards to not end up in a situation where you only have healing cards. However, reasonably frequent save points and the ability to resurrect enemies give you a lot of freedom to explore different deck configurations.

The battle system is incredible. I have had a blast experimenting with different party and deck configurations, and the element of random draws adds a lot of interesting little surprises and chances to plan out a series of actions. There is a huge amount of depth to each aspect of combat. Yet, at the same time, the system is easy to immediately understand. You never feel lost in a series of dense mechanics. It’s a wonderful case of “easy to understand, hard to master”.

SteamWorld Quest is also a gorgeous game, especially on the Switch’s tablet screen. The art has a hand-drawn, painted quality to it. The blend of steampunk and fantasy is really appealing - mixing traditional concepts like wizards and knights with gears and bolts - and I love the interesting little details in all of the character designs, like how the cards look like old-school punchcards. There is a nice variety of environments to explore, and the developers have made great use of color to present a richly detailed world. I have played almost entirely in portable mode, but the game looks wonderful both on the TV and on the go.

SteamWorld Quest is one of the most enjoyable RPGs I’ve played recently, and it’s easy to get sucked into. Once again, Image & Form have put out a wonderfully polished, creative take on a well-known game genre, and I think they’ve outdone all of their past efforts. If you like card games or RPGs, you should definitely give this a go.

This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the developers.

Official Website

Nintendo eShop

#video game #review #steamworld #steamworld quest #nintendo #nintendo switch #switch #rpg #card #greg4cr

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winryofresembool · 4 years

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Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 2

Aka Caleo uni AU

Chapter summary: Leo visits his new family.

A/N: This chapter was a lot of fun to write because of Leo's pov! For those who may not have read The Dark Prophecy, Jo and Emmie basically adopt Leo and Calypso and Leo even says Jo reminds him of his mom at one point so I wanted to include that to this story! Also, to be clear about this, Leo still lives in the same town with them but wanted some independence once he started uni so he moved into a flat a year before the events of this story.

Thanks to Cris again for helping me out when I needed it the most! Now, please enjoy this chapter and remember that feedback would really be loved because otherwise it's hard to motivate myself to continue this story!

Words: 1400+

Genre: gen (this ch), romance & hurt/comfort in the future

Warnings: none

previous chapter / next chapter / AO3

...

Festus barked happily as he and his owner drove to the familiar yard of Waystation. For 4 years, Leo had had the honor of calling this place his home, and even now that he was already 19, he was still as happy to go there as in the first time after finding out that the two wonderful ladies living there would be adopting him. For the first time in 7 years he had felt he belonged somewhere. He had never met his biological father, and after his mother’s death (about which he still did not want to talk) he had been going from foster home to foster home, occasionally running away and living in the streets because the families did /not/ understand him. Not even his own relatives had accepted him.

Finally, his road had brought him to Indianapolis where he had sort of by accident met a family of two elderly women, Josephine and Hemethea (or as Leo knew them, Jo and Emmie), and their adopted daughter Georgina. It had been the happiest accident of his life; somehow the women knew exactly how to handle a troubled and traumatized 15-year-old. As an added bonus, Josephine was just as interested in mechanics as he was, and she had taught him a lot. The now 10-year-old Georgina called Leo her brother and when he was home, she followed him everywhere. Festus, whom Leo had gotten as an 18th birthday present, liked Waystation too: it offered him way more space to run around than the student flat in New York.

The brown haired girl was already waiting for Leo by the door when he got there, and even though she was almost as tall as Leo was (Leo claimed he had gotten his short genes from his nonexistent father), he scooped her into his arms and swung her around a few times. The girl giggled excitedly until she wanted to get back on the ground to pet Festus. Leo complied and soon he was surrounded by his adoptive mothers, both gray haired and strong built for their age. They were worried about whether Leo remembered to eat now that he was living on his own because he was so skinny (“I’m an excellent cook, Jo! Stop worrying!”), but secretly he was happy about the attention he got.

Eventually the family settled down and started asking Leo questions about how things were going in his uni town. He told them everything from his most recent mechanic job to his upcoming courses in the mechanical engineering program, but conveniently he avoided mentioning his new flatmate. Of course his mothers noticed that and looked at each other significantly before asking:

“So, it’s been a while since Jason moved away. Any word on a new flatmate yet?”

Leo did not know what force made him blush (he liked to think he did not blush often), but he did. The thought of his infuriating, annoying, rude… beautiful (he quickly pushed that thought away) flatmate seemed to cause that kind of reaction a little too often for his liking. They had known each other only for a few days and already she was driving him nuts in more than one way. She was arrogant. She seemed to think she was better than him (which, mind you, Leo was not disagreeing with because his self loathing still occasionally got the better of him despite the therapy and his mothers’ attempts to talk to him). She managed to make an argument about the smallest of things and good gods, that girl was still angry about the desk even though he had offered to fix it. What could he do in a situation like that?

But the years as a runaway had also taught Leo to interpret people pretty well, and he sensed that there was something much more under that hard cover that Calypso was holding up. Something fragile and soft that he simply couldn’t reach yet. When she thought Leo didn’t notice, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that felt very familiar to him even though he couldn’t put a name on it. And damn it if she wasn’t the prettiest girl he had seen at the university campus with that caramel colored hair and dark mysterious eyes. Not that he’d admit that to her. Ever.

He was so distracted by his thoughts he only realized he still hadn’t answered to the question until he felt the burning gazes directed at him.

“Uh… yeah! I do have a new flatmate now,” he finally admitted. The blush seemed to persistently stay on his cheeks.

Instead of asking directly who that mysterious person was, Emmie decided to take a different approach. “Oh… That’s nice, isn’t it? To have someone to remind you to actually go to your lectures and not work 24/7?” There was a hint of warning in her tone; she did know that Leo was still processing a lot in his head, and when things got particularly overwhelming, he tended to drown his feelings into his work and forget to rest. Which, Emmie supposed, was still better than the experiments he had done as a 15-year-old before they finally managed to help him, but at this rate he might burn out some day. There was a lot of fire inside him, she knew, but if he didn’t remember to turn it off, he wouldn’t last long.

Leo didn’t agree with her. “It’s… she’s not that kind of person. She doesn’t really talk to me a lot anyway.”

“She?” Jo asked curiously. Among other things, she was aware of Leo’s soft spot for pretty girls. That would certainly explain why he was blushing and acting grumpy when asked questions about her.

“Focus on the relevant things, Josephine.” Leo usually called Josephine and Hemethea with their nicknames instead of ‘mother’ or ‘mom’ because he wanted to save that word for his dead mother. But when he wanted to let his adoptive mothers know he was unhappy with them, he sometimes used the full name. “I was gonna say that when she does talk to me she usually likes to argue, and it’s super frustrating.”

“Alright, spit it out,” Jo said in her direct manner. “What did you do to the poor girl to madden her so?”

“Hey!” Leo protested, offended that she would think it was all his fault. “Who said I did anything? I didn’t! Well…” he finally gave in, “Festus did… but it wasn’t his fault, the desk was flimsy!”

“Flimsy desk? Please elaborate.”

“We carried Calypso’s desk,” Leo swallowed, realizing he said her name aloud for the first time, and it tasted weirdly good in his mouth. Even though he was mad at her. Which he definitely was. “… into our flat but I left my door unlocked for a moment so Festus got out of my room and… he may have jumped on it,” he finished sheepishly.

“Oh,” Emmie said understandingly. “But you’re a handy young man; did you not offer to fix it?”

“I did!” Leo grunted. “But she didn’t accept my offer!”

Emmie looked at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know her but maybe she was simply too proud to accept your help. She doesn’t know you yet so she doesn’t know how good you are at fixing and tuning things. But trust me; I’m sure she’ll be more than happy when she sees what Leo Valdez is capable of.”

Leo had to admit that the older woman had pulled from exactly the right strings. That was how you encouraged him to do something.

“Fine,” he nodded finally. “I’ll see what I can do when I go back.”

“Anyway,” Jo smirked slyly. “Tell us more about this Calypso! What does she study? What does she look like?”

“She’s a history nerd and she smells like some spice you often put into your bakings… hold on… cinnamon! But…”

Leo saw his mothers’ expressions and immediately stopped when he realized he had said too much. “That’s it, tía Jo, I know what you’re thinking and I’m saying no. Georgie, Festus, let’s go to play or something. These two seem to have gotten some weird ideas…” He shook his head as he gestured the two to follow him.

When the trio had left the room, the elderly couple burst into laughter. It would definitely be interesting to see what Leo’s story with his new flatmate would develop into, they concluded.

#caleo #leo valdez #calypso #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #trials of apollo #my fics #caleo uni au

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