#not only do we have three kinds of tundras

[figfull]

An Obelisk except it's a manticore

#not only do we have three kinds of tundras #we also have beastclan tundras right there #flight rising #figdoodles #flight rising art #frfanart #for an art dragon #manticore #fr ob

[arc-misadventures]

Rebirth: Willow, are you going to break the news to Weiss and Witley about the Winter situation? Or are you going to wait until they’re older and less likely to be under Jauques thumb? And are you sure there’s not going to be another white haired addition running around? You know how ‘potent’ the Arcs can be.

Battle Plans

Juniper soon enters her room with her darling husband to me their wife friend, Willow, slowly packing away her clothes, seemingly trying to delay her departure until the last moment possible.

Juniper: So, what’s the plan?

Willow: I finish up packing, and then tomorrow the three of us will be on our way back to, Atlas. There’s nothing else to it.

Juniper: That isn’t what I meant, Willow.

Willow: …

Willow: I know… Haa… How do I tell, Weiss, and Whitely that, Winter is only their half sister? So long as, Jacques is there I can’t tell them anything. Although I doubt any of them even know I’ve been out of, Atlas for the past few weeks. I’ve managed to repair the relationship with my oldest daughter, but that was thanks to you, and Acheius presence. I will have no such support with those two.

Juniper: You sure you don’t want, Achi to just come over there, and kick, Jackass’s ass?

Willow: Would he be willing to do that?

Achieus: Hell yes I would! Oh I can see it already! I come in, deck, that bastard right in the face, sending him flying through a window crashing into the icy tundra far below. Then, I grab, Willow by the waist like so!

Willow: EEP?!

Acheius: Then I kiss her: Like so.

Willow: Mph?! M-Mmmmm~!

Acheius: Ah~! Then I’d break off, and look at the spawns of, Jacques, and go: “Look at me! I am the daddy now!’

Juniper: Pfft! Ahahaha~!

Acheius: And, that would be that. Alls well that ends well.

Juniper: While that is an amusing thought, I doubt that would work.

Acheius: Yeah, I doubt it would work either. But, I no doubt expect the twins have already dealt with him.

Willow: How, they’ve been here with us the whole time?

Acheius: Well, at the very least they’ve come up with a plan to deal with him.

Juniper: They have been very quiet whenever we’ve mentioned, ‘dealing with, Jacques.’

Acheius: I suspect they’re going with a long con plan here.

Juniper: I’m afraid they’re planning for that as well.

Willow: What do you think they are planning then?

Acheius: I think… they’re planning for the quickest way you could possibly remove, Jacques.

Willow: The quickest way would mean… no… They’re planning on killing him?!

Acheius: I think so too…

Willow: But, they’re just children, they couldn’t possibly be seriously thinking about killing a man, even such a vile man as him!

Juniper: There is a lot about the twins you don’t know about. Jell, there’s a lot about the twins that even we, their parents, and siblings know about them. And, what we do know is quite… unsettling.

Willow: Unsettling how?

Acheius: They know how to take a life.

Willow: What…?

Acheius: And, I’m not saying this in the manner of they know how to kill someone like: ‘Pointy end goes into man, man dies’ kind of way, everyone knows that. But, they know how toget away with it, and worse they know how to live with the grief of taking a life.

Willow: They could take a life, and it wouldn’t phase them?

Juniper: While I don’t know about, Jeanne. I know for certain that, Jaune could take a life. In fact, I dare say he already has.

Acheius: What?! What makes you say that?

Juniper: When I read the news, and it said the author of the, ‘The Girl Who Fell’ died. Jaune seemed to be indifferent to her death, but I swear on my life I heard him mumble, “That took longer than expected.”

Willow: The papers said she was poisoned. Do you think?

Acheius: A slow acting poison no doubt. One that you would never realize it was there until it was too late…

Willow: So that’s how they’re planning on dealing with, Jacques. They’re planning on poisoning him!

Juniper: Hit, Jacques with a slow acting poison, and then you just wait. And, just like grand-pappy used to say: ‘The patient hunter, gets the prey.’

Acheius: Jeanne will be staying with, Winter, while studying in, Atlas with her. But, she will no doubt come, and visit you at, Schnee Manor. When there, all she has to do is wait for the opportune moment to slip it to him.

Willow: Should I offer my assistance to them? I could make it easier for them.

Juniper: No, you will be the first person they question. You need any ability to deny any, and all evidence to his death to prove your innocence. If they know about this conversation they could accuse you of murder as is.

Willow: That’s true. I could have perhaps hint at a means of slipping him the poison unnoticed. That is if they’re using a poison to kill him, or even if they’re planning anything at all.

Acheius: They’re certainly not planning on bludgeoning him to death with a piece of masonry.

Juniper: Much less catching a Grimm, and sicing that on that bastard son of a bitch, certainly not.

Willow: They’re most certainly not planning that~!

Acheius: Oh they’re most certainly not planning anything~!

Juniper: My two sweet angels~? Oh they’re certainly not planning anything at all~!

~~~

Meanwhile, below the, Arc parents bedroom window.

Jaune: …

Jeanne: …

Jaune: Dammit, I’ve become predictable…

Jeanne: How does she notice all those little things about us?

Jaune: Hell if I know, some sort of special mom sense? But, bludgeoning him with a statue? That wouldn’t work. It would leave too much DNA traces to follow. Not to mention all the cameras they no doubt have installed in their home could probably catch you in the act.

Jeanne: Neither would sicing a Grimm after him. It would be a traceless murder, in the sense that it was a , Grimm that killed him, and you wouldn’t leave any trace upon the body. But, how did the, Grimm get there? As soon as they asked that, it’s only a matter of time until you’re caught.

Jaune: Our orginal plan will work far better than that.

Jeanne: And, if by some miracle, for, Jacques, it doesn’t work, we go to, Plan B instead!

Jaune: You have a, Plan B?

Jeanne: Spike his food with enough laxatives that he shits his bowels to death~!

Jaune: Oh… Oh that would be a fitting end for the little shiter!

Jeanne: I know right!

Jaune: But, I think they have meds that can fix that so?

Jeanne: Gods dammit…

Jaune: Don’t worry, we’ll go with, Plan C if, A, and B fail!

Jeanne: What’s, Plan C?

Jaune: Your semblance.

Jeanne: But, I’ve never used it on a human before. I don’t know how it will affect them.

Jaune: But, Jacques isn’t a human, he’s a monster worse than, Grimm itself.

Jeanne: Yeah, but Grimm fade away when they die; Humans don’t.

Jaune: …

Jaune: Well… that all depends on how you dispose of the body. No…?

Jeanne: Good point.

#rwby #jaune arc #jeanne arc #juniper arc #acheius arc #willow schnee #jacques schnee #weiss schnee #whitely schnee #winter schnee

[gatheredfates]

17. — audience (Elandervier)

ONE WORD WRITING PROMPTS. Funnily enough, I was playing with a concept similar to this that hasn't amounted (yet). Consider this a prelude of sorts if I end up writing it. CONTENT WARNINGS. This fic deals with mature themes including, but not limited to: pregnancy, childbirth, mentions of abortion and women's bodily autonomy, misogyny and my personal interpretation of a woman's place in Ishgardian high-society. Please do not read if any of these are personal triggers. I have done my due diligence to warn ahead of time.

i'm glad i met the devil because he showed me i was weak, and a little piece of him is in a little piece of me.

The rage of the girl banged on the bones of the woman, all bared teeth and frothing anger. She knew her well, this outraged daughter — kicking, screaming, wailing in her hysteria, ungovernable and unknowable.

Unsightly. Unbecoming. Fifteen years on and her mother's words were ever the knife she dug into her breastbone as if to sever a rib and deliver it to the daughter. 'Yes, we are ugly. Bide your time,' it said, 'There will be deliverance soon, be still. These lessons will be useful to us.'

"I didn't know where else to go."

Elandervier didn't like that she recognised the girl's name — that she watched stony-faced and set-gazed her deliverance onto the marital bed, the third daughter in a line of women and still-born sons. The babe was passed haphazardly to her, a hiss to bathe and swaddle while the lord of the house screamed and tore down the nearby torchères like he intended to deliver them to the Hells himself. "The gods themselves fuck with me!" He declared while his wife cried and consoled him from his bed, "Of the duties you perform, you give me useless fucking women!"

This useless woman was a pragmatic woman for making it this far. The bobbin lace on her cuffs were bare and browned now, hanging by single threads in some places, but it did not waste in the snow gnawed at by the wolves. She was thin but not emaciated, the vigour in her gaze undercut only by the hand that pressed to the swell of her belly, and she looked to the witch with her mother's brown eyes — the very same which plucked her from her arms all those years ago, soothing her that she would be loved.

She would be safe.

The first lie in a thread woven by Ishgardian society, another falsehood added to the tapestry of violation — white, in that it was pure and born from a fervent wish — but would not stay when the blood was doused over the frame.

The lordlings were never pragmatic. When their sons were killed by fire, famine and fatigue they fought over the scraps of their lineage like carrion birds — all to the machine. But never their daughters. A daughter who fought was a daughter of the Brume, she lived and died destitute, but their daughters? Pretty girls waged wars on their wombs and the hearth of their houses; they were too empathic, too gentlehearted, too emotionally intelligent for the field. Ratatoskr was but a woman killed by men for seeing through the propaganda.

Control the womb, control the war.

"Whose?" Elandervier did not bother with a proper introduction, ink-dyed fingers gesturing to the pregnancy. The girl looked down and pet her skin so tenderly, even as her voice warbled with her rage.

"My lord husband's," bitterly replied, "That I should give him the pleasure."

The girl in her bones banged painfully on the filaments. That this should be what she was known for; devourer of children, the witch in the dark, the last bastion for desperate women choosing between three kinds of death; the man, the tundra or the severing of the soul. El sighed and rose to her feet, sliding a knife free from the belt on her waist as she stepped towards the girl. When she recoiled the witch shook her head and gestured for her to open her palms.

"You have choice to make," she said, settling the blade on her skin, "A sacrifice must be made."

Six months later two lords lay dead in their beds — eviscerated at the abdomen, disembowelled as if something was trying to tear it away. 'What a travesty!' the gentry declared, looking at the hysterical girl, 'That she should be delivered from the wilds by Halone's grace mere weeks after their death! What savagery, what witchcraft!'

The void knew its kin better than most: the all-consuming hunger, the revel in wild panic. Imbued in an animal and fed the blood of the babe, parricide was a indulgent taboo that fed its aether and stole their souls for the witch.

A little boy was discovered on the doorstep of a peasant house desperate for a child. After the war, they were funded by a wealthy noblewoman who kept her distance, wishing only the best for the babe. In her home, the skull of a wolf bared teeth over her fireplace where she told stories of how she fended off the wilds with naught but a knife.

One soul distilled into raw aether, given to a 'useless' girl to help her survive. The other Elandervier fed to Gobnip.

After all, she told the girl inside her bones, these lessons were useful to us.

#｡･ﾟﾟ･ — 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 : elandervier #my writing #I'M NOT SORRY FOR THISSSS #ishgard is messed! up! #thank you for coming to my ted talk! #i will not stop #no beta read i read this aloud to my partner we die like men #get it #i'll see myself out #｡･ﾟﾟ･ — sea answers things

[kitkatopinions]

Speaking of characters like Whitley, do you ever wonder why they add so many new characters into the story only to quickly forget about them/kill them off?

I think some of this is a little bit just the nature of shows like RWBY that build in plot and locations. The kids need teachers and classmates at Beacon, not all of them can be orphans and/or only children, there's kids from other schools coming over for the Vytal Tournament, Salem needs to be able to match forces, and each location needs people too, plus on top of that there is a need for threats and drama outside of just supernatural end-of-the-world stuff which gets you characters like Jacques, Cardin, Cordovin, and theoretically Fennec and Corsac and Ilia, etcetera (though those three were part of the wildly bad White Fang arc, so...) The problem comes with giving focus with not a lot of real follow through, leading the story to be far too packed with way too many characters that we as an audience are supposed to care about when it's not going to matter later on.

The main eight and Qrow all have a lot they need done for me to consider this any sort of good, but the show never gives them proper focus, instead just piling on more that needs dealt with (case in point, V9 not actually dealing with anything and instead making Ruby try to commit suicide which will obviously also need lots of focus to get properly worked out.) And on top of that, they seem afraid of giving any proper down time, and they overload the cast by making side characters but then giving them enough focus that they by all rights should also matter from here on in but not enough focus to do more than take attention from the mains (case in point, making Maria and Pietro important enough that they should matter to the mains and/or others but then giving them very little to do and then abandoning them out in the tundra with none of the mains acknowledging their existence. The problem really isn't the number of characters in this show, but rather how the writers handle them. They're very good at packing RWBY full of ideas and concepts and then not giving any of them the proper follow through, and the characters are just another part of that. They brought Neon and Flynt back in V7-8 just to have them fight in the fall of Atlas and who knows if they're even going to be names on a memorial let alone have their deaths matter or impact the mains at all.

And as for killing off some of the characters they introduce, I also wouldn't have a real problem with that if it was better done. Shows like RWBY need a little death, to keep the stakes up, and said deaths should include characters the audience likes and knows or else the stakes aren't high anyway. But RWBY's V7-9 deaths feel more like cheap shock value deaths where they try to introduce (or reintroduce in Penny's case) characters and make them likable and important just to kill them without any real care towards consequences or reactions or whether or not the character was established enough to justify the response in other characters and basically just not having the deaths matter anyway. Clover was speedran into a rushed "friendship" with Qrow just so he could have a giant reaction to Clover's badly orchestrated death, and meanwhile Ironwood's death just happened without it mattering to anyone. Penny and Ruby's reunion and subsequent friendship in V7 was lackluster at best, so it feels even more like she was killed for shock value and for Jaune's stupid arc and then the writers felt no need to even acknowledge the fact that Jaune killed her. Etc. Etc.

This ask kind of just turned into me ranting about this, lol, but yeah, I do wonder why they put so many characters into the story in more significant roles only to ditch them or kill them. I think a big part of it is just because they have to introduce characters but don't know how to just leave them in more bit part roles and always have to try to make them more involved. I also think they keep introducing new characters that they want to make matter because... They really don't seem to have a lot that they want the mains to do but they need to keep things interesting. For instance, Weiss wasn't given much focus in Atlas despite the fact that she should've been heavily in focus during that season, but then they introduced tons of new characters and conflicts to fill the run time.

But also, the RWBY writers have a big 'bigger is better' 'quantity over quality' problem. Just like they introduce big story beats only to forget to treat them with the proper weight or make them have any natural consequences, they introduce lots of characters that they want to be relevant only to get in over their heads. I've said it before and I'll say it again, RWBY's number one selling point is that it's brimming over with so much potential and good ideas, but its biggest problem is that the writers always fumble on execution and don't give any of it the proper treatment or care, and the overly bloated cast is definitely part of that.

#rwde

[bonesandthebees]

I only just now figured out how to do the ask thing on here and just remembered you have an account on here so hellooo

I finished reading stars for the first time like yesterday and finished it in like 4-5 days— it’s so good o(-( 💖 My brain is already wanting to do a pmv for it— it may or may not have become a favorite of mine

I wanted to ask though, do you have any descriptions of what the planets roughly look like from afar?

fire!! aaa thank you so much I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! stars is my BABY it's genuinely the best thing I've written I think. no pressure ofc but if you did a pmv I would sob /pos

uhh I can try to provide example images if you want but those will be hard to find, so I'll give descriptions for now and if you need reference pics lemme know!!

(also fire I hope you know you're always welcome to dm me lol)

anyway! description time!

Eldingvegr - the planet is tidally-locked, meaning it doesn't spin. one side is always facing its sun, while the other side is always cast in darkness. the sun facing side, Sólsid, is a vast desert so the planet looks mostly brown and yellow on that side. the dark facing side, Nóttsid, is permanently shrouded in darkness, but if someone were to point a giant flashlight at it it would mostly be white and grey because it's largely made up of stone and ice with a few small settlements here and there. most of the planets population lives in the Røkkrring, which is the middle band of the planet where the day and night sides meet. I actually did find a reference picture of what a sunset looks like from space so

in my mind the Røkkrring looks like this from space—a band of varying shades of soft pinks. I know that's a lot going on with one planet lol sorry about that

Zephys IV - this planet is extremely cold, with the entire population living underground because the surface is essentially just ice and a few extremely hardy tundra plants. from afar the planet essentially looks like a ball of white and blue ice.

Kinoko - as a planet Kinoko is heavily forested with a huge variety of mushrooms and trees found on the surface. from afar it looks relatively similar to earth, except it's more land than water and the land is extremely green

Mantle - schlatt's planet is a moon that orbits a gas giant (like Jupiter in our own solar system). the gas giant Mantle orbits is a light orangish color, while Mantle itself looks kind of like Saturn's moon Titan with it's kind of hazy green/blue/orange glow

And then we have the Badlands, which are a trio of planets that all orbit another gas giant that govern together. Of the Badlands we have:

Nona - this one is like Kinoko in that it's a heavily forested planet with lots of green. whereas Kinoko though looks roughly to have 55% land and 45% water, Nona has 70% land and 30% water. It's mostly just masses of extremely green continents with a few splashes of blue lakes here and there.

Decima - in my mind Decima has the same haziness you always see with Saturn's moon Titan, but the color scheme for Decima is entirely yellows. the surface of Decima is uninhabitable due to high temperatures and toxic gas, so all populations live in floating cities in the upper atmosphere

Morta - Morta is a bit of a hell planet that only gem hybrids like Skeppy and demons like Bad can survive on. the planet itself is dark grey and red with no visible water anywhere from afar. there technically is water on the planet, but it's very far below ground in the extensive cave system that runs through the entire thing.

And then the gas giant these three planets orbit is kind of a hazy dark orange/reddish color in my mind but I'm not super picky about it

okay I that's it! I hope that helps!

#ask #firexima #the stars and their children

[kywaslost]

SBI x Injured!Reader

A/N: Just something I’ve been writing between classes. It kinda sucks but at least it’s something.

Reader is part of the SBI family.

Prompt: “I know, it hurts. I’m so sorry, but we have to get this out.”

You weren’t sure how you got in this situation to be completely honest. You had only stepped outside for a second to retrieve mushrooms for dinner. The sun had set a few hours ago but the cabin was well lit and the mushroom garden wasn’t too far from home. You were crouched down, plucking red and white mushrooms when you heard a spider nearby. You immediately stood up and backed away, your arachnophobia kicking in. You saw the glimmer of eight beady, red eyes a few trees away, but failed to see the skeleton on the spider.

You quickly ran back to the cabin, fear gripping your soul. The snowy tundra made it difficult to move quickly, and then it didn’t matter how deep the snow was because it broke your fall. There was an extreme pain in your shoulder and you let out an ear-piercing scream. The snow helped with the pain slightly, but it also made your entire body numb.

Out of nowhere there was pressure against your injured shoudler. You screamed again, trying to fight it off but failed. Then there was the voice.

“Hey, hey, calm down. It’s alright, you’re ok,” the voice spoke. “I’ve got you. It’s gone now.” Then there were three other voices.

“Oh god!” Tommy gasped. He then went on, cursing out the spider jockey as he panicked.

“Dadza,” Wilbur whimpered. You had never heard him like this.

“Calm down boys,” Philza hushed. “Panicking does no good.” One hand stayed on your injured shoulder while the other one rubbed your back in an attempt to soothe you. “Tommy, Will, I need you to go back inside. Fetch bandages and a healing potion. Techno, will you help me move her?”

“We’re going to stand you up, alright love?” Philza asked you. “We need to get you out of the cold.” Hands grabbed you from your uninjured shoulder and waist, and suddenly you were on your feet. Your head spun and you stumbled, falling into your older brother. He wrapped an arm around your waist, and let you fall into him.

“Easy,” he said softly. He picked you up gently and began rushing inside, Phil not far ahead of him. When they got inside, you were placed on the couch, Technoblade sitting beside you. You were still crying, your whole body was numb with cold and your shoulder was in extreme pain. Your older brother pulled you tightly against his chest. If it weren’t for the extreme pain throughout your body, you would have questioned his actions. He was very rarely this kind.

Nevertheless, you let him hold you, and you wrapped your arms around his neck. He rested his chin on your head and whispered softly. 

“Can you start the fire, Will,” Philza asked as he sat down beside you. Then your heard the click of flint and steel and the roar of the fire. Phil’s hand rested gently on your shoulder, running his thumb close to the wound. “I need to take a closer look, alright, Y/N?”

“I have warm water, and a rag,” Tommy stated as he ran into the room, sitting on the floor beside the couch. He held the bowl for his father as Phil dipped the rag into the water, and then wrung it out. Phil wiped away at the blood from the arrow lodged in your shoulder. Then he slowly attempted to pull the weapon out your wound, pressing bandages against it.

You let out a heart-wrenching sob, trying to pull away from your father. Techno’s hold on you tightened, keeping you in place. He continued to whisper sweetly to you, attempting to calm you down. Philza frowned deeply, hating how much this pained you. Wilbur moved to stand next to Techno’s spot on the couch, resting his hand on your back. He rubbed it gently to try and direct your attention away from the pain. He hummed softly while doing so. Tommy continued to hold the bowl of warm water for Phil, but moved to lean against one of your legs to comfort you as well.

Phil tried to remove the arrow again, stopping when you sobbed again.

“I know, it hurts. I’m so sorry, but we have to get this out,” he sympathized. “It’s almost out. Then we can bandage it up and give you a healing potion. I’m so sorry honey.” Techno’s hold on you tightened even more when Phil moved again.

“She’s looking pale,” Wilbur commented worriedly. “Why?”

“Oh my god,” Tommy cried. “She’s losing too much blood!”

“No no,” Phil soothed. “She hasn’t lost that much blood. It’s most likely the pain.” He then turned his attention back to you. “I know, sweetheart. I’m almost done.” He gently pulled at the arrow again and again, finally freeing in from your skin. He tossed it to the ground, then began curing the wound.

“It’s out now,” Techno soothed.

Wilbur ran a hand through your hair, cooing, “it’s almost over, Y/N. We just have to clean and dress the wound now.” Tommy hugged your leg to try and help.

Phil poured alcohol over the wound, then began pressing and bandaging your shoulder. When he was finished, Wilbur took the bowl of water and bloody rags to the kitchen to clean. Techno handed you over to your father so he could comfort you, cradling you gently against his chest. You back was against him, and you covered your face with your hands. Tommy stood, opening the bottle of healing potion.

“Here, sis,” he said softly, lifting the bottle to your lips. “It’ll help tons.” He pulled your hands away from your face and helped you drink the potion, discarding the bottle when it was empty. You could feel the effects of the potion quickly, making you tired. Healing potions always exhausted you. Your tears ceased and your body felt heavy. Philza wrapped his wings around you, and then adjusted when Tommy and Wilbur joined the three of you on the couch.

The soft roar of the fire and the comforting embrace of your father and brothers lulled you to sleep. You were in a lot of pain, but were beyond grateful for your family. They took care of you, and helped you when you couldn’t help yourself.

#dsmp #sbi #sbi family dynamic #reader is part of sbi family #sbi comfort #fanfic #dsmp fanfic #philza minecraft #wilbur soot #tommyinnit #technoblade #prompt #dsmp comfort

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

Shattered Identity

Chapter one. Chapter two. Chapter three. Chapter four. Chapter five Chapter six. Chapter seven. Chapter eight. Chapter nine.

Chapter Ten (Final Chapter): Dead men and living men tell tales.

It was a surrealized landscape of his once familiar home. The way the surroundings waved in the world's most intense heat haze, the pinkish orange hues of the sky contrasted to the bluish grays of the melting Amity Park, the sidewalk squished under Danny's feet like warm mud. …Well, it wasn't his feet, not technically anyway. He wasn't controlling the copy of Vlad, just seeing what it was seeing and feeling what it was feeling. He assumed that this would what it would be like to be lucid while being overshadowed, still aware but just along for the ride.

Danny was worried about this, it was only annoyingly hot to him, he knew why and how he and the copy was surviving this, but what about the people? How could THEY survive thousand-degree heat?! In stark contrast, Vlad's copy and Vlad himself remained perfectly, scarily calm.

He saw his parents' RV stuck in the road, it's tires screeching occasionally to free itself from the melted mess that they were trying to drive on. His father even got out of the vehicle, got behind it, and tried to push it free with little success. His mother also got out and looked at the road-gunk in the tires with some kind of thermometer.

He was as confused as he was relieved. How were they surviving this..?

But the copy wasn't there to linger on these mysteries, only to make sure they weren't getting hurt before going after his real target…

At the same time as the copy was on a manhunt, there was a journey to the supernatural tundra going on at the same time.

The halfa trio didn't go to the Far Frozen without a vehicle, sure, even despite the injuries the older two sustained, they could've flown there themselves and it would've been faster, but it would've been beyond stupid for them to do so when the recovering teen would've had to be carried for miles by either a tiny girl or a frail hospital patient, neither of which had that much endurance and it would've been very dangerous to expose the ghost who just shattered his own core to the elements.

But as they got closer and closer to their destination, Dani was starting to feel unsure about bringing Vlad here in the first place. Sure, right now he was the one driving and he would have an easier time explaining what happened to Frostbite, but it seemed that even though the temperatures inside weren't too high or low, Vlad was seemingly getting weaker the colder it got outside.

It made sense to her, he was the one who said that fire and ice don't mix well…

“We're here.” The older teen in the gold sweater alerted the younger two as he parked the submarine-like device, unbuckled his seat belt, and used the chair as balance. “Now we just need to find Frost-”

“…Maybe you should stay inside, I'll find Frostbite and tell him everything.” Dani gently pushed the scrawny older teen back in his seat and handed him one of the blankets in the supply box. “In fact, I'll bring him here, you look like could use a check-up too.”

He looked like he wanted to protest but knew it would be a loosing battle, especially given both his own current condition and Danny's. As Danielle left, Vlad got back up and limped over to Danny's position to check on him, carefully unwrapping the bandages on the boy's face and neck with the intent of checking his vitals, only for the boy to cough, gag, and sputter as soon as his head was free.

Danny felt disoriented as no longer covered up, he adjusted to seeing out of his own eyes instead of Vlad's or his copy's. What made it worse was that every time he closed his eyes, he saw out of either Vlad's or the copy's.

Every time he blinked he either saw himself or saw the melted Amity Park.

“How do you manage to keep a copy up for so long?” The former cocoon muttered, still blinking the double-triple vision out of his eyes.

“Oh good, you're not dead.” The silver haired teen gave him a thumb's up.

“Did you spend half the trip here putting extra wrappings on me?” Danny returned him an unamused look while trying to wriggle his limbs free from the tightly-wrapped bandages.

“No, I think the ectoplasm on them got denser as they dried out.” Vlad thought out loud as he helped Danny free his limbs from the bandages, ignoring the boy's exaggerated gagging for both of their sakes. “Anyway, how are you feeling? Scale of one to ten, how much pain are you in?”

"Uh.. two I think?" Danny shimmied the rest of the bandages off and shook his head. "Listen, that's not what I'm worried about right now, something weird happened, I started..? Feeling what you're feeling?"

"…Literally or metaphorically?"

"Literally."

"Apple pie a la mode…" He 'cursed' under his breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Great, he's feeling side effects already, at the very least they were already here and could get that fixed.

"…And I can see out of your eyes and the copy's eyes. What the heck are you doing in Amity?!"

In that moment, Danny discovered a new emotion by feeling it emanating from the other halfa. The only way the hero could manage to describe it was internal screaming but made out of static and maybe grief too?

"I can explain." The older teen's voice cracked a bit, betraying his attempt to sound calm and collected as if Danny's current ability to sense what he was feeling didn't already do that.

The teen hero crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow, not sure he *could* explain but what else could he do but listen.

"I was going to reveal Vlad's secret at the funeral-"

"WHAT?!" Danny gawked. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard! In case you forgot: YOU'RE Vlad! And if you're posing as your own son, they'll figure you out-"

"Give me a second to explain." He rolled his eyes. "Your parents are the ones who made the gun, if they knew that they killed a human being with it, one that they knew personally, do you think that they would keep it around?"

"No..."

"Exactly, because at the end of the day, regardless of how they would feel about me if they knew about Plasmius when I was 'alive', they would have to live with the fact that they designed something that killed a *person* instead of a *ghost*."

"Speaking of ghosts, what about the ghosts you invited? What do they have to do with this?"

"In their case, the funeral's just a way to bribe them into not stirring any trouble. Everybody gets their own slice of the pie and if they want more, they'll have to fight each other for it instead of me or Dani. I've divided up the will in a way where if any of them was unhappy with what they got, attacking us would make the least amount of sense."

Danny nodded in thought, in hindsight, he was probably right about his previous assumptions on Vlad's social ghost life; he probably only knew the Dairy king and vultures on a personal level and that was because they lived together.

"Now for the wrench the guys in white threw into the mix; they don't care about humans. They won't give two flying figs if they knew they killed a human being in their attempt to destroy a ghost so... different measures and precautions need to be taken."

"Uh huh, and how does turning Amity park into a gooey mess do that?"

"That can be reversed. (...I think)" Vlad waved it off which didn't convince Danny in the slightest. "And what it does is introduce a sense of hopelessness in them."

"Hopelessness?"

Danny blinked in confusion, also seeing through Vlad's double's eyes at the same time, watching the figure starting to let the previously encased GIW being freed by him which only added to the said confusion. If he just left them in the melted cement he might get it, but freeing them? How could that be hopelessness?

"Despite all their weapons, all their training, all their funding... They've been knocked down and put at the mercy of a single, sickly, ghost." Vlad smirked. "I've shown them what I can be capable of without even doing it. They saw the readings on their scanners before they melted into unusable pieces of smoldering plastic and metal, they've seen my effects on their territory first hand: They can see that it took more energy from me to keep everyone that town alive during that heatwave than it would take to let everyone in it burn to a melted mess that mixed with the roads and buildings, they can imagine what would ensue if I *chose* not to-"

The black haired boy took a cautious step back from the older teen, starting to feel nervous with his demeanor and mentally reminded that lost memories or not, potential inner change or not, this was still very much Vlad.

He seemed to notice this hesitation and cleared his throat to play it off.

"O-of course it was just a bluff that luckily they didn't see through."

"…Are your memories coming back or did you go through a very weird mid-life crisis mixed with teen angst while you were left alone?"

"Er- Well, I think a few might have returned…" Vlad wrung his hands nervously while avoiding Danny's suspicious stare.

Both were very grateful that Danielle returned with Frostbite in tow.

"Great one! Thank goodness you're stable!" The former worry on the yetis face melted off as soon as he saw him. "When the little one explained what happened, I was expecting the worst…"

"It's fine, really! Vlad stopped it from breaking me just as the shot hit." He gestured to the shivering ghost burrito who was quietly begging them to close the door behind them as the cold was getting let in.

"I see…" The yeti's gaze drifted to the frail former villain.

While he shouldn't have been surprised to see him like this, he… couldn't help it. It was true that the nature of his core was unpredictable at the time, part of him assumed that the core would retain well… 'core' values to the broken ghost, so he was anticipating (or maybe hoping) that he would try to retain his power by sacrificing his memories. Frostbite remembered the disgruntled would-be conqueror the first time they met, a man that sought after power, so why would his subconscious throw what power he did have away? Was it just really bad luck or was there something so much more important to him that he was willing to sacrifice to protect..?

Vlad covered himself up more with the blanket, starting to feel self conscious about the giant Yeti's staring. "We came to give him a more thorough check up." he gestured in hopes of keeping the snowy leader's attention back on the boy. "It was the first procedure of its kind and done impulsively."

"And we also need to look over his core." Danielle added, pointing at the halfa burrito. "Because he shattered it like an idiot to do the procedure in the first place."

"…So soon after he just narrowly survived that weapon's attack?" Frostbite cringed in sympathy and turned back to Vlad. "How did you even survive that? In fact, how did you survive getting your core shattered at all…?!"

"Okay, I get it! I was incredibly stupid and it's entirely possible that the only reason why I'm alive today is most likely the will of a potentially sadistic god that refuses to let me die and stay dead.” His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and annoyance. "But in my defense, what other options did I have?! Let him die while wasting precious time looking for a healthy donor? Create an artificial core via cloning which is a delicate process that, and I cannot stress this enough, is *not* a quick process? Will an ice core part out of thin air? I'm not a miracle worker darn it! Now, can we please just get this over with?"

Frostbite nodded and looked over Danny's core, It looked a little different from the last time he saw it as it had fully elementally matured and there was a faint pinkish spot on the otherwise icy blue surface but it was smooth all over, not a single crack in sight and it was a healthy, strong color.

If he didn't know the context behind the spot, he'd assume it was just the core equivalent of a birthmark or something.

"All of these are great signs" Frostbite smiled. "You might not even have to deal with any problems at all given how quickly your case was treated and how the shard is adapting to the rest of your core."

"That's good." Danny let out a relieved sigh he didn't know he was holding in. "…But do you think there's going to be any long term side effects from this? I've been seeing out of his eyes when I close mine and feel what he feels… am I going to get powers normally exclusive to Vlad? Fire ones for example?"

"Although this…" He gestured to the boys in general "is very uncharted territory, I suspect that 'seeing what he sees' and 'feeling what he feels' is temporary and will stop as your core and body adapts the donated parts to themselves as sees them as yours rather than his. As for gaining other powers… That would depend on a variety of factors, like the overall health and medical history of the donor's core-"

"…Chocolate cheesecake, I think I just condemned that boy to a fate worse than death." Vlad muttered under his breath as Frostbite continued.

"-your own health and medical history, and how your own core adjusts to the donated piece. And if you do get any powers from the donor, I wouldn't expect them to be particularly strong ones. Especially ones that would conflict with your own core."

"So no fire powers?"

"No fire powers." The yeti cracked an amused smile.

"Got it."

"Now for you…" Frostbite looked over Vlad's own core. "OH DEAR ANCIENTS!"

"What?" He held up the broken melting core as if nothing was wrong. "It usually looks like this, just give it some more time to meld together again. and it'll be just fine."

It was the most horrifying yet beautiful thing the Chief of the far frozen had ever seen; a broken core fusing itself back together with a spectral substance that resembled lava. He could tell that it had been shattered before, in fact, the subtle cracks on the visible molten layers of it seemed to imply that it was broken apart several times before. While it was a mature core, there were parts of it that seemed stunted, especially the elemental aspects, if he didn't know any better, he'd ask if they were intentionally damaged. As he looked at it more, he wracked his brain for any explanation but couldn't find any…

"Forgive me if this sounds …antagonistic but how in the infinite realms are you still alive?! Your core is... It's almost as if it's held together with nothing but luck and faith!"

"I..." The first halfa stared at his own mending core for a bit, not finding an answer for the guardian of the infinite map as he started to loose himself in his thoughts. Over the course of twenty years, how many times did he survive something that could've killed a human being? Could've killed a ghost? How many times did his illness do him in? How many creatures was he mauled by? How many close calls did he have in battle? How did he survive the fire in the hospital..? How did he survive the drowning after? Could he die? Or was he cursed to always feel the pain of death but never the release afterwards- How was he still alive? "...I don't know..."

"...Vlad..?" Dani hesitantly tapped him on the shoulder.

The silver haired boy shook his head as if shaking out water and put his core back into his body.

"So... healthy color and the cracks are mending, I take it that means I need a lot of rest and to not push myself too hard, but there's nothing to worry about after it's fixed, right?" He nervously smiled at the yeti.

"I... Well... I want to say 'yes' as in this case you know your core better than anyone else ever will. But frankly, I think we should arrange further visits just in case."

"...While we're here and doing checkups, what about her? I mean, just to make sure."

The yeti gave him a look as he was suspecting that he was just trying to hide himself from him, but did so anyway, inspecting the light yellow core the smallest of them had...

___

The town was still healing from the 'unknown ghost attack' when the funeral was being held.

Danny hated it here, but he put up with the annoying suit, and his father bawling before the main part of the funeral itself even started, and 'Jack' Masters copying himself so that Patient Zero could also attend despite the headache Vlad copying himself now caused him (The pair running around with chickens like their heads cut off in their attempts to make sure that the funeral was going smoothly was also incredibly obnoxious and even a little headache inducing when he could see out of their eyes every time he blinked), and the weird tense atmosphere made by exclusively inviting ghosts and ghost hunters (and their immediate family), and the feeling in his gut that this was a ticking time bomb about to go off, and-

Frankly, the boy internally wished that he pretended to be sick to get out of it, but part of him was also curious as to how his parents would react to the news.

At the very least it wasn't all misery here, the decorations weren't as obnoxiously packers themed as he anticipated, the food was nice, and it was always... well *something* to see how ghosts behaved during temporary truces. He'd say it was 'nice' but that didn't feel like the right adjective for it.

Comfy? Maybe?

No, that didn't feel quite right either, especially given the funeral's hosts behavior.

Most of the ghosts came and went, paying their respects and leaving with an envelope given to them by Jack Masters, but some of them stayed after receiving their envelope.

When the funeral attendees were cut down to just the hosts, the Fentons, the Grays, the Vultures, the Dairy King, Skulker, Ember, Amorpho, and Walker, the lights started to dim and what seemed to be a ghost-power dampening fence lit up.

"Hey, Danny," Dani nudged him "just a head's up, the open mic speeches are going to start soon."

"It's an open mic funeral?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Are you guys sure that's a good idea?"

"I figured it might lighten the mood after the reveal."

As he opened his mouth to ask what she meant by 'after', the screen lit up, showing the recording of the 'deceased' Vlad Masters adjusting the camera pointed at him and clearing his throat before speaking.

"If you are watching this, it means that you deserve answers to questions that I couldn't give you when I was alive for one reason or another." The AI spoke and moved in a stiff way, but in the sense of stiff in which many would just assume that the man was reading from a script. And, well, they wouldn't be *wrong*... "Starting from where it all began: Twenty years ago, I got into a terrible accident that I survived, but it cost me my life. I can't explain how I both died and lived in any way more meaningful than showing you."

The black rings appeared and as Masters turned to Plasmius, the remaining funeral attendees were in shock but some got in an uproar.

Jack Fenton stared at the screen in disbelief, this entire time... His best Friend was a ghost! So many things made so much more sense but only raised more and more questions the more he thought about it.

Maddie shared her husband's disbelief and enlightenment, At one time, Vlad was also her friend and now his bizarre change from the man he used to be to the... strange obsessive creature that disrespected her and her husband made so much more sense. He was a GHOST the whole time! Any humanity he had probably decayed to nothing when he isolated himself from them! Too focused on the reveal itself than the notion that she had killed her own old friend, she also looked to the silver haired teen who was currently running the funeral as well as his bandaged doppelganger, noticing how the two seemed to resemble the late billionaire and the Wisconsin Ghost...

Jack Masters paused the recording as he noticed the brewing discord, they didn't seem to notice him do that.

Skulker always knew about Masters, but not that he used to be half human. He felt like such an Idiot! All this time! The ultimate catch was his goddamn client!

The Dairy King already knew this, but was caught off guard to learn that both the humans and ghosts were reacting like this was so unusual and surprising. ...In hindsight, maybe he was a little *too* ignorant of the goings on in the ghost zone...

Valerie already knew this secret and was mildly disappointed to learn that he died before she could make good on her promise to hunt him down, but relieved to know that he'd never hurt or trick another soul. She what *did* surprise her was that he was planning to tell others, that he was going to tell her considering that she was invited...

"THAT SONNOVA- HE'S BEEN BAILING *HIMSELF* OUT OF MY JAIL ALL THIS TIME!" Walker exclaimed at the screen with righteous fury, breaking the silence.

"Care to elaborate?" Dani handed the irate ghost cop the microphone and gestured to the podium.

Still clearly mad, but somewhat willing to humor her, he marched up there and started to speak.

"I should know better than to speak ill of someone who's died their second death, especially so soon, but this sorry son of a gun has been a thorn in my side the day I first arrested him." He pointed at the closed coffin. "I can't believe he's managed to pull the wool over mine and my boys' eyes all this goddamned time! He's been arrested a handful of times for theft, artifact robbery, assault on officers of Ghost Law, bio-terrorism, and unleashing powerful forces of mass destruction."

Maddie, Jack, and Valerie were more confused by the notion of ghosts having a law system that somewhat mirrored the human world's law system then the fact that Vlad was arrested by ghost cops before.

"No matter how high I set the bail, Mr. Masters always paid it in full, in cash, with the smuggest damn smile on his face. Part of me always kinda suspected that it was a game to him, when he showed up to pay, he *always* showed up in a solid gold limo in the gaudiest gold and green outfits I've ever seen in my life and I couldn't do CRAP about it because whenever I tried to make something he did that annoyed me against the rules, HE'D do something twice as annoying to bug me even more by following my rules exactly to the letter but never the spirit."

Danny couldn't help it and burst out laughing at the mental image of the escalating ridiculousness in the Bail war between his 'dead' nemesis and the Prison Ghost.

"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up in the bastard's absence since he can't get the last laugh in person.."

Walker rolled his eyes, but was sobered out of the blind fury to be reminded by his surroundings that this was still a funeral, an event which one needed to be respectful at, even if it was the funeral of someone who made a complete mockery out of him in 'life'.

"I guess it's a little funny..." He tried to play it off. "I never once thought I'd be attending this thing in the first place until I read his letter. It's corny in hindsight, but it talked about how apparently, I was the first to discriminate against him for what he did instead of what he was, and that while he hated me as much as I hated him, he was at least grateful for that bit. I didn't know what he meant back then, even now, I still don't know what he meant, but something about it... stuck with me."

He looked back at the closed casket and sighed before grabbing a glass and raising it up.

"Shine on you crazy diamond, I hope the cops you're punching down in the inferno deserve it and you find other people who hate you for the reasons you want to be hated."

The second he finished his speech, he walked off stage, handing the mic to the next person who came up, Jack.

"I was there during the accident that had cost my old friend his humanity." He spoke into the mic with a somber tone. "We were best friends before it happened, roommates, and lab partners too. Some days, it felt like it was just me and him against the world back then..." The man softly smiled at the old memories. "On the day itself, it was an accident... His face was up against the portal's rim, I think he was inspecting the structural integrity, Mads was double-checking the calculations and I, I didn't notice that he was so close to the portal, I didn't hear that the calculations were wrong, I thought that this was the moment, and I turned it on without thinking of the consequences or how drastic they could really be. I can only wish that I knew this sooner, I have so many questions about this that only he can answer, but I know he never would've told me if he was alive for one reason or another. I know he blamed me for the accident back then, and he's not entirely wrong... Vladdie.. If you can hear me... I just want to say I'm sorry-"

Amorpho pushed him off the stage and took the mic in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

"The first time and place we met was Sardinia, Italy, 1998, I think it was march 8th, but don't hold me to it. I was doing what I do best before I noticed that there was a witness trailing me. I wasn't worried, very few places outside of this town think ghosts are real so I figured nobody would believe him if he tried to tell, but he did something unexpected when he did finally catch me." The ghost vividly explained as if he was the narrator in a detective noir film. "He gave me his card and said 'keep this number, I could use your skills in the future'. I'm dumbfounded but keep it anyway because I don't see the harm in it. A few months later, I get a call, it's the same guy from back then, he says he has a 'job' for me. I'm typically not the guy to go to for commissions, but it's hard to turn down easy money, especially when it's a ton of it. I never knew about Plasmius to begin with, but in hindsight I guess we shouldn't be surprised that a human has closer ties to ghosts then we all think when that human has a portal to the ghost zone in their basement."

The attention-craving prankster was happily drinking in his audience's suspenseful stares as he continued to build up for the punchline.

"Masters and I had a strictly professional, non-homosexual, business-type relationship when he was around and it was something of an enigma. At times, I felt like a gun-for-hire with all the secrecy and the terms used. 'Your target is X', 'Use the Russian Script', 'Your payment will be delivered in an unmarked PO box in Blank Street at 2am', stuff like that. The jobs themselves are simple, the type that really, he himself could do and it's frankly a little weird that he went through all the effort to get little ol' me to do it for him. At first, I don't think much of it, why question a gift horse and all that, but I am everything, including curious, so one day, after a job, I show up to where he plans to pay me early and wait. Masters shows up in casual clothes and puts the payment in before looking around and leaving, but instead of taking the money and going my own separate way, I tail him to see what all the fuss is about, to answer the questions I have for why he paid me to do what I did to so many people..."

When he could tell all of them were hooked, he knew it was time to deliver. He changed to the Deceased man's form but still spoke with his own voice.

"All the strange jobs, all the secrecy, the payments, why he picked me out of every other ghost in the world... It all made sense the second I overheard what he said when something he was working on fell apart right in front of his eyes; 'Pumpkin pie'. He was hiring me to use actual cusswords at people when he decided his food swears weren't strong enough!" The shapeshifter wearing Vlad's face cracked up. "Honestly, I think this makes him the funniest rich person I've ever met," He cleared his throat and started using Vlad's voice. "'Yes I have no qualms about committing arson or committing various forms of fraud, but the FUCK word? Absolutely not, I have STANDARDS. I *need* to pay a ghost to wear my face and use my voice to commit this heinous deed in my place, I will gladly walk to hell for my war crimes, but I refuse to go to there for saying 'bitchass' of all things'."

He took a bow and drank in his audience's laughter as he wrapped up his own speech and switched back to his 'default' state, handing the mic to the next person who came up.

"I don't know who this guy even is and to be blunt, I don't really care about his half-human-ness at all really." She shrugged. "But, I do know his relative, Zero. And Zero's one of the most ride or die friends someone could ever ask for. He and I died in the same hospital wing twenty-ish years ago. He was in for a facial reconstruction surgery gone wrong, I was in because my house burned down and they were trying to resuscitate me. ...It didn't work out well for either of us and we died, but got to know each other pretty well. The kid's a mad genus, great at playing the drums, made some of the best macaroni pizzas out there, and really helped me out of some pretty rocky times. And sure, Plasmius isn't the *greatest* person out there and all that, but you know what, if he's even half as cool as Zero was, then he's a pretty good guy in my books."

She tossed the mic into the crowd like it was a bouquet at a wedding and Skulker caught it and went up.

"Unfortunately, I cannot say the same regarding my own relationship with him." The ghost hunting ghost started. "Plasmius and I had known each other for a very long time and I didn't consider him a just client who is knowledgeable about engineering himself, but a friend. Unfortunately, he was a friend who hid something that would've changed everything. I would have killed him and hung his pelt on the wall had I known the truth. All this time I assumed he was just one of those ghosts who disguised themselves as a human and lived among them for whatever reason instead, he was playing me like a fiddle for his own survival. It's one thing to made a fool of by a target once or twice, but for as long as I've known him?! Mark my words, Plasmius, if you AREN'T dead, then so help me I will finish the job."

Skulker narrowed his eyes to the coffin and left the podium and the mic, leaving it for the next person to take it.

"He changed my life the day it all went downhill. I got a suit from him in the mail and a bunch of ghost hunting supplies. I didn't know his motives, or anything about him at all at that point. ...I still don't know his motives now, but I figured him out before today, when he thought no one was looking, I found out that Phantom was right and he WAS playing me for a fool all this time. He was playing both sides, ghosts and humans all this time..." Valerie shook her head. "Part of me's still mad about it, but honestly, now that I know that there are other ghosts that were gunning him just for being human- or half-human, I can't say it surprises me that he became what he was."

She kept her speech short, not wanting to bring up any bad memories around Dani, or to give her a hard time about the nature of what she and Vlad happened to be. It wasn't her fault that she was half human and half ghost after all...

Jack Masters was the final person to take the microphone.

"It's kinda crazy how fate and the world and all that play out sometimes... I originally came down to Amity to live with my dad and learn more about him since my mom never really talked about him. ...Boy did I get a lot more than what I bargained for." He nervously chuckled as he picked at the sleeves of his sweater. "I never got to meet him and talk face to face, he died before I ever got the chance to meet him as a person. But I found his journals, his letters that went unsent, and... I found all of you. I've learned a lot about who Vladimir Masters is and was, the good, the bad, and the downright weird, from all of you over the short time I've known you. And for that, I just want to say my thanks, thank you for attending, thank you for your rage, your bittersweet words, and your stories about who the deceased was in your eyes. ...I'm sure all of us here can agree that not everyone saw the same man, but all of us can agree that he was kinda a hot mess and if he's out there somewhere... ...he still is."

The rest of the funeral went as planned, the rest of the video left unplayed, some attendees shared more humorous stories as tension died down, and the burial went smoothly, but after the last of the ghosts left, Danny and Dani found Jack Masters outside the funeral home staring off into space, feeling a sense of exhaustion that the teenage hero could definitely understand.

"Oh, hey, I was wondering where you went." He sat beside the silver haired teen.

"Hey Danny, Dani." he halfheartedly waved. "Got enough of the catering?"

"Yeah..."

"...So now what do we do?" The black haired girl spoke up.

"I've been thinking that myself. Now that the funeral's over, now that I can rest assured that Jack and Maddie likely won't keep that thing around, now that the ghost thing has been handled... what do we do from here? I mean- I know there's the obvious; I need to fix whatever's going on with my core and head, find a ghost-therapist, *maybe* see a physical doctor too... It's pretty clear I can't keep living how I used to live, but I don't know how to live now. I don't know how to take care of anyone like this, let alone myself."

"Well, we can still take care of each other." Dani offered as she floated by him. "I don't see why we should stop just because the funeral's handled."

"Wait, you really want to stay? Despite everything..?"

"Yes, but I'm serious about the therapist!"

Jack half chuckled in response to her pouting expression.

"I mean it!"

"Are you leaving two for Colorado or Wisconsin or just staying here?"

"I figured it only makes sense to stay." He shrugged. "The mansion is still intact and nobody's going to be surprised that the only living heirs of the Masters fortune got the place. Besides, there's no point to me giving up the cats."

"Well, if you're looking for something to keep your hands busy, dad told me to tell you that that apprenticeship offer is still on the table." Danny handed him the Fentonworks Business card.

Jack Masters smiled, despite the uncertainty, there was always something he could count on.

#danny phantom #vlad masters #danielle phantom #frostbite danny phantom #warden walker #amorpho #jack fenton #maddie fenton #valerie gray #skulker #ember dp #fanfic #shattered identity

[cryptic-symbols]

for the ask game :)

waco, going to alaska and pinklon

deep cuts my beloved

(:

You didn’t use an Oxford comma so for a hot second I wondered where there was a mountain goats song entitled “Going to Alaska and Pinklon” and I was really confused. These were fun songs and this is a long post.

waco: she’s not a deep cut, not to me!!! all hail west texas is my fav goats album so she is my everything. she’s not my fav bonus track but I do love her. I have kind of a weird answer for this one.

Biding our time

Biding our time

Biding our time, as best we know how

At face value, this is a song about the rapture. Really, this is a song about how you live life when you’re lying in wait for something, anything to happen, and these lines make me feel that the most. Waiting for someone specific to come save you, someone you’ve been waiting for your whole life. Can any one person save you from Waco boredom? Set against the desolate landscape of west Texas, we feel the rote boredom more acutely. There is nothing here to do and no one to be, only waiting for something new to happen in a place where nothing really ever happens. Its a song about learning to be comfortable with patience.

The three time repetition of biding our time really makes me feel that time, the rhythm of that time. The days lived, in and out, like breathing. As best we know how. We don’t fully know know what we’re doing and how to do it but we are learning as we go and its not perfect but its our best effort. It is the gift of a best effort, the eagerness of trying your damn best and letting it be known that you are giving it your everything. It feels like the human heart of the song, the admission that you are doing everything you can and its kind of getting to you, knowing that your best effort may not be enough.

going to alaska: google tells me this is the first going to song and perhaps the first mountain goats song so !!! woah. I listened to the shitty 2008 recording and it made me feel something I haven’t felt in a really long time. The meter is this song is very consistent and feels kind of weird as someone used to goats songs that don’t have that. Its cool.

And I am going to Alaska, where you can go blind

Just by looking at the ground; where fat is eaten by itself

Just to keep the body warm

The speaker wants life to feel more difficult, to feel like a struggle that feels, presumably, worth it. Life is too easy, or maybe, life feels like it should be harder, or that he deserves better.

These specific references to the extreme aspects of the tundra remind me of this class I took about the desert, the meaning that is found in going somewhere that is inhospitable for human life but extremely supportive of other kinds of life; the rare beauty in a landscape that is harsh but full of energy under the surface. It reminded me of the way I felt while journaling on the camping trip I took in that class to the desert, looking at the stars and sitting with myself and just writing and writing and trying to capture the primal inhospitable life that the desert felt like: a kind of god that I thought deserved reverence. It is a different kind of beauty often overlooked or presumed grotesque because of the lengths that survival requires.

Our speaker sees the beauty in these things and perhaps wants to test himself, but he’s almost missing the point that his life doesn’t need to be hard to feel meaningful. He doesn’t need to go blind or make his body eat itself to create meaning or to be enough. Man. Haven’t we all been there.

pinklon: now this is a deep cut. performed once ever that we know of, only on a bootleg recording?? yes

Though all good things in time will melt away

Pinklon Thomas is getting out of prison today

This reminds me of another goats song: “life is short and life is hard and life is sweet” (when a powerful animal comes). All of these people are celebrating this guy’s freedom, and that joy, no matter how small a blip in what feels like life’s endless suffering, is a good moment worth celebrating. It will not last forever, nor should it, but we can take a moment to chronicle this joy and give it space to live and breathe and mark all the ways we can see it in the people ready to welcome him back. This is a good thing that will melt away but for now, let’s forget that. Living in the moment means taking the goods ones when they come and soaking them in.

#ask #tmg #the mountain goats #all hail west texas #cryptic writings

[niadevbutreal]

[ULTRAKILL ACT 3 SPOILERS]

Goddamn talk about a difficulty spike. Almost P ranked the 7-1 but did a dumb dumb vs Minotaur. Wow I forgot how hard P ranking a level for the first time was. This act has that P-1 and P-2 energy of "can you parry? Well, it's time to learn". Mannequins are kind of annoying atm but godamn are they common in this act so far. Guess it's time to learn the whole punch them mid fall trick the terminals recommend.

Gutterman and Guttertanks are probably my new least favourite enemy (Mindflayers are old news, tbh they're just more time consuming than hard at this point), at least until I learn how to deal with them properly. Atm I'm Knuckleblastering the shield then Nailgunning them while going between cover and defaulting to ProBoosting + Rocket spam like this shit is a Cerberus. The Guttertanks are probably easier with the Freezeframe trick, but only 8 seconds to fuck up multiple Guttertanks which are not frail, is not fun.

7-1 is probably my favourite level, and it comes equipped with Big John from Erebus Reactor in Dusk (and probably other New Blood games) as the secret encounter and the tram battle is just plain cool. Minotaur gives me massive Phantom from Devil May Cry 1 vibes since it seems to die only to come back with less armour and enraged for a final, and even runs through narrow corridors earlier in the level, but I guess a Phantom reference in Ultrakill was inevitable since there are already more DMC references in the game than I can count (Agony and Tundra = Agni and Rudra from DMC 3 in case you somehow missed it, V1 and V2 being twin rivals, etc.) and it's probably DMC's most iconic boss after Vergil, besides maybe Nightmare and Nelo Angelo. ... Oh god we're going to get a Nightmare reference aren't we. Would be pretty cool if the final boss was God and it's one giant Mundus fight reference (still one of the cinematically coolest fights in all video game history btw).

Fuuuuck 7-2 last room. Not as much as 7-3's last room, though. That's a whole special breed of 'Hakita what the fuck'. About the first quarter of the time spent in the room is spent dealing with the machines and hell troops and that the last three are solely dealing with the blood tree's mannequin spawns.

7-4 is pretty cool too, even if the brain thing is kind of infuriating (skill issue I know). Pro tip - use the ledge on the side, and use it to more easily adjust your height for the next laser. Lasers you can't iframe immune via dash is something else though man, and a countdown before the whole thing explodes is sick as shit (Mallet Island reference :O)

I think it's pretty neat that the Hell and Heaven forces spawn near the end of level door in a room primarily flooded with machines who are canonically trying to go down, indicating that Hell really underestimated humanity and are trying to stop the machines from going apeshit on Fraud an Treachery like they have the previous layers, especially since Gabriel confirmed in 6-2 the first three levels are already depleted and destroyed. Oh yeah, and the tree of life might just be the endgame, since getting that might wind up making the machines immortal or even living again, and would explain why V1 is going straight to the bottom of hell as fast as possible instead of farming each layer individually. Violence being the Last War continued is pretty cool though.

My only complaint is that sometimes the Mannequins got stuck and couldn't do anything for some reason on one of the staircases in 7-1 and I got stuck looking for it for an entire minute because they have almost the exact same colour scheme as the stairs.

Worst level so far is probably 7-2, though, if solely because it is entirely possible to blow up the nuke by accident while respawning and winding up unable to progress and mandating restarting the entire mission (unless I missed the nuke refresh somewhere).

The grappling puzzles are surprisingly fun besides that though.

Good god I am not looking forward to P ranking the other three. I will probably want to die by the end of 7-3. I don't even want to think about P-3. No hints as to who the P-3 is beyond maybe the blanked out creator of Minotaur, but Minos got referenced again, so maybe it's Lucifer since bro is probably pissed as shit for being sent to hell just for asking questions and having the willpower to challenge heaven is a reoccurring theme for primes. Revealing that Hell itself has become Lucifer's Flesh Prison would be cool af though. That said it's probably some Greek king.

... oh god the new machines are going to be in the Cybergrind aren't they. Probably along with the Minotaur.

[big-bird-nerd]

I think I realized my main issue with Solarpunk as an aesthetic. Despite presenting as a utopian vision of the combination of nature with urban infrastructure, solarpunk images are so... Lifeless. There's hardly any people in these sprawling metropolises. Where are the folk biking to work? The people walking the dog, or the kids playing games? I understand why there are no cars, but a city of this size with no cars would have people walking and biking around EVERYWHERE. But there's hardly more than two or three people per image of a large urban area. I realized my confusion with why it's called 'punk' is because there is hardly a fashion element to solarpunk - because there's basically no people in solarpunk pictures.

Beyond just the people, even the nature is so bare bones and minimal. Where are the flowers? The sage? The bushes? The bees and butterflies? The flock of geese in the skies, or the songbird incubating his eggs? Are there squirrels and bats among these trees? Snails or beetles or ants or... ANY insect whatsoever? And I get that it's called solarpunk, but why is there seemingly never images depicting these cities at night? How have these cities dealt with light pollution? Do the people stargaze? Are the northern lights visible? Can you watch from your garden-balcony on top of your tree apartment? And are there seasons other than summer in the Solarpunkverse? Where are the snow fields full of ptarmigans, the autumn streets filled with vibrant crunchy leaves, or the dandelion seed clusters flying in the spring breeze?

And beyond all of that, even the nature that is depicted is so one dimensional. Trees are great! I love trees! But why does there only ever seem to be one kind of tree per image? And why are they always deciduous? Where are the coniferous trees? Where are the fruit-bearing trees that families feast on each spring? Where are the tree stumps that kids sit on to look out at the city from?

Why limit solarpunk to tree-oriented environments? What's a solarpunk city in the Arctic tundra like? Or the Sahara desert? Or the Tibetan mountains? What culture are these cities in general? They all seem vaguely either Latin American or African, if there is any cultural coding at all, but there are countless bright, vibrant, and unique cultures across Latin America and Africa, surely we can do better than "vaguely ethnic."

Solarpunk is a fine idea, but it feels like people only ever paint a one dimensional idea of what both nature and urban environments are. It desperately needs a better understanding of the diversity of human cultures, of nature both plant and animal, and of the massive variety of relations and interactions between these two groups. Solarpunk needs people to think beyond the utopia and root itself back on the natural world people say they want to construct solarpunk on.

#not solarpunk btw #but was having some deep thoughts on it #as someone who loves nature and humanity

[kalosianseelkie]

Sorry this is a lot OTL

Apricorn: Favorite Fossil Pokémon

Powder Snow: Favorite Ice types(s)

brave - any times where you or your pokemon stepped up to protect one another?

Victini: talk about an important personal victory or triumph!

Gigavolt Havoc - Say about yourself or your pokémon that others usually find surprising!

(@kitandsheepy)

Ooh thanks for all the asks!

Apricorn: Kind of obvious but Amaura and Aurorus! They're so cute and pretty and Ice Types! I met a herd in the Crown Tundra when I was a kid, maybe I could go see them next time I visit Circhester... I heard they're so pretty when they're shiny too, I'd love to see one one day!

Powder Snow: Again, kind of obvious I think, my whole team is Ice Types and because I love them so much they've become my favorite... So Dewgong, Walrein, Abomasnow, Avalugg, Eiscue and Lapras. But I love Beartic and Mamoswine too! Ooh and Snom and Frosmoth! When I visited Auntie Melony in Circhester I loved seeing them all around, and her Frosmoth is so beautiful!

Brave: Ah, yeah... I've mentioned it before, I went to the Crown Tundra as a kid. Went out on my own to the Frigid Sea because I heard there were Spheal and all there. I went through the Roaring Sea-Caves and... was face-to-face with a Tyranitar. An angry one. I ran away as fast as I could and somehow reached the Frigid Sea, and right as I got there I tripped, and it got closer, before suddenly being hit by two little Water Gun! It made it even more angry, and then he was hit by a much stronger Water Pulse and ran away! When I looked behind, I saw a little Spheal and Seel, and a huge Walrein. I think you can guess who the little ones were!

Victini: I already talked about holding my breath, so here's another: I almost beat Uncle Wulfric in a battle! Granted, I had my full team and he had only three Pokémon, but... Since I don't go around battling Gym Leaders and all, I think that's pretty good! As soon as he used Mega-Evolution though he did short work of my last two team members... But we learned from it so it's all good!

Gigavolt Havoc: People find it surprising when I say I can swim in the Frigid Sea and similar places. I don't really get why? Papa said my mother could do it too, so I thought it was normal. I guess I just have a better cold resistance than others?

#pkmn irl #ask #ooc thank you for all the questions i love you #also in this universe mega-evolution doesn't hurt pokemon unless stated in the pokedex #like aerodactyl

[kokorowoutsu-a]

-- HC: Leon & Ashe ‘FAQ’

A lot of people don’t really know how Ashe and Leon got together and they just sort of... happened more or less in their eyes, but there actually is a story to it... kind of! ( in a better format now! )

-- How did they meet?

Ashe and Leon met when her and Kianga were exploring the Crown Tundra. They had rented a cabin with Night and his crew and he needed a place to stay and so, they obliged him. With Night handling things with Calyrex, that left Ashe and Kianga to their own research and catching of local pokemon. Leon went along with them out of curiosity and the three got to know one another fairly well, and so when Ashe fell sick fairly quickly it took Leon by surprise, but not Kianga. Kianga instead just picked his sister up and decided he was ‘taking her home’, leaving only a note for Night and his crew. Reshiram had shown up then, taking Leon yet again by surprise, but the man was brave enough to latch onto the legendary and head back to Unova with Kianga, much to the now surprise of legendary and former Champion of Unova himself.

-- What does the Grandcrest family think of Leon?

There were mixed reactions at first but the collective mindset was don’t let Leon break Ashe’s heart. Judge him, test him, do whatever was necessary to drill into him that if he was going to pursue Ashe and court her then he should do so with sincere feelings and a sincere heart. Nothing else would be accepted.

-- What does the Mahoe family think of Ashe?

It took them a bit to wrap their head around Leon being interested in someone, and even more at what kind of person she was since she wasn’t social much outside her own family. There have been a lot of problems in regards to Leon wanting her to spend some time with his family as well, but they were conquered once Ashe went to challenge Savannah, the new Galar Champion to see if she could get Champion Rank in that region. Ashe is on good terms with his family and while it took a while, has accepted Hop as long as he doesn’t go overboard with his energy.

-- How do their friends feel about the relationship?

That is up to debate for each person, but the consensus overall is they seem to be relatively accepting and supporting of the relationship. Anyone who knows Ashe or Leon knows of their relationship now due to their engagement, and while Leon is find visiting with her friends and getting to know them, it was a process for Ashe on Leon’s side since his friends tend to be, well, normal. With some time and effort Ashe has gotten to know them each individually and they can hang out now while helping her come out of her shell and showing her a more ‘normal side’ to life.

-- What philosophy is that?

Not to go to bed angry ( mainly as there are a bit more ), be truthful to one another and call each other out if its needed, and lastly, just communicate. Communication is important for both of them in different ways and it helps that both are typically on the same page. While they do have slip-ups like any couple, when you’re living in a world that’s full of magic and mysterious creatures, you really need to have your Torchics in a row as much as possible as is a mutual belief.

-- Do they have a ship name?

Not yet, but if anyone has a suggestion i’m up for it.

-- Do their pokemon get along?

Yep! Most of the time, anyway. Some have rivalries or hostilities against one another, but if you asked them to fight beside one another, they’d do it no questions asked. In fact, in adapting to a new lifestyle, Ashe’s pokemon were vital in teaching Leon’s, and in being a better trainer, Leon’s help Ashe with daily practice battles and just sparring amongst themselves.

-- Have they been intimate?

Yes they have, but why talk about it? What’s the point? They’re a fairly private couple about their intimacy and don’t like to talk about it... but that doesn’t stop the innuendos and awkward reactions from popping out on their end when among friends or family.

-- What’s the two’s current relationship status?

They were dating for at least two years before getting engaged at the ‘23 Florges Ball. They are currently waiting to get married but likely it won’t be too far off when they hold their wedding. 

MORE TBA

#we were lost but in each other we were found ;; ashe x leon #the truth or reshiram of the matter is ;; headcanons #ooc; i like this format much better -- consider the other one defunct lmao #ooc; ill work on this more later

[mareastrorum]

TF&TS Meta: Otis Brunkel's Character Sheet

Since I am posting another chapter later this week, no WIP Wednesday excerpt today! However, I usually throw out a meta post before each chapter to tide people over.

I might post a little late this week! However, the next chapter should be up no later than Saturday evening.

This post discusses how I developed the character sheet for Otis.

See the directory for other meta posts.

Time to go over the worst gremlin in the story: Otis Brunkel. I won’t go into spoiler territory, but this should give an idea of what I decided to do with the Tombtakers. Let’s talk mechanics.

Otis is a profaned soul, so a blood hunter that “traded” a part of themself to a patron in exchange for power. (I’ll do a longer meta post on my worldbuilding with the various Orders eventually.) However, we don’t know very much about their pact, spells chosen, background, or feats.

Matt mentioned that Otis was able to hide behind Fjord in episode 123 because they were a Lightfoot halfling, which have the Naturally Stealthy ability. In episode 122, Otis spoke in Deep Speech to say grace for the meal in the tower: “Oh, great distant voice, come upon this meal and let us destroy and devour of its sustenance.” Deep Speech is generally spoken by aberrations and mindflayers, which are denizens of the Far Realm. Narratively, there wasn’t much reason to expect that a lightfoot halfling from Trostenwald (also mentioned in 122) would learn Deep Speech, so I suspect they learned it at the Claret Orders or perhaps as part of the pact with their patron. Since it would tie things together nicely, I opted to go with the Great Old One for Otis’s patron, which decides which spells and bonus effects Otis would get from their subclass.

Remember how Otis mentioned in chapter 1 that they’d sell a bit of their soul for a haste spell? Hmmm…

In episode 123, Otis counterspelled Fjord, so that accounts for at least one of their level three spells. Otis also cast Eldritch Blast repeatedly, so that’s one warlock cantrip. In episode 121, they also created a camp fire with just a bundle of grass—which doesn’t match any spell I could find. (I’m also not sure how Otis found any grass in a frozen tundra anyway.) Create Bonfire is a warlock cantrip, it doesn’t require any material components, and causes things to catch fire, but it only lasts up to one minute. So I guess Otis was just repeatedly casting it since Matt didn’t describe any fuel that stayed alight. If anyone figures that out, let me know! However, those are the only spells we saw Otis cast overtly.

It’s possible that Otis took Spider Climb as a level 2 spell, but we didn’t see them actually cast it in episode 117 when they walked up the wall to the threshold crest. It could also be Otis also had an item for that, either enchanted boots or a potion. However, the Nein didn’t loot such a thing from their corpse in episode 133. The only items we knew Otis had were a magical light crossbow that the Nein took in 133 and some kind of leather armor (which the Nein didn’t loot) when Matt described their appearance in 117.

Matt never mentioned enough detail to be certain of Otis’s skill proficiencies, background, or feats. So that’s what we knew from canon and a few of the decisions I made. With that in mind, here’s the character sheet I came up with.

I rolled for stats just to see what I’d get, so I did 4d6 for each and dropped the lowest. I rolled 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 17, which is a little above average, so I decided to stick with it. Since Otis was a sneaky little shit, I used one of the 17s for Dex, which then got a +2 for being a halfling, then a +1 from an ASI, bringing them to the cap. I felt that was appropriate given that Matt mentioned that Otis “didn’t roll well” to attack Yasha in 123, but still got a 27 to hit, so I figured crazy Dex would help that make sense. Int was the spellcasting ability, so it got the other 17 and a +1 from an ASI. Con got the 15, of course, for better survivability. I almost gave Cha the 8, but I figured Otis probably got a tiny boost for intimidation reasons by being so creepy, and they probably weren’t strong. Thus, Wis got the 12, Cha got 11 bumped to 12 by being a halfling, and Str got the 8.

Now, here’s the thing. In 123, when Otis fired a set of Eldritch Blasts at Caduceus, 2 missed at 12 and 13, and Matt mentioned that he rolled a 2 and a 3. So we know Otis has a +10 to spell attack rolls, but this sheet only provides +9. The only way Otis could get to +10 is either getting to level 17 for another +1 from the proficiency bonus or taking another ASI at level 16 for +2 Int. So it depends on which level Otis had been at, and as I explained in a prior post, all we know is that Otis was at least level 13 while the others were at least level 16 (which means Otis was likely at least level 16). We just don’t know which it would have been. So you get a bit of a sneak peak that one of those things would have to happen by that point in the story.

Of course, that’s assuming that Matt had even used super detailed character sheets instead of simplified stat blocks, and that the story even heads in that direction.

I figured Otis would probably make the most sense as a sneaky one, even though Tyffial’s gone the rogue/blood hunter route. While CritRoleStats noted that Otis seemed rogue-like, Matt never mentioned that they got sneak attack damage. However, that doesn’t mean Otis couldn’t be optimized to fight like a blood hunter version of Nott/Veth. Thus, the weapons, feats, and background all lean into that.

Mystic frenzy allows a weapon attack as a bonus action after casting a cantrip like Eldritch Blast, so that allowed for Otis to use a two-handed crossbow for one shot as a bonus action. Their fighting style also gives them a +2 with the crossbow. I gave them a +1 crossbow for the magic enchantment, though that wasn’t confirmed in stream. However, Otis dealt 11 piercing damage in one shot to Yasha, and that would be in range with +5 dex and +1 from the weapon that uses a 1d8. I could have taken the Crossbow Expert feat just so Otis could fire twice with the crossbow, but Matt didn’t do that in episode 123 when the Otis attacked Yasha/owl, so I opted to pass on it for consistency.

I also gave Otis +1 armor because all of the Tombtakers’ armor lit up for Caleb’s Detect Magic in 117. We don’t actually know Otis’s AC because every attack the Nein did on Otis was either when they were Halted (via Command), a 25 to hit, a save roll, or an area of effect. So it’s somewhere below 25. 18 is pretty nice, but it couldn’t be too over the top or the Nein would have no chance.

I gave Otis the Tough feat (bonus HP) because they’re a blood hunter and it’d be reasonable that they would be pretty tough as a Tombtaker, even if their strength sucks. The Eldritch Adept feat was a requirement since they didn’t multiclass into warlock; Otis used the Grasp of Hadar pretty much every round they cast an Eldritch Blast. It’s a very useful ability, as showcased in chapter 1.

Otis should probably have some magic items at this point in their career, and I wanted them to make sense for how sneaky they are. Before I started browsing, I decided one would be an attunement item and the other would be either a consumable or a recharging item. After all, it would have to be something that Otis either looted somewhere and decided to keep, or they bought it and price wasn’t really a hassle. With that in mind, I chose the Gloves of Thievery for +5 to sleight of hand and lockpicking, then a Wand of Magic Detection. This fits well with their sticky fingers, and it would help explain how Otis swiped the bag of holding from Fjord. (I could have also taken a background with proficiency in Sleight of Hand, but I preferred this option.)

Also, no biggie, but Otis is fucking loaded. Man, I wonder where all that coin came from. Maybe from 5+ years of working as a mercenary and a few months bodyguarding a member of the Cerberus Assembly who offered the Nein tens upon tens of thousands of gold for the same job. I mean, that’d make sense for them to keep a fuckton of that pay if they were decently attentive with their coin, especially living in a cheap place like Shadycreek Run. It sure would be weird if they were dirt poor after so many years of such lucrative work, reaching a high level, living a relatively modest lifestyle, and being experienced enough to realize they should demand at least some pay in advance when they go on long-term jobs.

/stares into the camera

Some people enjoy incompetent villains, but I sure don’t.

Lastly, Otis’s spells. With the way profane soul spells progress, Otis would have had 3 cantrips, 3 level one spells, 3 level two spells, and 1 level three spell. As mentioned above, Eldritch Blast and Create Bonfire made sense, and I chose Mage Hand for the third because that is gonna piss Nott off. I had nothing to go off for level 1 spells, but I figured Expeditious Retreat would be necessary due to their low walking speed (25ft before level 10). Charm Person and Illusory Script also matched the background I chose and would have been useful for sneaking around solo on the Tombtakers’ behalf. (What’s that you say? Monsters don’t read and Charm Person only works on humanoids? Don’t worry about it.) Detect Thoughts was from Revealed Arcana at level 7. Then Hold Person (That doesn’t work o— Don’t worry about it.), Spider Climb, and Invisibility for level two spells, all sensible for sneaking. Lastly, it had to be Counterspell for level three.

That’s about it. Wait, I didn’t discuss why Otis’s background is Criminal/Blackmailer.

Don’t worry about it.

#TF&TS #TF&TS meta #otis brunkel

[juicycoutureheaux]

When It's Over

Chapter 7: Last Time Last

The boardroom was unsurprisingly stark. Houndwolf was the first to arrive, all of them seated together. 

Anna found herself sitting in between Tundra and Umber Eyes; it was silly but she was always afraid of no one wanting to sit next to her, so she was relieved when they filled the empty seats beside her. 

She noticed the absence of their captain and the other “members” of the meeting.

“God, this is annoying, we always have to be on time and they get to just walk in whenever they please.” Night Howl groaned. 

Anna just giggled, looks like she wasn’t the only person who noticed. 

“You know how it goes, you’ve been doing this for a while.” Umber eyes grumbled. 

The rest of the commanders and directors came in, including Anna’s previous supervisor Walden. 

“What’s he doing here?” she thought silently.

The board members began the meeting by briefing them on the lasting effects of the Dulvey incident.

“The two survivors, Mia & Ethan Winters are our main priority,” said an older man in an expensive-looking suit. “It has come to our attention that the connections are still heavily active, we have decided that it only made sense that Hound Wolf would continue in their surveillance and training.”

Anna watched as the rest of Hound Wolf silently protested, but Alpha just stayed in his seat, still like a statue. 

“We are currently Relocating them to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Your team will head out there first thing tomorrow morning for a month, Captain Redfield.”

“A month? With such short notice?” She thought to herself, “What the hell am I going to tell Lavish?” 

Walden spoke up, much to Anna’s surprise. “We need to conduct important surveillance on the Winters’ family considering their exposure to the Mold. As part of this assignment it’s pertinent that we receive as much clinical data as we can, Ms. Connolly.”

Anna looked upand made eye contact with her old supervisor, something in his eyes seemed different. 

She cleared her throat, “Yessir, I’ll be able to conduct the tests needed.”

“Wonderful!” Said another “important person” Anna hadn’t been personally acquainted with. 

The rest of the meeting was just briefing the team on the assignment and the history of the Winters family. Anna knew they had gone through some surgeries to remove mold from their bodies, but their other findings hadn’t been published yet.

“Guess that’s why they need us to monitor them, see how they’re doing in witness protection.” Anna thought to herself. 

When the meeting adjourned the team congregated together outside.  She was surprised to see that Hound Wolf were comprised of smokers. Canine, Tundra, and herself were the only ones not partaking. 

“This seems so random, weren’t they put on witness protection three months ago? Why would they need us to head out there so late?” Night Howl questioned no one in particular. 

“Could have come across some unprecedented threat, maybe?” Anna tried to reason.

Umber eyes shrugged. “They have a whole department of people to determine threats, it would be strange for them not to disclose what it was to us.”

The group was just silent.

Chris walked up to them, clearing his throat and everyone turned to face him. “I thought you all would be more comfortable with me by now,” he laughed.

Everyone seemed to relax a little bit.

“I came to hand out the itinerary for tomorrow and what all you need to bring,” Chris turned to Anna and Tundra. “You two notify the research team of what equipment you think you’ll need for the assignment.”

“Yessir.” 

It took Anna and Tundra a longer time than anticipated to get everything they needed. The clinical research team kept trying to chat up Anna and see what she was up to now that she “was in the action.”

“I don’t know why I expected that to be a quick trip,” Tundra said to her as they walked back . “They seem to have really enjoyed working with you, it’s like they couldn’t get enough of you.”

Anna smiled. “I just find it easier to be kind to those who you work with, it makes things easier; plus it’s just who I am.”

Tundra stayed silent, but it was an amicable silence. 

The two women secured the equipment with help from Chris & Lobo when they arrived back.

“I would suggest getting a drink but it seems like we’re gonna be hanging around each other for the next month.” Lobo said. 

“I’d love to go, but I definitely have to break the news to my roommate, who is going to freak.” Anna thought out loud.

“Roommate? They don’t pay you enough to get your own place?” Lobo chided.

“I don’t like living alone.” She answered honestly.

“That’s enough Lobo,” Chris said “We just know you’re jealous you’re not Bambi’s roommate.” 

Lobo snorted. “Damn right I am, I’d keep Bambi company all night.” 

Anna & Tundra joined in the laughter. A while ago she would have been embarrassed, but she was so comfortable with them; she knew they really were just joking. 

“You can keep dreaming Lobo.”

The group parted ways after that, each one of them in high spirits.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Anna entered her apartment to find Lavish sitting on their couch with the back of his hand draped over his eyes in exhaustion.

“Hey,” Anna spoke softly. She had brought home Indian food as a peace offering for the news she was about to deliver.

Lavish looked up with tears in his eyes. 

“Hey honey,” He said weakly.

Anna stopped dead in her tracks and rushed to Lavish’s side.

“What happened? Oh my god, are you okay?” 

His voice broke “A girl… At the club, she was found murdered.”

All the blood drained from Anna’s face. 

“Who, who was it?” she stammered out. 

Anna couldn’t believe she had let herself live in a bubble, since her move to New York she really hadn’t understood how sinister the city could be. It never occurred to her how her friends could still be murdered for being trans or gay. She was so desensitized to the violence happening for no good reason she hadn’t even fully fathomed evil being so close to her. 

Lavish looked up at her, his face pale and clammy from crying. “Bunny.” 

Anna felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. The same empty feeling she felt when the doctor told her that her mom wouldn’t survive and when she was told by the BSAA agent her husband had to be neutralized. 

Anna just sat down next to Lavish, her head and heart feeling like they weighed 1,000 lbs. 

Why Bunny? Bunny was a kind, tough person. They had survived so much and brought so much joy to not only her life but others as well. 

Anna didn’t know if she even wanted to ask how it happened or how Bunny was found. All she knew was there was an empty void in her life already. 

The rest of the night Anna packed her bags in silence, save for the occasional bouts of sobs between Lavish and herself. 

“Anna baby, how am I going to make it without you?” Lavish said in between tears.

“I promise I’ll be back, it’ll feel like no time at all,” Anna said weakly. 

Would it really feel like that? Was Lavish safe to be by themselves?

“Anna, I hear you some nights, the nightmares have gotten worse, baby.” 

Anna looked down ashamed. She hadn’t even begun to process the Dulvey incident consciously; lord knows she was still having vivid nightmares about Michael. 

“What kind of things are you doing at work, Anna? What would I do if I lost you? I couldn’t Live with myself!” Lavish pleaded.

Anna Just enveloped Lavish in a warm embrace, she held on tight; not saying anything. 

Anna whispered into their ear. “I will not leave you alone, ever.” 

“How do you know that though? We just had Bunny over here the other night! We were laughing! She was thriving! Now she’s gone!” Lavish started to grip her tighter. 

“I have to do this. I can’t not go, I promise I’ll come back in one piece.”

Lavish let go, and Anna felt the awkward distance between them.

“Go.” Was all lavish said. 

Anna gathered her things and tried to calm them down so they wouldn’t say goodbye angrily.

“I can’t keep doing this with you Anna, I love you, but I’ve been through too much and you have to.” They sighed. “We’ll talk when you get back.”

“I love you Lavish.” 

She closed the door and cried in the car all the way to the barracks. She decided to spend the night outside of the apartment to be prepared for the mission ahead.

She was unsure of what the future held for her personal life & professionally. Before tonight she thought she could juggle both, but it was starting to look like she was starting to let down those closest to her.

Anna entered the common room of the barracks and grabbed some ice in the freezer. She had been crying; her face was puffy and warm. 

She wrapped the ice in a towel and held it to her face. 

The sound of the door opening to the common room had her freeze. How was she going to explain she was sleeping on the couch? 

Chris came through the door, folders & paperwork in hand. He looked equally shocked to see Anna there.

“Heyyy,” he said awkwardly, looking her over, all her luggage on the ground. “You know we don’t leave until tomorrow.” 

Anna was still feeling upset and overwhelmed, she didn’t know what to say and when she opened her mouth a sob slipped out.

Chris instinctively rushed to her side and sat down. 

“Anna, what happened?” 

She covered her face with her hands embarrassed and Chris just stared at her intently. 

“Lavish and I had…” she said shakily looking for the words, “an argument.”

Chris looked at her for a minute, confused and then realization came over his features. 

“Was it about the job?” 

“That was one of the topics of discussion, yes.” 

“Did they kick you out or did you just leave?” 

“We decided some space would be better.”

Chris let out the air he was holding in. 

“You shouldn’t sleep here Anna, this couch is super uncomfortable, trust me.” He said, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked, as Anna started to smile a bit. “You’re right, I should just get a hotel for the night.” She said starting to move off the couch. 

Chris put his large hand on her shoulder before she could raise herself off the couch completely. 

“I live near here, no sense in wasting time getting a hotel. I have a guest room for when my sister comes to visit that you could use; only if you want of course.”

Anna thought for a minute. She wouldn’t have to drive her car out of the parking deck again, she would get here guaranteed on time and she could see how her captain lived.

That last part made her cringe, she was a fucking weirdo.

“You’re right, are you sure you don’t mind?”

The skin around his eyes crinkled up when he smiled. “I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it. Come on, let me take your stuff.”

Before she could protest he grabbed her duffle and suitcase. She followed him out to his Truck. He put her things in the back seat and opened the door for her. 

He got in and the engine roared to life and they were on the way to Christopher’s home.

You didn’t realize how silent you were until Chris spoke up. 

“Did something else happen?” He asked gently. She could tell he wasn’t trying to pry. 

Anna let out a sigh, she needed to tell someone about Bunny. She couldn’t internalize it.

“Remember when you came to visit me in the bar? Do you remember the manager that let us use her office?” 

Chris thought for a moment. “Bunny, you said her name was, right? Is she okay?” 

The tears started to well up in her eyes. “She was murdered…I don’t know the full story…I…I couldn’t even ask.” She started to let the tears fall.

Chris looked at her sympathetically. “I know what that’s like, to lose a friend.”

“I’m sorry I promise I won’t let it get in the way of the mission.” She said, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

“It won’t, everyone on Hound Wolf knows what it’s like to lose someone unexpectedly, but we’re here for you.” Chris said warmly.

She believed him, and the heaviness in her chest started to lighten up.

They arrived at a small neighborhood outside of the city, he pulled into a driveway that led to a two story White House, with a red door and black shutters. 

“I love your home,” Anna said without really thinking. 

“Thanks,” he said. “I didn’t pick it out.”

Anna laughed uncomfortably. Captain Redfield wasn’t married was he? Surely he would have mentioned something about a partner? 

The two got out of the car and made their way into the home. It smelled clean and masculine, the house looked like it had been professionally decorated, save for a couple of personal photos here and there. 

“Sorry about the mess, I was just doing some work in the living room a couple nights ago and didn’t have time to clean up.” 

She looked at the pristine living room and saw a laptop and files strewn on the coffee table. She wondered how often he actually came home.

They walked up the stairs together and Chris showed her the guest room. He set her things down gently on the floor. 

“Have you eaten anything?” 

She thought of the Indian food she had brought home to Lavish and how she received the news of Bunny’s passing. 

She didn’t really say anything other than look down at her feet.  

“I’ll order something, do you have any preference?”

“You don’t have to do that,” she started to say.

“I’ll take that as no preference then.” He smirked as he pulled his phone out and ordered.

“Should be here in like an hour, just relax and I’ll let you know when it arrives.”

“Chris, don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you being so nice to me?”

He just laughed. “We’re team members, I couldn’t have just abandoned you to sleep on a couch in the common room. What kind of leader would I be?” 

She smiled at him. “Thanks Chris, I’m thankful for you.” 

“You’re welcome, Bambi.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

She walked out of the shower and got dressed.

She made her way down the stairs and was welcomed by the smell of pizza.

“Ooooh yum, I love this place.” She said looking at the logos on the boxes.

“We’ll dig in, I didn’t order anything too fancy.”

They grabbed the pizza and sat down in the living room.

Anna made sure to be as careful as possible to not get anything on the nice couches. 

“I love how your place is decorated, did you do this yourself?” Anna tried to make normal conversation. All she really wanted to do was retreat in the bedroom and cry. 

She couldn’t imagine life without bunny, and how someone so bright could just be taken from the world so tragically.

Chris sighed. “I actually bought this house with my ex-fiancé, she did all the decorating. I just went along with it, after we broke up I just haven’t had the time to change anything. 

Anna was mortified. “Chris, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to pry.” She stammered out.

“It’s no worries, you didn’t.” He said casually taking a bite out of his food. “She’s a lot happier now.” He said in matter of fact tone.

Anna let herself go silent. She let her mind wander again. Chris must have noticed. “Do you want to talk about Bunny?”

Anna looked up, eyes glistening. She didn’t realize she was such a mess. 

She quickly started to clean up her mess. “Can I take anything back to the kitchen for you?” She said avoiding the question.

“You don’t have to act like you’re okay, I’m here for you, I hope you know that by now.” Chris said standing up to meet her gaze.

She decided to put the plates down and sit next to him.

She started to talk about all the good times at the club, and the group outings they would have together.

“This one time, we had this business man who got too drunk at the bar who literally couldn’t move from his seat without stumbling,” Anna began, Chris looked at her with a warm expression.

“She went to the *Bro-Bar* next door and was able to charm the bouncers to get him out of the bar. Next thing we know Bunny has both of the Bouncer’s numbers and is flirting with them instead of getting this guy out of the bar.” Anna laughed with her full belly. 

“She had a way of prioritizing things. She could always get us prepared for a rough shift, or if friends in the community needed a job to pay rent.” Anna started to cry again, she felt like she was cried out, it was a dry sob.

“I just can’t understand why anyone would hurt her, why would they do such a horrible thing to such a beautiful person.” It was instinct, she just leaned into Chris and he embraced her, rubbing her back.

“I thought the same thing back in the Arklay Mountains.” Chris began. “Do you know the story of how the BSAA started?” 

Anna shook her head. 

The rest of the night was spent with Chris telling Anna about the memories of the RPD. How he wasn’t always a serious person, he used to goof off with his peers. He gave his captain hell and was traumatized when his Captain betrayed him and his teammates.

“Chris, oh my god. I knew you had seen some shit, but I genuinely had no idea.”

Chris shrugged. “I’ve learned time doesn’t heal, it just numbs you, I hope you never feel that way.” 

Anna just looked down into her hands.

“I hope not either.” She finally answered.

Chris smiled and patted her back. 

For the first time, in a long time, Anna felt a gravitational pull towards her Captain. Like she wanted to kiss him.

She decided to ignore the feeling and quickly got up. 

“I should probably head to bed, thanks for listening to me and sharing your story.”

“Of course, Anna.”

The way he said her name made her weak in the knees. 

She quickly turned around and went to bed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris watched as Anna left to go to her room. When’s the last time he felt this comfortable with someone?

Sure he had one night stands since he and Jill split. He had been desperate for companionship. He thought they would have a happy ending after Africa, but it was glaring how much the two had changed. 

The two remained friends and she married a great man that had saved her life in Raccoon City. He could never forgive himself for abandoning her in that hell hole. 

He was just relieved she had found someone that would do anything for her.

He let his mind wander to Anna, how she was able to be a good soldier and a compassionate person. 

He also couldn’t help but think about how good she looked at the club, her top exposing just the right amount of skin and how she was glowing in that environment. 

If she had expressed interest, he might have had her bent over that desk in that cramped office.

The thought of it made him crazy, she deserved better than him. She didn’t deserve to just be another hookup. She was the type of girl to make someone happy and he had convinced himself that it wouldn’t work out for them. 

He turned in for the night, hoping he could at least behave himself while they were in Canada. 

#chris redfield #chris redfield x reader #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil #fanfiction #chris redfield x oc #ocs

[funnywiccanwritingcorner]

Le Joyau le plus precieux

A Lucky Luke Modern!AU fanfiction

Chapter XV - Hustle and Bustle

-Are you sure you want to go alone, Joe?- Averell murmured, perhaps for the tenth time; he was watching his older brother as he packed his luggage. -Yes. I don't want anything to happen to you guys, you'll stay here and protect Cheyenne and Amélie; in the unfortunate event that something goes wrong Mason might come after them.- -I understand, but...- -Don't worry, Averell.- He sat down on top of the suitcase to close it: -Betty will cover my absence at the department and- Damn these zips!- -Russia is far away, and I don't know if in the tundra the mobile phone gets reception. What will you do if you get in trouble?- -Nat said he had it under control.- -Joe...- -What?- He was tempted to slap him, but only because he was already fighting with the suitcase. -I don't want anything to happen to you either.- Faced with Averell's puppy-dog expression, the detective tried to reassure him by bringing up an old story: -Do you remember when I was shot?- -Yes, you were wounded in the side. But that was when you were still a cop.- -And untrained in the field. Have I ever since failed to pay attention, whether I was on duty or not?- -No.- -That is because leaving my brothers alone is not in my plans.- The younger one smiled: -Really?- -Who would look after you otherwise?- Continuing his struggle with the zip of the suitcase, he added: -You can rest assured, everything will be fine. Besides, I am not alone, I have the luckiest man in the world with me!- -And with the best aim I've ever seen- William intervened as he entered the room, -Are you sure you got everything?- -Yes. But this stupid bag isn't cooperating! Let's do this: you two sit on it, I'll try to close it.-

Meanwhile, Lucky was also packing. Not knowing what kind of weather they would find when they arrived, he had organised himself with a few lighter and heavier clothes, plus a laptop, make-up material and two or three disguises. He closed his suitcase and exhaled: -This is it, then. Let's hope it all goes well.- -Don't worry, you'll make it, I'm sure- replied Cheyenne, who had remained silent until that moment at the door watching him. -I don't doubt it, but... I was thinking about how Joe is going to explain everything afterwards.- She smiled: -He knows how to keep his bosses cool, William told me.- -Yeah.- He smiled in return, turning back to look at the suitcase on the bed: -Joe is good at dealing with superiors. I learned that in a year.- -Are you ever going to tell him?- -What?- -How did you manage to keep an eye on him the whole time.- -I already have an idea on how to make him figure it out for himself. This is going to be fun. But only after we wrap this up.- Cheyenne tightened in her arms: -Just please be careful, okay?- -I promise.- He turned again, responding to his cousin's apprehensive expression with a reassuring one. Amélie rushed into the room: -Uncle Luke! Uncle Luke! Is it true you're going to Russia with Uncle Joe?- -Yes, it's true.- The little girl jumped up on the spot, stretching her arms high in the air: -Are you taking the plane?- -Yes.- He lifted her up holding her, and she continued: -Will there be snow?- -I'm not sure.- -And polar bears?- -Maybe the abominable snowman is more likely, dear.- Amélie laughed: -But no! That one lives in the Himalayas! I read it in a book at school!-

All assembled at the airport, the Dalton brothers, Cheyenne, Betty and Nat were ready to say goodbye to Joe and Lucky, while Jolly Jumper insisted on accompanying them at all costs; in the end, the older brother managed to talk him out of it. Nat handed his friends some new transmitters: -They are like little earphones; a model borrowed from the US army. They are practically invisible, and have a better range.- -Perfect.- The detective turned to the brothers: -I entrust matters here in Paris to you. Protect Cheyenne and Amélie, understand? And do not get into trouble in my absence.- The three performed an clumsy military salute; one could see that Averell had tears in his eyes. Jolly gave a final recommendation to Luke: -Punch Dorian Mason in the face for me.- -Of course I will.- The two hugged each other quickly, and with a pat on the shoulder the younger man turned away, straining to resist the urge to dash to the gate and go with them. Cheyenne ran up to her cousin and squeezed him tightly without a word, then did the same to Joe, whispering to him though: -Get back in one piece you two.- -Count on us.- Watching them walk away towards the boarding point, Betty squeezed Averell's hand, trying to reassure herself and him. -Let's go with Nat- Jolly said once his brother was out of her sight, -Now all we have to do is wait.-

The flight lasted about three hours, during which a major disturbance was caused by the child sitting behind Joe, who was kicking the detective's seat and doing nothing but asking his mother when they would arrive. -I can't stand it any longer...- Dalton hissed at one point, addressing Luke, who was sitting next to him and looking out the window lost in thought. -You want to trade, Joe?- -I'll spare you the torment. I think I'll slip into the plane's toilet and I won't come out until we get to our destination.- Lucky chuckled: -I wouldn't. These toilets are often used for the romantic encounters of travelling couples, didn't you know?- -Balls.- -It's true. Two months ago a case ended up in the newspaper of two newlyweds on their honeymoon, who, unable to stop themselves, locked up in the aeroplane's bathroom, and the stewardess caught them in the act!- -You're just inventing that!- Dalton laughed; a gust of wind caused the plane to sway slightly, and the detective suddenly clutched at the armrests of the seat and assumed a terrified expression.

-It's just a slight turbulence- observed Luke. -I have to confess something to you: I'm very afraid of flying. I took a sedative before we left but I'm worried the effect is wearing off...- -Why didn't you tell me?- -Because the plane is the fastest way to get to Russia...- He began to break out into a cold sweat and a greenish hue. -Oh, Joe...- -We would have wasted too much time...Oh no, here comes the jitters...- He felt pathetic at that moment, and the second turbulence only made it worse.

Then Lucky did something unexpected: he took his hand with his own, squeezing it tightly, and at Dalton's surprised expression he smiled: -It's all right. Aeroplanes are still the safest means of travel; try to relax.- -Uhm...- -If it makes you feel better, I can continue to hold your hand until we land.- The detective couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, but to be sure, he didn't let go: that contact had the extraordinary ability to make him feel better. Or at least, to distract him. Yes, because his heart began to beat for something that wasn't terror, and it didn't stop until they arrived at the Moscow airport, when he was forced to let go to get off the plane.

Considering that spring was coming to an end, they were greeted by a heavy freezing rain; they retrieved their luggage and jumped into the first taxi they could find and Lucky promptly gave the driver the address of the hotel, in Russian. Joe looked at him: -I know agents must speak many languages, but how do you know Russian so well?- -I also know Italian, as well as English and French, and some basic Chinese. And not all agents have a flair for it, for languages I mean.- -You seem to have a flair for everything, Lucky, let me tell you.- -Not everything.- He looked at him with a smirk: -I'm a terrible gardener!- Dalton laughed.

Arriving at the hotel, as soon as they opened the door to their room Lucky felt a shift of air and a slamming door; Joe had rushed into the bathroom, he had been holding it for the entire second half of the trip: -I'll be done in a moment!- Luke rolled his eyes with an amused grin, picked up the suitcases and laid each one at the foot of a bed. He heard the sound of a toilet flush and saw Joe return: -Yours.- -Do you feel better?- -Definitely.- He began to remove some dry clothes from his suitcase as the other entered the bathroom. Dalton allowed himself a glimpse of the room: a brightly decorated double; orange curtains and bedcovers illuminated the white-walled room adorned with floor-to-ceiling wooden panels. The light wood furniture denoted a simple yet harmonious taste. The heating took some of the chill off the detective, but a shiver reminded him that if he didn't want to get sick, he should take a nice hot bath. However, he heard the running of water coming from the room where Lucky was. Joe huffed: he had anticipated him. Still determined to get warm, he grabbed his bathrobe from his suitcase and went to knock on the door, to which Lucky replied: -Wait a minute!- -I just wanted to tell you not to take too long, I'm freezing.- -If you wait a minute, you can come in; did you see that there's both a bath and a shower here?- -Is there a curtain? I didn't pay much attention to it.- -Yes.- -Then I'm coming in.- -Joe, wait!- Too late. The detective opened the door as Lucky was getting into the tub; the latter jumped down on his seat, turning as red as a tomato: -Oh, come on!- The water splashed on the floor.

Dalton, with the same tone of colour in his face, mumbled what sounded like an apology and stepped into the shower after taking off his shoes, pulling the curtain. As he peeled off his clothes, he threw them through the gap between the plastic panels that formed the cabin. Picking up a bar of soap that smelled like vanilla, Luke broke the silence: -Later we have to connect with Nat. He told me before we left that he had found some material useful for our purposes, but that he needed time to get hold of it.- -All right. Hey, is there a restaurant here at the hotel?- The former agent frowned: Joe had changed the subject very abruptly. However, he gave him an answer: -No, there isn't.- -Are you sure?- -I made the reservation; I'm sure. They only offer breakfast at the bar downstairs.- -I understand. So we'll have to go out to eat. How many hours difference between Paris and Moscow?- -I think... Yes, two hours if I am not mistaken.- -Then I'll give Nat until eight o'clock to call.- -Why?- Joe turned the hot-water knob: -Because tonight is on me.-

Nat made the connection via Skype at five o'clock, Paris local time. Cheyenne was next to him, and greeted Joe vigorously as soon as the latter's face appeared in the frame of the screen: -How was your trip?- -Chilling. Next time I think of travelling, I'll hitch a ride.- -We have what you need- the hacker added, typing a command on the keyboard, -The coordinates correspond to a former military building belonging to what was the Soviet regime after the Second World War. I found some floor plans in an archive; fortunately there is a trend to digitalise even documents from the past. You will have to memorise these files well if you want to go out with Mason undisturbed.- -I got it. They just arrived.- Lucky appeared behind him, tying a dark blue tie around his neck: -Joe, we have to go, or we'll be late.- -Hi, secret agent!- joked Cheyenne. Luke flanked Dalton and greeted his cousin, who continued: -How is Russia?- -Cold and damp. It has been raining since we arrived.- -Are you going out?- -Yes. There's a restaurant we wanted to try in the area; according to the online guide, it prepares typical dishes.- -Hey, you two...- mumbled Joe; they were not there on holiday. The ex-agent, still not catching the meaning of the sentence, added: -But if we don't hurry up, they'll give away our table; talk to you later, ok?- -All right!- -Thanks for the plans, Nat. See you again. And say hi to my brothers.- Dalton ended the communication by waving one last goodbye to the two on the other side of the screen.

The taxi took them right in front of the restaurant; the Cyrillic sign was not translated and the detective did not even try to understand it. The interior of the restaurant was almost borderline modern elegance, with soft lighting and dark furniture brightened by the whiteness of the tablecloths and cushions on the chairs. Luke looked confused: -How strange... It doesn't look at all like the guidebook described.- Joe felt he was going to have to regret his generosity: it seemed an expensive place. He hoped they accepted credit cards. Leaving their coats, they were escorted by a waiter to their table; as soon as they were seated, two other attendants brought them menus. On seeing the prices Joe restrained himself from shouting robbery, but not Lucky, who exclaimed in a low tone: -Man! Are you kidding me? When does typical cuisine cost so much?- -I don't know...- -You know what? -He closed the menu: -The online guide can go to hell; I have to think it was out of date. Let's leave the table to those who can afford to get fleeced! Are you with me?- Astonished, Dalton nodded; the ex-agent got up and went to talk to the manager, followed by the detective who understood nothing of the conversation in Russian between the two, the fact is that they were given their coats back and shortly afterwards found themselves outside in the cold Moscow glistening with rain, falling in tiny, thick drops. -But what did you tell them?- -A plausible excuse to get away with it.- -What now?- Lucky pondered, thrusting his hands into his coat pockets and threw in: -I feel like eating spaghetti.-

An Italian restaurant two blocks away solved their dinner problem. And it made Joe's task of paying the bill less burdensome; glancing at the prices, the detective removed the image in his head of money winging its way out of his pocket. The waiter brought them two beautiful plates of Italian spaghetti bolognese, and grabbing his fork Luke exclaimed: -Good appetite!- -To you.- As he was enjoying the first bite, Joe heard giggling behind him, and turning for a moment he saw two girls, both blond and a little ugly, talking to each other in Russian and pointing at him in a not very discreet manner. Lucky gave them a bad look. -What are they saying?- Dalton asked. -Nothing. They are just teasing you, leave them alone.- -What?- -Forget it, I said.- But at the umpteenth sentence the two exchanged, Luke grew impatient and said something to them in their own language. The girls suddenly fell silent.

Joe stared at the other, greatly puzzled, but decided to change the subject rather than insist: -So... how about we talk together about some ideas on how to-- -Let's try to eat first, shall we? The brain works better when your stomach is full.- He looked annoyed. And that usually happened to Dalton, who mumbled: -Sure, fine. Sorry.- After a while, Lucky exhaled: -No, I'm sorry. Those two made me nervous.- -But what did they say? If it was insults or nasty comments, I've heard it all before.- -I'll explain later.-

Out of the corner of his eye, Dalton saw the two blondes get up from the table and go to the toilet. By the time they returned, the two friends had finished their spaghetti. A guy bigger than Ivor and with more hair entered shortly afterwards and approached Lucky and Joe's table with a threatening air. He said something in his own language to the former officer, who replied calmly, put down his own glass of water and stood up facing the giant, who continued speaking with a growl every few words. The detective sensed an air of brawling, and tried to intervene: -Hey, whatever is going on, tell him we don't want any trouble... I'll get the coats...- But the guy laughed in his face, scornfully, and maliciously addressed him with one word: -Blokha.-

Joe didn't even realise it because it was a matter of a second, but with a right hook under the chin and a left hook in the stomach, Luke managed to wobble that human wardrobe, which nevertheless kept its balance. 

Then Lucky, realising his mistake, grabbed Dalton by the arm, dragging him out of the club like a flag: -Go!!!-

Regardless of the rain, which had started to pour harder again, without looking back and running at breakneck speed down the street, the former officer tightened his grip and clutched the detective in his arms, who in turn held onto both of their coats. The giant began to chase them, babbling in Russian, and Dalton prayed that his friend's long legs were fast enough. Splashing the water from the puddles with each stride, Lucky swerved into a narrower alleyway, which led them like a shortcut to another main street where an evening market had been set up; there were a lot of people around the stalls lit by rows of yellow bulbs.

-What now?- asked Joe looking left and right, still holding on tightly to Luke who was panting from the run.

Their pursuer's voice reached behind them, echoing off the walls.

-Forget it, just keep running!!!-

Throwing themselves into the crowd, the two of them went against the current for a while to blend into the middle, amidst the protests of the people, until they slipped between two very narrow walls, finding themselves squeezed like sardines in front of each other. Luke exclaimed: -Help me lift my coat; it is black, it will hide us!- Grabbing the collar of this one, the detective prayed it would work. They heard the footsteps of their pursuer, an angry growl from him, and then more footsteps moving away.

They waited another two minutes before leaving, during which Joe asked again in a low voice: -You can tell me now: why did you get so nervous?- -Do I have to answer you now?- -We're here, face to face, being chased by a fierce gorilla and soaked with rain to the bone; I'd say an answer is the least, Lucky.- -All right, fine. Those two were making jokes about your height.- -So what?- -They were pretty mean, I don't know... I don't think I should give them a second thought.- -Tell me at least one. It's no big deal.-

Sighing, Luke seemed to seek the strength to repeat those words aloud: -They wondered why so small you weren't... in a child's high chair.- Dalton blinked a couple of times: -Oh. I admit I missed that one. And you answered them back sharply, didn't you?- -Sure. I said “And I wonder why two snakes like you aren't wallowing in a pond of slime”.- -Really??- -Translated nicely; I'm not sure if I said "snakes" or "toads". I had no idea they were the sisters of our big guy.- -Ah, that's why he started threatening you. And why did you hit him?- -Blokha means “flea”. It was the last straw.- -Let me understand... We are in this situation because you stood up for me?- Lucky finally smiled: -Yes. It seemed clear to me that your stature was a sore point for you; I don't like it when they insult my friends.- The detective lowered his gaze: apart from his brothers, no one had ever done anything like that for him. -Are you all right, Joe?- -Yeah, just...- He gave him a smile, sarcastic: -Next time you think of hitting a guy like that, aim right for the solar plexus; I think you tickled him!- Luke laughed: -I'll try to remember that!-

When the receptionist at their hotel saw them return, he was horrified: -Holy heavens, what happened to you?- -The rain caught us by surprise and without an umbrella- the detective briefly explained; both were dripping water from their hair and clothes, -The key, please.-

Back in the room, they closed the door behind them, looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing almost in unison. After a while, Lucky tried to catch his breath: -Not bad for a... first day in Russia!- -Yeah! It's good to make new friends!- Joe answered in reply, taking off his soaked jacket, -I thought the trouble would come later, Luke!- The latter looked at him: -You called me by my first name.- Dalton stopped laughing, -Really? I didn't... notice that.- The former agent smiled softly: -That's nice, you know? It means you trust me now.- The detective turned his back on him, just to not let him see that he was blushing: -What, are you psychoanalyzing me like Betty now?- Chuckling, the other changed the subject: -I'll get some towels. We can't afford colds.- -There's a couple in my suitcase, take a good look.- Unfastening the belt of his trousers, he stopped: he couldn't undress in front of the other. -I... I'm going to the bathroom, just a moment.-

But he found himself with a towel over his head blocking his view, and someone from the outside vigorously massaging his hands to dry his hair. When a flap of the towel lifted, he saw Lucky smiling at him: -You look like a little ghost like that!- -Don't make fun of me...- Joe looked away, turning red in the face, grabbed the towel and walked briskly to the bathroom, but Luke was just in time to answer him: -I would never make fun of you.-

Closing the door behind him, Dalton tried to calm his heartbeat.

He had been too kind. Too much.

He tried to catch his breath to calm himself, but it was useless. He was having that feeling again from when Lucky had hugged him, when for who knows what reason he had confessed his insecurity about his height to him.

Leaning his forehead against the wall, he restrained himself from starting to headbutt this one: it wasn't control he felt he was losing at that point, but something else. “Damn me...” he thought, letting his arms dangle down his body, “Don't tell me I'm starting to like him! I can't have fallen for that like an idiot!"

#lucky luke #joyau #joe dalton #modern au #fanfiction

[rndyounghowze]

Why I Can Only Write For Digital Theatre From Now On

By RnD

I remember when lockdown had just started. I, like many writers with a lot of free time on their hands, started writing a new play almost immediately. It was a small two-hander set in a world where a nuclear winter had fallen on the planet and the US was instantly plunged into an Arctic tundra. Our two heroes had to send videos back and forth because a rogue group of terrorists had started blowing up 5G towers and cutting communications between the two coasts. I was inspired by memories of when Dana and I spent three years in a long distance relationship and letters from the Civil War. However, after a month I threw it to the side and haven’t written anything new in a few years. Why is that? Well for one my made up hellscape was getting too real because of the current events of that time. Two, we started reviewing a lot of digital theatre.

As we started watching and reviewing shows and talking to the artists that had been making these first lockdown performances I put aside the plays I was writing and started taking notes. It was like a bell went off. I thought back on some of the past plays that I was so proud of. One play with two characters facing front speaking directly to the audience. Another with two characters that are completing a viral challenge while another is talking to their dead girlfriend. Both of those could have been actors speaking into Zoom windows and nothing would have changed. My graduate thesis was a beginning scene and an ending scene with middle scenes that could be told in any order that the audience wanted. That would be perfect for a website or a livestream! It seemed that I was writing digital theatre well before the pandemic hit without knowing it. All I needed to do was watch as many plays as possible. It took me all three years before I felt that it was time for me to start dusting off the work and writing again. It wasn’t just the shows though, it was another feature of Indie Digital Theatre that makes it perfect for me.

Indie Digital Theatre is one of the few places where I don’t have to fit into a “traditional” schema. I can walk into the digital space “identity first” and fill it with the intention to reach an audience that looks like me. I am a Genderfluid, Disabled, Mentally Ill, Sexual Assault and Trauma surviving artist that wants to write that identity into every one of my stories. The more I look at Non-Profit Theatres where the leadership and Board doesn’t look like me, or disabling buildings where my audience can’t get in, the more I want to write for in-person theatre’s “forgotten audience”. I want the audience that can’t sit still, talks back at the performers, or can’t afford tickets. I want all the people that in-person theatre calls a “problem”. These are the exact kind of audiences that digital theatre is poised to welcome with open arms.

I can’t go back to putting my shows into open submissions or blindly trusting a toxic system where I know that I can’t trust the system to reach those people I yearn for the most. Now before you start writing those angry comments I know that there are a ton of lovely in-person companies that are doing the good work and engaging new audiences. I also know that there are some companies putting out digital theatre that isn’t honoring our community. However, when you’ve seen even a glimpse of the promised land you can’t go back to the world that you just left. I want to hand pick the people I work with and know that they share the same vision that I do. That is one of the best features of the Indie Digital Theatre Scene that has warmed our hearts the most: so many small groups are popping up based on similar values and goals and are ready to make a radical change.

I don’t know how this conversation ends, in fact this is only the beginning. I want to create storytelling pieces for children. Digital Menus where audiences pick from many scenes just to create a unique timeline that never stays the same night after night. I want to create pieces that are never the same, have competing narratives, and let the audience have the power. I want to create things for children and their families. Frankly, I want to create plays that are bigger than a stage, bigger than just one building, or even bigger than just one region. I want to create work that looks a lot like what I have been seeing online. More importantly I want to build the kind of communities that I see online. Communities built out of identity, honesty, and equity.