#we don't have nearly as much about how jill is doing but we do have her song titled Michael about their early relationship

[s1m0nth3swag]

omg yes please write smth about Jill and Leon i love their dynamic so much sadly there is so little about them

Anon marry me for giving me a reason to write about them ily

slightly small drabble , because the brainrot is getting too much and I can't help but have thousands of strands of thought about them and I physically CANNOT make a simple story about them anymore. I NEED to YAP.

You stared at both your partners as they sat on the couch, wearing nearly identical outfits. Both tried to push down a grin as they looked back at you, mischievous like always. They were up to something, definitely. You sighed heavily, shaking your head. “Alright. What’s up?” You asked, soft giggles coming from Jill as she motioned for Leon to explain. “Well, we figured that you love us, right?” He started, and you immediately knew this was going into a direction that you wouldn’t quite like - you never did when they teamed up to annoy you. Which they did often. “I do love you, I don’t love this dynamic, continue.” You grumbled, rolling your eyes slightly as Jill cleared her throat. “See, we both have super duper dangerous jobs, right? We figured we should teach you some self defence.” She hummed, and Leon nodded along. “So you don’t get in trouble when we both are gone, of course.” He added. “No ulterior motives.” Jill quipped. Oh jesus. You were in for a treat, weren’t you?

Just an hour or so later, you had to watch both of them show you how to defend yourself - genuinely you didn't even care this much, you had taken self defence classes in the past, and both of them knew that. You sighed when Leon patted you on the back, his hand lingering a little longer, like it always would. You stepped in front of Jill, grumbling softly as you hadn't planned to spend today practically training with both your partners. You couldn't even get into a proper stance before Jill had already brought you down onto the ground. “Gotta pay attention, sweets.” She chuckles, and you catch a glimpse of her and Leon high fiving, before sighing as you get up. “Poor little thing can't even protect itself.” Leon grins, and you shoot him a glare, while Jill can't hold back a soft laugh. “Just you two wait until I strangle you in your sleep.” You huff playfully, earning a soft punch in the arm from Leon and a manic giggle from Jill, you roll your eyes as you realise what the two are thinking about. Some days it was genuinely like they were the same person, sharing the same goddamn brain calls.

A few days later, you come home to hearing the two have the most frantic discussion with each other. You catch some small phrases - something about history or such - you really don't care, they get like this often. You sigh, calling out that you're home as you hang your jacket up and put your shoes away, unable to keep yourself from grinning as you immediately hear them get up. “Important question.” Jill starts, not even giving you a hello. “How often do you think about the Roman empire?” She asks, and for a second you are definitely dumbfounded. They both look at you like your answer will decide life and death. “Uh… I don't know? I guess from time to time..? How come that's your question?” You wonder. “We were on this TikTok App because we were bored.” Leon explains, and you swear your sigh could shake the entire house. “So you downloaded TikTok… and then had a discussion about the Roman Empire?” You clarify, keeping yourself from shaking your head as the two nod. “I need to get both of you some sort of parental lock on your phones, I swear to god.” You grumble. “Oh come on you love us.” Jill hums, moving to wrap her arms around you from behind. “Welcome home, by the way.” She then adds, while Leon casually runs a hand through your hair before placing a kiss on your forehead. “Personally, I think about the Roman Empire and specifically its downfall every day.” He shrugs, and you hear Jill groan. “Because you're just not understanding that the things that were discovered during the times of the Empire were far more interesting than its downfall!” Suddenly you have a headache. “And you don't understand how intricate the downfall showed that no system can truly work, even if it was as great as the Roman Empire!” Leon argues back. You sigh again. “I'm in love with two idiots, aren't I.” You mumble to yourself, wringing out of Jill's arms to get yourself a coffee, because you were definitely listening to their argument-discussion for a little longer.

Obviously, you were right, because the two were still arguing over dinner. It was like taking care of Toddlers really. “Jesus, can you two shut up about Roman history out of all things? I swear I'll make both of you sleep on the couch until you get along.” You huff, and both immediately shut up. “The downfall was good, I guess…” Jill mutters, and Leon sighs. “Yeah.. I bet it wasn't as great as I really think it is.” It's incredible how well some little threats work on them. Especially since you know they both like cuddling up to you in their sleep. You shake your head. “Eat up.” slips from you lips in a sigh.

Just half an hour later the two stand beside you as you brush your teeth, yapping about some of Leons coworkers - Jill seems to know their names by heart, for some reason. Soft quips about the usual office drama - you're actually caught off guard when Jill recalls a completely different story about some woman in Leons office. “Just how much do you two gossip when I'm not home?” You ask, looking at both of them through the mirror. “Oh, just the normal hour or two.” Leon shrugs. “You need to get a life.” You grumble. “We have you, sugar. Don't need any other life.” Jill chuckles, pressing a kiss against the top of your head. “I'm getting us a dog so you two get out the house more often.” You mumble as you feel Leon wrap an arm around you. “But a cool one. Like a German shepherd or something.” He answers, resting his head on top of yours. “No! A sweet little fluffy thing.” Jill huffs, genuinely pouting a tad bit. “Jesus Christ.” You muttered under your breath. You really should've thought twice about getting into a relationship with the two most gossipy people, who also weren't able to properly communicate with each other. You loved them though. Couldn't help it, really. Both had snuck their way into your heart, and no matter how tired or annoyed you were, deep down you actually found them both adorable. Sometimes, their argues genuinely made your heart clench with how happy you were that both of them were well and safe at home.

#x reader #leon s kennedy #leon resident evil #leon kennedy #leon kennedy fluff #leon x reader #leon kennedy x reader #jill valentine x reader #jill x reader #jill valentine resident evil #jill resident evil #jill valentine

[thewebcomicsreview]

Anonymous said:

do you have any advice on writing character motives and backstories? all of my characters either have motivations that are too extreme when their stories are taken into view, or their backstories feel laughable and it makes their motives look ridiculous

My snap answer is “Lean into the extreme-ness and have it be part of the character”. My more detailed answer is thus:

A character’s motivation is the most important aspect about them, because a character that is not motivated is a character that doesn't want to do anything and it's hard to write a character who doesn't want to do anything.

Making Comics, by Scott McCloud

So, while I suppose it's possible there are excesses, I would say that giving your character a strong motivation is worth giving them an outsized backstory to fit. If you're writing a series about solving mysteries and your main character doesn't want to solve mysteries, then you'll have to keep coming up with excuses to make the plot happen. So, one way of writing character motivations is "I want the character to do X and if the character also wants to do X it'll be easier to write".

When I wrote Legend of the Hare, the idea was that Jill would join up with the rabbits right away and we'd be off into Magical Girl Adventures, but when I was actually writing the pages (which I was doing as the chapter was being written, which is a terrible habit), I realized that I couldn't come up with a good reason for Jill to agree to join the rabbit war, so....she didn't. I got her super drunk and sent her home with a weird new tattoo and basically had to start the comic over until she had a reason to sign up and we could start the plot. I think I did an okay job of making it all look planned, but I basically threw out my entire outline for the entire comic because my protagonist wouldn't go along with it.

In Saffron and Sage, which is in many ways a reaction to Legend of the Hare, Saffron's motivation is clear from literally the first panel of the first page. I have thus never, in nearly 200 pages, sat around trying to figure out what Saffron would do. But this created its own problems, which is that Saffron's entire motivation wasn't really "established" so much as "thrown out offhandedly" for the sake of having a cool in media res opening chapter. It wasn't clear why Saffron was so invested in rescuing Faunus, and I got enough feedback that I eventually did a flashback chapter that I'm not super happy with but c'est la vie.

So those are the two lessons I've learned. Your character should want to do the thing you want them to be doing, and there should be some definition for why they want that. Sometimes the "why" is pretty obvious

And sometimes it needs a bit more meat.

(Another aspect that's important, though, is that motivations often drift over the course of a character's arc. Indeed, the most famous kind of character arc out there is the Pixar "want vs need" style, where a character's initial motivation is "bad" and they get a "better" one after they grow as a person, but the initial motivation is the one driving most of the plot)

And it's sort of difficult for me to answer your question of "how to establish backstories for motivations" when I don't know what your characters' motivations are meant to be, but lets use the example of a high school romantic love quadrangle, since those are often kind of silly. Here's a basic setup

Sweet Dear Innocent Melody, the protagonist, is in love with Chad Footbalman, the quarterback. But Chad is in a somewhat dramatic and troubled relationship with That Skank Felicity, who is way hotter than Melody and also the villain. Meanwhile, local nerd The Virgin Simp keeps flirting with Melody, who rejects him. Melody will do the generic teen movie makeover thing to get Chad's attention but eventually he'll realize he loves her for who she is. Our planned endgame is that Melody and Chad get together, and Simp improbably hooks up with Felicity, so everyone ends up happy. Very generic teen movie plot. (It's also a very straight one, but shh)

Just from this setup of point A to point B, some potential motivations start to come out of the void. Felicity is hotter than Melody, and we know that Simp's happy ending is getting with Felicity. So Simp's motivation can be "wants to touch boobs". He's kind of a creep and a big part of why he's harassing Melody is that he thinks she's "achievable". We want him to be unlikable (so that Melody doesn't look bad for rejecting his advances), but not so much that the audience wants him dead or anything. We don't wanna go full Mineta here. He can also be the one who gives Melody the fashion tips to get a proper makeover, since he's been studying hot girls enthusiastically.

....Actually, having the dude who's super about wanting to have sex with women also inexplicably being an expert in women's fashion is a very stereotypical "closeted gay dude pair" of traits, which is a possible different ending. Hm. Lets table that thought for a minute.

So Melody wants Chad. That's easy enough, you don't even necessarily need to explain it in more detail than that. Why does Melody want Chad? Is it because he's a handsome jock and she has more in common with Simp that she wants to admit? Well, the story is "She tries to get a makeover and Chad loves her as she is", so Melody's character arc is learning to believe in herself. It's not a story about learning to see the inner beauty of other people. She knows that Chad's actually a cool dude and not just a handsome jock, she sees the real Chad etc. She saw Chad, like, pet a bird or something and now she's head-over-heels for him. We don't need an elaborate backstory here.

Chad wants Melody but he doesn't know it yet, so he starts off wishing his girlfriend was [character trait here], which just so happens to describe Melody. He really wants to start a ska band and wishes he knew a trumpet player who shared his love of ska, which just so happens to describe Melody, sure. The ska obsession doesn't have to be revealed early on, it can be a twist that's revealed around the point he and Melody start connecting.

Chad's basically just Sami Zayn

So, when I started writing this, my idea was that That Skank Felicity wanted someone to wait on her hand and foot, which is an "evil" motivation that'd make Simp the perfect boyfriend for her in a Meghan Trainor's "Dear Future Husband" kind of way, but then I decided that Simp's aggressively horny because he doesn't want to admit something about himself, so the planned ending doesn't fit the motivation I came up with. I could change Simp's motivation to have him be straight, or change the planned ending, but let's see if we can't come up with a way to square the two ideas...hm...

Okay, got it. Felicity is super into the tradwife aesthetic. She wants to look and live a certain way, and she doesn't care about Chad as a person at all, she just wants to have a quarterback boyfriend because it's part of The Aesthetic and she cares about The Aesthetic to an extreme degree. She's the villain in a cheesy rom-com, she's allowed to be kind of ludicrous like that. Plus it fits into our theme of "looks aren't important it's what's inside that counts" to have a villain who's obsessed with looking a certain way. And then she can be catty about the makeover outfit Simp made for Melody, and Simp and Felicity can have like an entire enemies-to-lovers arc in five minutes. Boom. Okay. And then Simp realizes she's trans and Felicity's all "The only thing better than ONE hot 1950s housewife..." and they start dating.

Now we have our motivations:

Melody wants Chad (and needs to learn the self-confidence to get him) Chad wants a ska enthusiast Felicity wants to live the aesthetic of a stereotypical hot girl So does Simp, who is a trans girl spending most of the story as an in-denial egg, which is a bit of representation I wasn't actually planning to put into this story (Maybe, um, we change the name) but it fits all the needs of what the character has to do.

And that very long tangent is kind of how the thought process works. What needs to happen in the story? What motivations get me there? Are there any unexpected details of the motivations and do I like them enough to put them in the story? Those kinds of questions can be really helpful, especially early on when all you've got is a doodle of your OC and a dream.

Off to visit their girlfriends

#Writing Advice

[thewritersaddictions]

Requests/Drabbles: (RE3) Jill Valentine- Kiss Come True

It’s been nearly a month since Jill’s nose has grown unprecedentedly. Now, it’s longer than she can bear. It got to the point where she no longer had room in her Raccoon City apartment. So, out the window it went. It was easier that way instead of fighting to get into her kitchen or other places around her apartment. 

During that time, you wonder how Jill is doing, seeing as you haven't heard much from her. As you walk down the street, it becomes relatively easy to tell why Jill hasn't been responding to your phone calls or really anything you have sent to her.

It has only gotten worse since the day she walked out of the base's door. Her nose is long and stuck outside the window of her apartment. It takes me a moment to get up to her apartment door; the elevator ride is slow and filled with shitty music to fill the void.

I knock once, then knock a second time, but am interrupted by the yelling of Jill telling me, 'Doors unlocked. Just come in.' That should have been the first red flag, but it didn't have I turned the door knob. It does when I open the door to see Jill sitting at her desk with her face stuffed out the window. "Jill?" I ask her, "You'll have to come here to talk to me." Her voice could be more warm and gentle.

Instead, she sounds frustrated by a situation that has yet to be dealt with. I move quickly to her side to better look at her face. The shock must be written on my face because she nearly growls out with frustration.

"How long have you been like this?" I point to her position, sitting outside the window. "For almost a fucking month, Y/n." Jill shakes her head, causing her nose to bounce from one side to the other of the window frame.

"How about we try to disguise it while I figure out how to get it back to normal?" I suggest I hear her groan, but she nods gently. "I'll do anything to get my nose back to normal." Jill sounds exhausted, so I work quickly.

The first thing I try is a flag, searching her room for something flag-worthy. On her walls are posters of music bands, but the flag pride flag that hangs over her bed frame is what I chose.

Kicking off my shoes to get up on her bed, pulling the flag out from the grips of the thumbtacks. I grab some loose shoe laces to tie through the loops on each corner of the flag.

I go to lean out of the window frame but find that Jill's nose is already being used as a refuge for a mama bird and her baby birds. "Well." I say as I inch out of the window, "Well, what, Y/n?" Jill asks. "You've got umm, your nose is being used as a nest for a mama bird and her babies." The look on Jill's face shows crippling defeat. I sit and wait, get comfortable on the chair next to Jill. Moving her furniture around so I could get a better eye-to-eye conversation with her.

The silence is all-consuming, so I lick my lips. "Jill." She looks at me the best I can. "Yeah, Y/n." "I think I should probably apologize for not explaining the extent of that pill I gave you before the party," I say, chewing on my bottom lip. "No, don't… I probably should have waited for you to explain the shit anyways. So, it's my fault. Don't worry about it, okay." Jill says, taking the blame for the large extended nose that has a bird's nest on it.

"Even if you don't let me take the blame for your Pinocchio nose, I'll still stay until the pills effectively wear off, or we have to figure something else out." I tell her confidently, "Is that alright, Jill?" I ask her. She nods, almost as if she doesn't trust her own voice.

I get on my phone almost immediately. Texting a fellow from my university days. The chat takes little time for me to explain what's been going on and the world we live in. It doesn't take long for the fellow to come up with an answer.

My fingers tap in quick succession, getting Jills attention. "What are you doing over there?" She asks me, "Just some scientist friend of mine. Saying that the only way to cure this ailment of yours is a kiss." I continue to tap on my screen's keyboard. "A kiss?" Jill asks. Just as shocked as me,

"On your nose, that's what the guy said," I say, clicking my phone screen off before setting it down next to me. The science that hits after isn't uncomfortable. It just silence, "Wait… don't take that the wrong way. It's not that you aren't beautiful, Jill, just I wouldn't wanna make you feel uncomfortable." I ramble out. My cheeks are hot to the touch and red with blush.

"I wouldn't mind a kiss on the nose, I mean," Jill says, the littlest of blush hueing her cheeks and nose. I get up from the chair I'm sitting in, gathering myself. Before I manage to kiss Jill's nose, I step back.

"Are you sure of this?" I ask her one last time to ensure I'm staying within the bounds. Jill nods with a little bit of excitement. Reaching over, grabbing onto my wrist, and pulling me in closer to her side. "Go ahead, don't be shy." Jill murmurs. I lean down, pressing my lips into her nose. With my eyes closed, I hope and pray that this works.

Her nose shrinks in seconds, and I smile joyfully as Jill looks around her apartment. "God, this place is a mess." I laugh as she gets up, closing me in for a tight hug. "Thanks for the save."

Completed on: 11/03/23

Posted on: 11/12/23

RE3-

#jill valentine #jill x reader #jill x fem!reader #jill valentine x reader #jill valentine x you #fluff #fem reader #female reader #requests are open #open requests #requests open #resident evil 3 #jil valentine #the request #request #taking requests

[sapphire-weapon]

Genuinely, I don't think the writers know what to do with Ada anymore. In fact, I don't think they especially like her character. Like she was perfect for the second game, OG and remake, because she was created specifically for it. But when she became a favourite and people wanted more of her, they just genuinely didn't know how to work her in, which led to her mess of an arc in RE6. After that, I feel like they just kinda slowly and quietly removed her from the movies, and even her appearance in RE4R was extremely limited.

What we need to keep in mind about Ada is that the problem with her starts at conception. She was originally developed as a racist caricature in the form of the dragon lady stereotype. Whether or not that was done on purpose is up for debate.

The second issue with Ada is that there was clearly a plan for her character in place with her RE3 epilogue -- which was then thrown out and never honored because of how fucked up RE4 OG's development was.

And then, to make things worse, Shinji Mikami actually did have an idea for the change in direction for her character when his team put RE4 OG together, but then he ragequit out of Capcom and took all of his notes with him before Separate Ways started development.

So, honestly, Ada as a character was doomed from the start. And I can't really blame Capcom for leaning back on her relationship with Leon, because that was the single easiest thing that they could pull on when they were struggling to pick up the loose threads that were left behind in the wake of Mikami's departure.

It was also the reason why fans liked her so much (seriously I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen people express love for Ada without once mentioning Leon's name), so why not center her character around Leon and their relationship?

But then they went too far, and they fucked up Leon's characterization for RE6, and it nearly killed Resident Evil as a franchise.

Because you don't piss off the biggest portion of your fanbase (in this case, Leon stans) and get away with it.

So, for Capcom, it was absolutely worth every effort for them to salvage Leon's character and try to win back the good graces of his fans -- which they did with Vendetta and then RE2make and then RE4make and now Death Island. But it's far less important for them to rehabilitate Ada.

What I have found interesting is that, in Ada's absence, Rebecca has been brought back into the spotlight. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she's being treated like she was always one of the main recurring characters all along.

She hasn't been.

The last time we saw Rebecca, prior to Vendetta, was the original REmake in 2002, and I'm not joking. Fifteen real-life years and almost twenty in-universe years passed between her appearances in this canon, and now she's part of what the devs and the fanbase refer to as "the main five."

But that's not who the main five always were.

Before Vendetta, the main five were Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, and Ada.

And now Ada's been completely pushed out of the picture from a marketing perspective when it comes to this series's branding... which is just kind of wild for me to think about, honestly. And the change in perspective among the fanbase was so easy and natural that it actually took me a few years and a tweet from Dusk Golem pointing it out before I even noticed.

I think the Remake series is Capcom's chance at rebuilding Ada's character from scratch in a way that makes sense -- and I also think that if it goes over well, then they can use the ideas from Remake and put them into OG canon and bring her back that way.

But we'll have to see.

#resident evil #ada wong

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

The Maystone mangler pt1

Don't forget to check out @the-illiterate-pirate 's version of the same scenario 'Twisted Nerve'

Also there is a prolouge to this fic, not necessary but will give you a little more context.

It had been a month since you had moved to Maystone. You'd managed to settle in and get to know the town folk. It was a small yet communal one, everyone seemed to know each other. Sometimes you'd even see the mayor, Mr Valentine, or his wife in the grocery store.

From what you had learned Valentine had been a hero for the town, six years ago it was on the verge of being a ghost town but when Valentine returned after his time in the Vietnam War he'd established numerous projects to help the local economy. Sure the town was still quite small but now everyone had had access to many of the facilities and necessities to live comfortably. Even now he was striving for more as he made his way up to state politics.

As you drove to work you switched station news before settling on the local news.

'The weather will be a lovely 68°f today with some clouds coming through, best to get your washing out today as the next few days will have moderate rain' Amelia the weather reporter said.

'Back to you Marshall' she sighed off back to the main presenter.

'Thank you, Amelia. We just got news about the body found in the park this morning' He said catching your interest.

"We've been told by police that the victim, James Ronal, age 34, was found dead this morning at 6:47 this morning. The state of his body was described as barely recognizable. Later we have an interview slated with Sheriff Mountain Tim' they explained. You were horrified as thoughts of what might have happened flooded your mind. What could have led to such a horrible thing to happen.

You drove into to staff parking and parked your car. You turned off your car and grabbed your briefcase before entering.

You exchanged some brief hellos with your coworkers as you made your way to your desk. As you unpacked your stuff you overheard a conversation two of your co-workers, Jill and Mary were having.

"You heard the news about James?"

"Yes I did, it's horrible from what I heard his chest had been cut open and his head was nearly chopped right off"

"Oh goodness, it sounds like the Maystone mangler is back"

Maystone mangler, clearly this wasn't known. They had a name and everything. You wanted to join the conversation and learn more but you looked at the time, it was almost 9 o clock.

You set up the last of your things before the doors opened. It didn't take long before clients came in. You spotted Blackmore in the line and waved him over. You had gotten fairly familiar with him, visiting his shop at least once a week.

"Good morning Blackmore" you greeted him. He perked up and clumsily walked over with a bag in hand. He was wearing a brownish-grey turtle neck sweater and a pair of nice black pants. He was dressed quite nicely, a far cry from what he wore in the butcher shop.

"Ah… good morning" he stuttered before he sat down in front of you.

"I just came to put some money in, usually my mother covers it but she's been under the weather so I have to do it" he explained.

"I don't know if I can do that, I can't make transactions in another name" you explained.

"We have a shared account" he replied, you could tell he was obviously nervous about being at the bank.

"Oh sorry, in that case, it should be fine, I just need some ID" you explained. He grabbed out a wallet from the bag and grabbed out his ID and placed it on the desk.

Blackmore Lovall

Date of birth 11/19/1956

"Oh I didn't realize your mother was Mauve, you two look so alike," you said as looked at his ID before standing up.

"I'll go grab the file and then we can start the deposit" you explained as you made your way to the file room but stopped to ask him questions.

"Do you want a coffee?"

"Um… do you have tea, I'm not a fan of coffee" he replied.

"Sure, do you have it with milk, and how much sugar?" You said.

"Milk and one sugar please" he replied before you left.

Luckily the kettle had already been boiled so you grabbed a cup and a tea bag and grabbed the sugar tin. You poured his up and left it to seep before turning your attention to the file cabinet. You went to the draw labeled 'L' and looked through to find the Lovall file and put it on top of the cabinet before you finished making his tea.

You came back shortly later and gave him his tea and placed the file on the desk.

"Thank you so much" he coyly thanked before taking a sip. You sat down and opened the file. Blackmore grabbed out several small clear bags with notes, coins, and checks and placed them on the desk.

"Could I ask you a question… about what happened this morning?" you said.

"About James?" He asked.

"Yes, I overheard some of my coworkers talking about what happened, and they mentioned it sounding like the Maystone mangler. Can you tell me anything about that?" You asked and he nodded in response before taking another sip.

"The Maystone mangler is the name given to a local serial in this town. The murders started around five years ago and the police still haven't found the killer" he explained.

"How do they know it's the same person?" You asked.

"Well it's in the name, they're known for mangling and dismembering their victims…The murders aren't frequent so most of us aren't too worried, I'd just suggest not being out late by yourself and locking the doors at night" he continued.

You felt a shiver go down your spine, even just hearing the news mention a brutal crime in another state made you anxious but to know a murderer was in the town was very concerning.

You quickly snapped yourself out of your thoughts and began to open the bags and grab each bundle of notes. They were already organized so you took the rubber band off and put them into the note counter and turned it on.

"So how was your weekend?" Blackmore asked, trying to make small talk.

"It wasn't much, I just cleaned around the house a bit. Pruned the roses and realized I didn’t have a vase anymore to put them in, so I'm going to the antique store after work" you told him. Grabbing the notes out and jotting down the amount on a blank piece of paper before grabbing the next bundle to do the same.

"I'm sure you'll find a nice vase but Magenta can be a bit… greedy, but as long as you know how to bargain right he'll cave into a lower price" Blackmore warned. You nodded in response as you continued to count the notes. You two continued to make small talk before Blackmore asked another question.

"Did you hear about the communal barbecue that Mr Steel's running this year?" He asked.

"No I haven't" you replied.

"Oh well it's been talked about for some time, usually after church" he explained.

"I'm sure Mr Steel will tell you himself but everyone in town is invited, just have to bring something to share" he continued.

"What would I bring?" You asked.

"Well almost everyone brings sides… my mom and I supply all the meat and Mr and Mrs Valentine bring the drinks… perhaps a dessert, my mom always brings trifle, and a few cupcakes are brought in but never anything else" he suggested.

"Do you think a cheesecake would be good?" You questioned. His eyes lit up hearing your suggestion.

"Yes, cheesecake would be great, it's one of my favorite desserts" he replied as a small smile appeared on his face.

🍂🍂🍂

You finished work at five o'clock and got into your car and drove down to the antique store. You parked your car in the parking bay on the side of the road and made your way inside. You opened the door and a bell rang.

"The store's only open for twenty-five minutes" a nasally voice echoed in the shop.

"I'm just here to find a vase," you said as you began to look around. The place was cluttered with little room to move through between the furniture and smelt of dust and old fragrance.

"At the back, on the shelves," the voice told you.

"Thank you" you awkwardly thanked as you shuffled around, trying not to knock anything over as you made your way to the back. There you saw pitchers and vases along with piles of crockery.

"How long since you moved in?" He asked.

"A month now," you told him as you admired a few green bottles.

"That's a valuable piece of Vaseline glass from the 1920s, they don't make much uranium glassware nowadays," he told you. You jumped a little and quickly put it back down before looking to the side to see who you assumed was Magenta. He was a mess from head to toe. Wild hair and unkempt clothes.

"There's no need to worry about radiation poisoning, I doubt it has any more radiation than anything else here" he explained yet he still did not make you feel safe near it. Then your eyes landed on a ceramic pitcher with a simple floral design.

"I'll take this," you told him.

"Nice choice, I believe that one was handmade," he told you.

"That'll be $12," he told you and your eyes widened. Yep, Blackmore was right, he was trying to scam you.

"Actually I think I'll pass, it seems a bit pricey" you replied.

"I can assure you the price is fair," he said.

"Hmmm… I'm not sure, I have an aunt who makes pottery far cheaper" you bluffed.

"How about $10?" He asked

"Still too pricey for me, I'll buy it for $8 and not a cent more," you told him.

"Fine" he sighed in defeat before taking the pitcher out of your hand and taking it to the counter. You followed close behind as you grabbed a few notes. You handed the money and he took it greedily before grabbing some newspaper and wrapping the pitcher in it. On the paper you could clearly see the title 'Maystone Mangler strikes again: two found dead'

"So what's up with this Maystone Mangler?" You asked him.

"You really want to know?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I think it's important to know what's happening here. After all, I live here now” you replied.

“Roughly 5 years ago A man in town named Sam was murdered, it wasn't a simple murder by any means… he was chopped into pieces and dumped into the nearby river. That's the first murder by whom the news has dubbed the Maystone mangler” he told you.

“The weapon was never found but the autopsies suggest that the weapon was a meat cleaver, of course, the first suspects were the Lovall's however they were quickly dismissed. Mauve is far too frail to do something like that and not break a bone. Frederik was a nice guy, he was in my high school English class… He had been missing for a few months before the murder. Some think he took the family car and left to pursue something more while others think foul play was involved” he continued explaining.

“Then there's Blackmore… poor kid got put through the wringer in school from what I heard but he wouldn't even hurt a fly. Even the thought of butchering made him pale in the face when he had to pick it up. The first few weeks he looked like he'd faint at any moment. He's not got a single bit of violence in him” he told you before handing you the pitcher.

“Thank you Magenta” you thanked him before making your leave

#yandere jjba #yandere jojo's bizarre adventure #yandere x reader #yandere #yandere blackmore

[agriftatsea]

Another day, another slew of posts from people calling for a boycott of the United States Election as a method of campaigning for change. (Refusing to participate in your shitty democracy will not actually improve the democracy btw) So! Here's a reminder that half of the country seems hellbent on re-instating a guy who is truly, comically worse than 'Genocide Joe' and it sounds like we need a reminder on how bad he was the first time.

List of horrible things Trump did in office, in no particular order:

Pulled out of the Paris Accord, claiming that climate change was not a big enough concern

Slashed regulations in safety and environmental impact in nearly every industry, some of which Biden has re-instated

Put Betsy DeVos in charge of education where she funneled money from public schools to private Christian schools and who got slammed in a class action lawsuit for her unwillingness to forgive fraudulent student loans

Put two judges on the Supreme Court which then went to repeal Roe vs Wade

Constantly downplayed COVID-19, incorrectly claimed 85% of people who wore masks got COVID anyway to justify why he didn't wear one when it messed up his spray tan, and overall horribly handled the pandemic in a way that still affects people every day

Scaled back SNAP (food stamps) to ‘save taxpayers money’ affecting 700,000 people

Pulled troops out of the Syria-Turkey border without consulting Congress or the Pentagon, leaving hundreds of thousands of people to die or be bombed

This is not even close to everything he did, because we’re still investigating what he did with all those classified documents (though even Fox News is worried that the deaths of dozens of international agents were a result of Trump leaking their identities to his foreign friends) and he keeps talking about how he wants to make himself President for Life. Even if we did somehow manage to elect a third party President, they wouldn't be able to do anything without getting all of the Dems and all of the GOPs on their side, and if you think that a centrist like Biden hasn't gotten much done you are not prepared for the nothing that Jill Stein will do if we get her elected.

“But all of our options are shit!”

I know! But one of our options is a con artist and a rapist who keeps insisting his ex-President status makes him immune to any prosecution, and the other is a union-supporting old man heading a government that is currently unified in allowing genocide. If you’re going to insist on throwing your vote away, keep in mind the thousands of people still attending Trump's rallies who have already proven they will show up in some of the worst winter weather conditions ever to prove their loyalty and think about what it would be like if we had to deal with them forever.

"Why can't we just burn it all down and start over?"

A civil war (because that's what it would be) would cause even more damage to vulnerable populations, and if you are wanting to mitigate harm you have to do the boring shit like vote and volunteer and talk to your neighbors. Life isn't a Marvel movie. The good guys aren't the ones with with the giant robots, and we can't save the world in 210 minutes with some vindicating violence and perfectly timed explosions. Changing the world is slow, and messy, and involves more 'being civil with e people you don't initially agree with' than anyone wants to make a movie about.

But if Trump gets the presidency back, he is never going away. As one of the biggest and most powerful nations in the world, this is not a risk we can take. We have a responsibility to the rest of the world to not blow this election in a fit of (justified) outrage.

Remember Reagan? How a celebrity got to be president and ruined so many people's lives decades after his death, including horribly mishandling a pandemic because treating it like an illness and not a punishment/inconvenience wasn't on his agenda? Do we really wanna go through that again?

Vote blue. Even slow progress is progress.

Don't give up.

#us politics #election 2024 #joe Biden #Donald trump #facts and sources #misinformation #voting

[skaylanphear]

Thunder and Shadow

Summary: Five years after Ultima’s defeat, those left behind have no choice but to push onward in a world still on the precipice of ruin. Left with all that remains of Clive—her twin boys—both Jill and Joshua do all that can be to ensure the world they grow up in is one of less strife and struggle than what came before. But the destruction of the crystals and the god that created them has left the aether and eikons in a state of chaotic distress that plagues the entirety of Valisthea. And now, to have received a letter from the north about stone bearers coming back to life, Jill has a new mystery to unfold.

At the same time, Clive finds himself waking on what he thinks must be the eastern Rosarian coast, though how he arrived there, he doesn’t know. Nor has he any idea how much time has passed since that final fight with Ultima. But as he begins to investigate, he sees a battle of eikonic proportions in the distance, one that revives old, bitter memories. Ifrit, perhaps, can make up for wrongs wrought so long ago.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a shadow manipulates them all, his eyes set on those who would become dominants and tools both.

Chapter 4

"Don't fall so far behind," Clive said gently, turning back to watch the twins scramble after him.

"We're coming!" Elwin assured, Pup's hand held in his, the two looking more like vagabonds than princes with their clothes so torn and dirty. Little legs pumping, breath huffing, they pushed through the tall grass and practically ran into the side of Clive's leg as they caught up. "There was a slug!"

"Be that as it may," Clive said, voice balanced between soft and strict, "it's dangerous. Torgal is scouting ahead, but just because we're avoiding danger for now, doesn't mean it couldn't—" Voice falling short, Clive sighed. "Pup, where's your boot?"

Both boys looking down, they stared at Pup's muddied stocking for a few long seconds, then turned back up and stared at him. Neither of them said a word.

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Clive folded his arms over his chest and waited.

"We were…" Pup's voice was small, nearly inaudible. "The slug…"

"We was going to put the slug in it," Elwin explained.

"Why would you put a slug in your boot?" Clive asked, not having ever imagined himself saying such a thing prior to that very moment.

"Because we wanted to look at it," Elwin explained, appearing vaguely sheepish.

"What does that have to do with your boot?" Clive asked, staring directly at Pup, who in turn dropped his gaze to the ground.

"We wanted to look at it when we walked," Elwin added. "You walk fast, Worm."

He was moving significantly slower than usual, actually. He'd known that traveling cross-country with two small children would no doubt slow his progress, but the number of times he'd had to stop for completely trivial reasons was staggering.

Sighing again, Clive began to march back the way they'd come. "Let's get your boot."

It took them twenty minutes to find said brown ankle boot (the color did indeed make the search more challenging), and then Clive had to wipe it out because it was packed with mud ("We had to make a home for him."). Only then could he bend down and help Pup shove his damp, stocking-clad foot back into its proper place.

Up on a slight hill in the direction they were meant to be going, Torgal sat down to wait.

"All clothes stay on your body," Clive issued afterward. "Boots are for your feet, not for slugs."

"Okay," they both said in unison and stared at the dirt.

They stayed at his heels for the next thirty minutes or so, until Clive heard Elwin whispering about a snail. Already knowing where this was going, he turned on them before they had the chance to get distracted.

"No snails," he said.

They were both appropriately cowed.

Read More

#final fantasy xvi #final fantasy 16 #FFXVI #FF16 #cliji #warfield #clive rosfield #clive #joshua rosfield #joshua #fanfiction #me stuff #thunder and shadow #chapter 4

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 18

It's time for the two-parter Marado map. I was feeling nervous about this one, mostly because of all the pegasus knights. My Jill was not doing so hot, so I was afraid she would become overwhelmed by them, and they would swarm my squishier units.

Thankfully, however, I managed to get through the first section without issue. The second section, on the other hand...

I do appreciate Fiona for what she was doing here. I only wish that she got more time to become a good character and/or a good unit. At least she has savior, which helps her not die on this map. The other cavaliers were not so lucky, and quite a few of them died. The amount of times my characters died because I rushed too quickly trying to save the villagers was... too many, really.

I do love this ongoing metaphor going on through this conversation, comparing themselves to shepherds and the people of Daein as "little lambs". It's so demeaning and dehumanizing, which is of course the point. It also shows how they rationalize their actions.

I love you Meg, I really do. And I get it. Meg's young and unfamiliar with the world outside of her small farming town. But this particular plot point always annoys me. Brom, why would you do this? I'm glad that Zihark is a complete gentleman about the whole situation. But I'm sad we never get any resolution over this. Does Meg ever realize Zihark doesn't want to marry her? I do know from her ending that she does end up getting married and having a family of her own, but it would have been interesting to see a little of what happened in between.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Radiant Dawn suffers a lot from the lack of support conversations. The Dawn Bridage, especially, suffer from stagnant character syndrome.

Micaiah getting upset at Pelleas for not having a backbone always puts a smile on my face. She's usually so distantly polite with everyone (with the exception of Sothe), so the times when she reveals a little more of her honest feelings and thoughts are really great to see. And while I adore Pelly, I 100% agree with Miccy here. Grow a spine, Pelleas!

Oh, and while you're growing that spine, maybe also lose the racism. Again, I love you buddy, you are the beorc equivalent of a sad puppy left outside in the rain, but dude. Try to form your own opinions for once.

Anyway, onto the prison break map!

Love these three! Wish they were more involved in the story.

Ahahaha. I don't know if Maurim meant this sincerely or sarcastically, but man. That comment alone probably destroyed whatever "manly pride" Sothe might have had.

The map itself didn't give me nearly as much trouble as the previous one. And luckily, Jill got some good level ups on this map, which transformed her from a slightly weak unit to a dependable one, which has put my mind at ease.

Sothe is so fucking funny. I love him.

Next was the stupid swamp map. For some reason, this is the only screenshot I took, probably because it was the only highlight. This one gave me even more trouble than the second Marado map. I really wanted to save most of the people trapped in the swamp, which meant I took some really stupid risks, and had to restart waaaay too many times. But at the end, at least Edward classed up.

This part of the story is so sweet. Micaiah has lived all of her life in the shadows, keeping her distance, afraid of how people would react if they learned her secret. And now here she is, adored by many, people who look up to her and feel inspired by her. I can only imagine what she's thinking during this scene. She probably thinks she doesn't deserve it, and to some extent, that's true. Or to be more accurate, they are idolizing her, putting her on a pedestal, which is puts a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She doesn't deserve that, because she is worth more than that.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm losing my train of thought. I just love this game so much, guys.

See you all in part 19!

#leigh plays tellius #fire emblem radiant dawn #radiant dawn #fe10 #tellius

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Mystery 101 Officially Cancelled

This might not be a complete shock, but for fans hopping for at least one more movie to tie up the major cliffhanger in the last film that aired two years, it's never gonna happen. Hallmark let us know by a response on a Facebook post. That's right, on Facebook. The initial post was a response to a fan asking if they were ever gonna make an eighth movie. How professional. It was then copied and pasted a few more times as a response to fans asking it there would be more. That's how they let fans know that their second most popular and watched mystery franchise is over. Of all the new mysteries launched only one has managed to get a sequel.

Hallmark has never let any of their fans know about any of the cancellations of the mysteries series. The only reason we know certain franchisees have been canceled is because the actors have let us know. They still haven't told fans/viewers/readers yet that their publishing branch has closed down. Not unusual for this network even after the regime change. Some might speculate that it's because Jill Wagner has made some films for the GAC channel, but let me just remind everybody she has not signed a contract with them. Wagner does have a new show coming out, but it's been two years since she's been in anything Hallmark related. And there are many actors who have done films for both networks who are still doing Hallmark movies. Like Cameron Mathison, Cindy Busby, and so forth. Of course this is a network that had to be reminded by fans that Alicia Witt was a staple in their holiday movie lineup after not making a film with her for two years, so much so the actress asked whats up and they were like oops. I hope we'll get another holiday movie with Alicia Witt, but I won't be holding my breath. I think that era is over. I did have a glimmer of hope that we might get a final movie, they resurrected the 'Murder She Baked' franchise by rebranding it the 'Hannah Swensen Mysteries' after all. If they could resuscitate that dead corpse then why not. Of course it took them nearly two years to make a second Hannah Swensen movie, airing this summer I believe. I guess it's just more important to revamp the 'Aurora Teagarden Mysteries' franchise with a prequel movie after eighteen films. Wonder how those ratings will be. Maybe we should be happy 'Mystery 101' is done, we can just stop the last movie before that ending. If it did come back we might be suffering with the be careful what you wish for syndrome. I can see them killing off Amy. While so much improvement has happened over at Hallmark with the regime change, some stuff still says the same. Like poor communication with the viewers. Some folks might say they don't have to tell us anything, but Hallmark isn't exactly a normal cable channel. It has a loyal fanbase that have stuck with them through thick and thin. They make countless movies with actors that they know their audiences love, it's a thriving community. Is it too much to ask for them just to be upfront and honest instead of making fans hope for two years that a franchise will continue, and then one day just randomly say it's over in a response to a Facebook post that's reminding viewers to watch a 'Mystery 101' marathon. Well, at least we now know officially that it's not coming back. Hallmark's social media has been bombarded by people who aren't happy, and they were trending on Twitter with folks upset over this. Maybe they'll hear the outcry and go ahead with one more movie. Don't hold your breath people, it's not happening. I don't see it, just like I don't see Hallmark doing any more movies with Jill Wagner. They'll constantly air her movies, just not make a new one with her.

Here's a link to the Variety article.

#news #mystery 101 #hallmark movies & mysteries #hallmark movies #jill wagner #kristoffer polaha #link

[eikonbound]

Terence Headcanon - More than just Dion's Partner

We don't get much Terence/Dion interaction in the game (which I understand because they aren't the focus, but as someone who has been starved for queers in video games FOREVER, I deserve to see more of the gays) so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that his personality is very watered down. His devotion to Dion -- as a best friend, as a lover, as his knight, as a devoted follower of Bahamut -- is really all his personality ends up being. He's very concerned with Dion's safety, understandably, but there's no levity to their relationship. The stakes are way, way too high for that. So I get why we don't see much variety in how Dion and Terence interact, but it really comes at the cost of making Terence a one-note character. And I've seen it kinda leak into fanon as well for lack of anything else to work with. So I want to really develop who Terence is outside of Dion, and what their relationship looks like outside of the dynamics and roles they inhabit. Even small things about his passions, his quirks and traits, his family, his path to becoming a knight, etc. I'm still thinking about all of this (and it's fun to almost have a blank slate to work with!) so the things I bring to my portrayal of Terence may end up conflicting with the Ultimania info. I think that's kinda normal at this point in the FFXVI RPC, bc some of the Ultimania lore is stupid tbh. Just wanna put that out there in case my headcanons completely ignore Ultimania lore! So far what I do have established is (putting under a cut for the sake of post length on the dash!):

Terence (and Dion, though I'll also add this to his headcanons) is older than Ultimania suggests. I see them both around Jill's age or perhaps even Clive's.

I do love most of the backstory about how long the two of them have known each other, how Dion protected Terence at a nearly fatal cost to himself, and how the two of them began dating shortly after.

I think this might be a matter of translation issues in the Ultimania, but in the case of Terence/Dion (and Joshua/Jote, for that matter!) it says that in year 862, "Terence officially becomes his [Dion's] servant". Which just makes me bristle. I know that the power dynamic has always been and will always be complicated between the two of them - that's inevitable. But servant? Nope. I really don't think that's the right phrase for the role Terence took on in Dion's life. I see it more as the fact that, upon seeing the bond that the two young boys shared, it became clear that Terence would be an ideal person to one day become his second in command. This was something that he would have to train for, of course, so it became a part of his education. I'm sure that the word "servant" isn't meant to be so loaded, but that absolutely wasn't the way I saw their relationship when I was playing the game.

The issue with being so entwined with Dion's life is that it also involves putting Terence's own passions aside. Whatever he would have done with his life independently, he would never be sure. This doesn't mean he forfeits absolutely everything he loves and feels passion for, but they're not things he has the time or ability to act on anymore. If things were different, Terence may not have enlisted into the Dragoons (he has a great aptitude for it and does come to feel genuine belonging in his role) if not for Dion doing so. But not only was he required to join up in order to accompany Dion, he wasn't about to let his friend, the person he loves most, go off to war on his own. He couldn't imagine it. He doesn't regret the decision at all, but he does wonder where he might have ended up if not for that decision.

Terence grew up with his mother, father, and younger sister. When his father passed away (still considering how he died), his mom became a single-parent raising two children. Normally, this would have reduced the family's station. But by this point Terence and Dion were already bonded; it was clear that Terence was meant for greater things. As a result, the family's reputation didn't suffer and this made the immense burden that Terence's mom carried that much lighter.

Terence learned a lot from his mother, but his favorite was always cooking. It was a skill that she herself excelled in and she was eager to hand her knowledge down to her children. Both Terence and his sister took to it quickly. It became a love language and a way to bond among the three of them.

It isn't often that Terence has access to an actual kitchen but when he does, he loves having the chance to cook for Dion. He knows his partner runs himself ragged day after day and is oftentimes too stressed to remember to eat. Terence is able to remind him and put a warm, loving meal in front of Dion to interrupt that cycle. It makes it so no matter what's going on and what the two of them are busy with, they have a chance to simply be Dion and Terence.

#hc: terence #you know how when you come up with and write out headcanons for your muses you become even more fond of them? #I'm feeling that way after making this post :') #a lot of these tidbits will also apply even in a plot where Dion isn't the other half of the partnership; I'd just tweak things for it

[charlesandmartine]

An Epilogue for Australia 2023

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel-sea,

Her beauty and her terror

The wide brown land for me!

An excerpt from:

My Country

By Dorothea Mackellar

We made all the arrangements for this trip last summer which seems ages ago now and it troubled us whether we had packed enough into the itinerary, if we were really just repeating too much, and if the destinations were to be interesting enough. We ought not to have worried because none of that was so. It turned out that the balance was almost perfect. Lovely to see Jill again and stay in her amazing apartment in Balgowlah which we like enormously. The cruise to NZ was really enjoyable, seeing both the south Island where we haven't been before and revisiting the north Island, especially Napier. We were particularly pleased to visit Christchurch which we loved and the Sounds were stunning. We felt so fortunate that we completed this cruise when we did because soon after Cyclone Gabrielle came across flooding areas in the north and of course our condolences go out to those people.

The second part of the trip I think changed the way we view this wonderful country, that is our journey to woop woop, pronounced wup wup ie the middle of nowhere and beyond. We broke ourselves in gently before getting to the outback by first calling into some amazing beaches and then heading due west. The outback is a different Australia entirely; the accent is different, harder, broader. Some live in such remote places that there's no apparent reason for the place to be there at all. The couple who ran the cattle station could, with binoculars, see their neighbours. The girl in the bottle shop in Roma dreamed of the day she might go to Bondi Beach! Outbackers do not go to cities which are most likely unaffordable, and city dwellers don't go to the outback apart perhaps from Uluru, called Ayers Rock in pre decimal days. There are at least three levels of society in this amazing country, City, Outback and First Nation. We absolutely loved the outback; we loved the simplicity, the isolation, the one street, the bar where it goes quiet when you walk in, the friendliness, the pleasure they get when outsiders visit their town, the nothingness, the 'I went to Brisbane once, I didn't like it ' comment, the 'if we need to go shopping we drive 2 hours to Charleville', the big huge skies, the massive sunsets, the red dirt, the space, the long long straight empty roads, drive for 280km and not see a single building, community that appears to actually work, we loved it all that's all nearly 5000kms of it in Mr Avis's SUV.

We learned stuff. Staying on the cattle station we saw how hard life could be with not enough help, the danger of moving heavy cattle around, the changing climate, the financial loss that results from drought, the difference rain can make, the condition of the grass therefore life for the cattle or not. Having witnessed the cows being sent to market was a salutary moment for a meat eater versus vegetarian or at least non beefeater.

The rains had returned to the east of Australia with the red dirt turning green. This meant more food for animals such as kangaroos which meant they were not so evident in human occupied land. They talk of El Nino and the effects it has on the climate, La Nina is it's opposite number and it would appear there's a transition. We saw the vast coal mining operations in Newcastle and Blackwater and are both disturbed by this but also understand the economic arguments that allow it's continuance.

We learned more about Australian dinosaurs, crocodiles and how to kill one if necessary, cattle handling obviously, Australian politics and how similar they are to ours, societal problems like interest rate levels, inflation, long hospital waiting lists for hip replacements, shortage of doctors, superannuation, staff shortages in general, mortgage rates, high cost of energy, shortages, scrutiny over COVID handling, proposed Submarine purchases from AUKUS and the list goes on and on and we rub our eyes to see if we are at home or abroad!

The outback is such a fascinating place of great extremes. It breeds a tough and resilient kind of person constantly battling against an environment that views humans as an itch that needs to be scratched, a boil that needs lancing and moreover eradicated. Nature wiped out the dinosaurs of Winton millions of years ago and it does its best now to get rid of their modern day replacements. It does this by seven years of immense drought followed by fire terrifyingly tearing across the tinder dry land and scrub killing and destroying anything in its path. Then come the rains with such intensity the waters rebound, fill the creeks and the vast floodplains drowning animals small and large that inevitably get caught up in it. And then comes the cyclone that blows away structures and trees that dare to challenge it. Nevertheless the communities are tough and stubborn and rebuild because this is a great land. If you want precious stones mounted in precious metals, it is to be found here. If it can be eaten, drunk or cooked with, it is here. If it is needed to generate heat or power then it can be found here. If it is a rare mineral and it is to be found in the periodic table, it can most likely be found in Australia somewhere. If you want to make batteries for new generation electric vehicles, the lithium can be found there. If you want to increase your chances of being bitten, poisoned or eaten to death then Australia has it in droves. It is not the home of Shakespeare; no play contains the words G'day Mate, or own any work entitled Two Gentlemen from Woop Woop, but they try. They are both a young country with no history beyond 200 years and yet they have the combined history's of its many nationalities. They also have the fascinating and hidden history of the indigenous peoples going back 60,000 years! They have European Art which is developing more now into something of their own. More encouraging is that indigenous works are beginning to be appreciated now as works of art in their own right and not as they previously were merely as objects of interest.

This is a marvellous country unsurpassed anywhere else on the globe and deserves to be explored and appreciated for the incredible experiences it so readily offers

Perhaps one of the last images we will recall might be at Sydney Airport:

'Repack or pay' screamed the fierce looking Australian woman behind the Malaysia Airlines check-in desk at the overweight Indian family presenting equally overweight luggage. She could do well in a banshee yelling competition. They were escorted to a quiet spot where silver changed hands.

We have so enjoyed our time here with the variety of things we have done. We went to the SOH three times on this trip and were blown away by each performance, each different from the previous in different ways. We took a very fond look back at Sydney Harbour as we walked away from it last night, the place we really love and of course Manly, not wanting to leave it, but it's au revoir not goodbye, we are simply going to be absent for a while and we shall be back.

[danganronpa-fixation]

Naezono (Makoto x Sayaka)

Telling the class they are going to try dating.

Everyone in class 78 gives their reactions.

You got it! Keep in mind that I didn't bother including Genocide Jack/Jill, because poor Toko needs a break xD

Hope you enjoy!

Sayaka and Makoto departed the school courtyard in remarkably high spirits. They both revealed their true feelings for each other that same day around the same time, and Sayaka acknowledged that even her great intuition couldn't possibly predict that.

Ding dong, bing bong!

It all started with the basic "do you have a crush on anybody" interrogation. Sure, it was pretty juvenile and typical, but neither of them cared in the slightest, not with the answers they both received.

That school bell signified that lunchtime was over, and that the next class of the day was about to start.

When they entered the classroom, buzzing with the voices of their fellow classmates, suddenly most of their eyes were transfixed on the joyful pair.

"Yo, what's going on with you guys?" Leon asked, feet carelessly kicked back on his desk with his hands resting behind his head. "You keep on showing up to classes together, just you two."

"You both seem to be particularly pleased right now, but also nervous," Kyoko examined knowingly. "Did something happen?"

Sayaka and Makoto both blushed. However, Sayaka was able to recover much quicker than Makoto.

"We've decided to go on a date together," Sayaka said cheerfully. She stood proud as she said it, which Makoto couldn't help but admire. He himself couldn't even meet the goggling eyes of their fellow classmates.

Leon's laid-back composure waned as he nearly fell backwards into his chair, but he caught himself just in time. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Oh, really? I guess that makes sense why the two of you have been together a lot. Uh, congrats you guys. You're one lucky guy, Makoto."

"Me too. I'm so happy for the both of you," Chihiro added quiet, but gleefully all the same.

Sayaka and Makoto both said their thanks in unison, although they both can tell that Leon's smile was wavering after uttering that last comment.

"I totally knew it!" Aoi exclaimed. She sprinted over to the pair to hug them both (albeit a little too firmly). "So happy for you two!"

"Indeed," Sakura said, smiling. "I hope the best for the both of you moving forward."

"Hell yeah! But I'll bet the chick would totally top the dude in your situation," Mondo said, laughing hard at his own joke.

Makoto hid his face yet again as it tinged red, and Sayaka giggled awkwardly.

"Mondo! Intercourse is no laughing matter!" Taka chimed in. He then pointed an intimidating finger towards the couple's direction. "Now, you two, know that any sort of physical act of intimacy will not be tolerated in the facility of this school! Please also be aware of the importance of taking contraceptive measures..."

"No no no, that's okay!" Sayaka interrupted politely. "We will be careful."

Makoto didn't think it was possible for him to become even redder, but he did, all while hoisting his hoodie up to his flushed face.

"This could have easily been the type of outcome to make simple bets on, but the results would have simply been too inevitable for my liking," Celeste noted, indifferent. "I do prefer a challenge."

"So, a man and a woman from opposing worlds fall in love, and they are willing to fight through trials and tribulations just so they could be together, no matter how different their lifestyles are," Hifumi dramatically narrated. "Hmm, yes — readers will most definitely be invested!"

'I don't think it's THAT extreme. Also, what readers?' Makoto thought to himself.

Mukuro shrugged her shoulders. "I don't particularly care..."

"You're just pissed off that I was totally right!" Junko said, elbowing her sister in the arm while cackling.

"W-What's the big d-deal?" Toko demanded. "It's just another s-stupid high school love s-story."

"I'll tell you what the big deal is!" Hiro said, pointing at Toko. "According to the spirits, somebody in this very school was going to ask somebody out! They told me so last night!"

That could literally be anybody anytime.

"Well, I have had my suspicions for a while now. It seems I have arrived at the proper conclusion." Kyoko showed the slightest smirk on her face. "Congratulations to the both of you."

The classroom suddenly fell silent, and most eyes veered over to the very back of the room, where sat a tall blond with spectacles, holding up a book in his hand.

"What?" Byakuya ultimately demanded.

"Don't you have anything to say, Mr. Togami?" Hifumi prodded.

Byakuya tsked.

"I think it's safe to say that Byakuya has "said" what he wanted to," Sakura remarked.

Most of the class agreed, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

When actual class commenced, Sayaka and Makoto had their seats next to each other — as usual — but this time, their hands interlaced in between the empty space of their desks.

#requests #naezono #sayaka maizono #makoto naegi #danganronpa ships

[sapphire-weapon]

Favorite ships in RE verse (Remake included)? Ik you like Ashley/Leon so feel free to scream about them. I'm also curious to know if you have any ships among the side characters.

oof. aight. so.

Leon/Ashley is the only "real" RE ship that I have, in the sense that it's the only one that I actively create and seek out content for. I'll go into the whys and hows of that a little later, but. In case anyone was curious why I go so hard for Leon/Ashley --

Actually. When I reblogged this post initially, I almost tagged it as #WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME WHY I SHIP LEON/ASHLEY #THIS IS WHY

I restrained myself because I don't like doing that to other ppl's posts, but. It's a pretty accurate representation of what drew me to the ship initially 18 years ago. Queen/Knight ships are my absolute favorite dynamic for a ship ever ever ever ever. Hands down. No contest. And what are these two -- especially in OG -- if not that?

My second favorite kind of ship? Doomed ones. Missed opportunity ones. "If only things were different" ones. "Our roles in each other's lives will never allow this to happen" ones.

And that's also them.

Real talk? I would actually like the ship way less if I thought for a second that there was a chance that Leon and Ashley could/would actually get together in canon. I'd still like it, but not nearly as much. (which is why it's really funny when people try to be like "it'll never be canon" YEAH NO SHIT I HOPE IT NEVER IS)

So I was cursed to fall super hard for this ship from day one. Like, there wasn't even a chance in hell I wasn't going to ship these two. No other two characters in this series have a dynamic that's even kind of similar to this.

And then the remake happened and it poured even more of the shit I already liked about it on top of what was already there and I was like "mmm yes it's delicious thank u capcom"

So that's my whole thing with those two.

And outside of those two? Well.

Back in the days of early RE fandom, we were so small and so starved for fan content that it was commonplace for people to read fics for ships that they didn't care about or even like lmao. I once read like 80,000 words of a Wesker/Leon fic because that was all I could fucking find that I hadn't read yet (and also wasn't weird monster dog porn -- late 90s/early 00s RE fandom was fucking weird ok).

Those early fandom days were also kind of magical, though, because so much of the canon was wide open to so many different ships and interpretations and scenarios. Like, as time has gone on and RE has grown larger and larger, the world of RE has started to feel smaller and smaller. It's way way WAY harder to write a canon-compliant fic these days, because there's so many moving parts to the story now, and a lot of details have been cemented in place that never used to be there.

Like, it's rad that the canon has so much to consume in it. But it sucks because it feels restrictive as a result.

So, like.

I have actually written fics for so many different, random ships over my 25 years in this fandom, because this fandom used to be more of like a... swap meet, sort of? Where we'd all just take requests from each other and write fics for each other and share them around -- because the fandom was so, so goddamn small back in the day.

I have actually written fics for:

Leon/Ashley (of course)

Leon/Claire

Leon/Luis

Chris/Jill

Chris/Rebecca (seriously)

Chris/Leon

Steve/Claire

Billy/Rebecca

Wesker/Ada (this one was fun, actually. I'd fuck with this one again)

Of course, there were people who were ride-or-die OTP folks (though this actually didn't get really bad or become any sort of real majority in the fandom until after RE4's release, and that's only because RE4 just dumped so much gasoline on the Aeon vs Cleon war holy fuck. RE fandom became a fuckin minefield after RE4), but a lot of us really just dabbled in a bit of everything. So I never really got like... super attached to any one ship, if that makes sense?

There is actually something very nostalgic about Leon/Claire for me, if you can believe it, because the ship was only viable until about the time of Degeneration, so we're going way back. That movie made it very clear that these two were not at all going to stay as active parts of each other's lives, so the ship basically died upon its release.

But prior to that? That was one of THE BIG SHIPS in the fandom. So, the vast majority of fics that I wrote back in the swap meet days were Leon/Claire, because the majority of my fandom friends fell more on the Cleon side of things.

Today, I don't like where their dynamic has gone in later canon. There's nothing there anymore, and I've lost all interest in it.

But... at the same time... when RE2make happened, it was something I thought about revisiting just for old time's sake. I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet, but I do still think about it from time to time. Maybe I'll actually go ahead and do the thing one of these days, now that I'm back in the habit of writing RE fic again.

But anyway.

The point is. Any side ships I have, I really just enjoy in passing. Like, if I see nice art of Chris/Jill or Billy/Rebecca I'll definitely reblog it because I do enjoy it, but I have never even one time gone out of my way to find it or any fics of them. Most of my contributions to side ships are thinkpieces and meta analysis.

Leon/Chris is one of the ships that I've done deep dive meta analysis for -- and half of that was just to piss off fanboys who were already mad about RE6 to begin with, because those fuckers made the fandom UNBEARABLE in the early 2010s -- but I still don't go super hard for them.

Same thing with Remake-verse Leon/Luis. I've done meta for them because people have asked me for it, and I do find their new dynamic absolutely fascinating from a literary/storytelling standpoint. They're another ship I do enjoy, but... again, mostly in passing.

So. idk if this actually answered your question. RE ships are just kind of a weird topic for me in general most of the time, because I went so, so, so long just looking at characters' individual arcs as opposed to engaging in actual ship content.

I've talked about this a little before, but I did go through that period (around 10 years) where I tried to pass it off that I had no ships in order to seem like an "objective" source for canon information (which, in hindsight, is so fucking stupid because I could've just done what I'm doing now and kept objective facts about the series/canon differentiated from my ship shit, but w/e), so in those 10 years, I didn't really engage with RE ships, like, at all.

So now I'm just kind of at the point of "dude whatever idc as long as we're all having fun."

#resident evil #THIS POST BECAME WAY LONGER THAN I EXPECTED OR INTENDED IT TO #i'm all nostalgic and shit though now man #those old times #right before RE fandom became a fuckin nightmare #there was somethin really special about those days

[slifarianhawk]

Chapter 7: old partners

The walk was quite. Wesker gave Jill the order for her to go to her room and stay. I knew what Jill was thinking. I appeared as a traitor to my brother and the world. When we reached her room I checked for cameras, mics, bugs anything that would let Wesker hear what I was about to say. The room was clean. Once the doors closed I spoke.

"I am sorry Jill, but things have go this way." I choked out.

She lunged at me, "I can't believe you would do this to Chris T. It's fucking sick."

I dropped to my knees and started to cry, "I can't let my daughter's last wish go unfulfilled Jill, she wanted me to be the one to tear down his empire. If I don't hic Alistars death would of been for nothing." I sobbed silently.

She was taken back, "What do you mean?" She asked with genuine concern.

I stood up and using a single motion I wiped away my tears, "Back in Russia, we had a plan to end Wesker. My daughter and I were going to tear his world down and break him. It seems that I won't even be able to do that yet. Please Jill trust your old partner."

[Flash back late 1996]

I walked in to the S.T.A.R.S. office. Barry greeted me with his usual look what the cat pulled out of the bag joke. He was serving in the air force with my brother not too long ago, so he treated me like his family. That was much to the dismay of my husband.

"Tabitha can you come in to my office?" Wesker walked to his door beckoning me to him.

"Coming sir." I responded quickly and jogged over to his office.

"Close the door and sit." He spoke taking off his sun glasses as soon as the door closed.

As I sat he grabbed the top of his nose and sighed, his eyes had dark circles underneath them. He clearly didn't come home last night or even slept from the looks of it.

"What happened?" I asked in an extremely worried tone.

"I'm getting annoyed with how you and Mr. Burton act towards each other. You need to be professional at the office." He said.

I glared straight in to his green eyes, "Cut the fucking bullshit Albert and tell me what actually is going on. You didn't come home last night and I highly doubt Barry cracking shitty puns is what keep you from coming home.".

He sighed as he spoke, "You have always been able to read me like an open book, Tabitha." He rolled his neck and placed his hand on after, "The cameras in the training facity show Marcus is alive again. He is acting coherently and to add to the issue reports of a woman in white walking around the facility as well. Umbrella is having me keep an eye on the situation."

"Fuck, do they have any idea how its possible? I know the T-virus can bring back corpses, but they have next to no intelligence. They only possess the need to feed. Is it affecting the mansion forest or labs?"  I nearly jump out of the chair hearing this information.

"You are not the only one baffled by this. I reached out to other departments. Sergei has been inform that the training facility is no longer able to be used. He is less than pleased. He said he was going to send you back in '92 to reclaim it; however, you dissappeared. So we are going on alert in the lab. I'm also going to start recuiting again, just incase S.T.A.R.S. needs to be called out to tackle the mess this causes. Enrico has his team almost completed, he just needs a medic now. That brings me to why I brought you in here, I'm not confident in Vickers piloting alone and we don't have a second rear security agent." He said placing a file infront of me,"I found someone I want brought into the S.T.A.R.S. unit.".

I picked up the file, "Jill Valentine? Well I'm not surprised, based on this file she is an impeccable soldier." I read thru the file.

"I've decided to recuit her for alpha team, I already interviewed her over the phone. I told her about a week ago she got the job. I want you to train her, you are better at converstion than me."

I chuckled, "You mean I have better people skills than you. I'll take the compliment and for a pilot talk to Berry, he did serve in the air force."

"I'll discuss it with him, can you wait for Miss Valentine?" He asked.

I stood up, " Understood captain." I headed towards the door, "Oh and Wesk?"

"Yes lotus?" He looked directly at me.

"After this go home and get some shut eye, I'll handle things today." I smiled.

"If you insist." With his response I walked out closing his door.

I headed over to my desk and grabbed my holster from the drawer.  Attaching it to my uniform, I headed over to the safe on the wall. Running a hand over the cold steel my body shivered at what Albert told me. If Marcus was alive that means the T-virus is loose. At least that area is at least a hundred miles away from here. It would take . I watched the cctv recording of his death in Russia, to think that he could just wander around after this many years terrified me. I wondered how far his twisted reach went.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I jumped back falling on Berry "Hey T, whats got you so antsy? It's like you just walked out of a horror movie."

I shook my self off and punched the code into the safe retrieving my samurai edge and my knife, "Just a bit stressed Berry. I will be okay, I promise. Actually can I ask you a question?."

"You mean other than that one sure." Berry smiled at his little joke.

"What do you want me to bake for Polly's birthday?" I smiled trying to hide what was really going on in my head.

"Oh thats what is on your mind. Polly loves your marzipan and your rasberry macarons, just bring her some of thoses and some plain vanilla cake with lemon frosting for the rest of us. Sometimes I think you should of became a pastry chef rather than a nato agent." Berry said poking my forehead.

"Okay Berry, oh and Captain wants to talk to you. I hate to do this but can I ask you a favor?" I sighed.

"T your like a family to me, whatever you need just ask." he said.

I chuckled, "Once he is done talking with you, can you make sure he goes home? I know he is over working him self again. Hell he didn't even come home last night."

"I'll make sure he does. You're an amazing wife T." Barry smiled and went to his desk.

"Excuse me, Is this the S.T.A.R.S office?" a lady asked walking into the room.

"Ahhh you must be Jill, I'm Tabitha." I walked up to her and offered my hand out to her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm looking for Captain Wesker, is he around?" She smiled shaking my hand as Berry went into his office.

"Captain is currently in a meeting. Please don't worry, he assigned me to be your partner during your S.T.A.R.S. training." I said smiling.

"I'm just not sure if I belong here though. I went in to the military hoping to change lives."  she said her smile slightly dropping.

I look her straight in the eyes, "Our jobs are to solve the dangerous crimes and rescue people of Raccon City. This city doesn't have a S.W.A.T team. We act as the counter balance to the rising threat to the area. Be it terrorists, the mob, or even serial killers, we will be there to make a brighter future for everyone. So what do you say partner?"

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

end of flash back

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

"Remember what I said back when you joined S.T.A.R.S. I still mean it. I'm going to make the future brighter for everyone. I'm going to play this game that Spencer started to end the world. I'm going to break it down Weskers world and end the last of umbrellas monsters." I stood firm and sighed "If I go to jail after this then so be it. If I die at the end of my mission, then so be it. Either way, then the last and one of the most dangerous monsters Umbrella would be unable to harm anyone any more." I sobbed silently.

"T, you should of told someone." she sighed hugging me, "This is not something to do alone. I know Chris wouldn't approve of this. you always preached the importance of partnership. Unfortunatly that can't be me now, he has me under his control. You are like an elder sister to me. You should of left this game after the T Abyss incident. Hell you should of left after we pulled your comatose body out of the Russia. You're going to get yourself killed at this rate. You can't change your life or anyone elses if you are dead and in the ground.".

I sighed rolling my neck relaxing, "I'll keep you updated when I can Jill. I've been here a good while, I can't risk being figured out." I walked towards the door stopping before opening the door, "One last thing Jill.".

"Yes T." she looked at me as she was laying down.

"Thank you Jill, for trusting your old partner one last time." I smiled and left.

#albert wesker x reader #wesker x reader #re wesker #resident evil #wesker #albert wesker #albert wesker x oc #wesker x oc

[singofsolace]

In celebration (and mourning) of Jill Murphy, I am taking stock of my own relationship to The Worst Witch and what it has meant to me.

In light of the recent deaths of Jill Murphy, the author of The Worst Witch book series, and Una Stubbs, the original Mrs. Bat, I have a lot of feelings I'm working through this morning. I'm crying as I write this, so it might not be as eloquent as I want it to be. I'm sorry in advance.

It's hard to articulate what The Worst Witch means to me. I've read the books and watched both the 1998 and 2017 television series. They've provided me endless hours of entertainment and inspiration. I've spent countless hours writing stories inspired by Jill Murphy's creations, and I really can't express how much her work has helped me in my worst moments.

To this day, there is one scene that never fails to make me cry:

I remember how I felt watching this the first time. Seeing this scene unlocked feelings in me I had locked up for a long time. It showed me how an adult should handle a conversation like this, even though as a child, no adults in my life had ever treated me with this kind of respect. It showed me that it was possible for an adult to receive criticism--even criticism they disagree with (like when she reacts pretty strongly to Mildred saying that she doesn't like it when she shouts). No adult has ever in the history of my life accepted criticism like this without some sort of retaliation, deflection, or just complete denial. (Key example: "I didn't say that, but even if I did, I didn't mean it like that, and even if I did mean it, it was your fault because.... blah blah blah")

There was such a... I don't know... softness to this conversation, even as Miss Hardbroom is explaining all the reasons she gives Mildred a hard time. I love how Constance allows Mildred to have her say, because as a child, adults never treated me like my thoughts and opinions mattered to them. In this scene, Constance allowed Mildred the opportunity to criticize her freely. (My mother and father and teachers would never?!?!). It was nearly beyond my comprehension that an adult would do this. I'm crying harder just thinking about it, and that's that on childhood trauma.

Anyway, when the new Worst Witch series came out, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it as much as I did, but Raquel Cassidy won me over as the new Miss Hardbroom. And when Pippa Pentangle was introduced, I fell hard for their beautiful, complicated, not-so-subtly sapphic relationship. And while I didn't enjoy where the series winded up going, I will always be grateful that the first two seasons of The Worst Witch exist for me to revisit whenever I desire.

And now, taking stock of my own writing, specifically my hicsqueak The Proposal fic, it occurs to me that the date I last updated it is significant. March 8, 2020. I stopped publishing the week before the world (or at least my small section of it) shutdown. I was teaching a college-level creative writing course at the time, and little did I know that after that week, I would never see my students in person again.

My world changed. Everyone's world changed. And I tucked the fic into a drawer, unable to look at it. I've revisited many times over the last year and a half, and even got donation-commissions to update it by several people (for my failure to do so, I am very very sorry). There was something about that fic that represented "before" for me. The Proposal was "before" everything fell apart. The Proposal was "before" I was separated from my students. The Proposal was "before" I was excessed and lost my teaching job. The Proposal was before I spent every day worrying about my extended family and friends falling ill with a virus I didn't understand. The Proposal was before I lost all faith in humanity, with people refusing to wear masks and get a vaccine simply because they didn't want to.

Before the pandemic, I truly believed that if a global crisis happened, people would go out of their way to help each other. I believed protecting our grandparents and the immunocompromised would be more important to people than the personal discomfort of wearing a mask, social distancing, and getting a vaccine to help protect yourself and others. I suppose you could say that over the last year and a half, I became completely disillusioned. I hated my neighbors more than I loved them. Huge rifts formed between family and friends over covid safety. My country saw the first NON-peaceful transfer of power in our nation's history. The Black Lives Matter movement made the nation confront centuries-long injustices that we still haven't been rectified or resolved.

The world came to a boiling point, and I thought, "surely, this can't last? surely, things will get better?"

They haven't.

It might sound silly, but for a year and a half, the failure to update this fic has been a major source of sadness and frustration for me, and I feel that it's very much related to having my faith in humanity completely ripped out from under me. The fic represents a part of my life I feel like I will never be able to return to.

And yet, here I am, sitting in the midst of a tropical storm, desperately wanting to return to my story, and crying over it rather than making any progress.

I don't know why I'm sharing this. But the news of Jill Murphy's death has triggered a lot of emotions I don't know what to do with. I'm sorry for rambling, but maybe someone will read this and understand.

#personal #jill murphy #una stubbs #hicsqueak #the proposal #hecate hardbroom #pippa pentangle

[thatgoblin]

RE Cul De Sac 1A

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Pairings: Leon x Chris

Summary: Leon finally is out from under the government's thumb and is trying to find his place with his new found freedom. A call from an old friend lets him know that he has a place if he doesn't want to stay in D.C. anymore. It just so happens to be with the mostly retired BSAA captain.

Warnings: None

Leon had never felt so exhausted before. Usually he was good with catching a few winks of sleep on the plane between missions and home, but he had passed out completely on the plane to the non-descript city that held his new life. Thankfully he was left alone even with the soft snores drifting around the cabin.

Ears back and eyes narrowed as his tail flicked around to warn anyone who may cross him, he trudged through the airport towards baggage claim. All of his stuff from his apartment had already been packed up and shipped, leaving him with just a few personal supplies and clothes as he finished up his leave of absence paperwork.

He hadn't quit the DOS, but he managed to secure a good few months of leave that would let him actually rest and have a life. With new people in charge, it was easy to get his leave approved as well as a change of address. Hell, Claire had said she'd get Chris and the others to put in a good word for him at the BSAA if it meant he'd stay off of active duty for a while.

While he appreciated the offer, he was going to take his time off first. It was an elusive animal and now that he had it in his hands, he didn't want to lose it.

Once at the carousel of bags, Leon grabbed his before pulling out his phone.

'Message when you get out front. We'll pull up to the curb to get you.'

Tucking his phone away, Leon headed out to the front. The airport itself wasn't actually that big, at least compared to others he'd travelled to. It was a straight shot from the gates to the baggage claim and then the pick up lanes outside. In fact it was a relief to be so simple. No trams or stairs to take, no one to pass because they're going slower than everyone else. It took him just five minutes to get from his gate to the front and that was when he stopped for his suitcase.

Standing at the curb, he took his phone out again and shot a quick text to Claire.

'I'm outside.'

The late September air felt so different from the muggy oceanside air in D.C. It was soft and had a slight breeze. Not scorching hot but not biting cold. It was that transition time where it was perfect to have the windows open all day and night before autumn truly hit.

A red truck pulled Leon from his thoughts as it stopped in front of him. Before he could even register who was in it, the passenger side door flew open and Claire jumped up to squeeze him.

"You made it!" She cried, grinning before letting go. Leon had no time to react as she grabbed his luggage to throw in the back seat of the cab then climbed in after it.

"Hey," Chris said, smiling at him and waving from behind the wheel.

"Hey," he replied, climbing into the truck. Once the door closed, Chris pulled away from the sidewalk.

"How was your flight?" Claire asked, leaning forward between the front seats onto the console. Her tail was wagging briskly, thumping against the seats as her ears were perked and ready to listen.

"It was okay. Slept through most of it," he said. "Just finished up paperwork at the office the night before and only got a few hours of sleep."

"Well, now you'll be able to catch up on your cat naps!" Claire said with a giggle.

"If I weren't so tired, I would give a sassy come back," Leon said with a snort as he shook his head.

"Ignore her," Chris said. "She's had 3 cups of coffee and has cleaned my house at least twice in the last 12 hours. Jill has kicked her out for the day because she's tried of Claire trying to rearrange the dishware in the kitchen."

"I just wanted to have things perfect for when you got here," Claire said with a heavy sigh. "Besides, Chris' house needed it. We even decorated it a bit better too. Now it actually looks like a home and not some squatters place. I swear Chris, sometimes I wonder if you like anything outside of work."

"You're one to talk," Chris said. "If it wasn't for Jill, your place would look like a frat house."

"No it wouldn't and you know that," Claire grumbled. "You're just mad that I have better taste than you."

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" He said, rolling his eyes as he pulled onto the highway.

"Probably have Piers invade and turn it into a military museum if you're not careful," Claire said with a snort.

"You talk too much," Chris huffed.

"And what's wrong with that?" Claire asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I don't know, but maybe the fact that Leon just got in the truck and he's already nodded off despite you chattering," Chris said with a smirk.

Looking at Leon, Claire say the cat boy had indeed nodded off. His face rested against his fist, propped up by his elbow on the window sill.

"Poor guy," Claire said, softening her voice to let her friend rest. "Probably hasn't had a decent night of sleep in a while."

"I'd say it's been a lot longer than just a while," Chris said, his own voice lowering.

The drive home wasn't that long, 20 minutes in the late morning traffic. Claire had settled down, letting Leon rest. Planning to do a few things together could wait. She had been so caught up in her excitement of having her friend move in next door that she forgot the hell he'd exited just a few weeks ago.

It had been rushed for sure, making time and space to get his things there before he did, then trying to figure out what to put in storage and what to put in his room. Leon had sold most of his furniture, really only bringing a few large items like his own TV and bed. His dishes and such were either sold or given away as well, making the move a bit easier.

He was given the guest room in Chris' house, a Dutch Colonial that had been the first house in the Cul de Sac, Albert Wesker's home was a recent addition next door to it.

That was how Chris found out about the older home next to him. Albert had talked about how there were bids to tear the house down because it was so old, built in the 30's and wasn't care of very well after the original owners passed away. The others had purchased the spots of land shortly afterwards before the Home Owners Associate could swoop in and try to put restrictions on what they could build. While theirs were built from the ground up, Chris took his as a project.

It was nearly three months of renovations, which was pretty quick considering how much work had been done, before he could move in completely. It took about the same time for the others' homes to be built.

"Should we wake him up?" Chris asked as he pulled into the driveway of his house.

"I mean, we can't let him sleep in the truck all day," Claire said.

Chris rolled his eyes at his sister who shrugged. Reaching over, he shook Leon a bit by the shoulder.

"Hey, we're home," he said.

The blond tabby opened his eyes before taking a deep breath and stretching.

"Cool." Opening the door, he stepped out and waited for Clair to hand him his luggage. Before she could, Chris was out and had it in his hands. "I can carry my own things," he called after the shepherd.

"Well, it's your first day home," Chris said, turning back to give the other a smile. "Better get used to having someone around for help."

"Does he always do that?" Leon asked, looking back at Claire.

"Basically my whole life," she said with a nod. The two followed the older man into the house, Leon taking in his surroundings the whole time. Inside, he was given a quick tour as there were only a few rooms on the first floor. The second floor was the bedrooms with a bathroom and shower, then the basement for storage.

Leon's room was across the hall from Chris', which was a small comfort of sorts for him.

"I'll go ahead and let you get settled in. I'm sure Claire will let you get some rest before barging in and dragging you off somewhere," Chris said, setting his bags on the bed.

"I was going to let him have the rest of the day to chill out," Claire said, crossing her arms. "Tomorrow is a different story though."

Leon raised a brow at the two, wondering if it had been such a good idea to move in with the Redfield siblings being so close in proximity.

"I'm going to pass out now. I'll try to be awake by dinner," Leon said.

"If you're not, that's okay. Let me know if you need anything," Chris said with a soft smile and a nod.

"Thanks," Leon said, getting enough of a breath in before Claire was wrapping herself around him again but tighter. "Jesus-"

"I'm glad you're here!" She cried into his chest, pulling back to smile up at him.

"Glad I'm here too," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. It was what she wanted to hear and while Leon himself wasn't certain if he was or not, time would only tell.

Master List of Drabbles

Tag List: @abysswhiskey11 @interviewedchicken @lonely-af-fangirl @girl-obsessed-with-things @mmmm----15 @depressedthebluefox @whimsywispsblog @singingsiren98 @parkerschurros @chrissyreid @bohica160 @death-is-beautiful @mittensdun @ravenrune @bsaa-bitch

#resident evil fanfiction #resident evil #fanfiction #chris redfield #claire redfield #leon kennedy #chris redfield x leon kennedy