#I think giving two of the round one girls who lost on such narrow margins is the most fair

[precureshowdown]

Way back in round one, these two lost by the narrowest of margins... today, they'll have one more chance to obtain victory! The winner of this poll will face off against Cure Moonlight in the semi-finals!

#precure #doki doki precure #happiness charge precure #cure rosetta #cure honey #polls #I always planned on having a redemption match so the semi-finals weren't just. one character cooling their heels #and was a proper semi-final #but it took me awhile to pick who should be in it!!! #I think giving two of the round one girls who lost on such narrow margins is the most fair

[glassworkspiderlilies]

oh traveler, take heed

Kimetsu no Yaiba | @giyushinoweek Day 8 Bonus | N*SFW or Halloween Summary: Prince Sabito survives an assassination attempt by poison but does not wake. His loyal knight Giyu goes in search of the Butterfly Witch, who is said to cure nearly anything, for the right price. Notes: I managed to squeeze in the bonus round!? this was gonna be like, a witch au and more in line with halloween stuff, but it turned out to be more like...a general fantasy au?? i should...probably make extra notes for this one, a lot got left unincorporated lol.

> additional post reading notes!

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One.

Prince Sabito survives the assassination attempt by poison, but he does not wake. His knight, the “Grim Reaper” Tomioka Giyu, is fraught with worry while his assistant and companion, the Lady Makomo, is calm.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Lady Makomo says in her usual serene tone, diluting the sharpness of the words. “Once you do, pay a visit to the Kochou princesses and ask them where to find Butterfly Witch. She can cure just about anything, if you can locate her.”

Giyu does not hesitate, nor asks any further questions as he turns on his heel. Lady Makomo sighs as his impatience, but returns to the Prince’s side to guard him. With the Grim Reaper gone, it’s up to her, the Fox Witch, to protect their prince.

“I hope you’re at least having a nice dream,” she murmurs to Sabito, laying a hand on his forehead. “You fool.”

 Two.

Giyu is brusque to the two Kochou princesses, but neither seem to mind. Princess Kanae seats him at a small table, and Princess Kanao watches his every move with an unnervingly blank gaze.

“Lady Makomo sent you to us?” Kanae says, as she shuffles cards in her hands. “I must write to her soon. Oh—my sister is away from the castle.”

“Your sister?” Giyu asks, surprised. “The Butterfly Witch is your sister?”

“It is more that my sister is the Butterfly Witch, but indeed,” Kanae says, not batting an eyelash. She knows the fame—or infamy, whichever you prefer—of her sister. The Butterfly Witch can cure almost any ailment, any curse, for a price befitting of the request. They also say she is hunting for something or someone, and so can be as cruel as she is kind to those who try and lead her astray. “I’d help you if I could, but...Shinobu’s skills are her own, and I dare not give you something from her storeroom without the proper knowledge.”

The eldest princess lays out the cards in a pyramid shape, and now Giyu understands what is happening—she is reading his fortune.

Kanae smiles as Kanao peeks over her shoulder, and Giyu watches the two sisters carefully. Little is known of the small Kochou Kingdom; they keep to themselves, with their lush gardens and rare insects, sustaining their economy on tea and perfumes and accessories. They make both very few friends and no longstanding enemies. Giyu doesn’t know how Sabito and Makomo became their friend and ally, and supposes it’s a story he should ask about when he returns.

“Oh, my,” Kanae exclaims softly, as she turns over the cards. “Very few people can find Shinobu, once she’s traveling. But it looks like the fates will align for you, Giyu-san, for you will cross paths with her soon. Still, you must chart your own path and keep searching.”

He stares at the cards, certain he is missing something, for surely the princess wouldn’t need a whole array in order to tell that?

But Kanae merely smiles in silence until Giyu thanks her for her time and rises from his seat.

“Ah, before you go,” Kanae says with a bit of a laugh, “Beware her temper.”

Giyu blinks, bows his head, and departs the Kochou princess’ castle.

 Three.

“You’re lost.”

He whirls at the voice, sword in hand. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees a young girl staring at him curiously from under her hooded cloak. Giyu doesn’t lower his sword despite her seemingly harmless appearance, and her violet eyes glimmer with respect.

“At ease,” she says, with amusement. “I’m camped nearby, and I’ve seen you walk past at least four times. You’re lost.”

He frowns, and lowers his weapon by just a margin.

“Perhaps I am. I did not see any signs of camp nearby, however.”

The stranger shrugs.

“It wouldn’t be a very good hideout if it wasn’t hidden, now would it? I have to protect myself, after all. Now, where are you trying to go?”

Giyu narrows his eyes at her. She does have to protect herself—but who is she, so young and wandering alone?

“Who are you?” he asks, cautiously.

She snorts.

“Does it matter, if it gets you out of the forest?”

“It does, when it’s strange for a child such as you to be wandering alone.”

Giyu doesn’t know what happens after that—one moment he’s standing, and the next he is hanging upside-down from a tree by some white threads.

“I will only forgive that comment because I did not properly introduce myself,” the stranger says, throwing back her hood. “However, do refrain from calling me that again, thank you.”

Now that he sees her in full light, she is certainly not the child he thought she was. She’s young, but probably not more than a few years younger than he is.

“Apologies,” he says, as the blood rushes to his head from hanging. “Can you…let me down, please.”

She does, and when he lands, back to the ground, she leans over him.

“And so? Where are you going?”

“I’m not sure,” he huffs. “I’m looking for the Butterfly Witch. I heard rumors she was sighted in the nearby village.”

The girl’s eyes glaze over.

“I advise against going to the village,” she says, her voice low. “They’re dealing with…problems of their own making, right now.”

Giyu stares at her. She stares back.

“Why do you need the Butterfly Witch?” she asks, and he debates on whether or not to tell her the truth. He’s not sure he can trust her, and if word gets out about Sabito’s condition…Makomo is strong, but she cannot defend against everything.

“Someone important to me…he was poisoned. He is alive, but won’t wake.”

She hums.

“And are you prepared to pay the price?”

He turns over his answer, even though the answer is yes.

“I’ll have to know the price first. But if it…does not do more harm than good, then yes, I will pay it.”

She seems pleased with his answer, and something about this conversation strikes Giyu as particular.

“I’m Tomioka Giyu,” he says slowly. “May I ask your name?”

She smiles.

“Shinobu,” she says. “Kochou Shinobu. Ah—you’ve met my sisters, have you, if you recognize that name? Then there’s no need to linger. Come, take me to your friend.”

 Four.

Only the briefest of greetings are exchanged when Shinobu arrives at the castle; Sabito takes precedence, and her lips thin as she examines him.

“It’s a curse,” she says, “If he does not wake soon, he will be eaten from the inside out. First the mind, then the body. Tomioka Giyu, it was you who made the request of me, and so it is you who shall pay the price.”

Makomo makes a noise, but Shinobu shakes her head.

Giyu steps forward.

“Name your price.”

When she looks at him, her gaze is solemn.

“In order to counter this, I must take one thing of yours in relation to your prince, one thing that you value deeply, perhaps above all others. Will you give it to me?”

Giyu stares, trying to think of what the price is—it cannot be Sabito’s life, for that would be counterproductive. It cannot be his memories of Sabito, for though he treasures them, there’s no reason for him to cling to them if he does not fear the lack of ability to make more.

Then—what?

Makomo gazes at him.

It takes a few more minutes, but slowly, Giyu understands.

“Yes,” he says. “I will give it to you. I will relinquish my place by his side if you save his life. Such a thing is a small price to pay.”

“Then kneel,” Shinobu says, a little sadly, “For I will take you with me.”

Giyu kneels, and pays the price.

 Five.

“It’s not as if you can never see him again,” Shinobu says as she throws her cloak around her. “It is not as restrictive as other prices have been.”

Giyu nods, looking at the castle in the distance. Sabito had been furious after he had awoken and recovered, but out of sorrow. He, Giyu, and Makomo had nearly always been together, so losing part of that trio was…difficult. They’d stayed in the castle for three days, getting their affairs in order and making their farewells.

“I said if the price did not do more harm than good, I would pay it,” he says.

“That you did,” Shinobu murmurs, and sighs.

“So? Where are you—we—going?” GIyu asks.

“I’m not sure,” she says, chewing on her lip. “I’m looking for a certain demon.”

Giyu raises an eyebrow.

“Kanae is marked,” Shinobu says bitterly, and Giyu’s eyes widen at her tone. “She will die by her twenty-fifth birthday, if I do not become the rainbow-eyed demon’s bride.”

He raises both eyebrows.

“The second prince of demons?” he says, his mind whirling.

She snorts.

“Indeed. It is my goal to kill him before Kanae’s twenty-fifth birthday, but the sooner the better, naturally.”

The side of Giyu’s mouth quirks up slightly. This is a job he could get behind.

She glances at him sidelong.

“Yes, they don’t call you the Grim Reaper for nothing, do they?” she says curiously, but he merely shrugs. “Well, we might as well try the rumors we’ve got.”

Shinobu’s cloak snaps in the wind behind her, and after one last look at the castle that’s been his home, Giyu follows the Butterfly Witch into the darkness.

#giyushino #giyushinoweek #giyushinoweek2019 #kochou shinobu #tomioka giyu #kimetsu no yaiba #fanfiction #i wrote this yesterday night in like one shot lmfao #yet another hastily written fic would you look at that #there's witches so it still counts as a halloween prompt right

[elizabeth-234]

Iron Dad Bingo

Hi all! Here is a prompt @i-love-peterstark-3000​ saying: Hey can you do a Penny Parker dating male MJ (female will work too) and Tony finds out and is over protective of Penny.

I hope this works :)

You can send it prompts if you want.  I will try and do them! 

Chapter One: Gender Bend

Mr. Stark continued to look at her as the pit forming in her stomach grew larger. Penny a breath in and squared her shoulders.

His eyebrows furrowed in the way they did when he was concerned or anxious. The longer she remained silent, the more his fingers started twitching. Penny knew he would soon grab something, probably the pen on the table, and start fidgeting with it. Penny also knew it was one of the habits he picked up after he went sober. It was something he could control. A way to cope with what was happening around him.

One year after they met and after his addiction got out of control Ms. Potts and Penny watched and supported as he checked himself into rehab. The news followed them there and his face, hidden behind a hoodie and sunglasses was plastered all over their TVs. The following year was one of the most difficult and proud she had been as she watched Mr. Stark fight one of the toughest battles he could face.

He was so strong and Penny was amazed by him every day he stuck to his goals knowing the path he was taking wasn’t always straight and that he was willing to continue forward despite the setbacks along the way.

The pit grew larger when she realized she was only making it worse by drawing this out. Penny leaned forward and rested her hand against his. She took in another breath and ran through all the talking points she wanted to cover; to explain why she’d been so distracted as of late.

She looked at his face noticing the bright set of his eyes. The way they engaged with her; followed her movements to make sure she was okay.

“I’m dating someone.” She said forgetting everything else she wanted to say.

He stilled beside her and she held her breath. The silence stopped as soon as it started and Mr. Stark smiled before bringing her in for a hug.

“Don’t do that again, kid.” He said

“Do what?” She said. Her voice was muffled by his shirt but she wasn’t ready to release him yet. They pulled apart and he smoothed her hair out from her face.

“Kid, I thought you were going to tell me you were moving or that some other supervillain was out to destroy our lives.” He chuckled and then his smile fell. “Truly, it’s probably none of my business anyway, but as long as your happy and they’re treating you well I don’t care.” It was a statement but Penny nodded like he asked a question.

“I’m happy.”

She smiled and went back to work missing the way his eyes narrowed.

-

Weeks later after dinner and movie night, Penny’s phone lit up with a text. Her ride was there to take her home.

Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts stood on either side of her in the elevator. It was a small tradition she wasn’t sure when it started but they would walk each other out to the curb. They used the last bit of time to talk and say their farewells together. Penny made sure to turn around one last time and wave as she was leaving. They always stayed to wave back.

“Really, you don’t have to walk me out today. I think I’ve been here enough to not get lost.”

Mr. Stark held up his pointer finger to the ceiling.

“Friday?” He said.

“March 15th: Penny tries to climb into the lab from the outside because she is late for unknown reasons. She climbs into the men’s bathroom instead and almost gives Mr. Macavey a heart attack.”

“Hey,” She said while the other two occupants snickered. “I was only off by two floors and that’s out of ninety-three. It’s not bad margin of error.” Mr. Stark laughed again and put his arm around her shoulder. She stayed stiff in protest and muttered how Mr. Macavey was fine anyway. He pulled her closer and she melted into his side.

“He still doesn’t go into that bathroom though.”

Penny felt the burn of a blush come over her cheeks. The man had been awfully frightened when Spidergirl came barging into the room, snow crusted on her suit and webs flying onto the tile, pulling them out of the wall around the man standing at the urinal.  

The elevator opened and they stepped out to the door. The lobby at this time of day was empty besides the administrator and Mr. Stark had to stop to make small talk. He made a habit of making sure to ask how Mr. Loraine, who made amazing cookies for Penny, and his family was doing.  

Finally, they were out the door and Penny saw her. Her heart skipped a metaphorical beat but she couldn’t bring herself to care and a smile creeped across her face.

A silver and black Magpul Ronin sat on the curb. The bulky but modern front rim contrasted against the exposed piping on the bottom of the bike. Sunlight glinted off the metal creating a scene straight out of a movie.

It wasn’t the fancy bike that caught Penny’s attention. It was the rider.

MJ sat with the helmet in front of her looking at them on the top steps. She wore a leather jacket and black jeans with her regular, worn in converse. Penny was smitten by the sight and her cheeks darkened further.

MJ saluted them and the three waved back.

“Thank you for walking me down.” She said to her two guides.

“Of course, Penny.” Ms. Potts said and gave Penny a hug. She turned to Mr. Stark and noticed his eyes roaming over the vehicle.

“It’s safe, Mr. Stark. Don’t be such a worry wort.”



“Am no.” He said sticking his tongue out. “Are you sure she knows how to drive that thing?”

Penny smirked and he pulled her into a large hug. After another round of goodbyes, she was halfway down the stairs when she remembered May’s request. Penny yelled up to them.

“May wants you for dinner Saturday. She’s making her lasagna and says to bring that wine you brought last time.”

“Looking forward to it.” Mr. Stark yelled back. Penny hopped down the stairs, knowing the lasagna was both their favorites.

MJ greeted her with a large hug and another helmet. She ran her thumb over the spider sticker on her designated helmet.

“How was it?” MJ said.

Penny climbed on behind MJ and wrapped her arms around MJ’s waist. Penny’s fingers ran back and forth over the zipper her leather jacket.

“We’re almost done with the remake of the suits wings. I could fly, MJ. I could actually fly if we get this right.”

MJ squeezed her hands resting on the girl’s stomach and kicked her feet down.

The bike rumbled underneath them and Penny’s breath hitched. Her nerves gathered like spiders in her stomach as the anticipation of take-off grew.  They waved one last time and flew into the air. The feeling was similar to when she swung from webs but every time Penny would squeal. MJ was silently smiling behind her helmet visor.

Pepper smiled at the squeal she heard from the girl as they surged forward and noticed her partner’s downcast expression.

“Wipe that frown off of your face, Tony. Penny is fine.”

“Do you know the statistics of a motorcycle being in an accident. You would wear the same expression if you knew and how does a high school senior get such an expensive bike? Did you see that monstrosity?”

They began walking back to the building, hand in hand.

Once relaxed on the couches, Pepper and Tony watched the sunset from their view. Pepper rested her head against Tony’s tense shoulder and thought of a better distraction.

“I thought they were cute.” She said offhandedly.

Tony stayed silent as he poured over his Starkpad, no doubt going over every motorcycle fact and safety measure.

“Uh-huh,” He said and she began to count to ten in her head.  Five seconds in he stopped scrolling and as she hit count number seven he set his device down and looked at her.

“Cute?” His expression was blank besides the barest tightening around his eyes. Pepper always knew how to read those eyes.

“That’s MJ. You’ve met her before at the decathlon competition last year.”

He continued to look at her and Pepper sighed realizing he wasn’t going to connect the dots on his own.

“They’re dating, Tony”

“Oh.” He said and leaned back against the back of the couch.

Pepper picked an invisible piece of lint off his shirt and smoothed out an equally invisible wrinkle. She waited for him to process Penny was beginning to date and to say what was on his mind.

“Did you see that motorcycle? I don’t like it. I know plenty of people who ride them, hell, I’ve ridden them. You know the people that ride those types of things. They’re trouble magnets.”

“Oh? And who did you try and attack with your ride? Were you a trouble magnet?” She said scooting closer.

“I am Tony Stark.” He said and sighed at the kiss she placed on his cheek. Pepper smiled at the distraction she could provide.

“Don’t I know it.”

-

Penny leaned over the table, working the wrench into the last socket. She could feel the eyes on the back of her head and with one last twist pulled the wrench free. She turned around to find Mr. Stark staring into the center of the wall above her head. The screen was dark in front of him.

“Mr. Stark?”

His eyes flew to hers. He smiled weakly but went back to staring.

“What’s up, kid?”



“I feel like I should be asking you that question.” She walked over and sat down across from him. “Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, he asked if she was hungry. She nodded because, yes, she was always hungry and, yes, she knew he would work out a way to tell her what was wrong. Food always helped them both think through something.

They walked up to the living space and shuffled around the kitchen. Each navigated according to their tasks to make the pancakes together.

Penny grabbed the flour and other dry ingredients while Mr. Stark went to the fridge and set up the bowls. Penny handed him the proper measurements while Mr. Stark poured it into the bowl and whisked. When the griddle was hot Penny placed a small dolloped onto the heated space before turning them over.

With stacks of fluffy breakfast on their plates they tucked in. Penny ate much faster than Mr. Stark but he made sure her plate was full. His last pancake was sorely misshapen from his pushing it around the plate. Penny stared at the syrup drenched disk and smiled when he passed the plate over to her.

Mr. Stark got up while she was finished and sat back down with a file.

“What’s that?”

Instead of answering, he slid it over to her. Penny pulled it closer and opened the cover page. There was a picture on top of multiple pages of text including school records, report cards, and even a bill for braces dated years ago.

Her stomach tightened. Penny blinked up at him noticing his hands were fidgeting again.  

“Why do you have this?” She tried to keep her voice even despite the gathering tightness in her muscles.

“I’m just looking out for you, Penny. Do you know she was reported for shoplifting?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Or she-”

“It doesn’t matter,” she repeated.

Penny took a deep breath. She looked at MJ’s school photo from this past year before closing the file.

“I can’t believe you would do that. Why would you do that?”

“I want to make sure you’re safe. I’m concerned about you.”

“That’s not fair.” She raised her voice and stood up. “Of course, I’m safe with her.”

“Listen, It’s not about her specifically.”



“No. You don’t have the right. I trusted you, Mr. Stark. Do you know how nervous I was to tell you? How afraid I was you would get mad?”

“I would never get mad for that. It’s not you I don’t trust.” He said and turned around. “But it doesn’t negate the fact that you’re Spidergirl. You’re my kid and I need to protect you.”

“Spidergirl doesn’t need protecting and I sure don’t either.” Her hands clenched at her sides as she stood up. The chair screeched out behind her. “You’re not my dad!” She yelled and covered her mouth. Penny’s face blushed and she could feel the itching in the back of her throat. The pricks at the corner of her eyes.

Mr. Stark looked down at the file and back at her. His face remained impassive but his fingers tapped against the table.

“You’re right.” He said.

Penny’s hands trembled against her sides. A hurricane raged within her. She’d just yelled at him. Denied the closest thing she’d had to a father. But he’d betrayed her trust. He’d invaded their privacy. MJ’s privacy.

“I’m going home. I need to think.”

“Let me get you a car.”


“No, I’m walking.” She said and walked out the door. Penny rubbed her sleeve against her eyes and ignored the little voice in her head telling her to go back.

-

“He’s worried about you.” MJ wrapped her arms around Penny as she buried her face in the other girl’s shoulder.

“It doesn’t give him a right and he invaded your privacy.”

“That’s basically what he does for a living right? I’m pissed about it but it shows how much he cares, I guess.”

Penny nodded and a sob escaped her.

“I yelled at him.” She cried and MJ rocked her back and forth. “I said he wasn’t my dad when he has been one since I met him. I can’t believe I said that.”

“It’s okay. It will be okay”

Penny burrowed her head into MJ’s neck and breathed in the fresh scent of linen and the salt of tears.

-

“Last round of questions are as follows.”


The announcer called out as Tony watched from the audience. Penny was sitting with a large smile of victory up there winning. He couldn’t have been prouder when she buzzed in first, again, for the next question.

Someone moved toward him in his periphery. He spotted the girl navigating the short aisle to him. Tony’s back stiffened and although he had already apologized to Penny he had resolved not to apologize to the girl. After all, he was only doing what he thought was best.

She sat down and he snorted to himself. She was wearing a badass leather jacket that despite himself Tony thought was awesome.

They listened without speaking as Penny knocked it out of the park. The audience stood up and clapped for the team. Tony clapped harder when he heard the girl beside him yelling Penny’s name.

Penny glanced over at them from her chair on stage. Tony’s arms were raised above his head and the normally stoic MJ was yelling. She blushed under the lights and promptly produced a pleased smile. She left to gather with her team in the back and another team came on stage.

Tony was aware of the girl staring at him but he continued to keep his attention onstage. Pepper’s voice in the back of his mind chided him for being immature but he ignored it.

He turned to look at her as the clapping subsided.

They faced each other and he spotted her shirt.  There was this weird raccoon cartoon on it but what caught his attention was above it. In bold words it said ‘eat the rich’ and Tony’s eyes flew to hers. She only lifted her eyebrow.

“You better not hurt her like that again, Stark.” She said, leaning forward over the divide the armrest provided. He began to answer but she cut him off.  “Save it for someone who cares.” She stood up, making to walk with her back straight out of the aisle.

“Wait.” He said while someone shushed him. MJ turned around, arms crossed in front of her.

“I’m sorry. I crossed a boundary in your relationship and your own personal privacy. Not that it matters but I deleted everything I found. I was worried about her, Penny that is. She’s like my… Well, I care, and um, you see…” Tony’s arms flared in front of him trying to make up for his inarticulate response. How was it this teenage girl was flustering him?

“I get it but it doesn’t make it right. You’ve hurt many people in your life and I don’t want Penny to be one of them again.”

He swallowed and he started tapping his fingers against the armrest. The all too familiar itching pulsed in his hands and Tony wondered if he’d done the right thing after all.

“I know.”

MJ nodded and began walking down the aisle. She stopped and turned her head so Tony could see her mouth.

“She feels the same way about you, Stark.” She said and hurried out.

Penny emerged from the back and walked over. Tony watched as they greeted each other. Even the girl blushed and hesitantly smiled when Penny threw her arms around her. He returned the wave Penny gave him over the girl’s back.

They talked for a brief moment and then the girl left after a glance in his direction. Penny walked over and Tony gave her a hug. She held on tight and he wondered again how lucky he was she came into his life. How lucky he was she stayed in his messy and chaotic life.

“Did you see MJ?” She said looking down and playing with the bottom of her sweatshirt. Her shoulders were hunched over and Tony was reminded how young she was.

“I did.”

“And you talked?”

“Well, she did most of the talking but it was very illuminating to say the least.”

Penny’s eyes flew to his and he chuckled.

“No, need to worry, kid.” He said steering them to the car. “She is quite formidable.”



Penny laughed.

“Let’s get ice cream” She said and Tony couldn’t imagine a better day.

-

She tugged the pockets of the dress for the third time as MJ stood beside her. Their arms were linked and MJ tightened her hold so Penny couldn’t fidget anymore.

“Stop.” She said and winked at Penny.

Penny blushed and they walked up the stairs to get to the elevator.

Mr. Stark had apologized, and being the drama queen, he was made a show of burning the file. Penny had apologized as well and their talk afterward, though difficult, helped strengthen their relationship even more.

His worry about her became almost endearing, she told him with an annoyed voice. She would never say it out loud but his worry for her made the soft part of her heart feel all fuzzy and warm.  

Tonight, as an extended part of the apology Mr. Stark had invited her and MJ to dinner. Penny looked over at MJ and leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss. MJ smiled at her as they drew apart and Penny’s heart squeezed.

They both took in a breath before Friday let them in.

Mr. Stark was there with a smile. He hugged Penny and turned to MJ, letting her decide if she wanted a hug. MJ stuck out her hand and the two shook hands. Pepper called from the kitchen and Penny watched from the doorway as Mr. Stark and MJ debated the ethics of some new economic policy on the way to the kitchen.

They all gathered around the table, loud and unapologetic, and Penny had never been smiled before tucking into the food.

Note: This is MJ's motorcycle

Also, the shirt she is wearing has a picture of Tom Nook

Thank you all for reading.

Taglist: @whatisthou​ 

#Female Peter parker #Penny Parker #Penny Parker / Michelle Jones #Irondad #Irondadbingo #protective tony stark #pepper potts #pepperony #avengers fanfiction #gender bend #spiderman fanfiction #spiderman AU #Marvel fanfiction #AO3 #tumblr prompt #my writing #Chapter one #f/f fic #peter parker / michelle jones

[everlarkchristmasgifts]

A/N Part Five of the Christmas Drabble Follow Up to Pasty White Raisin

Rated T for language.

Eight Days to Christmas - Fireplace

The gas fireplace glowed warm, its line of flames flickering brightly in the dim, relaxed lighting at the bar-side of the brewery’s restaurant. The holiday season made for busy evenings, but quieter lunch services, and the owners happily let staff enjoy relaxed mornings around Christmas as a reward for year round butt-busting. Annie had taken advantage and pulled Katniss aside for a girl-to-girl cup of tea in the comfy, oversized cigar chairs that lined the fireplace, trying to sooth the aftermath of Finnick’s Secret Santa disaster and get Katniss to open up about what had actually happened between her and Peeta.

“So you’ve been leaving him a present a day… To what, bring him back?”

Katniss had been successful in not crying, but she had to sniff a little at that question. She bought herself an extra moment by sipping from her mug.

“I don’t know. I mean, no. When he slammed the door in my face on Thanksgiving, I think—”

“He actually slammed the door on you?”

Katniss shrunk a little into her chair.

“No. He was his typical kind self. But very firm, and very brief, so it might as well’ve been a door slam.”

“Okay.”

“But I mean, I think that means it’s over. And the fact that he hasn’t tried to contact me, and didn’t tell Finnick he was sorry or that he wanted to see me… Well… That sort of says it.”

“But you’re sure he loved you?”

“What’s to love,” she whispered back, then grunted.

“You are forbidden from thinking like that,” Annie said, stern but gentle. “Does he love you or not? Not what your insecurity tells you, or circumstances, but what your gut tells you?”

Katniss stared into the flames.

“Hey,” Annie reached over and pressed lightly against her shoulder, “don’t hide.”

Katniss didn’t look away from the fire, but did sigh.

“Yes. Yes, I think he does.”

“And so the presents are your way of trying to woo him back.”

“They’re my way of…” She shook her head, feeling lost. “I don’t know. I thought they were my way of saying goodbye. I wanted the last thing he got from us to be seeing himself the way I see him. With the thing coming up on Christmas Eve, I want that to be special. I want him to see how much he’s worth to the people around him. I want him to get it that he’s not insignificant.”

She slumped forward, elbows on knees after setting her mug on the coffee table.

“I feel hollow, Annie.” Katniss finally looked at her. “I feel like life will never be good again. I feel like it’s over, when I thought maybe everything I’d been waiting for had finally started.”

“Ah, baby,” Annie got up and sat on the arm of Katniss’ chair, rubbing small circles on her back.

“Hey,” Finnick interrupted, walking up on them, “how are two of my five loveliest ladies?”

Annie gave him sad smile.

“We’re coping.”

He leaned against the slate-tiled mantle and gave their mood a few moments of respect, but then pushed himself fully upright and clucked his tongue.

“Welp, nothing for the blues like a good day’s work! Your swoon-worthy leader,” he waved his hand down his body with humorous flair, “needs all hands on deck save the day from sick calls, grumpy kitchen staff, undelivered food deliveries, and that table of Bored Housewife regulars that shows up to our perfectly fine beer brewery every Monday just to demand we serve them champagne.”

Neither of them moved, so he double clapped.

“Seriously, no moping, or I’m gonna instigate a flair requirement.”

With that, he left to tend something at the bar.

Katniss continued to stare into the fire.

“I hate champaign,” she finally grumbled. “Our margin on it sucks.”

“I know, honey,”Annie gave her shoulders a squeeze, “love’s expensive sometimes.” She stood and pulled Katniss to her feet. “Come on, give me your mug and go find a vendor you can yell at over the phone; it’ll make you feel better.”

Katniss humphed, but stood.

“And try not to spend too much time in the dumps today. Pillow talk gossip says Finn’s working on things from Peeta’s end.”

Katniss narrowed her eyes, wary.

Annie’s lips pressed thin. “No one can say whether anything’ll come of it, but give him a chance to work.”

Once Katniss had trudged off for her office, Finnick came out from behind the bar and pulled Annie into a loose embrace.

“I heard that. Way to put the pressure on.”

“Baby, you can help him fix this.”

“I’m trying. They guy’s stubborn, though.” Finnick was staring at Annie’s lips and pressed a quick kiss there.  “He’s dissatisfied with the future he thinks he can offer; the age thing crap’s just a wingman for his insecurity. And plus it really kicks a guy in the nuts when he knows to give his girl what she deserves, he’ll have to accept her help to do it.”

“That’s men for you,” Annie joked. “They either think they’re amazing, or that they’re losers. Doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of wiggle room in the middle with you guys.”

“Hey, I’ve got a lot of wiggle,” he said seductively, swaying her hips with his as part of their embrace. It made her snort. “And anyway, it’s more than just a come to your senses thing with this guy. He looks like shit. You know that picture she has on her computer of them at the zoo?”

Annie nodded.

“I didn’t recognize him when I went into the bakery. He’s got this raggedy looking beard thing going, and it looks like he hasn’t slept for weeks. I mean, I talked him up, but the guy seriously looks like he’s circling the drain.”

“But does he love her?”

“No doubt.”

“Well, then I have faith in you.”

He raised his eyebrow, considering.

“Old Saint Finnick and the The Christmas Miracle?”

She gave him a kiss, laced with a little passion, “Something like that. I do love it when you don the Big Guy suit.”

Finnick smiled, but the longer he stared at her, the more serious he looked.

“I love you,” he whispered.  “You’re too good for me.”

Annie’s eyes glistened almost immediately, but then she sniffed it away.

“I need ten minutes with you and chef sometime today,” she tugged on the front of his shirt, “to compare checklists for the Youth Center thing.”

“Done. But do me a favor and try to time it for when the cham-pain-yayas are here. That way I have an excuse to not deal with them.”

She swatted him on the back of pants as a sign to get back to work, but then snagged his sleeve right before he was out of reach.

“Just a second.” She narrowed her eyes, playfully suspicious. “You said two of the five loveliest women. Who exactly are the other three?”

Finnick grinned like he had a secret he wasn’t going to share.

Until she pinched him in the armpit.

“Ow! Okay, okay,” he laughed. “You. Katniss. My aunt Mags. And…”

“And?”

“I can’t imagine us having fewer than two girls, can you?”

Annie gasped an inhale.

“Gotta go,” Finnick winked, then left her stunned in place.

#everlarkchristmasgifts #day six: fireplace #by dandeliononfire #part 5 #2018 #fan fic #submission

[fracturedlayers]

Listen

Fewer things brought swifter retribution than messing with Bernadette’s things, but that hadn’t stopped the Graceless Nephil from combing through her bunker stash of... well, relics stolen from the people she killed. Usually she took weapons, sometimes articles of clothing, though Sam and Dean finally managed to discourage that, seeing how earth wasn’t like purgatory and walking around in a dead man’s coat was a great way to get ID’d.

Jack wasn’t interested in guns, knives or broken jewelry. Wasn’t interested in the spare needles for the vials strapped to her gauntlets, wasn’t interested in an alarming number of angel blades, wasn’t interested in a faded picture of a little girl that looked like her with a different name scrawled across the back.

He found what he came for, what he’d overheard Bernadette and Gabriel discussing a while back. Vials upon vials of Grace. At least 30, if not more. All glowing in a box tucked in the back of her closet.

Jack yelped as a hand materialized in a plume of red smoke and clamped over his mouth while a dangerous voice whispered in his ear.

      “What part of stay out of my space was too hard to understand.”

The Nephil scrambled away as deft hands reclaimed the box of stolen Grace. Pale blue eyes locked with brown and his jaw set with anger before holding out his hand.

      “Give them to me. Castiel doesn’t need them, and Gabriel will recover on his own. You said it yourself, they’re just going to rot in here with the rest of your shit.”

Rarely did Jack swear, and it did nothing to defuse the situation. 

      “Don’t you fucking judge me, you have no IDEA what I’ve BEEN THROUGH. If I wanted even a hint of the real world, I had to SCAVENGE IT off a dead man’s BODY. I had to KILL to catch a glimpse of life on earth!”

      “YOU’RE ON EARTH! YOU DON’T NEED  A N Y - OF THIS. NOT ANYMORE.”

Jack turned and clasped both hands over the back of his head, eerily similar to Cas. It was like looking through a mirror sometimes, but he still wasn’t Cas, who would be immensely disappointed in both of them right now. Her especially.

      “Look,” she breathed, putting the box back on the shelf, “you don’t need it. You’re still you, or did you not listen to a word Gabriel said?”

      “I listened,” he muttered, swiping at his eyes, “but what if it doesn’t have to be like this. Castiel stole an angel’s Grace when he lost his, and he’s fine.” 

      “Is that...?” Bernadette tilted her head back with disbelief before steepled hands pressed against her chin. “Oh my sweet summer child. He’s fine because he managed to recover some of his own Grace. When all he had was Theo’s, it had a shelf life. It wasn’t his, and it was dying, and he was dying with it. That’s why I stole from all those angels. I thought... I thought the variety would buy him time. But you have to understand, he wouldn’t have needed that time if he hadn’t stolen Theo’s Grace. He would have just stayed human. He would have aged like Sam and Dean, but he wouldn’t have been on such a short clock. He gave up decades for a few months of being an angel again. I don’t know if he knew that would happen, but still.”

Jack looked horribly frightened and torn, and he pushed back more tears as they threatened to break free.

      “But maybe you’re right, maybe with variety-”

      “Jack, you’re so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn’t stop to think if you should.”

His face pinched in at that, yet another eerie echo of Cas. 

      “What does... Dr. Ian Malcolm’s issue with genetically engineered dinosaurs have to do with this?”

Bernadette’s eyes slid shut, and she raised both hands emphatically.

      “I am, so proud of you for knowing that. But ignore the dinosaurs and think about what he said. Think what Gabe would say.”

Jack swallowed hard, but he was always eager to show he could listen.

      “He said I’m still me. I’m... the son of Kelly Kline, and I have three dads and what happened to me isn’t my fault.”

      “It’s not. You’re still you. But Jack, if you do this? You might end up living on borrowed time. You might feel like you don’t have enough Grace and want more.”

He rounded on her then, and made as if to grab her arm.

      “You think I would hurt people like HE DID-!?” but she teleported out of reach, face tight as she pointed at his livid form with warning.

      “Do NOT touch me. You’re looking for a fight and right now this is one you will not win. I’m not saying you’d want to hurt anyone, I just know Satan wasn’t happy unless he was eating Grace. Maybe it’s addicting, I don’t know. What I do know is I’ll never be able to look anyone in this bunker in the eye again if you do this and it goes south.”

      “They wouldn’t hate you,” Jack muttered, looking down at his tied shoelaces, “Castiel loves you. I felt it. So does Gabriel. He hides on his bad days because he doesn’t want you to think he isn’t happy to see you when he can’t keep up. They’ve both been mad at each other, and Sam and Dean, and everyone still loves each other. They’d still love you. I wouldn’t hate you either, even if you don’t like me.”

Bernadette was pale and stricken, though that last statement returned some life to her face. 

      “I do like you, Jack. I just... I don’t know what I’m supposed to be to you. You picked Cas as your dad, hell you two even look similar. And he thinks of you as his kid, and I’m... fuck, I’m nobody’s mom. I can’t be your sister and date your dad-”

      “Are you two finally dating-”

      “Shut up, okay, I will destroy you.”

      “Is that why you stayed in his room last night and he didn’t come out like he usually does-”

      “Okay- OKAY yes, you’re extremely observant, again, shut up. My point is... I don’t know what I need to be to you. And I don’t know what Cas wants me to be to you, and I might as well ask him the meaning of life because that’d probably be just as easy for him to answer.”

Jack’s ice blue eyes narrowed in thought.

      “What about... my aunt? Castiel is technically my uncle.”

The corner of Bernadette’s mouth dipped in approving contemplation at that.

      “I suppose I could be a crazy aunt. I’ve been worse things. You don’t have to call me that, though.”

Jack smirked, weak as it was, for the first time since he’d entered that room. He chanced a step forward, eyes drifting back to the box.

      “Still, it’s... it’s my body. And it’s my life. Why can’t I make this decision on my own?” 

She sighed heavily, and scrubbed both hands down her exhausted face.

      “Jack, you’re still a kid. You haven’t seen your first birthday. This could be a death sentence when you’ve barely lived. Even if you get your powers back, it won’t be the same. It won’t be like it never happened. If a lack of Grace was killing you, then absolutely, I’d have half of them shoved down your throat already, but we. Don’t. KNOW. Look, nobody here wants to see you hurting. Nobody. But losing you would be so much worse. I’m sorry, okay, I’m sorry, for how awful I was to you in the beginning. I’m sorry I blamed you for Castiel’s death because the guy I should have taken it out on was in another dimension. I’m not... I’m not gonna bury these vials, but I want you to think about it. Really think about it. Talk to Cas and Gabe, maybe they have a better idea of what might go down. I’m not an angel, I’m just-”

      “Someone who swallowed a jar full of powers she didn’t fully understand.”

      “Injected them, actually, but that’s fair. Okay, that’s fair. I thought I had to get stronger to protect Cas, and I’d be lying if I said the thought of being something more than human in and of itself wasn’t appealing. But there was a WIDE fucking margin of error in purgatory. Nothing stays dead in purgatory. If the ADAM and the plasmids killed me, I would have just woken up somewhere else.”

The Nephil looked back down at his shoes in defeat, and turned as if to leave. She materialized in his path with a cloud of red smoke and caught his gaze.

      “Talk to your family. Think about this. Consider every angle. And if the answer is still yes, come find me.”

He swiped at his eyes again and nodded.

      “Thank you.”

#jack. #ic #bernadette is at nichtsehen #illusivexemissary #mindofcolcrs

[transdonaldduck]

The Witness (1/1(?))

Fandom: Darkwing Duck (focus on an OC) Pairings: Gen Characters: Wade Whittaker (OC-centric), Fearsome Five, Darkwing Duck, Gosalyn Mallard, Launchpad McQuack Summary: Wade Whittaker, an insomniac, is at the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up being chased by some of the most ferocious villains in St. Canard.

Wade Whittaker liked to think of himself as a work in progress. The rest of his family, however, like to think of him as ‘unemployed’ or ‘a deadbeat’ but Wade tended to ignore calls from his mom so he really didn’t get that as much anymore. He made enough picking up odd jobs to live in an old rundown apartment off of Charleston street, a stone’s throw away from the cemetery and a fifteen minute walk from the nearest Hamburger Hippo. The walls were a little discolored and the heater often broke intermittently during the winter but it was home, and Wade found that the landlord was a bit more lenient on rent deadlines when he could afford to be.

The reason he often lost jobs was because of his clumsiness, and his rampant and untamable insomnia that left him wide awake at night but uselessly exhausted during the day. He’d picked up night jobs before (he tended to, well, Not excell per say, but do marginally okay) like groundskeeping at the cemetery or working the cash register at 24 hour convenience store. He’d managed to work the convenience store for almost a year before his boss had cut hours to save money- making him half time instead of full time and costing him half his paycheck.

Having worked nightly for a year, coupled with his chronic insomnia- well, it meant it was 2 am and Wade was awake and restless. He often shrugged on his hoodie, grabbed his glasses, and took a leisurely stroll around town. Though recently Wade had been… unable to leave his apartment. Not in the sense that he was trapped, but in the sense that he was cornered.

“Wade, Wade, Wade,” He groaned, flopping back on his squeaky mattress and staring blearily up at the ceiling, “How do you get yourself into these situations?”

The situation being the fact that Negaduck, St. Canards number one bad guy, had it out for him personally. You see, his insomnia often drove him out at random, unlucky times of the night. He’d seen a lot of things in his time in the city- including walking in on crimes in progress. He’d barely managed to stay under the radar for this long thanks to the terror that flaps in the night, who usually managed to command all the villains attention leaving Wade time to escape the way he’d come and live to walk in on another crime the next night. Recently, however, he’d been the unwitting witness to the fearsome fives most recent meeting- one where they discussed plans for their upcoming nefarious plot.

They’d broken into Adam’s Jewelers on First Street. Wade knew Stacy, the owner. They’d gone to college together until he had dropped out in sophomore year, but she was still a good… acquaintance? And he sometimes dropped in to catch up. He’d been on another late night walk when he passed her shop, only stopping because the lights were on. He knew she usually closed early, but figured she might have extended store hours to work on the upcoming shipment of precious stones she had told him about last time they spoke. Deciding to offer a hello and an offer to grab her some coffee, Wade had ducked in the unlocked door and walked inside.

He’d made his way behind the counter, intending on opening the back door and peeking inside when the door opened and Negaduck himself stepped out. He had a sack thrown over his shoulder and he was walking backward, facing the rest of the villains in his squad and talking to them.

“Our next move is to isolate him from his sidekick, it won’t be hard if he thinks it’s a routine bank robbery.” He explains, and Wade wishes he had the superpower to turn invisible because that would be extremely helpful at this point- but the other four have already taken notice of him, and it’s looked like he was about to be toast.

Negaduck, having noticed his lackeys eyes looking past him, spun around to face whoever they were looking at. Wade was sure he didn’t look intimidating other than being about half a foot taller than Nega. He was currently shaking like a leaf and inching towards the exit.

“How much did you hear?” Was the first thing out of the supervillains mouth, eyes narrowing to slits before he shook his head, “It doesn’t matter, I’ll kill you anyway.” He turned his head to the side, “Fearsome Five- get him.”

Megavolt, the one directly behind him, is the first one to step forward. An arc of electricity trails after his hand as he raises it, and with a simple flick of his wrist lightning explodes out of his palm and Wade decides that getting fried by raw electricity is maybe not on the top of his to do list. He throws himself sideways over the counter, catching his hip hard on the glass case but skillfully avoiding the death ray. He doesn’t manage to catch his balance quick enough to land on his feet but does transition it into a tight roll. He takes a moment to catch his breath as the electricity strikes the cash register he had been standing in front of and turned it into a ball of flame and metal shrapnel.

About two years ago when Parkour had been at it’s height, Wade had attempted to get into the sport. He’d gone to a few of the free classes some passionate free-runner named Leaf had hosted at the park, but after the third meeting where he scraped his knee and cried for fifteen minutes he hadn’t made another appearance- tho he appreciates what little he did know, as the fall could have been much worse if not for how he’d learned to recover from it.

The explosion triggered the store alarms to go off, and the Fearsome Five seemed to panic- They scattered, but Negaduck rounded the edge of the counter after Wade, not intending to let him go with what important information he had eavesdropped on. Wade scrambled to his feet, running out the door and taking a hard left. Never in his entire life would he have ever imagined that he would be personally pursued by a supervillain, and he was almost tempted to stop and pinch himself to see if he were just dreaming- but he wasn’t, the aching pain in his hip was enough proof of that, so he kept moving.

One pro to restlessly prowling the streets was that you learned a few things, tips and tricks, and which alleyways led where- So wade began cutting around bends, climbing up and over trashcans, sliding through holes in fences, and taking shortcuts between cars to put as much distance between him and his pursuer. He kept up this random and confusing trail until he reached his apartment building, reasonably sure he’d lost him, and darting up to his apartment, slamming and locking the door behind him.

It was only then, in the safety of his dark apartment that he’d relaxed enough to start feeling his injuries he’d gotten while on the run. He didn’t dare flip on his livingroom light, too afraid his window would give away his location, and popped into his bathroom to clean up. Where he’d caught his hip at the jewelry store, a huge bruise was starting to form. He’s fallen several times, scraping his hands and knees up on asphalt and concrete. His nerves were on high alert and the pain seemed distant even now, he felt fine. Well, as fine as one could be after unwittingly stumbling upon five dangerous criminals and now, subsequently, being on their hitlist.

That had been two days ago, and Wade hadn’t left his apartment since. He couldn’t risk getting caught by any of those after him. He was a nervous wreck, any groan of the pipes or creak of the old building made him jump out of his skin. He was constantly on high vigilance, and it was taking a toll. He’d just been an insomniac before, now he could add anxious and paranoid to that mix. He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink.

He watches the sun rise on another sleepless night. The curtains are only open a crack, and a thin stripe of sunlight cuts across his dingy carpet. He needed to get help. It was an option he’d considered, but at first he wasn’t sure how he’d find Darkwing Duck at night faster than the Fearsome Five would find him, but maybe he didn’t need to find Darkwing Duck…

He stands up, pulls his long hair back into a semi-respectable bun, and grabs his keys. Daytime didn’t mean he was safe, but if he stuck to the more well-populated streets and kept his head down he hopefully wouldn’t attract too much attention. This would be a long trip, he lived in the heart of the city, but it would be worth it for some help.

He’d run into quite a few characters on his trek, but the last door he’d knocked on had actually been of some help. Herb Muddlefoot and his wife Binkie were… an experience, to say the least. Not bad per say, but certainly overwhelming, and willing to share happily with a complete stranger. They’d basically dragged him inside for pie and a chat, talking about their two young sons and their neighborhood. They’d made him take a slice “for the road” despite his destination being a the house next door.

It was a quaint little home, nothing special. Two stories, yellow, typical in every way. Wade knocked three times on the door, waiting as patiently as he could with the saran-wrapped pie in one hand. He hears a crash, a muffled shout, and then the door swung open.

“I already told you Herb-” The Duck at the door starts to snap, but the words die on his tongue and he blinks owlishly at Wade, obviously expecting someone else. Behind him are two kids, one with a mop of vibrant orange hair pulled back into pigtails and another in thick glasses. The girl was holding a hockey stick and looking sheepish mixed with curious as she strained to get a good look at the visitor on her doorstep. Gosalyn mallard, if Wade’s memory proved correct- she’d been in the paper with Darwing Duck Once or twice.

Sticking his head out of the kitchen, Launchpad McQuack quirked a brow, “Who’s at the door?” He asked, and Wade recognized him instantly as Darkwings sidekick.

“I don’t know,” The duck in front of him frowned, “Are you new to the neighborhood?”

Wade almost laughed. What a mundane question. “Uh- no, no.” He stuck out his free hand, “My name is Wade Whittaker.”

“Drake Mallard,” He introduces, automatically shaking his hand.

Wade let’s go, casting a glance over his shoulder, “I’m pretty sure I haven’t been followed- but the reason I came here is because I need your help.”

Drake’s face turns serious and he nods automatically, “Of course, what can I-” he stops short, as if just remembering something, “I mean, why do you need my help?”

Frowning, Wade blinked at him, “You’re Darkwing Duck.” He say simply, a statement of fact.

The entire household looks like they’ve just been slapped, and Wade hopes they’ll invite him inside since he feels a little exposed out here.

#darkwing duck #darkwing duck oc #drake mallard #negaduck #wade whittaker #my post #my writing

[meggonagall]

Saving Severus Snape - Chapter 6

2nd September 1976 Hermione sat in the cool breeze under her favorite tree and stared out across the Black Lake, deep in thought. Her first day had been pretty intense so far. As she watched the sunlight sparkle on the water like millions of diamonds, she tried to wrap her head around everything that had happened so far. It was completely surreal that she had a row with Sirius, as she had always got on quite well with him when he was alive in her time. Although sometimes, when he was older, a glimmer of the immature prat did shine through, she realized, but he definitely grew up quite a bit between now and when they originally met – or when she would first meet him might be more accurate. She supposed being locked away in a dank, dark, six by nine cell, surrounded by Dementors for twelve years would cause someone to grow up mighty quickly. It wasn’t just her minor tiff with Sirius that had her feeling uneasy, it was meeting James and Lily and, most of all, her incident with Snape. How on earth am I going to gain his confidence if he doesn’t want me anywhere near him? I mean, clearly he wants nothing to do with me. He’s told me twice now to leave him be… She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and took a deep breath. She began to feel discouraged already and started questioning her decision to blindly use that Time-Turner. Why did I even do this? What exactly am I hoping to accomplish here? I’ll give it a week. If he doesn’t let his guard down, even slightly, after a week… Well. I’m just going to tell Dumbledore I need to go back.

Hermione happened to look down at her watch and felt her heart drop. She had been out there so long that she missed lunch and now had exactly fifteen minutes to make it to Potions on time. “Shit!” she exclaimed, quickly grabbed her belongings and ran back to the castle. She arrived to the Potions classroom out of breath, with seconds to spare and ran through the door. Professor Slughorn – who was just as round, yet less wrinkled and had a full head of auburn hair – smiled happily at her. “S- Sor – Sorry. Pro – Professor. Got – Got lost,” she huffed. As she glanced around the room, and saw that almost every student sat in groups of three, she froze. She felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped over her head and her hands shook slightly. Amelia – who turned around and mouthed, I’m sorry – sat with Alice and Edgar. Lily and Remus were with a brunette, who also wore Gryffindor robes. Otto, Dorcas and Sturgis sat behind the other Ravenclaws. There was a table of three Hufflepuffs and another table comprised of three Slytherins. There was one student who sat entirely alone with this things spread out in front of him. Hermione knew that would be where she would end up, there was no one else in the class to sit with. “Not to worry, Miss Devereux, not to worry,” he assured her. He gestured towards the empty seat, next to the boy who seemed to be completely content sitting on his own and horribly irritated that he would have company. “Go ahead and take a seat next to Mr. Snape. You didn’t miss anything my dear.” As Hermione walked slowly to Snape’s desk, her heart was in her throat. He moved his books over to his side, with such force, that she could tell that he was not at all happy about his seating arrangement. Gently, she pulled her seat back and quietly sat down, not quite sure if she should say hello, I’m sorry or something. She gave him an uncomfortable smile; he glared at her and turned his head. Yep, he’s definitely not thrilled. Quickly she looked away and began to clumsily pull out her things. As she dropped her potions book to the ground, she earned an annoyed grunt from the sullen boy sitting next to her. “Wonderful,” he grumbled. Hermione’s body stiffened. All she did was drop a book. Why was that such a horrible offense? She turned towards him and gave him an icy look of her own. She had dealt with enough today and was not going to let him intimidate her the entire lesson. As she narrowed her eyes, he at first looked a bit surprised, then rolled his eyes at her and fixed his gaze on Professor Slughorn. Hermione uttered a quiet, Humf, and looked at Amelia, who gave her an apologetic smile as her eyes flickered between Snape and Hermione. Slughorn began the lesson speaking about N.E.W.Ts, which seemed to be the theme with her lessons that day, and gave them their assignment. Just as she had in her time, she would work on Draught of Living Death although, unlike her original first lesson, there would be no Felix Felicis given out as a prize. Drats… Hermione thought. She could have really used it. The students were all given the go-ahead to begin and Hermione left to gather ingredients in the back of the room with the rest of the students. “I’m so sorry, Hermione,” Amelia whispered as they dug through the cupboard together. “There was really nothing I could do. You weren’t at lunch and I wasn’t even sure if you were taking Potions or not. I tried to save a seat just in case, but they just both sat down and I couldn’t tell them to leave,” she said all in a rush. Her eyes begged for forgiveness. Hermione smiled at her. Even though she was disappointed, she didn’t want Amelia feeling badly. She had no reason to. She had only known Hermione two days whereas Edgar was her brother – her twin no less - and Alice had been her dorm mate for years. “It’s absolutely fine, Amelia, really. No need to apologize,” she reassured her and Amelia immediately perked up. When she brought her things back to her seat, she saw Snape scribbling furiously in the margins of his textbook. Obviously she knew what he was writing. It would be the directions that Harry would come to follow twenty years from now. He stopped writing abruptly and whipped his head around to face her. “What?” he snarled. Hermione jumped slightly from the tone of his voice and then her lips pressed down into a thin line. “Nothing,” she said through her teeth. This had all become ridiculous. She had not shown any animosity towards him thus far and felt she did not deserve the treatment she had received from him. She crossed her arms tightly and tapped her foot on the ground. She was very irritated with his attitude towards her. “If you think you’re going to copy my work, think again,” he sneered. Hermione completely stilled and felt anger travel through her body at that remark. She had never copied so much as a single letter of anyone’s work. Ever. How dare he think she would cheat that way. She let out a humorless laugh. “Please. Copy your work? Trust me. That will certainly not be a problem,” she hissed. Oh. He is infuriating! How could he be so – so… callous towards a complete stranger? He gave her a snort in response then angled his chair so that his back semi-faced her and continued to scribble notes in his book. Hermione was outraged. Her face felt as if it were on fire as she stared at his back in complete disbelief. Merlin. He might be worse now than he was as an adult! “Is everything alright, Miss Devereux?” Slughorn asked. Hermione jumped violently, she had not realized he walked up to her desk. “Oh! I’m sorry sir. Yes. Yes everything is perfectly alright,” she smiled up at him. Slughorn eyed her empty cauldron – which did not even have a flame lit under it yet – suspiciously and plastered a phony smile on his face. “It is perfectly understandable for you to feel a bit behind, with coming from being home-schooled. If you’re having trouble, feel free to have Mr. Snape help you.” She looked to her left and saw his back tense up. “He is the best in your year – possibly the school – at potions. You won’t go wrong with him as your partner,” Slughorn boasted. She heard a girl snort loudly from across the room.   It took all of the strength Hermione had not to roll her eyes at her professor. Instead, she smiled widely at him. “Thank you, sir. But that won’t be necessary. I’m sure I will be able to handle this on my own.” “Very well, Miss Devereux. Then I suggest you get started,” he scolded her. “Yes, sir,” she responded and immediately got to work. Hermione opened her textbook, pointed her wand under the caldron to light it and began. She threw in the Infusion of Wormwood a little more forcefully than she normally would have and crushed up her asphodel root angrily. Snape worked next to her in a similar fashion. The tension between the two students was almost palpable. She glanced at him from the side of her eye and noticed he had an intense scowl on his face as he was adding the powdered roots into his cauldron. She sighed heavily and took out her silver dagger to begin cutting up her Sopophorous beans. Before she pierced the first one with the edge of the blade, she remembered what Harry had done and how it extracted more of the juices. She was determined to make a better potion than Snape and began to crush them. The juice seemed to pour out. She smiled smugly as she glanced to her left once more and noticed he was cutting his. “How are you doing that?” Snape asked sharply, still with the scowl on his face. Hermione tore her eyes from his, returned them back to her desk and continued crushing. She did not answer him. She felt him staring at her and tried to ignore it while she juiced three more beans. Snape exhaled loudly. Why should I help him after he was so rude by assuming I would copy from him? “I said, how are you doing that?” he repeated. Still in an unfriendly tone. But maybe if you do offer your help, it will help him warm up to you a bit, she reasoned with herself. “Crush them. You produce more juice,” Hermione answered quietly. Snape mumbled something she couldn’t make out and returned to scribbling into the margins of his text book once more. The two of them went back to working in silence at about the same pace and both began stirring their potions at around the same time. Hermione added in the one clockwise turn after the seven counter-clockwise ones. She heard Snape take in a breath as she did. “How did she…” he whispered softly to himself. Hermione had a difficult time keeping another smirk from forming on her face. At the end of the lesson, Slughorn came around to check on the final results. When he arrived at Hermione’s cauldron, he smiled happily. “So, I see you took advantage of Mr. Snape’s assistance, then?” he chuckled. Hermione tensed at the accusation and felt her face heat in anger. As she opened her mouth to tell him that she most certainly had not received any help from her partner, Snape spoke up next to her. “She did that on her own, Professor. I did not help her,” he nearly mumbled. If she did not see his lips moving, she would have never believed that Snape had just said that. Her mouth remained opened for a few more moments. She looked at Snape, who shrugged and kept his eyes on his own cauldron in front of him. Slughorn looked at Hermione with a familiar spark in his eyes. “Oh ho. Very good, Miss Devereux. This potion is perfect! I think ten points to Ravenclaw will do!” he exclaimed. “Thank you, sir,” she muttered embarrassedly. To say she was stunned was an understatement. She assumed she would have had to really work hard to convince Professor Slughorn that she had not received any help with her work. She never thought, after Slughorn asked her, that Snape would have spoken up for her. Maybe being there wasn’t a lost cause yet… Slughorn awarded ten points to Snape, after looking over the contents of his potion, and checked on the remaining students’. Hermione vanished hers, cleaned up and then collected her belongings. As the bell rang and she stood up, she dawdled for a moment while Snape packed his bag. They had spent the entire lesson being rather short and rude with one another, and she wanted to let him know she appreciated what he had just done for her. Needless to say, she was nervous. “Thank you,” she said sincerely when he stood up. When he turned around after she thanked him, the hostility in his expression was gone for a brief moment. He cocked an eyebrow, looked at her oddly and then the unfriendliness in his eyes returned. “Whatever,” he said, threw his bag on his shoulder and quickly walked away from her.   Hermione’s shoulders slumped as she watched him leave. Well. So much for thinking he was warming up a bit, she thought dejectedly. Amelia walked up next to her. “Ready to go, Hermione?” she asked while looking concerned for her. Hermione quickly fixed a smile on her face. “Yep!” she replied brightly. Neither Hermione nor Amelia had another class for the rest of the day, so they decided that they would go back to the common room and get whatever homework they were assigned finished before dinner. Amelia had a foot long essay on the advantages and disadvantages of automobiles verses brooms for her Muggle Studies class, while Hermione only had a bit of Arithmancy homework to do.  They sat in one of the many desks against the bookshelf-wall in the Ravenclaw common room and worked quietly together for a little over an hour. Hermione found it exceptionally difficult to concentrate on her work the entire time. She couldn’t help but think of the not-as-unfriendly look Snape had given her and what he said to Slughorn. Was she beginning to make some head-way with him? Or was that just his way of becoming even for the advice she had given him during class? The fact that he was, once again, sitting all by himself bothered her. She couldn’t understand how someone who had attended the school for six years, at this point, would not have at least one friend. Was his isolation of his own volition? As she thought of the man who was her Professor, she thought it was a good possibility that the boy he was now may have chosen to be a bit of a loner during his time at school. As opposed to being ostracized and cast aside by his classmates. Well. I don’t care how hard he tries to shut himself away from others; I’m not going to let him. He really should experience what it is like to have someone care for you. Maybe I was being a bit rash with giving myself a week’s deadline. If he is keeping himself at a distance from everyone, a week would most certainly not be enough time. This may take a while… As the sun began to set, Hermione’s stomach rumbled loudly. Amelia looked up from her work and smiled. “Yeah, I’m hungry too,” she laughed. Hermione blushed at Amelia hearing that and cast her eyes down. “It’s nearly time for dinner anyhow. Why don’t we put this away for now, and then after dinner, we can go up to the library to finish,” Amelia suggested. “Sounds good to me,” Hermione agreed. The girls closed their books, put their belongings in their bags and hoisted them over their shoulders. Otto and Edgar saw them from across the room and ran over to join them for the walk down to the Great Hall. When the four of them reached the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, Otto draped his arm around Hermione’s shoulders. “So what do you think so far, Devereux?” he asked her.   Hermione could tell this was more of a friendly gesture than Otto coming on to her, so she did not squirm away from him and continued to walk with his arm around her. She smiled up at him. “Not too bad. The Professors seemed really nice so far – really focused on our N.E.W.Ts. But all in all, it was alright.” “We thought you ran off when we didn’t see you at lunch. What happened?” Edgar asked from the other side of her. She supposed it was just the novelty of being a new student that was gaining her all of this attention from members of the opposite sex. She most certainly didn’t have that kind of attention in her time. “Oh. I had a free period before lunch and thought I would take advantage of the nice weather. I was sitting out by the lake and completely lost track of time,” she explained. Otto squeezed her a little tighter. “We were hoping that Black would have bothered you again,” he said seriously. Hermione stopped walking and pulled away from him; a crease formed between her eyebrows. “And why were you hoping that?” she snapped. Otto smirked. “Well, after what we saw during breakfast, we were sure you’d really give it to him if he were to pull something again. We just hoped it would be enough to take him out of the match next month,” he chuckled. Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind for next time,” she replied dryly. Amelia and Edgar laughed at Hermione’s tone and she couldn’t help but to join in with their laughter as they walked into the Great Hall together. As they sat down at the table, Hermione couldn’t help herself and peeked over at the Gryffindors. James, Sirius and Peter were laughing loudly, she assumed at Remus, as he scowled at them and slapped Sirius upside the back of his head. Hermione, who found that very amusing, laughed and quickly turned it into a cough. Amelia raised her eyebrows at her; Hermione shook her head to indicate that it was nothing. While they filled their plates Alice and Dorcas joined them and began to fill plates of their own. Everyone sat and talked about their first day and began to plan a party for tomorrow evening in the Common Room to celebrate their first week back at school, as tomorrow would be Friday and they would not have to be up early for classes the following morning. Hermione tried to join in as much as she could. She laughed, offered some opinions on which types of food and drinks to get for the party and answered questions about what she thought of different students or professors. She began to really like her new housemates and friends. She looked down the table and saw Rita and Lockhart sitting entirely too close together; Lockhart fed Rita a bit of food from his fork. Hermione had to suppress a gag. “Ugh. They’re ridiculous sometimes!” Amelia exclaimed. She was looking at them with her nose scrunched up in disgust. The rest of her friends heard Amelia and all turned their heads towards the lovebirds. “Oi! Some people are trying to eat here!” Otto yelled. “Seriously. I’d like to actually keep my dinner down, thanks!” Edgar added. Hermione, the other girls and Sturgis all laughed at the indignant look on Lockhart’s face and the look of pure anger on Rita’s. “Sorry gentleman!” Lockhart called back. “No one said you had to watch!” Rita hissed. Alice snorted. “How could we not? It’s like a train wreck. We can’t look away!” Dorcas giggled and nodded. Rita rolled her eyes at her friends and focused her attention back to Lockhart. They began to snog. Hermione couldn’t help but notice how forced their interactions seemed to be with each other. It was like Rita and Lockhart were trying to prove a point by being so lovey-dovey with one another. Almost as if they were putting on a show. “Hermione, are you ready to leave? I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” Amelia said as she grabbed her bag from under the table. With one last glance at the couple, Hermione reached and picked up her school bag as well. “Yeah. Even if I wasn’t finished with dinner, I would be finished with it after seeing that,” she laughed. “Library?” Amelia asked. “That’s fine with me,” Hermione replied. When she stood up and said goodbye to her classmates, Alice asked Amelia something, so Hermione looked around the hall for a moment while she waited. She turned around, and as was becoming habit, scanned the Slytherin table. Once again Snape sat on his own while reading a book that laid open next to his plate. His hair hung down and his nose was nearly touching the page. He must have sensed that someone was staring at him; he looked up and locked eyes with Hermione. Instead of quickly looking away, she maintained eye contact with him and offered a small smile. Snape didn’t smile back, but he didn’t glare at her either. As she stared into his black eyes, she felt her heart rate pick up. There was something about him that completely intimidated her, and she hated it. Even though he did not seem to have many friends, he just seemed so sure of himself. Almost confident. He continued to hold her gaze and she felt her face slowly heat up. She went to open her mouth, to say hello or something, but before she could, he – once again – rolled his eyes at her and went back to reading his book. Hermione jumped when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. “Merlin!” She clutched at her chest. “I’m sorry,” Amelia laughed. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you ready to leave?” “Yes. I’m – I’m ready,” she said. Hermione and Amelia made their way to the library. Amelia told her how Alice wanted to borrow some of her notes from Muggle Studies and that was why she stopped her before they had left. As the girls walked on, they began discussing their futures and possible career opotions for after Hogwarts. Amelia told Hermione that ever since she was a little girl she wanted to work for the Ministry and Hermione felt her heart skip a beat, yet she shrugged and stated she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do yet. For a moment, Hermione almost thought of discouring Amelia from thinking of a future at the MInistry. She thought that maybe if Amelia did not work there, it may end up sparing her life. Before the words left her mouth she reminded herself, once again, that she was not to meddle and, as much as it pained her, agreed that working for the Ministry would be a wonderful career option. When they reached the entrance, Amelia stopped Hermione. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told a friend that they could join us.” Amelia’s face went bright red and she shuffled her feet. Hermione smiled. “A friend, huh? And who might this friend be?” Amelia avoided Hermione’s eyes and twisted her fingers. “Er – Well. Remus Lupin asked if I wanted to meet up in the Library later and I told him yes, but that you were going to be with us and he said that was fine. I hope you don’t mind,” she rushed out. Oh she does have a thing for him! Hermione thought happily before the realization of her meeting Remus really registered with her. She suddenly felt a bit sick to her stomach. “I don’t mind at all,” Hermione assured her. Amelia thanked her and rushed into the library with Hermione trailing behind. They walked to the back of the room and saw that Remus had already found a table and was sitting working on his homework. He looked up as the girls approached and moved some of his books out of the way so they could join him. “Hi Remus,” Amelia said shyly. “This is Hermione Devereux,” she gestured towards Hermione. Keep it together, Hermione. You’ve already spoken to James, Lily, Sirius and Snape. You can handle one more for today. “Pleasure to meet you, Hermione,” Remus said in a soft voice. “N-Nice to meet you, too,” Hermione nearly whispered. “Please,” Remus pulled out two chairs next to him. “Have a seat.” Amelia gave Hermione a sideways glance, smiled and took the seat to Remus’ right – it was one that was a bit closer to him. Hermione took a seat to his left and scooted it a little bit further from him. “I’m sorry about Sirius,” Remus smirked as Hermione sat down. That was the last thing Hermione really wanted to talk about at the moment. Her stomach did a somersault. “Oh. You don’t have to apologize for him,” she mumbled. “I know,” he exhaled. “But after so many years – let’s just say I’m used to doing it by now.” Hermione giggled and thought of her time spent at Grimmauld Place before her fifth year. Even then, anytime Sirius did or said anything inappropriate, it was always Remus who apologized while Sirius told him to loosen up a bit. The three of them all worked together quite well. Hermione helped Remus with some of their Arithmancy work while Remus, who had a Muggle mother, helped Amelia with some of her Muggle Studies homework. Hermione noticed every so often Remus and Amelia would look at one another and blush, brush their arms against each other or laugh at private jokes – it made Hermione feel surprisingly lonely. She found herself liking the younger version of Remus as much as she did the adult version. He was sweet, funny, soft spoken and brilliant. Definitely someone who she could easily see herself becoming good friends with, which saddened her. She knew that when she returned home that Remus would be dead. It made her wonder if she should distance herself from him while she was here, so she didn’t have to go through the pain of losing him all over again once she returned. After a few hours, they were finished and began putting their books away. Suddenly they heard loud voices and laughter coming through the library. “Son of a… I told them not to bother us,” Remus grumbled. “I’m sorry girls.” He gave them each an apologetic look. Hermione’s stomach dropped. She knew exactly who they were. “Reeemus! Oooh Reeeemus!” Sirius called out. “Come out, come out and plaaay!” James sang. Amelia placed her hand on Remus’ arm. “Do you want me to hex them?” she offered. Hermione laughed quietly. “I would be more than willing to help,” she added. Remus fidgeted and slung his school bag over his shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, but that’s alright,” he chuckled. “I’ll go head them off so you don’t have to deal with them.” He looked at Hermione. “I’m sure you’re not in the mood for Sirius again, am I correct?” “Not particularly, no,” Hermione said. “Then I better go. Bye girls!” he said and quickly walked away. Amelia and Hermione whispered goodbye then Amelia pulled Hermione by her arm behind a bookshelf. She cocked an eyebrow at Amelia once they were hidden. “I figured we should wait here for a moment. Just to make sure they’re gone,” she explained with a shrug. “Good idea,” Hermione giggled. They stood quietly, peered between a space in the shelves and watched the three boys. James put Remus into a head-lock while Sirius ruffled his hair. “Knock it off!” Remus shouted. James and Sirius laughed while allowing Remus to stand upright and Sirius started to look around hopefully. “Where are the girls? I thought you said you were studying with Bones and Devereux,” he whined. Hermione stiffened. She hoped that he wouldn’t start looking around for her, because she was not sure she would be able to keep her temper in check with him, if he started to come on to her once more today. She had to figure out a way to make it perfectly plain that she was not interested and not playing hard to get. Remus tugged on the cuff of his robes and avoided eye contact with Sirius. “Erm – They left, mate. Been gone a good few minutes before you came storming in. Said they were tired or something,” he lied. Oh Remus. You are just the most wonderful person ever. I definitely owe you one, she thought thankfully. She watched Sirius’ lips turn into a pout while Amelia stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing at his expression. Hermione shook her head. Soon the boys left, the girls waited a few more moments and then returned to the Common Room for the evening. They didn’t realize it, but they returned rather late. The only ones who were still awake and sitting near the fire were Otto, Edgar and Sturgis. They tried to convince the girls to stay up with them for a while more, but Hermione and Amelia were exhausted. After ten straight minutes of begging, the two of them said a final goodnight and trekked up to their dormitory. They each got ready for bed quietly, as not to wake up the other girls, and climbed into their beds. Hermione closed the curtains around her four-poster bed and flipped onto her stomach, she sighed heavily. As she tried to fall asleep, the entire day seemed to replay before her eyes. Sirius Black had a crush on her – which was beyond bizarre – and Snape had done her a favor, albeit a slight one, but a favor none the less.   She thought about how he did not know about crushing the Sopophorous beans in potions class until she had advised him to. That was when he wrote it down in his potions book. An odd feeling came over her. I was the reason he had that written in? That means that if it weren’t for me, Harry would have never won the Felix Felicis… Harry would have never received that memory from Slughorn and Ginny, Neville, Ron and I could have died the night the Death Eaters broke into the castle without it. The sudden realization took the breath from her. Was I destined to return to this time? What else will I unintentionally change?

#snamione #snamione fanfiction #hermione x snape #harry potter fanfiction #hermione granger #severus snape #young severus snape #time turner fanfiction #hermione time travel

[spaceshippingace-blog]

LOGH Episode 10

Episode 10: Jessica's Battle

This episode is set in the Alliance.

The post may contain my personal opinion / commentary.

Locations:

Thernusen, the second largest city on Heinessen

Characters:

Raymond Togliatti, manager of the National Peace Conference, Therusen district.

Jessica Edwards

James Thorndike

Admiral Dwight Greenhill

Narration:

Following the capture of Iserlohn Fortress, Yang Wenli was promoted to Vice Admiral. He was invited to the anniversary ceremony of the Officer's Academy at Thernusen, the second largest city on Planet Heinessen. Thernusen held many memories for Yang from his time at the Academy. (A little Wenli backstory! YAY!)

The story:

Wenli and Julian arrive at Thernusen, Wenli says they can go and see whatever Julian wants before the ceremony. Julian teases Wenli that he might want to see someone (I think they are talking about Jessica).

Some journalists swarm Wenli and Raymond Togliatti stops him. He gets dragged into a public political stunt.

 A war orphan girl gives him a bouquet, but looks at him devastated. Togliatti speaks about the only way to honor the girl's father's sacrifice - by toppling the Empire.

There is a Peace Party who advocate a peace treaty with the Empire. Togliatti calls them naive and spoiled children. He is a candidate to be elected in the upcoming Thernusen special election. Wenli is not pleased.

In Hotel Telnousen*, Wenli and Julien talk about how the news report makes it look like Wenli supports Togliatti. Wenli says that the brass who sent him there wanted exactly that. Wenli thinks Truniht might be behind it.

J: Does the Defense Minister do things like that?

YW: Yeah. I should have expected. I was always on the verge of flunking out of the Academy, but they invited me to the anniversary ceremony. But that little girl wasn't happy to see me. "Why did you kill my father?" Her eyes accused me. For me, a survivor, there are no words to answer that. Nevertheless, what kind of man makes a child like that into an election pawn? Damn politicians!

(Let me note it here, but I really always thought Julian couldn't have gotten a better guardian than Wenli. He definitely takes care of him, but he does not baby him, he discusses a lot of things with him openly; of the workings of the military, government, politics, etc. He genuinely wants the best for him, and wants him to make his own path and succeed in life. He does not force him towards anything, he just lets him know there are a lot different paths to choose from. He is truly a great guardian.)

J: Vice Admiral, shall I make some tea? YW: Yeah. Even better if there's some brandy in it. J: I'll go look!

(Ok, maybe praising him as the perfect guardian was a bit premature. What the heck is with Wenli and tea with brandy?)

However, before Wenli could get his tea, someone rings the bell. Just as Julien opens it, a bunch of strangers get in. They attack Wenli, accusing him of being a warmonger. Julian gets Wenli's gun from a suitcase, when Jessica Edwards comes in, and tells the strangers to stop. The security arrives, Julian tells them that they are having a party, and somebody got drunk, that was the ruckus. (The kid is sharp!)

Jessica apologizes to Wenli, saying that she came as fast as she could when she heard they were going to Wenli's. She warns Wenli something like this could happen on the ceremony, but Wenli tells her he has to go, it's an order from the higher-ups, and a part of his job.

Jessica tells him that their anti-war party has a candidate running for representative in this special election. Their movement was growing and they had a chance to win, but then Wenli arrived.

JE: Whatever you meant, the sight of you shaking hands made an impression. It's been transmitted on television, and in all the newspapers. You can't imagine the panic at election headquarters. Yesterday's narrow lead was reversed in an instant. After all, you're "Miracle Yang".

YW: I can understand why your friends are angry. It was thoughtless of me.

JE: If you really mean that, don't go tomorrow! YW: Jessica... JE: I guess it's too much to ask. That's the problem with a public life. Jean said it well. From my heart, I apologize for my friends' actions. Thanks for keeping this to yourself. Bye. YW: Jessica... YW: ...Never mind. JE: Goodbye. 

Julian thinks Wenli should have told Jessica he came to see her.

Wenli and Julian go to a restaurant. Two girls ask for Wenli's autograph, and then the whole restaurant starts to sing the national anthem. So much for a private dinner, huh, Wenli?

Julian and Wenli leave the restaurant and discuss how the election seems to be a close contest.They came upon a fight. The Patriotic Knight Corps is beating up someone. One word from Wenli and the P.K.C. disperses. The victim, a man, tells Wenli to get him to Arnold Street, the Peace Party HQ.

Wenli takes a car which is just patrolling around, like an automatic taxi.

Wenli gets in with the injured man, and sends Julian back to the hotel.

Wenli arrives at the HQ and the members first think Wenli was the one who beat him up.

(Seriously? I mean ok, you think he's a warmonger, but why would he carry a man he just beat up to this place?)

Wenli meets Thorndike. Apparently the man he saved was one of the campaigners. A member tries to take a photo of Wenli and Thorndike, but Jessica says they don't use tactics like that, and Wenli must feel awful being pulled into politics like that.

Wenli and Jessica walking together.

YW: Mr. Thorndike seems like a very nice man.

JE: He joined  the anti-war movement after he lost his 3 sons in the second attack on Iserlohn. He's a gentle person. But he hates the war from the bottom of his heart.

They go in the garden of the Officer's Academy. 

JE: It's ironic. Although neither you nor Jean liked war at all, both of you ended up being soldiers.

YW: There were many reasons. Many reasons...

*Wenli flashback*

Wenli is a 1st year cadet at the Military Academy, a history major.

Both Wenli and Jean had no money, and to go to college, they both had to go to the Officer's Academy. Wenli is studying history, but Jean drags him away with the line: "Don't worry, history doesn't go anywhere!" 

They go to stalk Jessica a bit, who is the daughter of the Academy's director. She goes to a music school, which has a sponsored dance Wenli and Jean both go to.

They flip a coin for who to ask Jessica first to a dance. Wenli wins but he's crap at dancing (I mean really REALLY bad) so Jean asks Jessica to dance after him. Later, Wenli sees Jean flirting with Jessica.

Sad background Wenli is sad.

*Present time*

YW: I never did learn to dance.

JE: I was playing hard to get. I thought you'd ask me to dance again. If you had, I would have danced with you. But... you never asked.

YW: Because Jean was head over heels in love with you.

JE: Friends don't compete with friends?

YW: Well, something like that.

Jessica starts sobbing, so Wenli holds her. They almost kiss, but there's an explosion. They rush towards the place, which is close to the HQ. The explosion got a lot of people injured- including Thorndike- there are also fatal victims.

Wenli and Julian leave for the plane.

Journalist: Vice Admiral Yang! What do you think about the explosion last night at the anti-war coalition's office?

YW: It's a blasphemy against democratic government. Nothing less than that.

Journalist: Many think it was the work of the pro-war party.

YW: I think so, too. Well, I'm late.

Journalist: How do you feel about the announcement that Jessica Edwards will run as a candidate in place of Thorndike?

YW: Is that so?

Flashback to Jessica's words: I want to ask the people who are in power... Where are you? While you send young soldiers out to die, where are you, and what are you doing?

News reporter: The results of the special election in Thernusen show Jessica Edwards with a large margin of victory. Miss Jessica Edwards won 80% of all votes cast. The majority supporting Miss Edwards are thought to be opponents of the war.

Admiral Greenhill: It seems the attack on Thorndike backfired. The Patriotic Knight Corps are thoughtless people.

YW: And who do you think is behind them? 

G: Probably a lot of underlings got out of hand. Truniht's probably chewing them out right now.

Frederica Greenhill: Vice Admiral Yang. All personnel are in meeting room 21.

YW: OK. I'm coming.

G: Frederica. Invite Vice Admiral Yang to have dinner with us tonight.

YW: Sir!

G: Don't look so surprised. Do you have a problem with my daughter?

YW: No, far from it!

G: Oh, yes. Please bring your ward as well. Julian, isn't it?

YW: Yes, sir. He'll appreciate it. 'Til then...

YW: "Jessica, it'll be tough. Fight on."

Narration: One week later, the Free Planets Alliance High Council would decide on a plan to invade Imperial territory with the Alliance Forces. Contrary to Yang's hopes, the flames of war would spread.

BONUS ROUND: Buildings, places of Thernusen

Sleeping beauty Wenli 5&6

Wenli and Julian

Episode 11: The Actress Exits

*There will probably be inconsistences in the names and such because I’m pretty sure the hotel is actually named after the city. So Thernusen or Telnousen? I’m not sure which is the correct one. I try to be consistent in these posts, so I think I’ll go with the subtitles, but if I have time, I’ll check the logh wiki on names.

#logh #logh episode 10 #legend of galactic heroes #legend of galactic heroes episode 10 #my post #logh episodes

[caredogstips]

Why are deadly extreme athletics most popular than ever?

Five parties died in the French Alps last weekend in boasting occurrences from paragliding to wingsuit hovering. What pushes people to test the eventual limits of their own security?

Darios ready, adds Dario Zanon. Three, two, one, remarks Graham Dickinson. Vive la France! they both wail as they leap from the summit of Le Brvent in the French Alps and spread their offstages to begin the Rock Star Line, one of the most hazardous routes in one of “the worlds” most dangerous sports.

Zanon and Dickinson are members of best available, however. Utilizing the flappings of cloth that connect their limbs and legs, they skip expertly past cliff margins and between trees at more than 110 mph. After less than a instant they liberate their parachutes and stray down, whooping, over Chamonix. A daytime after Zanons footage of the flight was posted last September, it had been watched a million times. Since then, it has been watched at least 10 million more.

On Wednesday 8 June this year, Zanon returned to Chamonix and climbed the Aiguille du Midi on the other side of the hollow for a solo flight. On the Sunday his figure was found on the glaciers 5,000 ft below. Most likely no one will ever know is which small-minded occasion went wrong. Small things become large-hearted instantly at 110 mph. He was 33.

Dario Zanon flying the Rock Star Line in September last year. He died in France in June.

It does happen to the best. Mark Sutton, “the mens” who parachuted into the London Olympics stadium garmented as James Bond, was killed wingsuit hovering in the Swiss Alps in 2013, while filming for EpicTV. In May 2015, Dean Potter, a famous US climber and wingsuit flyer, expired with his friend Graham Hunt. They had rushed from Taft Point in Yosemite Park, California. In July last year, the record-holding Colombian wingsuit flyer Jhonathan the Birdman Florez died during rehearse in Switzerland. The Briton David Reader succumbed two weekends ago. Last weekend five people croaked in separate incidents in the French Alps: two climbers, a paraglider, a hang-glider and a wingsuit flyer. Wednesday introduced two more, in separate accidents: an as yet unidentified British “mens and” Uli Emanuele, Zanons former piloting partner. Be a Hero, answers the video they obligated for specific actions camera company GoPro in March.

It is hard to find exact fleshes on the notoriety of extreme sports, but it is even harder to find anyone who is of the view that they arent smash. In 2006, the British Parachute Association entered 39,100 first jump-starts. Last time there were 59,679. Counts of full members regular skydivers have been rising at a same pace. The British Mountaineering Council had about 25,000 individual members in 2000. Last September there were almost 55,000. The number of people clambering Everest has rocketed since the 1990 s. The balance of status of women climbers is increasing too, up from about 16% in 2002( BMC illustrations) to 36% now( Sport England figures ). Hang-gliding figures have suffered since the 1990 s, according to Michelle Lanman at the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association( The kit is so much heavier ). But paragliding and paramotoring( paragliding with a monstrous love) are doing very nicely. SurfingGB also reports that British surfing continues to grow rapidly.

Uli Emanueles video for GoPro. He croaked this week.

You precisely get into it and then progressively build up, be developed further mentions Jess Cox, 27, an instructor at her leaders business, Fly Sussex Paragliding, near Lewes. Better flights involve get higher, further, doing debagging or acrobatic material. Sorry, debagging? She indicates me a video on her phone. It was recorded by a pal shortly after they had both hopped off a 7,000 ft mountain in Turkey. Cox is moving high-pitched above a sparkle body of water when suddenly she falls from her harness, surely to her fatality, until a brand-new paraglider unfurls out of her knapsack and she swoops away. Woo-hoo! she squeals, watching. I adore it! That was one of the best days of my life. Its exactly the most exciting circumstance Ive ever done. The high-pitched lasts for daytimes. Youre walking around on a cloud when you have a great flight. You actually experience what you do. You really cherish it

Of course, the drawback of detecting something you adore this much is having to do without it sometimes. You cant make the crack be too long or you get itchy feet, Cox says. Some people become wholly haunted, retire their jobs, live in a van and only circulate round the world with textile in the back, leaping off material. It does kind of devour you. Its entirely addictive. When possible, Cox actually flies to work in the morning with her paramotor. Shes never fright, she says, unless you weigh nerves before rivals. Nor should she be. Like more extreme athletics these days, paragliding is much safer than it appears, as long as its done properly.

Jhonathan Florez, seen here contesting in the Wingsuit World Championships in China in 2013, died during tradition in Switzerland last month. Picture: Long Hongtao/ REX/ Shutterstock

For others, theres no denying that danger is part of the entertainment. On his website, Dickinson says that when unpredictable episodes happen( birds, dead tree branches, etc) I feel like I am operating in pure survival mode. I can feel my heart rate speed up, my appreciations increase, and my focus narrow so that everything seems to nearly slow down. During these instants I try to only focus on the current, the immediate here and now. I think this integrity of thoughts and thought is one of the many reasons I continue to do what I do. Being able to escape the interference, clutter and business of daily life is a rare treat in this world.

Its the luminous beginning of a red-hot daytime and Tim Cox meets the amateur paragliders and explains what they are going to do. I weigh 16 men as well as four girls. Mark, 28, and Andrew, 39, are both musicians at Glyndebourne. We had this day off and I concluded, Lets go and do something stupid, Andrew pronounces. Hes done a skydive once before and it panicked him. I only recollect contemplation, Deem it together, nurse it together, prop it together. I was hopeless to be on the ground. Hes hoping this will be a bit calmer. Mark, on the other handwriting, is a struggle director and well up for it. Hes done a bit of kite-surfing, diving and caving, but has still not been anything up high. I think its just for people who dont do very well at a barbecue, he reads. So many of our colleagues are happy to sit with a bottle of prosecco in the sunbathe for four hours, he tells. I get fucking birthed. Gives go and jump out of a mound! Hes made his GoPro, primarily to take times which could be used to scoff his partner, who wishes she were here.

How wingsuits toil

Sometimes referred to as birdman suits a wingsuit flight intents by distributing a parachute.

Martin, 25, is working in advertisements in London. He did a tandem paraglide with an teacher only a few years ago, and the experience lingered, so hes back to have a go on his own. He acknowledges to being a little bit apprehensive. Among all the josh of the others, he seems quiet and solicitous. Paul, 59, has been paragliding four times before, twisting his ankle on the last. He works in insurance and has always enjoyed trot, dive and climbing. He formerly had a captains licence. When he was diagnosed with cancer six years ago, he got more serious about his fitness and finally lost enough weight to try paragliding. He announces his cancer Nigel and takes pleasure in ignoring its requests. This is one in the eye for Nigel, he announces, as we climb the hill up to the launch area. He postponed some chemotherapy to be here.

Paragliding examines easy, at the least to start with. The equipment is not a parachute but an inflatable offstage, which is laid flat on the hilltop, then fills with breeze, takes shape and face-lifts leaflets off the dirt. Once the basics of territory and equipment-checking are illustrated, the tandem fliers are fastened into a big pitch-black fanny, hooked up to an teach, dragged back by the glider attracting as it rises, then a few speedy stairs launch them sends into the air. The first pamphlet, Andrew, is up 10 instants after we arrive. Bloody hell, mentions Martin.

The rest take off, and its clear theyre having a good time. Smoothly, gracefully, they fly backward and forward over the hillside until it seems almost dull, this boating around, as the initiated called it. Drifting down from the tandems return grabs of conversation that you might well exchange over prosecco. When involved, their teachers liven thoughts up with big-hearted changes and coilings, which appear very exciting. Their domination is so good that they can come over and waver within touching distance while we talk.

Mark Sutton, “the mens” who parachuted into the London Olympics stadium dressed as James Bond, was killed wingsuit moving in the Swiss Alps in 2013. Photo: CHAMUSSY/ SIPA/ REX/ Shutterstock

Science teacher Becky, 35, sits next to me, watching her banker boyfriend, John, enjoy his 39 th birthday present. Its like wearing a nappy, he enunciates when first fastened in. That was awesome, he says on property. Becky did a skydive formerly( crazy at the beginning) and a bungee rush( much worse, because you have to step off ). They didnt provoke in her the addiction that it did in Jess. She talks about the skydive like it was a first taste of marzipan good, yes , not over-rated , no particular need to do it again. Its trying brand-new circumstances, isnt it? she reads. Life would be a bit boring if you dont try new things.

Was life boring before extreme plays? It was surely less safe than it is now.( Gaze up the violent crime and road accident statistics .) Some do Evel Knievel started the cult by showing girls that roughly croaking “couldve been” refrigerate. Some say nonsense, “its been” Sondre Norheim. Or Otto Lilienthal. Or Franz Reichelt. Or Leslie Irvin. Or George Freeth. If you have no idea who those people were, then we havent reached the phase yet where the pioneers of downhill skiing, gliding, parachuting, skydiving and surfing are household names, but it is clear that what they started is no fad. You maybe know somebody who has done all the things these men were considered lunatics for trying. You may have tried a few yourself.

The Dangerous Sports Club needs a special mention, in part for exemplifying the crazed inventiveness and nonconformist ethos of extreme play. Organized by a group of well-to-do sidekicks at Oxford University, the DSC liked to think up perilous capers to play-act wino and in black tie, such as a ancestry down the ski slopes of St Moritz on a Louis XIV dining decide or a grand piano, or voyaging through gusts to the remote islet of Rockall, then accommodating a tea party. A younger is part of the DSC afterward constructed the monstrous trebuchet, which shot beings 100 ft into a net, eventually killing a 19 -year-old student announced Dino Yankov. The enormous gift of the DSC, nonetheless, is bungee jumping, which they acted for the first time on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol on April Fools Day 1979, after a nighttime of boozing, without any preliminary tests.

Sutton with stuntman Gary Connery, in 2012 in Henley-on-Thames, preparing for a jumping. Photo: Gary Connery Archive/ Getty Images

Safety goes more thought these days, but the spirit of experimentation has never undermined in extreme sport. A decade ago, plain basi startle was the new frontier.( Instead of skydiving from a plane, you use a construct, feeler, encompas or Earth cover not bridge because the founders “ve decided that” babe hopping might not be taken as gravely, according to Phil Mayfield, who was one of them .) Today base jump-start is tame without a wingsuit, and wingsuits are tame unless you use them to get close to happenings, from time to time so close like Emanuele piloting through a 2.6 m defect in the rock-and-roll that it is obviously dangerous. But the peril reached him famous.

Perhaps next it will be jet-powered surfboards.( They prevail .) Or kids everywhere will model the Russian roofers who get themselves photographed hanging precariously from towering structures, and often autumn. Last-place month Luke Aikins became the first person to skydive without a parachute. After a descend of 25,000 ft, he landed in a giant net. It is breathtaking, he discovered.

At experiences the inventiveness is virtually ludicrous. Base jumping blindfolded, or with your bird-dog( that was Potter ), or with a parachute attributed to perforates in your back: youll find all of these online. But then, thanks to rugged cameras, video hosting and social media, these brief but stunning times of extreme play are as well-suited to 2016 as “couldve been”. No broadcasters offer billions for skydiving or skateboarding privileges just yet, but GoPro, Red Bull and others sponsor some of best available athletes to roam the world stirring exceedingly marketable clips. If we want a reason why extreme athletics have flourished so much this century, this neat fit between the producers and the money looks just like a good guess.

The number of first-time parachute rushes in Britain has increased by 50% the past 10 years. Photo: Ken Fisher/ Getty Images

And these may still be early days. Harmonizing to a report from the US presentation busines Delaware North, 100 hours of GoPro video are uploaded on to YouTube every minute, and sales of war cameras are growing at 50% a year. By 2020, extreme plays will objection professional and collegiate squad athletics for the claim of most-watched category of plays material, research reports responds. Today theyre a blip on the screen compared to the big business of professional sports, but participation in action and undertaking athletics has outshone conventional plays at the recreational level.

And where their commercial limits lie, it is hard to say. BMX and snowboarding are Olympic occasions now, and clambering, skateboarding and channel-surf will be in 2020. But I wonder whether plays such as wingsuit hovering had now been passed the limit of safety. Perhaps the same get for freediving, in which people rival to swim as deep as is practicable while hampering their breath, and where leading proponents, such as Natalia Molchanova and Nicholas Mevoli have recently died.

Pushing is part of sport, of course, but whats being pushed here is safety. A good footballer or tennis musician always wants to be tested against better opponents, but their opposings are human, so that can only proceed in so far. In extreme athletics, the antagonist is danger. As one of the worlds best known climbers and wingsuit flyers, Steph Davis, wrote in January, the limit comes when you hit the terrain. Instead, she advocated, Perhaps advance intends something very different. Perhaps it makes refining the experience, becoming safer, more beautiful and more mindful. Davis has been married twice, to Dean Potter and Mario Richard. Both men died in wingsuit collisions( Potter after their divorce ). Perhaps the future of extreme sports is hearing to be less extreme.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

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[survivordivergent]

EPISODE 11 (PART 1) - “ FIRST YOU GET THE IDOL. THEN YOU GET THE IMMUNITY. THEN YOU GET THE WIN.” - ED

It's so interesting how a safe and secure position can come crashing down so quickly.

I have some very important questions about who was in on the idol flush. Did Eliza really feel in danger? Did Otto plant the seeds? And most importantly for me, why didn't Payton tell me the vote wasn't going to Eliza?

I'll start with the last point:I wouldn't have even doubted Payton for a SECOND were it not for what she said after tribal in the BH5 chat: "Anyway otto cussed me the fuck out because I told him I'd play my faux "idol" on him to assure that Jill would go home ;):"

To ensure that Jill would go home. Not Eliza, Jill. So why would Payton not tell her number one ally (allegedly) this vital bit of information to keep us safe, if it's obvious she knew that was the plan? Something about that doesn't sit well at all. I think I need to talk with her about that and find out what that was all about. Otherwise, I don't like my odds.

I think I'm in a good place with Eliza now. Not that I wasn't before, but an idol play isn't something most players can just brush off. Hopefully she's a rational player who realizes I want her around, and not short-sighted enough to knock me out of the game unnecessarily. I do think the paranoia was sincere last night, though I do find the timing curious as I only just told the gang about the idol yesterday, confirming their suspicions.

I'm working this reward comp hard. I would've liked to sit back and relax, maybe get myself a little off the radar, but that's not a good idea right now. There's a possibility that an idol was re-hidden, and an ally who may be thinking I wouldn't have done the same for her RE: playing the idol. I need to make sure Melissa knows we're still good, so if I can pull off another win here, the idol clue is going her way. We'll have two new clues to the Candor idol (unless she wants to see if a new idol was hidden at Erudite, in which case.... more for me.)

Partial kudos to Otto for going down swinging... in theory. But also partial WTF points to Otto for not coming to me at all during the day. He probably wouldn't have been able to swing me, but you never know unless you try. The more this game goes on, the more I appreciate Lucy and Geo. Communication is important in here. And it's a two-way street, which I acknowledge... but when it's Otto's ass on the line and not mine, I don't think it's too far out there to expect some motivation from him.

Ugh ugh ugh. Last night got so messy and unnecessarily so. I wish Melissa had told me about the vote doubler. When it came out suddenly and unexpectedly, I was sure she had flipped which is why I did what I did. Otherwise, why keep that secret and hide it from the people voting with you? Why induce the paranoia and stoke its flames?

Mostly, I'm just bummed at how wasted it was. With the time I put into that idol hunt... fuck. Given context though, it was something I had to do. I'd have felt like total garbage if it went the way I was expecting it to go and Eliza left on my watch. That said, I'd have felt even worse if Jill had somehow gone home. This tribal went well, considering our main target left. But if I had wasted my idol AND we lost a BH5er, I don't think I could have forgiven myself. That was such a sloppy read on the situation.

(EDIT: I've since spoken to Payton and she reminded me that she did, in fact, tell me the votes were going on Jill before the vote. D'oh. My paranoia is flaring up unnecessarily again. Still pissed at the flush.)

((Oh, and I'm thoroughly killing this comp. If I don't win it'll be because my Word doc got corrupted. Only way.))

HOW. HOW DID I LOSE THAT REWARD. i literally.... did it for like 3 hours... i did it during my classes... i blatantly looked up survivor facts in the middle of a class room where everyone could see my laptop and ed still beats me...i wanted to find an idol literally to blindside him but now thats impossible and he's won like every reward. he clearly has idols because he just threw one at eliza last week but my only real allies in this game payton and geo are too far up ed's ass for me to even attempt to tell them we should blindside ed. I'm ed giving me credit for doing well in the main chat like bitch! if you think i did so well u should give me a chance to look for the idol hMM!! but you won't because you don't actually trust me at all hMMM. anyways. lets hope we can get rid of melissa or jill this week or even lake because he's incredibly untrustworthy and always accuses me of being someone named "Nic" who i don't even know so zzz he can go. maybe if one of those girls go i can convince payton and eliza to do some sort of all girls thing and blindside ed... though payton literally called ed her final 2 when he got voted out the first time and ed literally used an idol on eliza even if it was worthless ahhh. i need to win immunity but like i don't even know if ill have the energy for whatever it is because like i spent so long trying for reward... maybe if i win immunity i can talk people into blindsiding ed when he's clearly running this game we'll see.

I'm living for everyone saying "Ed again, big surprise" and "of course Ed is in the top three" and "Ed again? Snooze." Don't want me to win? Get better.

Of course I shared the idol clue with Melissa as I outlined in my last confessional. Payton made an appeal to give it to Jill so she feels safe, but the downside to that is the very realistic possibility that she'd find a second idol. We don't need someone as well-liked as Jill to have two safety nets. So I reverted back to the initial plan of going with Melissa. I'm fairly confident that she would turn on others in the five before she'd turn on me.

She told me she looked for Candor, and the list of possibilities dwindled by a very wide margin. That's awesome news. Better yet, she narrowed it down to Matt Elrod and... someone. Even better news, after her guesses, there are only three possibilities. Even betterer news, I'll be getting another clue to narrow it down a little more. And the best news? She didn't get the idol, but she did most of the legwork. I take no pleasure in 'stealing' the idol from Melissa, but I'd be lying if I said having control over the idol didn't make me just a bit more confident. Not counting my idols before they hatch, though. First I gotta find the sucker. And there's the possibility that it may not even be there anymore.

I fear this round will be the culmination of weeks of posturing. Payton seems prepared to make a move against the girls. And I do appreciate the irony of a big move being planned only after Otto's gone. There's some poetic justice to that. On the other hand though, I don't doubt that Payton's best shot at the finals is to do this. I feel like I might have a bit more support in BH5 than she does. And as far as the 'stragglers' go, there's no doubt she's got more sway with Geo (who helped her look for the Amity idol,) Lake (who talks to her, I guess???) and Lucy (who's super chill and is on good terms with me, too.)

So – what's my easiest path to the end? In a perfect world, Lucy and Payton would use their Amity idol halves to idol whoever the target is and blindside one of the girls. But that poses a problem – namely, how do I get them to play the idol when they'd likely have numbers if I swung with them? I'd feel much more confident voting out Lake than anyone else. Literally everyone remaining in the game talks with me. So if Lake could be idoled and and, say, Jill were blindsided... I'd be sad to see her go, but MAN that would be good for my game. I'd still have a steadfast ally, I'd have a group of ladies hell-bent on revenge, and I'd have at least one vote on jury if I made it to the end and could explain it well.

But that's so far off in the distance, it's a speck. First you get the idol. Then you get the immunity. THEN you get the win.

Whew I almost killed myself yesterday, but I'm alive-at the cost of reward. Whatever. I'm curious to know what the god forsaken immunity is going to be though... another live challenge? K i l l m e

Anyway, Lucy  and I are almost definitely going to use our idol to take down Jill this round or next, hopefully taking down Lake if we don't go her. If I can keep up with Lucy/Ed/Geo/me to the end, and then pick off one of them at the last minute (Geo/Lucy), I'm going to the end. Given that Ed doesn't flip on my ass, but I actually trust him. I might lose to Ed if we go to the end, but I'll get second, and that will be amazing. Apparently I'm destined for second anyway.

Oh Kay! At this point in the game there is a lot that I am thinking about right now. We have the alliance of 5 that is steamrolling merge right now. It is ugly and boring, but when you are a part of it, it is hard to be mad about it.

After the last vote, Lake straight up told me that he voted for me. Which I was fine with. He then says that I need to stop confronting people when I get tea. I did it with Dani when Lake mentioned to me that Dani lightly mentioned trying to blindside me for first merge boot and then also for this most recent tribal I confronted Otto when I heard he wanted to try and split the vote between Eliza and myself. Lake was pissed that I do this because in both instances Lake gets in trouble! Dani only told Lake about maybe blindsiding me, and Otto only mentioned to Lake about splitting the votes between me and Eliza. What happened there is I heard from Payton who was told by Lake. I did not fully pay attention to that succession of information and was not privy to what exactly went down and I didn't really care. I went to Otto and heard of a plan to split the votes, but that I didn't think it was a real plan and just tried to brush it off like it wasn't anything. After tribal Lake tells me that only he was told and Otto was mad at Lake for it. Lake then says "I just didn't see the point of confronting him about it. What good did it do." and what I REALLY wanted to respond was that the point was it made Otto not happy with Lake, put less of a target on me, and Otto went home. Eliza telling Otto that Geo was the plan for that vote helped because I talked to Otto about that plan, then went over to Geo to show him that Otto was the one talking about voting out Geo. It seemed with Otto really trying to do something for that most recent vote he was very all over the place and it made everyone wary of him. Lake is mad at me, but I don't really care because he is outside of my alliance and when i spill tea that I hear he ends up in a worse position than myself so I am not too mad about it.

Now we move on to Big Hero 5 and what is going to happen at final five. I am really hoping that we actually stick together until then. At this point in the game this is the last tribal where it would be easy to flip. Only 2 out of the five need to go to Geo, Lucy, and Lake and spill the tea about our alliance and make a move against us. I think Melissa, Eliza, and I are a solid three like we have been since Four Tribe and I really don't see Payton flipping on us. The only possible worrisome person here is Ed. But what is good is that I think me and ed are in a good position. He gave me 2 idol searches and I gave him the most recent immunity. I like to think we have had each other's back and I hope that if shady things happen, they at least don't happen to me. If they happen to someone in Big Hero Five I would be upset, but if it isn't me I won't be wholly upset because it makes Final Five Tribal Council easier and maybe making it to the end that much easier as well. Also, everyone knows I have an idol and it doesn't seem like anyone is trying to get me to flush it so if i can hold onto it for 3 rounds and then have it for Final 5 that would be great and I would be much less stressed out about that vote. The only issue is that I have to make it through three rounds and with this game waking up that could potentially be difficult.

So Lake is like my secret weapon in this game, and he is putting an ENORMOUS target on his back, fighting with Payton in the tribe chat. He's asking me to vote him out, but Melissa and I need Him to help us blind side Ed at F7 like we are planning and I'm at work and my head is spinning bc my game is spiraling out of control bc Lake can't just calm down and stay quiet...... Ugh these CATFISH who CLEARLY know who each other is... Just follow the damn rules!!!

Who has the Candor idol? Ed.

Who had the Erudite idol? Ed.

Who's won pretty much all the reward comps? Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy.

Who has the Amity idol? Payton, my closest ally, and Lucy.

Who has the Dauntless idol? Jill, who came to me this morning about working together even after we're down to five.

Who has the other idols? Who cares, they're out of the game.

Strong position re-established and it's thanks to Melissa's Candor patience, Jill's keeping her options open, and Payton's relentless Amity searching. Boo-yah.

[8:25:31 PM] Melissa Fields: supernova [8:25:31 PM] Payton Rodriguez: Supernova? yall really did that but Melissa's comes up first on my skype

listen, jenns. I'm mad.

Lake's alias name is very poorly chosen. He lacks the depth.

My time is coming to end.

The Candor alliance along with Ed and Melissa control this game and they will be the Final 5.

The only person I'm loyal to at this point is Eliza. I still tell her everything but with how much I've been acting out I don't think she will be able to keep the others off my back at this point.

I've been trying to scare the others in to not voting for me.  I really want Payton to go because I have lost all respect for her and she does not deserve to be here. I think Eliza is starting to feel the same way.

The only people I would want to vote for in the end are Eliza and Melissa but I'm not really sure what Melissa is doing in this game.

I'm completely ignoring Geo at this point and have not talked to Ed and Payton in a while and I don't plan on it.  It's kind of unbearable watching all of them hit it off in the tribe chat.

Playing this game was unlike any other I've done. I've never been so uninvolved.  Really my time is up in this game. I'm ready to move to the jury and hopefully vote for a worthy person at the end. You can bet I'll have some hard hitting questions for these bafoons.

Lake can go eat glass bye bitch. I don't care if it fucks with my plans for Jill, I'm idoling you the fuck out.

It amazes me how much power I have in this game.

And also what a total asshole I am.

Melissa and Eliza both brought up the idea of voting out Lucy because of how competitive she is. On the surface, a great idea. But what they don't know: Lucy has the second half of the Amity idol.

So, armed with the knowledge that they intend to get Lucy out, and confirming with Eliza that she'd have been okay with leaving Payton out of the loop, I went to Payton and told her that the plan to get Lucy was gaining momentum. She started being a bit aggro in the BH5 chat, and Mel tried swaying her using logic. Those two speak different languages when it comes to the game, and it's important to talk to people in their language rather than make yours heard over theirs.

So, I went to Payton and told her she should agree with the plan. Then she should use the Amity idol on Lucy and blindside someone. Doesn't matter who, I don't want to know, that way I don't have to lie about knowing who was going. (If this plan works, sorry @Eliza @Melissa @Jill @whichever of you three got clocked. Love you all.) And the best part is that I'm legitimately not around tonight, so the Candor idol won't be in play at all. The girls will probably be freaking out, Jill may play hers, but mine won't be available.

I've also told Payton I'm voting with the girls so it looks like I'm blindsided, too. This lets me have all the info coming from BH5, and lets her have all the info from the Lucy/Geo/Lake cluster. And then we can alternate our votes, picking people off from each side until the end.

That's the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is that Payton idols Lucy, Jill idols whoever the votes are going on (in which case Payton can't blame me, 'cause I told her I didn't want to know.) And then it's a 0-0 and I have to decide where my better chance at the end lies. Unfortunately for Payton, my style of game is far more logical than emotional. If it were pure emotional, it would be a no-brainer. But in this unlikely scenario, I'd have to give it some serious thought.

Alternatively, someone could also throw a decoy vote on someone as a safeguard against an idol. A 1-1 vote forcing a revote could also make a difference. I just threw out a variation on this idea to Payton which would idol Lucy, Lucy votes a girl, Payton votes Lake. She'd still be in a rough spot, but there's no way the girls would vote against each other and then we could get out Lake just like she wanted.

Dominoes are falling!

fuck lake

Lucy and Payton make an idol and play it on lucy. Blindside Melissa Simple and done I hope this works out

If not, i think it'll be me leaving cause i told jill to vote lucy, which will make her suspicious and think im shady so they plan to vote me instead cause they probably think im working with lucy and she has an idol, bye world

So..... there has been zero talking since the results post.... My alliance chat has said nothing. I have zero things in pm's... I'm... Nervous??? This is very unusual, that at least Melissa and Jill aren't talking to me either??? I have no idea what's doing on...

Lol sorry Melissa. This wasn't the plan, but it sure is now. Love ya hun. Have fun in Ponderosa.

That worked, we did it, Melissa is out of the game!

I can't believe it actually worked!

#iwillbecomesomethingelse