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mrneighbourlove · 5 years

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Blue Stream: Ch 4. Love Floats Downstream

Scarlet was looking around for her eldest daughter, having just finished chopping meat up with a cleaver for the family. That girl was going to miss lunch. Was she drinking again? "Rat! You seen Revy?"

"Nay, I hasn't." Rat was currently heading out with a bucket of scraps to give to the pigs. "Trygve hasn't seen her either. I just talked to him and he's going to get the horses ready for plowing."

"When you see her, let her know that she missed out on beef sandwiches.

Revy wasn't drinking at the moment. In fact, she was quite sober, and currently working up the nerve to enter the orphanage. Why did the new spring weather bring heat waves? Was she sweaty from her heat or her nerves? Taking her shirt off the Gerudo was left with a red tanktop for her upper body. Walking to the door, she gave a knock, hoping that the owl woman would answer. Seija was the first person that Revy noticed. Made her feel flustered. Why? She’d been complimented by many from the brothels hoping to finally invite her in or hunting parties, but it never got to her. So why this new development now? She had to find out.

One of the orphaned kids answered the door, a stuffed toy rabbit underneath her arm. She was sucking her thumb, probably no more than a couple years old. Looking at Revy for a moment, she then darted back inside of the house.

“Wait! Don’t run!” Crap. Did she look scary?

"Flora!" Seija darted around the corner, Flora's twin, Fauna, on her back. She was trying to catch the little one to change her clothes. Why were toddlers faster than a cheetah? It was not fair! "I told you not to answer the door for strangers---oh!" The lady was very surprised that Revy was here.

“Hiiiii~” Revy smiled best she could, clicking her finger to Seija just as Lex instructed her to do. “How have things around the orphanage been?”

"They've been a little---" Seija winced as she heard a loud 'bang' from the kitchen. "Hectic for lack of better word. The older kids are trying to prepare lunch and I've been trying to get these two, " She gestured to the twins. "To settle down since they found the hidden cookie jar."

“Sounds like a handful. Would you like an extra hand?”

"That... that would be wonderful." Seija tried to wipe the flour on her cheek off with a sheepish smile. "If you don't mind?"

“I’ve handled two little siblings for a good part of my life now.” Revy stepped into the orphanage and decided to get their attention. “You kids want to see a magic trick?”

"If you could obtain their attention while I help with lunch preparation, then that would be wonderful." Seija hurried to the kitchen to make sure nothing was on fire and food would not be wasted. After a half hour or so, Seija appeared in the dining hall, setting up all the plates. There was even a dish for Revy, and she called everyone to eat.

Revy instantly got the little ones attention with her display of lightning sparking between her fingers. She even juggled a bolt, putting on a little dance for the wee ones. What got the older kids attention was when she took her eyepatch temporarily off, her missing eye illuminated with the glow of electricity. She told the tale of her fight against the terrible Onslaught and, unlike the adults of the bar, they were completely enamoured by her story. At the call of dinner, she cut it after speaking of how she and Twinrova turned him into dust. “Oh! Lunch time! I’ll take questions after!”

"Thank you for watching them." Seija sat down at the table and sighed, relieved that lunch was a success and nothing was burning or falling apart. "I'm not much of a cook but I hope you like it."

“Grilled cheese! Thank you!” Revy was happy that everything was going well. Seija seemed to like her help. Taking her seat, she had to lean down to eat at the small table. “So, I thought I could help with construction.”

"Construction? Are you a builder?" Seija asked Revy as she nibbled on her own food. "We could always use the help. I can't pay much, unfortunately."

“I’ll do it for free. I’ve helped rebuild houses before. Or my dads barn. It’s no biggie for someone like me.”

"Well, the least I could do is fix some food for you." Seija offered, feeling a bit guilty for accepting help without being able to pay. "I can make sure the kids stay out of the way."

“Your kids aren’t all that bad. Are all of you ok with me helping build that extension?”

"I would appreciate any help you could give," Seija admitted as Revy munched on her grilled cheese sandwich. "I'm not much of a builder, except for small projects. I can fix a broken toy and mend clothes, maybe a hole in the wall, but a whole addition is out of my hands." Seija elaborated. "There were five children, but the twins are new. At least they're young enough, only three years, to not recall what happened to their parents. So now, we're seven strong... and simply have no more room. Alva’s the oldest, she's a teenager and really needs her own space, even if it is small." Seija tried to think, showing Revy the crudely drawn plans. "Then Niklas and Oskar can show a room since they're both boys. Merete and Kyliki can have a bunk bed in the third room, but now, with the twins, we really need another room.”

“I need the workout. And I love to help people. Especially those who are in need.” Revy smiled as she gobbled her grilled cheese down. “Thank you for lunch. Now then. Where should I get started?”

“It'd be nice if we could have a large living area instead of all of us cramming into the kitchen or having to be outside in the cold."

Revy picked up a hammer, flipping it right side up. “I’ll get right on it.”

The work was long and hard, yet incredibly satisfying for Revy. By the time she was done, Revy was leaning against one completed wall. She took a towel one of the kids gave her and wiped the sweat away.

Scarlet had gotten worried that Revy was passed out from drinking again and sent Rat out to drag her back. What he found was cheers coming from the orphanage as Revy ran out to examine the outside of the wall she finished.

“One wall down! Only two more to go!”

Rat was not one to spy. No, that was usually Mojo's and Juju's job. However, today, Rat was doing some peeping of his own. His daughter had made some questionable choices lately, and both Borghild and Scarlet were worried. Standing behind a stack of barrels at the ale house, Rat watched as Revy worked on the orphanage. He was a little confused. Why was she spending her time here? She never showed any interest in becoming a caretaker. It was then the answer was revealed when Seija rounded the corner with fresh brownies from the oven. Revy was... ogling the orphanage's headmistress. "... well..." Rat said to himself with a shrug of his shoulders. "My girl has good taste!"

Revy didn’t know why her attention was so captured by this fluffy owl. Seija was like a sparkling snowflake. When she heard her dad, her spell was broken. “D-dad?! What are you doing here?”

"I'm... I'm getting a barrel of ale!" Rat quickly saved face by selecting a big barrel and paying the vendor. "Yep, barrel of ale for Mojo and Juju when they come for a visit. You just do whatever you're doing but be home in time for dinner. Your moms are fixing that grilled chicken you like!"

Revy looked at the brownies, feeling conflicted. “Hey Seija, can I have those wrapped up?”

"Of course! I'd hate to keep your... wait, moms?" Seija looked puzzled. "I thought Borghild was your mom?"

“Borghild is my god mother and the woman who raised me. Scarlet is my birth mother. She lives with Borghild and I. It’s why I’m Gerudo.”

"Oh! Okay, I understand now." Seija sheepishly admitted. "I thought you were adopted. Sorry."

“Scarlet was a pirate, so obviously couldn’t get raised by her at the time. Liz and Lex are adopted tho!” Revy didn’t know why she blurted that out.

"Oh, Liz who is dating the prince? I think that was mentioned once in a conversation." Seija made sure to wrap up the brownies in a cloth and handed the contents to Revy. "I hope you like them. You'll be here tomorrow?"

“Liz is married to Prince Halvar, actually.” Revy took the brownies from Seija and didn’t notice herself smiling like a happy puppy. “I’d love to come back.”

"Yes, of course! I'm sure even after you're finished working, the kids would love to have some time to get to known you." Seija offered. "Wednesday night is game night. We usually play cards or a board game. Would you like to join us?"

“I’d love too!” Revy was wonderfully giddy. “See you tomorrow than Seija!”

"Tell your family to join us for game night if they like!" Seija waved goodbye to Revy. "Be careful going home!"

Revy was walking home, chewing down a single brownie and thinking about her day, when she finally noticed her dad had the smuggest grin. “What?”

"Me thinks me little girl finally has a crush one someone." Rat was outside waiting for his daughter's arrival, chopping some firewood. "A certain, pretty snowy bird."

“W-w-what?” Revy’s face flushed, and her hands grew sweaty. “What do you mean by that? I’ve never been attracted to anyone before!”

"Well, your old dad is pretty sure you're crushing on the bird lady that runs the orphanage." Rat teased her lightly. "He knows a romance starting when he sees one. It's the little things that get your attention, see," He elaborated. "You may think she's beautiful, but also loves how she twirls her hair when she's thinking or gets that stiff upper lip when she's mad..."

“I.... darn. I think you’re right. Just don’t-“

“REVY!!! Where have you been missy!!!”

Revy flinched at her mom bellowing from the house. Scarlet could command well when she raised her voice. She rarely did, so Revy knew her mother was cross with her.

“Have you been drinking?! Don’t lie to me.”

“No! Gods mom! I haven’t!”

"Nay, she wasn't drinking," Rat told Scarlet with a shake of his head. "Revy was seeing a sweet little perdy thing."

“Dad!”

Scarlet saw Revy flare up, and now she had a million questions going through her mind. “I don’t believe it. HEY BORGY! Revy has a girlfriend!”

“Mom! I don’t have a girlfriend!”

"A girlfriend?!" Borghild's voice said from inside the house, followed by a loud crash, a bang, the sound of tripping, and then heavy footsteps rushing to the front door. "When did this happened?!"

"Today." Rat told his wife. "She hasn't asked Seija out yet."

"Ooooh!!!" Borghild nearly squealed in delight. "Seija is such a sweet thing!!! She's perfect! So shy, and clumsy, and adorable!"

“I didn’t. Because I’m not-“

“Is this Seija a good person? How do you know?”

“Mother. I’m not-“

“Shy and clumsy? You sure she’s a good fit for Revy?”

“Dad! Tell them it’s not like that!”

"Seija is a nice lady." Rat put down the axe and collected some firewood into a stack, deciding to throw in the magic word. "She runs the orphanage and loves children. You know, we could potentially have a lot of grandkids if Revy ends up adopting all the kiddos."

“Can all of you please stop?” Revy groaned, not liking the embarrassment.

“Why? This is so much better than you drinking. We’re going to be grand parents!”

"I get first dibs on teaching the grandkids how to throw an axe!" Borghild called the claim before Scarlet could. "And first hunting trip!"

"Now, now, it might be a while before Revy proposes, you never know." Rat chuckled. "You can at least know it will never be quiet around here again."

“I JUST MET HER!” Revy felt her frustrations boil. “There’s something I just LIKE about her. I’m not going to pork her, because I STILL don’t have that type of attraction to people! I don’t know how things will happen with me continuing to go there, but you’re making me uncomfortable! I don’t know if I want a lover or if I want a friend. So can you get this baby talk out of my head? Please? You’re embarrassing me!”

"We're your parents, it's our job to embarrass you... a little." Rat laughed as he gestured for Revy to grab some firewood too. "At least let us have a little fun. Whether you date or not, we just want you to be happy."

Scarlet pulled Revy to be squished between her and Borghild. “We just want you to be happy. I’m sorry if you feel like we’ve teased you.”

"We want you to be happy... and we want 12 grandkids at some point too." Borghild added with a bear hug.

"I thought we agreed on 15?"

"We met halfway. I originally said 10."

"Six girls and six boys."

"It doesn't matter, we'll manage them all."

“Guuuuuuuys!” Revy struggled between both her moms, holding the tray of brownies close to her. There was no way she could invite her parents to game night.

Ocax thought he could be useful when he woke up. Rising early awake, the Twili made his way to the kitchen. Looking through the cabinets, he found a line of bread and a slab of ham and cheese. Finding the knives, he quickly got to work cutting and making sandwiches. He was nearly done, when, by making sure Towa had her crusts cut, and going rather quickly, he cut his finger wide open.

Ocax shrieked like a cucco from his mistake.

Seer, for once, was sleeping soundly. He was usually an early riser, but the mead from last night's meal made him tune out the rest of the world... until the unholy shriek filled the house. The orca Direnor was so startled, he nearly fell out of his bed. At first, his mind jumped to one of his girls, but then Seer recalled the twins did not live her any longer. He had to recall last night's events. There were... uninvited guests in his home. Stumbling into the kitchen, Seer's hair was a mess, lopped to one side, and his beard was stubby. "What in the name of Handeh is going on in my kitchen?"

“Nothing! I’m fine. J-just a cut.” Ocax couldn’t hide the winces in his breathing. “Just eat your breakfast.”

Seer sniffed a couple of times. "... a... ham and cheese sandwich is not a proper breakfast." He remarked with frown. "And you cut yourself."

“I wanted to be a civil guest. And yes. I cut myself.” Ocax sat down, heavily annoyed with himself.

Towa ran down, catching all her clothes together. “Ocax? Are you ok?”

“No. I sliced my finger open cutting the crusts off your sandwich.”

Towa had concern, yet warmth in her expression. “You idiot... thank you. Be more careful next time.” She grabbed her sandwich, taking a massive bite. “Hey, this isn’t bad.”

“Towa… Chew, swallow, talk.” Ocax held his finger tight, blood squirting into his palm. “Seer... I don’t suppose you’re a medic too?”

"I've patched up my girls more times than I can remember," Seer opened the cabinets and felt around for a box. Inside, there were various medical supplies. He placed it on the counter, and selected a small bottle of cleaning alcohol, and a roll of gauze. "Make sure you wash it first with warm water and soap."

“I don’t like soap. It’s irritating on my skin.”

Towa roller her eyes and headed to the door. “Don’t be an ass. See you later.”

“Hey! Not without me!”

“I’m not waiting on you Ocax. Be smart, get treated, then find me later.”

“Towa-”

“Bye! Love you! Don’t be a dumbass! I’m going to find a bear!”

The Twili woman ran out as Ocax sulked to the closest tap. “Damn woman I swear she’ll be the end of me.”

"If you don't want to use soap, you got one choice; stinging alcohol." Seer held up the tiny bottle, giving it a little shake. Personally, he did not mind Towa leaving. It would give a little more peace and quiet. "Pick your poison."

Without hesitation Ocax poured the alcohol. It stun like a hornet, but at least it wouldn’t leave him sickly with a rash. “That burns like hot a poker. Hurry with what you need to do.” The Twili rested his chin on his other rested arm. “This was humiliating. Will you at least eat your breakfast?”

"You're not the first person to slice open your finger while making a sandwich for your kids---I mean, friend, and you won't be the last." Seer managed to tie a bow to keep the gauze in place. "... I will take the ham off the sandwich, brown it, put the cheese in some eggs, scramble them, and toast the bread you used to make the sandwich, so yes, I will eat my breakfast. The question is," He asked. "Do you want your version of breakfast or mine?"

“Of course the cook states he can make a better breakfast.” Ocax looked at the tie with light amusement before letting out a defeated sigh. “I suppose your version would be more of a bountiful meal.”

"Of course I can make a better breakfast." Seer teased lightly, grinning from ear to ear. "You're not entirely useless in the kitchen. Set the table while I cook." He started to get the necessary items for the meal. "Random question, Tweats... no... Tawrs? Twats? OH GODS---no, no, no, ignore that, just whatever your race is called," He then spitted out. "You're not allergic to anything, right?"

“It’s Twili. Twi-li. Twili. And no, besides my dislike of chocolate, I’m only allergic to certain soaps.” Ocax was a good house guest, and got to setting a table for two. “Direnor. Die-re-nor. See, I managed.”

"Twili, like Twilight. I think I can remember that." Seer managed to fix a large plate of food for Ocax and himself. The Direnor poured a couple glasses of imported orange juice and then sat at the table. "Your friend is missing out. Are you going to be okay eating?"

“Exactly like Twilight. And Towa, she can suffer when she hears about what she missed.” Ocax was about to reach for his food, when he raised a brow. “What, you feed the injured by hand?”

"I have before when my crew mates were injured." Seer tried to hold back a snicker at the old memory. "Bomba blew off one of his fingers and couldn't hold a fork straight to save his life. Tried to eat with the other hand and ended up with a burn on his chest."

“...Is that something you wish to do for me?” Ocax set his slightly shaky fork down, resting his gaze on Seer and waiting him to make the next move.

"I don't mind if you need me to do so." Seer shrugged his shoulders, acting like it was perfectly normal. "I mean... I'm assuming you're right handed?"

“I’m duel handed, but this cut is making me shake. Last thing I need is to spill my drink everywhere.”

"Well then, sit closer." Seer felt of the table, grabbing Ocax's plate and silverware. He felt of the food placement and made sure nothing was steaming, drifting his hand over it. Getting a good helping of scrambled, cheesy eggs on the fork, he held it upward. "You'll uh... have to help me with this part since I'm not a good judge of distance. And I don't want to stab your eye out with a egg-covered fork."

“Of course.” Ocax took hold of Seer’s thigh to hold himself steady, and closed the gap, swallowing the food. A tiny gasp left him as he finished. “That’s marvellous.”

"Yes, it is marvelous cause I made it." Seer replied with a smug grin. He prepared the next bite, not thinking too much of the close contact. It was not like someone ever made a move on him... well, Adda did. Though, he knew better now. "However, I think I'm going to have to ban you from my kitchen if you cut yourself again."

“I promise to no longer cut myself.” Ocax just decided to relax and enjoy to meal Seer provided for him. “I wish to ask, why are you alone Seer? You have a good personality, you’re a wonderful chief, you’re good with children, and your home is comfortable.”

"Alone?" Seer did not grasp what Ocax meant. The poor man was completely oblivious. "Oh, my girls are grown. Do kids still live with their parents in the Twilight Realm?"

Ocax pressed his question further. “They don’t, but I ask, why are you alone in this house? You don’t have a relationship?”

"... oh." Seer realized then what Ocax was asking. "Well... it's not for lack of trying, I suppose. I did have one fling years ago, but let's just say she set her sights elsewhere." The Direnor really did not feel like narrating the whole story of Adda's betrayal, and he certainly did not want to think about Bakura. "It's not a problem for me to find a lover in the pleasure house here, but as far as a relationship goes... I guess I was more concerned about my girls than dating. Besides," He shrugged lightly. "The people here, they want someone strong, someone who has no physical weakness... being blind doesn't help my case."

“Bah, that’s pathetic thinking on their part.”

"It's how it has always been around here. I can't expect them to think differently."

“So why should you devalue yourself due to their thinking?”

"Oh, I don't care what they think," Seer admitted, being honest. "I care what my family thinks, my friends think... but at the same time, I can understand their point of view too. I can't blame them, really."

“So, someone as talented as you are content being alone?”

"Oh, I would be delighted to have a lover one day." Seer beamed a little at the thought. "Someone to hold at night, someone to share stories with, someone to laugh with, and someone just to... sit with me by the fire, being content in each other's company. I wouldn't be opposed to more children, but with a grandkid on the way, I may be biting off more than I can chew."

“You have a dream spouse?”

"Heh, 'dream' is the correct term, yes, I suppose." Seer agreed with a light chuckle. "There's certain qualities I like more than others, yes, but everyone has their quirks that makes them special."

“Please, for your sake more than mine. Have a passion to reach for more than a dream. It will make you not only happy, but more desirable in the eyes of others.”

"Your sake, Ocax? Didn't know Twili were interested in romances." Seer mused as he finished gathering the last bite of food for Ocax.

“Excuse me? We find love like anyone on else. I just like men who have passion in their hearts like I do.”

"Oh, you like men? I um..." Seer cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thought you were with... Towa..."

Ocax felt his throat go dry. In the context of his sentence he meant men as mankind. However, his sexual attraction was indeed to men. He slowly clenched his hand off Seer’s thigh. “I-“

At the mention of Towa, Ocax couldn’t help but give a snicker. “Towa? Oh. No, no, no. We’re good friends. But she isn’t near my type.”

"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed." Seer was a little sheepish. "I mean, I like both men and women. By Rotar, I feel like an ass..."

“It’s alright. Kanisa assumed Towa was a child, perhaps even my child. Although she is only a bit older than me, I think she views me as an older family figure at times.” Ocax took a sip of his drink and sat in awkward silence for a moment.

"Heh, I'm sure she did; Towa is tiny." Seer then asked. "Is that why you're wanting to get back home so badly? You have someone?"

“I think it’s that feeling of isolation for the others. To see home. To feel complete. I honestly don’t care anymore. My interest is faltering more and more in returning.”

"Well, you won't be alone here, Ocax. There's plenty of people around." Seer carefully picked up the plates and took them to the sink to wash. "Time is our own worst enemy. It's hard to wait for something you really want." He said a few words of wisdom. "Waiting is bitter, but the result is sweet."

“I know. But I think I could be happy in this world of light, despite the sting of its sun. Or not seeing the black clouds of twilight.”

"If it's blackness you want, you could always go under the water when the ice is melted." Seer suggested. "But with someone that can actually swim."

“Seer...” Ocax had disappointed annoyance in his voice, not liking the thought of falling in freezing water again. “It’s not for me I continue to search anyways.”

"Heh, all right, but you're missing out. I may not be able to see anything down there, but there is beautiful music." Seer made a wave of his arm, as if he were a conductor at an orchestra. "The sounds are always peaceful." He sighed in contentment at thinking of the music the ocean provided under the sea. "Searching, wandering, but not always lost. Perhaps one day, you'll find your cloudy sky. Though for now, I'm going to shower. Do you need anything else?"

“I think to find Towa so she doesn’t-”

“HOLY COW! THIS BEAR IS AMAZING! TRASNFORM AGAIN!”

“Let go off me!”

Ocax sighed as he heard commotion from outside Towa was causing. Could she get into any more trouble?

The next day Towa saw an interesting old looking building. It held history in its bones, but it was massive! Perhaps this place held ancient secrets. Upon entering, she saw a bunch of Direnor enter, looking muscly and sweaty. At a front counter, a woman looked down at her. “You an adult?”

Towa grumbled at that. Why did people assume always make assumptions of her? “Yes. I’m just small.”

“Alright. You can go in. Have fun.”

As Towa went in, she saw Direnor taking their clothes off. Towa grew excited. This must have been a nudist house of relaxation, perhaps a way to feel free from the prison of clothing without the worries of being ridiculed. Taking what little clothing she had off, she excitedly ran into the halls. She waved to a few people as she looked around. Others seemed to be gathering, but she was content on studying the pillars. There were ancient carvings on them; maybe they held texts she could decipher.

Since Ocax decided to seek out Princess Kanisa's counsel on some Uskarian history, Seer took the opportunity to get away from the house for a bit. All the talk of lovers had him a little depressed. Adda was a one night stand and admittedly, he did not know her that well, but fancied her. Bakura, on the other hand, he had a little more time to know. Maybe he had a bad sense of relationships. The Direnor thought the ex-assassin liked him. Or perhaps, it was just a ruse to get closer to the girls. Either way, Seer had arrived to the conclusion that his taste for women or men was shit. So, to get the thought of old flames off his mind, he traveled to the Pleasure House to melt away his despairs.

However, he did not expect a pint-sized audience.

Towa noticed Seer completely naked on a pile of cushions. Strange, but not enough to throw her off. She liked being naked whenever she got the opportunity! Sure, she didn’t have presentable nipples or her lady bits at the moment like these light worlders, however, those alone wouldn’t bother her. “Oh! Seer! What are you doing at this nudist house? I don’t see why you don’t feel comfortable being naked in your own house. I like to be naked too whenever I can!”

The Direnor nearly spat out his mead. What in the name of Handeh was she doing here? A blush of the reddest of reds covered his face.

"Wh-What?! What are you doing here?!"

Yet, before he could obtain an answer, Seer's procured lovers for the night waltzed over to the blind orca. The woman sat down on his lap and the man kissed him, hard, before running his hand down his chest in a sultry motion.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Towa tilted her head, surprised by the boldness of these two newcomers.

"Do you want to join too? The more, the merrier... and messier." The female giggled as she winked at Towa. "The Madam can help you find someone else if you don't want to join our group."

"She might not like roughness, she's tiny, Kairi." The male literally purred as he released Seer's mouth with a gasp. "Might be more suited for a night of slow romance."

"Either way, Balthor, she can enjoy the show." Kairi then proceeded to test her skills of oral administration of Seers cock while Balthor played with Seer's hole, before penetrating him.

"Oh, f-fuck..." Seer felt his mind going blank from the pleasure.

“....holy shit....” Towa lightly squeaked out. Her ears shot up like a cat when she picked up on where she was. There were dozens of people getting into the groove of one large orgy around. How did she get into a sex addict convention?!

Her cheeks flushed blue and her knees trembled at the sight of Seer being penetrated. Dear lord, her host was a sex cultist!

"Sure you don't want to join?"

"Don't be pushy, Seer might not want to share."

"Do you want to share?"

When someone placed a hand on her stomach and shoulder from behind, Towa screeched like a cat having its tail stepped on. Her magic hair slapped them away, and in her panic, she assumed her shadow form, bouncing around the brothel and keeping away from people until she was near the entrance. Grabbing her clothes, she hid in people’s shadows until she was outside.

Ocax was surprised by how much he enjoyed Kanisa’s wise council. She was a bookworm like him, and her understanding of the land’s law was insightful.

“Perhaps banishment might be too harsh. I think with proper rehabilitation, people could-”

He was cut off his talk with the Gerudo woman when he saw Towa screaming like a mad woman, almost crying when she grabbed his collar. “OCAX!!! OH THANK GOD!”

“What did you do?”

“I was minding my own business when-“

“Bullshit.”

“I WAS! I was looking into history when I stumbled upon a sex cult! Seer is one of them! I saw him getting penetrated by another man while a woman pleasured his appendage! Then other members of the cult tried to drag ME into it!!!”

"Oh good goddesses," Kanisa covered her hands with her face, her cheeks burning red. "I think... she stumbled into the Pleasure House."

“You did what?” Ocax’s mouth started to hang open, the corner of his mouth twitching with disbelief.

“I had to fight my way out! Oh Ocax! It was awful! I could have been taken into their cult, and pounded like a rag doll! Think about all the things they could have done to my body! And what’s worse, Seer is one of them! You should have seen it! His pale frame beat red from them just- just slamming into him! He was bloomed up like rip strawberries!”

"... you know the Pleasure House is all voluntary, for those who want a lover or are seeking companionship for a night." Kanisa tried to keep a straight face without giggling at Ocax's stunned expression. "For those who want a little spice, or adventure, or are just feeling lonely. We've all been there."

Ocax starred off into the night sky, dumbstruck by the information of Seer and Towa’s story.

Towa herself grew concerned with how quiet Ocax grew. “Ocax?”

“I think it’s best that you go stay somewhere else tonight while I talk to Seer.”

“What? Why?”

“Towa. You walked on him and caused a commotion in a pleasure house. People could have you reported for disturbing the peace.”

“Well the only one disturbed was me!”

“And slim chance that no one reports you, you might have been rude to our host. Go with Kanisa or find a house to stay at. I’ll talk with Seer and make sure he’s not angry with you.”

“You think he is?”

“I know I’m furious. You acted like a child. Again.”

“But Ocax…”

The Twili man held his hand up to stop her. “No. Just… no. I’ll go fix this. I just need you to stay out of the way.”

"You can bunk in Audlin's room for tonight; she's staying with some friends." Kanisa offered to Towa. "And next time, I really think you should ask where you are instead of assuming it's... something you think it is."

Mortified beyond all means, Seer sat in his chair by the fire. He never expected Towa to come to the Pleasure House. The Twili were here to study any sources of magic, not look for a romp in the sheets. Sighing, he honestly did not expect Towa or Ocax to return to his house. There had to be some elaborate story Towa spun to Ocax about the blind man being a sexual deviant.

Ocax walked in, giving a clear of his throat for Seer. “Mr. Serling. A moment?”

"... I'm surprised you're back."

“I was only described in great detail about you. I didn’t see it with my own eyes. And don’t worry, it was my job to pick apart false testimonies. Especially about you being in a ‘sex cult’ and such nonsense. She did give me a more accurate description of what you were doing though.”

"Oh good Handeh..." Seer felt the blood rushing to his face again, obviously embarrassed. "I... well... the Pleasure House..." He tried to think of a way to explain himself but could not find the words. "It was... just... a fling."

“How often do you have these flings?”

"... not too often. Maybe every other month or so." Seer admitted, knowing lying would get him nowhere. "It's nice to feel..."

“...wanted?”

"Yes." Seer sighed with his shoulders slumping. "The Pleasure House doesn't discriminate. It's all just a feeling to them."

“So what brought on your most recent need to go?”

"Just..." Seer did not want to say he was feeling lonely so he used the next best excuse. "Old memories. The nights of not only pleasure but warmth too."

“And you thought going to a pleasure house where no one actually cares for you would help with that?”

"It's better than nothing." Seer retorted dryly as he took a sip of his drink.

“Excuse me?” Ocax was taken aback by that. “Of course it’s better. Why stoop yourself to that level? Why not have the patience to find someone you actually like?”

"I did. I did have someone I liked." Seer had to grit his teeth. "He chose to follow someone else."

“Then get over him. Things don’t work out. You take time and reflection and you move on.”

"That's easy for you to say." Seer nearly snapped bitterly at Ocax. "He didn't betray you at the last minute either and cause one of your crew mates to die. It's not something you can reflect upon in a positive manner."

“You going to be a little bitter ass when Towa comes back too?” Ocax felt pity for this man, maybe even sympathy. “If you don’t move on, you’ll only be able to wallow in self pity.”

"You don't have to stay here and observe me in my pity if it disturbs you." Seer pointed in the direction of the door. "I'll move on when I damn well please."

“No.”

"No? No what?"

“No, I’m not leaving.” Ocax walked to kitchen and started to make two sandwiches.

"Hey!" Seer got up from his seat. "I told you to keep out of my kitchen! You're going to cut yourself again!"

“What can you do to stop me from making dinner? You’re physically blind. And full of mentally blinding anger. I can make as many sandwiches as I want.” Ocax carefully finished the touches on two raspberry and banana sandwiches.

"I know I can't fucking see, but I can still sense what you're doing and where things are." Seer growled. "I don't want you hurting yourself again. Get out of my kitchen. I may not like you telling me how to cope, though that doesn't mean I want you slicing your hand up."

Ocax shoved a plate aggressively in Seer’s chest. “I’m not going to make the same mistake. And this time you’re going to eat my cooking.”

Seer put the plate on the counter, stubborn. "I've already ate."

“I’m trying to be nice to you. Eat it.” Ocax got closer to Seer’s face, a snarl filling his expression. He wasn’t going to back down.

"I don't want it." Seer did not feel like arguing. He turned to leave Ocax in the kitchen much to his chagrin. This had already turned into a shitty day, and he decided the best way to forget was to sleep. "Give it to Towa. If she comes back."

Ocax grabbed Seer by the shoulders and pushed the man firmly into a chair. “Eating from the nether regions of man and women for dinner is not part of a nutritious meal. I like you. You’ve been hospitable in looking after Towa and I. I wouldn’t be giving advice, or risk cutting myself with your terrible handled knives making food if I didn’t. Eat my sandwich.”

Seer did not like such a rough handling by Ocax and nearly growled at the insensitive statement. Though, he was not prepared to hear that Ocax liked him. It caught the Direnor off guard for sure. But... it probably was not in the way he was thinking. No, it was just as friends, wasn't it? Hospitable, friendly, fixing them food... of course it was. With an irritated frown, Seer took the sandwich and bit off a sizable chunk.

“Thank you. Was that so difficult?” Ocax let go as he watched Seer eat. “Do you like it?”

"... it would be better with peanut butter for the banana's sweetness or chocolate drizzle to compliment the raspberry's tartness." Seer managed to say with a mouthful. "But it is tasty otherwise."

Ocax was growing frustrated. Towa’s story about Seer was flustering enough, but this argument with the man was driving him crazy. “Swallow. Then speak. I’m glad you find my taste enjoyable.”

"Better than 'eating dicks and pussies' as you put it so eloquently. Certainly more nutritious." Seer was mad at Ocax for trying to tell him how to cope, how to feel, and most of all, felt like he was being played with. Again. This was going to be Adda all over again if he wasn't careful. The Twili weren't going to stay here, they were going to leave, Ocax would leave just like Bakura. There was no need to get attached. Wanting a lover just brought heartache.

“Of course it is.” Ocax sat down. After a moment, he gave a laugh. “A sex cult of all things... Towa needs to get back home.”

"... back to the Twilight Realm."

“Yes. I love her like family. She’s the most determined to get back home. You saw her today. She heard one little rumour of an old hall holding ancient magical texts, and she stormed that brothel right away. She thought the pillars held secret etchings. I want her to be happy. I want her to stop having nightmares of never returning home. She’s the only one who’s spirit can’t be settled here.”

"And you're going back with her, aren't you?"

“I don’t think I will.”

"Why?" Seer asked Ocax, expecting a halfhearted answer. "Find some of those dark, shadowy clouds you liked here better?"

“I don’t know. I’ve been in this world for nearly thirty years. Those beautiful clouds are just a memory now. I think it would hurt too much to go back. To confirm the most likely scenario that my lover and my family has long since moved on. That the Twilight Realm might seem too small. This world is so diverse. And it’s changed for the better. I’m going to give Towa her door back to our ancestral home, but I don’t think I’ll join her. So many of the others have settled in this world. Why not me too?”

"... if you have a family there, would you really think they would forget about you?" Seer felt his chest tighten at the recollections of when he was trapped, away from his girls. It was so painful to be away from them. Often, he thought it would be best if the twins deemed him dead. That way, they would not be hurt looking for him.

“Yes.” Ocax sounded bitter, almost angry with one single word.

"And you would forget them?

“I don’t need to see them again if that’s what you’re asking. I had a clan. My clan already came from bad history, so expectations were high on me. Imagine how they felt when I rose to gain political power through my occupation in mastering the law over others. On top of that, I was homosexual, so I wasn’t going to ‘share’ my power with a new generation. I had my lover, but he was only interested in me due most likely to my stature. I had one father as my closest blood relative as far as I can remember. He didn’t like that I worked to put my own needs before the rest of the clan. They thought I was another Zant in the making. So yes, I could forget them.”

"...sometimes, I suppose in your family, they can be the ones to hurt you the most."

“I think this is best. Stay in this world, and fade away into obscurity.”

"Well... minus the fading away part, you could always find happiness here. New families wouldn't hurt, right?"

“No one wants a being of twilight. I doubt any Hylian or Direnor would given your history with ‘disgusting dark beings’.” Ocax shook his head, sighing in self pity. He regretted talking about this topic. “Do me a favour. Forget this conversation. We can simply move on from all the awkwardness.”

"That's the biggest load of whaleshit I've ever heard." Seer felt for Ocax's chest and then poked it. "Everyone has flaws. Everyone deserves happiness." He then added as an afterthought, "There's no awkwardness here. Everyone needs someone to talk to."

“What? To you?”

"Sure, everyone needs someone to talk to. To rant, to rave, to cry with, to laugh with... I mean, it's only human."

“If you could look at me you wouldn’t call me human...”

Seer once again found Ocax's chest with a bump of his fingers, and then used both hands to smack on the man's face. "You got a heart and a soul, it don't matter what you look like." He told him, "I can't see, but that doesn't matter to me. Physical appearance isn't everything. It's how that person acts, how they treat others around them, how they love... that's the key."

Ocax yelled out like a chicken, turning to Seer in shock. “And how do you think I’ve treated people?”

"Well... from what I know, you treat Towa pretty nice. You haven't been too cruel to me." Seer shrugged. "Kanisa seems to like you. So, that's good enough for me."

“Do you like me?” Ocax asked a direct question.

"Like you?" Seer repeated. "Like as a friend? Or something more?"

“Just a yes or a no.”

"Then yes, I do like you."

Ocax felt a flush in his heart and he leaned in to kiss Seer, his lips pushing fondly against the blind man’s own. Once he was done, he pulled back, embarrassment starting to consume him. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t ask for your consent. That was unprofessional.”

Now, it was Seer's turn to be red in the face. He was at a loss for words.

"I... I um..." He cleared his throat and tried to keep from squeaking. "I... don't have complaints."

“You should. You should be angry with me.”

"Why?"

“I-I kissed you out of the blue! That’s not right of me to take advantage of you like that.”

"You're not taking advantage of me. Taking advantage of me is manipulating me."

“I... you’re really not angry with me?” Ocax leaned back into his chair.

"No, I'm not. I mean, in case you haven't noticed, I'm bisexual. Men and women are nice." Seer chuckled a little at hearing the surprise in Ocax's voice. "Does that... help?"

“Yes?” Ocax felt his hands get sweaty, clenching the chair handles tightly. The floor boards shifted as he tapped his feet nervously.

"Then good." Seer acted like this was not much of a big deal. After all, he had sex with Adda and... well, that went bad. Very bad. Then there were a few men at the Pleasure House that he enjoyed. Though, a relationship? That was... rare. "You don't have to worry you know."

“Why? Because my nerves are spiking.”

"Why?" Seer actually tilted his head, confused. "I'm just me."

“No ones liked me as...” Ocax trailed off. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to leave?”

"Liked you as what? I don't want you to leave, I want you to stay and explain yourself." Seer told Ocax. "Look, we both have our flaws, faults, and insecurities. But that doesn't mean I won't try to be there for you."

“I’ve haven’t been a relationship since home. It wouldn’t be right for me to just come into your life and uproot it. I’m a gentlemen, but also a stranger. Given your history it would be rude of me to be your.... I won’t do that to someone like you. I’ve made an embarrassment of myself. I had my companion terrify you in your state of privacy, forced you to eat my cooking, and then forced a kiss without your consent. Now don’t you lie to me and tell me you enjoyed that. Let me just gather my things and I can spare you my presence from intruding on you any longer.”

Now it was Seer's turn to make a move. Ocax was rambling and assuming things, not to mention, the man was not listening to a word he said. Even if the Twili did decide to leave at some point, even if he did not want a relationship, there was a chance now for some pleasure and quality time with another being. So, to shut Ocax up, Seer pulled the man closer, pushed him to the floor, and planted a deep kiss on his lips. "Shut up." Seer told him gruffly between kisses. "You overthink too much."

Ocax held Seer’s shirt tightly, shocked by the kiss. His tongue was lathered by Seer’s, and he was left breathing heavily. “W-what are you going to do about it?”

"Oh, I know a number of things to do to shut another up." Seer told Ocax. "Unfortunate skills I learned from the brothel... but actually serve me well now when seeking a lover."

“Specifics.” Ocax leaned back on the floor as the Direnor kept him pinned by sitting on his hips.

"I can make you see stars with my mouth, my fingers, or my body... take your pick." Seer then shrugged his shoulders. "Unless you still wish to leave..."

Ocax’s hands pulled Seer by his hips to scoot his body closer to his face. With a slight shake of his hands and no words, he unbuckled Seer’s pants.

"Well, what do you know, you can be quiet for once." Seer teased as Ocax messed with his belt.

Ocax grumbled, trying to mess with Seers pants. Finally get the man’s cock out, it clapped against the Twili’s cheek. The smell was like a drug to Ocax. Its scent was old, but familiar. And one his brain was telling him he lacked for far too long.

"Impatient, are we?" Seer asked the Twili, running his fingers through Ocax's hair. "You know, the appropriate place for this is the bedroom, but if you have a kink for the floor, I won't protest."

“I would like to not be pinned to the floor....” When Seer dangled to close, Ocax licked the man’s rod. With a light moan of pleasure that filled him, he opened his mouth, sucking on the tip. He felt like a young man in love again.

"Do you want to pin me---fuck!!!" Seer was not expecting such eagerness from Ocax. Then again, he had no clue how long it had been for the Twili. "Oh, by the gods and goddesses, that's good..."

“It is?” Ocax only paused to ask, quickly sucking once more. He purred as Seer played with his hair.

"I could..." Seer took a deep inhale. "Use many... four letter words---holy shit... to describe it..."

Ocax keep sucking, pushing Seer deeper and deeper down his throat. His eyes bulged when he felt a hot, salt fill his mouth. Pulling out, the Twili coughed as dripped cum from his lips. It wasn’t much do to Seer’s previous sex a few hours before, but it was still strong.

Seer did not mean to achieve his release so quickly, but Ocax had a tongue that rivaled those expert lovers in the Pleasure House. Either that, or he was just overly sensitive. He nearly fell forward, if it was not for the table next to him. He had to grasp the wood tightly to keep from losing his balance. After such mind blowing pleasure, it was difficult for his knees not to shake or legs to give out from him.

“Oh my lord.” Ocax finished swallowing and rubbed his jaw. It was rather sore due to being out of practice.

"I don't really consider myself any type of 'lord' or 'duke' or 'knight', but if you insist..." Seer said in a cheeky tone, a wide grin across his face.

“Aren’t you happy.” Ocax leaned back, trying to catch his breath.

"I'll be happier when I get to return the favor." Seer suggested with a purr. "I have to find out what you like best; what is that one spot that will make you just writhe."

Ocax shivered as he pulled his pants down. He wanted to know too. “You want me to stand or do you want to take me here?”

"I can fuck you like an animal or you take me anyway you desire," Seer pulled Ocax forward by a strand of the long hair. "I'm not known for being gentle... but I can let you take the reins if you prefer to have control."

The thought of Seer ravaging him made Ocax giggle with anticipation. “You? Ravage me? Oh dear~”

"Think I won't?" Seer asked Ocax as he curled his fingers tightly into the man's hair and pulled him closer, giving a long lick up the side of his cheek.

“I think I need you to stop talking with words, and instead demonstrate with action.”

"Safe word?"

Ocax thought it over for a moment. “Midna.” Might be disrespectful, but it was the first unique thing Ocax could think of.

"Midna it is." Seer gave no warning as he suddenly spun Ocax around and had the man halfway over on the table. The plates and cups clattered in protest at the harsh movement. While Seer did detest his time as a slave in the brothel, he did learn some tricks to cause his partner to see stars. First, it was feather light touches down Ocax's back. He had to get the man anticipating the pleasure, craving it. Little nips and kisses here and there were sure to stimulate the nerves of his body. Second, it was ghosting with touches near his hole, but never quite touching there or his length. He wanted Ocax to show his impatience, feel his body twitch with need. It was a sweet torment.

Ocax was out of practice. His time away from the touch of another man made him sensitive at every touch. The bites made red hot marks on his pale skin. Growling, he wished he wasn’t so desperate. “What are you waiting for?”

At the snarky growl, Seer pushed Ocax's face flat against the table.

"You'll get my dick when I say you can." For a small 'punishment' of sorts, Seer smacked Ocax's ass. "Now... are you going to be good?"

“Oh my lord!” Ocax bawked like a chicken once more. His mouth nearly watered at Seer’s forcefulness.

"I'll take that as a yes." Seer then rubbed his fingers over Ocax's entrance before slipping on inside, curling it upward.

Ocax threw his head up, pleasure and pain sending a shock up his spine and to his head. To his embarrassment, he came almost immediately. His cock spread its seed under the table. “Oh FUCK!”

"Reduced you to four letter words, I see..." Seer chuckled as he inserted another finger, making sure to wiggle the digits wildly.

“Shut uuuuuuuuooooooooooooooh goooooooood.” Ocax rolled a hand down his face. “Stop teasing…”

"Why? I may not be able to see you squirm, but I can certainly feel it," Seer whispered to Ocax. "The way your breathing picks up, the way you jerk, the way the dishes on the table rattle..."

Ocax couldn’t stop moving to disprove Seer. With a low, sounding cry, the Twili begged. “Please. It’s been too long. Give me what I crave.”

"A please? That's what I wanted to hear." Seer decided he'd reserve greater teasing for the next time of lovemaking. After all, he had a tendency to 'play' with his lovers. It usually brought both parties great pleasure. For now, he lined up his cock with Ocax's entrance and gently started to press inside of his lover. While he did love to be a tease, he did not care for pain.

Ocax gripped the edge of the table, his asshole burned from Seer’s girth, but he endured. His cock started to get hard again. “Keepittogether. Hell on earth, keep it together.”

"Who said you had to keep it together?" Seer draped himself over Ocax's back, running one hand down the man's throat while the other gripped at his length. "There's no need to keep control... lose it and feel bliss."

Ocax did as Seer suggested, and his mind threw itself into the abyss. The Twili man screamed, rocking his back into Seer.

Lovemaking was usually gentle but a rut was rough. Seer had many ruts in his lifetime, but was not complaining about the pleasure it brought, only the company. Now, he actually had someone who interested him, beneath him in the throws of passion. Gripping Ocax's shoulders, Seer barely allowed Ocax any room to wiggle away from his unrelenting thrusts.

“Seer! Oh Seer! Fuck! Fuck I’m-“

“Ocax is that-HOLY SHIT!” Towa stumbled in through the door, alerted by the noise. She hugged the wall behind her as she watched Ocax bent over the table.

Ocax came at the worst time, and as he tried to wiggle free in a panic, Seer hit the wrong spot. “AH-MIDNA! MIDNA!”

“WHY WOULD YOU SAY HER NAME IN THIS CONTEXT!?!”

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?!!”

“I CAME TO GET MY TOOTHBRUSH! SEER REALLY IS A SEX ADDICT!!!”

Ocax tried to stand, but a spike of pain hit him. “GET OUT! I HATE YOU! HE’S NOT A SEX ADDICT!!!”

“OK! OK!!!”

Towa ran off, leaving Ocax panting over the table from sex and anger.

At Ocax's sudden jerk upward, the back of his head hit Seer in the nose causing the blind man to give an unsightly yelp and stumble backwards. Between Towa's yelling and Ocax stridently shouting the safe word, all Seer knew was their rut had been interrupted. After Towa left, the Direnor tried to keep his groans to a minimum. He felt blood on his palm, but was a little more concerned by the shouting match that took place.

"... are you all right?" Seer asked as he felt around for the pants.

“No. I’m pissed.” Ocax couldn’t find the strength to pull himself up.

"At me or Towa?"

“What? You think I could be-?” Ocax groaned as he turned himself around. Grabbing Seer by the hand, he pulled the man to him, kissing him close. “You were magnificent.”

"I thought perhaps I hurt you. I apologize if I did." Seer smiled at the smooch and returned an affectionate nuzzle. "It's hard to be gentle sometimes. I'm not used to it, if that makes sense."

“I understand. Do you wish to simply sleep the rest of the night together?”

"If that is what you desire." Seer then said, "My bed is not as large as others, but I do not mind snuggling. My girls used to crawl into bed with me all the time when it was really cold."

“As long as they don’t do so now.” Ocax sighed contently. “Thank you for opening up to me.”

"I don't have much to offer, but I do have love." Seer told Ocax as he shut the front door and led the man into his bedroom. "Orcas take care of their own and look after one another. Come on," He crawled into the bed, making room for Ocax. "Get warm."

________________________________________________________________

Partner is @ridersoftheapocalypse

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/186973802976/blue-stream-ch-3-foreign-negotiations

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/188307062666/blue-stream-ch-5-alls-well-that-ends-well

#My fault taking forever to edit #Crossover story!#ridersoftheapocalypse #Seer #Ocax #Towa #Twili #Direnor #Revy #Seija #Gerudo #Gets pretty Rainbow up in here.

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felicityb-reviews · 6 years

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Review Roundup - February 2018 Week 1

Hello, my loves!! My name is Jace (aka Felicity B), and this is your Review Roundup for Week 1 of February 2018!!

So... Last Friday, I mentioned making some changes to my Review Roundup format. The reasoning being that as I've expanded my network of Korean music channels, It's become very clear to me that it's too difficult for me to write a substantial review of 25+ videos every week without each review mixing into the last. I've also come to realize that I can't include *every* song I find that happens to be in Korean, and that's fine!! Most songs are either ballads or OST ballads (which are even worse), and it's just not worth my time to flog those at you guys.

So, I'm gonna try to explain this to y'all as best as I can. It sounds more complicated than it is in practice, but I wanna give y'all an idea of what's going on.

I'm gonna present to you all the playlist of songs for the week. From there, you'll see a new segment called the Titacular Ten. Yes, I am aware "titacular" is not a word, but catch me not givin' a fuck in these streets. These guys are songs I enjoyed, but didn't like enough to put in the Fabulous Five. They'll be rated (*not* reviewed) according to my replayability scale.

And speaking of my rating scale, I've decided to add a new category called KoKoNotABop (because nothing brings me joy more than pissing off the stans of my favorite K-Pop group). This sits in between Conditional Replay and Trash Bomb with Shuffle Bait. I decided to add KoKoNotABop, because there wasn't really anything for those songs that weren't complete Trash Bombs, but fell short. I could enjoy these songs from time to time, but I wouldn't intentionally put them in a playlist, so I didn't want to call them Shuffle Bait. In short, I just wanted to expand the range of my extraness.

Moving on, you'll see the Honorable Mentions/Trash Bombs of the week after the Titacular Ten. The Honorable Mentions are tracks that didn't make it into the week's Fab Five, but I still wanted to speak on. And if you've seen my previous RRUs, you know what Trash Bombs are.

I haven't had to rated many songs as Trash Bombs, but that should be considered a small mercy. Y'all know how I get when I don't like a song

So!!

Let's get started!!

This Weeks' List

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The Titacular Ten

Saturn (Nevada51 featuring Gayoung Seo of Spy Girls)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

Perfectly Perfect (MxM of BRANDNEWBOYS)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

BLOCKED (Ash-B featuring Cherry Coke)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

Ballad of Full Speed (Evolution of Sound)

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Rating - Conditional Rotation

Grayish (JUNA)

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Rating - Conditional Rotation

Run Away (Mona)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

To the sky (CLC)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

If (Day6)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

Mi Amor (CoCoSori)

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Mi Amori Dance Practice

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Good Bye (Hong Jin Young)

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Rating - Heavy Rotation

Honorable Mentions

You Have a Crush On Me (No Brain)

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If you guys can believe it, this was the type of song I loved during my J-Pop days. Oh boy, does this take me back.

And yes, I do realize this song is literally a decade old. There are idols active in the industry that this song is older than. But I'm gonna need y'all to bring me some freshly prepared fucks to care.

The children deserve to know about No Brain!!

Crush On Me (sorry, that title is too long to be typing over and over) is a punk track that is fun, personified. Every time I queue up the song to play, I just wanna dance the night away~ have my own little party, dancing and singing along. And don't think that you can get away from this song unscathed, cause the hook (neon naege banhaesseo) will stick itself in your brain and torment you till you're singing along like a good little Baby Borgie.

No Brain is a band that I want every single NuGen K-Pop (2014/2015) fan to get into. Every single one of you. Cause while this band is hella talented (they've literally been in the game for twenty years), they don't write music to show it off. They write music because they fucking love it. And that's the best kind, sis. I could clock this song for a lot of things I'd clock a modern K-Pop song for, but I won't because this song is entirely too fun to be picked apart like a science experiment.

My main reason for including Crush On You was that I love how fun this song is, BUT!! I also wanted an excuse to include No Brain's collab stage with Lovelyz from the 2017 MBC Year End Song Festival.

Now *that* was a oollab stage, ladies.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

No Gravity (Yoon Mi Rae)

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Yoon MiRae is the OG Korean Female Rapper.

That's not my bias speaking (although it's definitely showing), I've never heard anyone speak ill of Mirae. NEVAH!! And I mean, why would they want to!?!?! She's magical. I literally can't say enough nice things about her.

I literally zone in on her and don't pay anyone else any mind when she's in a song. Whenever she's gracious enough to give us a solo, my wigs bow in reverence to her. I just love this woman so much. She can do no wrong in my book.

Gravity is a pre-release track from Mirae's upcoming Korean album. We have no word on what it's called or when it's dropping, but I already know it's amazing. Gravity is a midtempo rap ballad, and I usually find these cheesy af, but I really like Mirae's take on it. For those of you who've been YMR stans for a while, the vocals are arranged in Mirae's typical fashion - hard hitting rap verses, brackted in by Smoove™ vocals.

Yes, Mirae is the one who has your rap fave givin' Soulful Vocals™.

THANK!! HER!!

Gravity is just so nice, you guys. I don't know what it is about these Korean acts dropping really hopeful and healing tracks this year, but I want it to continue. These types of midtempos are usually reserved for Bad Days™, but I lowkey wanna listen to Gravity all the time. There's enough groove that it doesn't drag my mood down if I'm feelin' good, but at the same time, the uplifting vibe is great for everything kinda sucks.

Off Topic, but if y'all haven't heard Mirae's Black Happiness, I urge you!! It's S U C H a good song!! That's a song that's for the worst of days, sis.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Free Somebody (Luna of f(x) x HEDA)

youtube

I really do not understand what the point of this release was. Can someone from SM DM me on Twitter and explain. Cause sis, this shit made no sense to me.

Firstly, congratulations to Ms HEDA are in order!! If you weren't aware (like me), everysing (a Korean karaoke company) and Genie Music (SM Entertainment's distributor) ran a contest called Battle Singer to select a new feature vocalist for an upcoming Station release. Why SM didn't give her her own Station track, I'm not sure, but I rather liked the way she sounded here. So, I can't be too mad.

Wha I *am* mad at, however, is why SM decided to have Luna and HEDA do karaoke on one of the unused sets of Younha's Parade video, and releasing that shit as a single. Y'all couldn't call in nobody to produce these vocals?!?!?! Every single one of y'all vocal producers were busy?!?!?!

K...

I'm just so over SMSTATION releases varying in quality and effort spent. Some weeks, SM puts in the time and effort to rock that shit out, but then we also get lazy as fuck all releases like these. And I get it, there was a contest attached to this and we don't know if SM is gonna pull Ms HEDA back in for a round 2. I'm hoping they do, but SM is fickle. I just wish this release was up to the standard as Luna and Amber's Lower. Some of y'all thought that song was dry af, but at least the video was dynamic.

Rating - KoKoNotABop

The Fabulous Five

5. Mystery (Jalhyejun)

youtube

Mystery sounds like Lim Kim and Neon Bunny decided to team up for a song. They didn't, but if they ever did, I'd need at least three albums worth of material from it.

Mystery is a very cutesy synthrock song. It lowkey reminds me of something Puffy AmiYumi would do 2003/2004, but it mostly sounds like a bonus track on Neon Bunny's Seoulite. Not a bad thing; Puffy AmiYumi were literally my gateway into J-Pop fifteen years ago (I still listen to them), and Seoulite is one of the best Korean albums of 2011.

Mystery sounds like it belongs in a kids' show, and that's exactly why I like it. It's not anything crazy energetic, but it's really fun and every time I listen to it, it puts the biggest smile on my face. And because it isn't super in your face, you could also use it very peppy background music.

We love a versatile queen, sis.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

4. To Do List (Kim Hyorin)

youtube

Okay, sis... I was a lil nervous when I heard the teasers for this. Too many of my faves been droppin' ballads as digital singles, and then disappearing into the ether. Hyorin is my girl, but I will *always* put the music first.

Fortunately,I had nothing to worry about; Hyorin did with To Do List what Henry couldn't do with Monster. Give me an engaging ballad.

Hyorin's To Do List is the same flavor of stripped back ballad as Henry's Monster; it's just Hyorin's sweet vocals layered over a clean electric guitar. It's just that she can emote with her voice and is an overall better vocalist.

I'm finding that I really enjoying this style of ballad. There's just an unexpected element to having a song be just electric guitar and vocals, ya know?!?! Like I mentioned above, I was very unsure about Hyorin making her solo debut under her own agency with a song like this, but I can see why she did it. Ballads do stupidly well in Korea, so Hyorin was catering to that market. BUT ALSO!! There's enough spunk here to keep the more adventurous crowd happy.

Of course, Hyorin could also sing me the dictionary, and I'd be like, "YASSS KWEEN!! BUILD THE CHILDREN'S VOCABULARY!! TAKE EVERY SINGLE OF MY WIGS, GODDESS!!".

So what do I know?!?!

Rating - Heavy Rotation

3. Unstoppable (The Night Of Seokyo x Minju)

youtube

I normally don't include covers on this list, and I definitely wouldn't put them in the Fab Five. But y'all, this fucking cover. I really wish they covered the entire song, because it's fucking M A G I C A L

Which only makes sense, because the original is even more magical, but still...

Minju and the Night of Seokyo's Unstoppable is a cover of Lianne La Havas's 2015 song Unstoppable. I have no idea why I don't know this song or artist, because they're both magical. I already said Unstoppable was magical, but I'm gonna say it again!! This song is so good!! Can I live in the feeling this song creates?!?! I'd enjoy that a lot, sis. It's just so calm and healing, and I need that to be my energy for all of 2018.

And Ms Lianne, y'all. My wig toppled off my head the first 30 seconds of the song, because ma'am looks like a Black goddess. Can I be her when I grow up?!?!?! She looks so cool, and her music is just so nice. God, I love just Black women, you guys. They're so amazing, and they never get credit for always being ahead of the curve (as mentioned in my Nega Dola review). But I love Black women. I wouldn't be who I am today without Black women. None of us would. And I think it's time that we acknowledge that!!

So now that I've gotten that out of my system (we are unapologetically stanning Black women in 2018 and beyond, sis), let's discuss the Night of Seokyo and Minju's cover of Unstoppable. Absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking. I felt like I was floating. I usually don't care for covers, because 90% of them fall into two categories - a) indistinct from the original because they do everything the original does and b) complete and total trash because they did Too Much™ when reinterpretting it. But Minju and the Night of Seokyo strike the perfect balance - the rearrangement for piano and vocal does Just Enough™ to stand out on it's own without feeling like it's fucked up the vibe of the song.

I really should have just done a standalone review of this cover, since I *clearly* have so much so say on it, but it's just so good. A very big thank you to my girl sunnysidae who found the original version for Unstoppable for me. You're the best, sis!!

Rating - Heavy Rotation

2. Baby Funk (Yoo Naul of Brown Eyed Soul)

youtube

Y'all.

Everything about this song n video is so Black!! I'm Shook™!!

I don't know Brown Eyed Soul that well, so I really thought Naul was the Black dude in the video. Thought BES had a whole ass (well, half ass) nigga in the group!!

Baby Funk's name is a little misleading - the only thing Funky about her is that guitar line (and the beatswitch that happens towards the end). But that's fine!! We love a good throwback to the Soul tracks of the '90s!!

I really don't know what to say, but tbh I really shouldn't have to - y'all *know* I L I V E for a good RnB/Soul track. And Baby Funk definitely delivers, babies!! I'm not gonna lie, the video did put me a off little, at first; I can't help but be suspect of the dynamic here. But you know, I'm just gonna receive this blessing, and keep it pushing. Naul made a love letter to Black culture with Baby Funk, and I Appreciate™.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

1. Blind (Planetarium Records)

youtube

Trigger Warning - intense strobe lighting effects are used in the live showcase video

One of these days, I'm gonna need to learn these dudes' names. Especially since they refuse to stop terrorizing my wig collection with their group albums.

Sidenote - whoever decided to bait n switch my Black ass with them teasers, ya mama's a heaux. And I expect a full version of T.M.N.T with vocals on Case#3!! That shit is too good to just be an intro!!

*ahem*

When I first saw the teasers for Planetarium's CASE#1, I didn't think much of it. I thought they were an EDM label, number 1. And number 2, teasers didn't really give me anything to be excited about. But they blasted onto the scene with Blah, which had me eatin' my words a lil. I didn't include ha in my Fab Five for that week, but I was definitely paying attention to them Planetarium boys. And then came a live video of Glue (which I did put in my Fab Five), and now Blind.

Blind is a very clear 180 from the very fun, very tropical themed Blah. But catch these niggas drivin' off into the sunset with my wig, because I am B A L D T.

Blind is an intense synthpop track with a slight RnB tilt. Which is to be expect, because Planetarium is an RnB/Hip Hop label. But guys, this song is just S O G O O D. If every idol boy band in K-Pop *has* to do overly series tracks because They're Super Serious Boys Who Very Serious All The Time Seriously™, I'm gonna need them deliver tracks on this level.

Show me you have soul, not that you have abs. I've seen enough shirt lifts to last me a lifetime, kids.

On top of giving us a music video that's a continuation of Blah, the Planetarium boys have also provided us with a live showcase video that you can watch here. Be mindful that there is intense strobing effects during the chorus bits.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Alright loves, that's all I've got for you guys this week!! I hope the change in format isn't jarring, but I needed to do something to alleviate some of the work that goes into these lists. Cause pretty soon, I'm not gonna have the gobs and gobs of free time that I have now to do them, on top of my standalone reviews. My SHINee Feature Spotlight series has been halted, for now, but tune in on Friday at 12pm and 6pm EST for a special surprise. And be sure to tune in on Monday at 6pm EST for me full length review of the week.

Love, you guys!!

#Planetarium Records #Naul #The Night of Seokyo #Hyorin #Jalhyejun #Minju #Brown Eyed Soul #Review Roundup #review #Felicity B

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

Text

Ramblings: Henrik Panic? (Feb 9)

Henrik Lundqvist’s miserable couple of weeks have fantasy owners panicked. I am currently in trade talks with the Lundqvist owner in my 14-team one-year league. His other goalie is Devan Dubnyk and he wants a piece of my Andrei Vasilevskiy/Connor Hellebuyck/Carter Hutton trio. I sense an opportunity here.

Mind you, my team is barely hanging in the playoff chase because I went deep on goaltenders and for a while the wrong ones. I need offense. Good spot for a win-win trade as he’s loaded with guys like Johnny Gaudreau, Nikita Kucherov, Jonathan Marchessault (who I dropped after a slow first few games, OOPS!), Sean Couturier and Anze Kopitar. We’ll see what shakes out.

The takeaway: consider approaching the Lundqvist owner if you are loaded in goal. His apparent demise is perfectly timed with fantasy hockey trade deadlines rapidly approaching.

Brad Marchand returned from his suspension resetting the Bruins’ lines to normal:

#1 27.4% BERGERON,PATRICE – MARCHAND,BRAD – PASTRNAK,DAVID

#2 18.6% DEBRUSK,JAKE – KREJCI,DAVID – SPOONER,RYAN

#3 18.1% CZARNIK,AUSTIN – KURALY,SEAN – SCHALLER,TIM

#4 18.1% BACKES,DAVID – HEINEN,DANTON – NASH,RILEY

That top line is unreal, and they’ve been able to keep it together because of the emergence of guys like Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk. These guys would be Cup favourites if they had taken Mat Barzal with one of those three straight first rounders with which they took DeBrusk, but at least they got a good one out of that group. Unless you are a Bruins fan, you thank the hockey gods that they didn’t take Barzal. The potential rookie cohort of Heinen, DeBrusk, Barzal and Charlie McAvoy would have rivalled the trio Toronto boasted last season.

Heinen, by the way, extended his scoring streak to three games, but was almost entirely shut out of PP usage.

Boston is a team I am high on in general due to a favourable schedule during head-to-head playoffs. We didn’t luck out with the Bruins/Panthers game getting injected into the standard H2H playoff window from March 5-25. In fact, with that game now slated for the day after the season was slated to end, many leagues may not extend to that extra date. That extra game may not be meaningful anyhow. The Bruins could be fully locked into their spot by then and looking to rest guys for the playoffs.

In any case, the Bruins play 11 games from March 5-25, one of just six teams with that many games. If you’re talking trades these guys are ones to load up on, though it may be too late. Bergeron is as hot a goal scorer as you’ll find with 16 goals in the last 19 games.

I scooped up Anton Khudobin this week to take advantage of Boston’s two back-to-backs. One is out of the way with Khudobin earning a win, but he’ll get one more for sure with another back-to-back this weekend. Next week is a shallow week for Boston with just two games, but you could pull this trick again on the week of February 19-25.

Khudobin would be worth more if Tuukka Rask weren’t on an incredible run having lost just two games since the start of December, neither in regulation. So take advantage of these rare back-to-back opportunities where you can.

More heroics from Frederik Andersen:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FREDDY <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RogersNHLLive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RogersNHLLive</a> <a href="https://t.co/YvHUFFx4Cu">pic.twitter.com/YvHUFFx4Cu</a></p>— Rogers NHL LIVE (@RogersNHLLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogersNHLLive/status/961438564180348928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>

I don’t know if eyes have groins, but I think I pulled my eye groin watching that.

Freddie clearly showing no ill-effects of that skate to the head that knocked him out of Monday’s action stopping 44 of 46 shots for a shootout victory.

Some telling info on how Kasperi Kapanen will be used in the near future:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mike Babcock on message to Kapanen about being on PK last year: <br><br>"Well, I just said, 'That's the way you're going to play in the NHL.' We've told Borgy the same thing. You're not playing on the PP so better find a way to make yourself important."</p>— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) <a href="https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/961450533478256640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>

That shouldn’t instill too much confidence for fantasy owners, but at least it appears that Kapanen is here to stay. His speed dynamic fits right into today’s game and could make him a Grabner-esque threat if he isn’t going to get a more offensive role.

More magic from Connor McDavid:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/cmcdavid97?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cmcdavid97</a> never ceases to amaze. <a href="https://t.co/m8fKEdrm0m">pic.twitter.com/m8fKEdrm0m</a></p>— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLGIFs/status/961463111927697413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>

The highlight reel McDavid is compiling against Drew Doughty is single-handedly going to drive him to the Leafs in next summer’s free agency.

McDavid is now alone in third in league scoring, just three back of Nikita Kucherov. Is there any doubt that he’ll catch Kucherov?

We saw a potentially lethal trio of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi last night, but I have little confidence in any line sticking for the Oilers.

Stacking the lines like that won’t do any good for the ice-cold Milan Lucic who hasn’t scored a goal since before Christmas. His goalless run is up to 16 games, a stretch in which he has only three assists. This is year two of a seven-year $42M pact that everyone knew was horrible before the ink was dry. Lucic did hit the post twice last night, so he’s getting chances, but I am uninterested if he’s not skating with McDavid.

Tyler Toffoli is suffering through a similar drought now having failed to score a goal in 11 straight games. He has just one assist in that stretch. I wonder if there’s an underlying injury here, because he has been skating with Anze Kopitar quite a bit. His PP time does come and go, but he was on the top unit last night.

Toffoli started out very strong with 17 goals and 29 points through the first 41 games of the season, mostly without Jeff Carter so we can’t use that excuse. Sure, scoring has slowed after a crazy first month, but it’s not like Toffoli’s scoring came from the big PP boost we saw at the start anyhow. I’m at a loss to explain this one so perhaps the move is to try and buy off of a panicky owner.

Shea Weber skated for the first time since December, but still does not have a timeline for his return.

It’s worth mentioning how much Montreal’s power play has improved without Weber:

Since Weber was sidelined on Dec. 16, the Canadiens have iced one of the best man-advantages in the league, with a 12.7-per-cent improvement in scoring efficiency. It’s not that Weber is a bad player on the power play — in fact, he’s excellent — but the Canadiens tended to use him as a crutch during the man-advantage. With Weber out of the lineup, they’ve been forced to diversify their strategies and become a little more creative.

Check out their top scorers from this 20-game stretch:

Points

PPP

PPP%

Max Pacioretty

40%

Jeff Petry

57%

Alex Galchenyuk

54%

Brendan Gallagher

36%

Paul Byron

20%

Jonathan Drouin

56%

Charles Hudon

43%

I doubt anyone will argue that getting Weber back would help the Canadiens. I do wonder if getting him back and deploying him back on the power play is a mistake. This could drastically reduce Weber’s fantasy value, but could help some of their forwards, particularly if Weber can help the team improve at 5-on-5. This could be particularly helpful to power-play reliant guys like Drouin and Galchenyuk.

Here’s the skinny on the Panthers’ goaltending situation:

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlaPanthers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlaPanthers</a> have sent Sam Montembeault back to AHL Springfield. Reimer should be good to go on Friday, but guessing Sateri stays in net.</p>— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidDwork/status/961303219396804608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2018</a></blockquote>

I was a noted non-believer in Harri Sateri, but I always note that ANY goaltender can go on a hot run. With only six goals allowed on a four-game winning streak, this has been his.

Jonas Brodin is set to miss 3-4 weeks with a broken hand. He hasn’t been overly relevant for fantasy owners but had scored eight points in 14 games since the start of January. That mini hot streak is dead now and the options to replace him (Mike Reilly and Gustav Olofsson) leave a lot to be desired. Perhaps we will simply see more of Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter.

Alex Burrows was suspended for 10 games for his fit of insanity against Taylor Hall the other night. Fully deserved. Burrows isn’t particularly fantasy relevant, but his absence could be enough to keep Colin White in the lineup as Mark Stone and Derick Brassard appear set to return soon.

Goodies from Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts:

19. Opponents can see that Ryan Kesler is really gutting it out.

We all knew it would take Kesler some time to get back to full speed, but we’re over a month into his return and it is not yet working out. His minutes have dropped significantly from 21:18 to 17:49 per game, the latter being the fewest the multi-purpose forward has averaged since his early Canuck years.

His peripherals remain strong averaging roughly 1.0 PIM, 1.0 blocked shots, 2.0 hits and 2.0 SOG per game, but the latter two categories have typically been stronger. Where fantasy owners have really felt it is in a lack of scoring, where he has only seven points in 18 games. That’s a sub-40-point pace, although not far enough off to be damning. In a lot of leagues even a 40-point pace will send you to the waiver wire, but in multi-category settings he offers enough that even just that level of scoring will have him relevant.

Particularly damning against Kesler is a reduction in power play time, where he scored 20 points, a third of last season’s total production. Adam Henrique has effectively grabbed those minutes and may not give them up.

The real concern is long-term, however. Father time comes for every player, and it is impressive that Kesler had as good of a season as he did at age 32. Now 33 and gritting through coming off of hip surgery, is Kesler pushing himself towards a debilitating condition that won’t go away?

I’ve got Kesler in a keeper league where I am rebuilding, and I’m just going to hang onto him unless I get a return reflective of the multi-category monster that Kesler can be. It’s a better gamble than accepting the reduced offers reflective of his injury situation.

As for one-year folks. If Kesler’s strong floor of multi-category offerings aren’t doing enough for you, then he’s looking more like waiver fodder.

11. Three others to keep an eye on: Chicago needs cap relief. With Brandon Saad dropped down the lineup, wonder if they look to give him a fresh start somewhere else. Another who fits the same profile is Boone Jenner of Columbus. He’s shooting 4.4 per cent, by far the worst of his career.

I’m wary of giving up on unlucky players, but the Blue Jackets have major contractual decisions to make and he’s up after this season. He’s arbitration-eligible, too. Arizona’s Tobias Rieder is another arbitration-eligible player. His numbers are down and he was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, but there’s more there. Not sure those are in-season moves, but they stick out to me.

I’m not so interested in Rieder, but both Saad and Jenner are buy low options I’ve discussed all season.

Like Kesler above, both Saad (shot-volume) and Jenner (shot-volume, hits and PIM) have a history of decent scoring and tremendous multi-category value. This year may not be the year for them, but both are plenty young enough (25 and 24 respectively) to bounce-back big.

The Blackhawks decision to trade Artemi Panarin to get Saad back isn’t looking great, but it’s worth mentioning that both players are suffering through sub-standard performance, at least in terms of 5-on-5 production:

Saad

Panarin

2015/16

2.23

2.14

2016/17

2.28

2.15

2017/18

1.67

1.78

The main difference for these two has been in power-play production where Panarin leads the Blue Jackets with 13 PP points, while Saad has just one PP point.

Perhaps this was predictable. Saad has never been a strong power play guy, while Panarin put up 41 PP points in two seasons with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have tried Saad a ton on their power play, but it hasn’t worked. Outside of the loss of Corey Crawford, the main contributing factor to the Blackhawks’ dwindling playoff odds is a feeble power play sitting at 29th in efficiency.

I’d contend that the theory behind the deal still holds. Power play performance can vary quite a bit from year to year, so struggles in this area shouldn’t hinge on the impact of one player. Plus, the Blackhawks had plenty of skill guys like Nick Schmaltz, Alex DeBrincat and Vinny Hinostroza capable of filling in for a good chunk of Panarin’s special teams value.

Saad was brought in to help elevate Jonathan Toews, and while he hasn’t held up his end of the bargain, there was no foreseeing a player who scored at a first-line rate for his entire career suddenly falling off at 25. The fact that Saad is under contract for three more years versus Panarin’s one made this a longer-term bet for the franchise as well. It would seemingly be myopic for them to now consider flipping him at the lowest level of his career, not dissimilar to what the Oilers did with Jordan Eberle.

I would bet strongly on Saad rebounding to above 2.0 points/60 at 5-on-5 next season. He may even get back to offering some modest value as a secondary PP guy (think 5-10 PP points). That would be enough to push him back into the mix as a 50-55 -point guy with 200+ shot value. That type of production is relevant in most every league.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No coach has been fired in the NHL yet… and that's rare. In every season since 1966-67, there has been at least one coaching change by this point in the season. (per <a href="https://twitter.com/EliasSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EliasSports</a>)</p>— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) <a href="https://twitter.com/emilymkaplan/status/961278560290918402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2018</a></blockquote>

Typically, teams have to hit unsustainable lows for a coach to get fired. I wonder if GMs have caught on?

Thanks for reading! You can follow me @SteveLaidlaw.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-henrik-panic-feb-9/

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saynoutodrugs · 7 years

Text

To you I

To you I dedicate this poem this self referential misanthropy

To you I dedicate Alfian Sa’at mumbled to the open sea I give you broken sonnets miscalculated meters everything that screams amateur job

I give you wanders through green zones in a business world I give you car rides guess the composer ramen in orchard

I give you crushed cigarettes shared bus rides to lies meeting my friends know your music don't know your name

To you I dedicate braces my academic interests are mainly before bed Buddhism pleasures but temporary I give you things that make no sense

To you I give run on sentences enthusiasm for literary criticism I give you half drunk and half burgers midnight sights over the city secret garden lost souls

I give you secret codes obscure references I give you abstractions of my mind I give you planes of references for which you have no use

To you I dedicate my pensive moments train rides letters upon letters to you mistakes upon mistakes To you I dedicate how everything always comes out jumbled

To you I dedicate coconut drinks in martini glasses I dedicate thick green shirts in hot weather to you I dedicate filler words and awkward standing

I dedicate pointless crying and more walks through bishan to you I dedicate empty timelines and midnight ball dances odd pouts into the distance miscalibrated words you will never see

To you I offer aeroplanes over girl with waving head lying on park bench lying on floor feeling sick Sociopath to sociopath to autistic fuck I offer mutual friends I offer the chance to meet someone new

To you I give stream of consciousness James Joyce loving Mad Men two girls twice pretentious I give you words strung together trying too hard

To you I give damn T type heartlessness Perpetual misunderstandings and unshared silences to you I give the boys will always be competitive what’s this about

To you I offer latent dream content twice removed thrice substituted to you I offer my dirtiest kinks homoerotic shock value

To you I dedicate line breaks and grief in all its shades

For you I break rules to say I love your shoulder and lack of consistency disguised as authenticity To you I give nothing is real

For you I hold epistemic black boxes Warm bosoms warm morning showers To you I dedicate ghost girls and why does mike only talk to girls To you I dedicate more references nobody will get

To you I give trying to make sense and to you I give jet fuels my broken picture on the wall I give what do you care I give fool making I give you 24/7 misanthropy services

To you I give trying to get Quentin Tarantino I give 10pm curfews I give you Phoenix Park to you I give bagels for breakfast and I give you new haircuts

To you I give I prefer the coiff I give you lone street light empty walk down I give you mindef I give you snails named after philosophers I give you tragic backstories and references that hurt

To you I leave good old egotism To you I leave Paris, both, was that me To you I give I don’t want to keep in touch

To you I give almost nothing to resonate with I give you crushed teenage dreams To you I give everything that confuses to you I give self destructive tendencies To you I give the holy trinity

For you I have thoughts that still linger neck cranes through bench For you I leave all my poignancy for you I leave life is hard

For you I have I also wrote a short story I have undertones and undermeans and undermensch In you I have an eternal muse in you I have twenty lone street lights twenty used condoms twenty instagram followers eyes popped

In you I have a time bomb I have soon to be gone I have awkward nonbyes In you I have scattered across the seven seas to create depth In you I have words strung shoulder to shoulder

In you I have walks through Chinese Garden nasi lemak eaten weird In you I have high pitched voices with three gyms in Oriel In you I have little white lines

To you I leave montages I give you dirty scumbags and famous names old Chinese KTV songs Sergeant Chicken Rice Encik Tan the great Uber Futures Market

To you I give cancer autism PS Cafe To you I give toning it down to you I give no I don’t to you I give character development I give you honesty in all its flaws

Along with rushes down Golden Mile night drives I give Deserts and terrible parallel parking I give many bright lights I give Maxwell beers I give my first cigarette I give all my frustration

I give nothing of any worth I give everything you might not want I give Linguistic jokes mid sex for you I dedicate the longest obfuscation since Hitler I give dedicated to destroying me I give off the tip of my tongue

I damn your social climbing your moonlighting your ghostlighting Your fake friends fake orgasms fake status fake life fake cock I give you bitter tastes on the cusp of fake smiles I give you airbnbs

I give you social isolation and not liking anyone I give you holes to climb into for you I’ve saved space inside bagel factories and the way some people walk

I give you honouring your grandparents and the eternal flux I give you deadlines I give you how things change and how things are never the same I give you never ending circles

I give you Great Gatsby I give you Malaysia, twice I give you imprints blooming into youth I give you people I forget to remember I give you walks near Starbucks I give you Chilli’s I give you Myrth

I give you couple walking into distance I give you fucking chicken wings I give you sick undertones and saints and seas and I give you that one person at a party not having fun I give you unison between mind and body and everything holistic and I hope you die

I give you turning red in the face I give you secret societies I give you hugs from behind I give you my deepest jealousy I give you my deepest roots

I give you one like I give you different moods I give you walks down Bras Basah I give you walks down Dempsey I give you Yio Chu Kang I give you everything happens for a reason I give you things I can’t let go

I give you warm jazz and lights as you hug me to sleep I give you everything that means to I give you twelve stories  I give you things that aren’t so clear

I give you paranoid schizophrenia I give you adventure time references I give you freudian slips I give you the easy way out I give you being wrong about everything

You give me unjokes and inconsistency you give me panicked texts you give me dwelling on the negative You give me needing to explain myself you give me the other you give me blockades in neurosis you give me nothing is over yet

You give me This is a catharsis you give me hardened hearts you give me Realpolitik and bad philosophy and you give me smiling at you walks to Far East random lunch two hour comics rounds in supermarkets

You give me autistic Austrians you give me taxi driver dads burn bridges you give me forced laughter you give me you drooling into your food passed out drunk you give me borgie watch fairs you give me red flags and bad boys

For you I have everything that you could ever need For you I have oh yes indeed For you I have fires popped tires floppy cock in your morning brew

For you I have Israel and blasphemy and terrible tendencies To you I have my inner nature I have everything bad But you oh you

You have flopping about in yoga pants macbook get an interview you have midnight macdonalds golden KTVs you give me haunts in every spectre you give me little left to say you give me a hole into which words ever fall you give me this isn’t the end

To you I give plagiarized Brian Patten Teenage poetry no one reads to the end I give you a photo book with everything missing I give you everything I don't want and everything I have left

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mrneighbourlove · 5 years

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Cruel Red Sea: Ch 7. Shock Recovery

The night passed, and turned into day. Bakura couldn't believe that Adda had actually left. He suppose she wanted to take care of her crew though. The last he saw was a huge gust of wind lift the ship out of the water, and fly just barely above the waves. She must have put in overtime conducting the Wind Waker.

Seer's family managed to fetch him from the sea. The blind man was gravely wounded and required immediate care. It took some time, but Naira managed to heal him along with the help of the mages who provided medicine and first aid. His heart muscle was inflamed and damaged, but he would live. Slowly but surely, he would be able to resume some since of normalcy, but not be able to withstand major strains upon his heart.

Rat sat in a chair beside Seer, refusing to leave his friend's side. Naira had healed him and promised to let him know when Seer woke, but Rat was having none of that. He would stay, no matter how long it took. Three days, and four nights passed before Seer roused from his slumber.

"Nnn..." Seer mumbled trying to focus his thoughts.

"Seer!" Rat jumped up from his place on the floor. He had to get some rest at some point, and decided sleeping on the floor was perfectly fine. "Seer! It's me... how do you feel?"

"... m... mmy... girls..."

"They're okay, they're okay."

Scarlet felt incredibly awkward staying after Adda attacked Seer and his pod. Major injuries had occurred from her using the Wind Waker. A few people even MIA. But she did her best to be supportive. Hearing Rat scream in excitement, she timidly knocked on the door. "Is Seer ok?"

"He's a little out of sorts." Rat replied as Seer mumbled incoherent words. "I think the a-painkillers Naira gave him made him a little loopy." He then asked. "Are the twins okay?"

"Mmmmy girrrrllss..." Seer slurred his words.

"They're okay, Seer, please just try to rest."

"Yes, Lex is moody, but Revy is trying to keep both of them in good spirits."

"Eh, nothing new there." Rat shrugged his shoulders. "Seer? You want some water?" He held up a cup to the man's lips. "Come on, a-drink a little for me. There we go, down the hatch..." Once the cook had taken a few sips, his blind eyes kept drooping. Even though he had slept for a few days, his body was exhausted. "Better?"

"Mhhmmhmm..." Seer managed to mutter.

"Good, good, just rest. I'll tell the twins to come see you after while, okay?"

"Mhhmmhhm." Seer dozed off into sleep again, snoring softly.

"... sweet goddesses." Rat sighed, his whole body relaxing slightly. "I was afraid we were going to a-lose him."

Scarlet nodded, never quite meeting Rat's gaze. She knew it was wrong to still have feelings for him, but she did. And she didn't know if he still hated her. "I-I'll make sure Revy is doing alright. Than I'll let you two go see Borghild. I suppose you'll want me to find a ship out of here soon."

"Nay, I'mma stay here with Seer for a while longer." Rat shook his head. "Borghild and Revy will be good company to you." He fixed Seer's blankets and replaced the rag on his head with a fresh one. "Look, Scarlet... you a-hurt me and Revy by leaving. I... never read your letters. I didn't want a-false hope. It's so much more than cruel hope. Saying you'll be free one day," He thought about his past when he was a gladiator. How many times did his boss promise freedom only to say it would never happen? "But always end up back in a-chains. You're here now and my Reveka wants to a-know you. She's better than me at forgiveness, she's got her mother's sweet heart." He paused and then added. "And I don't mean Borie's heart... I mean yours."

Scarlet flushed, taken by complete surprise. "R-rat. I.... I don't know what to say."

"Look, Scarlet, we all make mistakes. We's all a-human." Rat admitted. "Perhaps Reveka is right and I's being too harsh. I want to a-forgive you but... it's hard. Most of all, I don't want to see my Revy upset. If keeping her happy means you staying here, then that's a-fine with me." He said very quietly. "I cannot stand to see my little wee one sad."

"I don't want her to sad either... Can.... can you try to forgive me? So I can forgive myself?"

"If you give me time, perhaps I can." Rat told Scarlet softly. "I's need time."

"I... I understand." Scarlet brushed the hair out of her eyes. "You know anyone who'd like a strong axe swinging Gerudo here?"

"Heh, Revy does, if that answers your question." Rat added a few more logs to the fire to keep the room warm for Seer. "Though as far as single men? I'm pretty sure there's a-few who would fancy a strong woman."

"Hmmm. I should talk to ya about how Liz and Lex are doing so you can tell Seer."

"Oh? News about the wee ones?"

Scarlet took Rat's hand and lead him to a separate room away from Seer. "Meeting Adda has made big effects on them Rat."

Rat stood in the doorway, still wanting to be able to keep an eye on Seer.

"I's expected no less."

"Lex is angry in a rebellious way. Liz in a cold way. Seen both this behaviour in their mother."

"Hmm... I can't honestly say I's ever had this problem with Reveka." Rat rubbed the back of his neck. "She's such a sweet little thing."

"I know. But both need a mother in their life. Lex has been making drawings of being a pirate and dressing up as one. I think she really felt cheated she couldn't even talk to Adda."

"Lex doesn't understand that Adda is dangerous, could have put her in danger with all this war and fighting and plundering." Rat really did not know what to do. "Either way, Bakie's still here. Maybe she'll be sort of content at least getting to talk to him."

Scarlet looked at him in worry. "Those girls don't need another dad. They need a mom Rat. Gerudo girls can live without fathers. It's our mothers who shape us."

"Then I's lost for an answer." Rat gestured to Seer. "Direnors select mates based on their ability to survive. Seer... doesn't have much going for him. His family helps take care of him, but as far as a mate, he's had not one woman approach him. Even if one did show interest, Seer has always put his girls first."

"Then he better be more strict with them until they hit eighteen. After that... who knows. I think Liz will shut herself off and never let anyone close. Or worse, hurt those she lets close. And Lex... well knowing us Gerudo, you better get her man who can take care of all her needs here, or she might go after her mother."

"What do you suggest Seer do, Scarlet? He's done the best he can." Rat looked at his sleeping, injured friend. "It hasn't been easy for him, either. I... don't know how to help him."

"You never tried to cure his blindness?"

"No, his retinas were damaged severely when he was a slave." Rat shuddered visibly. "By a hot poker. That's why there's so much scar tissue around his eyes. If someone were to attempt to heal them, Seer would have a sensory overload, or worse a mental breakdown. His brain wouldn't be able to process the information. Dat's what they told me."

"That sounds like hogwash. Bet if you ever tracked down a great fairy, he'd be fine..." Scarlet sighed. "I know he's your friend, but in his condition... I don't know how well he'll function Rat."

"It's what the doctor in Hyrule said." Rat did not think Doctor Boveir had any reason to lie. "Seer would like have to... learn everything all over again, almost. Like he'd be holding a cup, but his brain would have to tell his eyes that it's a cup. Evidently, the doctor had seen it before." Unfortunately, Rat had to agree with Scarlet on this. "Aye, I know, Scarlet. Yet, Seer won't give up. He wants to be here with his girls... and the aftermath," He took a slow inhale. "We'll deal with it when it comes."

"Ok..." Scarlet didn't think anything by it when she gave him a hug. "You gonna be ok?"

"Aye, I'll be fine. These wounds won't hold down the old 'Renegade' for long." Rat gently patted her back at the hug. "You check on the twins, Reveka, and Borgie for me? Tell them I'm still with Seer. Oh!" He then remembered. "And Bakie too. He's a sneaky bastard."

"I don't think that's his name. But will do."

When Seer got better, both his girls checked on him. They seemed distant, but both thanked him for saving them from the cold water. Lex seemed precise on that it was the cold water, and not Adda, she was saved from. Liz pulled on Seer's shirt. "Do you need a heart transplant?"

"Heh, no sweetheart, I don't need a heart transplant." Seer assured Liz with a weak smile. It was still taking him a while to get back on his feet. He tired easily and had to rest more often than he liked. It was even a chore to chop vegetables for dinner. Slowly, he was easing back into his usual routine. "It's just a deep wound with some damage. I'll be back to my usual self in no time, but I'll just have to be a little more careful. So don't make me chase you around too much." He said in good humor. "Woe is me when you start chasing boys. I'll have to buy a horse to keep up with you and your sister."

Liz quivered her lip. "Is there nothing we can do? You're in worse shape than ever Dad."

Lex stopped drawing at the table to look at Seer. Her Daddy had been terribly injured. Why the hell did he have to play hero?

"Sweetie, sweetie, please don't cry." Seer could smell the salt on her face, and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "Your Daddy indeed is in bad shape, but that doesn't mean he can't get better. Until death comes for him, he promises he's going to be here to take care of you both. Nothing is going to change that." He sat down on at the table and motioned for Liz to join him. "But first... we all need to talk."

"I don't want you to always take care of us. Why can't you take care of yourself as well?" Liz dried her tears best she could before she had a meltdown. Lex put down her drawing to pay attention to her dad.

"Elizabeth, that's the duty of a parent." Seer patted her head gently, kissing it. "To always care for their kid, until the kid can take care of his or herself. You and your sister still need me. So until you're grown and gone with a family of your own, I'll be here in any way I can." He set aside the cane he had been using to keep his balance. "Now... there's some things I'm going to say, and I'm going to say my piece and then you can. Understood?"

"Yes Daddy."

"Yes Dad."

"I know we all view things differently, and that's okay. You're allowed to have an opinion. However, you both are not allowed to do whatever you want, including putting yourselves in risky situations." Seer took a steady breath. "I know you are both mad at me, and that's all right. Lex, I know you feel that I took away a chance to meet your mother. Liz, I know you feel that I've been keeping secrets." He paused again to catch his breath. "Though I did what I did for good reasons. I wanted to protect you both. I was afraid of letting you get hurt." He sighed, clasping his hands together. "I was wrong to keep secrets from you. I honestly did not know you were mine until a few years ago, so for that, I am sorry. Though I swear I will keep treating you well and loving you just as I have in the past." Then he switched topics. "On the matter of Bakura, I did not know he was your father. He's proven to be somewhat... trustworthy. If you would like to know him better, I'm not against that. However, Adda, I did keep you from her for good reason. The woman is dangerous, manipulative, and she's at war. I was not going to let her take the both of you into the middle of a battle on the sea. I won't... I can't lose you two." He then held up his hands before the twins said anything. "If you wish to seek her out when you are older and of age, I won't stop you. Until then, then both of you are living with me. It is my job to protect you, provide for you, keep you safe, and love you. I will hear no argument against this." He stood his ground firmly. "You will listen to me until you can take care of yourself as an adult who is of age. What rules I make, what boundaries I set, is for your own benefit. Is that clear?"

Liz thought over his words carefully. She slowly nodded over every point. "Clear."

Lex didn't say anything.

"If there is something that is bothering you or you wish to discuss or think a rule might need to be loosened, then we will all talk about it together. I will hear your reasons, you will hear mine. I will not implement a rule without a good reason." Seer promised his girls. "As you get older, and show to be trustworthy, capable, and levelheaded, then we will talk about change." He turned his head in the direction of Lex. "Alexandria?"

Lex huffed and puffed, feeling the anger rising, until she finally let it out. "You're broken egg shells of your former self, 'Daddy'. You get winded stirring a pot of soup now. You can barely read a brail story, and you've thrown all family activities out the window. Why? Because despite how dangerous you claimed she was, you wouldn't even allow my mom the time to sit down and talk when she knocked on the door civilly and handed you flowers. Instead what did you do? You chased her out. You cornered her. And because you had to play hero, she scratched you back. You have no attraction to any woman, less than you did. You never gave us a mother. And I talked with Scarlet. There is no war. There hasn't been one since after our first birthdays. So you tell me exactly what you think a winded, blind man can do to make our lives better. The answer is you can't. We have to make ourselves better for the next five years."

Those words stung. Lex was bitter, hateful even, toward him. Seer worked hard the entire time he had the times to make them happy, to provide for them, and give them the love he never had as a child. All he wanted was to see them smile and grow into beautiful young women that would one day have families of their own. Though, it seemed in a few short days, he had lost them both.

"Even if there isn't a war, there are still people who come after her, who would use you and your sister to get to her. I refuse to let you two be collateral damage in a fight that doesn't even concern you." Seer chose his words carefully. "She was going to take you both away from me, Scarlet told me that as well, and I know I told you both the very same words. I played 'hero' to allow Adda to know I would not go down without a fight; that I would fight, and could fight, for you both, give my life if I had to, anything to keep you two safe and away from danger. And you dare to chose her instead of the man who loved you and provided for you all these years when she dumped you, abandoned you, and tricked your own birth father into thinking you were dead. Yes, Alexandria, that is the kind of so-called mother you have. Why do you think I wouldn't let her take you? You would end up dead, or worse, just like her."

The blind man then said through gritted teeth. "If the next five years is you hating me for doing what I had to do to keep you safe, then so be it. I will not have you growing up to be a lying bitch like Adda, someone who tricks others, who hurts others, who preys upon others' weaknesses for personal gain. Mother or no mother, I have my own reasons for not seeking out a female due to past occurrences. You have mother role models in the village as well as from my family. You are not without love there." He coughed once or twice before finishing. "Get used to it, Lex. I'm not dead yet. You can either take the options I presented or spend the next five years more so bitter than a Frost One. What's it going to be?"

Lex scowled. "You're no longer half the father I wanted. And I'll be listening to mom over you for a long time. But I suppose you don't care. After all, I can't be like Liz all the time, now can I!!! You’re the worst!" She pushed her chair out and went to her room, slamming the door in teen angst.

Liz got really quiet for a while.

Seer felt like the war was won, but the battle was lost. Mistakes were made, and things were said that could not be changed. All he could do now was wait and hope that within time, things would be better, perhaps even return to normal. Rubbing his chest, he could feel the tingles underneath his rib cage. The first to-do on his list was to recover. As soon as he was better, he could go back to doing his usual routine. Perhaps Bjarke would show him how to hunt better in the water and he could feel like he contributed more.

"Liz?" Seer asked his daughter very quietly. "Do you hate me as much as your sister does?"

"I wish I was never born... that way you wouldn't be hurt."

"Silly girl." Seer pulled Liz into a hug. "If you were never born, I'd never know the happiness of having such a beautiful, kindhearted daughter. You're my treasure."

"Lex is right... you hurt yourself. But it was because we were born. Now we never play catch. Or go for runs in the snow anymore. I don't even know if you'll be alive for my wedding now." She looked up at him, sad and angry. "Why did you have to fight! Why did you have to prove a goddamn point Dad?"

"Elizabeth, listen to me," Seer held her cheek firmly, making her look at him, but not hard enough to hurt. "I'm not going to always be like this. I'll get better, I will. I've survived a lot of things I hope I never have to tell you about. Though I promise you, that I'll be there to play catch, go for a little run in the snow, and walk you down the aisle at your wedding." He then answered simply. "Adda told me I was a blind cook who couldn't even fight for my girls... and I proved her wrong. If she ever tries to take you again, she'll have a whole pod after her ships."

"...You should have just killed her... but now she is out there. And Lex WILL go to her..."

"I wanted to, love, I thought about biting her in half when I had her in my jaws but..." Seer sighed. "I knew if I did that, your sister would never forgive me... and I'd be no better than Adda."

"...I talked to Bakura. He want's you to send a request to the High King to make her a public enemy. At least capture alive. Some people on the docks got..." Liz paused, not wanting to finish. "They couldn't deal with the weather."

"I'll have to thank him for that, but I'll do so tomorrow." Seer wobbly got up from his chair and then righted his balance. "... you want to sleep beside of me tonight, sweetheart? I don't want you afraid or worrying about me."

“No… no I’m ok. And it wouldn’t be fair to Lex. I don’t think she hates you Dad. She’s just hurt… and dealing with this differently than we are.”

"Then I'll do my best to do better than my best." Seer placed his arm around Liz's shoulder as the two of them walked down the hallway to his bedroom. "Heh, your sister knows where to find me if she has a nightmare. Are you sure? If you get scared, you can always change your mind."

"I know Dad. I know."

Lex cried in her room, reading from the bottle she found. Walking by the shore yesterday she had a knack for spotting gleams of glass or jewelry. Inside, it was a gift from her mother. The letters from her mother kept her going.

"Hey kiddo. I'm sorry we couldn't get the chance to talk, or have anytime together. I wish I could have been a better parent for you. These next few years are going to be rough if I can’t get you sooner, but think of me. Don't hate on your dad's. They did what they thought they had to do. Probably an enemy of Uskar now, what with that attack. And it’ll be hard to replace the ships I lost. But hey, it wasn’t all bad. Got to do some cool things while I was here. Stole from this blonde Lorleidian woman without her noticing, built a snowman, and I got to see you and Liz. Your sister most likely hates me. I can understand that. But I want you to know, in my own broken way of showing it, I love you both. Tell Scarlet I hope the best for her, and she knows where to find me if she changes her mind. I hope she does. Don't worry, she'd never snitch my location. Speaking of which, made a map when you want to find me. So here's some tips to be a good lady though. 1# Find the cutest and richest boy nearby. Make him long for you. Sugar daddies will get you far. 2# You are a Gerudo. That is a damn fine trait. Work it. 3# Never let anyone walk over you. Some chick thinks she's better? You put her in her place. Have some other notes for you, but its minimal stuff. Remember Lex. I love you. You and your sister are gonna be Queens someday. ~ Your rocking mom, Captain Adda."

#Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Halfway done?#Yeeeeeeah siblings hating on loving parent figures.#Thanks for the inspiration sis~#Seer #Rat #Scarlet #Liz and Lex #Bakura Saibot #Captain Adda

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mrneighbourlove · 5 years

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Red Typhoon: Ch 2. Fellowship of the Sea

Bakura Saibot mediated in the cave. For the past seven years, he carved the ice out, making a sanctuary to collect his thoughts, and looking to the spirits for answers. He had done his best to catch up as a father for Liz and Lex, giving them everything he could, but the girl's hearts wouldn't rest until they found Seer. Adda needed to be found, and when she was... what would Bakura do? All these years, all this anger, and yet he couldn't shake her smile. It haunted him of what could have been.

As Bakura meditated, looking to the spirits for guidance, he felt a murmur, a gentle wave float in his mind. He concentrated, relaxing and letting go of his outward distractions, and focused inward. He heard loud arguing, gunfire, and ships sailing. He saw the snout of a crocodilian man, and a man with a red tie. All these images didn't make sense, until each one repeated over and over, and they linked into an image of Adda and Seer sitting a top a bungalow. Bakura opened his eyes in shock and came back to, the last sound that rang through his ears was the cry of a whale.

"Hey Bakie, don't mean to interrupt your thinking and all, but it's time for supper." Rat's voice echoed into the cave. "Liz is home, and everyone is gathering at mine and Borgie's place." He had little Trygve on his shoulders, his son's arms rested on top of his head. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see you there."

Bakura stood up, catching his breath. "...I saw him."

"...? Eh? No one's in here except you, Bakie."

"I saw Seer and Adda."

"What?" Rat was not following Bakura's words. "You saw them? Bakie, it must have been a dream, they're not here."

"My mediations. It finally paid off. The spirits gave me clues to Seer and Adda!"

Rat never understood mediation and he was never really big on spirits. Though, Bakura seemed pretty hyped. Was it actually possible that he had the location to Seer and Adda?

"I... think you need some a-food, Bakie. And if you do have the location then... eh..." Rat told the assassin. "Forgive me for sounding skeptical, but how can you be so a-sure?"

"Because I want to be. I want to have hope." The three of them headed back to the Kanisa's house. Inside, Revy was proudly describing her successful hunt with her mom and Boof. Liz sat next to Halvar, just content to relax after her long journey, and Lex was chatting it up with Kerugan, asking him if he had a handle on any of the girls his age, and pro tips to make girls comfortable.

"Rat? I thought we were all meeting at your place?" Kanisa asked. "I'm bringing rabbit stew, do you need me to bring something else?"

"No, that's not what we're here for." Rat set Trygve down on his feet. "Bakie thinks he knows the location of... of Seer and Adda."

"Bork?" Boof tilted his head at the mention of Seer's name. He had not see the man in a long time.

"Seer?" Vidar repeated. "It's been seven years, Rat. Corsaire has combed pretty much every inch of the seas and has come up with nothing. What makes you think Bakura knows?"

"Hey, if he has an idea, at least let him share it." Rat shrugged his shoulders. "It could be a-good or a-bad."

Liz and Lex stopped what they were doing and focused their current attention on Bakura. Lex was shocked, and a little excited. "Daddy?"

With all eyes on him, Bakura took a breath. "I had a vision in the cave. I saw a link that lead to Adda and Seer. First was a reptilian pirate with a golden eye. Than a man in shadows with a red tie. Following this, I saw Adda and Seer, clear as day."

"... a reptile pirate?" Vidar was trying to keep a straight face. "Sure you weren't puffing on something?"

"Vidar." Kanisa gave her husband a look. "Be nice."

"Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?"

"Vidar!"

"Hey, hey, we can at least ask Cap'n if he knows of any reptile pirate." Rat was trying his best to be supportive of Bakura. "Cap'n knew a lot of pirates back in the day, still does."

Liz's mind raced. She thought to all her studies of Adda's known accomplices. Her mother had an army that spawned many loyal to her, with many being creatures and monsters. Some had laid low in infamy to keep a low profile, while others, such as the Dragon Onslaught, had gained a monstrous reputation for raiding military vessels in Adda's name. At her dad's description, she went through her mental list. "I know who he's talking about."

"You do?" Rat actually looked surprised.

"What about the man in a red shadow with a black tie?"

"It was a black shadow with red tie."

"Whatever."

"I don't know. Some pirates hide in shadows more. But they tend to know the location of one another. I think..." Liz stood up, analysing in her mind this development. "I think Dad's vision is telling us an order. If we find the first captain, we find this man in shadow, and from there we find Adda."

Revy stood beside both her moms, with Scarlet having a hand placed firmly on her daughter's shoulder. She regretted not knowing where to find Seer sooner. The paradise island Adda was most likely hiding him on was magic in nature, and slowly moved across the oceans undetected. The old location she gave didn't give Corsaire his friend back.

"Who's this crocodile captain than sis?"

"A captain by the name of Eltontor."

Now it was Lex's term to be excited, and, without a word, she dashed to her house to grab something.

"Okay, we know the 'who' but we still don't know the 'where'." Rat was trying not to let too much hope rise in his chest. All of them had been disappointed before and he did not want that to happen again. "Or what to expect."

An air of silence went through the room, despair leaving its mark. How many times had they hoped before in finding Seer? Every lead they came up with before had dried up. Suddenly, with a force to dispel the sad environment forming, Lex kicked open the door. "Holy crap! We got it! We got it by the balls!"

"Lex, we a-talked about this language." Rat said dryly. "A proper lady doesn't---"

"Just tell us what you have." Vidar interrupted the man.

"Well, through MY hard work, I've been getting information from sailors and travelers. Including some navy officers. And using that information, I've documented every bit of information regarding mom, or any pirate for that matter!" Lex put down charts she had been making for the past two years. "This includes maps, names, and routes. I've triangled many pirate hot spots. And the name of one Captain Eltontor was described to me two weeks ago! He was last seeeeen... HERE!" Lex tapped specific map coordinates. "Right here!"

"Uh..." Rat looked at the charts and then frankly said, "I don't want to know, do I?"

"Okay, I hate to burst a hole in your bubble, but two weeks means we don't have a prayer of catching to wherever he is now." Vidar had to be the one to say it. "Look, even if he is still in that area, he won't be for long. That, and how can we get from here to there in an adequate time? It takes 3 months to sail from here to Hyrule. Danjur is nearly twice that."

"Well, I'm going." Liz stood up, a fire burning in her.

Revy was taken by surprise at how soon Liz reacted. "But Liz, you just got here!"

Bakura nodded in agreement with his daughter. "So am I."

"We can't go without a proper plan." Rat told the Liz and Bakura. "Adda's forces are a-large and vast over this sea. We's going to have to be careful. That, and we need a ship... or more like ships."

"We have a plan. And we have the navies of Uncle Corsaire to back us up." Liz was adamant about going. "If we go in small, we could be undetected an track down these other pirates before we amass on Adda herself."

"You have a plan, Liz, we have to talk this out with Cap'n and be rational." Rat was firm about this. "If we rush, Seer could get hurt. We have no idea what we're going to face with that giant lizard of hers or the number she has behind her. Let's talk to Corsaire, draw up a plan, and then... this old quartermaster might just have to call up his old mates for another sea journey."

"Than what are we waiting for. Let's go to him now." Liz grabbed her coat off Halvar and stomped out the door to be the first to leave the house.

Revy quickly grabbed her coat as Bakura and Lex followed after.

"H-Hey wait! I'm coming too!" Halvar chased after Liz.

"Bork!" Boof followed after Revy, loyal as ever.

"Eh, looks like the celebration is going to have to wait until Seer gets home, Kanisa." Rat said his goodbyes and then followed after the troupe, dragging Bakura with him. "Come on, Bakie, we's gots to get you suited up for a sea voyage."

Scarlet grabbed Rat, unable to stop Revy. "You can't be serious in letting our daughter go."

"Scarlet, it's not a matter of letting her, she's an adult now." Rat told the Iron Knuckle. "She wants to be there to help her best friends. If Borgie was going, wouldn't you want to go with her?"

"I don't want her getting killed! She can't go out there!" Scarlet tried to go past him.

"Scarlet!" Rat stopped her by the shoulders, and gave her a hard look. "Reveka knows what she's doing. Besides, do you not trust me? This 'mousa' as you called me knows how to watch after our little girl. Don't make Revy stingy to you cause you're not wanting her in danger."

"But I..." Scarlet's shoulders sunk in defeat. "She can't get hurt. I should at least go with her, shouldn't I?"

"That's up to you, Scarlet." Rat then gently reminded her. "You don't have to if you don't a-want to. We both know this isn't going to end well for Adda."

"I... I don't know if I can face Adda again. But I have to watch over my little girl. I made promises to myself that I'd never abandon her again."

"You do know that if you go you's... you's going to be against Adda." Rat was not going to sugar coat it. "This isn't going to be a reunion for you two, it's going to be a fight. I may not be your Voe, but I's still caring about you, all of us do. Borgie, Reveka, Trygve... we's your family now."

"I know... she was a sister to me. Someone I loved. But I have you all in my heart now." Scarlet took a deep sigh, trying to not crumble. "We should get going if we want to catch up to them."

"We's all going to understand if you don't want to go. You make up your mind while we prepare, okay?"

"I... I understand." Scarlet walked over to the couch by the fire and sat in contemplation.

At the hotel Corsaire was staying at, he was quickly startled awake just as he was getting an early sleep. It didn't take long for Bakura and his daughters to explain the plan they had in saving Seer from the clutches of Adda.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, one at a time! One at a time!" Corsaire had to yell over the multiple conversations. "Look, I understand you're all eager to leave right now, but the ship isn't ready yet. We need to finish restocking, chart a course, and most importantly, alert Hyrule and Danjur to Adda's location as soon as possible. We're going to need to send word with Stra'tuso's family that delivers cargo to Hyrule and Danjur, it's the only way that's possible."

"Stra'tuso's sister and brother leave tomorrow since they just dropped off cargo a few days ago." Rat told Corsaire. "Not to mention, we's going to have to figure out a way 'round that... Wind Chime thing of Adda's."

"Wind Waker."

Liz took a breath, hoping to come across as clear. "Adda's Wind Waker is one of a kind, and is on her person. When we get that bridge, we'll cross it. First, we need to find someone that knows the location of her secret, hidden island."

"I believe my vision tells me that the man in the red tie will know. And this Captain Eltontor can lead us to him."

"Captain Corsaire, if our target doesn't know an exact way into Adda's island, we have mages in Hyrule and Danjur that could possibly know spells to disenchant Adda's protect dome, right?"

"It's possible, depending on if another mage made the dome or if an ancient artifact made the dome." Corsaire knew little of magic, but his wife Orana had taught him a little. "We have three problems as of the moment. The dragon under Adda's command, the Wind Waker, and the unknown number of ships she has. We're going in blind unless this red tie gentleman can give us more information." The captain grimaced. "One of the first rules of war on the sea is to know exactly what you're up against. We have no clue."

"So that's the a-bad news, what's the a-good?"

"The good news is Adda's arrogance came back to bite her in one way."

"Oh?"

"Remember that sail we made a deal for all those long years ago?"

"Aye."

"Let's just say that this captain might have been collecting the rest... and took down one of her old ships with the last sail, a month ago."

Liz was ecstatic. "Really?! We got them all?!"

"What do you think Hyrule was building me that new, big, fancy, ship for?" Corsaire had to snicker a little at Liz's outburst. In some ways, she was still just a kid. "It took me a long while, but I finally have all of the sails. So that's one surprise Adda will not know of, however... we're not sure what's going to have more of an advantage; the sails or the Wind Waker."

"The Wind Waker for a large scale battle." Bakura thought about the future, and the war that would happen. "We can use this specialized ship to hunt down our targets that will lead us to Adda, and also get in close to Adda herself. If we disable her and her tool, we can stop her from controlling nature. That will even the playing field."

"This might seem like a dumb question to you, but how do we even dismantle this Wind Waker?" Rat asked Bakura. "From what Reveka says, it's damn old and dangerous."

"Well, Dad, according to Hylian legend, its just a baton. If its not in someone's hand to physically wave around, all the spells the current user did should stop, and no one can cast anymore magic. Just, get it out of her hand."

"We can always cut her hands off." Liz offered.

Lex quickly interjected, disturbed by any talk of maiming her mother. "Or we just smack it out of her hands and quickly subdue and arrest her."

"So our first objective is to get the Wind Waker away from her," Corsaire held up his hand to stop the sisters from any further argument. "That way we can get closer. Once that's out of her hands, the second objective is to keep her busy while a few of us find Seer. Last, but not least, we have to make sure that there's an exit. Just because we get in doesn't guarantee us an out."

"You know that there will most likely be casualties. When we reach Adda, we will be at war. At most, her people won't fight. She's already formed an army out of others, so we most likely won't have to kill a lot of Gerudo." Bakura rubbed his hair, thinking about the inevitable reunion. "And Lex, when we face Adda, you have to understand, anything can happen."

"But, we aren't savages. Right? We aren't just gonna assassinate her, right?"

"Either way, once we arrest her, Adda has a death sentence." Corsaire frowned. "You know Hyrule and Danjur both have a warrant for her arrest. Once we bring her to the courts, it will be a death sentence in Danjur due to her shooting Queen Annuciata's brother, Dario. He's very sore about that eye he lost." He then added. "In Hyrule, the best we could hope for is life in prison, but I doubt that is going to be the case."

"I.... I know." Lex looked sad, not meeting anyone's eyes. Bakura gave her a hug. He wouldn't say it outloud, but he understood her feelings.

Liz looked to Halvar, concerned about his well being. "You've never left Uskar before Halvar. Are you certain that you are up to this?"

"This concerns Uskar just as much as it does Hyrule and Danjur." Halvar reminded Liz. "Adda fired upon innocents and some of our people died. We never did a thing to her, and she attacked us outright. Besides, I'm not letting you go alone." He turned slightly red in the cheeks and said sheepishly. "Direnors don't leave their loved ones to fight alone."

Liz processed his answer, and she took his hand. "Ok..."

"I'll get in contact with me old crew mates, have them meet us. Otherwise, once we have any slight idea what we're up against, all that is left is getting more ships and drawing out a battle plan."

Scarlet knocked on the door, peering in. "Captain Corsiare?"

"Yes, Scarlet?" Corsaire stood from his chair. "We're leaving tomorrow as soon as the ship is restocked. I assume you want to talk to Rat and Reveka?"

"Yes."

"If you need me, I'm going to be getting some sleep." Corsaire said goodbye to Rat and the rest of the group before returning to his room.

"Scarlet?" Rat looked at the Gerudo and then at Revy. "What did you decide?"

"Mom. You ok?"

Scarlet sat across from them, taking a sigh. "I worry about you Revy. I know that you're older now. I know that you're strong and smart too. But this task ahead of you... I can't stop worrying."

Revy had her hand taken by her mother. "Revy... I love you. I wasn't there for you for the first era of your life. Now I want to protect you. But even I know that its not my place to protect you forever. And I can't stop you from going. However... will you let me look after you one more time? Please?"

Revy gave a small smile, trying to not let her warmth for her mother overwhelm her. Moving closer to hug her, she nodded. "Of course. I'd feel so much better with you and Dad by my side."

"We's all going to have to be careful and look out for one another." Rat told the two girls and then hugged them both in his huge arms. "First things first though. Scarlet's going to need to go over the basics of a ship with you Reveka, and I's need to find me old guns."

Scarlet felt so happy hugging them both. It felt like the family she could have had, if she hadn't made the biggest mistake of her life.

Revy hugged them both back. "We've been sailing before dad."

"Yes, but being on a war ship is different. And I doubt you ever had to work on a ship. In the morning, I'll take you out. Ok?"

"Ok mom."

The three hugged each other once more, hoping that they'd all return once their journey was over.

"Let's get some dinner and rest before our big day tomorrow."

Onslaught clicked his claws as he sat in the dark, reading the report from the Eastern Front. It seemed that the navies of Danjur and Kikai had gathered together recently to fight off raids. It was disappointing the Kikai Empire had cancelled negotiations with the Collection. Adda had insisted on calling her armies simply, 'her forces'. No name or organization in it. It maddened Onslaught. In time, their forces had grown radically. And as their power increased, Onslaught often wondered if he'd need Adda anymore. Unfortunately, she held respect of many. And most importantly, she held the Wind Waker. As long as she had that, and showed no notable weakness, she held an advantage over him. How could he fight a force that could ground him and send him hurtling from the sky? So the Dragon decided to wait for an opportunity to present itself.

One of the other major lieutenants, code named King Crimson, waited nearby in the shadows. "Onslaught. We need to discuss our most recent hits. Hyrule is allowing dragons to nest on the Charlie and Delta islands."

Onslaught narrowed his eyes. "Unsettling. But not impossible to deal with. We can bomb the islands to drive them off. Do so after they hatch the chicks. They will rather flee forever than risk their young being hurt. We can retrieve our smuggled goods than."

"I understand. Captain Adda wants to know if your fortress can be used to store the cache of diamonds and gold that was recovered from Termina."

"Yes. Of course. I can have my crews airlift it up. Anything else to discuss?"

"No."

"Good. Then go into hiding and gather information on this gathering of Danjur and Hasai."

"Understood."

Now that this meeting was over, Onslaught starred back into darkness. He felt a shift in the air, and felt a feeling in his gut that change was going to take place in the near future.

#crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Captain Adda #Bakura Saibot #corsaire #Liz and Lex #Revy #Scarlet #Rat #Borghild #Boof #Halvar #Onslaught: Terror of the Sky and Sea #Seer #comments always welcomed!

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