#unleashing this one upon the world now that it's finished lol

[jopzer]

if you need to be mean, be mean to me. i can take it and put it inside of me.

#jamie tartt #ted lasso #royjamie #royjamiekeeley #reelie #jamiekeeley #keeleyjamie #unleashing this one upon the world now that it's finished lol #it's very much a jamie playlist but it is very much royjamie/rjk flavored #can't be helped. lot of yearning going on there. lot of ache #i will write up a little thing about why i included every single song if even one person Hints that they would enjoy that lol #i am so very passionate about this one. #not so much jamiekeeley but it certainly exists within the fiction of this one #again. lotta yearning lotta ache. #he's so HUNGRY. poor guy. #Spotify

[themurphyzone]

Pinky Unleashed Ch 13

AN: This chapter marks the end of the Europe arc! Introduction arcs a pain cause you wanna get to the juicy stuff lol.

AO3 Link

Ch 13: Next Stop Anywhere 

Their first mission didn't end in victory, nor was it a sound defeat either. Oh, Brain resolutely believed they'd emerged victorious through the dangers and trials of the Earth Temple at first. 

They restored Europe to its proper location. And now that they possessed the Earth Gem, they could finally move on to the next Temple. 

By accomplishing those two goals, victory was achieved. 

Yet the feeling was short-lived. 

The celebratory mood vanished when Brain lost control of himself and hugged Pinky's wrist. It was warm and soft to the touch, and if a cloud could be embraced, Brain was sure it would've felt like Pinky's fur. 

And within seconds, he'd landed flat on his face. 

Brain let his guard down. And Pinky fled from him. 

What happened? Pinky's tail had been wagging moments before! He was celebrating with them! He should've been open for one! 

In all the time Brain had known him, Pinky never rejected a hug when it was offered! And he was irritating about embraces too, always trying to wrap his arms around Brain like a ridiculously clingy octopus when he was lugging machinery around, solving an important equation, or working with dangerous chemicals. 

Would Pinky have been more open to receiving a hug from Chip? Or anyone besides Brain?

A home he couldn't reach before the net descended upon him. Sweet-scented cheese he couldn't eat before the electricity hurt him. A friend he couldn't save from being swallowed whole by the machine. A world he couldn't conquer no matter how hard he tried. A kindhearted mouse, who remained kindhearted even though his body was host to a Lovecraftian horror, reaching out as darkness and despair snuffed out the light and color he'd brought to a bleak, hopeless world. 

He was used to failure and rejection. 

He'd become somewhat desensitized to it of course, but occasionally, it all came back to haunt him. And there was a possibility that he'd never be able to bounce back. 

The pain from falling down cleared up quickly. Yet the sight of Pinky running away remained with him. 

Brain wished Teros had left behind something mildly life-threatening as they trudged back to the surface world. Thinking about their survival chances would've distracted him from all these doubts, fears, and uncertainties. 

But the Earth Guardian kept his word, and nothing threatened them within the labyrinth. The oppressive darkness had lifted, and now they were able to see guiding arrows carved within the walls, pointing the way to the exit. 

Chip flew somewhere above his head, his movement somewhat impeded by the cumbersome Earth Gem. Brain refused to carry anything left by Teros unless he absolutely had to, and Pinky was too emotionally compromised to follow directions at the moment. True, Teros gave them valuable information, but Brain only recalled the devastation on Pinky’s face when the hotheaded bull called him a monster.  

Pinky wouldn’t have lost control if Teros hadn’t threatened him in the first place! 

On the battlefield, he’d turned away as Pinky lifted the great stone pillar overhead. He remembered that pitch-black form, the intimidating aura, the blank white eyes…and for that brief moment, he thought Pinky was gone forever, claimed by the darkness he was trying his hardest to fight. 

Pinky had snapped out of it this time, even showing mercy to his opponent by digging him out instead of finishing him off, but they were only at the beginning of a long and arduous journey. 

The perils would only increase from this point forward. 

And so does the possibility of Pinky losing control. Permanently. 

Pinky had been distant ever since they’d left the inner sanctum. He didn’t make many vocalizations except the occasional whimper, his tail dragging limply behind him as he trudged ahead. Brain didn’t scold him for disobeying the rule to stick together. If there was danger, Pinky would’ve alerted them by now. 

Though Pinky never wandered too far ahead and waited for them to catch up if Brain and Chip fell behind, his eyes flitted around nervously as he tried to make himself as small and nonthreatening as possible. But his thick fur puffed out with fear, and he only succeeded in making himself look bigger instead. 

Nobody said a word as they reached the end of the labyrinth and ascended the stone staircase, finally emerging into the earthy dome they’d first seen when they entered the Temple. Brain kicked aside a tiny remnant of the bull statue to get back at him for hurting Pinky. 

It didn’t feel satisfying though. Nothing about this situation did. 

Their victory rang hollow. 

"Hey, Brain? What's gonna happen now that we've got the Earth Gem?" Chip asked, uneasily moving away from the remains of the bull statue. 

He spoke with an easy familiarity, like he and Brain had known each other their whole lives instead of several days. 

The only reason Brain allowed Chip to tag along was due to his ability to open Gaia Temples and heal them when they were injured.

Well, that and he kept Pinky from loneliness while we were separated… 

Alliances with third parties never lasted long. It was best to maintain a certain distance, like work colleagues. 

Regardless of Brain dancing around the inner sanctum like a drunken fool with him and Pinky. 

That line of thought was soon forgotten. 

The tunnel leading to the catacombs and freedom stretched out ahead of them. They were almost there! 

Eager to escape this oppressive tomb, Brain and Chip hurried into the tunnel. 

Then a loud, agonized whine from Pinky suddenly drew Brain's attention. 

Alarmed, Brain stopped and turned to face Pinky, who was still huddled at the entrance, great tremors passing through his body. 

"Come, Pinky!" Brain shouted impatiently, his voice echoing through the tunnel. "We don't have time to dawdle!" 

He was only shouting out of habit though. He could tell from the trembling step Pinky took inside the tunnel that Pinky wasn't intentionally trying to delay them. 

"Pinky, what's the matter? We're almost outta here. Just a little more!" Chip exclaimed, his tone wavering in panic, hovering inches away from Pinky's nose. 

Pinky's blue eyes widened, his entire body tensing with fear. His breathing became shallower, his ears flattening against his head while his tail lashed behind him. 

“Chip, you’re stressing him out!” Brain shouted, and his failure to contain his own panic only caused Pinky to thrash around more. “Give him space!” 

“But Pinky’s-” Chip protested. 

He flinched as Pinky unleashed a howl and backed out of the tunnel, forcing Chip to duck to avoid the lashing tail. 

They were promised safe passage out of the Temple, so there was no reason for Pinky to lose control here! 

As Brain followed Pinky out of the tunnel, belatedly reminding himself to slow down so Pinky didn’t pick up on his fears, he realized that Pinky’s dark fur was slowly losing its hue, draining to dark gray, then light gray, and finally to a snowy white. The tips of his tufted ears were becoming round, losing their sharp, wolf-like edges, while the claws on his feet were shrinking away. 

Pinky was changing back. 

But if he’s finally returning to normal, then…is it dawn already?  

Had they truly spent an entire night in the Temple? Brain had lost all sense of time between managing his companions, planning their next move, and escaping danger. 

Pinky whimpered as he stumbled into a corner of the room, collapsing on his side and curling into a steadily shrinking ball of fur. 

He’d only seen Pinky transform back once before, since he slept through the second, but he didn’t remember the reversion taking a long time, or causing much pain. 

The sad, pathetic whines were all Brain could hear, Pinky’s watery blue eyes piercing into his soul, silently begging for Brain to ease the transition. 

Yet nothing prepared Brain for this moment. What could he possibly do if Pinky became distressed by a simple touch? 

All he could do was remain nearby, and hope nothing tried to attack them while Pinky was in such a compromised state. 

“Sit down and rest for a while, Chip,” Brain said as he sat in a rubble-free spot. He was close enough to keep an eye on Pinky, but far enough where his proximity wouldn’t bring further distress to Pinky. “We’ll remain here until Pinky’s transformation is finished. And neither of us should touch him until he’s light enough to be moved.” 

Chip sat down on a brick, setting the Earth Gem next to him. “I guess I could use a rest…” he said, though from how he nervously glanced at Pinky, it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to rest until he knew Pinky would be alright. 

Pinky turned his head away as the color drained from his muzzle, though he kept one ear turned towards Brain. 

Even through his pain, he was still relying on Brain’s instructions. So he decided to talk, if only to give Pinky something to focus on.  

“Here’s the plan after we leave this dreadful place,” Brain said. Once he had their attention, Brain took a deep breath and continued with his explanation, drawing lines in the soil just to give his hands something to do. “We’ll meet up with Professor Pickle and Marco. They should still be in or around the catacombs when they realize we’re missing. Because it’s daylight, we’ll have a brief reprieve from Dark Gaia.” 

Pinky’s heavy breathing started to even out, his body gradually shrinking in size. 

“We should remain vigilant though. Snowball hasn’t tried to reclaim Professor Pickle or his research yet, but he might make an attempt in the future. Unlike Dark Gaia, he isn’t limited to nighttime attacks.” 

Brain forcefully erased everything he drew in the dirt, only stopping when Pinky let out a whine. He was the size of a large dog now, his protruding fangs blunting into a pair of buckteeth. The reversion had slowed down, so Brain clamped down on his worries about a future confrontation with Snowball. Those concerns could be voiced once Pinky wasn’t distressed. 

“We’ll turn the Earth Gem over to the professor temporarily,” Brain said, nodding towards the gem in question. “He won’t pass up the opportunity to expand his own research, and he can help us determine the location of the next Gaia Temple.” 

Chip rocked back and forth on his brick, yelping when he clumsily tumbled over. “Can we get breakfast while the professor does his research? I haven’t eat anything all night!” 

“Are you capable of thinking without your stomach when you aren’t in danger?” Brain asked scathingly. 

But when Pinky’s tail thumped at the promise of food, Brain was forced to concede that further rest and a meal break were necessary before they carried on. 

“Nope!” Chip replied. 

Well, at least he was honest.

“...B-brain?” a tiny, weak voice whispered. 

Brain’s heart lurched into his throat, and he stumbled over his feet as he ran over to Pinky. His snowy fur appeared a pale, ghostly white in the dim lighting. His fingernails were still slightly longer than normal, but from a distance it could easily be passed off as a lack of trimming. 

Pinky’s blue eyes were bleary as he tried to focus on Brain. To Brain’s relief, they weren’t glowing anymore. His shrinking had ceased too. 

He was finally back to the size he should’ve been all along. 

“I’m right here, Pinky,” Brain said, and though he tried to sound firm, hints of desperation and relief leaked through his tone. 

Pinky slowly uncurled his body as he gave Brain an unlikely smile. “...narf,” he whispered. 

Brain had never been so happy to hear that utterly ridiculous, nonsensical word with no proper definition, and relieved Pinky was able to talk again. A silent Pinky always worried Brain to no end. 

“Can we have IHOP pancakes for breakfast? Or Denny’s? Or Waffle House if there’s one around here?” Pinky asked hopefully. “I want mine with lots and lots of maple syrup and a smiley face made out of eggs and bacon.” 

“You dummy. We’re in the land of gourmet cuisine, and you want American chain food?” Brain scolded. He’d never understand how Pinky’s simple sponge of a mind worked. 

“Um…no?” Pinky blinked. “Chains would be awfully hard to floss out of my teeth, Brain. And they don’t go on pancakes either.” 

Pinky’s nonsense washed over Brain, oddly comforting to hear after his only form of communication had been in howls, yelps, and snarls. 

He couldn’t banter with Pinky at night while he was affected by Dark Gaia. While there was no drastic personality shift, save for those frightening moments where Pinky became more aggressive, Brain had noticed that Pinky seemed more somber while he was transformed. Reserved instead of bouncing off the walls while going through the entire emotional spectrum in five seconds. Timid instead of running up to everyone they met while trying to figure out their entire life story. 

I missed this. 

But Brain decided against revealing a sensitive piece of information. 

“You always mess up your fur when you pour maple syrup,” he said. It was safer to keep scolding him. “I’m limiting your use to three spoonfuls. Four, if I’m feeling generous.”

“Make that eight! No, make it rectangle!” Pinky exclaimed. “Rectangle’s a number, ri-” 

Then he looked down and froze, the question dying on his tongue. Though Brain was about to complain about Pinky’s stupidity, he glanced down, somehow never realizing that they’d held hands throughout their conversation. 

It hadn’t been a conscious choice. 

Pinky inhaled sharply and pulled away, leaving Brain to grasp at empty air. 

Pinky was never first to pull away. 

Did I hold his hand wrong? Is there a right way to do it?   

“I-I’m okay now. Zort,” Pinky said, shakily using the wall to support himself as he stood upright on unsteady legs. “I’m ready to go.” 

Unable to find his voice, Brain couldn’t call out Pinky’s lie. 

“I’m glad you can talk again, Pinky,” Chip said, who’d been watching in silence the entire time. He picked up the Earth Gem and held his hand out to Pinky. “Are you sure you don’t need help? I don’t mind supporting-” 

“No!” Pinky shouted, leaning heavily against the wall. When Brain tried to reach for him again, Pinky recoiled, coiling his tail around his body while his arms hugged his torso to protect it from further harm. “No, I can manage! I’m not hurt anymore! Can we go already?” 

His foot tapped impatiently. 

Reluctantly, Brain backed away. “Keep up,” he forced out as he turned his back on Pinky and entered the tunnel, though he’d never leave Pinky behind in such a horrible place. 

Chip didn’t fly this time. He kept pace with Brain on the ground instead, hugging the Earth Gem to his chest. He murmured to himself about his lost memories. 

Pinky trailed far behind them, relying on the tunnel walls for support. 

And Brain tried not to glance over his shoulder, not wishing to see such an energetic, happy mouse reduced to a traumatized shell. 

o-o-o-o-o

Brain shielded his eyes from the harsh sun after they exited the catacombs. After wandering through darkness and dim torchlight for hours, he wasn’t used to natural brightness. On the other hand, Chip appeared rejuvenated from the sunlight, his energy steadily returning even though he hadn’t eaten yet. 

But Pinky didn’t react to the change. He only dragged his feet along the ground, looked up briefly, and waited for Marco to unlock his car. 

He didn’t dance with joy while singing an annoyingly merry tune about sunshine and rainbows. 

But nobody else seemed to notice. 

“This gem is quite fascinating,” Professor Pickle remarked, rotating the Earth Gem so that its facets glinted in the sunlight. Brain had given Chip permission to turn it over to the professor for research, though he made it clear that it was strictly on a temporary basis. “I believe I’ve finally reached a breakthrough in my studies! It’s a shame we couldn’t explore the Temple properly. It would’ve been rather enlightening, don’t you think so, Marcel?” 

“Once again, professor, it’s Marco,” the assistant shook his head and unlocked his car, resigned to the professor constantly getting his name wrong. “And if by enlightening you mean that you’d like to be constantly running for your life from unknown forces in complete darkness, then yes, I’m sure it would be very enlightening.” 

When Brain and Chip had recounted their trial in the Temple after reuniting with Professor Pickle and Marco, who they were forced to leave behind after Dark Gaia minions unexpectedly attacked them in the catacombs, the professor had been utterly fascinated by their harrowing tale. But the concept of the labyrinth alone had been enough to make Marco nervous and relieved that he’d never had to set foot in that terrifying location. 

Pinky didn’t contribute anything to the account. And for his sake, Brain conveniently left out his battle with Teros. For all Professor Pickle and Marco knew, Teros had been so impressed with Brain’s ability to navigate the labyrinth in complete darkness that he wanted to help them save the world. 

Even though it was Pinky who deserved the praise. Though Brain wanted to credit Pinky, revealing his nightly form’s abilities could prove catastrophic, so he refrained. 

Though there had been a slight misstep with Chip, who almost revealed the ruse, all Brain had to do was remind him of his empty stomach as a distraction. 

“Even a soil sample or pottery fragment would’ve been nice to have. Imagine that, an entire Roman temple hidden under our noses this entire time…” Professor Pickle mused. “Are you sure you can’t open the Temple for a few minutes so I can gather samples?” 

This time, it was Chip who shook his head. There was an oddly thoughtful look on his face. 

“Teros protected the Temple for a very long time,” he said. “I think…it would only be right if we kept it sealed to keep everything safe. Cause there’s a lot of stuff out there that would probably try to destroy it.” 

“For once, I agree with you,” Brain added, ignoring the shocked look on Chip’s face. “Don’t get used to it. If Snowball found the Temple and discovered that it had been sealed off, he wouldn’t care about historical preservation. He’d only destroy everything so that nobody stands a chance against his plot.”

“...none of the pretty gems would be there anymore,” Pinky mumbled, startling everybody. He hadn’t said anything since they’d exited the Temple. If the professor or Marco caught onto Pinky’s mood, they didn’t say anything. Brain planned to pass it off as a particularly harrowing near-death experience that Pinky needed to process if they asked too many questions. 

Marco opened the passenger door of his car, lowering his hand to help Pinky climb in. But Pinky winced at the sight of Marco’s fingers and grabbed the bottom of the car instead, using his surprisingly adept upper body strength to haul himself inside. Then he crawled underneath the seat and hid himself from sight. 

“It’s not safe down there, Pinky,” Marco said with a frown. 

There was no response. 

“Drive slowly,” Brain told Marco. There was no reasoning with Pinky when he was like this. “I’ll watch him.” 

Unlike Pinky, Brain accepted a brief lift into the car. 

The floor was fairly clean. There were no crumbs, junk food packages, or water bottles rolling around. Still, Brain braced himself for a bumpy ride.  

Though Marco opened his mouth to protest, the professor shook his head as he climbed into the passenger’s seat. “This matter is clearly something between them,” he said, and Brain was grateful for his neutrality. “Let’s focus on the mystery of this strange gem, shall we? I’d love to analyze its composition once we get back to my office.” 

Chip settled on the window of the passenger’s seat, eager to see the rolling hills of the Roman countryside once again. 

Marco muttered something about nobody ever listening to him as he plugged the keys into the ignition. 

Though Brain’s teeth chattered during the entire ride to the city, Pinky remained disturbingly silent, and Brain wondered if he was there at all. 

o-o-o-o-o

Brain didn't remember falling asleep, nor did he remember the ride back into the city. He thought he'd closed his eyes just to clear away the stressful night, but he was surprised to find himself nestled into a pile of tissues atop a desk. 

No nightmares for once. Was I truly that exhausted? Or have I become desensitized to them because of everything that happened recently?

He was back in the professor's perpetually messy office, noisy chatter filling in the silence. 

When he saw an old analog clock that read 11:22 am, Brain threw off the tissue paper that served as a makeshift blanket. Why was he just lying around and wasting time when there was a world in need of saving? 

"Pinky, why didn't you wake me sooner?" Brain demanded. "Where's Professor Pickle's research? Or the professor for that matter? Why are all of you just lying around? We have work to do!" 

Nobody heard him. 

Pinky, Chip, and Marco were huddled around a large assortment of sandwiches, stuffing their faces with random meats, bread, and chocolate on the side. 

Of course there would be chocolate. 

"-and that's why I will never get in a ski lift with my older brother again," Marco finished, letting Chip borrow his smartphone while he grabbed another sandwich. 

Chip's eyes sparkled as he tapped Marco's smartphone while eating a chocolate bar at the same time. 

The screen was large enough so Pinky could see even though he was sitting at a greater distance than he normally would be. Unlike Chip, he wasn't bombarding Marco with questions about the pictures. 

Even if he was subdued, there was a surprisingly content smile on his face. 

Maybe their current activity was a timewaster, but Pinky was smiling for once, so Brain figured that he could allow a few more minutes of their current activity to keep him occupied. 

There wasn't much they could do without the professor, who was the leading expert on the Gaia Manuscripts anyway. 

"Whoa! Here's another one! What did you say these things were again, Marco?" Chip asked eagerly. 

Marco blinked at him, confused. “Um…a deer?” 

“Cool!” Chip exclaimed, completely oblivious to the strange look Marco was giving him. “And those weird branches on its head? What about that black stuff on its legs?” 

“Antlers and hooves?” Marco said, giving Chip a strange look. 

Chip wilted, finally realizing that there was something strange about the questions he asked. 

Pinky didn’t seem to find anything odd about the lack of basic knowledge Chip displayed about deer. But Brain, like Marco, was rather stunned at the information Chip genuinely didn’t seem to know. 

True, it was possible for someone to have never seen a deer before if they were raised in the city, but they weren’t exactly obscure animals either. Surely they would’ve seen pictures in books or the Internet. 

Did Chip’s amnesia rob him of a basic understanding of the world in addition to his memories?

That question unsettled Brain more than he cared to admit. 

Is that why Chip’s so nervous all the time? 

“Let me see,” Brain said, his curiosity getting the better of him, and everyone’s eyes were suddenly on him. He coughed, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under all the attention. 

Why couldn’t the professor hurry up with his research? Brain excelled in many fields, but socialization…well, that was Pinky’s area of expertise. 

He just had to open his mouth. 

“Never mind,” Brain said awkwardly. He quickly pulled a salami sandwich from the platter and devoured half of it in record time, unsure if it was because of nerves or because he hadn’t eaten since yesterday. 

While Marco and Chip didn’t know what to make of his intrusion, Pinky reached over and turned the phone towards Brain. There was a small, encouraging smile on his face. 

Like he didn’t mind Brain participating in their conversation. “Pretty, isn’t it?” Pinky asked. 

The photo was of a rocky hiking trail surrounded by steep, forested slopes, centered on a stag with majestic antlers crossing the trail in front of the cameraperson. 

Brain shrugged, unable to reply properly with his mouthful of bread and cheese. There was nothing particularly special about the stag. It didn’t have any unusual coloration or markings. 

“It’s a red deer,” Marco explained. “I took this photo during my family’s hiking trip in the Alps a few weeks before term started. We like to visit every summer. This stag just popped out of nowhere. Nearly scared my brother into a heart attack, but it wasn’t interested in us. Just wanted some leaves.” 

“Doesn’t it look like a real life Bambi, Brain?” Pinky added. 

“The resemblance is only surface level, Pinky,” Brain said, polishing off the last of his sandwich. “Bambi was based off a white-tailed deer, a North American species. They don’t live in Europe like their red deer cousins.” 

Marco took his phone back as Chip took in that piece of information. Resting his head against his hand, Marco scrolled through the contents of his phone with a wistful expression.  

“Ask Brain anything you want about deer,” Pinky suggested. “He knows a lot about this sort of thing. He taught me everything I know about acorn barnacles!” 

Brain felt his cheeks heat up. He was relieved that Pinky was talkative again, but did he have to remind Brain about that embarrassing acorn barnacle conversation? Whenever Brain recalled that night, all he could do was wonder what in Ptolemy’s name he’d been thinking, because he could’ve picked dolphins or sea otters or seals, which were far more beloved and well-known animals than acorn barnacles.  

Chip scratched his head. “Well, the antlers still look weird to me. How does the deer even walk around with those things? They look kinda heavy. I think I’d get tangled up in tree branches if I tried to fly like that.”  

"They've adapted," Brain said. He refrained from telling Chip about moose and elk. The size of those creatures were sure to blow his mind. "And they don't have antlers all the time. They're used to attract mates and fight other males for dominance during the breeding season, but they'll drop off when the deer focuses on surviving the harsh winter instead of reproducing." 

"Attract…mates?" Chip echoed. He didn't seem to understand the concept. 

There was a rather mischievous grin on Pinky's face. "Well you see Chip, when a daddy deer and a mommy deer love each other very much-" 

Brain nailed Pinky's side with an eraser before he could finish his sentence. Chip was completely wide-eyed as he tried to draw his own conclusions, but was coming up short. 

"We aren't discussing that, Pinky!" Brain snapped. Was the thermostat in this room broken? Why was it so hot in here? 

Pinky raised an eyebrow as he chewed on the eraser. Though he'd been knocked down by Brain's throw, he was otherwise unfazed. 

"What?" Pinky frowned, sounding genuinely confused. "Why can't I tell him about the baby deer factory in the sky and the stork deliverymen?" 

Brain rubbed his forehead, trying to prevent a headache before it began. 

"Because you'd be giving completely false information to someone with next to no knowledge about the world," Brain sighed. 

Pinky frowned. “Storks deliver babies. You didn’t know that?” 

Chip’s eyes flitted between them, completely and hopelessly lost. “I…really don’t know what a factory is. Or a stork.” 

Marco groaned and buried his head in his hands, his phone falling from his hand with a loud thud. “Guys, can we not talk about the intricacies of deer reproduction right now? How did you even get on that topic from a single picture?” 

“I was only explaining the function of antlers!” Brain protested. He’d only used the scientific explanation! “Pinky’s the one who decided to go off on that tangent!” 

“I don’t remember yelling at any tangerines lately,” Pinky said innocently. 

A little too innocently, considering it was his fault that deer reproduction was brought up at all. 

“Okay, I think I understand now!” Chip exclaimed, hitting his fist against an open palm as he came to a sudden realization. “When a mommy deer and daddy deer love each other very much, the sky factory will send a stork to um…deliver antlers?” 

“Deliver babies, actually,” Pinky grinned, even though there was so much wrongness to unpack with that sentence alone. “But you’ve got it! Narf!” 

“Hooray!” Chip took to the air in excitement, Pinky cheering alongside him, even though there was absolutely zero reason to be cheering. 

Great Scott, there's two of them, Brain internally groaned. It was a futile battle from the beginning. I can't believe the world is depending on my ability to lead this ragtag group. 

He wondered if he should just hijack the airwaves now to inform humanity about the looming apocalypse, and if they wanted to survive in a future of darkness, they'd better hoard all the canned beans and toilet paper they could fit into their secret underground bunkers. 

“I don’t get paid enough to deal with all thi-” Marco’s complaint died on his tongue as he flicked to the next picture on his phone. He stared at it for a moment, then quietly set his phone on the table, staring down at the image of a picturesque azure lake. Lush greenery surrounded the water, a pair of swans swimming along the calm surface. An enormous, snowcapped mountain was in the background, overlooking the peaceful scene. He placed his elbow on the table, head resting against the palm of his hand. His eyes were fixed on the wall, his vision far away.

Was his strange behavior related to the picture? 

There are plenty of images like this online. It’s not that unique. 

But Pinky’s cheer had ceased, a more serious and contemplative frown replacing his smile. Why did his smile always have to disappear so swiftly now?  

“Is something wrong, Marco? Poit,” Pinky asked, giving voice to what Brain had been curious about but wouldn’t say out loud. “You look upset.” 

Always following Pinky’s lead, Chip’s cheerfulness vanished too. “Hey, this place looks pretty. Was this part of your hiking trip too?” 

Marco nodded. "We always followed the trail to the lake," he said. "Pictures don't really do it justice. You'd have to go there yourself to see just how beautiful the lake really is." 

"Wow…" Chip murmured, completely enamored by the brilliant blue water. "It's so blue!" 

"Narrrf," Pinky said, his eyes sparkling with wonder for the first time in days. 

I've seen bluer. 

But Brain kept that thought to himself. Nobody needed to know that. 

"It's an alpine lake," he explained. "The minerals and sediments in the water give it that brilliant hue."

Pinky and Chip hung onto his every word, and Brain raised his head with pride at their flattery.

"I'm glad I got a picture of it while I still could. I might not get a chance to ever go there again. Who knows if it’ll even be there next summer?" Marco said quietly. 

Will there be a next summer?  

It wasn't a question that had an answer founded on scientific principles, and that made Brain uneasy. 

"You can still go there, right?" Chip asked. "It's too pretty to miss out on!"

“If it makes you happy, you should go!” Pinky insisted. 

But Marco only shook his head, placing his phone face-down to hide the image. 

Both of you are entirely too invested in this.

“The planet is broken,” Brain reminded them. “The local ecosystem is likely impacted by the massive tectonic shifts that have taken place. And recreational activity isn’t going to be a priority for anyone at the moment.” 

Pinky pouted, crossing his arms with a huff. “Those poor animals! Climate change ruins everything.” 

“It can’t just be…gone,” Chip said despondently. 

Realizing that he would have to boost morale somehow, Brain quickly tried to come up with something to say, even if he didn’t completely believe his own words. 

“The lake will recover in time,” he assured them, though a voice in his mind told him that there wasn’t enough time for the lake to recover. “And once the professor comes back, we’ll find our next destination and continue our quest in restoring the world.” 

Though Chip calmed down considerably at this, Pinky wasn’t so easily mollified. His arms were still crossed, his body language tense as he looked down at his feet. But his tail was tucked closed to his body, his shoulders and ears slumping. 

“...do you know where we’re going, Brain?” he finally asked. 

Was he thinking about the events that transpired in the Earth Temple? 

The journey would only become more dangerous from this point forward. And Pinky was inexperienced with his nighttime form’s unusual powers. 

The thought of Pinky losing control permanently scared Brain more than Dark Gaia ever could. 

The doorknob turned, and everyone glanced at the entrance just in time to see Professor Pickle walk in. For an elderly man, there was quite the spring in his step.

He must've found something exciting. 

The Earth Gem and mysterious box were teetering precariously atop a messy stack of papers he carried.

"I believe we're about to find out," Brain said. 

Professor Pickle dropped the stack of papers on the desk, the Earth Gem rolling off and nearly falling to the floor if Marco hadn't dove off his chair and caught it in the palm of his hand. 

"Professor, can you please be more careful with the items that could potentially save the world?" Marco groaned as Chip carefully plucked the Earth Gem from his hand. He looked like he was in too much pain to stand up. 

Like always, Professor Pickle didn’t seem to hear a word Marco said. “I’ve been consulting with the geology and anthropology departments all morning! I assure you, they’re equally excited as me for this amazing discovery! The Earth Gem alone could revolutionize our understanding of the geological processes of our planet and our knowledge of how people lived in ancient Rome!” 

Brain was resigned to the likelihood that he was never going to be credited for bringing the Earth Gem out of the sealed temple.  

“Why, I practically had to pry the gem out of the geology professor’s hand!” Pickle continued as he spread his papers all over the desk. “She wanted to keep it for further study, and when I told her that the gem needs to be in the possession of somebody who can save the world from the brink of destruction, she called me a lunatic! Honestly, how that woman ever earned her PHD is beyond me. I once saw her-oh my, are those cucumber sandwiches?” 

He opened a sandwich and peered inside, a delighted noise escaping him as he saw the sliced cucumbers inside, all grievances with his coworker forgotten. He took an experimental bite, then the sandwich disappeared in a matter of seconds. 

“Delicious!” he proclaimed. “Much better than that pitiful slop I was given during my kidnapping.” 

The geology professor’s PHD wasn’t the only one that should be called into question. 

Since the professor was preoccupied with trivial things, Brain scanned the diagrams of the Gaia Manuscripts himself. Despite their foray into the Temple, the documents were still indecipherable to him. 

The only thing he knew for certain was that they now had one of the mythical gemstones that could potentially save the world. 

Pinky paled, his horrified gaze on the illustration of Dark Gaia destroying an entire civilization. Brain quickly dragged another piece of paper over it, covering the abomination from view. 

Chip hovered over Brain’s shoulder, reading over the incomprehensible symbols. “Do you need me to-” Chip began, but Brain cut him off. 

“Not right now, Chip,” he said. He didn’t want to reveal Chip’s ability to read the ancient language at the moment. 

The office wasn’t a secure location. One of Snowball’s Microbots could be spying on them. If Professor Pickle and Marco knew about Chip’s ability, they could inadvertently leak that information to Snowball. 

Especially Professor Pickle. 

That man was the epitome of the absentminded professor stereotype.

“Professor, are you going to gorge yourself on sandwiches or actually tell them what you’ve discovered?” Marco grumbled, equally irritated by Pickle’s lack of priorities. He stood up and crossed his arms, shooting an unimpressed look at Pickle. 

“Hmm? What’s that, Milo?” Pickle asked as he reached for another sandwich, but Marco grabbed the platter and held it out of reach, placing it on a high shelf. He’d be able to reach it easily, though it would be significantly harder for Pickle to retrieve his beloved cucumber sandwiches. Pickle folded his arms in disappointment. “You’re committing a war crime by denying my right to healthy, nutritious food, Mercurio.” 

Marco shrugged. “Don’t care. Explanation first. Sandwich after.” 

“Oh, alright,” Pickle sighed. He cleaned his hands with a handkerchief before opening the box with the strange world map. “I discovered a new function for this artifact earlier. Chip, if you would place the gem into the first slot within the box.”

“Um…okay?” Chip said, carefully slotting the gem into place. “What exactly will this-” 

Then the Earth Gem began to shine brightly. On the world map, an orange sheen leaked into the colorless Europe, spreading until the entire continent was filled in. Then a line extended downwards into the Mediterranean, crossing into Africa, until it finally reached the carved circle in the center of the continent. 

“It seems the heart of Africa will be your next destination,” Pickle said. 

Brain traced the glowing line from start to end. The circles where it began and ended weren’t just random placements. The one in Europe was located roughly where Rome would be geographically, while the one in Africa…

“...the next Gaia Temple’s in the Congo,” Brain realized.

A heavily forested, isolated region. Brain hadn’t forgotten their last venture into such an environment. He’d become helpless and dependent on Pinky’s mysterious acquired survival knowledge, and while he’d been able to integrate every skill Pinky had taught him during his battle with Snowball, he still preferred technological advancement to the natural world. 

And Dark Gaia’s presence further complicated matters. 

There would be no streetlamps or lights from human settlements to ward off the forces of Dark Gaia.

And that didn’t factor in the possibility of running into Snowball. Or the natural hazards of Mother Nature. 

They’d have to make a trip or two into the city and gather enough supplies for several days. But even if they had time to pack, there were so many factors that could go wrong. 

“Professor?” Pinky said. “Are you and Marco coming along for the trip?” 

Pinky’s tail was curled between his legs, his ears drooping. His body language was fearful, and Brain realized that Pinky’s lack of confidence could prove detrimental to their mission. What if Pinky was too compromised to guide them through unknown territory? 

Then there was Chip, who would have to come along for his strange ability to open Gaia Temples. Yet he barely knew how to operate a microwave, let alone survive in a jungle for more than half an hour. 

He might try to eat strange plants without knowing if they’re poisonous, or some predator could view him as an easy meal. 

“I’m sorry, Pinky, but we can’t leave the university,” Professor Pickle said. “Even if enrollment is low with the current crisis, there are still students who’ve paid for quality education with my course.” 

“He’ll also need help with the powerpoint presentations and grading assignments,” Marco added. “And the computer when it acts up.” 

“Oh,” Chip said in disappointment. “I wouldn’t mind you guys coming along.” 

I would. Keeping track of you and Pinky is hard enough, Brain thought, though he kept it private. But the professor does have his uses.  

“Before we depart for the Congo, we should exchange contact information,” Brain declared. “We will update you on the situation as we collect the gems, and in return, you will share your research that pertains to the Gaia Manuscripts…in addition to providing funds for our expedition.” 

“What?” Marco shouted. “You can’t just demand money like that!” 

Brain folded his arms and met Marco’s indignant reaction with logic. “Planes require money to maintain. Two mice and a flying chihuahua require supplies, and one of those mice requires greater energy consumption than usual.” 

Professor Pickle rested a hand on Marco’s shoulder as he nodded sagely. “It’s not an unreasonable demand,” he admitted. “Fighting Dark Gaia’s influence isn’t an easy task. Since they've conquered the Earth Temple and successfully restored Europe, they've proven themselves worthy of additional support. Sponsoring their journey will relieve them of the financial stress and allow them to focus on the challenges ahead." 

Though Marco opened his mouth to argue, he thought better of it and nodded slowly, accepting his superior's decision. 

If only I could overcome the monetary burden of world domination this way. 

He wondered if the professor would be open to funding his world domination plans after everything went back to normal. Then he didn't have to expend time and resources on fundraising.

"Take the box, Earth Gem, and a copy of the Gaia Manuscripts with you," Pickle added. "Perhaps you'll discover something that I haven't." 

Pinky tilted his head. "Like how socks always get lost in the dryer?" he asked. 

Brain had never been more relieved to hear such a stupid, irrelevant question. 

Chip laughed weakly, even though it was clear he had no idea what Pinky was talking about. 

Pickle chuckled. "Ah, now I'm afraid that's one mystery that will never be solved within my lifetime."

Marco quickly stuffed all the necessary items into a backpack, only stopping briefly to give the professor his long-awaited sandwiches. 

"We only have a limited amount of time before sunset," Marco said as he slung the backpack over his shoulder. "We'd better get started on buying all the supplies you need before Dark Gaia comes out to play." 

Chip came to rest on Marco's head, kicking his legs excitedly at the prospect of seeing more of the city. 

"Can we stop by Mario's gelato stand if we see him?" he asked eagerly. "I wanna let him know we're leaving town. And get another Chocolate Chip Sundae Supreme before we leave for who knows how long! But when I come back, and I definitely will, I'll be sure to have all sorts of-" 

He was still chatting Marco's ear off as they exited the office. Pickle grabbed another cucumber sandwich for the road before following them, and Brain questioned just how many sandwiches that man could fit into his stomach. 

That just left Brain alone with Pinky, who was avoiding eye contact with him. 

It was a problem that would have to wait for later. Gathering supplies was the priority now. 

But first, they had to get down from the desk. Scanning the area for a safe point to get down to the floor, Brain noticed that the office chair was cushioned and positioned within jumping reach. 

"Come, Pinky," Brain said, extending his hand to Pinky as he mentally calculated their trajectory. "We'll aim for the chair, and then you'll jump down to the floor first, then catch me when I-" 

But Pinky was already sliding down the desk leg, his bottom thumping onto the floor. Despite the seemingly painful landing that would leave most tailbones groaning, Pinky stood up without a fuss. 

"-jump," Brain finished, his palm cold when it should've had a warm hand within its grasp. 

Brain couldn't descend the same way as Pinky. His limbs weren't long enough to wrap around the desk leg. 

He would have to stick to his original plan. 

Counting to three, he took a running leap and aimed for the cushioned chair. He was midair when he realized that he'd failed to take into account that he should've subtracted Pinky's weight from his trajectory calculations. 

He was nowhere close to the chair. 

Brain braced himself for impact, hoping that his luck would take pity on him for once and only give him a nasty bruise with this fall. 

But the impact never came. 

Instead, he sank into something soft and fuzzy. It squished beneath his paws, and a strange sense of euphoria flooded over him, overriding his rational mind. 

Pinky came to his senses after all! 

And for a peaceful few seconds, he believed it was true. Then his hand hit something cold. Annoyed, Brain tried to shove Pinky's nose out of the way. 

But the offending obstacle was hard plastic, not soft flesh. 

The fantasy shattered. 

He never landed in Pinky's arms. He was only on a fuzzy tan cushion. His hand was touching a button sewn into the material. 

He could've landed worse. But the cushion paled in comparison to Pinky's arms, where he'd landed safely so many times before. 

"...you okay, Brain?" Pinky asked. 

He was standing next to the cushion, which he somehow found in case Brain didn't stick the landing on the chair. He stepped back as Brain carefully slid off the fabric. 

You didn't catch me. I wanted you to catch me…to minimize my risk of injury of course. 

"I'm fine, Pinky," Brain said, letting no trace of his disappointment show. "Let's catch up with the others." 

After all, one more lie couldn't hurt anybody. 

End AN: Alright, next stop will be the Congo Rainforest! The journey is just beginning! And boy do I have plans for the next arc!

Pinky is still feeling pretty down. Well, that can’t cause problems later down the line.

Also I became fond of Marco during this chapter. He's based on Pickle's assistant who does appear in-game, but he's unnamed and is mostly an exposition character. In this fic, he’s really just a normal dude who does not get paid enough to deal with apocalypses and eccentric professors.  

Poor Brain doesn't know what to do now that Pinky won't touch him.

#pinky and the brain #pinky unleashed

[thetragicallynerdy]

💭👀⏰for the ask game pls?

hey pal!! heck yeah!!

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

I already answered this one a bit over here - but long story short, I have headcanons for literally everything I write XD

Another headcanon I have (other than the ones I wrote about there) that shows up in a few of my fics:

That Jim OFMD is stupidly easy to dare into doing stupid stuff. In my mind they're the sort that as soon as a bet or dare is on the table, they're all "hold my beer and my single brain cell" to whoever is closet, and then they do the thing whether it's a good idea or not XD (In the modern poly au I'm writing, Ivan and Jim are buddies who have bets and dares all the time and it's very fun haha!) If they're playing truth or dare, they chose dare every time, and are probably disappointed if it's easy to do hahah

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

This ask is kind of very funny to me, ngl. So - not really?? Not in the sense that "oh no, no one can ever read this." There's a pretty solid chance that there is writing I have that no one will ever read because I don't ever finish it. But I am very much the sort of writer to yeet even my stupidest most terrible ideas out into the wild because I think it's funny. Or because I have no shame. One or the other. Heck, half of my WIPs get yeeted at my poor unsuspecting discord pals as they're being written, no matter how terrible they are lol.

Honestly, I even just now was like "there has to be SOMETHING" so i went looking and no, there's nothing I have written that I wouldn't gladly unleash upon the world. I'm mainly too lazy to post the stuff that feels really small. But I have no shame lmao!

⏰ Do you spend more time reading fic, writing fic, or do you do both equally?

I spend far, far more time writing fic! This is both like, disability related, and also because I am just more interested in writing than I am in reading, these days. Disability wise, I've put a lot more effort in my brain injury recovery into writing, and so it's actually a lot easier for me to do than reading is. Actual reading can be a pretty big drain on me, and with non-fanfic reading I almost exclusively do audiobooks. This isn't as much of an option with fanfic (although there are some lovely podficcers out there), so I just tend not to read as much. (I have so, so many fics I want to read, and then just don't have the brains for, alas. Someday I'll get to them!)

There are many days where I don't read fanfic at all. There aren't many days where I don't write fanfic at all, nowadays!

--

Thanks so much for the asks!! I hope you have a good day pal!!

Fanfic asks can be found here for the curious!

#ask game #yourlocal-charlatan #fanfic asks #asks #rambling #about me

[cynettic]

Dead Wish, Dead Kiss ( genshin x reader )

Summary - Teyvat, a world where those who were blessed by the archons could obtain an elemental ability to aid them in their goals. But a corrupted disease took route, plaguing all seven nations with monsterous populations that far succeeded the power in which archons bestowed.

A world in which now, the few visions that remained untainted by vampires were used for survival.

But survival isn’t what you use your vision for, nor is it what the rest of the Fatui do. Take down each archon, is what is said on the list. Take down the ones who upheld the propaganda and tarnish the world of its evil.

Starting with the Tsaritsa.

Ending with archons from Monstadt and Liyue.

The fate of the world depends on you and your fellow Harbingers, the ones who remain alive and untouched. Very few.

Pairings - gn!reader x various (may end up straying to a f!reader with intimate scenes)

Warnings - Swearing, NSFW, suggestive content

A/N - Ahhh, I really hope I don’t lose motivation for this one, cause I got the plot outline pretty well and everything- :’) The first chapter is short, but its more about propping up the setting and getting the reader to understand the situation.

Taglist - I havent even asked yet lol- but if you want to be part of the taglist for this series let me know!! :3

SECOND CHAPTER IS UP

Red didn't look good on you.

Not on your white shirt, splatters of crimson coating the lacy ribbon and button up chemise. It didn't show on the black dress pants that you wore, cinching your waist and matting the fabric in a darker shade. Pale gloves stained in blood, you knitted your eyebrows.

“Again? It always gets everywhere…”

Figures behind you shook, hands trembling as they crossed their arms and tried to give an intimidating approach. But it didn't matter, you could see the fear in their eyes when you turned around. When you passed them, exiting the Inazuman styled entrance and the crime scene behind you. 

“I expect you should be able to clean this mess,” you said, taking your time when slipping the gloves off your hands. There was no necessity to add anything else, they knew if they protested they’d end up dead like their precious archon.

Footsteps took you farther from the residence, a building with a guild name over it. It may not have had any importance up until now, but it would now serve as the grave for a god. You hoped the place would become haunted, feared by all to serve its reminder. The archons were never eternal, nor was the propaganda they supported. The bloodsucking demon they’d encouraged upon Teyvat, the bloodsucking demon they had become.

You’d just killed the Raiden Shogun.

There was a power in those words, a fear that matted your name. Striking terror in your victims and co-workers all the same, a grin sweeping your face with every kill; every ounce of blood. The adrenaline that pumped through your veins, the guttural screams and cries. You were content with it, the horror you held caged in. The one you unleashed to those who had surpassed humanity and decided to take on a monstrous form.

Vampires.

“Finished already?”

A figure stepped out of the shadows, steps cutting short. You hummed in response to Scaramouche’s nonchalant tone, the smile on your lips saying it all. “One down,” was all you said. “Two more to go.”

Thin fingers slid into yours, clenching your hand tightly as you walked past the cobblestone streets. It was dark, night sweeping through Inazuma and hiding the horrors of their dead archon tucked away. 

Scaramouche didn't let go of your hand, not as it made it to the ports, nor when you spotted a mass of ginger hair in the distance. The sea was a bottomless pit of terror in the obscurity, only fancy lanterns strung up on posts to light up the way to the boardwalk. It made the blood on your hands more impactful, more important with no one to spectate and take a glance at your face.

They wouldn't know who had done it.

You could imagine faces constructed in anger, fangs prodding past thin lips and marking a vengeful face. Oh how you wished you could witness it. But the mystery hurt them, and they could only put the blame on the organization that you partook in.

“Fatui scum.”

You found the insult had a melodic tune to it, a resentment that you craved from the vampires who said it. Bloodshot red eyes, fingers twitching to move when they did not know what to do. Frustration, you wished it on the faces of the merciless beasts who had slaughtered your family, the vampires who now terrorized Teyvat and plagued it as a hellhole.

Childe was working on the boat when you and Scaramouche reached him. Hands occupied with rope when he looked up, past you. He dimly registered you both, searching for something more. It was only when his lips parted that he spoke. “Signora?”

You didnt answer.

Simply stepping into the boat, Scaramouche following suite as the watercraft teetered at the new weight. There was an empty tension that said it all, Childe inhaled sharply, numbly unravelling the rope from the wooden post. Before grabbing hold of the ships railing, you put a hand on the gingers back. It was not much, but comfort was forlorn in a world nearly consumed by vampires.

“Two more,” were Childe’s only words. “Two more.”

#genshin impact #genshin impact childe #genshin impact scaramouche #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact vampire #vampire au #genshin impact angst #childe x reader #scaramouche x reader #deadwishdeadkiss #ahhh im nervous #this is my first series #genshin impact oneshots #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin impact hc #genshin impact headcanons

[patchofhope]

Just ramble abt ocs below

ok but i literally have over 700 of the fuckers now (and thats not counting my multitude of TROLLS) but here's the blorbo thats in my head rn bcus Ghonst I love this man so much I'v dedicated at least like 50 individual rps just to him. Ghost's also probably the one i meme the most because... autism + weird personality + does not know how to communicate good = get to draw the funny expressions. I've fucking compiled all my faves and the list keeps growing bcus I draw him SO GODDAMN MUCH.

Ghost i love you never change you bastard-eating amnesiac w/ a ride or die mentality

(Love also goes out to his brother, Vin, and Ghost's ((complete wreck of a)) husband, Galvin. Because you put the three in the same room and it's just 'gay snickering at u')

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE feel free to just ask about them. it's motivation to finish the excel doc (or at least get it into a readable state) so i can just unleash it upon the world lol

#cy answers #cy's oc: Ghost #cy's oc: Vin #cy's oc: Galvin #just wait until i drop this man's moirails he's got 4 of them. good for him.

[gerec]

Fantasy AU - Charles/Jean

So I started a number of fics that I never finished in time for Rare Pairs Fest, which I’m sort of bummed about because I liked the prompts a lot and the ideas that were starting to form; I just couldn’t quite find the motivation to get them to completion ugh. But I’ve decided to post what I have written of these stories so far, in the hopes that sending it out into wide world might get the Muse excited about picking them up again lol.

Pairing: Jean/Charles, implied Erik/Charles, implied Erik/Raven Warning: Non graphic (non sexual) violence towards an underage character 

@lachatblanche‘s Prompt: Charles and Jean have always had a very special relationship, ever since she was young. No matter what happened or who passed in and out of their lives, that bond has always remained strong and unbroken.

Nothing has ever come between them. And, if Jean has her way, nothing ever will ...

Note: The tenses are a little wonky here but it would all get cleaned up in a final edit if I wrote more. :D

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

Green, they say, is a fitting choice for a bride, representing harmony, and renewal, and the freshness of Spring.

Blue, they say, is an apt pick for the soon-to-be-Queen, to rule at the King’s side bathed in his colors. 

Instead it’s the color red that Jean chooses for this long awaited day, the hue of blood, and of fire, and the sacrifices made along the way.

x

Jean understood that she had a different life once, with a mother and father who loved her, and who did their best to dote on their only daughter. Theirs was a poor but relatively happy existence, in a mud-caked village with a long forgotten name. She could still recall vague snippets of their life together on that farm; her father tending the sheep while her mother worked the loom, and days spent growing herbs and tomatoes in their tiny garden.

And then one day, her powers came, and everything she’d ever known changed in an instant.

“Those are good memories, Jean,” Charles had told her once, after she woke up in tears, crying desperately for parents who were long gone and buried. “It’s alright to hold on to them, and leave the other ones behind.”

But she would never let herself forget, even if she could; the weird angle of her mother’s broken neck, her limp body thrown clear of their overturned cart. Her father’s tear stained face as he cried out to the heavens, calling Jean ‘a wretched witch’ for killing his beloved wife. The villagers’ mocking words as they dragged her eight year old self, kicking and screaming to the pyre, tying her to the stake.

Her father turning away without a word, as they set the wood beneath her ablaze.  

She had called out for him then, and also for God; for someone, please anyone, to save her from a horrific fate. Instead they all stood by and did nothing, too afraid to show a little girl either mercy or restraint. It was their hatred, and their terror that stoked the sleeping fire at her core, unleashing the devastation that would engulf everything in its wake.  

They found her alone and unharmed on top of the pyre, and the entire village around her reduced to nothing but ashes.

It was his face that she saw when she first opened her eyes, and his brilliant mind that reached out to welcome her in. He looked upon Jean with tender kindness and care, without the judgement of those who had known her all her young life. The relief she felt brought fresh tears to her eyes, for no one – not even her own parents – ever understood what she was, or loved her as he did without fear or reservation.

Don’t be afraid, Jean, he said in her head, as strong arms cradled her gently against his breastplate. I’ve got you now, darling girl, and I promise you’ll be safe. No one will ever hurt you again, I swear it.  

Please, she answered, and it was so easy talking this way, without the wasteful inaccuracy of the spoken word. Can I go with you, wherever you live? They don’t want me here…and my father…

Can’t hurt you anymore, he said, his inner voice rough with feeling, brimming with such hurt and anger for the evils of men. She knew that his name was Charles, and he was searching for more people like them, with special gifts that were unappreciated, and often misunderstood. I would have you stay with me as long as you wish, he whispered in her head. Be my family, Jean, and I’ll be there for you, always.

I’ll stay with you forever, Jean vowed, with every fiber of her being. I’ll always be by your side.

x

She finds him awake in his room late into the night, bottles tipped over on the table and strewn carelessly on the floor. He’s been crying, his eyes rimmed red and shot through with blood, body huddled in a ball on his four poster bed. Jean wants to weep too, seeing him suffer like this, watching him crumble under the weight of such utter betrayal.

It’s a relief that he doesn’t realize the truth of it; that it was three people and not two, that has hurt and deceived him.

“How could this have happened?” Charles asks, eyeing the bottle in his hand, speaking not to Jean but to the quiet of his half empty quarters. “Why didn’t I see it when it was right in front of me?”

Once, he would have seen clearly through Jean’s calm exterior, plucking the gnawing guilt from her thoughts as easily as ripe fruit from a tree. He would see both the conflict and the shame, and catch the barest hint of remorse, hidden behind a wall of steadfast determination. He would see the motive behind all of Jean’s lies and machinations, and know that she did it for him; to protect him from those who would do him the most harm.

“Shh,” Jean says instead, folding him tenderly into her arms, a reversal of roles to the many nights he held her close and chased away the bad dreams. “It wasn’t your fault, Charles. Never yours.”

“I just can’t believe—” He shudders as Jean rubs his back soothingly, resting his head in the crook of her neck. “My sister…and Erik…how could they, Jean? Why?”

His mind is a maelstrom of confusion and pain, his shields non-existent – safe in the presence of the only one left he can trust. There are others of course, like Hank and Ororo, and even the Summers brothers Alex and Scott; but none he loves as he’s always loved Jean, who shares both his vision for peace and his formidable power.      

“I have no answer for you,” she says, because she knows he doesn’t truly want one, no matter his words. “And certainly none that will make things right.” She strokes his hair from his forehead and kisses him gently, and lays them both carefully onto the bed. “But you still have me, Charles, and I swear to you – I’ll never leave you, not now. Not ever.”

He smiles, and brushes her cheek with his fingers, and does not stop when she takes his hand and presses it against her breast.

“You’re so very beautiful, my darling girl,” he murmurs, stroking her long auburn hair, eyes filled with an ocean of unearned grief and pain. “We mustn’t. It’s not right,” he adds, after Jean kisses him, slowly, gently, coaxing his mouth open as he lies helpless in her embrace.

But Charles is drunk, and Jean is a girl no longer, and everything that happens next is as inevitable as the sunrise.  

#gerec writes #charles/jean #fantasy au #historical au #the imagery spoke to me #of tiny baby!Jean tied to the stake #rare pairs #unfinished #ficlet

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Twenty-Four: Loss of Memory ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Ebisu ] [ SasuHina, blood ] [ Verse: Like Magic ] [ AO3 Link ]

It all began in that bookstore.

Rescuing Naruto from his no-good Summer guardian (which, in all fairness, was mostly Shisui’s hairbrained idea to use his Merlin-forsaken enchanted car) meant that Sasuke and Naruto visited Diagon Alley together with the former’s elder brother Itachi leading them through their school supplies list. They’d met up with their friends - the Hufflepuff Hinata and the Ravenclaw Sakura - on the way, barely able to fit into the bookstore. A so-called famous author, Ebisu, had been there signing copies of his books...and Mikoto had begged Itachi get her a signed copy of one of his tomes.

And it was there they ran into the last people they wanted to see: another Slytherin, Gaara, and his father Rasa. After a rather tense standoff, Rasa calling Hinata a blood traitor as a pureblood mucking about with those ‘lesser’, they’d all failed to notice the book he’d slipped into her cauldron of supplies.

It was that book that would shape the coming year in terrible, terrible ways.

The first attack left the entire school shaken: the caretaker’s cat petrified, and a bloody message written on the wall just beneath her form:

“The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.”

A Chamber of Secrets…? Not an entirely unfounded idea in their four young minds. After all, Hogwarts was old, and even the headmaster had claimed there were still things undiscovered and unknown about it. But given the impressions from the staff (and some students…), it had seemed such an idea had been heard of before.

Only through their history teacher did they learn of the rumors of the Slytherin founder’s alleged secret chamber: a place housing a terrible monster to cleanse Hogwarts of those Salazar found to be ‘unsuitable’ for learning the arts of magic.

A monster within Hogwarts...and one bent on eliminating those of so-called ‘impure’ blood...a terrifying thought. Especially given that one of their own, Sakura, was Muggleborn. And Naruto himself was a halfblood.

But the strange happenings didn’t stop there.

During a Quidditch match, Naruto found himself being chased by a seemingly-rogue bludger. Only after it broke his arm (and the incompetent Ebisu vanished his bones) did Naruto come to know it was Shukaku - a house elf bent on keeping Naruto from the castle - behind several incidents thus far. He revealed that the Chamber had been opened once before.

...and the attacks continued. The school began a dueling club in hopes of preparing the students for trouble. And it was then during a typical rivalry escalation that Sasuke learned something about himself he’d never known before:

He was a Parselmouth.

Immediately, suspicion began to grow against him. Salazar, after all, had been famed for his ability to speak to serpents. And now Sasuke - part of a pureblood Slytherin-frequenting family - was revealed to have the same ability?

...could he be the heir…? The one attacking the Muggleborns? Maybe his friendship with Sakura was fake...after all, they’d been seen bickering at times.

Desperate to find the real mastermind, the group decides to use a Polyjuice potion to interrogate Gaara, figuring his family’s sketchy history may be a clue. The broken bathroom they used was always occupied by a peculiar girl ghost, who later revealed a key clue: a strange diary someone had left in her haunt.

Sasuke did all he could to uncover its secrets, discovering it belonged to a young man named Madara. He had been present during the last attack, showing his valiant capture of the previous perpetrator: the current groundskeeper.

But that did little to solve their problem. As the headmaster and groundskeeper were removed...one last attack seemed the final straw:

Sakura.

But she provided the clue they needed: in her bookish ways, she’d finally found the answer. The monster was a basilisk: a giant snake, explaining Sasuke’s ability to hear a strange voice all year coming from the walls. They then realize that the student killed when the chamber was last opened was none other than Rin, the lavatory ghost...who tells them all they need to know.

But upon their attempts to rally the last of their group...they find Hinata gone. Taken into the Chamber for her status as blood traitor. Desperate, the boys go to enlist Ebisu’s help.

...only to find him quick busily packing.

“...going somewhere, professor?” Sasuke asks, stepping into the room and drawing the man’s gaze.

Ebisu, as it turns out...is a fraud. But that doesn’t stop Naruto and Sasuke dragging him into the bathroom where Rin waits, Sasuke opening the chamber at last with a command of Parseltongue.

One ride down the pipes later, and the trio find themselves beneath the castle.

“...bloody hell,” Naruto mumbles, pointing. “...is that…?”

“A snake skin,” Sasuke replies. “And a huge one. That’s got to be from the basilisk. Remember...keep your eyes closed if you think it’s near.”

“Oh...well…” With a roll of his eyes, Ebisu simply...collapses.

Both boys give him a glance. “...he’s fainted,” Naruto mutters. “Git.”

Making to poke him with his patched-up wand, the blond gives a holler as the professor snatches it, leaping up and grinning.

“Well now...that’s better. Can’t have you two telling anyone what you know! Now, let’s see...how to spin this little story...ah, yes. We were...too late to save the girl. You both succumbed to shock and madness at the grisly sight. All that remains...is to wipe your memories. Obliviate!”

Before either boy can react, there’s a sparking glow from the split in Naruto’s wand...and then Ebisu crashes against the wall.

And then with a rumble, the chamber begins to crumble…!

“Look out!” Each skittering backwards, the boys duck for cover...and as the rubble comes to a standstill, it’s piled high and wide between them.

“Sasuke!”

“I’m all right! But...I don’t think there’s a way through.”

With a groan, Ebisu then lolls his head up to look at Naruto. “...oh...well hello. Who...who are you? And…” His brow furrows. “...who am I?”

“...I think his spell backfired, he’s lost his memory...but what do we do now?”

Sasuke hesitates. “...stay here, and try to move some of this rock, if you can. I’ll go find Hinata! And...keep an eye on Ebisu. Who knows if he’s faking again, so...be careful.”

“...right. You too.”

“Not sure there’s much point in that now,” Sasuke mutters to himself, continuing down the rocky corridor...only to find another door.

“...all right. Er…” Swallowing, he gives another murmur of Parseltongue, the ornate serpent lock coming undone and revealing a huge chamber. At the rear, a giant stone statue of Salazar, flanked by snakes.

And at the end...a motionless Hinata.

“...no…!” Heart clenching in fear, Sasuke dashes forward and crashes at her side, seeing her skin as pale as death. “Hinata...Hinata!”

“...she won’t wake.”

Gasping, Sasuke looks into the shadows, where a familiar young man walks. “...Madara…? But…? Look, we have to get out of here! There’s a monster!”

“It won’t come until it’s called.”

Sasuke pauses...and then lifts his gaze. In Madara’s hands, forgotten by his own, is his wand. “...give that back.”

“Oh, you won’t be needing it.”

“Didn’t you hear me? There’s a monster! And...we…”

“I can’t let you leave. You see...the weaker this blood traitor gets...the stronger I become. It was she who opened the Chamber of Secrets.”

“No...she couldn’t, she -!”

“She unleashed the basilisk, let it seek out the Mudbloods in the castle...and it was she who wrote the warnings on the walls.”

“But...why?”

“Because I told her to. My instructions were rather...convincing...” A smirk grows across his face. “But not to worry. It was I, not she, who was in control. To finish what Salazar aimed to do.”

“Why would you…?”

“Because I...am the heir of Slytherin. His blood courses through my veins. Veins which, soon now, will be living again. Resurrected from a memory preserved in a diary for fifty years. And very soon now...I will be reborn. And this time...nothing can stop me from purifying the wizarding world. Not even you...your precious headmaster is gone. No one is left to stand against me.”

“You’re wrong...he’s never gone. Not so long as students remain who believe in him…!”

As the pair stare each other down, a trill sounds at the front of the cavern.

“...Fawkes…?”

With a toss, the phoenix drops a worn piece of fabric Sasuke struggles to catch. It’s...the Sorting Hat…?

“...ha...so this is what your loyalty earns you? A songbird, and an old hat. Well...let’s see how it matches up against the power of Salazar Slytherin…!” Eyes wide with malice and grin bearing teeth, Madara turns to the founder’s likeness. A chant of Parseltongue sees the statue’s mouth begin to open.

“Now what will you do…?”

Staggering back, Sasuke watches with wide eyes as a rustling fills the air...and the basilisk emerges with a geyser-like hiss.

“Very soon now, the process will be complete. Hinata Hyūga will die...and I will be born anew. And by then, you’ll be rotting in the basilisk’s belly!”

Barely breathing, Sasuke does all he can do, wandless and alone.

He runs.

                                                              .oOo.

     (This is a sequel to days 28, 230, 299, and 316!)       Well this is...a lot more rushed than I'd like, but it was the first thing that came to mind. And after wasting WAY too much time reading a summary and then checking film pieces to refresh MY memory (ahaha, get it?), I couldn't back out xD I love this crossover, but obviously I need to find more roles, cuz uh...I had to leave quite a few blank, and some of these are a little...hurried, lol      BUT! We have a crossover with Chamber of Secrets. And it's valiant Sasuke off to save Hinata! Well...he doesn't look too valiant running away at the end there, but he needs to plan! And not get eaten! Not to worry, I'm sure he'll save her in the end.      I know this is an evil cliffie, but...at the same time, we all (or most) know how this goes, right? Forgive me xD Limited time and word count is a killer, lol - maybe I'll do more another time!      Buuut anyway, it's...very late, so I better go ^^; Thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uzumaki naruto #ebisu #blood // #like magic [ au ] #365daysofsasuhina

[shame-on-nyall]

guess who’s back for hot milkies!

I haven’t quite finished the last chapter to Hot Milky, which frankly isn’t very good lol, but I wanted to let you know I have been working on it off and on the past 2 years. Here’s a preview under the cut. 1,679 words, enjoy!

Genji was torn between trying to convince Hanzo to stay, remain the selfish boy he used to be, and helping him leave, as he should if he were the honorable sibling he wished Hanzo could see. That one second of indecision somehow prompted the arrival of McCree at the doorway to Hana’s den, complete with triumphant grin and the accompaniment of his charges, Junkrat and Roadhog. Everyone turned to look at the trio in confusion and Hana said brightly, “Hey, Jesse, you just missed Genji getting his ass definitively kicked!”

“Ain’t that right? Well, there’s always another day.” McCree glanced over at Genji and Hanzo, his smile sunny and warm and ever so deadly.  “Always another chance to redeem yourself, eh?”

Genji straightened from his loser’s slump with an indignant sound.  Before he could say anything in his defense, he noticed out of the corner of his vision Hanzo stilling, then tilting his chin up and back slightly in a familiar gesture out of their childhood.  At once, Genji took on a defensive position that matched his brother’s. McCree shook his head exasperatedly and just like that the environment in the den filled with that sort of chaotic barely-contained energy found in the simulation room right before Winston pressed the start button to the AI and unleashed robot hell upon the members of Overwatch.

In a matter of nanoseconds, the brothers completed the mad scramble out the nearest window, made a touch difficult by the breadth of their brawny shoulders, followed by an exhilarating climb up the sheer side of the building.  “Just like when we were boys” came to Hanzo’s mind again, this time in a much more light-hearted situation.  Some distance below, Jesse and Hana had poked their heads out the window, hollering at the fleeing duo but unable to get Roadhog or Junkrat to their aid. Any further babble was cut off by an explosion of hard light and more screaming from everyone except Satya.  At that point, the brothers finally reached the summit of the cliff wall, their escape from the insanity achieved.  

They were not alone, as was usually the case within the borders of Watchpoint, for Zarya had just finished a brief perimeter rooftop check and was now going down to investigate the ruckus below.  Her sharp eyes caught Hanzo and Genji sliding over the wall and pooling onto the ground in giddy relief.

“What are you two doing up here?” she asked, paused and now regarding them suspiciously.  

“We’re just practicing… ninja sorts of things,” Genji answered, as innocently as he could manage. “You know?”

Zarya gave them a look that said in as many words, “I don’t know enough about ninjas to know if you’re telling the truth or not.”  Another explosion shook the foundations, more yelling, and deciding that questioning the two would be of less use than supporting whatever was going on within the base, Zarya hurried down the stairs.

“That was close!”

“Too close,” Hanzo muttered, the high of the climb hundreds of meters above the ocean with nary a handhold quickly wearing off.  “We will be caught, sooner or later, Genji.  This place is a trap filled with absolutely uncontrollable thugs and lunatics.”

“Hey, Satya helped us get away, so technically one of them is a lunatic on our side.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes, for he had clearly heard Satya state her intention to kill each and every one of her fellow teammates several times over perhaps almost as often as he had, but instead of saying anything, he scurried to the other trapdoor and the ladder there. “I have most of my things with me, but we will need to hurry. The bounties have become the bounty hunters, and I don’t intend to be captured for their nefarious purposes.”

“What nefarious purposes?” Genji asked, leading the way through the storage room by the light of his visor.  “Are you still nervous about a simple check-up, anija?”  He tittered at the thought of Mercy commanding McCree and Jamison and Mako about like some sort of warrior goddess directing her high priests.

“Yes!” Hanzo clutched at his jacket fretfully.  “This is not the time to be joking around!  Help me escape, Genji.”

“And what do I get in return?” Genji retorted, stopping in the hallway and folding his arms childishly.

“You!  I will throw you out the window and off the side of this cliff right now.”

“Fine.”  He could do so quite easily after all.  “We’ll rendezvous at the aircraft hanger, the security is weakest there.”  With no further comment, Genji led the way to a little-used corridor that could be their best bet to slip out of Watchpoint.

Although that did not address the fact that Athena may not allow them past the perimeter, nor the valid concern that Overwatch will not easily let a potential member roam free, knowing its secrets.  If anything, Overwatch would likely increase their efforts to (re-)capture Hanzo.  But for now, a breath of the outside air, a moment away from the weight of the world and expectations, a minute to just be free and safe and together before they must return to reality.  Genji would do anything to make that happen for his brother.  

Even if it meant blocking McCree with his drawn oodachi so Hanzo could slide past them.  Tossing shurikens at the two junkers and at the bystanders gawping at the clash to buy his brother more time to jump off a startled Reinhardt’s shoulders and up into the air duct which really shouldn’t have fit him at all.  Darting through maze-like hallways, throwing over his shoulder not the stereotypical ninja smoke bombs but a handful of glitter projection devices that gave off a burst of pink confetti and displayed Hana’s smiling face sparkling in mid-air (very cute) which he snatched from her gaming den after the tournament to distract Soldier76 from tracking them down.  Cyborg he may have become, but the rush of blood through Genji’s ears and into his chest seemed to thrum as if he were a boy again, and his face split into a grin beneath his mask.  Hanzo had dropped out of the air duct into the hall in front of him and together, they raced for the exit.

 They reached the hanger unimpeded, Hanzo following after Genji scanned ahead to make sure no one else from the team lay in wait amidst the tiny fleet of aircraft.

“So are you going to fly out of here?” Genji asked as they approached the jet Lena used to fly.

“These aircraft will be locked down, I wouldn’t have access to the controls as a temporary member,” Hanzo murmured.  “I will be leaving on foot.”

“On foot?  They can catch up to you, anija!”

“Perhaps.”  Hanzo did not sound too bothered by this.  “As long as it is not right away…  That is all I need.”

“I understand…”

Hanzo stepped toward to the far exit, a simple push door that led outside of the base proper.  He saw the flicker of red light just in time and dropped to the ground while Genji, ever swift, darted in front of him. It wasn’t a bullet, otherwise they would have been dead from the accuracy of the shot.  Genji grabbed the needle-tipped projectile out of the air, just as it was about to slide into Hanzo’s neck.

The sound of reloading and another shot thunked uselessly off Genji’s left shoulder.  Knowing it was a sniper, Hanzo pulled Genji close and frantically searched the aircraft, the scaffolding, any tall secluded point where one of his kind would lay in wait.

Overwatch did not have a sniper in their ranks, not for many years… but that style of shooting, that kind of ammunition…  As isolated as he was during his years of wandering, he of course recognized the sniper playing with them.  So did Genji, it seem.

“Anija, anija, it’s okay,” he said quietly.  “Just a warning shot.  She won’t hurt us that much.”

“The Shrike,” Hanzo muttered, still tense, still trying to cover Genji’s body with his own even though Genji had a lot less soft mushy parts to pierce with a syringe.  A big brother’s habit.  “You don’t know them, they are one of the most accomplished snipers in the world.”

“The Shrike?  But… surely that’s Captain Amari…” Genji stared at the needle and syringe in his hand, realizing what he said could not be true. Then again, he began to learn that whoever died did not always stay dead, not if they were needed.

Distracted momentarily, they did not notice a delicate shadow alight on the ground from a distant fire escape heading towards them with deliberate steps.  Hanzo began to back away once he finally tracked the sniper’s movement, keeping Genji behind him.

“What do you want?” Hanzo asked, his tone and stance indicating that if it was Genji they wanted, they would have to get through him first.

The figure paused, assessing them, then stepped forward into a circle of light.  An elderly woman, slight build but with a proud bearing, a patch over one eye, carrying a magnificent custom sniper rifle.

“You are the Shrike?” he asked tensely.

The woman nodded at him, smiling peacefully though not letting go of her rifle.  “Hello.  It is good to finally meet a rival, Hanzo.”

“A-are you not… Ana Amari?” Genji asked in a faltering tone, unable to believe his eyes.  Everything about this woman he had never seen before, and yet he knew her somehow, as closely as he knew McCree, as deeply as he knew Soldier76 who was obviously Jack Morrison, who did he think he was fooling anyway.  “Aren’t you dead?”

“That Captain Amari you knew… has indeed passed away.  But I still know you, Genji, and you know me, don’t you?”

“How?  All of this time?” His mind spun, trying to process this revelation.

“I will explain, Jack apparently did nothing of the sort.  But you two, where are you going?  Won’t you stay and help this old woman find some rest?”

#shimadacest #hot milky #My fic

[allthebooksbefore]

a court of wings and ruin / sarah j. maas

book #21 of 2021 started: sometime in may (i forget lol) finished: june 30th

what it's about: "feyre has returned to the spring court, determined to gather information on tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. but to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. one slip could bring doom not only for feyre, but for everything - and everyone - she holds dear. as war bears down upon them all, feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the high fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers - both magical and political - and her love for her court and family. amidst these struggles, feyre and rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal high lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places... the fate of feyre's world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it."

what i liked: the way it took two and a half books to actually get to the war lol... but all of that build up was so necessary to make the stakes higher and make it all hit home more. i loved feyre and rhys' last few moments at the townhouse, the chapter where feyre and her sisters reunited after feyre and azriel saved elain (and they slept next to each other like they begrudgingly used to when they were humans) (really all of the sisterly moments between feyre and nesta), rhys' speech before the last battle - it was all so bittersweet. feyre's ruse with lucien at the beginning of the novel - i.e. her coming onto him to piss off tamlin - was interesting. i know he felt guilty for not being there for feyre in the past, and maybe he just got caught up in the moment, but he fell right into her traps (they almost k i s s e d). it was kind of surprising because 1) he had very clear suspicions of her when she came back to the spring court, 2) he knew he was mated to elain, and 3) his unyielding loyalty - though perhaps faltering - to tamlin. also, i mentioned this back in book one, but i like how feyre often needs help, makes mistakes, or straight up doesn't know what to do... turning the spring court against tamlin (which was kind of savage at the time but ended up having negative consequences); when she left one of the battles against hybern without telling anyone (and people were pissed at her); when she couldn't fly (and tamlin helped her); when she felt utterly useless at times during the war. she has a lot of confidence, but also has her own faults and insecurities - it makes her seem more real than a heroine who constantly kicks ass. i also liked how she made her peace with tamlin, giving him that note. i hope we can see him redeem himself in the future, watch him learn how to be a stronger leader, learn how to calm the rage inside of him. switching gears… jurian. i LOVED that he pulled a rhys and ended up working for the greater good. i had a feeling he would... while in the spring court, he would insinuate to feyre that he knew she was putting on an act, winking at her like they were in on something together. interested to see how his storyline plays out, especially with myriam and drakon. also, mor. i didn’t expect that she was going to come out (at earlier points i thought maybe amren, nesta or both), but i wasn’t necessarily surprised. there had to be a solid reason why she was stringing cassian and azriel along for so long. what was kind of annoying in retrospect, though, was how she kept inserting herself into these moments between cassian and nesta. i get she has a sense of protectiveness over her friends, but i feel like she was being more protective over that love triangle to save face, and it makes me sad for her and the two men. they deserve to find love, not be stuck in this 500-year-old game. i also loved when, during the final battle, feyre removed the glamour around the bone carver and byraxis, only for rhys to remove his own glamour around the weaver - we stan a couple on the same wave length. omg and when we got to see nesta and elain team up to take down the king of hybern - how the author used the grip the cauldron had on feyre to bring us there and witness it versus randomly giving us nesta/elain’s point of view… i’m glad nesta and elain got to each have their moment.

what i liked, continued: FATHER ARCHERON. i had a strong feeling he was going to appear at that heart of the war - the fact that he was mentioned here and there as being away on business, without a second thought, made that one a bit obvious, but i thought he was going to either have joined hybern in a deal to get his daughters back, or would have been captured by hybern as bait. but he was strong and good and RALLIED TROOPS to fight, in ships named after his daughters (lead by the NESTA). UGHHH. it was a bit cheesy but SO CUTE. what was a little muddy, though, was the fact that he just left nesta and elain behind? did he try returning for them but they weren’t there, or learned of their fate from vassa before he could? or did he know in his heart that feyre would come back for them? ANYWAY. it was nice to see him redeem himself. now let’s talk about miss amren. part of me was thinking that someone in the group would be revealed to be working for hybern's cause, but i left that theory behind. but then, at the cauldron, amren revealed that she lied to feyre, and i was so taken aback, thinking she had ulterior motives, hybern or no. but then i thought, wait... she probably lied that they needed more “made-fae” power to nullify the cauldron, that it had to be only feyre. kind of like the "protective" necklace she gave feyre when she was going to visit the bone carver for the first time - a placebo to give her inner strength (which was sort of true). but then once amren said she needed feyre to kill her... queue the hermione granger "hE's gOiNg tO sAcRiFicE hImSeLf" moment. BRO. after the suriel and feyre were talking about needing to die to nullify the cauldron, part of me thought tamlin would sacrifice himself. but AMREN not just unleashing her beast form but accepting a certain death... BEAUTIFUL. lastly, changing course to the ending... RHYS' DEATH. i had a feeling back in book two that he would end up dying because he's just too GOOD. something bad had to happen. what i didn't expect, though, was the entire series coming full circle and all the high lords bringing him back to life, and then rhys bringing AMREN BACK WITH HIM. UGHHHHH. we STAN.

what i didn't like: i get there's a lot of content to get through, but the author just completely cuts out storylines only to bring them back when it's convenient and it could be a little distracting. lucien is a perfect example - he left to go find vassa, and then was never mentioned again until he reappeared during the last battle. feyre couldn't have had a passing thought about him once or twice? wonder if he's okay out there?

things i'm thinking about: i'm worried about nesta, but she always pulls through. i think she'll start taking her training more seriously, too. i'm also worried about rhys - will he suffer any major effects of being revived? it almost felt a little too easy. plus, although the war is over, there is still so much to consider - bryaxis on the loose. vassa, and the death-lord she is cursed to. the mortal queens. the ramifications of the cauldron’s whereabouts. jurian. the people remaining people of hybern (and who takes over the throne). the new treaty. amren’s abilities now that she’s solely high fae. eris, and his fight for beron's crown. alis - is she ok? what role will the human girl they saved from hybern's camp play going forward? and then, of course, all of the relationships - mor and viviane's sister were hinted at. and then azriel + mor + cassian of course. nesta and cassian (CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO PLAY OUT MORE). azriel getting over mor (and his soft spot for elain?). elain and lucien. lucien and helion. lucien and his family. lucien and tamlin. amren and varian. UGH so much left to resolve.

[beevean]

So what are your overall thoughts on Forces storywise? Positives and negatives? Where do you think the story ranks in the series?

Maybe it’ll be easier to just list positives and negatives (warning: long post):

Positives:

- Even by watching a low-quality stream of the Switch version, I can say the game looks gorgeous. It does suffer a bit from the Adventure 2 syndrome, where the art direction can bet too dull for you to appreciate the graphics, but some stages are breathtaking. Egg Gate in particular looks amazing.

- While the plot on its own doesn’t belong in this section, I appreciate the simple fact that they actually dared to break from the lighter and softer approach that’s been going on since 2010, and the fact that they remembered that the cast isn’t just made of Sonic, Tails, Eggman, Orbot and Cubot. The concept was awesome! The tone was perfect, serious but not depressing and too try-hard! There was some action! It’s a step in the right direction, and I hope people will criticize the plot for the right reasons and not because “lol sonic shouldn’t try to be edgy”.

- Shadow will be playable. Even if he’s at his core “Sonic with a OP Light Speed attack” this is very important.

- While at first I was annoyed at seeing old levels again, I’m actually happy with what they’ve done. They’re not just rehashes, they’re treated like actual dynamic environments. Green Hill is not just “hey remember this level”, it’s a place dear to Sonic that was ruined by Eggman. Chemical Plant is also ruined and repurposed as a space port, almost like a Sonic CD Bad Future. Only the Death Egg is pretty much the same, although I admit, the Classic level using the same gimmicks as the S3&K version was a nice touch that I forgave because it made sense in-universe.

- The dialogue! Aside from a couple of stupid lines, mostly by Sonic, there was no trace of childish, jarring humor, nobody was OOC or treated as simple comic reliefs, and the interactions between characters were genuine and believable. Some parts kinda reminded me of the Boom cartoon. “See, Infinite, now we het to know each other! So what’s your favorite color? Do you enjoy long, romantic walks on the beach? What’s the source of your powers? You can skip the first two questions if you like” “Maybe he’ll have more friends if he stopped talking about himself in the third person.” (maybe I just have a bad sense of humor idk :V)

- Eggman and Knuckles were perfect. We didn’t see them a lot, but their characterization was on point. Knuckles was just full of charisma and he radiated confidence, a far cry from the butt monkey he’s been since Sonic X. And Eggman was actually smart, with some clever ideas like having backup sources for the Phantom Ruby, rightfully chewing out Infinite for not killing Sonic, and… well, we didn’t see it, but I like the idea of him keeping Sonic alive in his cell just so he could see what happened to the world thanks to his absence (that’s perfect fanfic fuel). And Mike Pollock managed to sound badass in certain parts. “The sun will fall upon you. Boom! The end. Your pathetic lives… are over.”

- Speaking of Pollock, the voice acting was some of the best in the games this far. I can count on a single hand the times someone sounded fake or unconvincing (mostly Silver, sadly, and Sonic was a bit oscillating). I think I gushed about Liam O’ Brien enough, he clearly had so much fun with Infinite. I can’t wait to hear the Japanese version

- And finally I love Infinite way more than I should. His design, his voice (especially his voice

- I like that thing Infinite did in Capital City. You know, when he mind raped everyone in the city by conjuring those abominations of nature. That was a clever use of his powers.

- The last shot of the game, with the Resistance hideout shining under the sun’s light and a single flower at the center, with the instrumental version of the credits’ song in the background, is honestly moving. Even after the huge disappointment that was the ending, this part made me feel satisfied and like I accomplished something (and I didn’t even play myself). It reminds me of Wiosna from Katawa Shoujo, and if you played it you know how it feels to hear that music after finishing a route.

Neutral:

- The scrapping of lives. I’ve seen people complaining that it makes the game too easy, but

1) there’s still some punishment if you lose a life, just like in Unleashed the timer doesn’t reset and of course you lose all your Rings, so if you die you can kiss that S rank goodbye;

2) lives have been pointless since the introduction of save files. Let’s be honest, when was the last time you got a game over in a game that saved your progress? And what was the punishment for a game over? At worst you just have to restart the level you died in.

So while I’m not particularly happy, I’m not disappointed either and I welcome the change.

- The music. I put it here because it’s kind of a mixed bag, there are tracks that I hate with a passion and tracks that I can’t get enough of (and I’ve only heard a tiny fraction of the whole OST). So overall I would say it’s average-to-good. 

I really wonder why they’re insisting of forcing Ohtani to compose whole soundtracks - the guy is seriously talented and I admire his work, but why can’t he be helped by someone else? I know Kenichi Tokoi and Naofumi Hataya also worked on the soundtrack, but afaik their roles are minimal.

- The Avatar himself. I’d enjoy the idea a lot more if 1) they talked, and 2) the characters stopped shilling them just a tiny bit, especially since everyone else was relegated to the background. Still, the concept of a muggle wanting to help the heroes is cool, as it goes against that sort of “elitism” in the Sonic series. And I just grew too attached to Gadget the Wolf :)

- The level design, the thing people trashed for months on end… it’s okay. Is it good as Generations’? Absolutely not. Is it bad? I don’t think so, because when I think “bad level design”, I think of Knuckles’ Chaotix and Sonic CD. 

Forces is inoffensive in this regard. On one hand, it’s not as linear as it looked like, there are multiple paths and some nice platforming sections. On the other, the 3D parts are few, short and in general not that engaging, and yes, Classic Sonic’s stages are supported by too much automation because the physics engine can’t handle him apparently. In short, if you’re okay with shallow fun and you thought Colors was fine, then you’ll be okay with Forces. (and while we’re not supposed to judge the developers as people, considering the level designers were all newbies I’d say they did a good job)

Negatives:

- the fact that you can’t recollect your rings unless you’re playing as the hedgehog Avatar. That just flies against the very core of the Rings concept.

- The sheer lack of “show, don’t tell”. Most of this game is just told, in fact most part of the plot is told via walkie talkie convos. The majority of the cast is just there to comment and guide the characters during the levels, only Silver is shown actually doing something. The most offensive example is how Eggman conquering the world is “shown” by a simple text box (people are already speculating it’s another sign of troubled production). And we don’t even see that much of the conquered world, either, aside from City (no seriously that’s the name of the area).

- What happened to you, Tails? What happened to the boy who wanted to be more than Sonic’s sidekick? Why the mere sight of Chaos 0 sends you into a panic when you fought Chaos 4 before? Why thinking Sonic is dead makes you “lose it”, when the same thing happened twice already (or once, if you want to discard ‘06) and in both cases you were devastated but still managed to kick ass? Why are you just an exposition fairy? Who hates you that much in the writers’ team? :(

- THE. RUSHING. Oh my god I could rant for hours about how the game not only is too fast-paced, but outright misses chunkes. I already mentioned the text box part, but what about the part where Infinite sends Sonic and the Avatar into null space… and they get out of there in literally ten seconds? What about Fake!Chaos and Fake!Shadow being dispatched like that, without even the simples of boss fights? What about Silver, Shadow and Omega just appearing out of nowhere? What about the “fake sun” plan being thwarted simply by the Avatar after less than ten minutes? What about the relentless teasing of Infinite’s origins, all culminating in a big fat nothing (he didn’t even take off his mask for fuck sake)? What about Eggman just vanishing after the final boss? What about the fact that two thirds of the final boss are rehashes, and at this point I’m seriously insulted by seeing Egg Nega Wisp for the third time?

- Going hand-to-hand with the rushed plot, the wasted potential. Sonic gets tortured in isolation, so you’d expect some consequences to his characterization. Nope! Not even a reveal that he was just hiding his fear by acting tough. Why are Shadow, Chaos and Zavok on Eggman’s side? Lol, they were just illusions, the real Shadow is fine and the others just don’t appear. All the cool hints about a tragic past for Infinite in his own song? Nothing mentioned in-game. He’s an experiment, that’s it. The connection with Mania? Just an excuse to justify the presence of Classic Sonic, whose only purpose in the plot is to snap Tails out of his depression. This game is just begging, “Rewrite me, please!”, and if I could write decently I’d do it myself, I’m that disappointed.

- What’s the deal with Aqua Road? It’s the only gimmick level in the game and it looks like the unholy child of those horrible bingo tables in Bingo Highway and this part in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for PC.

- Very minor, but if Eggman could see the fake sun, that means he would’ve been incinerated too. Considering how smart he was otherwise, that seems like a huge hole in his plan.

That’s everything I can think of. So, in conclusion, the game is generally good but overall mixed, and I dread the coming of November 7th because I can’t even imagine the kind of reception this game will get (and since it’ll come right after Super Mario Odyssey I don’t think it will sell well :\). 

I would personally play it if I had the chance because the game doesn’t look broken, boring or frustrating, and if I can manage to have fun with ShTH Forces will definitely be entertaining :V but it’s clear something went seriously wrong during the production and it feels like there are bits of the game missing, bits that could’ve elevated the quality from “good” to “excellent” - which is also why I hope Sonic Team doesn’t throw everything away but keeps the good parts and expands on them to create an even better game next time.

So if you’re planning on getting Forces, ask yourself what do you want to see in a Sonic game, because that’s the thing that makes the difference between “it’s not perfect but I can have fun with this” and “this game is absolute trash and Sonic doesn’t deserve this”.

#sonic the hedgehog #sf spoilers// #long post #fullysowerewolf

[joestrummen]

I found a fanfic maker and made it write stukcy im dyingg this is the besst

A/N: Hi Ladys and Gentleman, I am writing this fic for one reason and one reason only; angrykiller90210 said I couldn't do it! They said I couldn't stick with anything. Well, this will be proof positive and it will be awesome! I'll do this in 3 parts, below is just the intro which doesn't count towards those 3. Like the Hobbit movie. (btw, I'll finish of the last parts of my other Captain America story later, btw.)

Seeya, From, -Barton_Bot --- A little Later, Captain America was taking a shit. He was having trouble though. It felt like days passed and still no sign of release.

"Help..Errrr... ahhhh! Christ! when is this epic poo gonna pass!?" Stevie exclaimed, His face wincing with effort. He made every effort in his little boy body to expel this demon thing from his womanly back side.

Just as Stevie was going in for another push.. Without warning the bathroom door suddenly burst open unexpectedly. Ahhhh!

"Well hello...Rogers" a seductive noise whispered from the doorway.

A shadowy person stood leaning against the door frame. His deep, sensual voice which Rogers knew immediately. His mind began racing and a nervous sweat began pouring from his face.

"Buck... is that you? wha- what are you still doing awake...?"

He appeared in nothing but a towel, seemingly ready to take a steamy shower. However He couldn't with Steve Rogers near by....they were like family now.Bucky Barnes was like His mother-in-law. Any sane person would never allow their own mother-in-law to see them in the nude. Right? RIGHT!!?! SHIT!"

"Oh I felt dirty from questing all day...ya ever feel dirty Steve?" "Y-Yes, I mean NO! NO! NO! Never" Rogers shrieked, He became so immensely worked up he cleaned his colon clear of the demon feces that had been clogging it. His voice also cracked like he was 13 again, but in comparison to the loud flatulence he just unleashed, who cares? Bucky Barnes heard though, and giggled like a adorable baby girl laugh. It sent tingles all up Rogers's spine. "Oh you've always been the shy one in the family, Rogers..."

Steve was not shy, at all. He defeated Ghost Heterosexuality and blew up His evil machines for Christ's sake! and now he suddenly found himself speechless. Was He going to see his metaphorical mother-in-law literally naked? Little did he know, that was merely a sprinkle on the banana split of carnal pleasures that was to come.

"..the shy and excitable one." said Bucky Barnes finishing the sentence He started earlier.

"Wh-what the..." and before Captain America could send the third word out of His mouth..

..Buck's towel dropped to the floor,revealing his swimsuit underneath. Steve Rogers noticed everything on him instantly. His soft butt,his magically gravity-defying middle leg and the giant thingy colored birth mark on his butt, which made Him feel funny...as He had one there too.

Still, the sight of his near perfect body caused Captain America to feel funny in places he had never felt before.

"hehe oh my Rogers...you're more impressive than I thought." "uh... ye-yeah, th-thaaanks Buck, you're cute too." THIS IS SO WRONG! It raced through his head at lightning speed. But the beautiful, wet, soapy body that stood before him spoke otherwise. Him shapely body was everything Steve Rogers could want ...in a body to make use of. Yet did family like relationship matter?.. ... ... NAAAAAH!!

But just as Steve Rogers was commiting. Commiting to a path that they couldn't go back from.

Gay Steve burst into the toilet!

"What are you too upto?" "Err..nothing" said Rogers as he causally slipped his pants back on. Bucky Barnes, who Gay Steve didnt notice, picked up his towel and backed out slowly. "Really?" "I was just having a shit...see?" Steve Rogers gestured to his shit. "Oh, thats a shit all right!  One hell of a shit! Ok, if your done we better go" So Steve put his other pants on and left. He had a serious case of blue balls, but at least his anus didnt feel so bad now. As he walked out Buck whispered one word. A word fall of hope. "Later" Stevie Giggled. Fortunately, their traveling companion was as oblivious as ever, and didn't notice. --- One day Gay Steve was doing painting... Bucky winked at Captain America when no one else was looking. "Later" he mouthed at him silently so no one could hear. ---

Summary: I suck at writing summaries. Bsides the 'fic isn't that long!

I am Gay Steve.

I was sitting behind my desk. I felt the tears well up in my eyes . After Our last adventure, I found out just exactly how cruel people could be. How nasty and inconsiderate real humans actually were. I stared at a picture of a polar bear. A magnificent beast who would not hesitate to kill me but at least it would be quick. Not a overlong conspiracy of many years, just to be unleashed on me when I was at my weakest and darkest moment. When I needed my friends the most.

But there had been one tiny ray of light in this whole . I remembered fondly the day I discovered it. It was a tuesday morning I rememberanced. The memories surfaced before my mind's eye and took the most wonderful shapes. Before I well knew it, a single tear welled up in my eyes and trickled down my cheek. Because even when all my 'friends' betrayed me there was one consistant factor in my life: Ghost Heterosexuality.

And I knew that the rising aspirations between them could never become true, the feelings I had for Ghost Heterosexuality were the only thing in this world that still felt true to him. No lies, just that single, pure sense and feeling for Ghost Heterosexuality.

Alas, I thought to meself hopelessly. Why must they battle? Why must I be destined to destroy Ghost Heterosexuality? Can I ever tell Ghost Heterosexuality how much Ghost Heterosexuality means to me?

If only I could. Then all my pain would be over. No more betrayal. No more suffering under the laughter from Ninja Natasha (who told him she loved me, only to stab me right inti the heart at valentines day!). No, only Ghost Heterosexuality and my true feelings for Him.

A/N Lol this has all been so depressive lol! My next bit will be less dark!

Fortunately Jr. Bucky worked at a newspaper nowadays and he used the database of the newspaper to find out home turf of Ghost Heterosexuality's ruffians. Their search led to a night club in the darkiest and stormiest part of Brooklyn. I was a little hesitant to go. It was rather scary and it was dark and stomy in that secting of Brooklyn. But the courage in me was greater than my fear because with my super strength I should be able to accomplish anything, right, I thought to myself. And Jr. Bucky would join me.

So not to fall out of fashion we both donned their most gothyest clothing. I had to admit that Jr. Bucky looked kind of sexy in that outfit of his. But I didn't dare to comment on that (I had only just discovered I am bi, and I was a little angxious over that. I wans't sure if my othre friends would accept that!. I instead poored down my soul into my make-up. I bore gorgeous blood-rose coloured finger nails with black streaking zig-zags and gave Jr. Bucky Barnes matching treatment. Jr. Bucky lovely eyes met mine and for a moment we were both swimming in a pool made of a gorgeous combination of their eyes colours. It was romance we knew, but we didn't know whether it was a forbidden one or not!

Then we went off and defeated Ghost Heterosexuality. --- Later, Stevie and Bucky Barnes were alone again. "Its Later" said Bucky Barnes, pulling Captain America towards the bathroom. "But what about the others?" "I'll just tell them you are helping me shower. They wont suspect a thing" "True. They are all idiots" Then, suddenly, Buck was naked. Rogers wondered how He did that. He must have been nearly naked this whole time! The shower turned on... ..Captain America was already.

Bucky lathered up good and fine. The soap dripped off His body at a seductively slow pace. Steve could not contain the powerful urge of excitement that raced through His veins. The alluring look of his nudie comrade became too much for him to fathom and his body started sweeting.

There Rogers sat, His gold pants pulled quickly down at his ankles, on a toilet full of poop with His bodly fluids on full display, eyes bulging from His face. Buck giggled as Steve's dignity shriveled and died, but Stevie had always enjoyed that delightful snicker, even after He found out He was His own flesh and blood. "Well...wh-what do we do now?" Stevie said, desperately trying to sound suave. "It. We do it." "it?" "yes. it" "we do it?" "yes" "oh"

...and with that Bucky jumped on Rogers. And they cuddled and hugged a lot. "I love you Bucky Barnes" "I love you too Steve Rogers....lets get married" And they did! Steve Rogers looked especially radiant in a dress. Later, after their honeymoon they continued their adventure (with non of their friends any the wiser).....

--- So we snuck into the Ghost Heterosexuality's lair. It was dark and there were horrofic things on the walls like drawings of skulls and suffering people. Through the dark and dank corridors of the lair's dungeons we went with outmost silence and skill. We sneaked past all the guards who had been turned into horrible demons by Ghost Heterosexuality's new invention. And this would also happen to the whole world if they wouldn't be able to steal the being frozen in ice from Ghost Heterosexuality's hands! They went down the corridors and up the large majestic stairways made of bones and jewls of all shapes and sizes sprinkled with saffron.. One of the corridors led towards a great hall where in the middle of the hall stood a pedestal with a treassure chest on top and on that a red velvet pillow upon which laid a white silk finely woven cloth. And on that laid the being frozen in ice.

I knew that I had to use his super strength (which I learned from Gay Captain America) to get the being frozen in ice but it would explode if he didnt believe in himself enough. Ninja Natasha inhaled firmly and wondered if I could pull it off. Jr. Bucky Barnes stood ready with his weapon in his hand . I concentrated firmly and then carefully but powerfully unleashed my super strength.  

It worked! Gay Steve was amazed at my skill! The shielding around the being frozen in ice desolved like knife though hot butter. It was amazing how my's use of super strength was effective against Ghost Heterosexuality's inconceivable powers. Unfortunately for our plunky heroes, it wasn't enough

"GRRRRRrr" said a creapy voice. Everyone quickly turned to face the entrance of the hall where the voice came from. It was Ghost Heterosexuality! And he looked even less humane as before. He had used the power of the being frozen in ice to transform into a horrific tragedy of a humanoid. "Ha! Are you surprised by my new looks?" he said. "It is amazing! The powers I have now are beyond your comprehension!" "My comprehension is really good," I retorted and Gay Steve and friends looked proud. "Hahaha of course yours is. But are you able to comprehend the future of this world? I bet you aren't that smart after all. I will rule the world now, you see and there is nothing you can do to stop me! Even when Gay Steve taught you evreything he knows!" "But," said Ghost Heterosexuality with a lower tone, "even though you are not as smart as I am, you are surprisingly capable so I wish to make this offer: join me and we can rule this world together!" "Never in a million billion years!" screamed Gay Steve! "Think about it, you can now still save your friends! Make them stop mutate ebefore I release my powers!" I saw Gay Steve becoming frightened. I knew he wanted to keep Ninja Natasha, Emo Sam, Ghost Peggy and Jr. Bucky alive but I could not get Ghost Heterosexuality get away with it! But then I remembered: Ghost Heterosexuality no longer had the being frozen in ice! He was powerless! But as if Ghost Heterosexuality could read my mind, Ghost Heterosexuality spoke: "Oh and your scheme to steal the being frozen in ice? I no longer need it! I have gained all the power from it that I need in order to mutate everyone in the whole world! But not that you even considered going against me, I will destroy you. Such a shame, we could be such good...friends." "Future Ruby would never be friends with you!" said Ghost Peggy

"It is too late now anyway, said Ghost Heterosexuality, my plan is active now and I will give you the best place to enjoy it: from your prison cell!" Ghost Heterosexuality laughed and said to his guards: "lead them to my  dungeon where you will suffer for all eternity in agony .

But I had not forgotten Gay Captain America's super strength. With the stealth and strenght that I learned from his previous adventures, he winked and unleashed the super strength. Ghost Heterosexuality had not expected that. He thought he had trapped me and my friends and managed to demoralise them so much they would not resist. "Arggg!" Ghost Heterosexuality said. His guards did not know what to do. Their leader was too weak against this onslaught. What could they do against that sort of might? So they all fled! "Argh, noooo!" Ghost Heterosexuality extrapolated, "I was soo close to ultimate power!" Seeing my succesfully attack Ghost Heterosexuality, Gay Rogers, Ghost Peggy and Emo Sam also attacked Ghost Heterosexuality!

"Arigh, no, noooo!" "I will unleash my final power!" Ghost Heterosexuality said and raised his arms to the sky and started hissing an evil curse. But Gay Steve was too quick. He ran towards Ghost Heterosexuality and hit Ghost Heterosexuality in the tummy. He was knocked out instantly. Everyone was happy and everyone was cheering for Gay Steve who had avoided the apocalypse! Gay Steve thanked me for my inspiration and actions. And now we all went home and wait until our next adventure!

#photo

[lair-of-books]

Hello Bookworms! Hope you’re all having a wonderful day and if you’re anything like me, you are looking at the clock waiting for the end of the work day. Find the person who thought it was a good idea to work any day past Christmas & you have your Grinch #jussayin

When I sat down to make my list of top 2018 books I’m looking forward to, I quickly realized my post would be a mile long and I just couldn’t do that to you lovely Bookworms. So instead I opted to split my list into two posts, this post will be for 2018 sequels I’m anticipating in the new year. The second post will be stand-alone/series starters. I have 12 sequels I’m super stoked for so grab your fave snack & or beverage cause ya girl has compiled a bit of a list (no particular order)…

 1. The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden aka the book I NEED like air! 

I recently read & reviewed The Girl in the Tower (my spoiler free review here) which was utter PERFECTION! Just when I thought this trilogy could not get any better, Arden gave us The Girl in the Tower & now my nights are consumed thinking about the final installment in the world *sobs* This is not the final cover btw, I’m sure the final one will be GLORIOUS as they all have been! Scheduled for August 2018, a little earlier than the December release dates I’ve gotten grown accustomed to with these wintry books but HOORAY regardless!

2. Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Anyone who has read the first two books in the Illuminae Files can probably tell you how addictive this series really is smh. I was initially intimidated by the format of these books & it took me about a year to finally decide to read the first one…NEVER looked back after that! I will most likely devour Obsidio in one sitting, March 13th you have been claimed!

3. Nyxia Unleashed (The Nyxia Triad #3) by Scott Reintgen

Having recently read Nyxia (my review here), the adrenaline I felt reading this book is still pretty vivid. Not only was the plot fast paced edge of your seat FANTASTIC! the characters are easily some of my favorite in all of YA. Coming from all corners of the world, the crew of Nyxia offers up the diversity we are currently lacking in YA Sci-Fi. Nyxia Unleashed is set to hit the shelves July 2018 *eeeeK*

4. The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco

Last year I read The Bone Witch (my review here) & fell in love with the world building Rin Chupeco had created. I was actually surprised that it wasn’t labeled Adult Fantasy considering the expanse & complexities of the world. This was a real treat for myself seeing as I love details & lush writing which The Bone Witch pulled off beautifully often times reminding me of Memoirs of a Geisha. This wonderful sequel is set to be released March 2018!

5. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) by Pierce Brown 

The Red Rising Trilogy (I can’t call it this anymore) is one that I am a hardcore fan of…no seriously though, I’m a Howler through & through! If this now series had ended with Morning Star, I would’ve been Ok because it was one of the BEST most EPIC endings I’ve ever read. To have read the news of that the world would be expanding was AMAZING for both myself & the hubby who is also a big fan. I read these books before creating Lair Of Books & missed out on fangirling with other Blogger buddies. Well, January 16th is almost upon us & I cannot wait to get my hands on this book! any Howler fans out there?

6. Defy the Worlds (Constellation #2) by Claudia Gray

Defy the Stars (my review here) was my 1st Claudia Gray book & it won’t be my last. I had heard of Gray’s books before getting a galley for Defy the Stars & now I can see why. The world building in the start of this series is fun & introduces us to a A.I. whose dry humor will leave you smiling in disbelief. I was lucky to get my hands on a arc copy of Defy the Worlds but I’m still including it in this list because I will be buying a finished copy on release day. Gray has some of the BEST covers I’ve come across & I’m already obsessed with this one, April 3rd will be the day I get my hands on this pretty little book *heart eyes*

7. Whisper of the Tide (Song of the Current #2) by Sarah Tolcser

If you’re looking for high seas adventure, Song of the Current (my review here) is probably the book for you! I enjoyed the authentic pirate talk and the world building was on point with clothing, way of life, and mythos behind the Gods. What I loved most is that we get a POC MC who knows her calling in life and won’t easily be thrown off by a love interest. Caro is non-traditional & won’t settle for societal norms. June 5th I’m hoping you’re a warm day I can count on for a iced drink & return to the treacherous waters in this world 🙂

8. Daughter of the Siren Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King #2) by Tricia Levenseller

Oh goodness! I can’t even begin to describe my excitement over the follow-up to Daughter Of the Pirate King (my review here). I was so very lucky to have a arc recently gifted to me by the wonderful Ashley over at Socially Awkward Bookworm, she made my year! DOTPK offered up so many laughs alongside a kick a** MC who is the female Jack Sparrow. If Pirates of the Caribeean (prior to Depps shameful behavior) brought you much enjoyment, chances are DOTPK will be a hit for you as well. Ahoy Mateys! February 27th is the day the sequel finds its way to our shores 🙂

9. Grey Sister (Book Of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence 

I read my very first Mark Lawrence earlier this year & I’m so happy It was a good place to start after hearing so much about this well known author. Red Sister (my review here) was a 5 star gloriously bloody EPIC start to the Book of the Ancestor series! In my review I described the setting for Red Sister as Hogwarts mixed with a Ludus (like in Spartacus). Vivid  fight scenes, positive female friendships and positive LGBTQIA representation are just some of the things you’ll find in this new Fantasy. Red Sister is perfect for those who read only YA Fantasy and are looking to get their feet wet in adult Fantasy. April 19th is the date set to return this ruthless world 🙂

10. Catwoman SoulStealer (DC Icons #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I don’t really have much to say about this one…I own a copy of Wonder Woman which I haven’t read yet. I came to the decision that I wanted to wait for a few of these books in the series to be out before starting cause I reallllllly dislike waiting haha! I am VERY interested in how Selina Kyle is written considering she is half white/half Cuban. We’ll know more on August 7th!

11. My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton

I’d link my review for My Lady Jane but it’s soOo old when I was still in my baby stages of blogging so no thanks hehe! My Lady Jane was the book to make my water almost come out through my nose smh LOL! So silly & filled with hilarious banter, I LOVED that book! from that book came the formation of The Lady Janies which are the 3 awesome authors who brought the characters I fell in love with to life. My Plain Jane is a MUST HAVE & THAT cover is giving me all the Summer vibes! I’ll see you on June 26th Jane  🙂

12. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Guide #2) by Mackenzi Lee

You may have noticed the cover for this title isn’t displayed above and that’s because there hasn’t been a cover reveal. Earlier this year I read The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (my review here) which was a ton of fun. I’ve really been enjoying YA Historical Fiction lately & this is definitely one of my top favorites. Although I loved the MC Henry oh so much! I really ended up intrigued by his little sister Felicity & I know I’m not alone in this. The Goodreads Synopsis has the following listed:

A sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, narrated by Felicity and featuring travel, pirates, and a science girl gang.

I mean…who can resist this?!?! Not I said Lilly…October 2nd is the day to pick up a copy!

Happy Wednesday Bookworms! this list took me a bit longer to type up than expected which is making me give post II the stink eye haha! (wayyyyy longer) & i’m sure I’ve forgotten others. Also, If I didn’t list a sequel it’s possible I haven’t read the 1st cause waiting sucks (Strange the Dreamer & Lady Midnight/Lord of Shadows I’m looking at ya). Please sound off below with any titles that come to mind <3’s!

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*80’s Freestyle* Keep Me Hanging On… Hello Bookworms! Hope you're all having a wonderful day and if you're anything like me, you are looking at the clock waiting for the end of the work day.

#2018 sequels #ARCS #Bibliophile #Blogger #Book Blogger #Book Dragon #Book Geek #book lover #Book nerd #Book of the Ancestor #Book reviews #Bookaholic #Books #bookworm #contemporary #DC Icons #DC Universe #fantasy #favorites #Goodreads #highly anticipated #Red Rising #Sci-Fi #Science Fiction #Sequels #The Bone Witch #The Illuminae Files #The Lady Janies #YA Fantasy #young adult

[tweeglitch]

smash the system? through sheer incompetence our oppressors are about to do just that. The revolutionary only needs to sit back and wait. 

Civilisation runs on working code though no one knows what a lot of it does anymore lol. And for many large legacy systems of vital infrastructural importance to the running of governments and economies no one has an overall view of how many of them work at all lol.

Governance of nations and the running of business has been increasingly deferred to the auto-pilot and that machine is made of rules. And of necessity those rules stretch over national borders because so does trade. The idiots are about to take an ax to those rules severing the links between the one and the 27. And they then expect the machine to instantly adjust and carry on working as before in business, banking and finance, supply chains, transport, government and crucially customs.

Because among other things (such as security and revenue collection) HMRC’s customs system is an essential cog in the machine integrated with the systems that schedule and coordinate the flow of goods through every one of the UK’s ports and airports. Clearly these systems will need updating to reflect the immanent change in the UK’s trading arrangements. Pause and ponder… flow of goods… every port. What could possibly go wrong!

These systems cannot be updated in time because there will be no time; it’s not until negotiations are complete that there can be surety and clarity on what the new rules of trade will be. And upon those rules technical specifications can be drawn up and passed to the devs. If those negotiations take zero seconds then there is the entire two year article 50 period to make adjustments. If however they take up that entire two years then there is a remaining zero seconds. I would tend toward the latter. An ambitious deadline for a government IT project.

And particularly ambitious in this case given HMRC are part way through a re-write (alarm bells already) from the existing CHIEF system to CDS so as to implement UCC processes (though not sure how relevant many of them will be post brexit). Re-writes are a huge risk as the existing system has been tested in the field by millions of users over decades. This total overhaul however is due for release around the time of the UK’s currently projected EU exit date. And of course leaving the EU wasn’t anticipated in this project (oh boy). And as well as modifications to take in to account the UK’s changed trading relationships with almost every other country on Earth. Every other country and not just the EU because the EU negotiates trade agreements on behalf of it’s members, agreements the UK will no longer be party to post exit so it leaves with nothing. Not just the change in rules but it will need to scale.

It will need to scale for a doubling of declarations being put through the system from traders previously used to the ease and simplicity of doing business within the EU. Scaling the system currently under development (CDS) is not a problem, it’s modern so just throw more servers at it. But that won’t be ready in time; government IT projects tend to overrun by years and overspend by billions and this isn’t the first attempt to rewrite. So that leaves the existing CHIEF system. This was not written by teenagers yesterday in javascript using node js. CHIEF was written in the 80s in COBEL, ICL OS and DBMS (ICL went out of business 15 years ago) etc. Particularly challenging given the reason for the rewrite (the reason for most rewrites) is that CHIEF had become too risky expensive and time consuming to make changes to. This tends to happen as mods are made to millions of lines of code by a stream of programmers over a quarter of a century… things tend to get a little bent out of shape. So how scalable is CHIEF and how easy to update to account for the radical change in the UK’s trade relationships with every other nation on Earth?

The situation is analogous to an army on the move (from CHIEF to CDS) about to be ambushed (as there’s no time to prepare) by an overwhelming force as the environment in which this system was written to operate in will be radically altered (every everything this system currently does will be under attack from some need to change). This will not go well and there’ll be no going back because when it all goes wrong the build can’t be pulled and the previous version installed because the previous version is the EU model. And what makes this project even more failure prone (if it didn’t have enough stacked against it already) is that hard brexit brings with it a hard deadline. Two years post article 50 notification it’s pencils down whether you’ve finished or not.

But hey surely there’ll be some post exit transition period to allow for implementation? Well normally when it comes to trade agreements yeh because normally these things are mutually beneficial otherwise there wouldn’t be agreement! so it’s in both parties’ interest to implement what has been agreed. This isn’t normal. This is the opposite in every respect. This is the undoing of agreements to both parties’ detriment. So as regards transition the EU attitude generally is ‘what’s in it for us?’ ‘will the end state of transition be good for us?’ ‘No?’ ‘Oh well fuck it then why bother!’ Then the UK according to that recent white paper is prepared to simply walk away from discussions rather than accept a ‘bad deal’ while many of the loons now running the show view any kind of transition with suspicion; a means to keep the UK in by stealth. Nor do they understand the need for an interim period to allow time for systems to be updated, it’s simply a detail that many think is beneath them to understand.

That lack of understanding extends to all those ‘experts’ we’ve heard in the media since the referendum campaign. Generally speaking these experts have been of the kind that don’t do detail. Politicians, business leaders, economists, journalists and celebrity chefs only see the bigger picture. Though how many of these ‘experts’ have ever even written a line of code! IT is rarely part of anyone’s bigger picture regardless of how fundamental it may be. And for some problems if you only see the bigger picture then you’re hardly seeing the problem at all. The experts are indeed wrong because this will be far worse than any of them have predicted.

Which brings us to another reason so little is being said about the catastrophe that awaits should the UK continue on its present path. That is the lack of detail in UK gov pronouncements of their intentions, their plans. Because with so little to go on those who have some grasp of the issues don’t want to commit to any predictions because who wants to be wrong! No one wants to be the one to start yelling the sky is falling then be ‘proved wrong’ when UK gov come to their senses and change course (e.g. remain in the EEA as an interim step say).

 However the vagueness and lack of detail shouldn’t be a cause for doubt it’s rather a very strong indicator. A very strong indicator of cluelessness. UK gov are saying little because they have little to say.

But detail detail detail, in this case the devil isn’t so much there but rather a screaming horde of demons are waiting to be unleashed. Because these issues: the uncertainty until agreements are made and the lack of time to adjust and the degree to which systems have become enmeshed over the decades across borders. This doesn’t just apply to customs IT no, that was just the most obvious pick, it applies to a whole range of other systems within government, business and finance.

The chaos and disruption that awaits will be war scale. Trucks backed up from Dover along the M20 and wrapped round the M25. The army called in to distribute to supermarkets, food rationing and civil unrest. And this on top of the other related shocks to the food system of a country only 60% self sufficient. There is the additional customs bureaucracy along with the system failures; a big problem for time critical consignments such as fresh food. Sterling will drop to parity with Andrex once the scale of clusterfuck becomes obvious to all making food imports that more expensive. The loss of migrant labour upon which the UK’s food industry is heavily dependant. And then the inevitable end of subsidies which account for 50% of farm income.

Ho-hum. Just warning the world of the UK’s impending famine and civil war issue… erm on my art blog. It’s ahhh… a conceptual piece. Coz it err... makes yer fink dunnit?

They say every society is only three meals away from revolution. I think it was said on an episode of Red Dwarf btw.

[hera-windsor-blog]

Lena’s 2017 Wishlist and Resolutions

This will probably be updated when I remember more things.

Wishlist:

General:

Murder: I want to kill off one of my muses in a dramatic way but one that fits that character’s end. But, since we all know I have a lot of villain muses, I want said villains to also be able to get away with murder. Blatant death. It would be so satisfying to let them get something for a change.

Smut: In general, I do want my babes to get a little more action. Personally I would be most satisfied to see Hera getting some finally, or Iridessa, or one of the muses that are less likely to just jump into bed with someone. I just haven’t really done this all that much and I’d like that to change. Personally I feel like it adds more of a connection with muses etc. and that’s great.

Activism: okay so this sounds a little odd. But I have Hera as a member of the board now, and that’s a form of it. But I want to see more of my characters taking an active interest in things around them. I want to see Max protesting animal treatment in places. I want to see Iridessa getting so passionate about magick rights. Idk I want to see babes fighting for something.

Fake dating: It’s one of those tropes that I just adore. I love the idea of two people getting it into their heads that it would be better for them to pretend to date than to actually go out and find other dates. Like I think it’s fantastic. And I am so here for it.

More exploring of magick: I feel like I don’t use the magick abilities of my babes as much as I could. I want to find more excuses to unleash them (Max’s shifting, Dessa and her fairy powers, Rhiannon being evil and vamp like). I just want to be able to do more of that as a whole. I want Shego to use her magic for defensive purposes, not to hurt as she used to. 

Shippy things: I know ships aren’t the end all be all and everything, believe me. But I would like to see my characters being cute with others. Or even being assholes but it’s their way of expressing love. Idk I just want all the shippy things all the time, even if they will also suffer.

Teacher/student relationship: I don’t know, I think it would be fun. I guess I don’t really have too many students (yet), but I do have a teacher? that’s fucked up though, Blaine is old. idk maybe when I get the next babe. But even so I wouldn’t mind writing something like this. Perhaps with Kuzco. idfk. Or even just see someone else do it that’s alright.

Family bonds: It doesn’t have to be blood bonds, I just would want to write more sibling-like relationships, father-son, mother-son, mother-daughter, father-daughter kind of relationships. I don’t know I just feel like there is always potential in family bonds as there is with other things. I feel like I don’t have much of that and it makes me sad. Maybe someone can parent Iridessa or Kuzco, or Hera or Blaine can parent someone. idk. 

Forbidden Affair/Romance/Friendship: I don’t know. I like relationships where they probably shouldn’t be together/people discourage those things from being a thing, and the characters go for it anyway. Featuring sneaking around and all that and possible consequences for being caught. Idk I think it would be fun.

Ugh I feel like there is more and I am forgetting.

Character specific:

Arawn: a murder plot/a plot where Arawn does some seriously fucked up shit. And preferably doesn’t get caught. But I want him to really unleash his evil. Killing, kidnapping, torturing, honestly he would be content with any of those directions, and it’s dark but he’s dark and I want to further explore that darkness with him.

Blaine: I want Blaine to fuck up. He’s done a lot of good things, and been really accepting with Adam, but I want him to screw up with somebody. I want him to make a huge ass mistake and have to figure out a way to fix it. I also want him to use his documentary to connect to people. For him to start capturing a bit of what it means to live in a magick-friendly town. Idk I want him to grow more but he feels kind of stuck where he is.

Gaston: Honestly I wish he’d get the girl just once just to see exactly what that would do to him. You know? Like I want to see if he would be satisfied? If he would be disappointed. Like that would be a super interesting plot to me. But also I want him to use his wealth in a way that would really fuck life up for someone else’s character. I want him to fuck someone up financially or physically tbh (though he typically hires someone to do that for him). I also want him to tangle with the cops again. Tangle smugly in his corner. Idk. I also kind of want him to knock someone up/be forced into a position of responsibility. Like he talks about wanting five kids with Belle or whatever, but I’d like to see him face the consequences of his actions/romantic rendezvous.

Hera: Honestly, I want her to find happiness. I want her to open her heart to someone new. And I really really want to see her discovering that she can love someone else, that it doesn’t make her a bad person, and even finding that she can be with someone who treats her better than Zeus ever did. I want her to figure out that she does deserve better than what she had. I want to see her get past her grief and become even stronger of a woman than she already was.

Iridessa: Oh my sweet babe. She’s a muse that’s still growing, but I want her to continue to open herself up to new experiences. She needs to make more friends, but also I want someone to corrupt her. She’s so innocent and naive to the world, even if she thinks she knows how bad it can be. I want to see her damaged in some way. I want her hurt, but I want her to also not react as she typically does and try to hide from the world. I want her to face the pain.

Jacques: What a mess my Jacques. I want him to learn to take better care of himself. I also want him to learn that it’s okay if he can’t be there for everyone all the time. I think he believes he has to, and that is part of the flaw with his relationship with Gil and Raj and all that. He feels that he has to do good for Gil, but he doesn’t know what he can do. He doesn’t know how to look out for himself physically or emotionally. I want him to improve in that area.

Kuzco: What am I even going to do with him? I want him to take the experiences he has been given by being with Tink and by growing to be better and use that to make new friends. I want him to make connections. I want him to be able to have enough people to invite over to Kuzcotopia for fun parties. 

Maximus: I want him to loosen the fuck up. Someone get him tipsy and charm the fuck out of him. I want him to have a one-night-stand. Or even a few night stands. I want him to stop taking everything so seriously and learn how to have fun. I also really really want him to shift. Someone give me a reason to have him do that.

Rhiannon: I want her to eat more people. Compel more people. Come on guys let her compel her little army/tea party. I also want to see her come into her own in town. Not just hanging onto the Eva train. I want her to get more ambitious/to see what else she could do for her own gain and not for other things such as jealousy.

Shego: I want her to open up to someone again. She was hurt and withdrew, and now she thinks with a baby she just won’t be as desirable to others. And she makes me sad, and I want to improve her life a bit. I want the complication of her in a relationship with someone and having issues with the baby daddy. You know? I like the complications of them having to deal with who gets Isabel when or how all that works/who is allowed to hold the baby etc. Idk. I want a lot of things with Shego tbh.

Resolutions

Mun:

I am determined to open up and write with more of the new babes. It’s been a bit hectic lately so I haven’t been able to. But I want to be able to say that I’ve written with a good majority of the new babes as well as the others.

Give more attention to some of my more neglected muses (Blaine, Gaston, iridessa) and give them more compelling stories. Already working on that with Dessa, but the others are still a tough road.

To experience the labors and hopefully through that learn even more about my characters as well as to open myself up to new/different possibilities.

to answer more of the new starters when i get the chance/to get more involved with the new babes.

Characters:

Arawn: to have him act upon his dreams/to have him come out of the shadows and do something really destructive in Swynlake. His is “to take over the world”

Blaine: make Blaine’s life more captivating/give him more drama. his is probably to have the courage to propose to Adam.

Gaston: have him get the girl/have him actually be emotionally interested in someone other than Belle. Develop his character more. His is “get rid of the god damn rent hikes”

Hera: Bring her out more as a whole. Give her more attention than she’s been getting. Also potentially shop her out to people some more. Hers is to help improve Swynlake.

Iridessa: Write more about her, do some more tasks with her to get further into her head. Hers is “find the Phantom”

Jacques: get him to be more capable of taking care of himself independently. His is to save everyone. lol ok jacques

Kuzco: neglect him less and throw him at people. Write more starters. Just do more. He doesn’t have a resolution. He’s unsatisfied even now that he’s finished Kuzcotopia. Maybe it’s to not be alone.

Maximus: bring out the kinder side behind the asshole. Have him shift more. His is to do better at his job/get enough money to possibly support his parents’ moving to town.

Rhiannon: unleash her plan with compulsion/build her army up. Hers is basically the same but also kill Snow.

Shego: give her some sort of passion/someone who actually gets her. Also get her working/working toward getting a house. Hers is just to make sure her baby’s born in a good environment/to keep her daughter safe.

#bdrptask #wow don't read this #i got carried away #and i feel like i'm still forgetting a ton of wishes