#But staying in the Clocktower for so long has effects | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tanakavox · 3 years

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Look into the mutiverse chapter 4

Thanks again to ExiledDarkness for writing the charcters reaction for this chapter. Please go check out his stuff. And if your wondering where Qrow came from, We forgot to add a scene for Qrow and didn't feel like going back.

This chapter is based of the Youtuber SomecallmeJohnny and his review of Super Mario 64. I had to cut it short because my laptod was acting up again and google docs was acting wonky, parts of the fic getting erased. Rest assure for the Somecallmejohnny fans, I won't just do his reviews. I have plans to do Super gaming bros reaction as well. And for those who don't know Johnny, go check him! Enjoy the reaction.

The screen lights up again and shows Jaune wearing a cap and hoodie and sitting on a bright red couch. He had a bit of stubble on his face and he was currently holding a controller in his hand as he turned on a device known as the N64.

"Oh? Jaune looks good with stubble." Blake comments. Everyone looks at Jaune and then back to the one on the screen. They all nodded in agreement.

"It's a go time! Super Mario 64!" He said in a high pitched voice with a bad accent.

The Jaune on the screen sighed seemingly tired. "Lady and Gents welcome back to the Super Mario marathon, And just like with Ocarina of time, this is a game that haunted me during the N64 lifetime. Jaune looked the the N64 sitting on his dresser and continued. "It was like the console itself was actively mocking me like: "Hey Jauney? How about you ditch that playstation and try me out instead?" The blonde's eyes lit up in anger. "Well I didn't have a job in 1996 you sensitive prick!" Jaune snapped at the console.

Everyone blinked at the sudden anger. Ruby turned towards JNPR and asked, "Are you okay Jaune?"

Jaune, still frozen from the sudden burst of anger from his other self, snaps back to reality and nods at the question. "Yeah, I think I understand what's happening here. But I'll stay quiet until I know for sure."

Jaune turned toward the screen and went on like nothing happened. "Last time I gave Mario attention, I was focused on what made the Italian "Plumber—"" He said with quotation marks. "—the video game icon he is today. Now we're gonna do it again only in 3d."

Jaune turned to his audience and smiled. "You guys ready for another Super Mario marathon?"

"Aha!" Jaune says as he slammed his closed fist on his hand. "This is me doing video games!"

Ren paused at hearing this information. "Then that explains the sudden burst of anger then." Nora and Jaune nod while the rest of the audience looks on confusedly.

RWBY look at each other before Yang hesitantly asks, "So why did he get so angry?"

Jaune laughs before scratching the back of his head. "I like video games but I hate it when I can't progress further into the game. Sometimes I get really into it, I guess."

"Here we go, Super Mario 64, the 64 being figureded to the console and not the 64 game in the series, Mario's first 3d game, and a launch title for the N64. It was highly praised and hailed as the 3d version of what Super Mario bros on the NES did for platemors at the time, Mario 64 did the same. But I came into the 64 train late, So I don't have what you call: Super Mario 64 memories. In fact my first 3d Mario game was the next game we'll be looking at: Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube. Jaune's expression darkened as he smiled hurmlousy. "But that can wait. Oh it can wait." The tone of his voice was bitter and venomous.

Everyone laughed now knowing the context of Jaune's anger towards video games.

"Alright booting the game up and the first thing you see is Mario's head. You know to really hammer in that this is Mario's first 3d adventure. You can even fuck around with the face a bit but it doesn't really effect the game it's just there for fun.

We're also greeted by Mario's new voice, provided by Charles Margent. Shockingly this isn't his debut as the Jumpman, that was in Mario Fundamental, a Pc game released a year before. Pretty sure no one heard of it before someone did a document on it.

"This idea of a floating Mario head, perhaps more infamously in Mario teaches typing two. A floating deformed head pop on the screen.

"Hey? Are you ready for Mario type?" It asked.

"Mother of God." Jaune deadpan in horror.

"Despite the new voice, Mario doesn't speak much. It's mostly hiyas woohoos throughout the game. And he only speaks a full phase when he completes a goal or he falls asleep on the job. It shows the red clad mario on the ground sleeping.

"Ha spatgai, Ha ravioli." The plumber mutters in his sleep.

Nora drools over the names of food. They sound pretty good right now.

"Charles as Mario is so absorbed into my head I can't imagine anyone else doing the role. It's not like the acting is amazing or anything, he's been voicing Mario for nearly 20 years at this point. If Charles stepped out of the role for any reason, the next guy would just try to simulate Charles' voice.

"It's weird that way," Ren piped up, "No matter what happens people are going to remember the original no matter how much the new one tries to be the old one.

"Hear hear ninja boy" Qrow cheered a bit and took a swig of his beer.

"Okay nearly forgot that I was looking at a video game, Sorry about that. Well let's look at that plot shall we?"

"I'm curious to hear about the kind of story this game might have," Ozpin said as he crosses his legs.

"Boswer kidnaps Princess Peach, Mario must go save her, now that didn't take long now did it?"

Ozpin blinked and sat back in his seat, a bit disappointed.

"I'll let it slide this time since they probably wanted to keep it safe for the first game in 3d. Hell, the menu theme is the main theme for the series."

Qrow snorts. "Fair enough. I guess you can't expect these guys to be that ballsy."

The entire game is set in Peach's castle. Boswer has taken the power star, which I believe gives the castle power? Jaune shrugged. I dunno what they do, it's not really explain and getting more powerstar allows you to get into more levels, and that's the name of the game here. Bowser had set up routine courses in painting.

"The courses tend to varies but nothing here gets too crazy like other Mario games. It's not until late game you go to more odd place like in a clocktower or riding rainbow.

"The game's openness is the first thing you'll take note of in Mario 64. You can start a mission with a hint on what to do,but there is nothing stopping you from just doing a different mission and grabbing the star despite not being the mission you clicked on.

There are a handful of expectations like racing against against Koopa the quick who not gonna show up unless you chose his mission, but most of the time you can go at it on your own pace. Eh, I didn't wanna fight King Bo-mb yet, I want free the chain chomp and get the star there. I could take down King twop, or I could do a well place jump and get this unrelated power star. And that's where a lot of Mario's replay value comes in, not just getting the power star but how you get them.

"Oh, this game sounds fun! I should get it if we ever get out of here." Nora exclaimed.

"With what money Nora?" Jaune asked. Nora looked at Jaune with a wide smile. "No." Jaune deadpan. Nora pouted at his response and turned to Ren with a wide smile.

"No Nora. And do not ask Weiss either." Ren said with his eyes still on the screen and Nora pouted again.

Peach's castle acts as a hub world, the place you're exploring and using to get to other stages to get more power stars. But in order to duke it out with Bowser, you need to get a certain amount of power stars to access the level. As a guy who doesn't care for hub worlds I don't mind Peach's castle. The levels aren't too far apart and there are things you can do in the castle that can help you increase your star count. Like a secret race track that gives you two stars if you're fast enough, or an underwater level that contains an easy to get star. It challenges you in a way that makes it still feel like a Mario game.

"It sounds pretty easy at first glance, but I can understand how annoying it can become if you mess up at least once or twice." Jaune says. Ruby, Nora, and even Ren nod in agreement.

The biggest change to the formula was the jump to 3d, like with Ocarina of Time. He still has to break boxes, stomp on enemies, the works but this game gave the man a few extra moves to go along with the change to 3d. The analog stick is used to move Mario, the further you tilled it the faster he moves, instead of the run button we knew from the past game. Mario still has the jumps he's famous for, but pressing the jump button can allow Mario to reach the heights he's never seen until this game without a power up. He can crouch and crawl but I've only used this a total of once. But you standstill and jump you can do a backflip, and if you crouch and run you can do a long jump which I love using so much and because you can do some real fancy shit with it, and it makes Mario move faster to boot. If you snap the anlong back and jump he can do a somersault and if you jump towards a wall, Mario can wall jump as well.

Nora makes a face at the detailed review. "All these moves and stuff sound annoying. Why can't games be as simple like they are now?!"

Ren sighs and begins to explain but Qrow cuts in. "It's because of games like these were like test models that you get to play the good quality games you have now. I remember playing Soaring Ninja back when he was literally unplayable and useless. Now look at him!"

Ruby and Yang gasp, Soaring Ninja was unplayable?

"I wouldn't be surprised if this move came from the gameboy version of Donkey kong. That remake has a fucklord of levels and a handstand jump for Mario. He still takes damage if he falls too far, so he's just a pale imitation. Jaune had Mario wall jump a wall to prove a point. "The Mario I know could fall from any height and take no dam-" Jaune cut himself off his eyes widening when he heard Mario grunt in pain and his health go down a bit. "WHAT THE FUCK! He took damage from a large height! Mario! What's the meaning of this?" He asked in bewilderment, looking at the floating Mario head from earlier."

"Oh nice computer you have here. Can I have it?" the Mario head asked

"No!" Jaune exclaimed.

Everyone's eyes widened at the scene. Ozpin checked his mug with scrutiny to see if he was still drinking the right drink. Looked normal enough.

"Peach's castle has 120 power stars in the castle, but you only need 70 of them to beat the game." Jaune had a strained smile on his face as he continued. But where the fun in just getting 70 power star and beating the game that way, it not like getting all the star is that time com- for fuck sakes yes it is!"

"Let's just get one thing clear, I fucking depise the 100 coin misson. It's as simple as it sounds, grab 100 coins and then grab the star that appears over your head. Lather rinse repeat, for all 15 courses. In a game that usually has you go to once place and grab the star, collecting these coins brings the game to grueling crawl. Mario 64 doesn't have a checkpoint system. It doesn't bother me much. The levels are usually small and with Mario's new moves getting the Power star is not only comartable, it's also pretty fucking fun. And then their these." That venomous tone from before came back. The screen showcased the blue coins that have appeared throughout most of the video so far.

"Aw it's one of those games! The type that needs you to waste your time actually going through all of what the game has planned for you before you get to the final boss! What a rip off!" Qrow exclaims, tossing his hands in the air. Jaune agrees, crossing his arms and trying not to join in on the rage.

"No amount of looking of cute puppies. can cotain the amount of rage i have when I fuck up these mission with a impeferct jump or when a enemey hits me from behind. It's not always a painful process, but sucks so hard cause the coins are either place so far part or because they're so goddamn scarce! "Gotta kill those enemies before the coins blink away and scatter when they spawn. These blue coins are 5 regular coin a piece but you gotta get them before they blink away and you only got one shot! Was there area I didnt search, an enemy I skipped, I did I fuck up somewhere since I only have 64 coins after look around what feels like for fucking ever?!

"And try not get the last coin in a dangerous area or impossible to backtrack to. The star will always appear right above Mario's head, so make sure it's a safe locati-GODDAMN!"

The star had appeared in a caged area that Mario couldn't reach.

Everyone laughed at the other Jaune's misery. The Arf viewing the screen feels relieved that he himself isn't on the receiving end. Or was he?

"Couldn't just tell the star to come to you Mario?" Jaune asked the Mario head on his computer.

"When a moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore!" Mario began to sing and Jaune facepalm when he didn't get answered. "When an eel lunges out…

"UNGAI?!" Jaune jumping up. A eel appeared and let out a roar and Jaune wasn't in his chair anymore, It being left spinning by how fast he booked it.

"That's amore!" Mario finished singing and chuckled. Get it? Amore eel? I said funny.

"Fuck you!" Jaune said from somewhere in the house.

All the immature audience members fell out of their seats in laughter while the more mature chuckled at the scene.

At the end of the day, I really shouldn't be going for all the Power star, and that's more of a technical issue, but I'm gonna bitch anyway. But despite the age, this game is still a treat to play even today. This has been Somecallmejohnny, and you guys have a Good Day.

Nora stretches and yawns. "Well, that was a nice one. Funny too! I wonder what's next?"

The end

#rwby #jaune arc #rwby ruby rose #blake bellodona #yang xiao long #qrow branwen #rwby ozpin #headmaster ozpin #rwby salem #rwby nora valkyrie #rwby lie ren #rwby mercury black #emerald sustrai #rwby qrow branwen #rwby oscar pine #somecallmejohnny #somecallmejauney #look into the multiverse

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fallenrepublick · 4 years

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If these are still open... can I request a part 2 of our Feral family? Possibly with Maul and his reaction to seeing this other brother of his and also that he actually has a family of his own? We get to see more interaction between Savage and Feral's children as the boys just adore their uncle? While, of course, Feral is making them a nice home meal to let his pregnant wife relax with their coming daughter. I love this family and they shall live on!!

This ended up long as fUck but it was cute, so whatever

Here is the first part.

Warnings: A screwy timeline

“Did I not tell him to stay with the ship…”

Having thoroughly scoped out the land and finding it annoyingly peaceful, Maul had returned to where he had landed with Savage hours later only to find the ship… empty. It was unlike him to wander around anywhere without reason, but even more unlikely that the over two meters tall Zabrak had been captured, especially not by people like these. The only reasonable conclusion, Maul decided, was that something had caught his brother’s eye and he had chosen to follow it.

He turned in the direction of the nearby village, the faces of the houses and buildings obstructed by thick forest life and plants taller than any natural greenery Maul had ever been in the presence of. He trekked forward, unsteady footing slowing down his pace, and pushed through the vines and leaves that blocked his path. Mumbling to himself as he walked, he dearly hoped, for Savage’s sake, that whatever he had followed was worth it.

The forest ended at the edge of the village, loud lively, many residents having taken to the streets enthralled in conversation and tasks, some children running to fro as they played. It hadn’t seemed like Savage had been through there, but then again, one could never be too sure.

As he began walking amongst the people, his vision glazed over the people largely too interested in their own business to notice a stranger traveling within their midst. Faces of various colors blurred together in a haze of surreal memories. He understood, at least a little, the appeal of this planet, the rainbow of appearances that spanned not only through the population but also the environment kept everything interesting, preventing its natives from falling into the dangers of monotony.

The noise of the bustling town didn’t interest him, but one single voice stood out from the others. Though it wasn’t one he knew, there was a strange familiarity to it, as if it was one he was supposed to.

To his right stood a lone house, modest in size, but no less pretty, with multiple figures moving in the front, backlit by the lowering sun. The voice had come from there, light and cheerful, the primary trait an airiness that he hadn’t heard in a long time. Upon venturing closer, hesitance slowing his pace, he could more clearly see the family in question and the source of his curiosity.

Savage stood with the family, arms crossed in deep consideration. Beside him was yet another Zabrak, similar in color, but lighter, soft brown tattoos framing his face less intrusive than his own. He was smaller, younger, more innocent than Maul or Savage, but he held himself assuredly, as if the cruelty of reality hadn’t quite hit him yet. Or maybe it had and he had just chosen to ignore it.

Three children, varying in height, were beginning to be herded together, directed towards the house as the smaller Zabrak continued his conversation.

“-but to this day I still don’t know where the ship came from. But you know how we were, always ready to fight outsiders when the goings got tough!” His laugh was just as cheerful, ringing in everyone’s ears like bells from a clocktower in the mornings. As he spoke, he lightly elbowed Savage, who himself was smiling at his companion, more pleased than Maul had ever seen him.

Though the conversation halted when Maul approached, Savage’s smile fading as he remembered what he had even come for, and Feral’s eyes widening in surprise at the new visitor.

“Is this-” Feral began, gesturing towards Maul, who’s annoyance had faded into simple confusion when he had fully processed the scene in front of him. Savage simply nodded in response, and it wasn’t long that Feral was hurrying over to Maul, a grin plastered on his face.

“We haven’t formally met, yet!” His hand was outstretched, eager to make contact. “I’m Feral. I’m not sure how much you know about me, but I’m your brother!”

Maul took the hand, albeit reluctantly, and nodded. “I’ve heard… only a small amount. Though I was under the impression you were-”

“Dead?” Feral shot Savage a glance. “I might’ve been, if I didn’t have help along the way… Oh well, both of you should come in! I cook around here most of the time, so we can catch up while I feed the monsters.”

Savage smiled at the thought, watching as Feral led them back to the house. Maul however, remained wary, uncertain of how his brother had come to build such a comfortable life while he still struggled to get more than three hours of sleep each night.

“You look so concerned…” Savage mentioned as Maul came up beside him, brow furrowed. “I’ve known him our whole lives. Nothing bad will happen.”

Maul shook his head. “It’s not that. I just don’t understand it. How can he come from a planet like ours and still be able to maintain such… domesticity?”

“Feral was always more tame than the rest of us. I wouldn’t call it weakness, just… an aversion to the violence he was born into.” He stopped a moment, sighing as he watched his nephews race to get into the house first. “I always worried for him, hoping he wouldn’t be targeted as defective if he didn’t adapt to the harshness. He found a way, though.”

Maul said nothing, mind still contemplating the strangeness of it all. He had never considered the possibility of anything other than the power he was raised to believe in, yet here was one of his own kin, living out a life free from that constant struggle. It didn’t sit right.

Still, both followed their brother inside, the children wrestling in the living room and a female Togruta laying on the plush couch. The colors on the interior were light and natural, soft on the eyes and fitting for the natural aura of the village.

Already, Feral had prepared drinks for the company, setting cups on the wooden table outside the kitchen. His brothers sat, Savage visibly more comfortable than Maul was.

The oldest child had seemed to take a liking to Savage, lingering around him as often as possible. He couldn’t have been older than ten, head-tails still very short, encircled by budding horns that were placed more like Savage’s than Feral’s. His skin was a lighter brown, as were the stripes on his head-tails, and he carried himself with more authority than his siblings, prepared to remind him of his elder status at any moment.

“You know,” he said to Savage, leaning forward on the table’s edge, restlessly kicking up his legs. “I’m gonna be like you when I get older. I’m the biggest and the strongest of my brothers, and I’m going to make sure it stays that way!”

“It’s ah… not an easy task…” Savage replied, not wanting to admit that he effectively cheated. Maul snickered. “You’ll have to train for years if you want that to happen.”

“I don’t care!” He leapt up, arms crossing and chest puffing out. “I look kinda like you anyways, so I’m already halfway there!” Well, that’s good, at least he was aware of it.

Feral piped up as he filled a pot with water. “Terren, you’re still not done with school. Please wait until you can long divide before you do that.”

Maul felt something on his leg. It was the youngest, about two, tapping on the metal casing. Rounder and softer in features than his older brother, he was a deep green, like his mother, but the horns that just barely poked out from the area around his head tails bore a strange, uncomfortable resemblance to Maul’s when he was that age. Remarkably curious, he was easy to please as long as he got the answers he sought. And at that moment, he was seeking answers about the being in front of him that he was certain was a droid.

“Fake?” His nails tapped again, harder. Maul didn’t like children in any situation, but what he liked even less was that he found this one mildly charming. He moved his foot back, just to see what would happen, fully expecting the child to cry. But no, he simply scooched himself back with it, gaining an even closer look. “Fake.” He nodded, having determined his hypothesis correct, and placed both hands directly on top of Maul’s foot in confidence.

He really wanted to pick this kid up.

Against his better judgement and personality, he reached down and lifted the child up to eye-level, not sure what he was looking for, yet searching nonetheless. Upon seeing his uncle’s face for the first time, as he was much too small to have noticed it before, the child’s expression hardened into intense concentration. This being was certainly not a droid, and it was unfortunate that now he’d have to go back to the drawing board to discover the truth once more.

“Oh that’s Uta…” Feral said, noticing his brother holding up the young child like a small sack of potatoes. “He’s… a handful.” He laughed as he said it, the sounds of cooking food blending with his smooth voice.

Uta was still frowning, having earned his spot standing on Maul’s lap, and very clearly trying to reason out why he had been tricked before. “Real.” He pointed at Savage. “Real?” He turned to look up at Maul, whose expression was difficult to read. “Fake?”

“It’s about half and half…” Maul offered, hoping to relieve the child of what might’ve been the most stressful situation of his mini life.

“Half-av?” He considered a moment, letting the newly learned word sizzle in his mind a second. Feral tried to choke down his laugh. Uta finally nodded. “Half-av.” The answer was acceptable.

And in came the middle child, mother in tow, who was still discussing an old legend about Nautolans as he entered the room. Stalky and narrow, he was the researcher of the family. He looked most like Feral, with kind eyes turned down at the edges, his mild yellow colors dimmer than his siblings and a slight air of nervousness surrounding him like a cloud, but that didn’t stop him from opening up to his family in ways few would understand or expect. Madin was nodding thoughtfully as she listened to him, pulling out a chair so that she could also sit with everyone else.

“I, for one, don’t understand the Anselmi’s goals in the long run.” He leaned against the table’s edge closest to the kitchen as he finished his explanation. “Oh hey, I’m Forta.” He gave Maul a small two-fingered salute as his introduction.

“Out of the way, out of the way,” Feral chuckled as he waved his kids away with one arm and set down a large serving platter with another. Forta scurried over to Savage’s side, where he marveled at the sturdiness of his uncle’s armor. He began going on about various materials found throughout the galaxy, and was gushing about Beskar, while Terren tried to convince him that no one wanted to hear his boring facts.

Sitting down beside his wife, Feral rubbed Madin’s back while the three boys hurried to their seats across from them.

“You know…” he began slowly, considering the environment. “I didn’t think this sort of thing was possible, getting off of Dathomir… having something more than what we were told was allowed.” He glanced over at Savage, who met his eyes and looked down. “But I get to have all of this… and I’m so glad that you two get to be a part of that now, too. So… I guess what I’m trying to say is… Thank you. For everything.”

#feral #savage opress #maul #darth maul

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wlw-lovestruck-fiction · 4 years

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hi! I really love all your works, it makes me entertained while our country is on quarantine. Can I ask some fic about Fiona and MC where maybe Fiona gets love at first sight with MC and is very shy whenever MC’s around? Thankyou and loveyou! stay safe! xoxo

Written by @shootingstarwithagrudge

The night sky is darker than usual as I make my way through the town and towards the graveyard. Taking a deep breath, I try to steady myself before meeting the rest of the Ward. Cecelia had warned me that tardiness would not be tolerated, so I quicken my pace as I glance at the clocktower.

(Oh hells, please don’t be late)

As my feet pass the threshold of the graveyard, I immediatly feel four sets of eyes staring at me. It’s so dark out though, that I can’t see anything. I stop, using my senses to help me see where my eyes can’t, and continue on through the tombstones.

“Ah.. I see our guest of honor has finally decided to grace us with her presence.” Cecelia levels me with a cold stare. I stare back, letting her know that I’m not one back down. When I finally break her gaze, I allow my eyes to sweep across her three companions. A tall man in a cowboy hat nods in my direction, as the other two, a dangerous looking man and a petite woman, stand completely still.

“Oh.. come now, Cece.. do introduce us to your new found… friend.” The second man, whose eyes were built to bore into one’s soul, gives Cecelia a little smirk. Cecelia sighs, slowly putting her hand on my shoulder, pulling my closer to the group.

“MC.. this is Sascha.” She points dismissively at the man who had just spoken. They’re grin widens, showing me all of their teeth. I shudder for a moment before turning my gaze away. “And this is Nathan.”

The man in the cowboy hat walks forwards and nods. “Please.. call me Clyde.”

“Ok then.. Clyde… ” My eyes then sweep to the female. From what I can tell by her outline, she’s small framed and covered in a thick heavy cloak. “And who is this adorable little thing?”

I walk a bit closer, and even in the dark I can see the heat rise to her cheeks. Her golden eyes twinkling through the darkness. She grabs one of her braids, and begins idly playing with it.

“I’m uh.. I’m.. um.. Fiona?” She’s doing her best to hide her fluster, but unfortunately for her, I’m well aware of the effect I can have on beautiful woman. I make my way over to her, and bend down slightly so that I can meet her gaze.

“Well, howdy Fi! It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She makes an audible squeak as I give her my most dazzling smile. When she finally smiles back, I have to fight the urge to kiss her right there and then. I can hear Cecelia clear her throat from behind me.

“Uh.. Fiona here, is our resident fortune teller. A master at her craft.” Fiona blushed again at her Warden’s praise, but my gaze never leaves her eyes.

“Oh.. a fortune teller, eh?” I close whatever distance was left between us. Her breath catches at the close proximity of our bodies. “So tell me, oh wise one.. what do the spirits have in store for us?”

Her face, already a dark crimson, becomes an even darker shade as I emphasize the word ‘us’. She begins playing with both braids now, obviously embarrassed by just how flustered I’ve made her. I can’t help but smile a little. She clears her throat before attempting to speak.

“Oh.. ah.. N-nice to M-meet you, Miss.” She tries to meet my gaze, but something is holding her back. Before I can think, I reach out, and tip her chin up a little. Wanting nothing more than this intriguing creatures eyes on mine. I can hear Clyde and Sascha chuckling behind us.

“Wow.. I don’t think we’ve never seen anyone fluster our wise Fiona before. Looks like she never saw this one coming..” Sascha laughs at his own joke, and I can feel Cecelia’s gaze burning into the back of my shirt, but I don’t care. I hold Fiona’s eyes for as long as I can.

“No.. we certainly haven’t.” Cecelia’s voice is almost as cold as the night air, and with that, Fiona finally breaks my gaze, looking down to her feet which are mindlessly making circles in the dirt. I sigh in annoyance, turning quickly on the others.

“And? So what if I have!? There’s no need to embarrass her!” I quickly turn back to Fiona, hoping she’ll level me just one more time with that golden stare of hers. I begin fidgeting with my own hair before continuing. “and m-maybe I’m just as flustered as she is!”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Fiona stands up taller. Locking her eyes directly onto mine as though she’s trying to read my very thoughts.

(Oh right.. fortune teller..)

“R-really?” She asks. Her voice is soft and barely above a whisper, but her eyes are pleading. Golden beacons shining through the darkness, and I’m suddenly very aware of how strong the chemistry is between us. She must feel it too, for she takes a step even closer. I begin to feel the heat rising from my cheeks and down to my neck.

(Oh hells.)

“O-of course” My voice comes out strained. I lick my lips, trying to keep my cool composure. “I would never lie to a beautiful lady”

I give her my most dazzling smile, which she fully reciprocates. Her eyes seeming to glisten as they make their way to my lips.

“Ah- t-that’s.. that’s good” She whispers low enough so that only I can hear her. I try to open my mouth to respond, but before I know it, her lips are on mine. The world spins as I return the kiss. My heart seems to slow and speed up all at the same time, and I swear, just for a moment, that I see stars.

(Holy shi-)

As she breaks the kiss, I’m left speechless. My fingers tracing the spot where her lips just were. She gives me a shy smirk, her eyes almost glowing.

“Now that..” She pauses through a laugh. “I didn’t see coming.”

#Anonymous #lovestruck #women of lovestruck #wicked lawless love fiona #fiona x mc #wll fiona #wicked lawless love #fluff #scatterday #lovestruck headcanons #answered

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shuttershocky · 4 years

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“This was a bad decision. We can’t keep her, Touko-san.”

“Eh?”

It was a slow day at the office, and Touko had everyone but Kokutou sent home. Sakura had fallen fast asleep on Shiki’s favorite sofa, the room having been silent save for the scratching of a pen.

It had been a week since Sakura was rescued (well, technically kidnapped) from the Matous, their manor having gone up in flames thanks to a highly aggressive Azaka. Life at the Hollow Shrine had been different to say the least; caring for a horrifically traumatized 12-year-old girl was not exactly a skill in anyone’s repertoire. Still, Touko was strangely taken with the girl. She had offered Sakura a new home with her and even an apprenticeship under her, so long as the young girl would work as part of the agency.

Sakura agreed immediately, all protests from Kokutou about “child labor laws” and “inadequate living standards” completely ignored.

Now she was napping on the sofa, lulled by the gentle whirs of the ceiling fan and a day of training.

Touko Aozaki was staring aimlessly at an opened tome, her mind too clouded by the spell of a late afternoon to truly absorb what she was reading. She hoped Kokutou would read the room and realize she was in no state to talk.

“We should probably call social services. We can’t keep Sakura with us.”

Damn it. Leave it to Mikiya Kokutou to talk business 24/7.

Touko raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Kokutou spread out his hands and gestured to just about everything in the office.

“These conditions are terrible! In her old home, she at least had an actual bed and three meals a day. Now she’s sleeping in half a sofa!”

“She could have the whole sofa but Shiki keeps napping in there after work.”

“That’s not the point! The Hollow Shrine is no place for a child. There’s more beer and coffee in the fridge than water, we deal with a new horror movie monster every week, and you’ll still try to smoke inside if you think I won’t catch you!”

“Technically, if Sakura ever develops lung problems I could just make her new lungs.”

“Touko-san!”

“What?” Touko asked with extra cheek, leaning on her desk and resting her chin on her fingers. She may not have wanted to play the game, but now that they were in one of their arguments, she was in it to win it.

Kokutou sighed and pushed his glasses back into his face, taking a deep breath as he did so.

Touko’s grin widened. Bring it.

“Touko-san, you know nothing about caring for kids.”

“I took care of you just fine didn’t I?”

“I was 17.”

“17? 12? What’s the big difference?”

“School, for one thing. Sakura’s just starting Middle school and she’s already been absent for a week.”

“She can keep going. Make her an excuse letter saying she caught some flesh-eating bug and needed to spend a few days in quarantine; it’s not even a total lie.”

“And how do you suppose she’ll get to school every day when it’s nowhere near here?”

“Trains exist. She’ll get there.”

“She’ll have to leave early every morning to get there on time. Who’s going to make her breakfast?”

“There are convenience stores on the way.”

“She’ll need an allowance to pay for food and fare.”

“She works for me, she’ll get paid. Same as all of you.”

“You barely pay me at all.”

“And yet you got Shiki pregnant on her first year of college and are now trying to raise your daughter while keeping Shiki in school, on your paycheck. Tell me, Kokutou, who’s the King of Bad Decisions here?”

Touko enjoyed the glare Kokutou shot at her. He held it for half a minute, no doubt searching for a new avenue of attack. When he failed to say anything, the tiny Touko in the magus’ hazy daydream started on its victory dance. It stopped short when the real Touko noticed the expression on her apprentice’s face had softened.

“Touko,” Kokutou said at last. “Sakura’s been through a lot. Don’t you think she deserves better than this? Better than us?”

If Touko was not holding her face in her hands, her jaw might have dropped from surprise. She didn’t expect him to get all sappy on her, but she really should have. If there was anything Kokutou did, it was genuinely care.

She taught him well. Maybe too well. Was there any way for her to keep arguing her side and not sound like an asshole?

Touko raised both hands and held them palm outwards in surrender. Half-surrender.

“Okay, okay. I see your points, Kokutou. The Hollow Shrine isn’t the best place for a kid. I’m certainly not the best person to take her in either.”

Kokutou nodded. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

“But!”

“…But?”

“It may not be the best place for her to stay, but I believe it’s the only place for her to stay.”

Kokutou’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

It was Touko’s turn to push her glasses up.

“Listen very carefully, Mikiya. The girl has potential. Quite a lot of it, in fact. Enough that any magi family undergoing a bit of a dry spell in power would be interested in her. You place her into the system, and they’ll find her eventually. They’re always looking for children to use…”

Touko’s voice dropped low.

“…Or potential rivals to cull.”

Kokutou swallowed.

“What if we made sure she’s taken in by an ordinary family?”

“No magus would be bothered by stepping on a few innocent people to get what they want. I know I didn’t.”

The sun had begun to set on the horizon, splashing the room with an eerie red glow. Kokutou’s eyes were hidden in shadow.

“What’s more,” Touko continued. “I doubt an ordinary family is equipped to help her. My initial examinations revealed several foreign objects inside her that I’ve not been able to remove yet, as well as signs of heavy scarring and alterations to her magic circuits.“

Touko’s voice continued to drop until it was barely above a whisper, as if she was afraid of Sakura hearing her. As if she was afraid the words would find their way into the young girl’s peaceful dreams.

“They didn’t just hurt her, Mikiya. Whatever they did, it changed her. I sent a trace through her body and the response I got back did not draw a picture of a frightened, innocent girl. There is a shadow that lives under her skin, and I don’t know if it’s the slumbering form of her fear, pain, or rage. What I do know is that it’s powerful, and nothing stays asleep forever.“

Kokutou’s eyes weren’t hidden now.

“What…”

“You cracked Fujino’s case. You know what kind of hell someone desperate can raise.”

“But that was because of her Mystic Eyes. Sakura can’t-”

“For now, yes. But there are things out there, monstrous things, that tend to come for girls like her. Beings of agony and loathing that whisper in your ears about how only they can possibly understand the anger. The torment. They come at night when you’re alone with your thoughts, and they never leave you until dawn. They wait until your heart opens the smallest crack to let them in, then they take your body for a joy ride.“

The look on Kokutou’s face told the mage that maybe it was time to change the topic. She needed him to be able to sleep to do his best work.

“Anyway, even if the darkness in Sakura were to go away someday, the scars it leaves behind wouldn’t. She might have to deal with the effects of the Matous’ torture for the rest of her life. Unless of course, she stays with me.”

“How is it different if Sakura’s with you?”

Touko’s glasses were gone, a terrifying grin now splitting the magus’ face. The sun had fully set now, the last ray of sunlight vanishing as it passed her eyes.

“Because I stared death in the face and made it my bitch,” Touko sneered. “There is no wound they can cut, no trauma they can inflict, nothing anyone can do to a body that I cannot undo. Nothing Zouken could have done to her that I cannot make better. Helps that the one exception to this rule is under my employ too.”

Kokutou chuckled. “Touko, if I didn’t know you better I would have thought you cared about Sakura.”

Touko pursed her lips. “Call it a magus’ curiosity; she’s a fascinating specimen. Besides, no snooty Clocktower family can develop her powers like I can. Watch this.”

The peerless puppeteer clapped her hands twice, before folding both hands over her mouth to amplify her voice.

“Sakura! Sealing Enforcer!”

“HIYAH!”

The sleeping Sakura leapt to her feet, eyes as wide as dinner plates and one arm outstretched and pointed towards the Hollow Shrine’s entrance. A purple bolt of energy arced from her hand and slammed into a nearby column, shaking the building. All in all, a meter long crack on the cement, a whole floor’s worth of dust shaken from the ceiling, and Kokutou’s jaw nowhere to be found.

“W-was that a test?” The girl squeaked. “D-did I do it right?”

“You did great, kid!” Touko called. “Gotta work on your aim a little, but that was excellent form.”

“See, Kokutou? Only a week and she’s doing nonverbal, unassisted offensive magecraft. Sure she’s a little inaccurate now, but give her some time and no Sealing Enforcer’s going home with an intact set of ribs. Show me another mage who can bring that out of her. Wait, let me stop you there, you can’t.”

Kokutou turned to his boss very slowly.

“You do know that’s a support column right?”

“What?”

#Aozaki Adoption #Shuttersfic #Eyyy i reworked one of the earliest AA posts to be more like an actual chapter now

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idexstuck · 4 years

Text

i. forgot i already did a crashcourse of LBTW for a hypothetical DND campaign

combat notes ESes, or Exclusive Skills, are literal RPG-esque "skills" that everyone has. Their effect is determined by a major factor in someone's personality, or a feat they are capable of. ESes can change throughout a person's life, but they are very hard to change. They can be as harmless as creating a perfectly cooked egg, or as dangerous as summoning a weapon capable of severing someone from reality. They can be used without expending a spell slot, and they can be used up to twice per short rest (mark this somewhere!). There are no components or requirements for using your ES, unless that is written in. There are essentially no restrictions on what your ES can be, so long as it's something that makes sense, and as long as it isn't, like, casting Disintegrate or Wish or something.

EPSes, or Exclusive Passive Skills, are just the same as ESes, except they cannot directly create an effect or deal damage; they simply are a passive effect. Again, an EPSes effect is tied into the personality of its user, and it is very hard to change. An EPSes effect can range from something as mundane as making you better at persuasion, or something like making you immune to certain status effects. There is no limit on how many times they can be used per day, and saying if/when its effect comes into play won't expend a spell slot. There are no components to the EPS if it is triggered by a certain effect, unless that is written in. If the effect is constant and does not have a trigger, you as a player should keep track of this and let your party members- and the DM- know how it effects a situation (if it does). There are no restrictions on what your EPS can be, so long as it makes sense and isn't, like, triple advantage on rolls.

SAs, or Special Attacks, are literal RPG-like finisher attacks. Again, they are typically tied to the core of someone's personality, and are almost like a trump card or some kind of Final Smash. They usually deal damage, but this doesn't always have to be the case. SAs can range from a very powerful healing effect similar to Greater Restoration, or the summoning of one's patron deity. Using your SA expends one spell slot for the highest spell level you currently know. There is no material component, but there is typically a verbal component. SAs can be used once per long rest, but using one's SA is often physically or mentally straining, depending on the effect. There are no restrictions on what your SA can do, so long as it makes sense. This is your opportunity to go ham.

wb notes This is a modern campaign set in the fictional city of Gracetown, California. Gracetown is very multicultural, and it has a population somewhere around Los Angeles (Los Angeles does not exist in this universe). It is 2006, five years after the final battle of World War Three- the Battle of Grace Bay- came to a close. WW3 was fought against giant monstrosities known as "Reflections," doppelgangers that morph into powerful creatures once given form by being perceived. Reflections originate from a place called the Flip-Side, a mirror plane of reality "attached" to this one. Reflections were discovered by the M.E.S branch of Nitroflux, which has since dissolved into its parent company.

Gracetown has recovered from the Battle of Grace Bay with the help of its corporate anchor, the previously mentioned Nitroflux. Gracetown, and other cities in America most affected by WW3, received funding from foreign countries, excluding France- France and America seem to have incredibly bad diplomacy, due to France siding with the Reflections during WW3. During WW3, the US military received significant support from the International Research Foundation for Biological Hazards (IRFBH), as well as Nitroflux. Nitroflux was hired to produce combat androids, while the IRFBH was tasked with studying the Reflections and developing strategies to best defeat them.

In this universe, one of the most major religions is Astraeanism, the faith in the goddess Astraea. Their holy book is called the Apocrypha, and they believe that the goddess has not abandoned them, but that she is waiting to bring her judgement upon this world.

An incredibly important mechanic found in this world is the Wireframe. The Wireframe is the basis for all of reality, and it is what keeps something or someone quote-unquote "attached" to said reality. Manipulating the Wireframe allows someone to travel between dimensions (or even planes of reality), but manipulating it takes a lot of practice, and can only be done through years of study, or an ES/EPS that does the heavy lifting for you. The Wireframe functions as an "inbetween" for planes of reality or dimensions, and as such, time has no effect there. If you are in the Wireframe, you are essentially in time stasis until you exit. Wounds sustained in the Wireframe will appear healed once you exit, but you're still gonna be big hurty.

Another thing to mention is the Septenary Clocktowers- seven clocktowers at an unreachable point in space and time that govern the seven main laws of reality. The seven are as follows, in order of importance: 1. Wireframe, 2. Cosmos, 3. Time, 4. Habitability, 5. Humanity, 6. Consciousness, 7. Human bonds If you die, but your force of will to stay alive is incredibly strong, you can "tether" with one of the Clocktowers to which you are most aptly attuned. Tethering to one of the Clocktowers pre-death is possible, but it comes with incredible consequences, and would more than likely kill you rather than keep you alive. Those with Septenary tethers have skill sets based around that Clocktower's law. Extra thoughts: - Even though this is a modern campaign, combat androids are more easily thought of as synthetic humans rather than robots (which means their stats are nearly the same to that of a human). They can imitate all human bodily functions, and they have a wake/sleep cycle like human beings. To find one walking around in the open in Gracetown isn't an oddity, so if you want to play some kind of synthetic human/combat android, go for it! They have ESes, EPSes, and SAs like everyone else. - Instead of the usual Common/Abyssal/Draconic/etc., you can just say you're fluent in multiple real-world languages if you so choose. Additionally, almost everyone in Gracetown is fluent in American Sign Language, if not other common Sign Languages. The usual DnD languages do still exist, but they're often an antiquity, or a cool party trick. However, there is one language I'm adding to the pool of languages you can know: Standard Galactic, abbreviated as SGA. SGA is both written and spoken, and is very rare. It is used most commonly by the Trans-Planar Court. If you know SGA, you're usually a friend of the Court, or you've somehow found someone or something to teach you. If you want to learn this language IRL, Standard Galactic is from the Commander Keen series, and there's an alphabet out there that you can learn if you wanna get in on the immersion.

Q: why are the neutralizers not included?

A: they are not widely known outside of ruth’s circle of friends. also, so the players could discover them themselves

Q: why are the material planes not included?

A: knowing about the other material planes isnt necessarily common knowledge. and also again so the players can get the download on their own if they so choose (like if emerson starts talking at all about his motivations)

#long post #save #lbtw

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bad-hair-day-headcanons · 5 years

Note

Can I have hcs for reader in a poly relationship with Axel and Roxas? Or maybe you think Roxas is too young for something like this? In that case I totally understand, you only have to write things you're comfortable with :)

Notes: Hello! Yes, I do write poly with AkuRoku, I ship it super hard. I always age Roxas up in situations like this, and I will mainly write him in modern!AU to keep from screwing up the timeline. I actually have a lot to say on the whole subject of properly aging your characters up and whether or not you should or should not keep them canon, but that’s a topic for another time. For now, please enjoy this set! (Also this is a long one, PLEASE ENJOY!)

How you met:

When you first met Axel and Roxas, they had already been dating for a year, and it showed.

These two dorks would push and pull at each other, making sarcastic, almost rude comments.

At first, you thought they were brothers, then you saw them holding hands one day.

‘Okay,’ you thought to yourself. ‘Sometimes brothers hold hands.’

Alas, you were quite wrong when Axel leaned down to kiss Roxas full on the mouth, while Roxas held onto him by the collar.

‘Nope, definitely not brothers.’

And yet you couldn’t stop yourself from wanting in the middle of that sandwich.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to notice you, or rather for Axel to notice you and start teasing you about always being where they were.

You quickly all became friends, eating ice cream on the clock tower together while the two cuddled, you felt a bit like the odd one out.

How you got together:

The three of you had been hanging out on the clocktower like usual, chatting about nothing when Roxas and Axel decided to bear down on you with some very unusual questions.

“Hey [Y/N], are you dating anyone?”

“Wh-what?”

“What Roxas means is that you’re always free to hang out and we never see you with anyone but us,” Axel stated as if it was it was the most obvious thing.

“I-”

“Easier question,” Roxas said. “Do you like anyone?”

“I’m more offended that you don’t think I have any other friends!”

The three of you laugh at this for a good minute, before things get serious again.

“But really, do you like anyone?”

Your face is as red as the sunset, you couldn’t tell them that you liked them, that would be so weird and possibly ruin your friendship, so instead, you decide to give them a vague answer.

“Actually, I like two people.”

Bad choice [Y/N].

“Oh?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Who?”

“No one you two know.”

The two were excited after hearing that their friend had not one- but two crushes. Even if they didn’t know the people, they wanted to know everything, how they walked, talked, why you liked them, how you met, what you thought of them, what effect they had on you, how long you knew them. EVERYTHING.

It wasn’t until a week later that you finally gave into their pestering.

“Okay! Okay! Stop already, I’ll tell you! Just don’t be mad.”

You were on the Clocktower again, and it was like keeping puppies in a bathtub trying not to tell them any chance you got.

But now was the perfect time, just the three of you, sea-salt ice cream, and the sunset.

“I like you, Axel-”

“YOU LIKE AXEL?” Roxas shouted.

“LET ME FINISH!” You smacked Roxas’s arm playfully.

“And I like you, Roxas.”

You all sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, it was the first time that you truly felt like you wished you had never become friends with them in the first place. However, your fears were put to rest after Roxas put a hand on your shoulder, bringing you back to reality.

“Don’t freak out, we like you too.”

You were so taken aback that you almost fell off the clocktower completely, luckily, you didn’t.

“Wh-what?”

“Yeah, we’ve been talking about it when you weren’t here, we like you, as more than a friend and if it’s cool, we’d like to-”

“DO MORE THAN JUST SIT HERE AND EAT FREAKING ICE CREAM!” Axel interjects loudly.

Roxas shoots a glare at Axel.

You burst out laughing. They really had been thinking about this.

All of you begin laughing and joking as Roxas tries to grab Axel’s ice cream, saying that if he hated sitting around eating it so much that he should hand it over.

Dating Axel and Roxas:

Things start out slow between the three of you, you’re not used to dating two guys at once and for most of your life you had been taught that it was cheating, so you had to ease your way into it.

Axel and Roxas apparently had a few other people that they had dated before you, but they don’t mention them if you don’t want to. They do however try their best to explain the ins and outs of polyamorous dating, which you learn is the name for it.

Things like how Axel and Roxas are primary partners, meaning that their relationship comes first for them, and your relationship is secondary, but not any less important to them.

Also that your relationship between the three of you is special and even though people around you may not understand or comprehend it, it doesn’t make it any less valid.

Another thing you learned is that polyamory is not polygamy. Something you didn’t know before and were actually quite happy to know.

Aside from the learning aspect of your relationship, lots of little things were discussed.

Like how Axel does get jealous on occasion, but it can be easily managed by scheduling everyone’s time wisely.

You all decided to have every three days (Sunday, Wednesday/Monday, Thursday/Tuesday, Friday) be your set schedules, while Saturday was the day that you all three had together. (A better explanation would be Axel and Roxas are in the same room the first day then it’s Axel and you, then Roxas and you, then it goes again, and finally, you have the all together day.)

For your shared night the three of you would either have a stay in movie night or go out and eat sea-salt ice cream on the clock tower and then come home and play video games.

You quickly learned that these two are homebodies and would even work from home given the chance.

Food is never a problem, mostly because of Axel’s inability to stay out of the grocery store whenever he passes it, but also because Roxas has a hidden talent for baking.

Speaking of hidden talents, did I mention the two are musically blessed?

I didn’t?

Well now I have, Roxas will sing in the shower, while baking, while taking a poop, you name it, he’s singing while doing it.

Axel, on the other hand, is not quite so gifted, think Fiona in Shrek where she kills a bird with her voice. Not that it’s lack of trying, it’s more, the lack of being able to hear past your own hair. Yet somehow he can play the keyboard that is tucked away in the corner of the living room all covered in dust.

You’ve heard them do a duet before, it was on your birthday, Axel pulled out the old keyboard, and Roxas sat next to him on the bench. They sang a love song that they had heard on the radio and you were in tears by the end of it.

That was also the night that you told them that you loved them.

And they told you right back, with just as much love.

You didn’t make it to the bedroom that night. ;)

These two are so dorky sometimes when they say that they love you, especially now that they’ve said it already. Axel will take things out of your reach and ask you for a peck on the cheek before giving it back. You’ll glare at him and Roxas will roll his eyes in the corner. Then you’ll give in and give him the peck on the peck on the cheek that he wanted so much before he said that you only put up with him because you love him.

“And what would give you the impression that I love you?”

You’ll say.

Axel will mock hurt and Roxas will roll his eyes, AGAIN, before telling Axel that he still loves him.

Roxas is actually worse when it comes to getting you to tell him that you love him.

He will jump on the bed, straddle you, and start tickling you until you say that you love him. Sometimes this can go on for 30 minutes or more because Axel will hear the giggling and join in.

Sleeping in the same bed is a mess! Tangled limbs, covers going every which way, people on top of each other, it’s like a hurricane of sweat and body parts.

Axel likes to be in the middle with both of you on either side unless you’re spooning in which case it goes Axel, Roxas, You and then you’ll occasionally all turn around.

After a while, you’ll realize that this relationship is meant to last and you won’t ever want to leave them. The three of you make each other very happy and you can’t imagine ever being anywhere but with these two goofballs.

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 #headcanons #axel #roxas #romantic headcanons #akuroku #axelxreaderxroxas

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ladyseaheart1668 · 6 years

Text

Endless Summer Book 4 : Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 26)

Description: In the wake of Tahira’s return--and Silas Prescott’s--their friends and family try to figure out what comes next.

Tagging: @xo-endlessmayhem-xo ; @princesstopgun ; @mysteli

Chapter 26: Something Like Ordinary

Jake

A silence falls over us as we watch Tahira take off into the moonlit sky with Silas Prescott's limp body in her arms. Grayson lingers on the balcony until she vanishes from sight, and stays there a moment or two more. Diego and Varyyn immediately start trying to eat each other's faces. Michelle went immediately into doctor-mode, but now that Tahira's taken off and Iris has assured her that neither Alodia nor the baby have suffered any ill effects from our adventures, she remembers that she has a fiance who was waiting for her, and more face-eating commences. For my part, I'm a little classier about it, and delicately taste my wife's mouth while my hand carresses the swell of her belly. Honestly, what I'm feeling now is a little too much to be expressed with carnal kissing, but I need to be close to her. I need to taste her and touch her, but gently.

We did it. We got her cousin home, and she's still with me. She and the baby are still with me. I'm sure sometime in bed tonight I'm gonna start trembling and possibly crying over the worst-case scenarios that aren't going to come true anymore, but right now I'm too relieved to think about them.

“How are you feeling?” I ask her. “I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that trip took it outta ya.”

“It did,” she admits. “I'm exhausted. And hungry. ...Hey, Raj?”

Raj looks up from where he's on his knees, poking through the chest with Craig and Zahra. “Yeah?”

“Baby Peanut is demanding that hangover cure you made us on the island. Think you can help me out?”

He grins, getting to his feet. “Baby Peanut's wish is my command. Come on, I'll give you guys a ride back. We can make a stop at the grocery store on the way.”

“Let me just take off my armor.”

I help her remove the polished amber pieces, and place them carefully back in the trunk. For a moment, she hesitates beside the trunk, staring down at it's contents. I wind my arms around her waist from behind, lacing my fingers together over her abdomen.

“Later,” I murmur into the curve of her neck. “Worry about that later. Just be with me now.”

“...Yeah...” She exhales slowly, nodding. “Yeah. Later.”

Tahira

The air is brisk and chilly, especially at this altitude. It shouldn't surprise me, I guess. If I've been gone ten weeks, the rest of the world must be well into October by now. I confess that the silence gets to me pretty quickly.

“Marci? Are you still with me?”

“Of course, Tahira. You have not deactivated me.”

I chuckle. “Fair enough. You've been awfully quiet since my cousin found me.”

“You had the situation under control. I didn't think there was anything I could say that would have been very helpful.”

“I suppose that's fair. But I'm glad to know you're still with me. I enjoy your company, you know.”

“Why thank you, Tahira. I enjoy your company as well.”

The hospital is coming into view beneath me. As I arc toward it, descending out of the sky, I start to hear people shouting. No doubt news crews will be on the scene in minutes. The moment my feet touch ground, I'm swarmed. I let the voices and questions wash over me as I shout for a doctor. Plenty of them swarm me, too. It's only when they've taken Silas Prescott from me that I turn toward the crowd spewing questions at me, some anxious, some excited, some stunned. I don't hear their individual questions, but I don't need to. I project my voice into the crowd.

“It's me, everyone. It's Dragonness. I'm home. Where I have been is not important, nor is it important how I got back. In the days to come, I swear that I will formally answer all your questions. For now, all you need to know is that I thought that I was using my last act in life to protect Northbridge. But it was not my last act. Nothing matters more to me than continuing to protect Northbridge as I did before. And now I must be on my way.”

Before anyone can react, I take flight again, shooting straight up into the sky, climbing to an altitude where I hopefully blend into the night.

“How do you think that went, Marci?”

“Since you left Silas Prescott in capable medical hands and successfully addressed the crowds, I would say that your mission was a success.”

“Excellent. I'm going to give you a chance to rest for awhile, okay? I'm going to change clothes back at my apartment, then I'm going to my mom's. I'll bring my suit with me, of course. In case Dragonness is needed.”

“That sounds like a sensible plan, Tahira. You know where to find me if you need me.”

* * *

I left the windows unlocked at my apartment the day I fought Silas Prescott. Luckily, no one thought to lock them again in ten weeks, and I can easily slip in without breaking anything. I am surprised to find that all my stuff is pretty much untouched. I would have thought the landlord would be pretty eager to lease the space again. But maybe my mom or Dax or Poppy or Grayson covered for me. I don't know, and at the moment, I don't much care. I slip inside, change clothes, and pack a bag with a few days' worth of clothes and my supersuit. A civilian once more, I make the journey to my mom's apartment the old-fashioned way: on foot.

Mom must have been waiting by the door for me, because the moment I press the buzzer, she responds, and the door into the building unlocks. She's in the hallway when I get up to her floor, hovering eagerly by the open door.

“Come in, darling. Come in. I'll make tea.”

I follow her inside. But as soon as the door has closed, I drop my bag and throw my arms around her. She squeaks in surprise, but she doesn't hesitate to hold me back. For a long moment, we're silent, just holding each other.

“...Mom...” I whimper. “...Mommy...”

“It's been a long time since you called me that,” she murmurs, tightening her grip just a little.

“I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I ran out on you the last time I was here...I'm so...I'm so, so sorry I ever went into that battle without telling you that I love you...”

I have no doubt that my mother wants to be strong for me right now, because she always wants to be strong for me. Of course she does. She's the mom. She always wants to put me first. ...But damned if she doesn't entirely deserve to break down and let everything out, and a part of me is glad that my words push her over the edge. Now it's her face pressed into my shoulder while she sobs with abandon. I gently lead her over to the couch. I snuggle up in her arms, the way I did one morning when I was thirteen and scared to go to middle school because adolescent drama had turned the one-story building into a prison in my mind. But now I'm twenty-five, and it's my mother weeping while she clings to me.

“I thought I'd lost you,” she finally manages to croak. “I thought I would never see you again...”

“I thought you'd lost me, too...” I admit. “But I'm here now, Mommy. I'm here, and I love you and I'm so sorry if you ever thought otherwise...”

“It doesn't matter now, sweetheart. What matters is that you're right. You're here now. You're back. Everything's going to be all right.”

“I...met my birth parents...” I confess softly. My mother is silent for a moment.

“You did...”

“Or...what's left of them. Maybe. They sent me through the Prism Gate to save my life when I was a baby.”

“I know. Alodia explained that much to me.”

I squirm as guilt snakes through my gut. “...I thanked them for sending me to you.”

“...I wish I could have thanked them for sending you to me, too. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Tahira. My dream come true. ...I am so proud of what you've become.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Of course. You're a hero, baby.”

“...So they say. I just kinda felt like gaining the powers of flight and super-strength meant I had to do something good with them.”

“And that makes me even prouder. To know that I've raised the kind of woman who is motivated to use her gifts for the betterment of the world.”

“That's all your handiwork, Mom,” I agree. “...But...tonight, I don't want to be Dragonness. Just for tonight, I want to be Tahira Rogers. Your little girl.”

“I can absolutely agree to that.”

Grayson

I want to go straight to the hospital. I want to be there with my father. I want to be beside him when he wakes up. I want to tell him...ask him...Christ, I don't even know what. So much. How could he do something so terrible? What the hell was he trying to accomplish? I want answers. I want to beg him not to die, now that I got him back...

I can't go straight to the hospital. I have to let Tahira take him, wait for the hospital staff to call me. Tell me he's there. So while everyone else drifts out of the clocktower and heads home, I linger with Eva, Kenji, Dax, and Poppy. I sit on the couch, staring at my phone, willing it to light up with a call from Northbridge General Hospital.

“So...what happens now?” Eva breaks the silence with her question.

“What do you mean?”

“Well...Dragonness is back now, and so is Silas Prescott...”

“My father is likely going straight to prison as soon as he is healthy,” I point out bitterly. “I don't think he's going to pose much threat anymore, especially now that I'm in charge of Prescott Industries.”

“And Aleister and Estela are running Rourke International while their father rots in a hospital for the criminally insane. That doesn't stop them from being afraid of him.”

That makes me pause. She's right. Everett Rourke and my father are smart, powerful men. They were friends once. And they essentially sought to harness the same power in different forms. My dad may end up in a home for the criminally insane, too. Perhaps even the same one his old friend was sent to. ...And now Tahira, whose power my dad sought to exploit, has met Alodia, the living source of that power. The Endless even warned the Catalysts not to get complacent, not to stop being wary of Rourke.

Tahira Rogers and Alodia Chandler. Silas Prescott and Everett Rourke. Two sources of power, and two men with power and means who tried to exploit them. The more I think about it, the more I worry.

“You're right,” I concede. “Whatever happens to my dad now, we can't just assume it's over. Not now that Tahira and Alodia have met.”

“But as to what happens immediately,” Kenji says, “I think there's still plenty for Talos, Minuet, and Dragonness to do in terms of rounding up petty criminals. We'll arrange for Dragonness to meet with my mom to get up to speed. We should also probably consider what to do about Caleb and whatever gang he's running with now.”

“We'll consult with Tahira on that.” Eva sighs.

“But for now, let her rest for a few days,” I say firmly. “She deserves that. In the meantime...maybe I'll see about making sure dad doesn't get sent to the same place as Everett Rourke. I don't trust the two of them in the same building.”

“I wish Alodia didn't have to go back to California,” Dax remarks. “It might be helpful to have her and all her crew in one place nearby.”

“We've got most of the Catalysts right here in Northbridge,” Poppy points out.

“Yes, but Alodia is their leader. Not to mention that she's Tahira's biological cousin.”

Anything else anyone might have said is cut off when my phone starts to trill my ringtone. I feel my heart flip in my chest. “...It's them...it's the hospital...” Gulping, I thumb on the call and put the phone to my ear. “Grayson Prescott.”

“Mr. Prescott, this is Dr. Edward Nakashima at Northbridge General Hospital. Your father is here in our ICU.”

“My...father...?” I hope I sound convincingly hesitant. “...When...when did he...?”

“Not long ago. He's stable, but his condition is pretty serious. We'd like you to come in so we can discuss everything with you.”

“Yes. Yes, of course. I'll be right there.” I thumb off the call, rubbing a hand over my face. “...I guess it's showtime...”

I feel a hand on my shoulder. When I turn to look, I am a little startled to find that it's Eva, looking sympathetically down at me.

“You could probably use some company on the way. I'll come with you.”

“I...you don't have to do that...”

“It's no trouble. My dad's there, too. I'm a little overdue to visit him, what with this whole rescuing Tahira from an alien dimension thing.”

I nod slowly, feeling a faint smile on my lips. “In that case, I'd definitely welcome the company.”

Tahira

After tea and cookies with my mother, I treat myself to a hot shower and nestle into a pair of soft pajamas before drifting towards my bed. My childhood bedroom is pretty much the way I left it when I moved into my own apartment after college. It's lost a few items over the years as I've brought things with me, and most of my old books and toys have been donated to charity. But a few particularly sentimental items are still around.

I sit down on the edge of the bed and pick up the cuddly toy lamb resting against the pillow. My favorite toy, a left over from my baby days. Her well-worn fluff is baby blue on her head and body, white on her face and ears. When I was two years old, I dug into the depths of my imagination and came up with a name for her, christening her Blue Lamby—or “Boo Wammy”, in baby speak. Eventually, Mom and I accepted that her official name was Boowammy. I pick up the lamb and her head flops back on her neck. Her stuffing has all been irreversably pushed into her head and her body from years of being carried around the neck. I support the back of her head with my hand, lifting her face so that I can look into her button eyes.

Did you miss me, old friend? I ask her. There's no need to speak aloud. Everyone knows stuffed animals are telepathic. But a flex of my wrist makes her nod.

Of course, Tahira. I always miss you when you're not here.

I've become a superhero. Did I ever get around to telling you that?

You didn't need to tell me. I always knew. I know everything about you. It's my job.

Thanks for not telling Mom. I guess she found out anyway, but I'm glad she didn't hear it from you.

Keeping secrets is also part of my job.

I chuckle a little. I place my lamb aside as I turn down the covers and crawl underneath. But as I lay my head on the pillow, I draw her under the blankets with me, my arms cinched around her permanently flattened neck.

* * *

I wake up the next morning to the smell of coffee and the familiar sounds of Mom puttering around in the kitchen. For a moment, it's blissful and nostalgic, until I realize I can hear voices. I sneak into the bathroom to take a quick shower and put some clothes on before I go investigate.

I find Alodia in the kitchen, working her way through a mixed fruit salad while my mother sips coffee and nibbles toast. Dressed in regular clothes, her baby bump is much more obvious than it was while she was wearing the armor. It's still fairly small, though. She smiles when she sees me.

“Hi.”

“Good morning,” I reply. “I admit I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon.”

“I know it's early, but I have to go back to California this evening, and it's going to take awhile to tell you everything you need to know, so I wanted to start right away.”

“I see.”

Mom stands up and pulls out a chair for me. “Sit down, sweetheart. Let me make you some oatmeal?”

“Yeah, okay.” I sit down, feeling my belly fluttering with anxiety. It's not that I don't think I can trust Alodia. I actually trust her completely, in spite of barely knowing her. It's just that I'm not sure I want to know everything that she's going to tell me. But I suppose I never really had a choice. I was always going to learn it all someday. Might as well be today.

Alodia tells me everything. Absolutely everything. She tells me her story, and what she knows of mine. What she knows of our fathers' race, the power of their will. The Prism Crystal is her life energy, left behind to call her home and repair the timelines. The power that I gained from it is my birthright. She tells me about her Catalysts. About Everett Rourke. The Endless. Vaanu. While she talks, I eat a bowl of oatmeal and some cinnamon raisin toast. By the time she finishes, nearly four hours have passed and I'm starting to feel hungry again. But primal needs are somewhat overwhelmed as I try to process everything I've been told. Mom drifted out awhile ago to give us some privacy. I guess she's been told everything once already.

“So...what happens now?” I finally ask.

“Now, I go back to my life and you go back to yours. You've got a city to protect, and I've got a baby on the way.”

“I know, but...” I glance briefly at my mother. “I mean...you're my cousin. I don't know about you, but that sort of means something to me.”

“It means something to me, too. I'm not suggesting we should lose touch. Though...in time, I think for the benefit of my human aunt and uncle, if they ever find out about you, we should say that we found each other through one of those DNA testing services. I'll tell them I wanted to know if my dad had any relatives I wasn't aware of.”

“Fair enough.” I look at her for a long moment. She doesn't look much like me. Physically, she's pretty much my exact opposite, small and fair to my tall and dark. But we're kin. “...We're quite a pair, aren't we.”

She smiles the brave, weary smile of someone who has been on a difficult mission for a worthy cause. “Yeah. When I first came back, I was terrified that I wasn't meant to be here. A dozen things have come up that have slowly convinced me that I am, though. And meeting you has definitely been a big one.”

“Yeah?”

“It's like I told your parents: we've both fought hard for this world. Fought and sacrificed and survived for the world, and the people who matter to us here. It's our home.”

I look down into my empty oatmeal bowl, drying on the table in front of me. I really should be soaking it in the sink.

“...I gotta admit...when my mom first told me that I had come from another dimension, I didn't react well.”

“No?”

“...I didn't speak to her for three days. ...I had barely started speaking to her again when...” I trail off, swallowing against the knot in my throat.

“...When you fought Silas Prescott.”

“...Yeah...”

“...I had just gotten married when I learned that I was the missing piece of the Island's Heart. ...I didn't react well, either. I mean, I managed to put on a brave face, but I was so fucking pissed at the whole situation.” She sighs. “But...as my father told me...you cannot control your circumstances. Only how you react to them.”

“...Not exactly comforting in your situation.”

“Not at all,” she concedes.

“...Dax actually told me something comforting when I was freaking out about the fact that I was from another dimension. He...lies awake at night worrying about multiverses or something. I think...it's the fact that time and space are infinite scares him, and the idea of infinite dimensions makes him feel...helpless. But anyway, what he told me is that this is my life. Here. That it doesn't matter if I was born in another dimension. This is where I live. Where I made my life and my home and my family. So this is where I belong.”

“Definitely a much more comforting thing to hear during an existential crisis,” she quips. Then she sighs. “Full confession: I highly doubt anything is over yet. For either of us. Everett Rourke knows I'm alive. And he's no idiot. I'm betting it won't take him long to realize I had something to do with bringing you back.”

“The good news there is that now that the two sides of the family have met, we're going to be much stronger. We should exchange contact information. When it all hits the fan, we need to be ready.”

Michelle

By the time my shift starts the next morning, Silas Prescott has been stabilized, but he has not regained consciousness by the time I finally get around to having my lunch at three in the afternoon. I make quick work of a bland chicken salad sandwich and a side of even blander french fries, and settle back in my chair, closing my eyes for a moment.

We did it. We brough Tahira home. Whatever comes next, that small success is ours to cherish. At least for the moment, we can go back to our lives. I have a wedding to plan now. I open my eyes and dig out my phone to place a call. After two rings, I hear the voice on the other end.

“Hey, Michelle.”

“Hi, Alodia. I'm glad I caught you. I wasn't sure if you were already going to be on the plane home.”

“No, not yet, but we should be heading to the airport soon. What's up? How's Prescott?”

“You'll have to ask Grayson. I can't say without breaking confidentiality.”

“Ahh. Right. So...what's up?”

“There's something I wanted to ask you while you were on the east coast, but with everything else, I didn't get around to it.” I take a deep breath, feeling strangely apprehensive. “...Will you be my maid of honor?”

“Me? You're asking me to be your maid of honor?”

“Yeah. I am. I know you're going to be almost full term by the time of the wedding, and we can make whatever accommodations you need. We could have a chair for you standing by, Quinn could be my back-up maid of honor if you need to drop out at any point...anything. If you don't think you'll be up to it, that's okay, too. It's all up to you and you don't have to decide right away. I...” I trail off a moment, swallowing. “...It was just really important to me to ask you before anyone else.”

“Really...? I mean...in the five years I was gone, the others were still here. I wouldn't even have been surprised if you'd made new friends in that time you might want to ask more than any of us...”

“Trust me, Alodia. No one in the world will every understand me the way the Catalysts do. I've got good friends here at the hospital. Even close friends. But you guys are family in a way that no one else could ever be. And as to whether I'd want to ask one of the other girls...I've definitely gotten a lot closer to all of them in the last five years. ...But I wouldn't have Sean if it weren't for you, and I think they'll all understand how important it is that you have the first chance to stand up beside me while I become his wife. They'll all be bridesmaids anyway, so it isn't as if I'm leaving anyone out. Like I said, you don't have to answer right away. I know with the baby--”

“Michelle, of course I'll be your maid of honor! It would be my honor! I mean, obviously if River makes trouble, I'll deal with that, but as long as that doesn't put you off...”

“Honestly, there was a time in my life when the thought of a wedding with a pregnant bridesmaid, much less a pregnant maid of honor, would have made me cringe. Back when my closest friends were the superficial bitches who ended up betraying me. Back when everything to me was about status and power and showing off...”

“...I'm proud of who you are now, Michelle.”

I snort, but there's a grin splitting my face. “Those hormones are making you sappy.”

“Maybe, but it's true.”

“Hey, I have to get back to work, and I should let you get back to California. I'll be going dress-shopping with the girls soon. We'll make sure to send pictures so you can give your two cents.”

“Talk to you soon then. Love you.”

“Love you too, you pregnant sap. Thank you.”

Jake

Alodia spends the flight home up in the cockpit with me and Mike while Diego and Varyyn presumably screw like rabbits in Castor's bedroom. That's fine with me. There's something I've been meaning to bring up.

“You know, Princess, since you're carrying my baby and all, I think it might be about time for you to meet my parents.”

“That is...not an unreasonable request,” she concedes. “...How much do they actually know about me?”

“Less than Rebecca knows. But I told them about you five years ago. Back when I thought I'd lost you. And I told them you'd come back. ...I got a call once the story of your reappearance broke asking if you were the same Alodia Chandler. ...And they know you're pregnant.”

“Wow. That's a little more than I was expecting them to know. Not that I'm complaining.”

“Probably a little less intimidating to think that your in-laws already know you exist than to think that you might be dropping in on them without them knowing anything and being pregnant to boot when you do,” Mike remarks.

“Frankly, yes,” she agrees. She's smirking a little when I look back at her, but there is anxiety nipping at the edges of her features. “...Do they approve of me?”

“They don't even know you yet, Princess.”

“I know, but...” She sighs. “I just can't help thinking how my aunt and uncle and Diego's parents reacted to you...”

It's my turn to smirk a little. “Heh...yeah, well. I'm a shady ex-military type with shaggy hair. Not the type parents generally take kindly to right off the bat.”

She reaches over and vigorously rubs my head. “I like your shaggy hair.”

I catch her hand and bring it to my lips to press a kiss to her fingertips. “I'll be honest, my parents are a little wary. But they're wary because they think I symbolically married you after knowing you for only six months, and now I'm shacking up with you after you've been gone for five years.”

“...Whereas in reality, you married me in a tribal ceremony after having consciously known me for a few weeks, plus two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine time loops. Plus the whole shacking up after I've been gone for five years thing.”

“Yeah. The point is, they're wary because they think I'm rushing into things, they're concerned that this might be a fading infatuation and that this whole unplanned pregnancy thing is gonna trap me in something I don't really want. But with all that, they ain't judging you. They ain't sittin' there thinking you got some ulterior motive without even knowing you. They ain't the type. They'll question my judgment in getting hitched so fast and sticking it out even after five years of you missing. They might question yours in saying yes to me when I asked you. You'll probably get a pass on staying with me five years later considering what you went through in the meantime. They ain't gonna go into this preparing to dislike you. Once they know you, they're gonna love you. And you're gonna love them. Promise.”

She's quiet for a moment. “So, when do I meet the family?”

“They've invited us to Louisiana for Thanksgiving. Think your family in California will be willing to spare you?”

“For Thanksgiving? I can promise you my folks won't even realize I'm gone.”

Grayson

My father's brain is swollen. Or it was. At least, I think that's what the doctor meant. They kept me waiting for awhile when I first arrived, and when the doctor showed up, I couldn't exactly follow what he was telling me. What I did gather was that Dad responded well to treatment, and that his vital functions are intact. But he hasn't regained consciousness. I've barely left his side. I've gone to the bathroom when I can't hold it anymore. Eva brought me something to eat from the cafeteria this morning, which was thoughtful of her. Michelle Nguyen did the same later. I think I thanked them both, but probably not as warmly as I should have. I hope they understand.

I don't know why I'm sitting here. I guess Dad would probably do the same for me. ...But maybe not. Maybe he would react the same way he reacted after Mom died, pulling away, burying himself in his work. ...Maybe he stopped caring a long time ago. Somehow, I can't bring myself to believe that. But...neither can I entirely convince myself that he hasn't.

I wish Tahira were here with me. She's always been there when I needed someone to lean on. Since we were in college together, since I was the senior overloaded with classes and she was the smart, confident freshman who always knew whether she needed to drag me to the library for a study session or make me put the books away and go out for the evening. We only had a year to get to know each other then, but we kept in touch on and off for the next three years while I worked for Dad, and she finished her business degree. Then, she applied to Prescott Industries, became my assistant, was exposed to the Prism Crystal, became a superhero and a pawn in my father's game...

… I want her here with me now. But I can't ask her. Of course not. My father has hurt her more than anyone. He used her. I guess I can't help loving him, because he's my dad. But I can't ask her to put aside her own pain to support me now.

A rustling in the hospital bed sends an electric jolt down my spine. My dad's head rolls lazily back and forth on the pillow. I leap to my feet, cautiously taking his hand.

“...Dad...? Dad, can you hear me...?” His eyelids flutter.

“...Gr-Grayson...?” His voice is a weak croak, and he struggles to focus on my face.

“It's me, Dad.”

His gaze drifts around the hospital room. “Wh-where...?”

“In the hospital, Dad. In Northbridge.”

“T-Tahira...?”

“She's safe.” An edge has entered my voice. “She's safe at home. Which is more than I can say for some people in this city, thanks to you. Do you remember what you did?”

“I...I found it...I found my way to...” His eyes suddenly fly open. On the monitor beside his bed, his heart rate spikes sharply. “Helena!”

I feel my body go cold as my blood drains into my feet. “Wh-what?”

“Where is she? Where is my Helena?”

“What?! Dad, Mom's dead! She has been for almost twenty-five years!”

“No!” he growls. “No! It can't be! I was there! I was so close!”

He tries to sit up, and the monitors start shrieking as his blood pressure and heart rate climb. I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to ease him back onto the bed, but his hands shoot out to grab my shoulders instead, tightening until the pressure is painful. I squirm, but I don't try to get away. He's still fighting the weight of my hands, pushing him back onto the bed.

“Dad, stop! You need to rest!”

“I need my wife! Where is Tahira?! Where is that brat?! She has to know! She has to know what she's done!”

There are doctors and nurses rushing in now, untangling me and my father, pushing a needle into his IV line and squeezing the plunger. I shrink, my eyes on my father's face as his struggles slowly cease and he settles back onto the bed. His heart rate slows to normal. The nurse turns to me. He's asking me something. Or telling me something. I can't focus. I can't comprehend him.

“I...have to be up early tomorrow,” I mutter. “Please call me if anything changes.”

I rush into the hallway. Push past the police officers that are standing guard outside his room. I don't stop rushing until I'm outside in the parking lot. And even then, I keep pacing. I want to throw up. I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to do all three at once, and then I want to throw things. I can feel that I've begun crying as I pull out my phone and place a call.

“...Hey, Grayson.” Tahira's voice comes down the line, gentle and calming. I draw in a shuddering breath.

“My dad woke up...”

“How is he?”

“He...started babbling about you. And my mom. I don't think he was fully lucid because he started getting aggressive, and they had to sedate him...”

A pause. “I'm sorry, Grayson.”

Before I realize that I'm going to do it, I dissolve into tears. “Oh, god...Tahira...I...I don't know what to do here. ...I know I shouldn't ask, but...I...I think I need you here...I need help. I can't handle this alone. Please...tell me what I should do...”

She is quiet for a long moment. Finally, she sighs. “Go home. Wait for me on the balcony.”

* * *

I've been at the hospital long enough that the sun has gone down again. Tahira is already waiting for me on the balcony when I get home. Or rather, Dragonness is. I've calmed down enough by then that I can't help grinning a little when I see her.

“My hero,” I quip. “Flying to my rescue.”

“That's me. ...But do you mind if I come in so I can take my mask off at least?”

“Of course. Right.” I step aside to let her through, and draw the curtains over the windows. Safely inside, Dragonness takes her mask off, and there is Tahira Rogers in front of me, dressed in a dark-colored supersuit. The last time we were together in this room was the day before my father attacked Northbridge...

...I'm crying again, and I'm not sure when it started. Tahira draws me into her arms, guiding me to the couch. I go where she leads me, clinging to her while I sob.

“I'm so sorry, Tahira...I'm so sorry for what he did to you...what he did to everyone...”

“I know, Grayson. It's not your fault.”

“I...I know...but...” I tighten my grip, burying my face in her neck like a frightened child. “...For ten weeks, everyone has told me I'm not to blame for what my father did. The families of the people who died have told me they don't hold me responsible for my father's actions. I cried for them, I cried for you, I cried for my father...I felt helpless, but...I never felt...broken...”

“But now you do?”

I pull back to look at her, blinking back a film of tears. She raises a hand to cup my cheek, her dark eyes gentle and sympathetic. I swallow hard.

“...It's...different now that he's back. Now that both of you are back. I just...I'm so angry with him, and I don't understand how it all happened...how I never saw it coming...God, Tahira, why? Why would he do a thing like that?!”

Something like fear flickers across her face. Fear and sadness and...resignation. She sighs.

“...For your mother, Grayson. For you.”

I feel my head get foggy, resisting understanding. Numbness creeps in as my blood rushes against my eardrums in a frantic attempt to drown out her words. I think I manage to croak out the appropriate question. She takes my hands as she answers, holding my eyes with hers.

“...This world couldn't save your mother. Couldn't bring her back to him. He thought another world might be able to.”

I feel something cold creep in to banish the numbness. “...Is that what he told you he was doing?”

She nods. “The last thing he said to me before we were consumed was, 'Maybe someday soon, my son will have a mother again'.”

I recoil. Not from her exactly, or from the truth of what she's telling me. But the words themselves hit me like the lash of a whip. I turn sharply away, burying my face in my hands.

“God...god! How...how could he possibly...” I raise my head to look at her again, knowing my desperation is in my face and my voice. “I miss her, too! I've missed her every day since she died, and I wish she hadn't...and...I admit, I've wished for a way to bring her back, but...I mean, when I learned there was a way to bring you back, I went for it. But I never...”

“You never used my cousin. The way your dad used me. You never let anyone get hurt. At least, not anyone who hadn't already agreed to the risks.” I nod weakly. She puts a hand on my cheek again. “You're a good man, Grayson Prescott.”

I've always liked to think I am. But if Tahira Rogers tells me it's true, I feel like I can believe it. “...What happens now?”

She smiles ruefully. “That's the big question, isn't it. ...Alodia doesn't think anything is over yet. But maybe for awhile, we can get back to something like ordinary. Or whatever resembles ordinary in our situation.” She pauses. “...I...may need a new job. I told your dad I quit just a few days before the big battle.”

I can't help smiling a little. “Last I checked, you worked for me, not my father. Which is especially true now that I'm in charge of his company. Unless...you'd rather find something else.”

“Heck no,” she snorts. “Not if you still want me there.”

“Of course I still want you!” Realizing what I've just said, I feel heat creep up my neck. “I mean...to work for me. If you want to work for me. I...”

She mercifully shuts me up when she presses her mouth to mine, winding her arms around my neck. I raise my hands to her face, threading my fingers through the silky black waves of her hair. Too soon, she breaks the kiss, pressing her forehead to mine.

“You're too funny,” she chuckles breathily. “We've already slept together, but you're still embarrassed to say that you want me?”

“I don't like to be crude,” I retort. “Besides, you slept with me the night before you went off to battle. I could have been a last fling for all I know.”

She sits back slightly, her hands still clasped behind my neck, and looks me in the eye. “I spent the night with you because I knew if I died without ever having asked to spend the night in your arms, I would die with regret. Grayson Prescott, I've been in love with you since college.”

And just like that, I know everything will be all right. I pull her close and kiss her hungrily. She straddles my lap, pressing her hips to mine.

“...I want you, Tahira Rogers,” I whisper against her mouth. “I'm in love with you. I have been for years.”

“You have me,” she whispers back. “I want you, too.”

I capture her mouth with mine again, tasting her tongue and the backs of her teeth. I want to see her. Touch her. Really touch Tahira Rogers, not Dragonness. I tug at her supersuit, searching for a clasp or a zipper or... Good lord, what kind of trap did Dax sew her into with this thing. I hear her chuckle.

“Looking for something?”

“How do you get in and out of this thing?”

She sits back on her heels, grinning. One hand slips behind her back and touches something. I can't see what she's doing, but her hand is barely back there for a second before the front of her costume starts to sag. She reaches up to slide the dark bodysuit off her shoulders. I feel myself trembling with anticipation as her body emerges from the costume; her clavicles, her pert breasts, her muscular arms, and her flat, firm stomach... She eases off me and stands up to peel the bodysuit the rest of the way off. Oh, god help me, she's naked underneath. Completely bare. Tahira Rogers is naked in my living room for the second time ever. She smiles at me.

“Do you like what you see?”

My mouth is too dry to form words. I swallow, nodding dumbly. She returns to straddle my lap again. Her hands on my chest, she leans down to kiss me again. I let my hands span her waist, trailing my fingers over her bare skin. Tomorrow, I'll have to go back to the hospital. I'll have to face the consequences of my father's return.

But tomorrow is a long time from now.

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littlerabbitreview-blog · 7 years

Text

QUEEN OF OMG WHAT DID I JUST READ!

Queen of Shadows

By: Sarah J. Maas

Note this is going to be kinda long if you do not want the summary and just want to read the review just skip to the bold line of this post!

Aelin (Celaena) returns to Rifthold and finds Arobynn in a tavern. He tells her Aedion is imprisoned for treason and will be executed in three days. He will help her rescue Aedion but for a price. She meets Chaol and Nesryn, a member of the king's guard and chaol's close reble friend. Shortly after, Aelin is visited by Lysandra who has a very important and sensitive information to share with her. Chaol and Nesryn go to the Shadow Market for a covert meeting with some guards from the castle, to try and help free Aedion before the ax falls, literally! Meanwhile, Dorian has been living in darkness. He knows something is living inside him trying to overtake his mind. Aelin enters the castle frees Aedion, and they fight their way out of the hall. They run but are met by an old friend who is not so friendly. After, Aedion wakes up in Aelin’s apartment. The cousins rehash everything they have been through in the ten years they were separated. Aedion is slowly recovering, and he thinks Aelin is babying him. They discuss Rowan, and Aelin discovers the hero worship Aedion has for him. Aedion suspects Rowan might want to be part of her court and hopes he doesn’t steal his blood oath. Can we just take a moment to say we feel sorry for poor Aedion, if he only knew!

Chaol discovers the Valg soldiers sealed and burned the Shadow Market because those who rescued Aedion got their supplies there. Aelin follows a Valg soldier into the sewer and watches him talk to a creature which emerges from the water. It looks like one of the creatures carved in the clocktower by the palace, and it has the voice of the king. Aelin agrees to take Aedion out, and on their walk home, they find Rowan. Rowan finds out a secret about Aedion that not even he himself knows. He mentions he’s blood-sworn to Aelin, and this infuriates Aedion! Rowan reveals he came back to Aelin because Lorcan is nearby. Maeve probably sent him to find the Wyrdkey. Aelin sneaks out of her apartment at night, and lures Lorcan into the hands of Valg demons and leaves him for dead. But he escapes and catches up with her. Rowan shows up, and Lorcan says Maeve still has plans for their defeat. Lysandra stops by and Rowan once again, with the nose of a bloodhound, finds out about Lysandra's secret. Arobynn has called in his favor so now Rowan and Aelin must honor it. Arobynn only allows Aelin in the torture room. His plan is to find out how the king controls them. Arobynn reveals he knows Aelin has been quietly wrecking his investments all over town. Aelin says she will stop only if he gives her the Amulet of Orynth, her family heirloom and the third Wyrdkey. Arobynn obliges, but has an evil plan in mind that goes as smoothly as he thought it would. Lysandra carries out the task that she has been wanting to do for ages now, and it was finally time to act.

The group goes to the catacombs under the old Shadow Market looking for hellfire.They discover there is an ultimate Valg demon named Erawan. They also find the hellfire and re-hide it until it’s needed to destroy the clocktower. Lorcan appears out of the shadows and puts a knife to Aelin’s throat. He wants to know where the third Wyrdkey is. Rowan finally has a breakthough that leads to a very heated discussion.;) If you only knew ;D Evangeline, the girl Lysandra is caring for, arrives at the apartment, along with Chaol and Nesryn, to give every one horrible news.

Manon, the witches, and their wyverns have been stationed at Morath for weeks now, awaiting orders from the king via Duke Perrington. He has concocted an evil plan to give him the ultimate army. A crippled human servant named Elide is staying in Manon's room and Manon has discovered her secret as well. I know what you are thinking, Jesus what is with all the secrets! Now you know why I chose the title.Manon questions Duke and learns the horrible truth about what has been going on inside the mountain. Now they want Manon to join them.

Aelin’s group heads to Oakwald Forest. The witches are already there waiting for the king. The king’s group noisily approaches, Lysandra is in a prison wagon. Aelin rescues Lysandra from the prison wagon. Chaol whisks her away into the woods. Chaol secretly goes to kill Dorian, but The Thirteen are there to greet him. Rowan and Aelin and her court follow him just in time to help. The witches are on the pursuit now and a battle begins and not all make it out unscaved.

Manon tells the king there was an attack but says they killed them all. Elide’s Uncle Vernon captures her while the witches are still gone. Duke summons Manon when she returns to Morath. She reads reports from around the kingdoms and realizes Aelin is friends with Dorian and must’ve been there to try to rescue him. Asterin asks for a private meeting with Manon and tells her a secret from years ago. She and Asterin take off for Rifthold before heading back to Morath.

One night, Rowan smells Lorcan on the roof. He goes up alone to speak to him. Lorcan offers the ring he stole from Maeve in exchange for the Amulet of Orynth. Rowan makes the exchange.

Rowan and Aedion carry an urn of hellfire in the sewers below the city and the catacombs below the castle. They realize Lorcan has lied about killing all the Wyrdhounds. Some of them are waiting there to attack. Aelin leads Chaol through the city as a prisoner. When they get to the castle, the king’s guards who have been Chaol’s spies are skewered on the castle fence. Guards escort the two of them through the castle. They make it to the king, who is seated on his glass throne with Dorian beside him. Aelin brings the king supposed seal rings of the king and crown prince of Wendlyn. She says Chaol was waiting for her upon her return to Rifthold and she captured him when she realized he was no longer loyal to the king. The king reveals he knows who she really is. He gives Dorian magic lashings. Chaol tries to help him, but the black magic prevents him. Chaol asks the king to hand over Dorian.

Meanwhile, Rowan and Aedion fight the Wyrdhounds. They know they’re behind schedule as the clock tower strikes noon. Aelin is now on the run as the plan has gone wrong. Then the battle begins between two old friends. Rowan and Aedion have killed four Wyrdhounds but three remain. Neither can get to the fuse to blow up the clocktower. All seems to be going down hill when help arrives and the final match is lit. As if by the will of Brannon himself gave them the strength they needed the clock tower explodes.

Manon and Asterin feel the return of magic return as they’re flying back to Morath. It is in chaos because of the effects of magic. Manon frees the girl she had been searching for and then the mountain is blow up with the help of someone you would never expect.

I will stop here because I do not want to give you any hints on the ending of the book. But just think if you are this caught up in the summary of the book can you imagine reading this beautiful masterpiece.

This is the part you start at if you skipped the summary

Okay, this has got to be my most favorite book out of the whole "Throne of Glass" series. I think this book has made the whole series worth reading, and yes I have already read the "Empire of Storms". This book has you flipping pages trying to read as fast as you can to soak up as much of this book as you can before you have to put it down. You are given climax after climax with this book. Magic, battles, and witches, everything comes together wonderfully.

Aedion is someone who you grow to feel for after everything he has gone through thinking he was all alone in the world trying to keep what little bit of hope left in him alive. Just when he had given up on life when he thought i'll never get to see her again, BOOM. It happens he is given life and meaning again. He is given a more dynamite and in depth personality about. He shows that he cares for his people, his queen, and maybe even someone else ;)

At first Lysandra I thought I hated her we all have that one girl we know who thinks they are so much better than you at everything. Then you get to see she too has a dark past and that she too has gone through heartache and pain as Aelin had. We watch a boring character change into so much more after we learn the truth and not to mention what she does to help her new friends.

The building of this book is amazing it hikes you up to the perfect level of hype then it takes you all the way to the bottom of your fears. You have grown attached to these characters to relate to them just to see get ripped away from you. It's like an epic roller coaster ride that you just cannot make yourself get off of. No matter how scary the ride even if it makes you cry you will still ride it again. I really recommend this book even if you just want to read the summaries of all the other books just to read this one book it would be worth it.

#queen of shadows #throne of glass #sarah j maas #book review #book recommendations #littlewhiterabbitreview

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mrcoreymonroe · 5 years

Text

Home Schooling

Just ahead, the windshield separated a cold, murky night from my relatively comfortable perch in the flight deck of the Airbus. As the runway lights in Boston flashed past faster and faster, I scanned the instruments while the captain, who was flying the plane this leg, had his eyes outside. “Eighty knots. Power set,” I called. As we passed 100 knots, my half of the panel went dark. My flight instruments and much of my ability to monitor the aircraft’s systems all evaporated in a flash of the screens. It took a moment to process what happened, and then I had to vocalize the situation. Because the pilot’s eyes were outside, my interpretation was his connection to the instrument panel

“Lost my screens. Engines still making power. Still accelerating.”

“Continue,” he called through clenched teeth. We were in the high-speed regime of the takeoff, where we’d only abort for something that’d significantly impact our ability to fly. Engine fire or failure? Abort. Couple of screens going out? We’re going flying. My eyes shifted to his side of the panel, where I still had plenty of information available to make my callouts.

“Vee-one. Rotate. Positive rate.”

We pulled the gear up and climbed into the night. Boston tower handed us off to departure. I ran the after-takeoff checklist, and we finally got to take a look at our predicament. The Airbus has two AC-powered buses. Bus 2 failed, having apparently shorted out. There were no chimes or bells—the takeoff inhibit function hides most failures with an aim to keep us from aborting for minor issues. An abort at high speed brings all sorts of threats. Passengers who may have forgotten to buckle their seatbelts could suffer significant injuries. Flying objects in the cabin, overheating brakes or, worse yet, a runway excursion all are valid threats. Add in the fear of customers who have just experienced a mind-numbing stop when they expected to be lifting off, and you’ve got all the potential in the world for folks to start popping the emergency exits and triggering their own evacuation in spite of having an intact aircraft with two engines running.

Between the powerful vacuum of the engine intakes and the blowtorch of the exhaust, there’s potential for all sorts of disaster in spite of whatever announcement one might make hoping to keep everyone in their seats. Even in a properly managed evacuation, statistically, someone’s going to get hurt. The inflatable slides are not playground equipment, and any time they’re put to use, there are almost always sprains and maybe even fractures or worse as heels snag on the slide, or someone tries to make the leap with a suitcase or personal belongings that should have stayed onboard.

So we were flying with a half-dark panel. The captain muttered something about how this airplane made classic British touring cars seem reliable. He was not wrong. After all, in the span of just a few hours, we experienced multiple engine failures at V1 and V2 in challenging terrain, a couple of escape maneuvers with traffic and terrain conflicts. As soon as we picked up the checklist to start working the abnormal procedures, a voice behind us disrupted the scenario. “Okay, we’ll stop it there for now,” the instructor said. “I’ve got the sim. Here’s what it’d look like if you lost both Bus 1 and Bus 2.”

Beyond the windshield, beyond the cold New England rain and clouds, there was the air-conditioned enclosure of the simulator bay at our training center. Outside, the sun was shining, and it was a beautiful winter afternoon in Florida. This wasn’t a trip from hell. It was the annual training airline pilots perform under Advanced Qualification Program, or AQP.

While some operators still use the old system of proficiency checks where the yearly check ride is as predictable as the tolling of the clocktower at noon, AQP has ushered in a degree of flexibility that pro checks couldn’t offer. I did a year or two of the old system of proficiency checks, and I can still remember much of the carefully scripted scenario: Low-visibility takeoff, climb up to do steep turns, vectors back for an approach that went missed at minimums, and an engine failure on the go-around. Single-engine approach to a miss, then another approach to a landing.

Then we did v1 cuts and a no-flap landing. It’s been more than a decade at this point, so I may have missed a thing or two, but I bet my memory of the check ride profile is more correct than not.

Much like in Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day,” it was the same year-in and year-out. Yes, we were proficient at the maneuvers we rehearsed for the ride, but there were plenty of other failures we could have trained for and other skills that needed polishing up.

Safety reports from our company and from across the industry are the feedback that drive each year’s training objectives. Got pilots busting altitudes rejoining an RNAV STAR after being vectored off the arrival? Put that scenario into the next year’s training. How about obvious issues with basic airmanship with failed automation? Incorporate a quick VFR pattern with no autopilot, flight director or autothrust.

AQP yearly training involves elements to include Maneuvers Validation and Line-Oriented Evaluation. The MV is a series of maneuvers that are often disrupted by repositions and pauses to allow instruction and, if needed, remediation. Most of these are briefed extensively in the classroom prior to the simulator, so we’re often prepared and on the same page before the instructor’s “…and you’re flying in 3, 2, 1.” Also, there are first-look maneuvers that aren’t briefed, so evaluators can see us tackling problems outside the syllabus.

In the briefing period prior to the LOE, there’s the oral. I’ve seen various labels thrown at it, but the constant regardless of the operation is this: You’ll get grilled on memory items from aircraft limitations and emergency actions, aircraft systems and company operations or procedures. It’s usually administered as a tag-team operation where the captain and first officer take turns answering questions. This is the one part of AQP where you hope your sim partner doesn’t call in sick, or else you get the entire test all to yourself. The check airman will stick to the script for the most part, but if you seem a little soft on an answer, prepare for him or her to dig a little deeper.

This year, my check airman had flown A320s for decades at more than one carrier, and he brought a wealth of knowledge to the table. “Great. The question is officially answered. Now let’s talk about that for just a moment,” he’d say, and we’d launch off on a tangent that often illustrated a point much more clearly than our manuals or training software managed to achieve.

The LOE is a point-to-point flight, conducted as a normal flight, with some abnormality thrown in. The LOE, while a jeopardy event, is scored with the flight broken into a number of segments. Pilots are allowed to repeat one segment twice or two segments once, if there’s an issue too significant to be covered as a debriefing item. The LOE is generally flown as a pair of flights so that the captain and the first officer can be evaluated in their roles as pilot flying and pilot monitoring.

I’ve seen LOE scenarios include holding on a clear day when someone fouled the runway, where they’re looking to see your fuel management and decision-making as you consider whether to hold or divert. A simple abnormality popping up on an arrival shows how you handle the division of duties in a high-workload phase of flight. Over the year, I’ve seen a flaps failure in the full landing configuration, followed by an ILS that went belly-up as we passed the marker. The company wanted to see whether we chose to break an aircraft limitation of 10 knots maximum tailwind on landing by flying an approach to the other runway, or whether we’d fly our stricken aircraft to the next-nearest airport.

Other LOE scenarios encountered over the years included winter operations to snow and ice-contaminated runways in south Alabama and an oil pressure indication failure in the midst of a busy arrival into New York. Any time an LOE started at a busy airport with multiple runways, you could pretty well plan on a runway change at first contact with ground control. The potential scenarios are endless, but they’re selected for good reasons. They’re all generated from real-world data and help to keep our pilot group proficient. And much like the real world, as long as you don’t bend metal or blatantly disregard company policy or the FARs, the difference in a right or wrong decision is usually found within the pilot’s rationale for making the decision.

As we joke within the industry, the difference between an airline pilot and a jet engine is that the engine stops whining once parked at the gate. In spite of our ability to elevate first-world complaints to an art form, one hardly hears a pilot speak ill of the AQP training system.

On any given month, I usually have a flight more challenging than the LOE. But don’t mistake our approval of the process—and its very high pass rate—as evidence that it’s a less-effective recurrent training method. If anything, I’d argue that the differing scenarios have served to introduce knowledge and proficiency in areas that would go completely untouched under the old method.

The post Home Schooling appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

from Plane & Pilot Magazine http://bit.ly/2Gjdao3

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missedtimemachine · 6 years

Text

The Day of Madness

I didn’t meet my time machine.

I’m famously late for most things. I have to try really hard to be on time at work and even then I sometimes fail. I had stayed up too late then spent too long on coffee and showering in the morning. When I realised the time I hustled over to the chapel. I was far too late - none of me were there, no time machine, nothing. Honestly, this is so like me. I was furious with myself. What if I had missed my chance to get a time machine of my very own, at long long last?? Unlikely but possible-ish, and I’d ruined it.

However, the mysterious author (or authors?) had been busy in my absence. Throughout the day I received many more letters. Here’s just a FEW of the envelopes:

Image is of a half-dozen envelopes addressed to Josh and Pirate Josh.

Image is of a yellow envelope held shut by tape covered in pictures of kittens. It is addressed: TO ME (Josh, a pirate) FROM ME (Josh. A PIRATE)

Two images above: a purple envelope covered in dinosaur stickers. On one side is written “NOT FOR JOSH THE PIRATE” and on the other side is written “but give it to him. He will know what to do!”

Image is a yellow envelope, decorated, addressed: JOSH. DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 18:36

That last one is fucking mysterious, right? We’ll come back to it. I received the letter at like half 2 in the afternoon so if I had to wait 4 hours, you can also do some waiting. You best believe I was counting down the seconds towards the end. I took it very seriously. If I wrote that instruction to myself, I must have had a good reason, and I always listen to good reason. Especially from myself.*

*HA NOPE

I won’t spend much time on my side of the story here. The letters do it fine on their own. Just... just look.

Letter 5 reads: OUR COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. DON’T TRUST THE LETTERS. - Pirate Josh

Letter 6a reads: Josh! They’re after us! Please hurry. I can’t hold them off much longer! - Future Josh

This sounds like a different Future Josh than the one from before, right? How many Future Joshs are there?? The note above was contained in this folded card:

Letter 6b reads: Name: Josh. Occupation: Pirate. Skills: Pillaging. DIRECT ORDER FROM COMMAND: Capture the above mentioned JOSH on sight. There can be only one JOSH. From, Lord Commander Josh.

This implies that there are versions of Josh (me) that have banded together into an organisation of some kind. Is it like Rick & Morty, with the citadel of Ricks? I wouldn’t have a citadel though. I’d probably have a giant network of tunnels and rooms carved into the skull of a long-dead space titan, with magic sail-based spacecraft bustling and swarming in and out of the eyes. Or an abandoned and broken gigantic clocktower on a floating sky-island, covered with ivy and crumbling stone, drifting through a misty star-lit purgatory, the windows dimly lit with an eerie blue light. At the very least, a volcano island in the shape of a skull guarded by several King Kongs.

Why would an army of Joshs obey a Lord Commander that clearly wants to eventually eliminate all the other versions of me? That would include the army itself, right? Maybe there’s only a certain amount of divergence the Lord Commander will tolerate - maybe some Joshs satisfy a kind of... purity test? IS THIS JOSH A BIGOT???

Letter 7 reads: Dear Josh, We have been compromised. Thank you for standing by us, our brother in arms. We are escaping to the Yemen. The monks there will give us passage to Portal K1325. We will meet you in the Nebula Air Portal at 5.10pm. - Lord Commander Future Josh

Ohhhh pretty sneaky, Lord Commander Josh! But I’m not falling for that. Sure I was looking everywhere for a ‘Nebula Air Portal’ (?????) at 5.10pm but I suspect that Yemen* would have been some kind of trap. Most things seem to be...

*there will be more on Yemen later

Letter 8 reads: THE PORTALS ARE COMPROMISED. RUN!!!

No shit, Sherlock.

This next one, I withdrew it from the envelope so that this was the first side I saw:

Letter 9 reads: Yours sincerely, Good Josh. PS. Everything will be okay.

That’s so nice of me. Maybe Good Josh has a plan? Or maybe he’s just confident in our skills and luck? He knows that I worry, and he knows what kind of effect that exact phrase has on us. Maybe this time, for the first time in a long time, everything really WILL be okay? If we can play with time, manipulate events, twist the path of history, then we can prevent wars from breaking out. Whenever anyone is sad, lonely, scared, or feels trapped, wherever or whenever they are, one of me can turn up to help. We can revisit every loved one we’ve ever lost, enjoy even more time with them, and make sure to say goodbye properly. Everything will be okay. With so many of me I can finally relax a little, maybe release a little of my worry, no longer feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. Is this what it feels like to be free of worry? It feels like there’s a wide blue sky inside my chest, no more tangled web of thorns covered in scraps of ragged pirate flags.

With that good feeling powering and protecting me, I might as well unfold the letter and see what the rest of it says...

Letter 9 reads: Dearest of Joshes, It’s a TRAP. Yours sincerely, Good Josh. PS. Everything will be okay.

... Oh. Forget I said anything.

Letter 10 reads: Dear Josh, I know you must have many questions for me. But you must trust me. I will tell you all in time. YOU MUST GO THROUGH THE PORTAL. DO NOT bring the medallions. The metal will cause havoc and destroy the portal, and who carries it! - Me

There are medallions involved now?? Where did they come from??

Letter 11 reads: Josh, I HAVE THE OTHER JOSHS. Bring 3 medallions to the Barn. - Evil Josh

Is this the same evil Josh as the Lord Commander Josh? Is it a different evil Josh? Why does he want the medallions? I checked in the barn when I received the letter, obvy. No sign of me. Maybe the other Joshs resolved the issue before I even got there? Am I getting mail intended for the other Joshs, like a shipwrecked survivor on an island accidentally receiving radio transmissions during WW2? WHO THE FUCK IS SENDING ME ALL THESE LETTERS?? THEY MUST HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD.

Image is a paper map, unfolded, with several small Xs linked to a skull and crossbones with a dotted line, and a sticker in one corner on which is written ‘Godspeed Josh! Godspeed!!’

Upon very close inspection I figured out this is maybe a naval map of Yemen? In French?

Image is a close-up of the map. The word ‘Yemen’ can just about be seen amongst the other tiny writing.

See?

At least the final X is on land! Immediately upon receiving this, I realised I knew nothing about Yemen. That’s changed now obviously. The Republic of Yemen is coastal nation on the Arabian peninsula, sharing a border with Saudi Arabia and Oman. The human rights violations of the government there include human trafficking and slavery, they have compulsory military service, they’re big on petrol and oil, and water is so scarce that the whole nation lives in perpetual fear of running out completely.

None of that helps me. I’m not going to Yemen though.

This one is more complicated:

Letter 12a reads: JOSH, I found this letter from her. I loved her too. I know. I know. I know everything. The rest of the text is obscured by a folded piece of paper, taped to the card.

Letter 12b is paper taped to the card. It unfolds to reveal a poem:

My Love, Josh from the Neutron Nebula Galaxy, He waited for 14 hours in his taxi, Going home he was, until he was not. Don’t get into that car, but listen he did not. - Your love

The second part of Letter 12a reads: I’m waiting by the time machine. I moved it to the pool house. Look for this sign. - Good Josh. A strange triangular symbol is also included.

I mean, right?? So it looks like Good Josh found a letter from....? I don’t know who we loved. Or who he loved? I didn’t love whoever it was. I don’t know them. It also sounds like whoever she was, she was writing a poem about me like I died? It sounds like she might have died too, from the past-tense use of the word ‘love’? It makes sense that versions of me have died. I’m very lucky but sometimes I’ve been very reckless and probably lots of versions of me have died already. This is so sad.

Needless to say, I also checked the pool house. There was no time machine in there. One of me must have taken it already.

Let’s talk about the symbol later. In theory it looks similar to this one but it’s not identical...

Image is a diagram of some kind, involving triangles. There is some kinda timecode in the corner saying ‘12:33:12:49′. Parts are labelled ‘Neutron chamber’ and ‘Tessareactor’. There is a list on the left titled ‘Need’, which lists: 1. Split atoms 2. Hydrogen (whole) 3. Magensium chloride (a pinch) 4. 16 baby carrots

There’s a lot to unpack here. First up, this is clearly the Josh version of a flux capacitor. I assumed it was all being done by portals, but I guess every portal needs a generator? I’m gonna talk more about whatever a “tessareactor” might be in the epilogue. For some reason the recipe calls for baby carrots. Maybe I only included that in the instructions so that I would have a healthy snack? That doesn’t sound like me. Maybe it’s like, potato or lemon batteries, except carrots?

No idea about Magnesium Chloride. Apparently it’s a fairly common chemical compound extracted from salt water and used to thicken some Japanese sauces, a bit like gelatin. That doesn’t help me either.

Maybe there’s portals AND a time machine...?

Meanwhile, remember that letter from earlier which said not to open it until half 6? As the seconds ticked past at 18:35:50 I was poised and ready to open it. Would it be a confession finally?

No.

Letter 13 reads: Dear Josh. Follow the symbol to safety. She’s waiting for you. She never betrayed you. It was a lie by Evil Josh! She’ll be at the Air Portal. She’s been there all this time. She loves you. Get in the car! - Lord Commander Future Josh

Okay, Lord Commander Josh. You’re up to mischief again, I see? But Lord Commander Josh is apparently a different Josh to Evil Josh? Is this when the Lord Commander finally abdicated from his role, becoming Future Josh? Is this one of the first letters?

Who IS this ‘she’ that everyone keeps talking about? Is this the same ‘she’ from the previous letter? Oh my god. IS SHE ALIVE?? What kind of twisted cross-time death-defying relationship have we gotten ourselves involved in? How many versions of me have loved how many versions of her??

In the epilogue, exactly zero of these questions will be answered. Literally none of my many, many questions. Make your peace with this now: much like life, this whole experience has no tidy ending where we learn a lesson and our unresolved emotions are satisfied.

This is the prologue.

This is the first day, with the 4 original letters.

This is the epilogue.

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mrcoreymonroe · 5 years

Text

Home Schooling

“Lost my screens. Engines still making power. Still accelerating.”

“Vee-one. Rotate. Positive rate.”

Then we did v1 cuts and a no-flap landing. It’s been more than a decade at this point, so I may have missed a thing or two, but I bet my memory of the check ride profile is more correct than not.

The post Home Schooling appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

from Plane & Pilot Magazine http://bit.ly/2Gjdao3

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