That night, Lilith chowed down on another slice of cold pizza (she’s really going to have to learn how to cook soon...) and made her way across the street to the 8 Bells bar. It was far too loud and crowded for her to be in any way happy there, but she figured she would need a drink before the lab. She spotted lots of military officials hanging out, but she couldn’t work up the nerve to confront them. Erwin’s comment about being taken out stuck with her. 

It was a long drive to the Strangerville laboratory, and Lilith made it there just past midnight. Like Erwin had said, the place was abandoned. It looked like everyone had rushed out one day and never came back. She explored several rooms before coming across a large locked door. She tried pushing, pulling, and waving her arms in front of it but it stayed stuck.

“Great.” She muttered. “I’ve gotta find a stupid keycard now.” She hadn’t expected it to be easy, but she somehow didn’t anticipate breaking into a government building. 

She found some interesting files scattered about, which she pocketed, but nothing about a keycard or passcodes. And she couldn’t make heads or tails of the computer’s security system which actually excited her. Computers were something she was good at. 

It was a start! Not a very good one but a start nonetheless.

Batman’s cape

We all heard of Bruce using his cape to shelter his robins from danger, like glass shattering and bullets, so it’s only fact that it’ll become a habit eventually.

Dick:

The boy was the first to ever work alongside batman, and with his hyperactive tendencies he was the first to get up close and personal with the cape. He probably saw it as a glorified climbing wall when he was just a child.

Bruce, while on a stake-out with robin, suddenly feeling small hands grabbing fistful of the cape’s material as Dick climbs onto his shoulders. “I told you I couldn’t see anything from my post! Your pointy ears were in the way :((”

Bruce didn’t mind, of course he didn’t. It was Richard and that boy’s innately adorable, even though the boy’s pixie boots swinging in front of his face were blocking his view. 

Lastly, given Dick was wearing such short pants, Bruce would always make an effort to shelter the boy from harsh weather conditions during the winter. He still does this when Dick becomes nightwing, out of habit

Jason:

Jason used to be skeptical of the cape, thought it was just a big hindrance - tha Bruce was only using it for theatrics and that he’d be much better off without it. 

“Dick doesn’t wear a cape and he can blend into the shadows, shake off broken glass and bullets just as easily!”

That is until, the day they were saving a bunch of citizens from a housefire. They got trapped inside, Jason had given his oxygen mask to a civillian who was struggling to breathe, almost suffocating himself.

Bruce wrapped Jason in his cape, making an airpocket of oxygen which the fire can’t combust, until help arrives.

“Maybe that cape isn’t as stupid as I thought.” he mumbles in a muffled voice within his father’s cape.

Bruce would also do this when Jason’s having an outburst as a “time-out”

Tim:

The third robin fanboyed so hard when he first saw the cape and cowl. You think Dick saw it cool? This smoll boy in bright yellow, red and green had his eyes sparkling at the sight of it in person.

Immediately, he started coming up with theories of its material, and Bruce patiently answered every single question he had - even though Tim nailed the majority of the answers with his hypothesis. 

“Let me guess, kevlar? Interwoven to stop bullets from less than a meter away? Synthetic - so that it’s lighter than it seems. But also . . huh, kind of soft material on the inside. Why? It’s an outer accessory - it doesn’t even come into direct contact with your skin.”

Bruce, having alfred make that upgrade so that Dick and Jay could have snuggled up to him under his cape when they got cold : “no reason.”

The only thing Tim didn’t guess was its final and most important function: a parental tool.

One day Tim took his laptop on a stake-out to test out a new program he had developed, except, it had started to rain. So, naturally, Bruce sheltered the boy with his cape and they both grinned as the lighting of the entire building went out across the street, causing the goons inside to enter a panicked frenzy.

“rock paper scissors for who gets to crash through the window first?”

“you go, robin, you’ve earned it.”

Steph:

She was just happy to make it onto the team, honestly, and was very determined to prove her worth to Batman. Her overly talkative nature reminded Bruce of Dick, her short temper of Jason and her aberrant excitement of Tim. Thus the cape had multiple uses with this robin, but she wanted none of it.

She was surprisingly disciplined on the field, clearly acting overly serious to try reach this imaginary standard she set. 

“Don’t follow me until I give you the signal.”

“Yes sir.”

“I’m your mentor, not your boss.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

“* sigh *”

So in order for her to relax, unwind a bit, he noticed how she always had a granola bar in her utility belt, and did the same. He could hear Steph’s stomach growl and reached for his utility belt under his cape.

“Can’t find what you’re looking for? We used quite a few smoke bombs in the previous attack huh? Maybe I have some spare -”

Bruce, pulling out a granola bar: “Sorry, it got crushed a little, I’m pretty sure it’s just dust in the packet now but here, stop taking up space for snacks in your own belt. Mine has much more space.” 

“:00 !!”

“How do you managed to not crush these delicate breakfast bars anyway?”

Steph, smirking: “It’s a delicate art . .”

“Huh, might use it for precision training.”

He also shelters Steph from the wind when she needs to take off her hairban and arrange her hair.

Dami:

He ses the cape and cowl as a prize to be earned - his birth right which he must work hard to obtain. The boy already had his own dark cape, with a hood, which suffices to keep him warm and hidden throughout the night. But Bruce’s is much . . bigger. He’s also tiny. I think you’ve already guessed where I’m going with this.

“They’re only expecting one of us, I say we practice maneuver eight.” The boy suggested with all seriousness.

“Good idea, robin. Get into position.”

Bruce stands alone in the middle of a giant museum which the riddler is keeping hostage until the commissioner brings the ransom money, goons pointing their guns at him from every nick and corner as the riddler remains safely locked away in one of the bank safes - letting his men do all the work.

“Bold move coming in here head on with no back up.”

Guns start blazing, and Bruce is busy dodging them while the riddler tries to escape.

Cue the riddler’s shocked expresssion when he hears a small arabian boy’s high-pitched war cries.

“Operation Robin Spring attack.”

And Dami easily finds his way past all the goons and dropkicks the riddler, then goes to free the hostages.

(Robin spring attack is called that, because well, it’s an attack where Dami literally jumps out from under Batman’s cape. But also “spring” because robins don’t usually appear in spring in most countries, and it’s a surprise attack.)

Thank you for listening.

in support of Texas relief, @romancewritingandwinchesters donated $20, and requested Sam and Dean waiting out a Texas storm with no electricity. Thank you for donating!

to get your own personalized fic, please see this post.

(read on AO3)

When the snow starts coming down, Dean's not yet worried. He's driven the whole country at least five times; he can handle snow. It's when the temperature starts dropping fast that he pulls up, at the closest gas station, and fills the tank, and sends Sam inside for a few gallons of water and whatever food they don't have to cook. "I told you," Sam says, which frankly Dean thinks is a very smug and unattractive way of looking at the situation. "Remember, that front I was telling you about?"

"Yeah, but who thought it'd get this cold in Texas," Dean says, watching the numbers tick up on the pump. Shit, this is gonna be expensive.

"Oh, you know," Sam says, arms folded tight over his chest, stamping his feet by the car's rear door. "Meteorologists. Climatologists. Just that level."

Dean rolls his eyes, but Sam's turned away luckily and can't see it. Turns out Sam gets a little bitchy when it's this cold. They didn't really pack for it—this was supposed to be a low swing south to check a few harmless jobs, stuff that'd take Sam's mind off the whole soulless thing, a couple of easy wins and some weather a little better than February in South Dakota, but it's not working out that way. Fourteen degrees, according to the display on the Shell sign above their heads, and it's only nine at night.

The snow's already piling up, on the parking lot and in the street, making the nice local El Paso people drive under ten miles per hour and making the world seem—not-right. Alien. A cactus planted in the median glints with ice and Dean sucks his teeth, shivers hard. When the car's full up he recaps the tank and sets the nozzle back in place and then looks out at the frosted world. The black shine on the asphalt. "I don't like the look of that road," he says, after a second, and Sam follows his gaze and nods, immediately. "Tonight's not the night to get out of town."

"Texas blizzard on the highway?" Sam says, a little sarcastic, but shakes his head, more serious. "Yeah, it's gonna get a lot worse." His nose is pink from the cold. "Too cold for the car. Even if we still had that—remember, that awful pink blanket?"

"The one you totally ruined?" Dean says, and Sam grins, even if he shudders after. Sam ruined it by getting clawed up by a ghoul when he was twenty-three and trying to protect Dean from something he didn't need protecting from and then bleeding all over the damn blanket when Dean put him in the backseat to race him to the ER. Dumbass, Dean had called him then, but honestly not much has changed. Dean shoves Sam's side, shaking his head. "Why are we standing around here in the cold? Get in the car, let's go."

"You're the one who took forever with the gas," Sam argues back, but he gets in the car, so. Win for Dean. Beyond the win of having this Sam, this right good Sam, in the car in the first place—whole again, with the soul to make a context for the memories that make him Dean's brother.

They're not far off the highway so there'll be motels. The issue hits when they're driving—slow, painfully slow, crawling behind snow-caked Texas plates that don't know how to handle the weather—and the street goes suddenly dark, the lights crashing off in the fast food places and gas stations lining the road. "Shit," Dean says, checking the rearview, but luckily the truck behind him hasn't slammed its brakes and they're not about to be involved in a black-ice skid.

"You think—" Sam says, but cranes around and it's obvious. Some part of the grid, failing, and that's going to mean some panic and it's going to mean some accidents and it's also going to mean finding a place to stay just got a hell of a lot harder.

The kid at the motel they pick clearly has no idea what to do. It's a shithole, which is why Dean pulled in, and clearly there weren't too many customers to begin with. The lobby's dark other than a flashlight the kid's waving around while he explains in a panic that their electricity is out—"I can see that," Dean says, trying to be patient—and Sam finally leans over the counter, takes the flashlight out of the kid's hand, and sets it upright on the counter so it acts like a shitty lantern, filling the room with grey.

"Oh," the kid says, eyes gleaming big in the suddenly stable light. The kid—the boy. He looks barely older than Ben.

"Look," Sam says, while Dean's trying to shake off that thought. "We get that there won't be cable. We just need somewhere to weather it out."

"My register doesn't even work," the boy says, and Dean reaches into his wallet and peels out two hundred bucks and lays it fanned out on the counter. More big eyes—the room rate on the sign outside is forty-nine a night. "Oh," he says, again.

"Just give us keys, okay?" Dean says. "You can explain to your manager in the morning. How these weirdos paid a hundred, cash."

A blink. Maybe he's too young to realize he's being bribed. Sam sighs, and leans over the counter again. "We're taking room 13," he says, coming up with a key in hand. A physical key—Dean was right about the kind of dump this is. The boy opens his mouth and closes it, and Sam jerks his head at Dean before he gives the boy a half-smile, fake as hell. "Try to stay warm in here, okay?"

The Impala's already inch-thick with snow, outside. "Why the hell did that take so long," Sam mutters.

Dean snorts. "Thirteen?" he says, and Sam nods, folding himself back into the passenger seat for the short drive over—"Center room, more insulation," he says—and when they pull around to the odds side of the building he's right. The city's blanketed in dark and weirdly quiet, with the muffling of the snow, so it feels almost like opening up some hidden hunter's cabin as they unlock the room, unpack the car inside. Sam bought jerky, chips, iffy-looking gas station fruit, and Dean still has one lantern and two spare d-cells and a bottle of whiskey that's almost entirely full, and the water, thank god, is still running. "For how long, though," Sam says, so Dean drags a hand over his face and zips his jacket closed and goes down the row of rooms in the freezing dark to the one that's marked PRIVATE, and breaks in to find cleaning supplies that… clearly haven't been used in that long. Buckets, though, that he rinses out and then fills in the utility sink. Spare bedding on shelves above the laundry machine and he picks out two blankets, the shitty supersoft microfleece kind that have always been his favorite.

When he gets back, burdened like a mule, he finds the room—weirdly sort of homey. Sam's got the lantern on the rickety little desk and it's blasting white light up that wall, but he's lit their spare ritual candles, too, and put them on the nightstand, on top of the blank TV, the minifridge crammed up in the corner by the bathroom. It's warm inside, especially once Dean's got the door kicked closed behind him again, but it won't stay that way for long. "Laundry?" Sam says, and at Dean's nod he disappears outside too, and comes back with a pile of the thin towels in his arms, and packs them in against the bottom of the door, the base of the single-pane windows. The water heaters might be gas but they might be electric, too, and with no way of knowing they take turns in the shower, cleaning up fast. The water's still hot when it's Dean's turn and he luxuriates, for a minute that he counts off in his head, letting the weak stream melt over his shoulders and put heat into his bones, where hopefully it'll stay a while.

The bathroom's steamy when he gets out but it's already cooling fast. Not much insulation in the walls. He dries off scrupulously, trying to get off every bit of damp he can, and redresses by candlelight. Smells like beeswax, the hippie natural candles Sam always picks when they restock their kit. His soulless self didn't bother with that. What a weird thing to turn out to miss.

Back in the room, Sam's made a pile of their food on the desk by the lantern, and lined up the buckets of water by the door. Dean checks his watch: ten o'clock, and they're packed into this room like a bunker. Safe, as warm as they can be, clean and healthy and food to hand. Now there is, truly, nothing at all to do but wait.

"Not even wi-fi," Sam says, under his breath like he had the same thought. Dean huffs. Sam's mouth lifts on one side, wry. He sits on the end of one bed, hands folded between his knees, and gives a shrug. "Well. We got a night off."

They did. About time, too, with how they've been running lately. Sam making up for every bad thing his soulless self ever might've done, and Dean just trying to hold onto the bar so he won't fly off. First time in weeks that Dean's had Sam to himself without Sam searching for another job or trying to pin down his own sad timeline or his brain melting out his ear, and he almost doesn't know what to do with it. A bit of silence, between them, that stretches. Dean licks his lips. "Wanna play charades?"

Sam snorts. "You'd cheat," he says, and Dean smiles his most honest smile, and that makes Sam roll his eyes but smile a little, too. "How long do you think we have until it gets really cold?"

Dean tips his head back and forth, thinking. "It's—what, fifty degrees in here?" Sam shrugs. "I don't know. It'll be friggin' cold in the morning, but we won't freeze."

"Guess not," Sam says, but he's still just sitting there. His eyes on Dean, his body quiet. Dean pours them both cups of the whiskey and sits on the other bed, and Sam rotates to face him, and they toast each other with a rasping papery excuse for a clink and take a swallow each, and it sinks down to Dean's gut like fire, welcome with how chilly it is in here, and Sam's just… still looking at him. Like he's something worth looking at. Dean feels his face go warm and wonders if he can blame the whiskey.

"Hey," Sam says, cup held easy between his knees. "Tell me something."

Dean leans back. "What, truth or dare? We're a little old for that, don't you think?"

His legs are kicked out into the space between the beds. Sam shifts and their boots knock together. "Maybe you are," Sam says, and Dean makes a face at him. Sam smiles and takes another sip, watching Dean over the top of his cup, and after the slight pull at the sting he's still smiling, small. "This last year. Did you ever think about…" He shakes his head, looks down at his cup. Dean nudges his ankle to get him to keep going and Sam looks back up, his hair hanging a little in his eyes. "Did you ever want to sleep with—him?"

Dean's lips part but nothing comes out. He's genuinely surprised. Sam's eyes tighten, a tiny shift that's almost not visible in the dim combination of candle-and-lantern light. "No," Dean says, after a pause that's too long. Sam's head tips back, assessing. "No," Dean repeats, firmer. "It wasn't—right."

Sam hmms and Dean takes a drink. Truth or dare, he really ought to do his forfeit. It's not a lie, not really, but it's not—completely true. Robo-Sam never seemed interested and Dean was still half-caught with Lisa and Dean's a lot of things but a cheater's not one of them, and he'd thought—he didn't know. That Sam didn't want it anymore. Whatever fumbling they'd gotten up to, their drunken stupidity, the almost violent way it'd get sometimes, the way Dean would sink his nails into Sam's back and Sam would bite his throat and then the way, after, sometimes, Sam would look at him in the dark and Dean would think, god—

His cheeks are flushed, hot enough to feel in the cool air. "So," Sam says, after the moment's stretched out, "we never—even when I came back—"

"Not exactly trying to make it with my long-lost brother when my creepy resurrected grandpa's breathing down my neck, no," Dean says, and Sam grimaces but then laughs, and then bites his bottom lip. Still looking at Dean and Dean takes a breath, deep, and thinks, jesus. Eighteen months, more, since the last time, most of it with Sam walking around with no soul, and Dean caught up in a relationship that crashed and burned, and it feels—different. They're both different. Happened somehow when Dean wasn't looking but here's the evidence, in how calm Sam is, in how they're just—quiet, here, together. Something building slow, in the cold, with the snow sifting down outside.

Sam lets his lip go, slow, his teeth dragging white. His eyes drop to Dean's mouth, and lower. "I've got lube," he says. Dean blinks. Sam lifts a shoulder, almost apologetic. "Don't know from what, but it's in my duffle. I've been—wondering."

"Jeez, Sammy," Dean says, and has to laugh, too, kind of breathless. It's hot. Jesus, it's hot, hotter than it should be, to just have Sam say it flat out like that. Asking. "What, you want to huddle for warmth?"

Sam raises his eyebrows, glances sidelong at his bed. "I mean," he says, and Dean has to laugh again. "If there were ever an opportunity—"

Dean leans in and gets Sam's jacket in one hand, and pulls. Sam scoots forward easy, his knee sliding up against Dean's inseam, and it's—easy, weirdly easy, easy in a way it never was, to lean in and press his mouth to Sam's and have Sam just—kiss back, pressing Dean's mouth open right away and brushing his tongue over Dean's lip, slick and hot, his breath warm on Dean's cool skin. "Damn," Dean says, soft.

Sam smiles against his mouth and kisses him again, puts his chilly fingertips against Dean's exposed throat. "I mean, we don't have anything else to do, right?" he says, pulling back an inch.

Dean rolls his eyes and says, "You really gotta learn some better lines."

Sam presses in, kisses him again soft on the mouth. God, Sam's mouth. "I don't think I do," Sam says, hanging there, and Dean groans, pushes Sam's face away, thinks: yes. Yes.

He goes to the bathroom. Takes his time. The toilet, thank god, is still flushing, so the water lines haven't yet gone down. He runs the sink and wets a washrag and cleans up, and washes his hands, and then he licks his mouth wet and looks at himself, in the spotty mirror, the candlelight flickery and making his face strange. When he comes out Sam's stripped the bed closer to the door and the other one is spread with that bedding, the blankets Dean stole, and Sam's in the middle of taking off his belt, standing in his socks with his shirt off and his chest bare and his hair a little ruffled, and he looks up at Dean in the bathroom doorway and smiles, and lays his belt on the bare bed, and says, "C'mere," and Dean comes.

Sam's hands are cold and Dean bitches about that, immediately. "Shut up," Sam advises, and Dean says, "Oh, if anyone needs to—" and Sam kisses him, like Dean knew he would, so that's okay. Together they get Dean's jacket off, his flannel, his t-shirt, and he shivers but Sam's hands drag down his arms and that's so warm Dean can hardly stand it. He drags his fingers through Sam's chest hair—hair, when Sam had been so sleek before—and Sam kisses the top of his ear, weirdly affectionate in a way that makes Dean's chest hot—and then his fingers go for Dean's belt, his jeans, and Dean pushes him away an inch, then, taking a second to breathe.

Sam's—christ. Hot. His nipples pebbled up tight and his cheeks a little pink, even in the candlelight. "Gotta get my boots off, man," Dean says, and Sam looks down like he's surprised that an impediment to getting in Dean's pants might exist, and Dean grins, sits back on the bed. Okay, so. Sam's not suddenly a pure sex god. Somehow that's as much of a relief as the breathing room was.

He works at the knot of his laces. Sam takes the opportunity to strip off his jeans, and then there's his bare long legs, his boxer-briefs. His dick's thick in them, obvious, but while Dean's tugging off his second boot Sam skims them off and down and then he's just—naked, nearly all the way except his stupid black socks he always wears, and Dean huffs and says, "Sexy," dry, but then Sam's kneeling down in front of him, sliding his hands up Dean's thighs, and—well. Truth or dare. Dean wouldn't have to take a drink, this time.

The corner of Sam's mouth lifts and he unzips Dean's jeans, and then tucks his fingers into the waistband, and Dean lifts his ass up and lets Sam pull and Sam—takes his time about it, damn him, pulling down Dean's underwear too so the cold air ripples up goosebumps all the way down Dean's legs, freezing. Sam kisses Dean's chest, his nipple—Dean grabs Sam's head, surprised—and then ducks down, kisses the root of his dick and then sucks in the head, soft and warm, slick, so abrupt that Dean slams a hand down onto the edge of the mattress and his head falls back, his hips lifting. Christ, Sammy. A big hand circles around Dean's calf and Sam sucks, soft, while Dean's dick rises so fast he gets dizzy—and then Sam pulls away, the cold air hitting like a hammer, and lifts up with his mouth pinked-wet and says, "Get in bed," and Dean stares at him like a lunatic for a second and then, jesus, scrambles to obey.

He scooches in to the middle. The blankets are ridiculous, double-weight and heavy, but the sheets are chilly even through his socked feet. Sam climbs in after him and pushes right up against his back, his dick swelling up against Dean's ass, his body a hot shock among the cold. "You're a friggin' furnace," Dean says, and Sam snorts, bites soft at Dean's bare shoulder. There's a second of separation—Sam stretching away—and then Sam's back, under the blankets, kisses under Dean's ear, slides his hand over Dean's hip, down. Dean's breath hitches and he slides his leg forward. "Yeah?" Sam says, the idiot, and Dean says, "Duh, bitch," and there's a huff and then a muffled click and then Sam's fingers are slick, sliding up against his ass, pushing in.

Oh—god. It's been—since the last time. Dean turns his face against the pillow and pulls his leg higher, makes room. Sam's fingers, wet-thick, and the strange uncertain feeling of being broken open, how it pulls and worries, his body barely remembering what to do. Long time. Sweat breaks out at his temples, the middle of his back. He drops a hand to his dick and squeezes, letting it know something better's coming.

"You're tight," Sam says. Unnecessarily, in Dean's opinion. "You really, you never—?"

"Some things should be kept between a man and his hour-long showers, Sammy," Dean says, light, and it's not really true but Sam huffs another little laugh and kisses his ear, and Dean pops his leg up instead even though that makes a cool cavern of air under the covers, giving Sam the room to work him. He pushes back, pulls at his dick, works it fat, and against his ass Sam's dick feels full, ready. He always liked this part, the part where he made Dean want it. He turns his head and says, "Sam," and Sam lifts up and kisses him just like he wanted, his chest warm against Dean's shoulder and his fingers spreading deep, pushing the slick inside where they need it, and while he's kissing Dean and relearning every molar Dean feels the fingers slip out, rubbing instead at Dean's hole where it's hot now, wet, flexing. He drags in air through his nose and reaches behind himself, finding Sam fat and heavy. Thick. Jesus, he could never forget how thick.

"Ready?" Sam says and that's a stupid question. Dean tugs the blankets higher with his free hand, covering his shoulder against the cold, snubs Sam up against himself and then lets go, finds Sam's hip, pulls—and Sam takes over, holding Dean's belly as he pushes inside, and Dean tries to contain the flinch but can't and Sam kisses his temple, soft, and his ear, and his neck, and doesn't stop, bulling open that place for himself, splitting Dean wide. His pubes press against Dean's ass. Dean grips the pillow and lets his knee sink down and immediately what's already tight is tighter, closer. Sam grunts against him, slides his hand down to find Dean's half-wilted dick. "You feel—" Sam starts, but he squeezes Dean's dick instead of saying, and Dean's fine with that, he doesn't need compliments when he just needs Sam to—

"Move," he says, and Sam moves.

It's slow, from being on their sides. No real force behind it. Dean knocks Sam's hand away from his dick and Sam squeezes his balls instead, and then slips a hand to the inside of his thigh and keeps him close that way, locking Dean in place to be fucked. He's still tight but he's loosening up, from the thick rocking churn of Sam inside him, buried up to the root half the time, flexing in and making Dean stretch for him, forcing in that deep good ache of being open, slick for it. With the underhand grip on Dean's thigh his thumb slots in right at the base of Dean's dick, a soft dragging pressure every time Sam squeezes, and Dean can hardly think for how good it all feels. For how much he missed it and pretended for so long he wasn't missing it. Sam's other arm is tucked under the pillow, under his head, and he manages to shove the pillow away enough that he gets bare skin and bites there, soft in Sam's bicep, and Sam drags in air through his teeth and pushes in harder, the wet drag enough that Dean shudders, shoulders to hips, and Sam squeezes his thigh so hard that it hurts.

If it weren't so damn cold Dean would want to throw the blankets off—get on his back with Sam between his legs—lift up, ride, to remember the way Sam's eyes went so dark and hot and intense from seeing Dean get off on him. As it is he feels it building slow, the sweat between them starting to get oppressive, his throat a little abraded from the way Sam keeps dragging his teeth over it, his breath hot there where Dean's skin's so wet. He clenches inside, as much as he can when he's split wide like this, and Sam grunts, warm burst of air against the back of his ear. "Fuck," Dean says, squirming back. He presses his knees together and Sam feels even thicker, his hand caught between Dean's thighs. "Fuck, Sammy—"

"God, I want to come," Sam says, and Dean jerks, caught against him, his dick spitting. Sam worms his hand out and cups Dean's nuts, rubs warm at the root of his dick, his lips smearing against Dean's neck. "God, you're—are you close?"

"Out of practice," Dean says, breathily light, like that's even fucking remotely true. "Can't you tell?" Sam's hand pulls up, fisting his dick, and Dean arches as much as he can, shoving down onto Sam, his teeth floating on this feeling. His gut's molten. "Fuck—Sam, if you—"

"I have to," Sam says, thin, and pushes—Dean tips over and Sam slides, god, out, but in a second he's covering Dean's back and Dean's spreading as wide as he can and Sam slots right back inside, hard, and Dean drags in air against the mattress but doesn't really care, doesn't need it. Sam's pumping inside, fast and deep, the jolting drag of it sliding all over exactly where Dean wants him, and Sam's hands slip from Dean's sides to his hip to his shoulders, holding him in place, and Dean worms a hand between the bed and his dick and lets Sam shove him into his own grip, the rhythm perfect, perfect—Sam's mouth hot against the knob of his spine—and Dean comes pulsing into his own hand, his toes curling and his lips spread against the sheet and his whole body locking up, it feels like, tense, unloading—and Sam groans, shoves his hand between them to feel the mess Dean's making, says, "Fuck, you're—fuck, you're so hot, Dean, the hottest I ever—" and gets a hand on Dean's ass and pulls it wider, shoves in harder, for a shocking minute where it almost hurts except that Dean's so floaty and satisfied he'd take a knife in his flesh and wouldn't mind—and when Sam finally comes he presses right up inside and pumps it deep, forcing it in, and Dean sighs against the bed, overheated and wet, and lets go of his own dick enough that he can tangle his fingers with Sam's, slick, crumpled, bone to bone.

Sam's a deadweight on his back. Dean turns his face against the sheet and gets a pocket of slightly cooler air, content to take it. He squeezes Sam's fingers and in response Sam squeezes his hip, and then slowly, slowly, his lips brush the back of Dean's ear, and then Dean's cheek. "Wow," Sam says, quiet, and Dean snorts. A shift, inside, that makes Dean open his eyes wide—oh, he's open now but it feels—and one of Sam's knees slips over to the outside of Dean's, different leverage, as he pushes in again on all the wet he made, and in again, still thick. Dean licks his lips and it's so quiet he can hear the wet noise it makes—match, to when Sam pulls out—a spill, trickling down over Dean's balls—and then the squelch as he pushes back in and makes Dean grip the pillow, makes his nuts pulse in heated shock.

"I could go again right now," Sam says, low against his ear, entirely honest.

Dean has to take a deep breath. "Don't press your luck," he says, raw, and Sam laughs quiet, drags out again—still hard, christ above—and tugs at Dean's shoulder, and turns him over in a messy sheet-tangling pull, and gets them the right way around to kiss, full, open, Dean's hands on Sam's waist and the bed smeary and disgusting, between them.

When Dean pulls away, Sam's got his fingers curled around the back of his ear, his dick warm and full up against Dean's hip. He smiles, looking back at Dean in the barely-light. Dean smiles back, kind of helpless. "We really wrecked this bed," Dean says. Just for something to say.

Sam's shoulder lifts. "Heated it up, though," he says, and, well. He's not wrong.

The candles are still lit, and they'll have to take care of those so they don't burn the damn room down. The lantern, too—they shouldn't waste the batteries. There's a slit in the blankets somewhere, cool air pouring in over Dean's back, and he tugs, and Sam gets it and helps him smooth them out, making a cocoon for the two of them. The discarded lube bottle ends up under Dean's back and he slides it up under the pillow, for hopeful future use. Their socked toes bump together. Sam's nose is cold, where it bumps Dean's cheek, but that's all right. Dean's not in a state to mind.

"It's gonna suck to dig out the car in the morning," Sam says, out of nowhere.

Dean closes his eyes and pulls at Sam's waist, getting him closer. Sam's knee slides between his thighs. "That's what I missed about you, man," he says, drowsy. "You always know what to say to get me hot."

Sam snorts. His knuckles drag over Dean's jaw, safe and warm.

I have 20 minutes before I have to feed the cat and get started on these courses that finally allowed me access, so let’s take a moment to talk about my good friend Thracia 776.

I made it through Chapter 5, and got both sidequest chapters along the way.  So that’s fun.  I decided to play on Paragon mode, because I don’t give a shit about challenge, I’m here to try and enjoy the experience for a game whose story I actually really like.

Currently, Leif is doing pretty well, mostly seems to do great with strength and speed, but his skill is bad and I don’t think he’s gained any build so that’s fun.  I think Macha’s been the most unprecedented hero so far.  She’s had two 6 point levels.  That’s really good.  Brighton’s had mostly 1 point levels so he’s not doing so hot.  Asbel seems super magic screwed, he still only has like 4 magic at level 7.  Not looking forward to that long-term.  Tanya actually got some fantastic levels too, including a lot of extra strength, so I’ll be doing my damnedest to get her back.

Chapters 1-3 remain pretty enjoyable.  Moreso now that I understand capturing as a mechanic and how to do that effectively.  A big issue before was not knowing how to set up a good capture, but now that I’m in the swing of it...I kinda like this feature?  Like it’s kinda cool.  Only kinda, though.  And the “only kinda” part kicks in as soon as you hit Chapter 4, where everything starts breaking down, but I’ll get to that.

I’m currently playing with the Lil Munster patch, which also allows me to see the hidden skills for units.  Such as Miracle+ on Eyvel, which just literally prevents her from ever dying.  I did not know that was a thing, and let me tell you, everything going on with Chapter 5′s pitfighters is suddenly a lot less bullshit.  Yes, you can argue all you want that it increases the tension when you don’t know it’s there, but also fuck that.

Chapter 4 is really where I think I’m going to start complaining.  Which is funny because on a second playthrough?  This is actually a pretty fun chapter.  You know, mostly.  Facilitating the escape of the civilians was pretty simple and fun, and it honestly helped out Karin the most, since she wasn’t particularly threatened by a guard holding a captive.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how engaging that map managed to be in terms of just...gathering Vulneraries.  Like, looking at it, I expected a disaster, but judicious use of the thieves and maybe a capture here and there actually nets you enough to equip everyone with a full vulnerary.

Until the trouble.  Let me be frank: I am always one for soft resetting when a character dies, and I’m trying to break myself of that particular habit a bit.  It’s not that I want to not care about characters, so much as recognizing that some characters I don’t give a shit about so why reset everyone else for them?  I play a quick run of Shadow Dragon before this, and just let people die, and honestly it was a lot more engaging when you’re not resetting for stupid things.  But there was one unit who causes two of the three resets, because I couldn’t afford to lose him.  Julian.  I couldn’t just lose the thief and that utility.  Resets occur not because of character love, but because you cannot give up the utility presented.

I feel like that’s part of early Thracia’s problem.  Chapters 1-3, it’s pretty easy to keep everyone alive, especially with Eyvel being actually invincible, and having three super units in Eyvel, Dagdar, and Finn.  If you got the Vouge and the Brave Axe, Osian and Halvan are actually ridiculous too.  But once you hit Chapter 4, things feel like they change to a level that’s a bit absurd?  If you didn’t successfully set up recruitment of Dalsin, I kinda feel like Chapter 4 and 4x are just impossible.  The only way to damage these armor knights are Leif’s Light Brand at range, and Dalsin’s axe.  Pretty much everyone else is dealing about 2 damage, and hoping for a crit, with none of them having the B-rank swords to make use of Armorslayer.  So the chokepoint strategy to the north feels decisively impossible because of how much damage you take, how little you deal in response, and how hard it is to actually break through and take out the mages when their numbers dwindle.  Not to mention one less unit means you have less defense against the soldier reinforcements, and it’s that much harder to protect your thieves.  Which, actually, speaking of: Thieves plural.  Which requires you actually got Lithis.  You probably did, his condition is super easy to achieve.  But.  My recollection is that the original version of this game didn’t give you little icons to tell you when people could talk to one another.  So unless you just figured out that Leif can talk to Eyvel (but not the other way around, that’s too much), you’d miss the hint about “Just catch him and hold onto him.”  At which point I feel it is fair to say people might release him after taking his stuff.  And then you only have one thief.  Which is.  Not great.  And slows down that prison escape significantly.

Then there’s 4x, where you really need 4 strong frontliners to block off attacks, and if you don’t have Dalsin I honestly feel like you’re just hosed, both in terms of taking too much damage, and having too few units to deal with the mages.  I’m not going to say it’s impossible to deal with, but for a putz like me it feels pretty impossible without the big tank man on deck.

Then there’s the issue of capturing.  Capturing only works if your build is higher than the opponent.  If you have a lower build, you can’t capture anyone.  Which is all well and good when you have four chunky axe bros and a cav on your side.  Then you can capture just about anything, especially with Tanya and Ronan giving you some nice chip damage to set up those easy captures.  But Chapter 4-5, you really don’t have many options.  Brighton is consistently able to capture, but Fergus isn’t.  8 build isn’t bad, but it’s not enough to capture one of the soldiers and take their vulneraries.  So if you didn’t get Dalsin, you have one guy who can consistently capture people.  One.  The thieves can steal, but Lara’s build is so low she basically can’t steal anything heavier than a vulnerary or door key, and she’s got 14HP so good luck leaving her in range of anything.  So like.  That’s fun.

Point being, some of these challenges feel distinctly impossible without save states as a result.  I think the biggest offender was admittedly an optional one: the two Loptyr mages in front of the chests in Chapter 5.  Man, those guys are fucked.  Tremendous damage output, poison, and had an absurdly high crit rate that would one-shot anyone if it hit.  I think Leif was able to deny the crits with Light Brand but I’m honestly not sure.  The fact you had to deal with two of them, or risk Leif having to chip them 3 damage at a time at range, was kind of a problem.  That’s the kind of thing where I don’t really know how you’re supposed to manage that, and save states feel incredibly necessary if you’re going to stand a chance.  Granted, this is optional, you can escape and just leave those chests.  But this isn’t the only situation I can think of where the game just plays stupid, and usually the stupid is with mages, because magic is resistance and no one has any.  Except Karin, who is delightfully too weak to actually KO a mage in response.  So that helps.  Situations across Chapters 4-5 have been difficult, because of the presence of magical hits that can 2-shot people if they connect, and a lot of situations feel like you’re desperately hoping for a particular attack to connect so you don’t start losing people left and right.  And then the attack misses anyway because 100% accuracy doesn’t exist, and whoops now you’re gone.

Despite that, I’m still enjoying this more than my first time through.  Maybe it’s familiarity with the game and its mechanics, but I do feel like being able to clear Chapter 4 without screaming is a good indicator that maybe it’s not as bad as I remembered.  We’ll see though, there’s much worse to come.

Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-8th Place

It’s funny. Four years ago, there was no doubt in my mind that this show would easily make the top five best-animated series in the last decade. But the more it went on, the more...controversial it got. However, despite all the hate this next series has been getting recently, I still believe that there’s something to be desired within it.

#8-Steven Universe/Steven Universe: Future (2013-2020)

The Plot: For years, immortal warriors known as the Crystal Gems have been defending the Earth from anything that seeks to do it harm. Until one day when Rose Quartz, the Gems leader, had fallen in love with a human named Greg Universe. From that love, Rose gave up her physical form to bring her son, Steven, into the world she was sworn to protect. Taking guidance from the other Crystal Gems-Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl-Steven will try his best to grow up into the same warrior that his mom was. But as he learns more about the Gems and his mother, Steven will soon realize that he’ll have to grow up far faster than he thought.

Right out the gate, I should mention there's a 60%-40% chance that you’re either going to love this show or think that it’s pure garbage. And honestly, I believe it all depends on perspective. Like the quality of most shows, the enjoyment depends on the viewpoints you chose to take with it. Some people will look at specific decisions as well done, where others will see it all as a mess of storytelling. For instance, one person can make a two-hour-long video about how Steven Universe is garbage, and another person can make a video arguing about how it isn’t. Everyone has different reasons why they like or hate something. If you genuinely hate Steven Universe or think you might not like it, that's perfectly fine. I just hope you’ll give me the chance to explain why I personally enjoy it, and why I think it deserves all the adulation it has. 

For instance, the main thing I really enjoy about Steven Universe is its style. From the designs, to the animation, to even the music. Everything about how Steven Universe both looks and sounds leave me awestruck. First is the show’s designs of both the backgrounds and characters. Nearly every part of the world in the series looks absolutely amazing, fitting seeing how the Crystal Gems fought for Earth due to its beauty. There are also times when lore and backstory can be seen through the backgrounds, giving some fantastic utilization of visual storytelling. Such as when the Crystal Gems visit war zones and temples that they’ve spent years fighting in, showing hidden secrets that can make much more sense by later episodes. As for the character designs, they all look pretty good. Each character has a dynamic and unique style, making them all fun to look at. It’s even better when the character’s personalities are shown throughout their entire designs. I especially love how the artists managed to get creative with how real life crystals (lapices, bismuths, and jaspers) will look like people when designing the Crystal Gems and their enemies. However, I should first mention that Steven Universe is another show where the art style depends on who’s storyboarding the scene. While not as bad as OK KO: Let’s Be Heroes, it can be pretty distracting given how character sizes and proportions are inconsistent. Regardless, I still like how good the designs look for a majority of the characters. And at a practical standpoint, I think it’s great that the artists kept the figures as simple as possible as it makes animating the characters a lot easier.

Speaking of which, I really like how Steven Universe is animated. It’s not entirely groundbreaking like The Amazing World of Gumball’s or as fluid as Wander Over Yonder’s, but the animation in Steven Universe is still pretty dang good. The characters' movements look believable, and the expressions each one makes is downright amazing to see. It gets more aspiring for the show’s fight scenes. You can almost feel each punch, jab, and slash that the characters trade with each other, and the fights themselves are pretty fun to watch. As for the action itself, Steven Universe might just have the most creative action set pieces I’ve seen from any animated series. Case in point, there is an entire fight scene that’s also a fantastic song at the same time.

On the topic of songs, let the record show that showrunner Rebecca Sugar really understands music. I say this because Steven Universe has some really great music in it. From background music to full-on musical numbers, this show proves how important melodies are in a series. Look at the background music, as it not only does a suitable job at making audiences feel the right emotions but also sounds really good when isolated. As for the character motifs, each note perfectly encapsulates the character's personality that it’s meant for. Like Pearl, who has a piano melody to show off her classy and orderly personality, and Peridot, who has a more 8-bit tune to her leitmotif as a way to show off her tech side. And since we branched into talking about 8-bit, there are times when this show’s soundtrack sounds like it belongs in a really cool video game (Google Lion’s and Obsidian's themes if you don’t believe me). As for the actual songs in the show, Steven Universe has a pretty good selection. As they can be beautiful and downright awesome to listen to. And even though the show uses songs to develop the characters and story, these musical numbers can still be pretty fun to listen to on their own, with no context (most of the time).

But while a show's style is essential, it’s the substance that truly matters. And here is where we go back to the discussion of perspective. To some viewers, you might think that the substance in Steven Universe is handled well, where others...Well, I think it’s pretty obvious how they might feel.

Let’s look at the story because Steven Universe actually has an intriguing and compelling story...Or at least it does when it tries to eventually tell that story. Whether you’re a person who either loves or hates the series, everyone can agree that the slice of life episodes are easily the show’s weakest. Personally, I don’t mind them, and that’s because I view these episodes as giving me a choice between eating a chocolate cake or a carrot. The story-driven episodes are a chocolate cake. Their sweet, delicious, and I’m always craving more after just having one piece. As for the slice of life episodes, they’re like carrots. I can eat a carrot. I can digest a carrot. I might even enjoy a carrot. Hell, there are times when I’m willing to ask for another carrot. But if you’re going to give me the decision of a carrot over a chocolate cake, then I’m always going to pick the chocolate cake. Even if I enjoy episodes like “Laser Light Cannon," “Too Short to Ride," and “Alone Together," they can never hold a candle to “Jail Break," “Reunited," and “Change Your Mind." This is because the slice of life episodes give off a sense of distraction from the main story. After all, they rarely add anything new (read: meaningful) to the tale. And going back to the carrot and chocolate cake analogy, there’s one aspect that doesn’t do the slice of life episodes any favors. You see, where most shows feel like you have to eat the carrots before having the chocolate cake, half the time Steven Universe feels like you can skip most of the carrots and go straight for the chocolate cake instead. And Steven Universe isn’t the only show to try this. In fact, tomorrow I’ll be talking about a show that perfected this idea. But tomorrow's series manages to make both the story and slice of life episode the chocolate cake instead of the carrot. And it has everything to do with the fact that the characters care about the situation they’re in. There are actual moments in the show where Crystal Gems refuse to participate in everyday antics because they simply don’t think those antics are worth their time. Which is something you never want to do. Because if the characters don’t care, then why should the audience? Speaking of the characters--

I want it to be known that I like the majority of the characters in Steven Universe. Greg, Connie, Peridot, Amethyst, and Garnet are all enjoyable to watch in their own way. Not only is their development on point, but their personalities are all likable, and their issues are also relatable. It’s three other characters that things get a little iffy. Those characters being Steven, Pearl, Bismuth and Lapis. If you ask me, I like these characters, and I think it’s fun to study/analyze their personalities. However, these characters make decisions that audiences are either going to hate or love. It’s sort of like that optical illusion of the old lady/young lady (Google it). Some people can see the ugly old hag, where others will see the beautiful young woman. You’re most likely going to see one or the other, and it isn’t until someone else points out what you couldn’t notice that you are capable of seeing both. It’s something very similar to Steven, Pearl, Bismuth and Lapis. One response is that you’re either going to see characters who are selfless heroes that are victims of circumstance. The other is seeing toxic idiots who cause more harm than good to the people they love.

And then there are the people of Beach City. These are mostly hated by both fans and critics of the show. Personally, I don’t hate most of them. Don’t get me wrong, characters like Lars and Ronaldo deserve every ounce of hate they are given (Although Lars does get better). As for the rest of the Beach Citizens, I don’t think they are that bad of characters. In fact, I think they’re good characters placed in the wrong show. Some of them have issues that most people deal with (Sadie, in most of her episodes), where others seem to be slightly layered and almost intriguing (Mr. Smiley and Onion in “Future Boy Zoltron” and “Onion Gang”). In fact, if these characters were a part of a different series, I’m sure people will be more willing to watch their struggles. It's just compared to the Crystal Gems and company, the people of Beach City are not as interesting to watch or dissect. And because of this, the show drags down to a screeching halt whenever it focuses on these characters.

And the most controversial element of these characters is (semi-spoilers ahead) when the show tries to pull off redemption arcs. Steven Universe seems to work off the logic that nobody is evil, just misunderstood. There’s both a right way and a wrong way of illustrating that logic, and Steven Universe, unfortunately, does it the wrong way. And the best way for me to describe how to do this idea is to use the game Undertale as an example (I’d warn you about spoilers, but odds are you already know everything about that game). In Undertale, you play a character who fell into an underground prison full of monsters, and you have to find your way back to the surface. The monsters you run into give the impression that they’re dangerous and want to destroy you (or at least most of them do). However, the game allows the player to interact with the world and characters around them, soon discovering that the monsters are more complex than one might think. In fact, the game allows you to actually interact with monsters who tried to kill you, showing the logic and reasoning as to why. By the end of Undertale, you learn that every character you encounter is not the villains in the story, but rather victims of a war that forced them away from the surface. Steven Universe has a similar idea but fails to do it properly. All it reveals is that the villains have done bad things, realize that they’ve done wrong, and decide to have an out of nowhere change of heart by the end. The problem is that except for one character, the turnarounds don’t feel earned. Instead, they feel forced than anything else.

These elements are what make Steven Universe slightly controversial to enjoy.

(And also the ridiculous amount of hiatuses. But that’s not really an issue I have with the show, but the network running it.)

But if there is one thing I hope we all can agree on, both the pessimistic and forgiving, I think it’s safe to say that the best thing about Steven Universe is how important it is for the LGBTQ+ community. There may have been kids' shows in the past that hinted at same-sex relationships and they deserve some respect as well. But I'd say it’s Steven Universe that popularized the idea with the characters Ruby and Saphire. Not only are these two downright adorable together, but they also manage to be enjoyable characters on their own (Even though it isn’t often you see them apart, but their personalities still shine through). And I’m willing to make the argument that it’s because of these two why children’s animation is less afraid, but still cautious, of being explicit with having same-sex couples. Like I said, most shows decide to hint at these relationships, so they don't get in trouble for doing so. Nowadays? Most of Cartoon Network’s series seem to have more gay relationships than most children’s networks in recent memory. Nickelodeon allowed The Loud House to have gay parents in a children's cartoon, and one of the main characters being canonically bisexual. Hell, even Disney is currently taking steps in the right direction with their smash hit called The Owl House. Now, more than ever, kids can learn at an early age that gay relationships are more than just acceptable, but they’re also completely normal and should be accepted as such. And I’m more than willing to give Steven Universe credit for giving this trend the push that it needed, like other creators for these shows usually point fingers at it as well.

Is Steven Universe a perfect show? No. But that doesn’t mean I think it’s garbage. There are some legitimate faults that this series has, some of which I’m inclined to agree with. But with all the good it does and how much fun people have while watching it, I can’t really say I hate this series. If you think you’ll hate this show, you have every right to. I can’t change how you feel, but I can ask you to keep an open mind. Because who knows? You might be someone who will find the diamond in the rough of this series.

(Now that’s a pun you’ll be willing to appreciate by the time you reach season 5).

read also on my AO3 and my FF.net read the rest here prologue chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Premise of the story:  Obi-Wan never took Luke to Tatooine in fact they overshot the force forsaken dustball completely and instead Luke grew up on the planet Lothal being trained to become a Jedi like his father before him. Ezra Bridger is an orphan loner who only makes an exception to his solitude for one boy. The boy who helped him out when he was seven, and that Ezra always seems to get into trouble.

thanks again to @sunflova​ for the gorgeous cover art 

Tarkin town, Luke and Ezra looked around in quiet horror all of these people ejected from their homes, and for what? 

The people watched them as they passed, a soft hopeful air around them. As they finally reached the center, Zeb declared free grub, and the town folk rushed forward, scrambling for the food. 

Zeb and the Mandalorian girl happily handed out fruit to the hungry people. Luke also took to handing out Jogans and other fruit to the gathered mass. Ezra however stood by, a look of sudden humbleness, and guilt. A man grasped Ezra’s shoulder then, the speckled eyes of the Rodian shined with gratitude. “Thank you” he said before wandering away. 

“but, I didn’t do anything” 

Luke saw the look on Ezra’s face, and walked over, handing the other boy a Jogan, “it’s not too late to change that. We can help these people” 

Ezra gave Luke a grateful smile taking the fruit, and handing it to a small child. Before long the last fruit was handed out from the crates, and the crew departed Tarkin Town. on the way back Ezra stuck close to Luke, who had been quiet since they landed back on Lothal. Ezra saw the way his eyes darted side to side, almost like he was waiting for some monster to jump out at him. 

To anyone else the boy would look happy and excited almost, but to Ezra, who knew him almost better than he knew himself could see that Luke was nervous. It was something Ezra learned, when Luke had a nervousness about him to be careful, he always did have an uncanny nack for sensing danger, hadn’t he only just experienced that today? Luke had warned him something bad was going to happen if they didn’t leave and since then the boys had three near death experiences. 

When they were following others back to the ship, Ezra purposefully fell back with Luke, until they were out of ear shot. 

“Are you okay?” 

Luke nodded, a short jerky movement that didn’t quite ring true. “Yeah, just thinking”

Thinking. Ezra had seen Luke in deep thought before, but this was a tension  deep in his shoulders he had never seen before. The change in demeanor since this morning, even since they were on the ship in actual space was concerning. Something was telling him there was something wrong with his friend. 

“Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything.” he prodded at the blonde hoping that he would open up, Luke had never been one to hide his emotions before, so it was concerning that he was now. 

Luke bit his lip, and nodded again, blue eyes looking up at him, “I’ll be better once we get back home. I got a weird feeling is all” 

Ezra could sense that wasn’t all. He didn’t know why Luke was acting strange, but he determined it was something he would have to find out the hard way.

“We’ll be home before you know it, listening to stuffy old Ben lecturing us on being reckless, probably mentioning something about something your dad did when he was your age” 

That got a small smile from Luke, “yeah, back to Ben and his stories” Luke looked at Ezra with a searching gaze and opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then shook his head and looked ahead. “We’re almost back to the ship”

Ezra frowned, he didn’t want to let this drop, but Luke made it clear he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “Yeah, back to the ship, why don’t you head inside, I’ll be in a little later” 

Luke gave him a concerned glance, but nodded, “I’ll see if Sabine can help me find some food, we haven’t eaten since those jogans this morning” 

Ezra smiled, “Thanks Skywalker” He didn’t ask who Sabine was, figured that was the Mandalorian’s name, he tried not to be sour that the beautiful woman had introduced herself to Luke first.  

“Don’t mention it, seems like feeding you is what I do best” Luke gave him a genuine smile then, before he mounted the ramp and went inside. 

Ezra sat down on a pile of crate lids in the long grass, looking out over Tarkin Town. He would never admit it, but the sight of all those people had struck close to home for him. Sure he might be fourteen and on his own, but at least he knew where his next meal was coming from, if he didn’t manage to steal something, old Ben always had an extra spot at his table open for him, either that or the old man somehow knew when he was coming. 

As he watched dusk cast longer and longer shadows over the town below making it seem more desolate and forgotten than it already was. He had to admit he felt it too though. The unease that Luke was putting off, something was wrong, like a lingering shadow falling over the planet. If he was being honest with himself, there had been something growing since the  empire closed its fist around Lothal, but this was worse like a smothering darkness.

As he was thinking of it, he felt or rather heard a soft humming in the air. He lifted his head, trying to find the source. It was odd, feeling almost like someone was calling his name. It was the same sort of hum that had set Luke on edge that morning. 

He rose from his spot, and looked behind him, the humming was coming from the ship. He followed it, before long he came to a locked door. He smirked, pulling out his pick and setting to work he opened it up and slipped inside. Inside was a sparsely furnished room, only your basic bunk and fresher table off to the side, and belongings chest off to the other corner, the humming however was coming from the location of the bunk. 

Ezra walked over to the bunk and sat down. It was a comfortable bed at least, better than the cot he had in his tower. 

His attention was once again grabbed by the humming in the air around him. It was drawing him to the drawer underneath him. “Weird” he whispered, his fingers finding the latch to a hidden drawer. Ezra knelt before it, and opened the drawer revealing a metal cube that seemed to have glass windows built into it, the object seemed to hum in his palm, this was what called him. He shook his head, he was imagining things clearly. “Might be worth” he turned it over, inspecting it “something?” he put it in his pocket. Then he noticed the drawer went deeper than it first appeared and pulled it out further revealing something far cooler. 

It was a cylindrical shape, appearing to be a hilt of some sort, a belt ring at the top to attach to a utility belt. It resembled what old Ben had described to him and Luke one night from his time serving in the republic army. It looked like a lightsaber. It couldn’t be though could it? The Jedi were extinct, had been since the Clone Wars. Ezra found a button on the side and pressed it. A blue beam of light erupted from it, and the force of it knocked Ezra back a little. He hadn’t expected that. It was heavy, a low hum coming from it. He could feel the heat on his face. He was in awe. He got to his feet and waved it a few times experimentally, and despite himself released a gasp of surprise at the way it gracefully sliced through the air. He brought it up into what he thought was a dueling position, and that was when the door behind him slid open. 

“Careful. You’ll cut your arm off” came a much less angry than Ezra would have expected Kanan from behind him. 

Ezra gulped and turned around, his voice hadn’t given it away but there was a cool glint to his eyes he seemed more irritated than anything, and if Ezra didn’t know any better, amused? 

He might have misread Kanan but the smug grunting of the droid was certainly telling as Chopper rolled in behind the human man. 

“Look, I know you’re not going to believe me, but it’s like this thing wanted me to take it” he started. 

Kanan had his arm crossed, and now he knew the older man was finding amusement from the situation, “you’re right, I don’t believe you. Now hand over the lightsaber” 

Ezra looked at Kanan, eyes widening. He glanced at Hera who was standing beside Kanan in the door, then back to Kanan, he was right, it was a lightsaber, but the Jedi were dead. How did this guy have a weapon from a dead religion? 

“It is a lightsaber… isn’t that the weapon of the Jedi? I thought they all died” 

“Give it to me, and get out” all sign of amusement was gone from Kanan, and his voice had a hard edge that told Ezra not to challenge him on it. 

He extinguished the lightsaber and handed it over, ignoring the pang he got in his chest at the sudden change in Kanan’s demeanor. He stepped past, trying not to notice the stern look that Hera gave him as he passed. 

He walked down the hall, following the sound of conversation from what he imagined was the galley, since he heard Luke’s voice. 

“You mean, you actually know how to cook, like real food?” The Mandalorian girl was asking. 

“Yeah, my uncle taught me, said it was important not to just live off of ration bars and jogan fruit” 

The pair stopped as Ezra entered, and Luke gave him a pointed look, one that told him he knew he had gotten into trouble again. “Five seconds Ez” he simply said, handing over a sandwich to the taller boy “try and stay out of trouble for five seconds” 

Ezra rubbed at the base of his neck and took the sandwich, but didn’t respond to Luke’s request.

“Not too good at following directions, are you?” She asked leaning back on the counter, a cup of some drink or other clutched in her hand. Her helmet was off, which didn’t seem to happen often.

Ezra gave a smile, “Not so much. You?” He ignored Lukes scoff, stepping on the blonde boy’s toes in revenge. 

Luke yelped, earning a look from the girl, who chuckled, “Not really, no. Gotta say, you two? Night and day” she gestured between them.

Ezra crossed his arms “Alright, you got us figured out our turn, who are you people, you’re not exactly thieves” 

“And I really don’t think you’re smugglers,” Luke added. 

She smirked, “We… we’re not exactly anything. We’re a crew. A team. In some ways a family” she told him.

A sudden doubt flared in his mind, a family, could he really say he had one? Luke could, he had his uncle, but Ezra was alone “What happened to your real family?” He saw Luke’s eyes widen but ignored him 

The Mandalorian girl frowned then before answering, “The Empire. What happened to yours?” her voice was soft, and he felt sympathy pass from her.

Before Ezra could respond, the door opened and Zeb came in and told her that Kanan wanted them. Then of course he threatened Ezra and Luke.  

As she was leaving, she turned around, her eyes kind as she spoke again, “It’s Sabine. My name’s Sabine” then she left.

My brief thoughts on this season of anime!

Just a quick review of the ones I’d recommend and/or keep watching. I managed to find all of the below on Funimation or Crunchyroll or Youtube!

Horymia: (Yes) This is looking to be a very funny romcom slice of life style anime, and seems to be a fairly good one! Had me laughing a lot. The Main couple are a nerdy quiet boy who’s actually dumb as a sack of bricks using his disheveled appearance to hide his tattoos and piercings, and a popular pretty girl who’s actually a total homebody. Their friends seem to have a lot of potential to be fleshed out as the series progresses and I look forward to seeing how it goes!

So I’m a Spider, So What?: (Yes) Whooo another isekai (excited)! This time a girl and her entire class!? Get isekai’d in a massive explosion. The main character reincarnates as a trash monster in a dungeon and must fight her way up the food chain just to survive. Meanwhile her friends who have mostly reincarnated as Cool Humans or the occasional elf or baby dragon, have mostly found each other, and want to figure out what happened/why and if they’re all okay. It’s genuinely pretty funny, though leans a little too hard sometimes on the gamey aspects of this new world. I think it may get darker as it goes along too.

Mushoku Tensei: (No) Whooo another isekai (derogatory). 34 yo old man gets reincarnated and uses his worldly experience to Learn Magic Fast and creep on his mom and prepubescent tutor. If you can stomach that stuff, it actually has a fair amount of potential? It did set itself up to touch on some interesting stuff down the road, but I’m kind of Over the horny toddler/young boy trope and it kinda just seems like the protagonist is Just Awesome At Everything but not in a remotely charming way.

Cells at Work Code Black: (Yes) If you liked Cells at Work, this is that but dingier, and is able to tackle some darker themes - like what stress, smoking, drinking, and probably eventually STDs can do to your body.

Kemono Jihen: (Yes) I don’t wanna explain TOO much about the plot of this one because it looks to be a mystery series, and the first episode sets it up the characters very very well. A man from the city is called to a rural town where animals are being mysteriously killed and found rotting. He’s tasked with finding and killing the perpetrator, assumed to be a monster of some kind. It does the horror very well, and even in the first episode manages some twistyness.

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter: (No) Even for a blatant fan service anime this one is just......... stupid. It might have a scrap of joy to it if the protagonist were anything other than a boring sycophant. His harem just all seems to be random girls who’s singular personality traits are to be in love with him in various stereotypical ways, that he just uses to min max his Cool Stats. But like, it’s not even self aware enough to make that into an interesting premise.

Sk8: (Yes) It’s a racing anime that seems super stylish and fun and very well animated. The protagonists have some cool chemistry already, and it really leans into the Underground Illegal Racing part of the fun - all the various characters who battle in death defying races through this abandoned mine, all have seemingly ordinary day jobs. Definitely worth a shot if that sounds up your alley.

Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a starter town?: (Probably) Okay so the premise is just there in the title and is actually pretty fun. Think: a random NPC who is considered pretty weak where the monsters are lv 50 moving somewhere where the monsters are scary at lv 5, shenanigans ensue. The MC boy is hilariously oblivious to the fact that anyone with a shred of sense can see he’s insanely over leveled to the area, and just trying to be nice and polite to everyone ^u^. The tentative nature of my recommendation is that it is kind of leaning harder on the Girls are Obsessed With Him train than is ideal. How much it depends on that as opposed to utilizing the premise to its fullest extent will have an enormous bearing on how fun the show is to watch going forward.

Ex-Arm: (Absolutely not but yes) It’s a fucking train wreck.

Heavens Design Team: (Yes) God decided to outsource creating animals to a team of angels, and works as a client giving weird ass requests for the angels to fill. Hilarity ensues, and it is peak edutainment to boot. It’s so much fun learning weird shit about animals, or trying to guess the animal these seemingly random train of failed attempts leads to.

Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist-: (No) It has a promising premise and some good moments. The main characters are solving these weird “diseases” that people get by finding the actual emotional cause and using magic of some kind to monkey paw it into a resolution. This could be really fun and interesting, but something about the execution just... falls flat? Like maybe it picks up as the season goes on but for now it’s not rly worth it.

Vlad Love: (Yes) I was going through the list of anime this season and was like wtf is this and literally just now watched episode 1. It’s about a girl with a blood donation kink and her vampire girlfriend. Literally. It’s rly funny and over the top ridiculous but like, gay vampires.

Back Arrow: (No) It’s like... fine. It’s about these two warring kingdoms surrounded by a wall with a mountain range between. They worship the wall as god, and occasionally get gifts from beyond it, in the form of mech suits they use to fight each other in. One day a boy shows up from beyond the wall in one of those suits and no memories of anything and he wants to get back. Which... could be promising I guess? But something about the show just didn’t grab my attention.

Skate-Leading Stars: (No) It’s like Yuri on ice if it was less gay and less well written I guess...? The first episode set up the Drama competently enough, but I just... couldn’t give a shit.

Project Scard: (No) For some reason part of Tokyo has been turned into a post apocalyptic hellscape where people just murder each other. They also have super powered tattoos and use them to fight each other. Animation is very similar to Handshakers - which is an Aesthetic that may not appeal to some. The first episode didn’t rly do much for me but I could see it going somewhere if it tries.

Wave!!: (No) Might have been a tentative yes if I hadn’t gone on and watched the second episode. First ep went hard with the queerbaiting cause they want to be the new Free! but with surfing, but Ep 2 just forgot all about that entirely. Dialogue is mostly boring and there’s like 3 sets, which becomes painfully obvious very quickly by ep 2.

Idoly Pride: (No) Literally looks like they ripped off the waifus of a bunch of other more popular anime and made an idol anime with the most basic ass idol plot. Nothing exceptional here.

Gekidol: (undecided) It’s an idol anime... set after a mysterious apocalyptic event? It’s mostly so far seemed intriguing as hell but not my jam. Mysterious craters destroyed parts of Japan, and its rebuilding and the MCs wanna bring light to the world. Maybe aliens exist? Idk! I’m intrigued.

I*Chu: (No) Another idol anime but this time it’s cute boys! Idk maybe this is a decent idol anime but it rly didn’t grab me and idol stuff isn’t usually my jam. I couldn’t tell anything exceptionally unique about this one from just the first episode.

WIXOSS Diva: (No, but) I don’t normally watch spin-offs of series but I didn’t realize until halfway into this that it was one cause Crunchyroll didn’t attach it to the core line. It’s like... magical girl battle idols in VR! Which honestly if you’re a fan of that it might actually be worth checking out.(edited)

Idolls!: (No) Another idol anime! But this one uses mocap 3d models. Phoned in plot line delivered by a weird tiki statue that tells the girls what to do. Seems extraordinarily low budget, and more just a way to sell music. The whole episode happened in a single set and  was basically just... girls want to make it big as idols... oh no... gotta book a stage! Yay they got one! Now must get an audience! Like... ok

Hortensia Saga: (No but) Sword and sorcery fantasy setting that’s mostly sword, main character is a princess masquerading as a male knight alongside the son of her dead parents’s also dead bodyguard. The first episode is very lore heavy and felt kinda like the prologue to a video game. So it ended up feeling a little expository and trope laden, but it has potential. Seems a bit Game of Thronesy? Wasn’t like... bad or anything, so if it’s your thing you might enjoy it.

Otherside Picnic: (Yes) I think it’s gay first of all, two girls going exploring / treasure hunting / monster hunting in a bizarre mirror world to their own. Girls are cute, it’s very interesting premise and writing seems solid.

Wonder Egg Priority: (Yes) It deals with some HEAVY themes? But it’s... a bit of a psychological horror but in a way that feels very like it’s dealing with some of the real life issues. The main character girl comes across as neurodivergent, and it’s just... idk man the first episode was good and left me wanting more.

“Subtle Tea”

There isn't much Kakashi enjoys about becoming hokage, but his first Five Kage Summit helps him realize there might be a few perks to the job.

A quick little fic for the KakaMei Event by @kaka-mei! Fluff & humor. No content warnings, though Kakashi does briefly consider the Blood Mist. Read on AO3 or FF.net. 

“Do you concur, Hokage-sama?”

Kakashi’s face almost slid off his palm at the baritone directed his way. He could feel a dozen sets of eyes on him.

Dammit. He blinked down at the scroll-strewn, massive table and cleared his throat, hoping his gaze appeared thoughtful…rather than merely dazed. Uhhh… The expectant silence was becoming deafening.What was it he’d missed?? Something about the border of…some place…somewhere…?

A scrap of paper entered his line of sight; ‘Yes’ was scrawled across it.

Thank the gods Shikamaru was paying attention! “Yes, correct.” Kakashi could hear the roll of Shikamaru’s eyes as he began to slowly—so as not to arise suspicion that he had, in fact, been attempting to melt through his chair—straighten his spine, one vertebrae at a time. “Mmhhm, indeed.”

The piercing crack of his neck, however, sliced through any hope of subtlety. He winced. He’d never felt this sore or stiff before; it had to be all the damn sitting. Then he nearly chuckled in realization: that disconcerting pop had had the same visceral effect on him as being addressed as ‘Hokage-sama.’ Even a year into the position, the title didn’t seem to fit. Everyone kept telling him he’d get used to it, but he knew better. Maybe if he’d wanted the office or felt like he’d done anything to be worthy of it….

He sighed, already feeling his body listing sideways again; he didn’t bother to fight it. He hated the forced stillness. He hated the mundanity. He hated being treated so damn formally. He hated having to be formal himself. He hated the drapey robes and hat that came with being ‘formal’—wearing them at the inauguration was more than enough! He hated droning meetings like this one. He hated the politics. He hated the endless stream of paperwork. He hated how he couldn’t spend his days reading his campy, delightful smut. He hated how he was always surrounded by four walls nowadays, closed up like the glorified office worker he was. He just wanted to go back to doing what he knew how to do—carrying out missions—while he was still young and useful, …and probably retire to a quiet life of hot-spring-hopping a few years down the line.

He loved his village and the people in it more than anything else in the world, but he did not like this job. So there he was: a reluctant placeholder, obeying his call to duty, trying his best to sit upright.

Naruto would be ready soon enough. Just a little while longer, he told himself, begging his eyes to focus on the mountainous spread of papers before him. This was important, after all: the first Five Kage Summit in peacetime. Still, the hundreds of thousands of letters before him remained blurry. He closed his weary eyes with another sigh. He just wasn’t cut out for this….

“Hokage-sama?” came the polite—always polite—whisper of the mizukage.

His eyes leapt to the left and immediately centered on the greenest gaze he’d ever seen.

Her bangs revealed the arch of only one auburn eyebrow. “I was afraid you might be nodding off.” She brought her tea to her rosy lips, not quite covering her smile. “…Again.”

Shikamaru half-assed a cough to cover up his snort.

Kakashi had several good reasons for wearing a mask—his acutely sensitive nose, his value of privacy, …the air of mystery—but concealing a blush was not often one of them. He almost wished he were wearing those godawful Kage robes—at least the hat would cover his hot ears! His right hand rose automatically—awkwardly—to scratch at the back of his head. Of course, that hand shielded his blush only from Shikamaru’s periphery. He felt his face flame further.

Shikamaru shuffled a few papers around before giving him a covert kick beneath the table—dammit, Kakashi still hadn’t responded!

“O-oh, I do my best thinking with my eyes closed is all!” was what his brain decided he should whisper back to Terumi Mei of all people. Shikamaru had assembled files on each of his fellow four kage, …but hers had been the one folder Shikamaru didn’t have to harass him into reading. He could have kicked himself if his foot weren’t already crammed in his damn mouth.

Shikamaru, a true right-hand, took care of that for him. He kicked Kakashi hard, giving another cover-cough—sounding pathetically snickery now.

Mei didn’t try to hide her beautiful, bemused grin this time.

Kakashi attempted a casual wave of his hand, hoping that the motion would…do something…. Instead, all he managed was to get himself caught up in that smile. That was when his mind decided it would be helpful to regurgitate all the Terumi Mei fun facts Shikamaru had assembled for him.

Now she was a shinobi deserving of the title of ‘kage.’

It was almost a miracle that Mei had lived to see adolescence, let alone lead her village. She, the heir to two utterly terrifying kekkei genkai, had grown up during the gruesome height of Kiri’s kekkei genkai cleansing—meaning she’d survived the Blood Mist’s massacre of a graduation exam and subsequent years as a ninja without utilizing either of the bloodline limits she’d inherited! She’d survived and risen through the ranks on trained skill alone. Until, finally, she’d decided she had attained enough influence, had won over enough allies to reveal herself. Doing so had been one hell of a gamble. The Blood Mist’s zealous hatred of kekkei genkai was rooted in terror, she could have been killed instantly and a hundred times over! …Yet here she was, smiling warmly at him: the mizukage who had not only survived but had expertly maneuvered through the political and humanitarian minefield left in the bloody wake of her predecessors to rebuild her homeland.

The bright jade of her iris seemed to brighten with her smile, and he was seized by a strange yearning for an unobstructed view of her eyes as she smiled, to reach out and sweep the tawny strands from her face. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d touched someone like that…. Slowly, he blinked away the odd impulse, then swallowed. How many times had that smile faltered? How many of Kiri’s—of Mei’s—hardships had originated from him, from his failings as a member of Team Minato…?

He hadn’t let his mind wander too near that question when he’d reviewed her file, he knew the perils of such rabbit holes; he couldn’t allow it now. No matter his contributions, Mei had risen Kiri from the ashes of Madara’s scheming and generations of cruel tradition to the forefront of progress and international. She’d corrected the horrors she and so many of her generation had faced as children: boys and girls were no longer forced to slaughter each other in the name of advancement; the decades’ old caste system no longer determined a child’s fate before they’d taken their first breath; Kiri’s few remaining heirs of kekkei genkai no longer had to hide in the shadows for fear of death. The Hidden Mist would produce no more Zabuza’s, no more Haku’s….

The quiet clink of Mei’s teacup returning to its saucer gently broke his train of thought. The heel of Shikamaru’s boot, however, almost sent him into the air.

Dammit, how long had he been staring?? He flung his eyes away from hers…and landed on the nearest distraction: her assistant. Chojuro had peered out from behind Mei’s mane at some point during Kakashi’s prolonged gaping and was regarding him…curiously? …Suspiciously? Kakashi’s gaze jumped back to his jumble of meeting notes, his safest bet, he decided, as sweat began collecting beneath his gloves.

“Hmmm… You do seem tired, Hokage-sama…,” she murmured, thoughtful, trailing her violet nails down the curve of the porcelain, just beneath pink kiss of her lipstick.

She’d mistaken his unabashed awe…for sleep-deprivation. Was the blood draining from his face or rushing to it? He couldn’t tell anymore.

“Ah, I know what you need!” She slid the china towards him. “Please, try this. It’s my own blend, it might wake you up a bit.”

“Oh, I couldn’t!” he said a little too loudly, hands automatically waving away her kindness. He was as mortified, …yet she had just offered him her tea…. And it smelled quite good: herbal, soft citrus, subtle mint, …probably a good kick of caffeine.

“Please, I insist.” One set of nails tapped lightly against the teacup, the other ran through her hair, leaving her smirk barely visible. “…I think you need it more than I do.”

Rubbing his neck, Kakashi chuckled. “You may be right about that.” Shikamaru’s next kick somehow didn’t feel as sharp as the others. Still, it got the point across. “Yes, thank you, Mizukage-sama,” Kakashi quickly amended and extended his arm.

Mei’s manicured fingers gave the dish one last nudge, lingering two beats too long on the ceramic, just long enough to brush his hand as she withdrew.

Any genin could have avoided such a potentially awkward touch. Between two kage, however…

Kakashi tried to play it cool as he brought the tea to his lips, quickly slid down his mask, and took a long sip. It tasted just as he’d expected, like summer. He gave her an appreciative grin over the rim before replacing his mask.

Mei beamed back.  

There were many things Kakashi hated about becoming hokage. Still, there were a few undeniable upsides….

Hope you guys enjoyed! This was quick fic took a bit longer than I’d planned to actually finish and post due to a hand injury, so I apologize for the tardiness! 😉 Thanks @mrssakurahatake and @louwho13 for their help on titles and encouraging me to finish typing this one-handed. 😹💙

How PRIVATE YACHT fed their old songs to the equipment and acquired a great new cd|Ars Technica

The band YACHT, called for an unexplainable indication observed in Pdx around the turn of the century.

YACHT/ Google.com I/O 2019

PRIVATE YACHT's Claire Evans takes show business not to shake out, but to chat out the band's brand new album leveraging expert system as well as device discovering.

Google.com I/O 2019

Cd art for Chain Tripping. Listed here's the Spotify link.

The dancing thug band LUXURY YACHT has actually constantly felt like a relatively techy act due to the fact that debuting in the early 2000s. They notoriously tape-recorded crucial models of two earlier cds as well as made them offered for artists under an Imaginative Commons permit at the Free Popular Music Repository. Post-Snowden, they composed a track phoned "Party at the NSA" as well as donated proceeds to the EFF. One cd cover of their own can simply be actually accessed via facsimile in the beginning (sent with a Web application LUXURY YACHT created to ID the closest facsimile to groups of supporters; OfficeMax must've adored it). Performer Claire L. Evans practically created guide () on female trailblazers of the Internet.

When Evans revealed up at Google.com I/O this summer months, our company knew she wasn't just bring in an advertising look ala Drake or The Foo Fighters. In a talk labelled "Popular music and also Artificial Intelligence," Evans instead strolled an area loaded with creators via a quite cool available secret that waited for popular music supporters up until this weekend break: LUXURY YACHT had been actually spending the last three years composing a new cd referred to as(out yesterday, August 30). As well as the procedure took a moment because the band wished to do it along with what Evans got in touch with "a machine-learning generated composition method."

"I understand this isn't the technological means to reveal it, yet this allowed our company to find tunes hidden in between tracks from our back catalog," she stated during the course of her I/O talk. "Listed below's what the user-facing edge of the model appeared like when our company captured the cd last May-- it is actually a Colab Laptop, certainly not the example performers generally bring right into the workshop."

Enlarge / An examine YACHT's partner with MusicVAE Colab Notebook.YACHT/ Google.com I/O 2019 LUXURY YACHT had long possessed an enthusiasm in Artificial Intelligence and also its own

prospective request in music. The band tells Ars it had not been till lately, around 2016, that the principle of performing a total album using this approach appeared possible. While investigation companies had actually long been actually exploring along with AI or artificial intelligence and enabling personal computers to autonomously produce music, the end results experienced extra science venture than albums ideal for DFA Records (house to labelmates like Hot Potato chip or even Liquid Crystal Displays Soundsystem). Inevitably, a slow trickle of streamlined apps leveraging AI-- deal with swap apps felt massive around then; Snapchat as well as its powerful filters climbed to prominence-- finally offered the band the tip that right now might be the moment."Our company might be an incredibly techy band, yet none of us are actually programmers, "Evans says to Ars."Our experts often tend to come close to stuff coming from the outdoors appearing in as well as make an effort to

identify how to control and also bend over tools to our unusual particular reasons. AI felt like an almost inconceivable point, it was a great deal advanced than everything our experts had actually coped with ... As well as our company wished to use this to certainly not simply practically accomplish the goal of creating music-- so our company can easily claim, 'Hey an AI wrote this stand out tune'-- somewhat our team desired to use this specialist to produce LUXURY YACHT popular music, to make songs our company relate to and also we think originates from our team."Taking a Colab Laptop to a rock workshop Possessing the concept to utilize expert system to in some way create music was actually one point; performing it proved to become another thing completely. The band started by taking a look at every thing accessible:"Our company messed all around along with every little thing that was publicly readily available, some devices that were actually simply confidentially available-- our company chilly emailed each and every individual or even facility or provider teaming up with AI and creative thinking, "as LUXURY YACHT founder Jona Bechtolt puts it. But no singular existing service pretty used the mix of premium and ease of utilization the band had actually anticipated. Therefore, they determined to ultimately create out their personal unit through borrowing bits as well as items coming from across, leveraging their whole entire back directory in the process.One equipment newsworthy Appearing through the lining notes for "A ton of these popular music making devices immediately are actually made by designers that really love music, however they are actually created through designers,"Evans includes."So they frequent passion with the arithmetic by doing this that does not ultimately take into account that the audio outcome of these tools isn't objectively extremely remarkable. You can possess this amazing item of specialist that utilizes sophisticated ML methods to split the difference in between pair of different sounds, yet supposing the outcome seems like a fart?"Essentially, LUXURY YACHT created it benefit all of them by taking advantage of that, emergency room, fart-iness. ("The NSynth for us, our team presumed it drew initially,"Bechtolt acknowledges.)Rather than thinking of the NSynth as one thing that can duplicate or switch out a typical guitar or maybe synth within

an arrangement, the band accepted its strangeness as well as found even more results. Bechtolt notes songs has a long tradition of this particular sort of repurposing-- the 808 drum device didn't appear like true drums, yet its special audio inevitably gave rise to many brand-new genres. Though the band doesn't see the NSynth possessing that tradition."It's bad at what it is actually attempting to do; it's good at one thing it really did not laid out to perform-- that's what's appealing, "Evans includes."It appears rickety, reedy, lo-fi, and also sort of shitty, however in a manner that communicates to us as lo-fi, Do It Yourself performers. ""We understood we will must base whatever on some type of dataset, so beforehand

, our team believed,'Suppose our experts used our rear catalog?"Bechtolt states."Our team naively presumed it would certainly be actually one thing like Shazam, where our company might throw uncooked sound at a protocol. That isn't truly feasible ... "" Or, at the very least, not within the arena of our computer capacity,"Evans adds."So we needed to notate all our tracks in MIDI, which is a laborious procedure,"Bechtolt continues." Our team have 82 tracks in our rear directory, which is still not actually enough to qualify a total style, but it sufficed to work with the devices our experts possessed. "Keeping that MIDI records, Bechtolt as well as

long time partner(bass and also computer keyboards gamer)Rob Kieswetter began through identifying small portions-- a specific guitar riff, a voice tune, a drum norm, anywhere from 2 bars to 16 clubs-- that might be looped, incorporated, as well as essentially gone through the band's simplified AI and also ML version. The band relied heavily on Colab Notebooks in

a Web internet browser-- particularly, the MusicVAE design from Google.com's Magenta crew-- manually inputting the information and afterwards waiting (and hanging around )for a particle of outcome coming from this process. And that AI/ML-generated piece, of training program, was nothing at all greater than data, additional SKIRT information. Evans told I/O the band managed pairs of those loopholes through the Colab Note pad at various heat levels"loads, or even manies opportunities to create this large body system of ariose info"as source product for new tracks. From there certainly, it came to be the humans'turn."It still could not make a tune only through driving a button; it was not an effortless or enjoyable flow to work through, "Bechtolt mentions."So after 3 times, our team were like,'OK, I think we have enough stuff. 'By that aspect our experts possessed a couple of 1000 clips in between two-as well as 16-bars, and also our experts merely must contact it gives up eventually."" It had not been something where our team nourished one thing right into a version, hit print, and had songs," Evans includes.

"Our experts will must be entailed. There would certainly must be actually a human involved at every measure of the procedure to essentially create popular music ... The larger framework, verses, the relationship in between lyrics and also structure-- each of these various other factors are past the modern technology's ability, which is excellent."Providing picture through PRIVATE YACHT/ Google I/O 2019

This content was originally published here.

Review: Transistor by Supergiant Games (2014)

Genres/Tags: Apocalyptic, Cyberpunk, Science Fiction, Romance, Isometric, 2D, Action RPG, Turn-Based RPG, Great Soundtrack, Short, Silent Protagonist, Female Protagonist, Great Lore, Narrated, Great Art

Warning(s): Graphic depictions of suicide.

Playthrough Notes: Standard playthrough on PC. 

My Rating: 4.5 / 5 (Strongly Recommended)

My Summary:

In Transistor, you play Red, a famous singer whose voice has been stolen after an attack by The Camerata, a clandestine organization with mysterious motives. You are accompanied by the titular Transistor, a sword that appears to not only be sentient, but know Red personally. Over the course of the game, you explore the futuristic city of Cloudbank as a malevolent, machinelike force known as The Process consumes everything in its path. As the game progresses, you learn what ties these mysteries together— and ultimately, the fate of Cloudbank and its inhabitants.

I love you so much, Red. You know that, right?

Minor spoilers and full review under the cut. 

I quite enjoyed playing Transistor, and while my numerical score places it on equal footing with Bastion, I really think I enjoyed this one a little bit more. Could have been the premise, could have been the setting, it’s hard to say. It’s not a perfect game, but I still enjoyed it very much on a personal level. Like with my Bastion review (x), I’m going to discuss this game primarily on two fronts— gameplay and story. 

First of all, the gameplay for this one was more interesting (and challenging) than Bastion’s, despite it being a similar style of game. Both are isometric action RPGs which pit you against hordes of enemies, and require you to learn strategy to overcome certain situations. There are some key differences between the two, however. 

Using the power of The Transistor (the sword collected at the beginning of the game), you collect “Functions”, which are basically spells with various effects. You can equip four of them at a time. But to make things more complex, you can also equip them  as permanent passive effects or as power-ups to existing Functions. As such, the game is extremely customizable with lots of interesting ways to approach a given situation. 

Let’s take the “Jaunt()” Function as an example. As an Active function, it works as a straightforward dash to help you dodge enemies. Passive, it speeds up your Turn() recovery (more on that in a moment). And as an upgrade, it has various effects focused on speeding up active Functions. All the Functions you get in the game (16 total) behave this way, which I’m sure you can understand provides lots of options. 

One extra twist to the formula is the “Turn()” concept, which briefly transforms gameplay from an Action RPG into (sort of) a Turn-based Strategy RPG. On a short cooldown, Red and The Transistor can freeze time, during which you can move freely around the map and execute a certain number of Functions. Then, everything speeds back up as you execute the plan. It was a small addition, but for me it really spiced up the gameplay and made it unique. 

As for the level design, it was usually pretty linear. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but it might have been nice to have more bonus “hidden” areas in the game. There were some here and there, but for the most part it was pretty predictable where I’d go and what I’d do there. 

That’s pretty much it for pure gameplay. Like in Bastion, there’s a hub of sorts that you can visit, as well as various challenges to complete for bonus stuff. I felt more motivated to complete the challenges in this one, just because I found the combat much more fun. Unfortunately you cannot 100% the game without delving into a NG+, so I didn’t get to complete all of them. The boss fights were pretty cool and felt a step above the ones in Bastion, but there were only a handful of them.

Story and gameplay are inextricable in certain ways. For example, the Functions() mentioned above are all based on public figures in Cloudbank, and using them in various ways unlocks the backstory of each person. While text logs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, they usually don’t bother me if the content is interesting, so I didn’t really have a problem with this approach. For me it was an interesting way to encourage and discover different styles of gameplay, with the reward of more story for those curious about it. 

Story-wise, Transistor also has an undeniably bleaker tone than Bastion. Bastion is post-apocalyptic, but ultimately presents a hopeful narrative. Transistor is decidedly CURRENT-apocalyptic, which means you witness things as they collapse. It’s not an especially happy game, and it’s much darker than its predecessor, which is certainly worth knowing before diving in. 

Like in Bastion, the entire game is narrated by Logan Cunningham (again, a stellar performance), but the style is different. The Transistor, similar to Rucks in Bastion, narrates what you do as you do it. However, rather than a character telling the story as you play it, the narrator is a character directly involved in the action. The game utilizes this to build up the relationship between Red and The Transistor— and does so quite well despite one of the two being basically silent for most of the game. He’ll comment on what’s going on in the story, express surprise at something Red does, or wax poetic about their past relationship. There’s a lot of dialogue, but it all felt seamless with what I was doing in-game, which is impressive. 

And boy, was I not kidding about the Romance tag. I didn’t know what to expect when I booted up this game (I’d only seen some of the art), but a love story was not it. I was really impressed with how well said romance was written. Oftentimes video game romances seem super unrealistic to me (real people don’t talk like that!) with a few exceptions. To me, the romance between The Transistor and Red was remarkably well done, and integral to the game. How an 8-hour video game managed to create a compelling fictional relationship with only one of the two in a speaking role (and said speaking character basically being a sword), I have no idea, but it really worked for me and was a major, if unexpected, strong point of the game. 

Okay, so what about story content? This is actually kind of a gray area with Transistor, based on what I’ve seen. Some people really dig the story, but some decidedly do not. I think it really comes down to what style of presentation you personally look for in your stories. 

See, while the basics of Transistor’s story are straightforward, the game does not outright tell you many of the details. There’s a lot of things about the story, characters, and world that are left up to the player to figure out. For example, at no point in the game does a character sit down and directly explain what The Country (referenced by multiple characters) is; instead, you have to use context and figure it out on your own. That’s just one example; there’s quite a few details you need to read between the lines to pick up on. A lot of character motivation is hidden in the Function() biographies I mentioned earlier, and many would argue that this is not how character should be presented. 

Some people do not like this type of story, and that’s perfectly valid. There’s certainly some weaknesses to an approach like this; mainly, people will inevitably miss stuff. I researched people’s opinions on Transistor for this review, and many details that were addressed this way simply got missed. But I’ll just state for the record that I absolutely love stories with hidden details and meanings, and Transistor was no exception. There are some important things to acknowledge about Transistor’s story and why this approach makes sense. 

First, Transistor is above all a character-driven story. Yes, it takes place in a cool genre setting, but the focus of the story is Red and The Transistor, without a doubt. You know the Romance tag I referenced earlier? The relationship between these two characters is, in my opinion, the strongest part of the game’s story, and has the greatest emotional impact. Since the game focuses so much on these two characters and their motivations, why would either of them chew on the scenery with elaborate worldbuilding explanations? The villains’ motivations may matter to me as someone experiencing the story, but they don’t especially matter to the two leads, so why would we get info dumps directly in the narrative about them? That isn’t to say worldbuilding or character development is absent, just that you have to look for it, something not everyone is motivated to do, but I personally enjoy doing. 

You do also have to realize that Transistor is a short game; for me, it was just a little bit longer than Bastion. With Bastion, it made sense that there were elaborate explanations for the setting and characters… because the story was narrated by someone looking to tell a story above all else. Transistor is also narrated, but it’s by The Transistor itself as things happen. There’s a fundamental difference between the two, and it makes perfect sense that the focus is different. A short runtime provides less time to elaborate on every single thing, and that’s okay. 

All this being said, there were some moments that really should have been explained, because there were no context clues for them. Almost all of these appeared near the end, so I have to wonder if this was a time constraint or budgeting issue. A prime example is the final boss. Game-play wise, it was awesome. Story-wise, though? The explanation the game gives makes very little sense. A lot of “if we don’t do X, then Y will happen!” without any indication as to why Y would happen. In the grand scheme of things, these were minor details, but I’ll be the first to admit they were not presented in the best way, and it’s a bit disappointing to encounter something like that during the ending. 

There! I managed to discuss the story without actually spoiling anything. Good for me, I guess. But there are a few more things to discuss.

Like in my Bastion review, I would be super remiss to not mention two of the strongest points of this game— the music and artwork! Darren Korb once again gives us an excellent soundtrack with Transistor. He takes full advantage of Red’s singer backstory in this soundtrack, featuring beautiful vocal tracks performed by Ashley Barrett. My favorites were In Circles (x), We All Become (x), and Paper Boats (x). That isn’t to diminish the excellent instrumental tracks, such as Old Friends (x) and Heightmap (x), which are great atmospheric tracks that remind me of some of Akira Yamaoka’s music in the Silent Hill series. 

One thing I really liked with the game’s soundtrack was that, when you activate the Turn() function, the song phases into an eerie hummed version of the track, also performed by Ashley Barrett. I’ve seen games like Nier Automata feature a dynamic soundtrack in this vein, and can’t help but wonder if they were inspired by Transistor. Without getting into spoilers, these hummed tracks also imply some things about the story without outright stating them, which I find super neat. 

If the soundtrack is great, the artwork is superb. Jen Zee, the art director at Supergiant Games, goes all out. I mean, just look at the pictures in this review. There are lots of art stills used as the game’s cutscenes (Bastion did the same thing), and they’re all just gorgeous. Very stylistic yet personal. The watercolor-style level design once again shines in this title; exploring the world was always a rich and rewarding experience based purely on the eye candy of each level. Transistor is undeniably an indie game, but that doesn’t inhibit its visual punch or player experience in the least.  

It’s hard to review Transistor without comparing it to Bastion. Ultimately, my main criticism of Bastion was that I wanted to know more about the setting and characters. This one gave me a little more character, and a little less setting. I thought the combat was more fun in this one. Is one better than the other? Most people would probably say Bastion is better, but I personally enjoyed this one more. I guess it really does come down to opinion on this one. 

Either way, I had a great time with Transistor and look forward to when I replay it. I recommend it with the story caveat I mention earlier, because it’s probably not for everyone, and if you like things spelled out and conclusive, this may not be the most satisfying title for you. That wasn’t a problem for me, so I had a great time with it. Definitely give it a shot if you have the chance!

“So this card is damn good, eh?” UFC Fight Night From Brazil

Joey

Jan 27th, 2019

The first card for ESPN+ had a little bit of everything; there was a big title fight with two division relevance, a big clash between a rising LW contender and an old war horse, familiar faces, up and coming prospects and some good old fashioned low brow chaos for all to take in. This card is different across the board but that's not in a bad way. In the weirdest way, it's just a collection of really great fights up and down the marquee. You have a bantamweight #1 contender type clash as the headliner, Jose Aldo vs Renato Moicano as the co-main event in what should be a fuckin' great fight, potentially the last fight of Demian Maia's career and a collection of fights with prospects facing prospects, prospects facing proven UFC veterans and some good sleeper fights across weight classes like flyweight (both men and women) and lightweight. This card probably won't Ready to have some fun?

Fights: 13

Debuts: Sarah Frota, Talia Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Rogério Bontorin, Geraldo de Freitas, Felipe Colares

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Dmitry Sosnovskiy OUT, Jairzinho Rozenstruik IN vs Junior Albini)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 7  (Jose Aldo, Demian Maia, Raphael Assuncao, Marlon Moraes, Charles Oliveira, David Teymur, Thiago Santos)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (Demian Maia, Junior Albini)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Marlon Moraes, Raphael Assuncao, Renato Moicano, Charles Oliveira, David Teymur, Ricardo Ramos)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC):  23-10

Raphael Assuncao- 4-0 Marlon Moraes- 3-1 Jose Aldo- 1-2 Renato Moicano- 3-1 Demian Maia- 1-3 Lyman Good- 1-1 Charles Oliveira- 4-1 David Teymur- 3-0 Johnny Walker- 1-0 Justin Ledet- 1-1 Livia Souza- 1-0 Sarah Frota- 0-0

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Bantamweight- 2 (3) Featherweight- 2 (2) Welterweight- 2 (4) Lightweight- 1 (4) Middlewieght- 1 (1) Flyweight- 1 (3) Light Heavyweight- 1 (2) Heavyweight- 1 (2) Women's Strawweight- 1 (1) Women's Flyweight- 1 (3)

2019’s Records We Keepin Track Of:

Debuting Fighters (0-4): Sarah Frota, Talia Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Rogério Bontorin, Geraldo de Freitas, Felipe Colares, Anthony Hernandez

Short Notice Fighters (0-2):  Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Second Fight (2-1):  Said Nurmagomedov, Livia Souza, Johnny Walker

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (2-0): Magomed Bibulatov

Undefeated Fighters (1-2): Sarah Frota, Anthony Hernandez, Talia Santos, Felipe Colares

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization:

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (2-3):  Said Nurmagomedov

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- The biggest "pondering" I have is whether or not the result of Cejudo vs Dillashaw wrecked the relevance for our main event. To be 100% fair and on the nose, the winner of this fight had to face TJ Dillashaw for the title should he have beaten Cejudo. Even if Raphael is a drab fight on paper due to Dillashaw dominating the second fight, Raphael would've been beyond every other potential title contender by a sizable margin with little room for debate. If Moraes became the first guy since Dillashaw to beat Assuncao over the past like four years? I can't imagine there being an argument about him as the #1 contender either. Cejudo finishing Dillashaw forces everybody to sit back down and try to reconfigure what this fight really means. Now it's no longer in theory a #1 contender fight outright since you're probably getting a Dillashaw vs Cejudo rematch soon. How soon and what weight class (rematch at flyweight? Cejudo going for two?) puts the winner of this fight in a potential year long limbo (if Cejudo vs Dillashaw happens in July, chances are we're not seeing Moraes/Assuncao vs Cejudo/Dillashaw winner until 2019). What a weird stupid spot to be in.

2- It's weird that the co-main event is eerily similar while also being completely different if that makes any sort of sense at all. This is a #1 contender fight that may not be one and yet I'm pretty intrigued in the number of ways it can go. It's like a weird RL Stein Choose Your MMA Adventure Book:

Holloway stays at 145 lbs, Moicano wins so you get Moicano vs Holloway eventually.

Holloway goes up to 155 lbs, Moicano wins means you have no Holloway so do you do Moicano/Ortega 2 or Moicano/Volkanovski or does Frankie Edgar come into play?

Holloway stays at 145 lbs, Aldo wins so it's down to either Edgar getting a shot at Holloway despite losing to Aldo twice (aka the UFC 222 main event on paper) or you go with Holloway vs Volkanovski or you try to convince yourself that fans will want to see Holloway scrub Aldo a third time.

Holloway goes up to 155 lbs, Aldo wins means all sorts of chaos. Can't do Aldo vs Edgar III when Aldo won the first two fights so you might go with Volkanovski vs Aldo but at the same time does Aldo get a title shot if he wants to retire so do you just ignore Aldo/Moicano and go with Volkanosvki vs Ortega or Edgar vs Ortega 2 or does Yair get involved or so on so forth.

A lot of unique scenarios at play here.

3- The first Assuncao vs Moraes fight could be summed up as a better version of every big Assuncao fight. He neutralizes guys, does enough to win rounds, stifles their offensive gameplan and then leaves with a tight decision win. Moraes looked pretty nervous in his UFC debut, got dropped by Assuncao early and a late rally (in many ways punctuating a staring contest where the guy who did something gets the boost) wasn't enough. What changes has Moraes made to his game and can they be implemented against a bigger sturdier guy. For all of Assuncao's physical limitations (he looked like he was moving at Tim Boetsch speed vs TJ Dillashaw), his style works because of his size, how he implements his size/strength advantage and his ability to always get opponents to commit to fighting his style of fight. Assuncao beats you like the Patriots; he takes away whatever you deem to be your best path to victory and then asks you if you've got a good enough back up plan. Moraes didn't----so what's changing?

4- This is the first UFC card in quite some time that really seems 100% cool with loading up on Brazil vs Brazil fights without a short notice caveat (or a TUF finale). Your main and co-main events both have Brazil vs Brazil and outside of those two there are two other Brazil vs Brazil fights on the card. Wonder if that's just happenstance or the UFC is softening up on its stance of making these cards Brazil vs The World?

5- How ugly will rounds 2 and 3 of Good vs Maia be if it follows the usual Maia protocol?

6- Her debut went about as well as it could so color me intrigued in seeing Livia Souza again. This fight is a weird one though as rather than get a serious step up or some challenging middle of the road fighter who exists JUST for fights like these (looking at you, Randa Markos), she gets a DWCS debutante in Sarah Frota. There are some REAL Thiago Silva vibes from Sarah Frota from a fighter's perspective; the crazy tats, the menacing glare, the stalking with a heavy lead leg and the all power in every strike style she utilizes with extend-o arms to match. She's way too wild for Livia Souza in my estimation but if you watched Frota's Contender Series fight (as well as her SFL works), there's some danger here. It's a pretty compelling fight on paper.

7- The UFC rushing Johnny Walker into a fight with a guy who can strike really well but lacks any sort of power/wrestling game feels like the exact opposite of a set up fight. Ledet has boxed up heavyweights and while Walker's athleticism and versatility should lead him to the win, why put together a fight this dicey? Were there no OTHER clunky 205ers to find for the job?

8- Ricardo Ramos vs Said Nurmagomedov is a damn good fight but this feels like asking a lot of Said.

9- The UFC still wants Junior Albini to be a thing, huh?

10- Thiago Alves vs Max Griffin feels like a really weird fight to be excited about but alas I'm still with it. Griffin has developed pretty well in the UFC from the somewhat limited KO artist on the regional circuit. He's beaten Mike Perry, had success vs Curtis Millender in a losing effort and his fight with Elizeu Zaleski is one of those hidden gem sleeper classics. At this point in his career Thiago Alves is not the man who dominated the WW scene in 2009 and so forth but he's still got moments and glimpses of that guy. Griffin's improved everything but his striking defense as evidenced by him getting rocked in fights with Zaleski (multiple times), Millender and even a slim moment or two of trouble vs Mike Perry. This fight could be fun in a phone booth.

11- Kind of hidden on this card is Charles Oliveira vs David Teymur in a WHALE of a fight. Teymur came off of the failed TUF: Faber vs McGregor season where Artem Lobov and Ryan Hall were the two finalists. I think it's fair to say Teymur has eclipsed both of guys and in pretty short order. Wins over Drakkar Klose, Lando Vannata and Nik Lentz, all in fairly decisive fashion, have put Teymur in that weird breaking point spot other LWs have been before; he's good enough to be a top 10 guy but not flashy enough to get the fights necessary to creep into that mark. He's facing Charles Oliveira who is sort of the opposite of Teymur. Oliveira is a dynamic finisher with a slooowly developing middle game to get there whereas Teymur seemingly lacks the extra gear necessary to finish things against more competent opposition. This is fun stuff.

12- So does Lyman Good get RDA next if he wins?

Kingdom Hearts 3 impressions

So, uh, I will ONLY be talking about stuff up until the very start of the second World, and only AFTER the break. Kingdom Hearts 1 was an incredibly important and influential piece of media when I was growing up. I was writing fic based on Smash Bros. just before KH rolled onto the scene was like, “Yo, Disney and Final Fantasy, BAM, fuckin’ random? fucking RADDDD” and I was all about it. You had FF characters remixed with OCs remixed with Disney characters, and the villains were all crossing over to form the League of Bad Cartoons, it was a great time. And then Nomura realized his gamble was a win and decided to waste the next 15 years of everyone’s time shoving in every trope he liked, every IDEA that felt “cool” together into a mish mash of whatever the hell this “narrative” has become. Suffice it to say, I’ve got beef with Kingdom Hearts as a “story.” It just occurred to me today that a big part of this is thematic/tonal.

But it’s also VERY rare, maybe even unprecedented, for a piece of media like Kingdom Hearts 3 to come around. For years, then months, then weeks, then days, I told myself, “It’s not real, that game doesn’t exist, I won’t believe it until I’m literally playing it” and just could not be bothered to be hype or interested, if only because Nomura’s “vision”, from my perspective, warped something I admired in my youth into a fucking train wreck, leaving me very little to feel emotionally invested in outside of Aqua and by proxy the two lads she is trying to protect. (also I GUESS I’m slightly invested in Axel/Xion/Roxas.../Namine? for similar reasons now that I think about it?) Well, guess what? Kingdom Hearts VERY WELL might be real, and I very well might be about three hours into it. And for all of the beef I have with the plot, I am fucking relieved that those three hours have felt/sounded good, as a video game. NOW we’re gonna talk about the first World. --

When I first heard that Olympus was gonna be the first World in KH3 I was disappointed and BAFFLED. We’re visiting that place a THIRD time? And why THAT World? Turns out, there’s actually some substantial thematic relevance and that’s actually A-OK, not to mention that starting with a familiar world after ALL OF THIS TIME is not such a bad way to kick things off. First off, structurally, I actually really enjoyed the way this world played out. Two of my biggest problems with KH as a video game series have been that worlds feel like empty, vacant, haunted houses, and that said worlds are usually small and linear with a lot of pointless backtracking. Olympus fixes all of this. There are NPCs. Actual fucking PEOPLE in this world. Sure, they’re just people in danger, calling for help, but they’re THERE for once! And they have vocies! EVERY line of dialogue (except for like one “plot” moment) has actually been voiced so far! About time. Also. This World is not as linear as most KH Worlds. In fact, it help more open and dynamic than ANY World in any KH game so far, not to mention it featured three, THREE (wtf) unique and distinct types of settings. The city, the mountain, and Olympus. Nice. ALSO also. The music. We’ve been here before. We KNOW that Olympus theme from earlier games. And as you traverse the city, up the mountain, you hear this more sweeping, movie-like version, and it’s like “oh whoa nice” aaaaand then you get TO Olympus and it KICKS in, the old song, up to modern snuff. That was great. That was a thing that really helped convey “Kingdom Hearts is back, baby.” The World was big, compared to typical KH worlds. It had multiple nooks and crannies to explore, side-paths to go down, treasure to find hidden away. There is a LOT of verticality. Running up walls and seamlessly hopping over things in the environment makes traversal more enjoyable than it ever has been. Even though a lot of the World is technically a linear path it’s not structured like a path. Going off and exploring rewards you with items and the like, and the World is big enough to actually feel like you have places to poke around in. Having said this, WHY is there no...map? Like. You literally COLLECT Maps from Chests like you used to. But near as I can tell, there’s no way to pull up an actual MAP, to seer where the main path is, to see where the side paths are. It’s boggling. Maybe the game has the option hidden away somewhere but if so, that’s just silly. And if there’s just no actual map option at ALL that’s just...baffling. There were barely any load times for how much SPACE there was to navigate, and things looked very shiny and pretty, and ran at a smooth 60 fps MOST of the time. Tech specs aren’t everything, but when your brand is built on “looking pretty” it sure af helps when you bring scale AND a smooth framerate to match. It’s weird, and a bit jarring, sometimes in a good way, to see all of this stuff rendered in modern tech. Stuff looks...a little too plasticy a lot of the time, (which actually ought to pay off when we get to Toy Story?) but the environments so far feel rich and vast and detailed all at once in a way we just have never seen the series, because we’re basically jumping from PS2-level tech to PS4. So that difference in production is more noticeable for the wait -- I just wish things looked a bit more...I guess cel-shaded? Like the original trailer. Things (specifically, characters) look a little too flat/plasticy at times, for how pretty things are. Combat seems to be as flashy as ever and I’m sure I’ll feel differently as I get further in and unlock more options but it’s still too easy, simple, and mashy for my tastes. I am HOPING we get more moments that require quick reflexes and specific tactics like the harder moments of older KH games. The amusement rides mechanic is...weird. It’s given NO context in universe. And they last a little too long/feel too overpowered for how easy they are to utilize. Similarly, there are frequently seemingly random party-member tag-team attacks that...just seem like “press triangle to win” moves. I wish they entailed more interaction, and/or felt less common/random. I like the IDEA of these kinds of moves, especially ones that change your controls/method of attack for a few seconds (like Hercules’ team attack) but the execution makes them feel too cheap and easy to abuse, with combat that’s ALREADY skewing on the “too easy” side for the genre. I like the “form change” for keyblades, and that you can swap keyblades in the middle of a fight. Really hoping this allows for some good tactical stuff later -- buuuuut that would also require the game to ASK OF ME to do more than “mash X,” which KH as a brand typically does not do... Characters SPEAK in reaction to gameplay moments, when you initiate things in the environment, etc. It’s a nice touch that makes them feel more like characters in an RPG. Donald and Goofy are ALWAYS in the party, alongside the Disney member(s). NICE. Maybe KH3 is putting its best foot forward, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Olympus. It single-handedly corrected MOST of the issues I’ve ever had with Kingdom Hearts level design. I only hope the momentum keeps going. Moving on, Gummi Ships. What little I played is easily the best they have every been. I love having an open world with optional places/fights to explore, while still giving me those shmup-like bursts of action. The Gummi Phone seems like a fun mechanic, and taking selfies/photos makes SENSE for this game because of how visually detailed it is -- but the pleasant surprise was how I took selfies with Donald and Goofy and they REACTED to it, starting to pose and commenting on it. On the other hand, the loading screen being nonsensical “social media” posts from KH characters...I don’t like it thanks go away. x’D I’ve spent only a few minutes in Twilight Town and INSTANTLY I am so much more enamored than I ever was in previous games. Not just due to the bump up in visual fidelity, but also because -- GASP -- NPCs??? Are you trying to tell me this is an actual TOWN that people LIVE IN?? Holy shit, Kingdom Hearts, I never knew! For all of this stuff I liked, though, KH3 is still...a KH game. Which means after you get through the intro, after you gear up to land in Olympus, the game flashes the title: “Kingdom Hearts II.9″ ...no. Just no. Fuck. Stop doing this shit. Whenever an Organization 13 member (or EX member) shows up and starts speaking all cocky in riddles like the flamboyant anime jackass they are, whenever Mickey starts dead-ass blathering about weird nonsense whenever the plot HAS to acknowledge “oh right Sora golly gawrsh ya FURRGOT this random bullshit a-FYUCK better shove this expository throwaway dialogue right in here before we go n’ furrget again!” whenever Kairi continues to be irrelevant and invisible after ALL THIS TIME whenever Rikku has to say some obligatory thing about his darkness or his copy of himself or Ansem or whatever whenever the plot informs Sorta/Dornold/Goffy about another convoluted ridiculous THING that we already know about and they MAYBE already know about because it is OBLIGATED to because this game’s entire purpose has become to “wrap things up already Nomura” I am reminded of the freshly opened scar on my heart from how much SHIT this series has dragged itself through for...what? Nothing worth all of this, IMO. Thankfully, these moments feel less and less pressing in KH3′s opening hours than they certainly could be, though I’m sure the closing hours of the game -- once they’ve tidily gotten all of that silly, inconsequential DISNEY CONTENT out of the way (even though that’s the BULK of the game environments and HALF of the series’ identity/purpose) -- those closing hours will surely be packed to the gills with all of this crazy crap. Maybe by then I might finally care enough to finally get the catharsis I’ve waited over a decade for. I dunno. I’m just relieved the game looks, plays, sounds, and feels as good as it does so far. EDIT: almost forgot to mention this since it hasn’t actually come up yet BUT I picked up a BUNCH of “ingredients”??? Like. FOR COOKING??? Which is one of my all-time favorite mechanics in a video game?? (thanks Paper Mario) So I’m at LEAST excited to see what THAT is all about.

The Hunt Chapter 3

Story Summary:  Its been thirteen years since Mabel helped Dipper defeat Bill. And five years since she last step foot in Gravity Falls or even seen her twin brother. Desperate for information and help, Mabel returns to Gravity Falls in hopes of finding her Grunkle Ford but instead, she finds Wendy Corduroy, the new sheriff of the strange town. Why did Mabel leave? What is Wendy hiding?

Chapter Title: Meeting Old Friends

Pairing: Mabel X Wendy

Coffee?

This morning, the sun didn’t try to stab at Mabel’s eyes as she awoke. She stretched as far as she could, her feet and hands bumping against the couch’s armrests. Mabel sat up and rubbed the remainder of sleep from her eyes. A bed would have been more comfortable but she couldn’t really complain. She slept in far worse places in her travels, many times fearing that she wouldn’t open her eyes again. Mabel looked at the clock hanging above the television set. 4:24 AM. She doubted Wendy was up by then and began her daily exercises. She went through her fifty situps and twenty pushups before leaving the house to jog for an hour. It wasn’t enough to build up too much muscle but it was suitable to make sure she stayed limber and strong. When she reentered the house, Mabel could hear movement from the other side of a closed door and assumed Wendy was up and about. She went into the house’s one bathroom and noticed the tub was wet from a recent shower. She got in the tub and took a relatively quick shower, she would have loved to take a nice long one but apparently Wendy loved hot water as there was very little left for Mabel.

Mabel was shivering by the time she got dressed and went into the kitchen. Wendy was there, sipping a cup of coffee, smiling apologetically when she saw Mabel’s cold state. “Sorry about that.” Wendy offered a cup of fresh coffee as a gift of peace. The younger woman accepted it with a scowl but as the liquid warmed her, she found herself becoming happier, despite of the plans she had for the day.  Mabel finished the cup and set it in the sink. “I’m going out for a bit. Do you want anything while I’m gone?” The younger woman felt a little weird sleeping on Wendy’s couch and using her utilities rent-free. She could at the very least pick up some candy or soda for the sheriff.

Wendy drank the rest of her coffee and looked at Mabel. “Cool, I got the day off too so I’ll tag along.” She spoke with an expression that said she wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. She was worried about Mabel and she wanted to make sure she was staying safe. A part of her, although she would deny it if someone asked her about it, was worried that Mabel might go after the magical creatures residing in the forests.

“Okay,” Mabel said, not putting up any resistance. She guessed that Wendy would want to come as well and figured that she would save the older woman the hassle of trailing her if she said no. At least, that’s what she would have done if she was in Wendy’s shoes. Mabel knew that the sheriff was perhaps a bit suspicious of Mabel’s feelings to the magical creatures of Gravity Falls after reading her journal. She fingered the hilt of her knife as she led the way to Wendy’s cop car. She got in the passenger seat and watched as Wendy called in sick. “Playing hookie? That’s illegal, Sheriff Corduroy,” Mabel teased.

“It’s only illegal if I get caught,” Wendy retorted, smirking as she pulled out of her driveway. “Besides, I’m the boss. Who’s gonna arrest me? Robbie?”

Mabel sat up straighter in her seat in shock. “Wait! Robbie’s a cop too?”

Wendy laughed and nodded. “Yep! He’s actually deputy now.” She glanced at Mabel and smiled at the expression of surprise still on her face. “He’s more of a pencil pusher though so don’t expect him to pull you over for speeding.” Wendy turned a right to go on the street that went through the forest. Soon, the smooth pavement became a dirt road and Wendy was careful that she didn’t push the car too much. She pulled over on the side of the road and made sure to grab a flashlight and a map in case they got lost but she wasn’t really worried about that possibility. She spent all her life in these woods and knew them like the back of her hand. “It’s about an half-hour walk to the statue,” Wendy informed Mabel. The older Pines twin simply nodded with a serious face. Wendy realized with a plummeting stomach that the old, playful Mabel was gone and deadly, hunter Mabel took her place.

The two walked in silence for most of the time. Wendy attempted to spark some conversation on how the magical creatures were faring but Mabel was too focused on scanning their surroundings, her eyes never staying on one place for long. Wendy sighed and stared straight ahead. There was nothing in these woods that would dare mess with them.

Wendy could tell they were getting close to Bill’s statue by the amount of noise. There was none. No squirrels rustling the leaves in the above canopies, no birds singing their songs, no random animal scurrying about the underbrush. There was simply their feet snapping dry twigs or disturbing the fallen leaves. “I don’t like this,” Wendy muttered, wishing she had brought along her axe. It wouldn’t be able to do much against the supernatural beings of Gravity Falls, much less Bill, but it would have comforted her.

The younger woman knew they were nearing the statue by her aches. Each scar that had come from her hunts burned with a higher intensity as the two walked through the woods. Her leg felt as if there were maggots feasting on her flesh and digging their way to the bone. She had cleaned the wound after her hangover a few days before but it felt like she did nothing to stop the maggots. Mabel grit her teeth and bared it as much as she could, regretting letting Wendy come with her. If she was alone, she could have rested but now she didn’t have that luxury. Maybe if they came across a creek, Mabel could use the excuse of getting water to halt their progress.

“There,” Mabel sighed, spotting the stone statue of the being that almost destroyed their universe. Her body was aflame from her old wounds, like the creatures were still attacking her. She grimaced at the dead grass encompassing Bill’s statue. It formed a perfect circle and Mabel half-expected it to be in the shape of a triangle. There was a skeleton of a small rodent, a mouse perhaps. From the looks of it, the poor creature only set the tiniest claw into the circle’s circumference. Mabel pointed it out to Wendy and the sheriff nodded in understanding. “Let’s get this over with,” the hunter said, pulling out the dagger she had held to Wendy’s throat just days prior.

Wendy gulped at the sight of the weapon, remembering the cool kiss it gave her. She could focus on it better now that it wasn’t threatening her life and noticed some runes carved into the steel. “What are those?”

Mabel glanced down at the markings with something of a bored expression. “These are symbols from different ancient civilizations.” She tapped the one closest to the hilt. “This is Nazar, or the Evil Eye, and like the others, it helps detect evil.” Mabel pointed the tip of the dagger to the statue. “The hotter this dagger feels, the more evil a creature is.” She carefully took a step forward and licking her lips, thrust the dagger into the circumference of the circle. Immediately, blue flame sprouted out of the steel and Mabel snatched it back towards her. The fire went out as soon as it was out of Bill’s range and Mabel laughed nervously. “That was close!”

“Um, yeah,” Wendy didn’t know what to make of the blue flames. The blade was glowing red from the fire and she didn’t want to know how Mabel was able to still hold it so casually. “Is, uh, that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“A good thing, ” Mabel answered, kneeling down to stab the knife into the soil. Tendrils of steam rose from the dagger as the damp soil cooled the blade. “A very good thing. The fact that it had such a violent reaction means that Bill is still trapped in the stone.” Mabel tugged the dagger from the ground and inspected the steel. It was cool enough to slip into the holster without it melting the leather.

“Is that all for today?” They hadn’t really done much but Wendy was more than willing to head back to the house to relax. Just being in the same vicinity as Bill, statue form or not, was enough to set her on edge. Wendy kept glancing back to the stone statue as if it would come alive at any moment. When she received no immediate answer, the sheriff felt dread. “What is it?”

“I want to visit Gideon,” Mabel admitted. “If Grunkle Ford isn’t here then he’s the next best thing.” She could tell that from the silence that she had stunned Wendy. She started to walk away from the site with Wendy following. With each step she could feel the pain leaving her body, except for the leg. Mabel would have to change the bandages soon again and her gut tightened uneasily at the prospect. “Do you know where he lives now?”

Wendy nodded, turning her head to give the Bill statue one last look before a tree obscured her view. “Yeah, but we’ll find him at that car dealership now. He became a partner in his father’s business and made a name for himself. Even people out of town come to see him and not for that psychic bullshit.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t demand full ownership,” Mabel laughed to hide the groan of pain. The foot of her injured leg hit against a hidden root and the jolt sent a wave of pain up her limb. She saw Gideon grow into a respectable man before she stopped coming to Gravity Falls but she knew that a lot can happen in five years. She’s a prime example.

The two exited the woods and got into the sheriff’s car. They drove to the once-shoddy dealership in good time. Mabel took the opportunity to massage her injured leg as discreetly as possible. It was getting a lot worse now, probably needing a visit to the hospital but she couldn’t afford it in time or money. Hunting wasn’t really profitable but at least the families tend to let her crash at their places while she took care of the monster tormenting them.

Mabel almost gasped at the sight of the cars lining the Gleeful’s car lot. She remembered them all being busted up and rusted but now their exteriors shined from care without a single scratch on it. There was even a sign on the windshields informing the customer of the possibility to test drive the car, something Bud Gleeful would have been too nervous to try before on the account that most of the cars he tried to sell were horrific. The two women exited their vehicle and Wendy led Mabel to the office when they couldn’t spot Gideon’s white hair in the crowd gushing over a mercedes. Wendy didn’t bother knocking before turning the knob and walking inside.

At the only desk in the building sat Gideon. He was typing away on a computer, the very action seeming strange to Mabel, but swiveled around when he heard the little bell at the door  ding. “How may I he- Mabel!?” Gideon jumped out of his chair, a large smile springing on his face at the sight of the older Pines twin.

The woman in question could only stare at the young man. He had changed in the last five years. He still wore the blue suit but now filled it out with more muscle instead of fat, however there was a little pudge at his stomach. Gideon sported a well kept goatee that was the same snowy white as his hair. He strutted up to Mabel, having caught her eyes looking him over, and held out his hand. Mabel took it but instead of a handshake like she expected, Gideon raised her hand to give it a quick kiss. “I never thought I would see such a beautiful woman again,” he said charmingly as he let go of Mabel’s hand.

Mabel could only blush and coughed into the hand that Gideon didn’t kiss. She thought he would have gotten over her in her absence but it seems that he didn’t. Gideon was still after her heart when she came back for her second summer and all the rest after that but instead of being really pushy and creepy, it was more of that puppylove Dipper had for Wendy. At times it was actually cute opening the door out of the shack and seeing a bouquet of flowers with a card asking how she was. “If you want to see a beautiful woman, all you have to do is look to my left.” Mabel gestured towards Wendy as if she was presenting her at an art gallery.

Now Wendy felt her cheeks start to become warm but she didn’t really understand why. Mabel just wanted Gideon’s attention off of her, that’s all. Gideon gave her a friendly grin but not with as much charisma as he showed Mabel. “Can I help you two with something?” he asked, looking at Mabel. If Wendy needed something, she would have called him or demanded that he come to the police station. Gideon was sure that it was Mabel who wanted his expertise, or at least he sincerely hoped so.

“Yes,” Mabel nodded, taking out her journal. “How much do you remember of Grunkle Ford’s journal?”

At the words, the cheerful expression melted to hesitation and a bit of fear but Gideon was quick to put on a mask of confidence for Mabel. “I must admit I’m a bit, erm, tentative to recall those chapters of my life shall we say. With all those attempts of stealing your Mystery Shack, attacking your brother, dealing with Bill, and, uh,” Gideon blushed with shame and embarrassment, “the other unpleasantries.”

“Like holding me prisoner in that insanity bubble so I would be your queen?” Mabel asked. When Gideon looked down at the floor, she was reminded of a hurt puppy and felt absurd guilt pierce her. He had turned over a new leaf but that didn’t erase all the bad things Gideon had done in the past.

Gideon brushed back his hair and grabbed his collar. From the years she known the man Mabel learned that his actions were a nervous tick, like Soos’s nervous talking. “But if truth be told, I remember everything from that journal. I have a photographic memory, you see.” He glanced at the closed door and leaned closer to Mabel, holding up one hand as if to shield the words from Wendy and jerking his thumb to the door. “Since its about those journals, I have to ask. Is the, er, other one outside?”

“No,” came the swift answer from both Wendy and Mabel. The older Pines twin pulled out her journal to show Gideon. “Dipper doesn’t know I’m here and I wish to keep it that way. The summer I didn’t come back was when I started to travel the world, finding my own Gravity Falls.” The joke made Wendy frown but Gideon didn’t know why.  

For his part, Gideon didn’t question Mabel’s motives, figuring that they must be good ones. Anything paranormal would bring Dipper running like a dog to a big, juicy steak. “As you wish, my lady. Besides, it’s so much more peaceful around these parts without him trying to poke his nose into my business, seeing if I’m still evil and whatnot,” he laughed like it didn’t bother him. He held out his hand and Mabel put her journal into it. Gideon opened it at the beginning, his eyebrows immediately furrowing as he read of her first hunt for a poltergeist. He read the pages of her first hunt quickly but skimmed through the other entries, his face paling to the color of his hair and beard. “I never even heard of some of these abominations!” he exclaimed, now only reading the dates of the entries and what Mabel was hunting at that time. Wendy really didn’t like how even Gideon didn’t know the creatures which meant that Ford, whose journal taught Gideon everything he knew about the supernatural, didn’t either. “The dates,” he whispered, going back some entries to confirm his suspicions, “they’re becoming more frequent.”

“Don’t look too much into that,” Mabel chimed. “I think I’m getting better at finding them, not that there numbers are actually increasing.”

Gideon nodded on instinct and finally landed on the last entry. If he looked scared before now he was absolutely petrified. His eyes went as wide as they could and the book almost fell out of his trembling hands. “The wendigo escaped,” he read aloud. Gideon stared at Mabel desperately, like he wanted her to say that this was all a big joke. “You let a wendigo escape!?”

“Whoa whoa,” Wendy called out, snatching the journal from Gideon’s quaking hands. “Wendigos are a thing?”  

“Yes,” Gideon’s voice was a trembling mess. He didn’t take his eyes off Mabel as he pointed an accusing finger at her. “Why would you go after such a thing? They are one of the most dangerous creatures in this dimension! Even your great uncle warned never to cross paths with one.”

“I know,” Mabel gritted out through clenched teeth. It wasn’t that she was truly mad at either of them, just saying the creature’s identity made her leg burn. She looked at Wendy who was still reading her journal but continually glanced up to look at her. “I lost its trail a few weeks ago and I wanted to see if Grunkle Ford had any idea how to track it down.” Mabel met Gideon’s eyes and talked before he could voice his objections. “I was able to corner it but it fled before I could kill it.” Her eyes narrowed as she recalled that day. “It got my leg pretty bad and I had to stay in a local hospital for three months before I could try and track it again. I found it’s trail but it led to a dead end.”

“Then it's probably dead!” From what Wendy read, she prayed that was the case but both pairs of doubtful eyes ruined that hope. “Even if it isn’t, why would you want to find that thing?” It might have been selfish, if that creature was still alive it was still killing, but Wendy didn’t want Mabel facing that thing again.

“It has her scent,” Gideon answered with a grave voice.

Mabel smiled at them sadly. “I don’t know if it's playing with me or not but I don’t want to wait and find out. That area has had twenty three fatal grizzly maulings in the past three decades even though no one has even sighted a grizzly in the surrounding area. There’s also numerous missing persons that all seem to be concentrated in that one area.” She gestured to the journal where she had written all that down. “It is probably responsible for a hundred more deaths.” Mabel gently pried the journal from Wendy’s stiff fingers and put it back in its pocket.

Gideon played with his tassel, tightening it and then loosening it a moment later. “If I remember something, I’ll be sure to tell you.” He looked crestfallen as he said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t offer more of my assistance on the matter.”

“It’s okay, Gideon,” Mabel reassured him. “Honestly, I didn’t believe that there would be much if anything on wendigos in Grunkle Ford’s journals. If there was, then the magical creatures would know and would have left Gravity Falls a very long time ago.” The words did comfort Gideon a bit and he grinned up at Mabel.

“Well, if you need a new car don’t forget to call us. I’ll cut you a good deal.”

The two women left the building and headed to the parked car. This time, Mabel couldn’t suck up the pain and ended up limping when she got halfway to the car. She slumped into her seat and met Wendy’s worried eyes. Sighing, she rubbed her leg to try to massage some of the pain away. “I know, I know. I should have told you.”

Despite her concern for the younger woman, Wendy made a grunt of agreement. “Damn right you should have. This is big, Mabel.” She chewed her bottom lip before venturing out in dangerous territory. “You don’t want to call Dipper, right?” Mabel nodded, wondering where Wendy was going with this. “Then you can’t keep stuff like this from me, especially if you’re living in my house.” Wendy raised her hand when Mabel opened her mouth. “And no, I’m not going to let you sleep in that shitty motel so you just have to deal with telling me the truth.”

Mabel rolled her eyes and patted her injured leg. “First off, sorry for not telling you. I’ll make sure to let you in on what’s happening, as long as you don’t get too involved. This is my fuckup, not yours.” Mabel winced and groaned, sagging against the seat. “Second, I was going to ask if you knew how to change bandages.” She smiled through the pain at Wendy. “It feels like that thing is still slicing into my leg.”

Devlog 2018/06

We made it to 1000 follows! Yay! After a huge dip in traffic because of my own stupid format changes without checking how they were actually appearing on the site, things got back on track, and we made those last 100 at a comfortable pace. I'm so happy and so proud to have you all come aboard.

I hope to keep upping the ante on what you can find here and I've been working my hardest to get exactly that ready. Which is what this post is about. Big progress update! There's plenty teasing on what I've been working on and some announcements of things already in store! I'm super nervous and excite about all this. I hope you like

Growth Report

New

1000 followers! *Fanfare doots*

OBS.Presence - I can now project myself via OBS. Making live streams possible

Gimp.Presence

LayerLFO script - This is the script I used in order to automatically render the Valentines #26 episode of Normal Comic using 3 source layers

Transparency art script - Quite excited to have finished this one. A lot cooler than my first script. It wouldn't be too hard to adapt it to work for animations. Keep a careful eye open for examples of this one hidden away in upcoming episodes of Normal Comic

Presence.Audio

Presence.Audio.Voice

Presence.Avatar prototype

Presence.Ghost prototype

Coming Up

LayerLFO python script release - I've got to clean it up a bunch but then I'll release the script

Some study music

Normal Comic

New

Numerous quality improvements - Still not entirely happy with the font/text work, but after having tried a ton of alternatives this is probably going to stand as is until I can find the time to roll my own. I’ve tried to optimize a balance between accessibility and non-intrusiveness. Keeping things sleek and tight, whilst also enjoyable through a diverse interface. If you’re somebody with an opinion on the matter, no matter your walk of life, I’d love to know what you think of the current format. I try pretty hard to make the comic fun as text and not just graphic and I’d love to know if I’m hitting the mark or if there’s improvements I can make!

Weekly episodes! - Starting nooowww! Yep yep. It's been a long time getting ready for this but Normal Comic is moving to a weekly slot, as of the very next episode. There won't be an episode this week, and then weekly eps will begin in their now regular slot, Tuesday 12th @1pm. I'll make a separate post so this one is easier to see

Coming Up

All new sets!

v0.1 Arc stream

Necromancer

A Little About Necromancer. What is all this Necromancer business I've been teasing about any way?

The Necromancer Framework is a modular set of libraries designed at game developers and myself in support of long term, deep mechanic simulation spaces. This includes my own games, primarily among them Necromancer, a sci-fi cityscape simulator

This iteration transformed the codebase from a small collection of independent modules into a full featured modular game engine. Over time, I hope that this broader implementation style might evolve into a high level, trope based augmentation to existing developer environments. For now, new libraries have been added that cover a wide range of the boilerplate area and work is underway on the model modules that are at the heart of my prototypes for the coming iteration

New In This Iteration

Aether - Contains thread control tools. Schedulers, thread safety shields, multi-threading, timing

Permanence - File, data model definition and management

Apotheosis - Input, command line, UI, API

Focus - Utilities, generics, etc

I don't think I'm going to be releasing these for free use just yet. While that is my eventual intent, I don't think it makes the best sense at this time. Given that these libraries cover a lot of boilerplate ground that is more foundational than innovative. I don't think it'll offer much to other developers at this point and I'm thinking to wait for some of the more interesting things I have planned. I'll reconsider this at the tail of the next iteration. There are a few cool thing in each of these that I might talk about at a later date

Next Iteration

Lair - A module for sequential management models. Generic tools for running sequences, complex scripts, branching paths. Higher level implementation of level-by-level world management and a script executor for flow control

Altar - A module for volumetric world management

Ziggurat - Tools for making chains of synthesis and modulation and other common tasks in procedural generation. A version for this already exists so the work on it is mostly wrangling it into line with the new libraries. I'm hoping to use this iteration to add to the available generators. Whatever my current game prototypes require with stretch to a starter selection of noise machines and graph builders

Prototypes - Including two games based on Lair, and Necromancer which has Altar and Ziggurat at the heart of its world management

Couch Multiplayer Arena Brawl Game

Eccentric Tamagotchi Pet Toy Game

Necromancer

For some screencaps of the early models I've been prepping together for these, check the end of the post!

Stretch Goals

Anima - A script engine host asset. This is another that already exists and just needs pulling into line with all the new stuff. A big part at this point would be adding a graphical component I have in mind, somewhat inspired by Scratch and numerous hacker mini-games

Marionette - Inspired by games like Dwarf Fortress and Spore. If I can't get this library in this next iteration, it'll definitely be in the one after. It is a fully extensible body structuring model. Full support for covering and containing behaviors

Cat Simulator Project Prototype

Phew

That was a lot

Thank you again, so much, for tuning in!

-Normal

Ppc Linux For Mac

Straight Installation vs. While there are some computers that come with Linux Mint. Debian GNU/Linux PowerPC PowerMac Page. Here are some highlights of the PowerMac installation of Debian. To dual boot your Debian PowerMac system with Mac OS and/or Mac OS X. If you are planning on doing a new installation of Mac OS X, though, do it before installing Debian. The Mac OS X installer is very unkind to existing systems when it. MintPPC - Fast and slick Linux for PPC computers. Ever considered Linux as an alternative to your aging OS X version? In this video, we will take a look at installing Linux Mint on a PowerBook G4. Distros that run on the PowerPC architecture.

Puppy Linux Ppc

Linux For Mac G5 Ppc

Linux On Powerpc Mac

Ppc Linux For Mac Operating System

Linux For Mac Ppc G4

Linux For G5 Mac Ppc

This is an interview to Casey Cullen, the guy that created Fienix, the Linux distribution specifically meant for the PowerPC platform and freely available at https://fienixppc.blogspot.com/

Hi Casey! Thank you for accepting this interview, the first one we do for the Power Progress Community blog.

1) Please, briefly introduce yourself and how and when you started to be involved with the PowerPC platform.

Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to the community. One of my first computers was a Power Mac, and I remember thinking the little “PowerPC” badge was pretty cool, even before I really knew what it meant. For quite a while I was an Apple fan, my next computer was an iMac G3 SE, and then a Power Mac G5 970MP machine, which I was quite proud of. I still have that machine, and it currently runs the Fienix repository. After Apple stopped providing updates for the G5, which was still a fast and capable machine, I started experimenting with Linux. I learned so much getting Linux running on my G5, and really enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that came with getting a stable environment set up, all the customizations I could do, and the limitations that I could break; for example, using a non-Apple Radeon video card.

My interest in PowerPC architecture has continued to today for different reasons. I don’t believe it is a good thing for the entire consumer market to be dependent upon one CPU architecture. Intel’s Management Engine and AMD’s Secure Technology have raised serious privacy and security concerns, and several vulnerabilities have been found in both systems. The PowerPC architecture is an ideal alternative as a high-performance, proven, and mature platform. Additionally, I think the idea of “open hardware” is exciting, and major PowerPC vendors like NXP/Freescale and IBM seem to be on-board with the idea.

Besides PowerPC, open-source, and Linux, I enjoy video games and I think video game level design is really interesting. Maybe this will be my next project.

2) Do you own any PowerPC based computers? What do you use it for?

I have an A-EON X5000 (based on the NXP P5020 2 Ghz CPU, e5500 core, book3e) running Fienix, which has taken over as my everyday machine. I also still have my Power Mac G5, which is currently what runs the Fienix repository. I also think I might have an iBook G4 around here someplace…

3) When did you first hear about the Power Progress Community?

I came across and started following the PowerPC Notebook Project in February, 2016. I don’t remember how I heard of the project though; I read about it somewhere online.

4) What do you think about the PowerPC laptop project and the donation campaign? Regarding our notebook project, as you probably know, we will release it as open source. What do you think about open source hardware?

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I think it’s amazing! Manufacturers today act as if they are only renting out their hardware; they retain far too much control. They try to run secret hidden processes that the hardware owner cannot disable, they mandate updates the hardware owner cannot opt out of, require online connectivity, and prevent the hardware owner from repairing their own hardware by using “security” chips, and even dictate what OS can be installed and what software can be run. These are all significant problems, and open-source hardware is an exciting solution.

5) When and why did you first have the idea of building your own Linux distribution? Fienix is an interesting name. Where did it come from?

I got the idea to create a new Linux distribution after Ubuntu announced that PowerPC support would be discontinued after 16.04 LTS. I started working on the distro in late 2017, before it had a name. I wanted to think of a name that would be memorable, original, and carry some imagery of renewed strength or recovery.

Fienix was almost going to be named “Rally OS”. I even still have the assets like the Rally OS logo and branded backgrounds. I think the definition of rally is perfectly fitting; “to recover or cause to recover in health, spirits, or poise”. I just wasn’t quite happy with how it sounded, so I started thinking of alternatives.

I liked the word Phoenix and the imagery associated with it, of a mythological firebird symbolizing renewal. However, it isn’t a very original term, so I started looking for what other cultures call the Phoenix. Most of these are just variations on the spelling, like “feniks” in Dutch, Polish, and Romanian, “feeniks” in Finnish, and “fönix” in Icelandic. So I decided that I would make up an original spelling that I thought looked the most aesthetically pleasing, which ended up being “Fienix”.

6) Why did you create Fienix, when there is Debian for PowerPC already?

I know you’ll love them as much as I did. I was too!This mod changes the way water, light, fire, and interactions with other natural objects work in the game, to make everything look better and modernize San Andreas a tad more.You will notice how many of the mods on my list are related to the graphics of the game, and that’s to be expected.San Andreas is super old and many people don’t play it mainly because of its outdated graphics.Some modders have come to create some fantastic graphical changes to the game, and I want to share them with you. Gta san andreas play. Ghost Rider ModAre you tired of associating an amazing character like Ghost Rider with Nicolas Cage?Trust me, me too.Something had to be done about it, and this is the mod to completely wash your Caged Ghost Rider image by turning CJ into the popular Marvel anti-hero.Ride the streets of San Andreas and wreak havoc among them with the outfit and powers of the mighty Ghost Rider.You will be able to see the flames on the skull as well as in the tires of your mighty ride.

Debian is absolutely great, and their contributions to open-source software are innumerable and significant. However, Debian’s focus is very broad; everything from a desktop computer to an enterprise server, to a system running complex scientific calculations are in-scope for Debian. Fienix is specifically focused on desktop/workstation/notebook use cases and emphases user-experience.

Debian provides a basic, somewhat lackluster user experience upon booting into a fresh install. Testing and installing additional utilities, making customizations, and editing scripts is required for an attractive, user-focused, responsive system. Fienix is focused on providing a stable, elegant operating system with a responsive, thoughtful desktop right out of the gate.

Debian maintains a vast repository with software for everything from operating amateur radio stations, to recombining genome sequences, to running interactive web servers. Unfortunately it is not uncommon to come across a PowerPC binary that will not execute. Fienix is focused on providing a more curated assortment of software that is still diverse and exciting, but which is also reliable on PowerPC systems and useful for desktop/workstation/notebook users.

Fienix includes many programs that Debian does not. For example, Fienix includes the Arctic Fox web browser, which is hands-down the best browser for everyday use on PowerPC systems (check out Arctic Fox GitHub at https://github.com/wicknix/Arctic-Fox). Other “added” programs include both libre (open-source) and gratis (no-charge, under copyright) software.

Fienix includes optimizations and performance improvements that Debian does not.

Due to the constantly rolling nature of Sid, packages often have broken dependencies for some days. The Fienix repository is based on a stable snapshot of Sid, so you still get the newest software, but also get a stable environment.

I also have some ideas about ways that Fienix can help people learn about certain interests they may have, like graphic design or creating a video game, and give them tools that can help them explore that interest, so that may be something to look forward to.

7) What is the most complicated issue you have had to solve so far while setting up Fienix?

The most complicated issue was learning how to setup the repository.

8) What is your workflow for setting up your software repository? Are you compiling all packages from sources? What are the differences from the Debian PowerPC repository?

I use Reprepro for repository management; it’s a great tool and has been very helpful. Reprepro calculates all the checksums, generates the lists, and helps with version control. I do not build every package from source, only those that have a problem or cause some sort of regression, as well as those that do not exist in Debian.

A list of some of the additional software and optimized software is available on the Fienix website under “Featured Software”: https://fienixppc.blogspot.com/p/software.html.

9) Is anybody helping you in maintaining the Fienix software repository?

I’ve been doing the actual repository organization myself, but I’ve had a great deal of assistance with Fienix in general. Christian Zigotzky provides kernels and has assisted with debugging and building several programs. The work done by Matt (wicknix) as well as Riccardo Mottola on the Arctic Fox team has also made things a lot easier since I don’t have to worry about a browser any longer 🙂

10) What are the top 5 most useful applications that would make an operating system suitable for the average user in 2019?

I’ve broken these down into categories, because I feel like completing a task is generally more important than using a specific app.

Web: The most important app is a current web browser. I’m impressed with Arctic Fox and I am excited to see where this project goes. Additionally, pairing Arctic Fox with VLC browser plugin, Greasemonkey, and ViewTube/ViewTube+ provides flawless HD video streaming from YouTube and many other sites (installed by default in Fienix).

Email: Even though web mail is becoming the norm, I still think a good email client is important. Fienix has several great clients to choose from including Thunderbird and Evolution.

Media: The Kodi app has been getting some buzz lately due to their recent releases. Kodi is currently in testing for a Fienix release. Of course, VLC and SMPlayer are ultra-versatile players as well.

Office/Productivity: Most everyone has at least an occasional need for a good office program, and LibreOffice definitely has all the bases covered. Their upcoming release is getting some buzz as well.

Communication & Connectivity: Cross-platform communication tools that allow seamless messaging between phone, desktop, and/or web based clients will continue to be important to users. Facebook and WhatsApp are the most popular services, but apps such as Telegram are growing quickly. Fienix has support for a number of these protocols via Pidgin, but unfortunately Telegram isn’t yet one of them. KDE Connect is also a cool concept that isn’t yet available in Fienix, but may be at some point.

11) Are any of these applications is missing or seriously malfunctioning on PowerPC?

Puppy Linux Ppc

I think the most important bases for the “average user” are covered. When I think of some of the most popular “use-cases” there could be some upcoming issues that will need to be addressed. For example, for graphic design the newest version of GIMP needs some work. For video editing the most recent versions of OpenShot and Kdenlive need some attention. Fortunately we have recent versions of these apps that are stable to use until the issues with the newest versions can be looked into.

There are some apps that do not function on PowerPC that I have not dedicated much time to looking into because there are viable alternatives. For example, the Telegram client does not function correctly on PowerPC; however, there are several alternatives such as Simple and XMPP that are integrated into Pidgin. Similarly, Darktable does not execute but RawTherapee functions perfectly.

It’s possible we could also see connectivity features in Fienix similar to those provided by KDE Connect in the future.

12) Are any further applications missing from the PowerPC scene that you would like to include in Fienix?

I’d like to have the ability to access or sync cloud folders (such as DropBox, OneDrive, etc.) with Caja. There is a potential solution for this that I’m looking into.

We need to get GIMP 2.10, Blender 2.8, OpenShot 2.4, and Kdenlive 18.12 running stably (previous versions of these are all functional).

A secondary browser like Midori would be good, especially since they’ve begun focusing on WebApps. Right now the source compiles and the binary executes but it won’t connect to a network.

Finally, it’s not really an application, but important nonetheless, it would be great to have hardware acceleration on Radeon cards released after SI (HD7000 and later). Driver support for these cards has been limited to fbdev. Fortunately, SI and prior cards are pretty well supported and perform well.

13) Is there an application or tool that posed particular issues while porting to PowerPC?

Mozilla has decided to forgo the portability that use to be a strong point of theirs.

There was an issue with the game Hero of Allacrost (which by the way is a great game if you enjoy RPGs) that made it unplayable, and a different issue with the game engine ioquake3, but both of those were resolved with some help from their developers. Several games, like SuperTux and Yamagi (Quake 2 engine) also had issues with background music playing as static. Chrisitian Zigotzky provided the fix for SuperTux and I fixed Yamagi through a config change. There were also some issues that have since been resolved with VLC.

In general, I’ve been surprised how many developers have been responsive and helpful with resolving issues on PowerPC systems.

14) As you may know, here at the Power Progress Community we are strong supporters of PowerPC 64bit big endian and Altivec based Linux distributions. Do you have any plan in releasing a 64bit version of Fienix?

The first release of Fienix has a 32-bit userland primarily because Debian 32-bit PowerPC packages were more stable than the 64-bit versions. Fienix still has some of the benefits of a 64-bit OS due to using a 64-bit kernel, such as with memory management. That said, yes, I plan on working on a pure 64-bit version.

As far as Altivec goes, most programs determine if a system has Altivec at runtime, and then runs the appropriate code, either vector or scalar. GIMP and the libjpeg-turbo library both work in this way, as do many others. However, it is possible to compile a program in a way that does not conditionalize vector instructions. A program compiled in this way will not execute on systems without Altivec.

Fienix contains many programs that include Altivec optimizations, and will continue to do so as long as the vector instructions are conditionalized. Fienix will not contain programs that do not conditionalize vector instructions.

15) As an association targeting the PowerPC platform we would like to support your initiative. How can we best support your effort in trying to make Fienix one of the best Linux distributions for the average user?

Use Fienix and test the apps in the Fienix repository. If you come across bugs and know a solution or workaround, share it. Fienix has a rudimentary bug reporting forum on the website.

Try to build new programs from source if they aren’t included in the Debian repository. If you’re successful, share it. Fienix includes a rudimentary new software request forum on the website. If you’re not successful, put a bug report in with the developer (make sure you understand how to submit a bug report and what information to include first). You may be surprised how accommodating the developer may be. Regardless, bug reports help put the word out there that people are using PowerPC systems, and PowerPC systems are still in production.

Help test and debug Debian PPC64 packages, they will serve as the base for Fienix 64-bit.

Test Fienix on whatever PowerPC systems you have.

Spread the word!

16) Have you ever had the chance to try a computer equipped with an IBM Power8 or Power9? Do you know that a micro-ATX motherboard called Blackbird is being released by a company called Raptor? What do you think about it?

I’ve been following Raptor since they announced the first Talos system. When the Talos II system was released I confirmed with Raptor that it can be run in big endian mode (it can). I sadly have not had the chance to use one of these machines yet, but the Blackbird is surprisingly affordable considering what you’re getting, so perhaps sometime in the near future…

17) Many people says that PowerPC is dead. What do you think about the current state of the Power(PC) architecture? Do you think it is a suitable architecture for home computing?

PowerPC has never been dead in terms of the embedded and server markets, but after Apple transitioned to Intel it certainly seemed to be going that way for the consumer market. However, if you look at where PowerPC is today, there is a small resurgence going on. A-EON and ACube both make systems powered by PowerPC, Raptor Computing Systems makes an assortment of high-end PowerPC POWER9 systems, and a promising PowerPC notebook is in the works. Long gone are the days when PowerPC had a chance of overtaking x86 in the consumer market, but I don’t think that’s the point. PowerPC is in a better place today than it has been in years. If privacy, security, and open-hardware are important to you then there is no better architecture than PowerPC. These new PowerPC systems finally give consumers a real choice in the marketplace, and I think that is something to be very enthusiastic about.

Linux For Mac G5 Ppc

18) Are there any other Operating System other than Linux you want to see running on PowerPC?

I’m personally most interested and involved with Linux, but having a choice is always good. We have Linux, FreeBSD, MorphOS, and AmigaOS for certain systems. I think I’d be most enthusiastic about having another Linux distribution pick up PowerPC as a supported architecture. That may seem a bit odd because of course I’d like people to use Fienix but like I said, choice is good!

19) Is there anything else you would like to say to people interested in the PowerPC platform?

If you’re someone who likes learning and experimenting with hardware and software, or you have an appreciation for the principles behind open-source, or you want to contribute to a community where you can make a difference, then the PowerPC platform is a great option for you!

Rather than scour various forum posts i've decided to put some of my contributions here. These are things i've either created, ported, forked, compiled or contributed to. PowerPC Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5

Linux On Powerpc Mac

Arctic Fox web browser : info and download IceWeasel-PPC web browser : info and download TenFiveTube & YewTube apps to watch YouTube : info and download (10.5 only) Facebook, Twitter and Sound Cloud mobile apps : info and download (10.5 only) Google Hangouts app : info and download (10.5 only) Facebook Messenger app : info and download (10.5 only)

PPCBrowser lightweight webkit browser : info and download TenFourKit webkit browser duckduckgo start page mod : download (10.4 only) LMMS Linux MultiMedia Studio : homepagedownload (10.5 only) Intel Mac OS X 10.6 and above SpiderWeb browser : download and info Arctic Fox web browser : downloadinfosource

Ppc Linux For Mac Operating System

Browser lightweight webkit browser : download Facebook and Twitter mobile apps : info and download Sound Cloud mobile app : download Yewtube tonvid/youtube app : info and download HookTubeX hooktube/youtube app : info and download Pale Moon 27.9.4 web browser (32-bit) : download Pale Moon 27.9.4 web browser (64-bit) : download Intel Mac OS X 10.7 and above InterWeb web browser : download and info SpiderWeb browser and e-mail client : info and download PowerPC Linux (32-bit) Ubuntu 16.04 / Debian 10 / Fienix Lubuntu 12.04 & 16.04 Remix (live CD / DVD + installer) : info and download Debian Sid Remix : Info and download Arctic Fox web browser : (see links above for OS X 10.6) SpiderWeb browser : info and download SpiderMail e-mail/news/rss : info and download InterWeb browser : Info and download

Linux For Mac Ppc G4

Extra rebuilt packages for 16.04+ : Download Repository Other useful links Mac PowerPC

Linux For G5 Mac Ppc

Down the Rabbit Hole

I said I wouldn’t do this until the show dropped. But I’m doing it. Writing about Billy Russo before I even know a damn thing about the Netflix version of Billy Russo. Goddamn. I blame Ben and these photos he keeps posting – those photos got me all kinds of fucked up @starless-skyox

Prompt # 2 - “I’m too sober for this.”

Prompt # 12 - “I could punch you right now.”

Prompt # 23 - “Please just go …” 

Prompt # 26 - “Sorry won’t fix this.”

The large thud of the book falling in the empty library causes you to groan, looking down at where it landed about six shelves below you. You sigh, pressing your forehead against the leather-bound books in front of you, inhaling their dusty scent.

It had been a day.

You had spent the past four days in the library, trying to learn more about the hidden Amazonian cluster of individuals which protectively looked over a temple that held a highly expensive relic inside. Sure, you could be a dick and massacre them, go inside and grab the treasure for yourself. That was what your employer wanted to do. Little did they know that there was more to any form of temple than what met the eye and it was better to collaborate with the native people, betray them and kill as necessary to exit said scenarios then outright slaughter.

You might have been a thief but you had some morals.

You begin your decent down the ladder when you heard a familiar chuckle before a masculine voice says,

“Ass like that can get a man like me in trouble.”

You stop, looking down to find no other than Billy Russo looking back up at you.

“Billy?” You ask incredulously, before your squealing, easily sliding down the ladder to rush into his arms. He laughs, picking you up and squeezing you tightly, his head getting lost in the crook of your neck.

It had been eight years since you had last seen Billy Russo. When you had graduated from high school, the tough kid from the Bronx had enlisted in the marines while you went off to college. You both had wrote each other for a while, before he went silent and since then you had always wondered what had happened to him. Where he had gone off too. If he was still alive.

If he thought about you as much as you thought about him.

He watches you now, his dark eyes taking you in and you bite your lip before saying,

“I could punch you right now.”

“Out of love?” he asks and you roll your eyes, picking up your book and moving past him.

“You know why.” You throw over your shoulders and he jogs beside you, walking in stride with you as you sigh.

“No. Enlighten me.”

You stop as you look over at him, shaking your head.

“You never wrote me back. One day letters just stopped showing up. I thought you died.”

Your voice cracks at the last part and Billy sighs, bringing his hand up to your cheek.

“I’m sorry Y/N. I didn’t mean to ghost on you I just….” He drifts and you look up at him. He looked good. His modern-day hairstyle fit him, his slight beard that peppered along his sharp jawline complimented the nicely tailored suit he wore. He was, in fact, a stark contrast to the jeans you were wearing as they sat snug against your body, the simple cotton black t-shirt casually draping over your body. You were dressed for utility while he was dressed to impress.

How things have changed.

“It was better that I went away for a while. Had to make sure you were safe.” The last part is said in a sigh and you wonder what secrets he was hiding from you. And how the hell he knew to find you here.

“From what?” you finally challenge back after minutes of silence and he sighs shaking his head. Refusing to answer. You pull from his embrace as you mumble.

“It’s whatever, okay. We’re cool. We grew up on the streets. I’m used to people leaving me.”

You spit out the last part as you continue your stride to your table, knowing it hits a soft part in him. You hear he’s feet shuffling behind you quickly as he lets out,  

“I’m sorry, okay.”

“Sorry won’t fix this. Won’t fix all the nights I stayed up crying, wondering what the hell happened to you. Figuring you were dead and I never got to say goodbye….”

“I’m here now.” You snort as you finally make it to your table, throwing the book down as you take a seat and he stops short, taking in your literature.

“Are you a professor or something?”

You give another snort, shaking your head as your hand finds your water bottle and you take a swig, before finding the book you had been looking for and starting to skim through it.

“Its too late Billy. You missed that moment where I would eagerly follow you ignorantly, forgiving you for being a selfish prick. Please just go ….”

“Y/N…”

“You should go back to,” you size him up and down, “…whatever fucking job you’ve managed and leave me be.”

Billy doesn’t like that. Doesn’t really take orders well. Well, apparently doesn’t take manners well from you. Anybody else, it seemed, worked fine. He sits beside you and asks softly,

“Seriously Y/N,” he places his hand softly over your own, stopping you from typing and says. “What have you been up to?”

“I’m an archaeologist.” You begin and his eyes light up. You had always told him about your dream of traveling and learning about different cultures, learning about the people from the past. Wanting to get out of the limitation of the Bronx, New York, America. Wanting to be set free.

He was happy to see that you achieved that dream.

“And a thief.” You finish, returning your eyes back to your laptop and his eyebrows furrow together.

“Beg your pardon.”

You turn to him, your eyes incredulous before you burst out in laughter.

“Did you just say – beg your pardon? When did Billy Russo get manners?”

He smiles and his laughter mingles with yours, echoing across the large library before he scoots closer to you, that intense look never leaving his face.  

“Don’t change the subject Y/N.”

You roll your eyes, sighing as you turn away. How was it that Billy Russo was trying to teach you right from wrong? Something was obviously off in this universe. You made a mental note to go to church that evening and say a few hail mary’s. Obviously missing out the past couple had led down the tunnel of craziness.

“Are you stealing because you’re in trouble?”

You give a sideways glance, shaking your head as your free hand reaches for his face. So many of your nights had been consumed with him. Memorizing every feature in his face. Trying to get him to fall in love with you so when you had to return to your shitty home, you had something to hold on to. To give you hope. Needed to keep him near because he taught you what a true home was like.

And then he left. Like everyone else in your life.

“I’m not a druggie Billy. You know I’ve never been into that kind of stuff.”

He gives a relieved sigh as you shrug.

“You know how much this is on the black market?” you point to a small emerald photo of an elephant and he shrugs.

“Three million dollars. Its five by eight inches. Made of quartz and turquoise and maybe some diamonds. And because some 13th century native ruler carved it from his bare hands, it’s worth three goddamn million dollars.”

Billy smiles, shaking his head.

“You always had a slight hand.”

“You always had a big mouth.” You pull your hand from him as you continue, “I know what I’m doing Billy and I don’t need you.”

You turn away from him but his hand is reaching for your face, drawing you back to his features and he shakes his head.

“I know I wasn’t around. But I’m here now.”

“For now. Then you’ll leave again. It’s what you’re good at.”

He shakes his head and you shrug, falling back in your chair.

“Its fine – really. I’ve gotten used to your absence.”

Billy closes his eyes, his grip around your hands tightening,

“I’m too sober for this.” He finally says and you shake your head, huffing out a sigh as you pull away from him.

“You never were really good with confrontation.”

Silence. The library was silent for a Tuesday afternoon. Of course, not many people ventured to this part. Not too many people looking into historical cultures or specific artifacts. Another reason the library had become your favorite place.

You knew had to be hidden in plain sight.

“What are you doing with your life?” you finally ask, nodding at his clothes and he watches you carefully.

“Run a security group.”

“Militant?” you ask curiously and he quirks a brow before you follow up with, “You were in the military. It would make sense.”

“….yeah.”

“Illegal work. Probably shit politicians and drug lords paying to get rid of problems without their name being attached to it on the 9 o’clock news. Makes sense – you were always a good middle man.”

You turn back into your book and Billy chuckles

“I’m impressed.”

“You’re the kinda people I work with.” You finish and he leans into you, close enough for you to feel his breath on your skin. You ignore the way it gives you goosebumps as he whispers,

“I know - how’d you think I found you.”

You turn to him slowly and he’s looking at you with a smile.

“What are you barking at Billy? And who’s nose do I have to break for spreading my name.”

His eyes flicker with something, you’re not sure as he bites his lip. But he doesn’t say anything. Instead, his hand caresses your cheek before he asks,

“How’d you like to learn a real fun way to earn some good money? Another way?”

You know you should say no. Your life, though occasionally dangerous, was set. You do a couple of gigs, go in hiding for a while, rinse – repeat. Had the cover of being an archeologist. It was the perfect balance of safe and dangerous.  Billy was promising something else. Something you couldn’t predict. Something you couldn’t control. Asking to put you in a position you normally would never do.

Except it was Billy. And rather you liked it or not, your heart always won over your brains when it came to him.

“Tell me more Mr. Russo and I’ll let you know if it’s interesting enough.”

He smiles, his eyes twinkling because you both know he has you.