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rikalovesrice · 3 years

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Trollhunters : Rise of The Titans [Rika’s Version!]

AIGHT SO THIS IS WHAT SHOULD’VE FREAKIN’ HAPPENED --

The movie starts a year after Wizards. We see Douxie, Archie, and Nari all settled in Metro City. Douxie managed to get a dinky little apartment and works two jobs. He comes home after a long day to Nari and Archie.

Maybe Nari’s running around chasing after Archie. Maybe the two of them are curled up on the couch and snoozing. Douxie smiles softly, petting Archie’s head and gently brushes Nari’s hair out of her face. Maybe Nari was singing to one of her plants and just beams when Douxie walks through the door. Just Magical Siblings and Their Therapy Cat fluff.

But that night, Douxie wakes up. Something feels very, very wrong. Nari feels it, too.

Cut to the door to their apartment being busted right through, flames quickly consuming the threshold. To Douxie’s horror, it’s the Arcane Order and he immediately goes on the offensive. This is the first display in the movie of Douxie’s strength as a Master Wizard, his proficiency and skill with his magic as he holds his own against Bellroc and Skrael as he did in Wizards. He tells Archie to take Nari and run but neither of them want to leave him behind. Archie instead fights beside Douxie, urging for Nari to escape while she can. Nari’s reluctant because Douxie and Archie have become so precious to her.

When it looks like they’re about to be done in, Archie wills himself to transform into a huge dragon, taking Douxie and Nari into his claws and flying out of there, busting straight out of the apartment. But not before giving Bellroc and Skrael a thrashing with his tail. They manage to give the Order the slip. For now.

Archie quickly loses steam from holding such a form and crashes on the outskirts of the city, transforming back into a cat. Douxie cradles him in his arms. Nari tends to their wounds with her magic, looking forlorn.

Douxie frantically dials a number on his phone.

“Claire? Claire it’s me...” A column of fire erupts in the distance. A shot of Douxie, Archie, and Nari huddled close. “They found us.”

Trollhunters : Rise of the Titans Title Screen

The scene fades in on the new and improved Camelot, where the Lakes are staying. We see Jim spending time with his mother and Walter and it’s lovely. We see a hint of Jim’s trauma when he’s cooking and looks at his reflection in a spatula. He flinches away. He doesn’t want to look at himself. Barbara comforts him, a tender heartfelt moment between them.

Claire then emerges from a shadow portal with grim news : The Arcane Order have found Douxie and Nari.

Jim gathers his friends. Claire shadow portals them all to Douxie, who’s found shelter in a hut Nari made from tree roots. Douxie’s cast a barrier to hide their presence, though it won’t last long.

It’s a really sweet and awesome reunion. Douxie gives Claire and Steve big hugs. Nari bounds up to Toby and holds his hand. Jim, Krel, and Douxie have a “good to see you again, bro” moment between them. Aaarrgh licks his lips at the sight of Archie.

It’s here that Douxie gives the deets on what’s happened. As they begin to figure out a way to keep Nari safe and away from the Order, Nari suddenly says, “No.”

After almost losing Douxie and Archie, her new family, Nari decides enough is enough. She wants to face her corrupted siblings head-on. To not only protect the world, but her newfound friends.

Douxie understandably protests. But Nari, gentle but resolute, tells him she’s made up her mind. No more running.

And so, Douxie acquiesces.

Cue the sequence/fight scene on the train!

Nari realizes what Douxie’s doing when it’s too late. They switch bodies and Douxie’s taken away by the Order.

“Douxie, I’m so sorry...I couldn’t save her,” Claire laments.

Nari, in Douxie’s body, “N-no...No, I am fine. But Douxie...Douxie!”

Everyone’s like, “Oh no” but then oof, they all get arrested.

The police department scene! With Krel and the Blanks busting everyone out.

Now, we find ourselves back on Camelot where Jim’s being attended to by Walter and Barbara after waking up from a nightmare. Bellroc’s words torment him : “Without your Amulet, you are nothing but a frightened! Little!! BOY!!!”

Walter suggests Jim should lay low, let his friends handle things. Jim reaches a real low point here. Claire provides some comfort. Hand in hand, they make their way to the Round Table, where everyone’s licking their wounds.

Blinky explains to them that the Order wants to awaken the Titans and need all three members of the Order to do so. While everyone’s relieved that Nari’s safe, Douxie’s now in the Order’s clutches and they want to figure out a way to save him.

Nari, sad and grim, says that Douxie’s spell will eventually wear off.

“He is, as humans say, buying us time...”

Cut to Douxie (in Nari’s body) with the Order. Douxie doesn’t make a sound, not wanting to give anything away. They try the ritual and when it fails, Bellroc and Skrael quickly suspect foul play. They realize that Nari isn’t Nari and proceed to forcefully, painfully, undo Douxie’s spell.

Douxie wakes up, back in his own body. He’s swarmed by his friends, all overcome with relief that he’s alright, but it’s short-lived. The Order has Nari.

Douxie manages to recall where the Order took him. Before they head out, a downtrodden Jim says he should stay behind, going back to the bed chamber. Claire goes to talk to him, but Douxie stops her.

“Let’s give him some space,” Douxie says gently, though he looks just as concerned for Jim. “In the meantime,” he summons his staff, “we’ll hunt the Order down, put a stop to their schemes, and bring Nari home.”

Everyone heads to the warehouse-train track place (I forgot what it was called rip). Just then, Aja comes flying in, having been contacted by Krel. The Tarron siblings have a sweet, wholesome, long-awaited reunion. Also Staja and Creepslayerz reunited!

Aja cautions Steve about the whole seventh kiss-pregnancy thing and he quickly decides that, yeah no, he’s not quite ready for that. His Alien Queen Muffin (or whatever the heck he called her) is back and that’s all that matters to him. Also wtf Eli’s hot and taller than him now.

There’s a cute moment of Douxie and Aja really meeting for the first time. Aja recognizes him.

“Oh! You were the hand-reading waiter boy!”

Upon hearing she’s a Queen, Douxie’s Medieval chivalry kicks in and he bows at the waist.

“The name’s Hisirdoux, Your Majesty.” After Aja butchers his name, he says “Douxie” will do just fine.

Nomura abruptly reminds them they don’t have time for pleasantries. They get to it. Douxie figures out the sigil and the illusion fades, revealing the Order performing their ritual with a brainwashed Nari. They’re unable to stop it and the Order members teleport away to join with their respective Titans. We see each of the Titans rising.

The Arcadia Gang regroups back on Camelot to form a plan. Jim, discouraged and deeply troubled, is leaning over a rail, head in his hands. Douxie comes up beside him, silent.

Jim eventually asks how things went. When Douxie tells him they failed and the Titans have risen, Jim feels even more powerless and guilt-ridden.

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry, I couldn’t...I can’t do anything. Without the Amulet I’m not the Trollhunter anymore and I’m just...useless--”

Douxie cuts him off, putting a hand on Jim’s shoulder.

“Jim. That’s not true. Do you remember what I told you? That our strength doesn’t come from special trinkets. Our strength...” Douxie finally gets Jim to look at him, “comes from our friends. From each other. All of us together. That includes you.”

“But...without my Amulet how can I do anything--”

Douxie smiles gently. “By being true to yourself, Jim. As we, your friends, are true to you.”

Just then, Claire joins them and asks if Jim’s okay. Jim smiles as Douxie ruffles his hair.

“I will be. Thanks.”

Jim, Claire, and Douxie find everyone arguing at the Round Table. Aja is wanting to evacuate everyone off of Earth, to which Blinky protests. Everyone just keeps going back and forth until Jim yells for them to stop.

Time to divide and conquer, cutting back and forth between each battle with the Titans.

Aja, Krel, Steve, and Eli tackle the Fire Titan.

Blinky, Toby, and Nomura handle the Ice Titan, with Walter and Barbara steering Camelot.

Jim, Claire, Douxie, and Aaarrgh go for the Earth Titan. Douxie’s hoping to get through to Nari and break her free from the Order’s control.

Aja and Krel fight the Fire Titan side by side on their hoverboard. Steve and Eli help civilians off the bridge and keep them safe.

Varvatos Vex in his giant robo mech incoming, along with a handful of Akiridion warships.

The Fire Titan proves to be too powerful and defeats Varvatos’ robot, melting down the Akiridion troops in the process. Aja and Krel are knocked down from their hoverboard. They and Varvatos retreat as the Fire Titan continues to burn a path towards its destination.

Toby and Nomura attempt to zipline their way to the Ice Titan to take down Skrael with Akiridion bombs. When the rope fails, Walter extends his wings to save them, but his wings quickly freeze.

Nomura grabs the bombs and sacrifices herself, bidding a heartwrenching farewell to Toby and her longtime friend, thanking them both. She asks Toby to tell Jim she said goodbye. Ever agile, Nomura scales the Ice Titan and detonates the bombs.

But to everyone’s horror, the Ice Titan only puts itself back together. Walter sinks to his knees. Toby throws down his helmet. Their friend sacrificed herself for nothing.

Aaarrgh is charging after the Earth Titan, Douxie, Jim, and Claire hanging onto his back. Claire shadow portals the three of them onto the Titan’s back. Douxie begins to plead with Nari, even as she constricts him with vines.

Douxie manages to grab her hand. He begins to break the mind-control with his magic, still calling out to Nari as he’s losing the ability to breathe.

Douxie’s voice reaches her and she breaks free. Nari frantically asks where she is, if she hurt him or his friends. Douxie, overcome with relief, just embraces her.

“You’re here with us, Nari...You’re here with us.”

Nari assures them they have a Titan on their side now. They receive communication from the Tarrons, who warn them that the Ice Titan is getting close to Arcadia.

No time to wonder why Skrael’s headed there. Claire makes a massive shadow portal to Arcadia (the field trip scene!), taking Nari’s Titan with them. Nari tries to reason with Skrael, but he’s having none of it.

NARI VS SKRAEL COMMENCE!

The Tarrons and Creepslayerz arrive on scene. Douxie boards Aja’s hoverboard and together they fire lazers and magic at the Ice Titan. Varvatos dashes and slashes his way up the Titan. Claire, Jim, Krel, Steve, and Eli work to rescue the school bus from getting crushed.

Well, it does get crushed but thankfully everyone made it off. Then, Archie comes flying in with his father, Charlemagne. Charlie flies all the students and Coach to safety. Archie joins Douxie in the air, blasting Skrael with fire.

“C’mon and face the music, Skrael!!!” Douxie summons Spellcaster and starts shredding.

Enraged, Skrael releases a devastating burst of magic that knocks Douxie, Aja, and Varvatos away. Nari seizes the opportunity to impale Skrael’s Titan, but not before Nari’s fatally wounded by him in return. Both Titans collapse.

Douxie runs to Nari, desperately calling her name. She’s on the ground, dying. Everyone gathers around, devastated. Douxie holds Nari in his arms. Archie nuzzles Nari’s arm, tears forming in his eyes. Douxie’s already crying.

“No..No, no, Nari, please...” Douxie holds her hand. “Nari, don’t go, please...!”

“It is okay, Douxie...Do not be sad...”

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry, I said I would protect you...” Douxie leans down, almost touching his forehead to hers (it’s Harry and Dobby y’all). His tears fall onto her face. “I said I would protect you...!”

“You did something greater, Douxie...” Nari squeezes his hand. Tears of her own roll down her cheeks. “You gave me a home. And many, many friends....” Douxie sobs harder, holding her close. “You saved me, Douxie...” She’s beginning to fade. She smiles, her eyes closing. “Thank you...Thank...”

Nari fades, wisps of magic and flower petals slipping through Douxie’s fingers. Douxie wails, Archie pressing close. Jim and Claire lay their hands on his shoulders. Claire hugs him.

Krel is then alerted that the Fire Titan is also on the move towards Arcadia.

Everyone reconvenes on Camelot. They all mourn the deaths of Nomura and Nari.

They learn that Bellroc is headed towards Arcadia, the center of the universe, because that’s where the last Heartstone is. If at least one Titan reaches the Heartstone, the world will be wiped clean.

Before they head out, Douxie and the Tarrons present Jim with a brand new Amulet, forged from magic and Akiridion technology. That, and the stone in which Excaliber lodged itself. Douxie encourages Jim to try once more.

Jim steps up on the stone, gazing fondly at his friends around him. They all place their hands on the stone in support. Jim pulls Excaliber from the stone. Everyone cheers for him.

Douxie’s seen texting someone.

FINAL SHOWDOWN IN ARCADIA

Bellroc is seen making their way towards the Heartstone. But what stands between them and the prize is the Guardians of Arcadia.

Charlemagne, Archie, and Walter soar above. Blinky and Aaarrgh lead an army of trolls. More Akiridion fleets arrive, Aja and Krel at the helm. Varvatos has a brand new robo, too.

Bellroc sneers at their defiance and summons an army of their own : hundreds of big rocky lava monsters.

BATTLE OF THE MOST EPIC OF PROPORTIONS IS A GO.

Trolls are punching, Akiridions are blasting, magicians are casting.

JIM SUITS UP WITH HIS NEW ARMOR AND EXCALIBER AND IS LIKE DON’T THINK BECOMIN’ FOR YA BELLROC FOR THE GOOD OF AAAAAAAALL

Douxie conjures up a spell to send that boy flying onto that Fire Titan.

Toby and Aaarrgh slam and hammer their way through fiery goons. Claire and Aja team up to take down the opposition, noting they should get lunch together sometime. Charlemagne tears through the enemies with his claws and wings. Krel and the Creepslayerz flail about and kick tail anyway.

Our heroes all cover one another and play off of each other’s strengths and it’s beautiful.

When Douxie’s about to get smothered by lava fists, there’s a flash of lightening and the monsters vaporize.

Douxie turns to see Zoe with a brigade of hedge wizards. Douxie’s immediately bowled over, smitten.

“About time you showed up...,” Douxie says, in a daze cause wow Zoe’s so pretty.

“Oh, you’ve got a lot of nerve --” Explosions. More lava monsters. Zoe sighs and pats Douxie’s cheek. “Ugh, focus, you big sap!”

The pair are unstoppable together, mowing down the lava monsters in powerful bursts of blue and pink.

DOUXIE’S EYES GO BLUE AND ZOE’S EYES GO PINK EPIC AVATAR STATE RINGS OF MAGIC AS THEY DECIMATE THEIR FOES WITH ROCK MUSIC BLARING YESSSS

And well, Douxie can’t help himself and gives Zoe a good long smooch after they’ve destroyed half of Bellroc’s army.

Toby in the distance : HOW LONG HAS THAT BEEN A THING?????

Archie just groans.

And meanwhile, Jim’s finally facing off with Bellroc. After having one of the most badass fights in the franchise, Jim comes out on top, skewering Bellroc in the stomach with Excaliber.

AND BOOM THEY DID IT GUYS EARTH IS SAVED.

....But not without great cost.

Toby’s been mortally wounded, crushed by the falling pieces of the Fire Titan. There’s the tearful, heartbreaking moment Jim has to say goodbye to his best friend, the one who was there with him through it all.

“We did it, Jimbo...We did it...”

Jim holds Toby in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Claire holds Jim and weeps beside him. Aaarrgh is in hysterics but is calmed to pained whimpers by Blinky. The Arcadia Gang grieves, feeling the painful weight of losing the friends they held so dear....Nomura, Nari, and now Toby.

Time Skip/Montage

Douxie found a proper apartment in Arcadia. He keeps a potted plant with those distinct pink flowers, the flowers Nari loved, on his windowsill. Smiles softly at them every time.

Scenes of Mary with Darci as she mourns. Steve and Eli hanging out. Douxie and Krel jamming, Krel creating beats and Douxie riffing on his guitar. Aja and Claire going on that lunch date. Archie taking a nap on top of Aaarrgh. Walter playing classical music.

It’s taken a while, but Jim’s starting to feel a little bit better. Douxie, Krel, Steve, and Eli came over for some bro time. Seeing the pain in his eyes, Douxie gives Jim a hug.

The final scene is a picnic at everyone’s favorite spot in Arcadia with a single bench and an awesome view of the town.

Aja and Steve are cuddling. Krel and Eli play with a frisbee. Blinky, Aaarrgh, and Varvatos laugh around a table. Douxie and Zoe, holding hands, are having a lively chat with Claire. Jim serves up a huge plate of enchiladas.

Walter and Barbara announce their engagement. Everyone celebrates.

EMOTIONAL SPEECH VOICEOVER TIME.

Aja, Varvatos, and Eli depart back to Akiridion-5. Steve honks into a tissue. Krel pats him on the back as he waves to his sister.

Barbara kisses Jim on the forehead before going home with Walter.

Zoe kisses Douxie on the cheek and heads off.

Steve and Krel are the next to go.

Douxie, Archie around his shoulders, pulls both Jim and Claire into a hug before leaving.

Blinky gives Jim a hug. Aaarrgh nuzzle him, looking sad.

Jim and Claire hold hands and sit on the bench, gazing out at the town.

EMOTIONAL SPEECH VOICEOVER ENDS T_T

The End.

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ckret2 · 4 years

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Heal Our Wounds

Long after the titan fight in Boston, Serizawa wakes up in a hospital bed, recovering unusually fast from radiation burns he only vaguely remembers receiving. Monarch immediately drowns him in love and attention.

Mark and Madison drop by to share a gift—and some of their post-Boston worries.

Has it really been two and a half months since the last fic, wtf. Anyway this is part of an ongoing series of post-KOTM almost-everybody-lives AU oneshots. If you don’t wanna read the others, all you need to know is that Serizawa survived and nobody knows how/why (answer: because I wanted him to), and Ghidorah's been chilling with Rodan and possibly dating him. Links to the other fics are in the source at the bottom of this post.

###

The first thing Serizawa noticed as Mark and Madison came into the hospital room was that they both had dark rings under their eyes. Serizawa was getting used to seeing his friends and colleagues like that. But they both smiled and their tired eyes lit up when they saw him.

He returned the smiles. "So! You've finally made time to visit me, eh?" he said chidingly, as if they'd just dropped in on him and not as if Mark had scheduled this visit a week earlier.

Madison immediately ran up to him for a hug. Mark reached out for her, mouth opened to warn her back; but Serizawa held up a hand to prevent Mark's protests. "It's fine," he mouthed to Mark over Madison's shoulder as he hugged her back.

"Wow," Mark said. "You're looking better already. A lot better."

Serizawa nodded and shrugged at the same time. "The doctors say I've been very fortunate," he said. "I think Gojira had a hand in it."

He wasn't sure Mark bought that, but Mark had the grace to keep his mouth shut and just tilt his head indecisively.

"How are you feeling?" Madison asked as she stood up.

"A little sore," Serizawa said. "But mostly tired. I've been recovering well, though."

Madison circled to the other side of Serizawa's bed so she could sit in the guest chair next to him. Mark followed her, but leaned against the bedside table. Serizawa really did have to ask the nurses if they could bring some more chairs into the room. Since he'd been cleared to receive visitors, his room had become a nonstop parade during visiting hours: Monarch staff and their families, government officials and sometimes their translators looking for advice on how to deal with their respective nations' new gigantic residents, various journalists and reporters interviewing him on current events and his involvement in the mass awakening of the titans...

And everyone seemed to start out with the same question: "I know you've told everyone that you don't remember how you made it from the bottom of the ocean all the way to Boston," Mark said hesitantly, "but...?" He shrugged questioningly. "I mean—anything? Weird dreams? Things you heard while you were unconscious...?"

Serizawa shook his head. "Nothing. I don't even remember the bomb going off. The last thing I recall is getting out of the submarine and seeing Gojira. And then waking up in a hospital, burning."

"Huh." Mark let out a long sigh, mouth twisted in confusion. "Well—whatever happened down there—and whatever's making you recover from your burns so well—we're all glad for it.”

"Gojira," Serizawa said again firmly.

"He's probably right, Dad," Madison piped up. "I've been reading about the effects of titan radiation. It starts out like radiation burns, but something about it makes organic matter heal a lot faster instead of just... breaking it down."

"Really," Mark said skeptically.

"Really! It's the same thing that makes plants grow back so fast in the cities that titans have been through! The research has been out for like three years, Dad," Madison said, rolling her eyes.

"There's a great deal we don't understand yet, but—what Madison says is true," Serizawa said, trying not to smile too broadly. Madison had always been such a precocious child, always talking about whatever interested her. For the longest time it had been insects; recently it had been camping and survival techniques—something that only in retrospect Serizawa realized was so worrisome. He was glad to hear her talking about science again.

"But we're not here to talk about that," Madison said quickly, practically squirming in her chair with obvious eagerness to move on to the next topic. She gave her dad a pointed look.

"Right!" Mark took off a satchel he'd slung across his body and opened the flap. "We—'we' meaning Monarch, basically—wanted to give you a 'get well soon' gift. Rick mostly put it together, but we all contributed the pictures."

"Pictures?" Serizawa asked.

"Of your new friends," Mark said, suppressing a smile. He pulled out a tablet, scrolled through it a moment, and offered it to Serizawa. "From all over the world. I'll email it to you, but we wanted to show it to you in person."

Serizawa took the tablet. When he noticed Madison leaning over the bed to watch too, he held it out farther to allow her and Mark to watch. It was a slideshow, the first slide of which said in large letters, "GET WELL SOON!!" and in smaller text, "from Monarch and the titans."

He swiped to the next slide.

Godzilla stared back at him with eyes crossed and snout smooshed up to the window of Castle Bravo.

Serizawa laughed.

He swiped through the notes and images, pausing to read the well-wishing messages from Monarch agents and their allies—some close friends, some he'd only spoken to once or twice—and to examine the pictures and clips they'd put together for him.

A video of Rodan dramatically bobbing and headbanging in time to a Spanish song. An attached caption mentioned that after recording Rodan bobbing to over twenty different songs and sending them to a comparative psychologist in California, they could definitively say that Rodan was actually meeting the official definition for "dancing"—deliberately moving in sync with the beat of the music—and he was better at keeping the beat than parrots, one of the few other categories of non-human dancers.

Several pictures showed Kraken hanging out next to various Monarch ships, mimicking the ships' paint jobs. In some of the pictures, he even displayed unintelligible lines across his head that looked like attempts to copy the text and symbols printed on the ships' sides.

The Chen twins included a selfie of themselves and Mothra, as well as a message they said was translated directly from Mothra herself: a sincere wish for Serizawa to either get well soon or have a smooth reincarnation if he didn't, and a thank you from both her and Godzilla for saving Godzilla. Apparently Godzilla thought of Serizawa as "the flashy human." (Serizawa had to pause to wipe his eyes before continuing to the next slide.)

Pictures of Behemoth moving heavy objects around for humans with patient amusement. A photo of "Quetzalcoatl" half obscured by the sea with a brief message informing Serizawa that, in action, Quetzalcoatl appeared to more closely resembled myths about a creature called "Manda." Poems, with an apologetic note that they were better in Arabic, that one of the Monarch agents at Outpost 75-B had written about Mokele-Mbembe.

A short note from Admiral Stenz that wryly said, "Even the Navy is having to adjust to your new friends," followed by an image of Ghidorah reclined on an aircraft carrier like a vacationer on an inflatable pool lounge.

From the corner of his eye, Serizawa saw Madison flinch. He looked up at her; her face had gone blank, but there was a terrible fear in her eyes. Mark put a hand on her shoulder.

Serizawa turned off the tablet and set it down on the bed. "Perhaps I should look at these when I don't have visitors."

Madison's gaze dropped. "I'm gonna..." She slipped out of her father's hand and circled around Serizawa's bed. "Gonna get a soda. M'thirsty."

Mark reached out for her. "Maddie..." But she'd already disappeared down the hallway. He sighed, sank down into the seat she'd vacated, and ran his fingers through his hair.

Serizawa let the silence settle for a moment before he quietly said, "She's been through a great deal."

"Has anyone told you that she got up close and personal with the Three Stooges? They saw each other. They interacted."

Serizawa shook his head, sitting up a little straighter. He'd heard that she'd made herself quite the hero—sneaking away from Jonah's terrorist gang with the ORCA; single-handedly breaking whatever control Ghidorah had over the titans; luring Ghidorah, Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan to Boston where they could settle their differences. It had been clear just how much danger she'd been in; but he'd never imagined that danger.

"She says she was as close to him as..." Mark looked out the window and pointed, "as that tree." The tree was near enough that Serizawa could see how the surfaces of individual leaves curved and rippled. "He looked directly at her—all three heads. He tried to kill her. Blasted..." Mark tried to pantomime with his hand in front of his mouth. "Blasted that lightning of his."

A chill ran down Serizawa's back. He'd known Madison since she was born. The thought of her ending like that, incinerated by an enraged titan...

"She's changed so much," Mark went on. "She's having trouble sleeping. She's sullen, she's so serious... Even the sound of the air conditioning coming on makes her jump. And I don't know how much of that is everything she went through, how much of it is whatever—whatever eco-fascist brainwashing Jonah put her and Emma through, how much of it's just her being a teenager..." Mark trailed off helplessly.

There was frustration in his voice and guilt in his eyes.

"I—maybe I'd know if I'd—been around. If I'd seen her often enough to know what she's like."

"You're around her now," Serizawa pointed out. "You cannot change your past actions, but you can support her now when she needs you."

Mark nodded reluctantly. "I just... wish I knew how."

That was where Serizawa's sage advice ran out. His child rearing experience capped out at entertaining agents' kids with titan stories and pocket watch jokes in fifteen-minute bursts of babysitting. "Have you... looked into therapy?"

"I'm her father. I should be able to help her through this myself," Mark insisted. He shifted his position uncomfortably. "And everyone's booked up."

Serizawa tisked.

"But Maddie's... she's strong." Mark sounded like he was repeating something someone else had told him, not something he quite believed himself. "She'll pull through this."

Serizawa could remember all the times over the past couple of years that Emma had boasted about what a strong young woman Maddie was developing into—a boast that, knowing what he knew now about what Emma had been training Madison for, was more chilling in hindsight. He wondered if Mark had been visiting Emma in jail to talk to her about Maddie.

Strong or not, though, facing down a titan attack and being responsible for saving the world was an astounding weight to put on anyone's shoulders, much less a twelve-year-old's. Pile enough weight on even the strongest structure, and eventually it buckles.

Mark muttered, "I can't believe he's still running around."

Serizawa didn't have to ask who. Mark's gaze was aimed at the tablet's black screen.

"If that thing was dead, maybe... I don't know, maybe Maddie wouldn't constantly feel like she has to watch her back. Like she's afraid he'll come back and finish the job."

Serizawa shifted to sit up higher. "I understand how your daughter's pain must pain you too," he said. "But that's no reason to condemn a living creature to death."

"It's not just that. He's dangerous, you know he is." Mark held up a hand before Serizawa could say anything else. "I know, I know—I should be making peace with the titans. I have with most of them. I don't think I'm at the point where I'd invite Godzilla to my birthday party, but he's on my Christmas card list."

From what Serizawa understood about American Christmas card customs, he was pretty sure that making someone's list was faint praise.

"But Ghidorah? He's not like the others. The others just... accidentally flatten human cities. To them it's like stepping on an anthill without looking. Ghidorah is that sick kid who holds a magnifying glass over an anthill. He's evil. Even you've felt it!"

Serizawa couldn't argue with that. He had seen Ghidorah up close in Antarctica—seen the way his eyes darted about, picking out humans across the ice so he could crush them. He'd seen the malice in Ghidorah's gaze. He'd seen the rage, too—a fury that had smoldered for eons, a fury that was older than the human race. He'd seen the light flashing off Ghidorah's eyes and teeth as he'd singled out Vivienne and devoured her.

But was what he saw in Ghidorah's eyes so different from the rage he'd seen in Mark's eyes when Mark had set foot in a Monarch facility for the first time in years, when Mark had snarled that all titans must be executed? Or the cold malice in Emma's eyes when she'd declared from the safety of a terrorist's bunker that human civilization had to be scoured from the Earth? If either of them had been Ghidorah's size, would Mark have been any kinder to Godzilla or would Emma have to Boston? Serizawa had his doubts.

There was no anger that wasn't somehow inspired by pain, by suffering, by fear. Even though Serizawa could still see Vivienne disappearing into Ghidorah's jaws over and over when he closed his eyes, there was some part of him that wondered what it was Ghidorah feared so deeply. And for that, Serizawa pitied him.

"You yourself called Ghidorah a false king," Mark went on. "You know he doesn't belong on this world."

"That is true," Serizawa said. "But he could belong. There is room enough on our world for him to find a place he fits."

"Wh—" Mark leaned away from Serizawa, blinking in disbelief. "How does a false king fit in on Earth?!"

"By learning to act like a citizen, instead of a conqueror."

"I—Wh—You don't think he's going to just do that, do you? Out of the goodness of his big, lightning-spewing heart? Before he floods the planet, or—or challenges Godzilla for leadership again?"

"What has he been doing since Boston?" Serizawa thought he already knew—although he wasn't currently working, he was receiving regular reports from several outposts, mainly from people who thought he'd enjoy hearing them—but he wanted to hear the answer in Mark's own words.

"Well, he—he's been skulking near Rodan's volcano, mostly. Throwing any trailers or tech we try to so much as get on the edge of the volcanic rock back into the village. He's been learning Rodan's language—did you know Rodan has a language—?"

Serizawa nodded. "I'm subscribed to Dr. Flores Rosales's YouTube channel."

That almost got a smile out of Mark. "Of course," he said. "Rodan's even been teaching him... more complicated calls. So the next time he tries to take over, he's going to be able to give the other titans direct orders. And he's been exploring the planet. Learning the landscape. Playing with our weather—he diverts entire hurricanes like they're nothing. He turns over tanks like they're toys. Experimenting with human technology—our technology. Studying how we work."

Serizawa nodded again, absorbing that analysis.

"Getting a better understanding of our planet," Mark concluded. "He's going to be better prepared the next time he attacks it. The longer we wait, the more prepared he gets."

Serizawa took a moment to process that, collect his words, and then reply carefully. "I can understand how his actions appear to you," he said. "And perhaps that is what Ghidorah is doing—studying us, toying with us. But when I look at those same things, here's what I see. Ghidorah has found a home—perhaps a temporary one, perhaps more permanent. He's established the borders of what he feels like is his territory, and when we respect his boundaries, he has respected ours. He's learning to communicate with his neighbors through words instead of through violence. He's shown us that his species sings—that he understands art. He's shown us he has a sense of humor. He's discovering that the earth is covered in unique, fascinating places, and that humans aren't playthings to torture and kill but inventors and engineers. He's made a friend—a friend whose lessons and advice he will sit and listen to, a friend whom he goes to great lengths to protect from discomfort, and a friend who he seems to care for."

Mark also took a long moment to think over Serizawa's words. He was growing a little bit, Serizawa thought. If they'd had this conversation before Boston, Mark would more than likely have steamrolled over Serizawa's interpretation and clung to his own—as he had with so many other opinions he'd had for so many years. Maybe discovering he was wrong about Godzilla had made him a more thoughtful person. Or maybe he was just working to be more respectful because Serizawa was in the hospital—time would tell.

Finally, Mark said, "A 'friend' who he fights with. All the time. Rodan clawed his wing up pretty good in Antarctica."

"And then kept him warm through the night, stayed near him for the next few days, and reactivated a volcano that's been dormant for four thousand years to give him a place to rest. I don't think it was a fight fueled by hatred," Serizawa said. "Have you been watching Rodan's language lessons as well?"

"A few. Not as many as I should," Mark admitted. "It's hard to look at—I mean—Ghidorah tried to kill me and my daughter."

Serizawa nodded understandingly. He had just about gotten used to the sight of Ghidorah curiously ask Rodan to clarify what the word "many" meant, and even at that Serizawa still sometimes instead flashed to a memory of Vivienne's last moments. "You should ask Xochitl if she has transcripts," Serizawa said. "Ghidorah and Rodan squabble over which fights 'count' and 'don't count' like two children trying to cheat at a board game. They see their battles as play."

"Huh," Mark said. "Like...?" He didn't finish the question.

Serizawa gestured encouragingly at Mark to continue. He had a feeling he knew where Mark had been heading.

"Well." Shrugging self-consciously, Mark said, "You know the joke theory that Outpost 56-B's been putting forward."

An amused smile broke out across Serizawa's face. "That Rodan and Ghidorah might be...?"

"Courting," Mark mumbled, shaking his head in disbelief. "That what we're seeing is courting behavior. Or—or dating, are they intelligent enough to date? I mean, Ghidorah's building radios..."

"I think there's some potential to the theory," Serizawa said, still grinning. "Outpost 56-B has collected some very compelling evidence. It's not conclusive, but it's certainly suggestive."

"Suggestive." Mark shook his head again and rubbed his eyes. "There's no way they're reproductively compatible."

"Not all couples are. Either in the animal kingdom, or in our own species."

"So, is that the bet you're wagering?" Mark asked. "You think we shouldn't try to kill Ghidorah while we still have a chance because if he decides to settle down and make a big fiery nest with Rodan, he won't destroy our planet?"

Serizawa sobered up. "No," he said. "I think we shouldn't try to kill Ghidorah because his behavior suggests he no longer wants to kill us. It suggests that he is trying to leave conquering behind and trying to behave like a fellow citizen of our planet—cooperative, respectful of the other species he shares the world with, communicative with his neighbors despite the massive language barriers. If that changes, through Mothra we can call Gojira for help. If it doesn't change... then if Ghidorah is seeking redemption, I think we should let him seek it. Whatever his motive may be."

Mark thought that over, lips pursed. Finally, he said, "I hope you're right. You've been right about a lot of other things, but..." He sighed.

It would take Mark some time to accept. That was understandable; Serizawa saw no need to rush him. Ghidorah had directly threatened Mark's family, after all. But Godzilla had ultimately helped cause far greater harm to the Russell family—harm that couldn't be healed with time—and Mark had made peace with him. If Ghidorah's recent behavior really was indicative of a change, Serizawa was sure Mark could eventually make peace with Ghidorah, too.

For now, though, Serizawa should probably lighten the mood. A bit of humor creeping back into his voice, Serizawa said, "But, if it does turn out that what we've been observing on Isla de Mara is courting..."

Mark gave Serizawa a wary look. "What?"

"Do you remember what you said when we were trying to figure out why Ghidorah was heading toward Isla de Mara?" Serizawa asked.

"Oh no." Mark buried his face in a hand, but not before Serizawa got a glimpse of him fighting back a smile. "Not you, too. Nobody's let me live it down."

"You said he wanted a food, a fight, or a..."

"I know! What about it?"

"Well, then." Serizawa sat back, shrugged permissively, and said, "Let them fuck."

Mark huffed.

The conversation drifted to how their respective extended families had weathered the attacks and the corresponding changes to their daily lives, to Mark's tentative plans to balance getting back into Monarch against keeping Madison away from any active outposts, and to Serizawa's goals for once he was back on duty. Serizawa planned to return to work as soon as he was allowed out of the hospital.

"And to visit all of them," he said firmly, "the moment the doctors allow me on an airplane. If I can't take a plane, I'll ride a boat."

Mark chuckled. "All of them? Even the mean ones?"

"No such thing," Serizawa said confidently. "Maybe hurting, maybe distrustful of humans—or maybe so far removed from our cultures that they don't yet recognize humans as feeling people—but not mean."

"So you gonna go open up diplomacy with the titans on behalf of humanity?" Mark asked. "Go say 'hi' and have a little chat like you did with Godzilla?"

Serizawa smiled. "If they'll let me."

Madison finally came back in the room, smiling shakily but clearly calmer than when she'd left. She didn't have anything from the vending machine. Neither Serizawa nor Mark commented on it.

"Afraid this is leaving with me," Mark said, picking up his tablet from the bed. "But I'll email you the slideshow. They let you have your phone in here, right?"

"I have a new one." His old one had been with him during his meeting with Godzilla. It hadn't shared Serizawa's miraculous survival. Rick Stanton had helped him get all his old data out of "the cloud" onto his new phone, and once he had his photos back he liked his new phone better. It was bigger.

"We'll come back as soon as we can," Maddie said as she leaned in for a hug, then looked to her dad for confirmation.

"Of course," Mark said, nodding, "unless you manage to talk your way out of here before we find time to come by again."

Serizawa grinned. As much as he might want to, he probably needed to be able to walk out the door by himself before he could go. "If you don't come see me before I get out, I'll come see you." He had a whole list of people he needed to visit.

The last thing Mark said before he left was, "Get some rest. You've still got a lot of recovering to do."

On more than one level. "I will." Glancing between Mark and Maddie's tired faces, Serizawa said, "So do you."

###

(Do you guys know how long I've been waiting to write Serizawa saying "let them fuck"? Like half a year. Anyway so the “titan radiation heals injuries instead of making them worse” is, obviously, a lot of BS and Not How Radiation Works, but it’s consistent with KOTM’s “titan radiation heals nature and grows plants!!” and with Legendaryverse’s overall lack of people getting severe radiation burns from being so close to confirmed-radioactive kaiju all the time. If canon’s gonna act like kaiju have some made up form of Magical Healthy Radiation, okay, I’ll roll with that.)

(Replies/reblogs are welcome and greatly appreciated! Check the “source” link below for my masterlist of KOTM and Rodorah fics, as well as my AO3 and Ko-fi links.)

#serizawa ishiro #madison russell #mark russell #godzilla #kotm #fanfic #my writing

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pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles · 5 years

Text

Colour Me In (part 2)

In case you missed Part 1

Eliza walked into their shared apartment her hands flying in a flurry of explanation.

“I'm sorry I'm so late, let me feed Oliver and we'll get going,” she told her sister.

Maggie was having none of it. “Where were you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago. You told me you were taking Oliver you the park. Wait why are you smiling like that? What happened? You'd better tell me,” her sister was equal parts furious and curious.

“Okay okay calm down, have you ever heard of 5 seconds of summer?” Eliza asked her.

“The band? Yes of course, what's that got to do with anything?” Maggie was confused.

“The guy I told you about the other day, hot guy who gave me his number, turns out his name is Calum Hood,” she continued but her sister cut her off

“You're full of shit,” Maggie signed shaking her head.

Eliza pulled out her phone pulling up pictures and Maggie grabbed it in disbelief. Scrolling through she recognized the handsome man smiling next to her sister in the pictures, she even recognized his dog.

“You not only met Calum fucking Hood but you hung out with Duke too? Know that I completely understand why you were late but also what the fuck Ez?” Maggie was shocked and grinning like a madman.

“I want to know everything you know about him and his band. I'm meeting up with him again next week and I want to be prepared,” Eliza pleaded with her sister.

“I'll help you when we get back but just know I'm gonna hit on his friend Luke. I seriously can't believe you right now.”

After shopping the two of them settled in with some chai and Maggie made Eliza give her every detail going back to the first sighting at the cafe. Maggie was being overly dramatic with her reactions and Eliza was beaming and giggling. In the middle of all of this Calum texted her telling her she'd left behind Oliver's rope toy.

My sister refuses to believe I met someone as famous as Duke Hood.

Calum texted back quickly. A picture of him sitting next to Duke on the couch. Duke was chewing Oliver's toy and Calum held a post it that had Hi Maggie scribbled on it.

Maggie squealed throwing herself back on the couch almost spilling her iced tea. They were laughing so hard and carrying on they didn't notice their mother coming into the apartment until she was standing in front of them.

“GIRLS what is going on here. I can hear you ALL the way in my kitchen,” Beatriz was remarkable how she managed to speak louder with her hands than her voice.

Eliza took the lead, their mom was tougher on her sister, and she could usually deflect some of it.

“I'm sorry Mama but when I took Oliver to the park I met someone famous. I was telling Mags about it and we got carried away. Esp when I was showing her pictures of his dog. We'll be quiet,” Eliza watched her mom's curiosity win over her annoyance.

“Let me see this boy. Is it someone I know? How is he famous,” she took Eliza's phone scrolling through the pictures smiling at the dozen or so shots of Duke and Oliver. Her eyebrows shot up and Eliza knew she was looking at Calum the way her eyes glanced at Eliza's face.

“The dog is adorable and he's quite handsome. Maggie do you know who he is?”

Maggie nodded and she turned back to Eliza.

“Will you be seeing him again?”

Eliza shrugged “Well I'm gonna keep going to that park and he did give me his phone number. He's really nice but I'm sure he's busy enough being a rock star and all.”

Beatriz narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between her girls. “I have a feeling you two are up to something. Be careful, now Maggie did you get what you needed today for your tournament?”

They chatted for a minute before their mom told them she was getting pizza and wanted them over for dinner. She left and Maggie tapped Eliza to get her full attention.

“She's right about being careful. He could be a total fuckboy.”

Eliza's mouth dropped open and she looked hurt before bursting into giggles “of course he could be a fuckboy but if he is so WHAT? How much fun would that be?”

Maggie laughed along with her but quickly shushed them both. “True true, damn you're one lucky bitch. Now pull yourself together we gotta go deal with Mama.

That evening Calum declined Natasha's invitation to come out. He was still a bit annoyed about the hickey. More annoyed that he hadn't spotted it but he'd been in such a rush to get out of the house. He wanted to text Eliza but she'd left him on read and he didn't want to seem too eager. He'd managed to work out the alphabet, signing through his abc's. His mind was buzzing replaying the entire day in his head. It wasn't just that she was hot, although Calum definitely wanted to explore her curves and roam those hills. It wasn't just that she was different, he couldn't pretend her being deaf wouldn't present challenges if this progressed. That she wasn't impressed with him or have an agenda was something Calum hadn't experienced in a long time.

His phone buzzed just as he was making dinner.

My sister is incredibly jealous. Apparently you know somebody named Luke Hemmings and your band is kind of a big deal.

Calum chuckled looking at his phone.

Well Luke is quite pretty and I could see where your sister would be jealous of Luke. Hell, I'm jealous of Luke. He's really that pretty.

Eliza practically had Maggie trying to crawl into her lap trying to read Calum's texts.

“You sold me out to give yourself an excuse to text Calum” Maggie protested

“What if you get to make out with Luke” Eliza asked

“I'll take one for the team” Maggie grinned at her sister.

Almost as pretty as you

Eliza held her phone up and Maggie took and and laughed.

“If that's not a fuckboy move I don't know what is” Maggie signed and Eliza responded “I know right, give it back.”

You're decent looking yourself but we all know Duke is the superior Hood

Calum smirked at the message, she had sass, he liked that.

I'd be hurt by that statement but when you're right, you're right. Speaking of which he needs a bath. I'll talk to you soon.

Maggie and Eliza shared a look. This was gonna be interesting.

Eliza skipped the cafe Monday for a work meeting because one of their clients had acted a fool over the weekend and damage control was needed. Tuesday she got up extra early to spend a little more time getting ready just in case. She popped into Marian's for coffee and half a dozen muffins on her way to work, three white chocolate lemon and three butter toffee pecan.

Marian slid her a quick note with her change as she waited for her order.

Someone was in here looking for you yesterday

She shook her head as Marian handed her a large box and grinned nodding towards the door. Eliza saw Calum walking in, his face lighting up into a smile when he saw her.

She stepped to the side so that Calum could order and so she could set her stuff down out of the way and pull out her phone.

“Hello how are you” Calum signed and she thought she might faint right there.

“I'm good how are you” she replied.

“Good” he stopped and pulled out his phone

Sorry that's all I know so far

Eliza was over the moon, but tried to keep it together. He ordered quickly while she replied.

No that's fine. That's incredibly sweet. I'm just on my way to work. Damage control for a client.

Calum looked around the place was busy and they were a bit in the way. His order was ready so he walked her to her car. She checked her phone.

Dinner sometime this week?

Eliza looked up at him he looked hopeful, and so ridiculously handsome.

I'm helping Maggie practice every evening to get ready, and I'm on call for work in case my client does something stupid. How about lunch Friday?

Calum was surprised but agreed instantly,

Of course just text me where and when, or just text me

He winked at her and bent down to give her a little hug he walked to his car and Eliza held it together until he'd pulled out of the parking lot. She fumbled for her phone and put it into the dash mount. Pulling up snapchat she freaked out telling Maggie about running into Calum, their upcoming lunch date, that he had used sign language.

“Mags I am shitting myself WTF is even happening? What do I do? Help ME,” Eliza got herself somewhat calmed down after sending it. Ignoring the strange looks from some passersby who probably thought she'd lost her mind she got settled and headed out to work. She set her phone to the side and spent several hours on social media going in through ghost accounts trying to change the conversation about their client and Eliza could see they were starting to turn things around. Now if their client could stop Snapchatting his balls to random females that would be awesome.

Eliza couldn't sleep Thursday night, the anticipation was making her jumpy. She told herself she was being ridiculous. Yes he was gorgeous, famous and charming but a fuckboy is a fuckboy. The sooner she got romance out of her head and back to reality the better. She decided against trying to straighten her hair and Maggie helped her fashion two loose braids and then pinning them at the nape of her neck to give her a loose casual bun. She eyed her sister's dark waves with envy. Eliza's curls had a mind of their own but today they seemed to be cooperating. She decided on a burgundy wrap tunic with cream colored leggings and her favorite tan boots.

Calum was early and badly wanted a smoke to calm his nerves. He knew Eliza disliked the smell so he resisted and ordered a beer while he waited. Seeing her walk in did not help his nerves but he was thrilled to see her. After greetings they pulled out their phones, it was a little strange to have these quiet text dates, but Eliza didn't seem phased.

Eliza waved to the cook and server when she spotted them behind the line. She came here as often as she could. Not only was it known for its soups and sandwiches it was family owned. The owner/cook was deaf so most of the staff could sign. The server came over and greeted them and they both signed back but then the server asked Calum his name and he froze unsure of the question.

She asked what's your name, She can hear btw so you can just tell her.

“Oh ok” Calum said out loud, surprising the lady waiting on them. He opened his mouth to answer but paused,” that's the sign for name?” He repeated the gesture he'd just seem and both women nodded. He thought for a second then pointed to himself, signed “name” and then finger spelled C-a-l-u-m looking to Eliza to see if he'd done it correctly.

“Very good” she signed with a smile.

They each ordered a combo. Cal got a Monte Cristo and vegetable soup, while she got a Philly cheese steak with tomato bisque. Eliza insisted he try the iced green tea with mint and lime.

Waiting for their food he raised his eyebrows at her before hitting send

Should I be insulted that you gave me the same sign you give Oliver when he's done a trick. At least he gets a treat

Eliza grinned and reached in her purse,

You want me to balance it on your nose first?

Calum looked up from his phone to see her holding up a piece of candy between her fingers and rotating it in a circle the way she did for her dog.

He had to laugh at the smirk on her face she caught him up on the fallout from her client's antics.

So it's bad enough he was wanking on Snapchat but then he goes off on Twitter. Evie says I'm to monitor all his social media and clean out his DMs blocking any and all girls who sent him nudes. The kid is not only a massive knob but now the world knows he has one as well.

Calum just stared at her for a minute

Hold on, you work for Eve Rhodes AND You guys represent Zachary James? That kid is a fucking nightmare. I've also met your boss, she's terrifying.

Eliza nodded

Fair enough but once you get to know her she's slightly less terrifying. Here comes our food I'm starving

Calum turned to look

Omg that looks amazing. I wish I'd gotten a cheese steak. Can we trade bites?

Eliza looked at his food

You can have a bite but yours has ham and I don't eat pork.

Calum looked surprised but nodded as she set her phone down to pick up her sandwich.

Eliza had never hesitated to eat in front of guys. Her mother believed in good food and lots of it and without her sister's manic energy most of the women in her family were pleasantly plump. Sometimes she didn't want to talk or deal with anyone else, she just wanted to have a moment with her food.

Calum was distracted from his own meal watching the expressions on Eliza's face as she lost herself in enjoyment. It didn't help the sandwich was messy and she kept licking her fingers, making it difficult for him to swallow. The little sighs and mmmmms as she ate were getting him hard despite himself.

Eliza opened her eyes to offer him a bite and caught him staring at her so blatantly she almost choked. “Maybe he's ready to make a move,” Eliza thought but her heart sank as she noticed a pair of unmistakably pink COMME des GARÇONS x Nike Air Max 180 sneakers headed her way.

Kevin, her best friend, fashion diva, and drama queen was standing at her table seriously annoyed with her.

“Bitch are you serious right now? Who is this man you are out with right now and why does he look so familiar?” Kevin signed, completely ignoring Calum.

“Can you not right now? His name is Calum I told you about him remember? You're being rude?” Eliza signed back.

“Ask me if I care? So this is dog boy from the park? He's almost cute” Kevin told her.

“Don't call him dog boy, it's Calum now I love you but kindly fuck off right now” Eliza was getting angry now.

“Fine” he signed before turning to Calum. “Nice to meet you Calum, I'm Kevin, Eliza's best friend, and you look very familiar for some reason,” he spoke to him quickly before walking off leaving Calum very confused. Calum watched him walk back to his own table. This Kevin guy DID look familiar. They were about equal in height but Kevin was broader and more muscled. Strikingly handsome with light green eyes that contrasted with his deep golden tan skin tone, and dark hair straightened high into a quiff. Calum would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tiny bit threatened.

Apologies for that, I've known Kevin for years. He's like a protective older brother. He thinks he might know you.

Calum was trying not to glance back at the man he could feel staring at him he focused back on his food and trying to enjoy Eliza's company.

Don't apologize, it's fine. He does look familiar...does he work for a publicist or maybe in music?

Eliza laughed and shook her head.

Kevin? His most stylish highness the KVN? LOL Nooo he's a model but he works the door at a few bars between jobs.

Calum slowly raised his eyes from his phone meeting hers to see if she was teasing or maybe setting him up somehow.

Which bars? Do you and Maggie get out much?

Eliza finished the last of her sandwich before giving up on the spoon and just sipping the last soup

Emerald City is one so that's a NO

Calum laughed Emerald City was a notoriously pricey strip club

He also works at Lucky's and The Chelsea. We don't drink, and I hate crowds. Clubs aren't my thing, but Maggie loves live music so she gets out some.

Calum nodded but his mind wasn't on their conversation any longer.

“Lucky's?” Calum thought chewing slowly trying to think how to handle this. “Looks like I'm totally fucked.”

@wildhearthood @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @biba3434 @cal-puddies @grittyisathot @angelbabylu @itstheholls @irwinkitten @5sos-ficssmut @cal-pal-cuddles @calumh-excess @1dthewantedlove @you-of-ghost @babygirlcashton @5-secondsofcolor

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thebibliomancer · 5 years

Text

Dark Crystal Age of Resistance ep 3 liveblog

“What was sundered and undone”

Just a stream of thoughts.

The Order of Lesser Service.

Everyone is dunking on Brea.

“The order of Lesser Service is not a punishment. Its an opportunity to lift yourself up by performing the lowliest of deeds.”

Its not a punishment but Brea can’t leave and a possible task is to chew up roots and spit it into baby Nebrie’s mouths. It SOUNDS like a punishment.

“I’ve never met a princess before. I imagined they’d have shinier hair.” EVERYONE is dunking on Brea.

So the Order of Lesser Service is TOTALLY not a punishment but you have to wear a jester hat and also this other Vapran gelfling girl Juni was sent to the Order for hanging out with a boy of a different clan.

It really sounds like a punishment.

“I always thought I’d make a fantastic princess, I have the hair for it. Its very shiny.” I kind of like Juni.

So the service for the day is to swan into a Podling village and force cleaning on them.

They seem awfully happy throwing mud at each other. And bellyflopping into the mud. And eating the mud. And rolling in mud.

“There is no filthier creature in all of Thra than a Podling” cool cool cool cool racism, Gelflings.

Yeah it seems gross but its what they like? So don’t be dicks about it, geez, Gelflings.

They seriously seem upset by all this forced bathing. Leave them alone!

Theres a lot of paternalism here is what I’m getting at.

Seladon just spent five minutes complaining about Brea while Cool Sister Tavra is just trying to hone her sword and mind her business.

Tavra really is the Cool Sister. The Cool Very Patient Sister.

“I can’t be washing Podlings, I had a vision that the world was ending or beginning!”

“Sounds like heatstroke”

“FUCK YOU ITS NOT HEATSTROKE”

Brea cuts a deal with a Podling to not wash them and the Podling immediately dives into the dirt to make dirt angels.

Live your truth, Podling. Live your beautiful truth, you actual potato.

Deet: “What if we fail?”

The First Podling Paladin: “Pssh”

Hup has to explain to underground elf Deet that actually Gelflings are pretty racist against each other and may not listen to her just because she’s an underground elf.

“It may be hard at first but like anything else in life, it just takes time to adjust” -dramatically removes blindfold to make a point-

Rian knows that just because you’re on a quest to save the world and are carrying a plot critical item, doesn’t mean you can’t stop to do a random act of kindness sidequest.

“Thank the harvest we have the Skeksis to keep us safe” Dramatic ironyyyyyyy

Rian immediately gives up the game by protesting that the Skeksis killed Mira.

“We protect the lords. The lords protect the crystal of truth. All lies!”

And he ditches all his castle guard gear so he’s not so easily identified in the future.

Brea trying to hide. While wearing a jingly hat.

Tavra: “You ran away? Good.” Such the Cool Sister.

So news of Mira’s death has filtered to the Vapra by this point. And since Rian is of the Stonewood clan, ooo its time for factional tension I guess.

Cool Sister Tavra has to try to keep the peace between her sister.

Tavra: “I think you and Seladon are more alike than you realize.”

Brea: “That’s a mean thing to say!”

Tavra: “Well, you’re both very stubborn!”

Also both Brea and Seladon can tell from Tavra’s silence when she wants to say something.

“The bonds of sisterhood can be tested… but never broken” Awww, Tavra!

Deet, you’re the most sunny person possible considering you’re an underground elf.

There’s a cool ominous pillar full of swords and Hup wouldn’t let Deet ask someone about it.

“Look at that filthy green Gelfling” well fuck you too, background character.

The Stonewood Gelfling at the bar try to rearrange so there’s no room for Deet but she’s oblivious to bullying and just squeezes in anyway.

Apparently a Fizzgig are just fizzgigs. So Kira was like a pokemon trainer who names her dog Dog.

“Go crawl back into the nest you came from you dirty Grottan” and then they shove her. I think she’s less oblivious to bullying now. But also Hup doesn’t approve of that behavior and launched himself across the bar and beat up EVERYONE.

That’s what a paladin is, Avatar.

“Rascal hole” wut.

I was just thinking that there’s been a dearth of Skeksis so far and BAM scene: castle, in saunters SkekSil.

“Not talk. Just listen.” ‘Hey wanna know about this cool beetle that eats eyes?’

“Noooo never use on gelfling. Only on Skeksis who misbehave. Did you hear screams last night? Friend Scientist was naughty, so saw peeper beetle.”

Chamberlain is one of those people who uses friend ironically, I think. And the nicer the term of endearment the more worried you should be, Gurjin.

“Think Gelfing. If Skeksis do that to Skeksis, imagine what Skeksis do to Gelfling that will not talk.”

“Tell Chamberlain where Rian is.”

“Never!”

-actual affronted gasp-

Librarian: “Weren’t you sent to the Order of Lesser Service?”

Brea: “I ran away. I gotta go steal from my mom”

Librarian: “You wut”

OH HEY FLYING SCENE! Wonder how they did that.

Seladon: “So the person Brea mindwiped is here. There’s been a murder at the castle. Creatures going mad. And there’s a bunch of Gelfling worried about the Blight.”

All-Maudra: “I had to send Tavra on a dangerous mission. And Brea to the Order of Lesser Service. My daughters… gone.”

Her other daughter Seladon: “.... wtf mom”

Seladon gives her mom a pep talk to break her out of her funk.

All-Maudra: “You’ll be a great All-Maudra some day. … Straighten your wings. You look like a lopsided unamoth.”

It was almost positive reinforcement for a second but you just had to undermine it, huh?

And then Brea breaks into the room to do a Theft like right after they leave.

So the Brightest Jewel is part of the chandelier? Of what significance?

Scientist: “Treacherous, perfidious Skeksis! Oh, soon… soon they will all see!”

The guy was a Mad Scientist by default of being a lizard nightmare man but he’s going Mad Scientist “they laughed LAUGHED but I’ll show them all” from his default level of Already Mad Scientist.

He’s also saying all this out loud while Chamberlain is just standing behind him.

Chamberlain: “How is friend skekTek? Good? Mm?” You’re a card, SkekSil.

Oh, cool. Scientist replaced his eye with a cybernetic prosthetic.

Chamberlain found some lab assistants for the Scientist called Gruenaks. I guess this is why the other Skeksis managed to put up with him for so long. He backstabs them all but then gives a shoulder rub and goes ‘lol sorry’

First he’s sour, then he’s sweet. Sour Patch SkekSil.

Chamberlain: “So, we are friends? All is forgiven?”

Scientist: -grudgingly- “It's a start”

Deet is off to see the Maudra Fara and is very tired of the myths that the Grottan Gelflings are all dead. Or bats.

And then Rian shows up. Holy crap, two of the protagonists in the same square mile!

Deet: “He’s much dirtier than me, why does he get to go in?”

Guard: “Because Rian is one of us! Unlike you!” Rude.

So the Rascal Hole is just an oubliette type prison dealie. And its right in the Maudra’s court, like she’s a Jabba.

Maudra Fara: “Your return puts the Stonewood clan in a dangerous position. The Skesis have declared you a traitor to Thra.”

I have to wonder how news travels so fast. Do they have female gelfling couriers sent out to all the clans to spread the word? Is there a fantasy telegraph? I guess even a courier on a landstrider would run fastere than Rian’s tiny little legs.

Rian: “The Skeksis are the traitors! They lied to us about everything!”

Fara: “I will not tolerate heresy from a murderer”

Will you tolerate heresy from a counterfeiter? Whats the crime threshold here that will allow you to tolerate heresy?

Heresy is “belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine” so are the Skeksis literally the religion of the Gelfling? I guess the Crystal holds a massive spiritual significance to everyone of Thra and the Skeksis as the Lords of the Crystal would have a level of respect but heresy?

Rian: “I have soul goo that proves I didn’t kill Mira!”

Rian: “Dreamfast with me” which should solve everything but Rian’s dad arrived first and told Fara what the Skeksis told him that dreamfasting spreads the Madness.

Good job derailing this guaranteed plot resolution, Chamberlain.

“You are my father, why don’t you ever believe me?” I can’t wait for Rian and Brea to meet so they can commiserate over bad parents.

-Rian sees chandelier, sees rope, thinks Flynn-y thoughts-

Oh wow thats an awful lot of chandelier. And they’re full of fireflies instead of fire. Because you don’t want puppets anywhere near fire.

And Rian did do the thing where he cuts a rope and lets it carry him to escape.

Aughra: -sees the castle, reflexively- “Bah!”

Skeksis spa day???

Emperor: -applying cream and looking into a mirror- “Ah, beautiful!”

Aughra: “Skeksis?”

Emperor: “Oh shit mom’s home!”

Scroll-Keeper: “AHHH I’M NOT DECENT!”

Aughra: “PAH” -rinses her eye in his bath just because-

Aughra: “I’m unwell because Thra is unwell. I’ve come to see the Crystal, see what ails it.”

Skeksis: “NOPE CRYSTAL IS FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE”

Aughra: “Everything is well? You speak and know nothing! Or is it you know and speak nothing?” Well wordplayed, Aughra.

-starts poking the Scroll-Keeper’s belly with her staff so he has to splash her to get her to back off-

It turns out her interrupting their banquet by being kidnapped in the movie wasn’t her being upset. She’s just that rude at a constant level.

Show her the Crystal before she traumatizes the Scroll-Keeper more.

Wow, the Emperor tries a very daring guilt trip on Aughra. Having gotten her addicted to space, he criticizes her for neglecting Thra and leaving the Skeksis to take care of it.

Emperor: “Then go back to your travels and we can go back to caring for the many you left behind.”

Emperor: “Guards. Throw this useless old crone out of our castle forever!”

The Gelfling guards of course do the “i thought she’d be taller” routine.

A Guard: “My grandfather said she cursed his village with ear mites because they forgot her birthday.”

B Guard: “Well I heard she sneezed and a mountain crumbled.”

Aughra: “Its all true so stay where you are or you’ll suffer the wrath of all eight and a half fingers! BAH!” -they flinch- “BAH!” -flinch again- “Ninny wheelers. Ingrates.”

And then the guards just let her wander off on her own.

-wanders past crystal. Stops. Wanders backwards-

She is not happy with how they redecorated the Crystal with EVIL.

Apparently Past Aughra recorded a message into the Crystal for Future/Present Aughra?

And Aughra tells Aughra “The moment Skeksis possessed the Crystal they abused it.” Aughra is a bad judge of character, apparently.

So the corruption of the Crystal creates the Darkening. And the Crystal or Past Aughra also replays the footage of Mira getting turned into soul goo.

“Gelflings return to Thra when they die. That is the natural order. But when Skeksis consume essence cannot return home. Thra is out of balance, thus the Darkening spreads faster.”

Eating souls is bad for the environment. Gotcha.

“You have lost the Song of Thra.” So now Aughra is off on a quest too. Like Earthbound except singing to the Skeksis isn’t going to make them feel so bad they leave.

Deet is still trying to figure out a way to rescue Hup. By wandering around aimlessly.

What a cute random tree snake rabbit. I keep expecting it to be actually huge and try to eat her.

Dammit Rian, you startled the random tree snake rabbit!

But hey, now two of the protagonists are in the same vicinity and ACTUALLY interacting.

Of course, Rian is massively paranoid now.

Rian: “Who sent you? Maudra Fara?”

Deet: “Maudra Argot! Well, actually it was the Sanctuary Tree.”

Rian: “??? oh.”

Deet has decided that since Rian cut in line in front of her, he has to help her rescue Hup. But he can’t what with being on the run from everyone and having broken all of the chandelier at Maudra Fara’s throne room.

Rian: “It won’t light, the ground is too wet”

Deet: “We’ll see about that.” -instantly succeeds-

Castle living has made you a bad camper, Rian.

Rian: ‘Holy shit the one person who hasn’t heard the lie about me being a murderer!’ -Deet has an epiphany and runs off- “Aww =( .”

It was nice to have two whole protagonists in the same conversation for two whole minutes. =P

Brea returns with the Brightest Jewel. And finds that Onica is now Elder Onica.

Elder Onica: “I served as Cadia’s apprentice for many trine. His memory loss allowed me to give myself a long overdue promotion.”

Hey, whatever works.

Brea was assuming, as I was, that the Brightest Jewel was payment. Which offends Onica because Stereotypes about Sifa. (Sifa Sea Faring? Boo) But the Brightest Jewel is actually a chrysalis and the answer.

Brea: “Oh. …….. I don’t understand.”

Onica: “A great many things.”

EVERYONE dunking on Brea today.

“This is the chrysalis of an Imperial unamoth, the totem animal of your clan.”

Onica: “Ask your question”

Brea: “Ask the moth??????”

Oh thats a pretty moth. Annnnnd it just flew off.

Onica was pretty cool.

Sooooo, wait. Wait. Brea is trying to learn what a vision means and is following a moth.

Annnnnd the moth turned into the symbol on the All-Maudra’s throne and opened a secret passage. Thats some good good fantasy nonsense.

Although I thought the throne room was not on the ground floor so where could a secret throne passage lead?

Questions, questions. Too many questions...

#dark crystal #dark crystal age of resistance #liveblog #episode 3

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secretsofthemasquerade · 6 years

Text

What the fuck is happening with V5, neonazis, and shits.

So, first, terminology. Everything I am going to be talking about here concerns the company White Wolf Publishing, which is the Swedish company created by Paradox Interactive for when they bought back the IP from CCP.

This DOES NOT include Onyx Path (with whom I have grievances, but they are mostly a question of taste and some of their business practices I am somewhat disapprove of, but this has nothing to do with them), and their classical authors, whom have nothing to do in the thing. So don’t go about telling Richard Thomas he’s a Nazi asshole okay? They’re clean in this matter and their statement is genuine and honest, and their statement matches their actions and publications. This also does not involve By Night Studios.

Basically, White Wolf Publishing (new version, the one in Sweden, owned by Paradox) has released a preview for V5 (corebook, which is due in three weeks), and they presented neo-nazis in a way that is controversial to say the least, in the clanspread Brujah for V5, which is in their V5 preview.

Some see it as "wwp trying to make neo nazis play their game", some are saying "lol sjw are being sensitive and ruining everything", some are saying "it's ok to explore dark themes but this is poorly worded and looks like they're glorifying it", and some are all censorship and stuff.

The spectrum of answers are very wide, with assholes on both sides, and death threats being sent to everyone by everyone. Including OPP people who are completely out of the loop on this one (altho some may argue that since they’re licensing the IP from WWP that makes them a level of complicit/quiet acceptance; that argument can be heard, but I am pragmatic and I understand they don’t want their company and their livelihood to sink into oblivion because Ethics are superior to Food)

Here’s the catch. People aren’t pissed just about the Brujah issue, that places neo-nazis at the same level as any other character concept and definition of the Brujah, without an ounce of self awareness, and using terminologies that clearly appeal to gamer gaters (the use of terms such as “fourth wave feminists” and others...). They’re pissed and worried because this isn’t the first WWP offense, they have multiple times allowed themselves to poke towards such people, more or less willingly.

There's been plenty of other signs by the WWP crew that they may be integrating alt-right and neo nazi elements in their games, not because they are saying they're a thing, but also somewhat inserting (willingly or not) some propaganda elements, not as a way to criticize them, but normalizing them or even misrepresenting them as "rebels with a cause" (aka Brujah, which makes little sense nowadays, current day neo nazis and alt rights are in positions of power and are very much accepted if not encouraged by our political systems, much to my screaming French ass).

They somewhat normalize and even glorify them. Despite being a game about monsters (lol u know what vamps are?? have said many people on those threads), it isn’t a game about BEING a monster. It is a game about Dealing with It and their Humanity.

WWP says it's to "acknowledge the state of the world today" but other elements such as dog whistle elements for neonazis, as well as the use of hate groups types of phrasings (euphemisms, like, clearly derogating terms like "fourth wave feminism" mocking tone like) are pushing non-straight non-white, non-male players out of their base. And oddly, almost everyone defending their edge-approach are.. yes, regular white dudes.

Add in their hiring of Zak S for their video game from February 2017 and the overall lack of research, + their apology / non apology / defense about all of these issues altogether up to now about the whole ordeal when people bring out the issues, and you've got a massive shitstorm of suspicion about whether they are actually openly welcoming neo-nazis and alt-righters into the games, especially when public comments made by WWP staff implies "they are very fine people” and “both extremes are horrible”, putting into equal footing antifascists and neonazis. That in and out of itself is suspicious, but arguable to some degree. Plenty of comments have been made both by the horrid fanbase, but also by WWP staff on the matter, as such they cannot really deny their hands being dirty (looking at you, MR-H and Ericsson, receipts are provided all over reddit and the FB threads from WWP but also from the VtM groups, including this one).

Just because they state they condemn racism, sexism and xenophobia, doesn’t mean that their writings and actions match those statements. They still sign “Blood and Souls,” their letters and posts, which is ODDLY similar to “Blood and Soil”, a known Neo-Nazi chant. The integration of 1 4 8 8 as a dice roll result may be completely meaningless and a sad occurrence, but there are SO MANY other occurrences that giving them the benefit of the doubt is hard. Especially when you add the fact that the lead dev has written books about nazis (so has done research, and when you research, 1488 comes up easily).

I’m always willing to blame ignorance and stupidity over Malice, and I am doing it for V5 write-ups, but their apologies and defense instead of listening to our concerns takes away their credibility. Their reaction should have been to listen and fix it.

In Game, there is also a BIG BIG PROBLEM that the authors didn’t even research. The Alt Right and neonazis are NOT in a marginal position of protesters anymore. They are in power. They are very much allowed, encouraged, protected by the system, at least in most Western Societies. They are no Brujah hunting ground, they are great Ventrue targets!

There’s a difference between allowing the themes be used and explored very darkly and grimly and glorifying them as a good thing (the little red book or Leni Riefenstahl’s movies), and doing the same but with careful research, expert consulting and making sure your intent is clear as a content creator (like the Handmaiden’s tale or 1984). You can’t objectively say that Wolfenstein is a game that approves of nazis despite being all about nazis, nor Far Cry 5 about wtf is going on in Far Cry 5, or that Just Cause approves of American Intervention in island nations or Latin American countries, or that Tropico approves of banana island dictatorships. Cartel Ciudad Juarez or many modern warfare games, on the other hand, do not manage this and are clearly not aware of what their game is saying (not unlike a RPG like Fatal... :p).

Then the article archived and linked above was made and shared, and that’s where all shit hit the fan. I do not believe the author is fully right about everything in the contents, especially when it comes to Zak S (who is an asshole by all means, but he is neither a gamer gater nor an alt righter), but there are solid elements that put together some of the various “uh” moments. The article has since been removed due to the harassment, death threats and worse.

Oddly, Reddit is doing okay (x, x) but Twitter has also given us frowny things about upcoming W5...

Do I think they are openly and willingly trying to pull one past us? No. Do I think the WoD has brought in lots of neonazis as players and has been a problem since the 1990s? Yes, for Vampire and Werewolf for sure. (Werewolf in particular is plagued with them despite the Revised attempts at fixing certain things...). Do I believe the 20th anniversary edition were made to glorify those days? No. Not at all. Do I think Ericsson and co are neonazis? No. They’re not. Do I think WWP is trying to be edgy to cater to anti-sjw and unapologetic show offs? Yes. Do I think WWP wants to openly cater to neonazis? No, but they’re not doing anything to make a stance against them buying and using their games. If their idea of Mature Themes is punching down and glorifying monsters, they are wrong and we should let them know. If a mature theme is exploring the dark sides of the world in a thoughtful manner, having Horror as a key component of VTM, then yes, that is what we want, but it has to be presented properly and fine-tuned. Right now, it’s “oh, wouldn’t it be cool/grim if...?”. They need to consult experts. They need to hire sociologists. Psychologists. Game Theorists. They need to SEE what Chaosium has done with Call of Cthulhu. They need to

I’m just also going to say that the two FB WWP threads are insane (here and here), full of fanboys and fangirls defending WWP and telling them they shouldn’t apologize, they even made a petition saying they did nothing wrong. I do not want to give up, and I do not want to let my voice be silenced by these assholes for a game I love and care about even if I am such a critic of it.

Let me be very clear. The problem is -not- the inclusion of asshole character concepts in the write up, it is the WoD after all... The problem is that they are presenting them under a good, acceptable, apologetic light even. The problem isn’t exactly the content of the game, the problem is how little research and how little awareness they’ve had about their publication, and the responses that they have given when we have raised questions and concerns about these issues. The problem is Accidental Indoctrination. The problem is Propaganda Games. What are your mechanics saying? What are your actions saying? What is your game saying?

https://youtu.be/4jKsj345Jjw

https://youtu.be/UP4_bMhZ4gA

(Yes they’re video games but it’s he same thing)

And in opposition, extra credits did also an episode about the Shoah book for Wraith. https://youtu.be/EDEgXUqHL9Q

So, do we want great quality mature content, serious gaming material, or shock for shock value? Do we want This War of Mine, Papers Please, Dead of Winter, CupidVN, Spec Ops the Line, Bury Me My Love? Or do we want Hatred, DARK, WoD Preludes, Ciudad Juarez or even Dante’s inferno?

Games Matter.

Education Matters

We matter.

Tyvm

If you have any questions, they’re going to do an AMA on Twitch on July 13, here’s the info.

Let’s try and be numerous to voice our concerns. EDIT: Blood and Souls actually references Elric, it was my bad and I apologize for it, but you’ll understand that sometimes, when it sounds and moves like a horse, it’s hard to see it’s a zebra. Especially considering all past elements from the different eyebrow raising worth of edge for edge’s sake.

I still do not believe they’re deliberately calling neo-nazis but considering their AMA’s comments of people who just don’t want to be respectful and do basic research when treating mature content in an adult way, and be like “hell no, DARK STUFF, don’t steal my dark stuff!”, there’s honestly all the proof we need that that’s the kind of crowd they’ve accepted was using their games as entertainment. Jason’s answers were clear, and did not bite the whole “but what about antifaaaa”. I’m cautiously optimistic, and I’ve chosen, like many others, to keep publishing in the Vault to show them we can do better, and that it’s in the community’s best interest they listen.

They also confirmed Mark Rein Hagen was just a “consultant” and isn’t part of the team in anyway ;)

#vampire the masquerade #world of darkness #wod #v5 #drama #white wolf publishing #vtm #long post

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elementarypolitics · 6 years

Text

The Joke of Phoenix Comicfest...

Phoenix Comic Fest* has decided to up the ante from last year and just blatantly say “fuck you fans, we don’t care about you.” So, a quick recap of last year’s insanity. Some lunatic came in with a slew of weapons with the goal of killing the actor who played the Green Power Ranger. Because even at its most lax, Phoenix PD and convention security aren’t unspeakably incompetent, the lunatic didn’t make it very far…but while the powers that be aren’t unspeakably incompetent, they are incompetent. Their genius idea in response to this clearly out of the norm incident was to ban all weapons—real looking, fake looking, wood staffs, plastic blasters, light sabers. That’s really smart because one of them fake plastic lightsabers might be the real physics defying tool of mass destruction and some Sith might decide to just start hacking people apart. It got so bad one of the vendors selling really good collectible lightsabers (still just plexiglass and lights, so not remotely deadly) was escorted off the dealer’s floor. And the company in charge of the event had many contradictory explanations as to why (none of them remotely believable)… because you never know when the plexiglass could magically turn into a stick of deadly plasma hotter than the core of the sun apparently. But it gets better. Every person had to be searched by the woefully understaffed security of the event which meant that people wait in lines…lines that went around the building several times…on Memorial Day…in downtown Phoenix. Yes, more people were harmed from heat stroke last year in line than were harmed by lunatics with weapons in the history of Comicon (I’ll admit I didn’t search every police report, but I did do a search and couldn’t find anything). Also despite the fact that the police requiring this level of security just created a huge mass of stationary targets for any lunatic who did want to hurt people, they also overreacted and instead of realizing the truth that “well we hit the lunatic quota for the decade, probably won’t have any more problems this weekend” as, you know as sane and moderately intelligent person would do, according to several people who spoke off the record, all of SWAT was out on the rooftops ready for action all weekend. As any idiot could have told them before hand, they weren’t needed. Please do remember this is Arizona, where police give contradictory orders and then shoot to kill unarmed people who can’t follow two contradictory orders at the same time…because Arizona police are both stupid and fucking cowards. They also fire gas on people who protest tyranny.** But back to Comicon. In addition to all of this, vendors on the floor also had a lot of trouble breaking even, and I know some aren’t even going this year. So last year was a cluster fuck of epic proportions. But the company in charge thought that they could do better this year!

How you ask? Well in the past most conventions have panels. Lots of panels. They rent huge convention centers and the goal is to fill each and every conference room with as many different panels from open to close to keep the nerds happy. Movies, comics, cosplay, cartoons, games, writing, trivia, dating, blood donation, signups. You name it there was probably a panel for it. Yes, the company running the convention ran through submitted panel ideas, but they accepted anything and everything, let the fans pick the topics, and tried to simply offer as wide a variety of ideas and discussion out there to entertain as many people. It was little more than organized chaos, and it was wonderful because it let the ideas and intellect of geekdom shine in the free flow way the creative process and the love of fandoms relies on. But letting nerds be nerds was apparently not for Phoenix Comic Fest. What do the nerds know, after all? They’re only the people paying the tickets and the ones coming to see all the stuff. Please don’t just take my word for it. Here are the actual words of the Square Egg:

Yes “Themes.” Do they even tell you what those themes are? Nope. They are keeping things so tightly controlled that you need to hold a seance just to know how you goose-step in line with them.

Now I could go off on them…but, the original response to this is so much better than I could ever put it…

My personal favorite was that one of our panels that was turned down because it didn’t meet with the themes/celebrities of the Con was a panel of the political implication of Star Trek…because Star Trek has nothing to do with a convention whose headline celebrity this year is William Shatner. In the 25th Anniversary year of DS9. At a nerd con where Star Trek is always relevant. If that doesn’t leave you going WTF, I don’t know what would. If you want to say the description of our panel wasn’t interesting, that’s fine. That’s a matter of taste. But to say Star Trek isn’t relevant…I have to assume the people who run this shit show have never actually had anything to do with any fandom ever.

Now do they have every right to do this? Yes, yes they have every right to do it. They’re fronting the money for the convention center, they’re booking the guests, they’re the one putting all the risk on the line. So, I’m not going to be a petulant child and scream “censorship” because this is not censorship. They’re not stopping me or anyone else from speaking, they’re only saying the podium they paid for isn’t open to everyone. They have every right. But we as fans have every right to say we don’t like what they’re selling. We liked the free exchange of ideas, not a spoon-fed list of topics. We’d like diversity of thought in what to choose from in terms of what panels to go see. We’d like to see our fandoms have a panel even if you couldn’t get a celebrity from that particular show or movie to make it out to the city which is hotter than seventh circle of Hell. So, this is not censorship, censorship only applies when it’s done by the government…this is the free market, and they have the ability to profit or fail (given their incompetence I would bet against profit, but who knows).

So, if this isn’t censorship, why is any of this important? If you believe that politics isn’t downstream from culture then this isn’t important. I am just a nerd bitching into the darkness because only one of his panels was approved. But if you believe that politics is downstream from culture, then it really matters because it means that culture is becoming more controlled than any time I can think of. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Comics and all the other genres that traditionally go along with conventions of this sort were once the bastion of free thinking ideas, of politically unpopular statements, of the voices on the fringes for good and bad. Star Trek is the first place to show a woman of color in a position of power—it may seem all too trite now where mass media slobbers all over itself to put out one formulaic piece after another with all the main minority and interest group boxes checked—but in its time it was a powerful message. Robert Heinlein and Margaret Atwood’s works warned of the dangers of religiously driven populism. The Twilight Zone and Star Trek offered hope in the future. The science fiction stories of even more traditionally serious writers like E.M. Forester, Kurt Vonnegut, and George Orwell offered us warnings about technology and what government can do with it. This has always been some of the richest ground for the seeds of social change and intellectual freedom. But now Disney through Marvel and Star Wars offers formulaic tripe in the form of explosion joke explosion joke explosion joke tied together with a paper-thin plot…and with Justice League DC jumped on that mindless bandwagon. Star Trek has become a poor imitator of Star Trek on the big screen and a teen dystopian novel on the small screen. And speaking of teen novels, the genre that once gave us Wrinkle in Time gave is now spewing mindless YA novels with characterless protagonists that aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on and would be an insult to kindling to use as fire starter (and the less said about that Wrinkle movie from a writer and director who clearly never read the book the better). The only visions of the future exist somewhere between the Thunderdome and Battle Royale. The optimism in the human spirit in The Twilight Zone and Babylon 5 has been replaced by the bleak pessimism of Orphan Black and Black Mirror. Hell, even The Doctor has become a bitter and cynical shell of its former self. And while the written has fared a little better, the fact that Martin—with his message that humans are all vile disgusting things—has seen major success, doesn’t say much either. And now the conventions are ensuring that this single line of argument continues by ensuring only the topics they want are the ones discussed.

Now I’m not saying that all these new visions of science fiction and fantasy are bad. There has always and SHOULD always be that strain in the deeper levels of these genres. The problem is that there is yin to the yang. The DCEU under Snyder and Nolan with its philosophical richness was the perfect counterpoint to the mindless entertainment of Marvel. If you didn’t like one you had the other. Now they’re both mindless. The thoughtful science fiction of Star Trek which had a vague understanding of science and powerful social commentary was the perfect balance to the fun space opera of Star Wars. Now you just have mindless fun from both. The Twilight Zone countered the Outer Limits, Babylon 5 balanced Stargate, Buffy was not Xena, Dollhouse was for people who wanted more thought than Dark Angel. There used to be balance between hope and cynicism, fun and thoughtfulness, utopian and dystopian visions, substance and style. As there should be. But now we’re just being fed the same cynical, stylistic, fun, and dystopian vision from the content makers and being told by even the fan conventions to march lockstep to their tune. The people selling this crap will respond it’s what the people will buy…but Dennis Miller had a response to this for two decades, it’s for the same reason Eskimos eat whale blubber: it’s the only thing we’re being offered. And the fact is that the Snyder vision of Superman made money, that Whedon pile of trash barely broke even. If you don’t think this both reflects society’s problems and creates those problems, you’re deluded. Phoenix Comic Fest is a symptom, but it’s a big one. Because if you don’t think this is a trend that will continue if not protested that it won’t spread out almost every convention (because if they can control controversy, you know they will because corporations will almost always fall into playing it safe after being in existence long enough). I would of course encourage dealers to boycott (you didn’t make much money last year anyway and you’ll make less this year), fans to boycott, and if you agree with argument, maybe encourage the celebrities you were hoping to see to also cancel. It’s a small thing but so is the start of an avalanche. We need to keep the diversity of thought going. We need to not give into people telling us what to think, read, and enjoy. Because if it starts with what we find entertaining…it will work into what rules we are ruled by. Politics is downstream of culture. This has been true since a Sumerian king embellished tales of his ancestor Gilgamesh to help his own position. It is no less true now. Either we control culture and ensure diversity, or we will deal with all the problem of political conformity (oh wait, we already are).

*It has been renamed from the more traditional Phoenix Comicon because San Diego Comic-con has gone batshit crazy and decided to sue conventions for things that sound like them, as if they have even the slightest shred of intellectual ownership over the word comic or the all too common shortening of convention to con…but how stupid abuse of IP law is getting is a discussion for another time.

**I would really love to support police…but honestly you guys are making the gestapo comparisons just a little too easy. Be the adults in the room, like I pay you to be—grow the fuck up and stop acting worse than the criminals you’re supposed to protect me from. And you good cops out there, your silence in the face of your vile colleagues is not loyalty, it’s to betray to your sworn duty.

#Phoenix Comic Fest #Phoenix Comicon #Pop Culture

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aka-willow · 4 years

Text

Grace

gif mine

Words: 1957

Characters: Willow Wren, Dr. Dawn Turner, Laura Ferguson

Prompt/Tag:

“Take your medicine.”

“How much time do we have left?”

Summary: Dawn Turner tries to get Willow under HYDRA control

Timeline: March 2016

Song: Selah - Kanye West

A/N: how are we here already wtf

—————————————————————————–

The next day contained more tests, physical trials, and a more thorough mental evaluation. I didn’t see Dr. Turner until that evening, when I saw her standing on the other side of the glass as I woke up from another series of tests.

“So, she’s ready?” I heard her say.

“If you are,” one of the scientists said. “For the trial, I would recommend a half-reset, the book, and a full reset if that goes well.”

Dr. Turner didn’t respond, and she was instead looking through the glass at me. She knocked on the glass to get my attention. “Take your medicine,” she said, gesturing towards the tray of food on the floor by the door.

There was no use protesting and I stood, groggy, and gathered the tray the door before sitting down against the wall. The food was cold and consists of a bowl of cereal, a packet of apple slices, and some awful-looking nutrition bar. There was a cup of water, a cup of juice, and a few pills in a small cup. I could just pretend to take these. She wouldn’t know.

Or would she?

I looked back up at the camera. She would.

“Willow?” I jumped as I heard the small voice and as Dr. Turner and the other scientist walked away, I leaned up against the concrete.

“What? Are you okay?”

“I can’t see and I don’t feel good,” she said, and the words stuck in her throat as she choked back a sob. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Do you know what they did to you?”

“No,” she responded, and she began crying. “I don’t know—I’m scared, and I feel really sick.”

“I’m right here,” I said. “Right here on the other side of this wall.”

“I think I might die.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. “Don’t say that,” I said. “You’re going to be fine.”

“I’m really scared, Willow. I don’t want to die.”

I pounded my head against the wall, wishing I could give her a hug, at least comfort her. I heard the voices of the scientists observing in the other room. “Very few have survived past this stage. Just the twins. We had success with the tesseract and the other children,” one said, nodding at me, “but they’re far too unstable. Nothing like the twins.” He pointed at his head. “Messed with this too much.”

I turned back to my conversation with Laura. “What games do you want?” I asked. “For your Xbox, when you get out of here.”

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice barely audible. “What are some good ones?”

“My friend really liked Minecraft,” I offered. “That game is fun.”

“What do you do on Minecraft?” Her voice was even fainter, and it sounded like she was struggling to get the words out.

“You build houses and farm and stuff,” I explained. “There’s a big world you can explore. And you can build things with your friends online. There’s also a ton of animals. Sheep, dogs, pigs, bunnies…”

“That sounds nice,” she said, and even I could barely hear her now. “Can we be friends on there? And our houses can be right next door to each other?”

“Sure.”

“And we can explore?”

“We can explore all you want.” She didn’t respond and I called out to her again. “Laura?”

I heard the door of her room open up, with the sound of shuffling feet and some sort of beeping device. “Time?” one of the scientists asked.

“Eighteen-thirteen,” said the other. “Time of death is eighteen-thirteen.”

She’s gone too, now.

I stood up, shaking with fatigue, and walked over to the glass, staring out. It was all so professional, like when the two-hundred or something odd kids died back at the Facility. The pace of the laboratory hardly changed, until the body was brought into the lab for a post-mortem and I forced myself to turn away and face the back wall. How many? How many times? I picked at the food still on the tray, the meal forgotten, but hardly finished and as I heard footsteps in the hallway outside, I knew my time was up, too. This is it. After this…

The door snapped opened and two of the guards grabbed me before I could react, dragging me down the hall as I tried to fight them off. I was screaming now because I knew what was coming, but no matter how hard I struggled, they wouldn’t let go and their grip only became tighter. My feet hardly touched the floor as they brought me into a dark room, sparsely lit with a few industrial lights. I saw the chair in the middle of it. “Let me go!” I yelled. “Please, I promise I won’t… you don’t need to do this!”

They set me down on the chair and I held up my hands instinctively but realized my powers wouldn’t work.

“October,” Dr. Turner barked, and I saw her at the top of the room’s stairs, behind a set of control panels. “You know what is best. Compliance will be rewarded.” The static in my mind turned on again, and I sat limply as she came down the stairs. “Ready?”

I thought she was talking to me, but I realized she was actually talking to the two technicians on either side of the machine. “Half,” she instructed them. “Just to be sure Monster takes. No more than that.”

“Please,” I begged her. “You don’t have to do this. I—”

She pulled over a swivel chair and sat down across from me. “Yes?”

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” I said, and I began crying. Crying, I realized, for the first time since before Marty’s funeral. “Please don’t make me do this anymore. Please. And that kid… you all killed her. Why?”

She studied me, and as she did, her eyes caught the words on my hand. She grabbed my hand sharply, her nails digging into my palm. Fury flashed across her face and she gave me a sudden slap before standing up. “Who let her do this?” she asked, addressing the room. I glanced down at the dried blood on my hands, my face stinging, but the pain not quite registering, or the conversation that followed.

The only thing that brought me back was when Dr. Turner sat back down and moved the chair closer. I was still crying, realizing that no matter what I did now, the inevitable was coming. “I don’t want to do this,” I whispered, again, and to my surprise she got up and wrapped her arms around me, carefully stroking my hair. It made me cry harder. “Please, don’t make me.”

“October, shh. It’s time to play Monster,” she said, speaking only loud enough so that I could hear. “The work you’re doing for us… you’re at the forefront of something great. The things you’re capable of… the world will never understand your abilities. But what you are doing is a gift to humankind. Everywhere you go, chaos follows. That’s why we love you. Do you understand?” I nodded and she let go, prompting the two technicians to take over. “Do it.”

As soon as they pushed me back and the chair began locking me in, instinct took back over, and the tears stopped almost immediately. When the gave me the bite guard, I took it almost gratefully.

I whimpered as the headpiece came down, but nothing else. There was no use fighting back, and even though I began screaming as the electrical shocks started, it came almost as a relief. There was nothing else to think about. Just the blinding-white pain in my temple, down my spine, stretching out into my arms and legs. Just as it began to stop, I heard a single word cut through my own agony.

“Sumerki. Shkval.”

The electricity ceased but now there was a new threat, as I watched Dr. Turner walk around to face me, holding a black book in her hands. That’s the book.

“Fenestella. Anomaliya.”

It was like I couldn’t remember anything now, there was nothing to think about or remember, no words inside my head, no images, nothing. Just these words, booming through the void, so, so loud. “Vysokopreosvyashchenstvo. Poker.” I stopped fighting, stopped twitching, or trying to break free. I was all October now. “Shest'. Palyashchiy. Desyat'.”

Gone. That’s the only other work I could think of besides the others. Gone. Wait for the mission.

“Tesserakt.” Dr. Turner placed the book down. “Are you ready to comply?”

“Ready to comply,” I said.

She placed a hand on my shoulder and turned to face the others. “See? We programmed her well. There was no need to worry.” My breaths and heartbeat were even now as I waited, waited for some sort of instruction. If I had been more lucid, I would have noticed the panic surrounding the control room, even if Dr. Turner remained calm. I would have noticed the alarms and heard loud booms coming from outside. The rest of the staff were evacuating.

“Okay, October,” said Dr. Turner. “Let’s consider this your trial run. You do well, you will be rewarded.”

“What is my mission?”

“SHIELD has arrived. I need you to kill them. All of them.” She stopped for a moment, and I thought she was going to let me out of the chair, but it suddenly seemed that she changed her mind. She stepped out of my sight and I tried to see what was going on. It was just the two of us left in the room, the others already had gone to deal with the approaching threat.

The machine powered on again and the restraints tightened as I watched the headpiece get lowered.

“Mr. Thompson thinks we should wait to do the full wipe, but I disagree,” she said, stepping back around, also now holding a scalpel in her left hand. “I want it done now. No half measures. It is only holding you back.” She took a hold of my chin and turned my head as she deftly cut out the chip in the back of my neck, seizing it between her fingers before placing it down on the tray next to the chair. “Now, you are ready.” She produced the bite guard and held it out. I took it robotically. “You will not leave us this time.”

When she stepped back, the electricity started again, this time frying any remaining cohesive thought or memory I had managed to carry this far. It was like a light was going out, as if my brain was closing down little by little. I screamed and cried but it went on, it didn’t stop, and through my blurred vision, I saw Dr. Turner watching triumphantly.

I clenched and unclenched my fists as my muscles continued to seize, and I found myself straining to catch the word scratched into my hand. Sumerkey.

Sumerkey. Why is that there? Is that real?

In a flash, I remembered, and with my remaining strength, as electricity continued to course through me and I seemed to sink further and further into myself, my soul retreating to where it couldn’t be hurt, I clenched my fists one more time.

And then let go.

It was like an explosion—a wave of wind seemed to shoot from every pore in my body, radiating out in a force that shook the building. The electricity stopped and the room went dark as I heard the building tearing apart. When I looked down, I was still controlling the wind and my body glowed an unnatural blue, the only light in the space, my wings ripping out from the back of my shirt as the force shredded everything around me.

#ww writing #willow wren #dawn turner #laura ferguson

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ramblinganthropologist · 7 years

Text

Inkjournal Day 3 - Have a Drink

Summary: When the going gets tough, the tough use virulent walking bomb. Only... we’re pretty sure he’s not supposed to be able to do that. WTF? Word count: 1581

---

The funny thing about being between a rock and a hard place is that you rarely notice you're there until your back is getting stabbed by a boulder.

Kaaras' shoulder was broken badly, and he grit his teeth against the pain as he ducked behind a rock. In front of him, the Iron Bull lay prone, unmoving. He had been that way for a few minutes now, and his posture matched Dorian's. Both of them had been knocked out by the force in front of them.

Whoever had forgotten to warn them about the giant in the Emerald Graves was going to catch hell from him later if they got out of it alive.

“Never thought we'd wind up dying in the graves of our ancestors. There's gotta be irony there.”

Akri was nearby, grinning despite the broken ribs that were making blood trickle down his mouth. He was holding his stomach with one hand and clutched his short staff in the other. Both were trembling, and it was doubtful he had more than two good spells left in him.

Kaaras managed a grim smile as he nodded. “Too bad Jackel's not here to point it out, huh?”

She was back at the base camp, sleeping off a broken leg from having fallen into a badger warren. Though she had considered it a bit of bad luck, both brothers realized now that perhaps she was in the best position of any of them.

Maybe if they survived, they could tell her that themselves.

“Man, I regret never learning some healing magic.” Akri winced as he prodded his side. “That's at least two broken ribs.”

It got worse, as Kaaras looked to their scant supply of healing potions. All that remained were empty bottles and a faint stain where one had leaked out earlier. Maybe that could have been their salvation as they looked towards the giant.

“How many lyrium potions do we have left?”

There was relief there. Tucked away, two last potions glowed bright blue in the darkness of his bag. Two last shots for a mage to try and take the giant down. While it wasn't enough to heal them, it might just work.

Kaaras dug one out, wincing as his shoulder throbbed in agony. Carefully, he handed it over to his younger brother, ducking as a spray of dirt from the side reminded them the giant was still there and very much alive and angry. Primal magic, Akri's specialty, might just get it done.

However, Akri didn't drink from the bottle. Instead, he grimaced and nudged it back into his older brother's waiting hand. When he was met with a confused glance, the young man grinned as best as he could.

“Have a drink, bro. My shit's too wrecked to be a big damn hero.”

And then he coughed, blood spurting down his front as emphasis. From the look on Akri's face, he didn't have much time before he was out like Bull and Dorian. It was left now to Kaaras as he stared down at the glowing blue bottle.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and turned back to his younger brother. “Get as much cover as you can. I think this is going to be messy.”

And without another word, he uncapped the bottle and drained it in one gulp. Every sense was on fire, and the urge to throw it all back up was so strong that Kaaras almost doubled over. However, the lyrium did its job as he felt the energy welling up from within his usual meager reserves.

Not many people knew the Inquisitor was a mage. That was the way he liked it.

Another deep breath, and Kaaras grabbed his brother's short staff. It hummed under his hands as he ran for cover yards away. All the while, the giant nearby thrashed with its large arms. From where he was standing, he could see some blood. It was hurt.

Good.

“Creators, let this work.” Another silent prayer, and then the staff began to glow. Gritting his teeth, he broke into the best run he could with a broken shoulder. With his speed and where he was headed, there was only a small margin of error.

Up above, his target roared so loud that the ground shook. It swung its massive improvised club, a tree it had ripped out of the ground, but it missed. Kaaras let out his own cry as he swung the staff as hard as he could, feeling it through his entire body as the ironbark head made contact with the giant's ankle.

Bones cracked, but that wasn't the point. He let go of the spell he had been charging, feeling the energy leave him in a great wave. It was so strong that he was thrown back, landing hard against a tree with a dull thud. However, he managed a pained grin as he looked over.

The giant was roaring, and not because of a broken ankle. By now, it was feeling the energy burning it from the inside, turning it into one giant bomb ready to go off. It just needed the finishing touch, and then it would all be over.

For one last time, Kaaras raised the borrowed staff. Weak energy made it turn white once again. With all the will left in him, he let it go. A purple bolt of energy struck his target somewhere in the knee, setting off the reaction from his previous spell.

“Now stay down.”

---

“I'm going out there!”

“Lady Lavellan, you have to stay here!”

Jackel grimaced as she pushed past an Inquisition agent. Her still tender leg protested every movement, but she was already armored up. When everything was over, she was going to give Kaaras and Akri one hell of a piece of her mind for leaving her behind.

“Those idiots are going to die without me! We can fix my leg later!”

“The Inquisitor told us to keep you-”

Words were drowned out by a massive explosion somewhere to the west of the camp. It shook the trees around them, sending loose branches toppling to the ground. Jackel hit the ground as well, her shaky balance overpowered by the unsteady soil she stood on.

Scouts around her geared up to check it out, some of them with bottles of healing potions should the blast have caught the forward party in it. However, she just sat there, staring at where the burst of bright light had just started to fade.

“Fuck... what happened out there if he did it?”

Grimacing, she stood to make it out of camp. This was going to take a lot explaining, and if her fears were correct, she would need to be the one to do it. The piece of her mind got upgraded to a full blown ass kicking as she limped down the path. Though, when she was going to be able to kick was another story altogether.

---

It was hours later that they were all reunited. Kaaras' shoulder had been set and healed, while his concussion and sore back had been seen to. Out of the four, he was the least injured, and so he sat by the fire waiting to hear the good news that the healer had finished with his friends.

A fist came from the darkness and pounded him straight in his recently healed arm. Wincing, Kaaras held up his good hand to avoid anymore blows. By chance, he caught Jackel's small fist in his palm just as it was about to slam again.

“What the fuck, Kaas?!”

She plopped down next to him, fit to be tied. Her leg was bandaged, with strict orders not to run out of camp again if she wanted to keep it. Honestly, he doubted she would listen to healer's orders for more than a day. After that, all bets were off.

Jackel wasn't finished in her tirade, of course. “I wake up, you're gone, and then the whole fucking forest explodes? Somebody could've seen you!”

“Dorian and Bull were knocked out. The only one there awake was Akri, and he's not exactly telling anyone.” Kaaras winced as he rubbed his arm. “If I hadn't done it, we would've died.”

He knew that well enough without a healer. His team had been in such a bad state that he could've sworn he'd heard Falon'Din swooping in. Now he was at bay for the moment, and they could all catch their breath.

It appeased his cousin somewhat, but she still pouted. “Next time don't go fighting a giant without me, ok?”

A tired smile stretched across Kaaras' face as he patted her on the head. “Sure, I'll drag you along next time. Maybe you can shake your broken limbs at it.”

And then he was dodging again, but nothing was serious. A levity had returned for the moment, where before there had only been the heavy feeling he always got after consuming lyrium. No doubt he would be sick as a dog in the morning, but for now he could handle it.

Though, she was right. He was lucky no one had seen or thought to ask questions. In the future, he would need to be even more careful. But that was for another time. Right then, his biggest problem was not getting beat up by his cousin.

That would've been insult to injury.

#ramblinganthropologist's writing #Kaaras Adaar #Akri Adaar #Jackel Lavellan #Dragon Age Inquisition

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