awful seedy gas station job

Chris Thorndyke: A Misunderstood Underdog pt 1 of 2

The Sonic franchise has no shortage of cool characters. But there is one who most people might not of heard of. His name is Chris Thorndyke and I'm her to defend his character from almost twenty years of slander! There are so many reasons to like Chris but I'll focus on some since the list would've been VERY long!

See, a lot of people only focus on the surface to not realize how relatable his character is. Despite being rich he's very down to earth, always willing to lend a hand or two to save his friend. I say friend because while he has many acquaintances, Sonic is the only person that truly understands him.

While Chris lacks powers and abilities, he is pretty stacked and the one responsible for funding the team's missions. His parents work long tiring hours as a CEO & actress respectively, yet somehow still has the time to be with him. By the time the show begins he's very lonely and sad because lately their workload prevented them from spending time with him.

So, with the help of his butler Tanaka, maid Ella, super smart scientist grandfather Chuck, and his friends from school, Chris tries to cope with his boring life. But all that changes when a certain blue hedgehog falls into his life...

Now I heard people say that Chris was being ableist to Helen in her introductory episode, but those people are SJWs who cannot fathom the idea that sometimes, disabilities needs to be pointed out to keep that person safe from harm. Chris pointing out Helen's disabilities was his way of protecting her from danger. She can't take care of herself, but his busy schedule leaves him with no free time to hang out with her. So he enlists his cool friend to help her!

Chris is clever, such as the time he defeated on of his friends during a fighting tournament by using his emotions to cause the other boy to let his guard down. He cleverly asked his mother to stay home to take care of him. He even called out his father one time, screaming thay he hated him for being a heartless greedy fool obsessed with toys over his own son! He has a lot more courage than what fans give him credit for. Too bad Cream couldn't see it.

One of the most defining moments of Chris's arc has to be the Shadow Saga! The boy literally took a rowboat to the dreaded GUN prison island! He bravely defied Tails's request to stay out, because Chris has the power to free Sonic and didn't want Tails to have all the fun. In the jungle he encountering Shadoe Chris tries to stop hom only to be teleported to the Ark. It's here one of his most iconic moments occurs.

Chris tries to restrain the violent Shadow, getting up every time as the angry black hedgehog attacks him. He refuses to be down for the count, so in a last ditch effort he started pleading for Shadow to spare Earth. Fervently reminding the Ultimate Lifeform to remember Maria's true wish. Amy tries to say something but is held back by Tanaka, as he realizes that his master is the only one that can save Shadow!

Chris did a way better job than Amy because if she did it, she would've come across as a hypocrite. Why would anyone want her to appeal to Shadow's better side when she herself has harassed Sonic and bullied her friends? Besides she has a hammer. Chris does not. He has to contribute to the action not by physical force but by using inner strength! Sure he gets his butt whooped by the same guy who allowed Amy and Rouge to touch him without any reaction (reinforcing my beliefs that they are Mary Sues) but it managed to break Robotnik's spell over him. While some may disagree, because in the original scene Amy redeemed Shadow as a nod to her storyline in Adventure, keeping her part in the anime would do very little to redeem her as a character. She was and always will be an obsessive stalker, the very thing Chris haters accuse him of.

In the last two episodes of S2, it's revealed that the two worlds are threatening to collide into each other resulting in a time freeze. The only way to solve this is by Sonic and friends going home. The news horrifies Chris because that would mean no more time with his boyfriend! Chris passionately argues against this, pointing out that the scientist's data was wrong because he's the grandson of a scientist and knows that kond op stuff better. Realising that everyone are in fact lying to him, Chris runs away to Eggman for help. He begs the villain to help but Eggman rudely tells him to leave, but not before insulting Chris for no reason! What a bully picking on a child like that! With nobody to trust Chris decided one desperate action...

At the portal, Chris and his friends and family have said their final goodbyes. He accepted that his beautiful blue lover will have to go. But what about their time together? Did that not mean anything to anyone? All the other children gets to have whay they want but he can't? After everything he's been through?

And so, to save the life of his only real friend, Chris pushed the button and closed to portal. He didn't care if it shocked his loved ones and the entire populations of two planets - at long last Sonic was saved!

This scene is said to be the reason why people hate Chris but come on he only pressed the button because he wanted to save Sonic! He was trying to save him from all those horrible liars that try to keep them apart! Besides he's a lonely preteen so you can't fault him for feeling that way. To further prove his love, Chris drags Sonic away to safety, running deep into the comfort of the woods. His ruthless parents send ou the military to kill their own child. In spite of the danger, all Chris wanted was to make sure Sonic was safe.

It wasn't until a heart to heart that Sonic is able to convince him to let him go. He even acknowledges Chris's bravery by addressing how he saved him from drowning; such an act inspired Sonic to do the same for Amy!

Chris Thorndyke really is misunderstood! So many people are so hyped up at calling him a Gary Stu or a spotlight-stealer when he is nothing of the sort. It's like they didn't even watch the anime! But I have, and I will be watching it again to fall in love with his character just as I did so many years ago!

If you something negative to say about him you will be immediately blocked! No exceptions! 😤

Anyways stick around for part 2 as I go further in depth with this amazing character!

Interview

BB: welcome back everyone! So good to see you all here today! We're back for a 3rd time here on BB Channel! Like before we're joined by the lil cuties of Ed and Mari. But this time their parents have come to join!

Rex: hello...

Quetz: Hola!

BB: that wasn't a very strong greeting Rex!

Rex: I'm tired right now. Can't this wait?

BB: time waits for no one and neither does BB!

Mari: already this is super annoying! *sigh* so why'd you decide to bring them into this anyways?

BB: the people who follow this blog need to see how they're doing so long after Chaldea too! You two have had the spotlight for a while, so now you should share.

Ed: I mean... guess that's fair.

Mari: should anyone be dealing with this?

Rex: I'd rather not be here either.

BB: aaaww, don't be like that! This will be fun!

Quetz: that's a very hard sell BB.

BB: just humor me at least.

Rex: ...fine

Quetz: what are we even doing anyways?

BB: some of your interdimensional buds have sent in questions about how you guys are doing, and I'm here to get those answers for them!

Quetz: that actually sounds nice...

BB: what'd I tell ya!?

Rex: yeah yeah, pls get started.

BB: fine. First few are from my precious bombardier beetle! First one she asks: do you have any pets?

Mari: oof! Do we!

Rex: currently we have four dogs: 1 German Shepherd named King, a Pitbull named Sparks, a Dogo Argentino named Duke, and a Corgi named Marshmallow.

Quetz: but also we have a habit of adopting older dogs who aren't likely to get a home because of their age or rescues to give them a nice place to stay.

BB: aaawww, well ain't that wholesome?

Mari: we also have mom's bigass pterosaur!

BB: less wholesome. Next one from my dear yellowjacket: favorite foods?

Rex: PIZZA!

Mari: CAKE!

BB: whoa! Pump the brakes you two! No need to get too excited!

Quetz: ...honestly? I don't really have a favorite food. Just a bunch I like to eat and some I don't. If I had to choose, I'd say chocolate.

Ed: I'm a steak man myself.

BB: 2 sweets, and 2 savories. Next up! Who wakes up earliest?

Rex: Quetz

Ed and Mari: Mom

Quetz: ...I guess it's me... hehehe.

BB: honestly I'm not surprised. She's so damn athletic and even used to be a professional.

BB: next! Where do you all like to go for vacations and such?

Ed: mom and dad have a vacation home in Alaska.

BB: Alaska?! Why?

Mari: when warm weather is the norm for you it's nice to go to the cold to change things up.

Rex: yeah, it's actually very nice. Not too many people and beautiful nature sights.

BB: well to each their own. Another from my dear antlion: how long does it take to pick a movie or TV show to watch?

Quetz: hehehe, we're all so indecisive it takes ages to pick. It's not uncommon for us to give up after taking so long.

BB: you should work on that. This next one's interesting. My precious army ant also suggests a round of common household jobs and the like from each member.

Rex: hmmm

BB: she gave an example of like, who does the cooking?

Quetz: well it's both me and mi amor in that case. The kids aren't very creative.

Ed: hey! We're plenty creative!

Mari: no we're not, don't lie.

Rex: we only really ask that the kids clean their rooms and any messes they make. We handle most everything else.

BB: they should really show some independence tho. Can't coddle them forever.

BB: in the next one, Cadence asks about a house tour and if there's a jacuzzi.

Quetz: a house tour feels like it should be it's own thing.

Rex: yeah, but we do have a jacuzzi dude, so don't worry.

BB: next one's from Reen: she asks what would life be if you weren't in chaldea,

Rex: y'mean like now? I mean... it's a relatively normalish domestic life? With less work tho.

Quetz: si, I've made plenty from my lucha career before retirement we don't have to worry about money much. But mi amof still makes money just in case.

BB: well after that she asks: how was your life before and after meeting each other?

Rex: ...kinda sad. Aside from chaldea and saving the world, I was kinda just... stagnant. Go to work, go home and so on. Not much to my life before then.

Quetz: ...honestly, for me it was the same. After the age of Gods ended we didn't do much of anything. We mostly watched over humanity, I've been summoned in modern day before but that was rare and infrequent.

Rex: ...after I met Quetz tho... I dunno things felt... better? She kinda forced her way into my life after I summoned her and... I was more then ok to accept her... before long we had something beautiful...

Quetz: aww, mi amor! I'm so happy to hear that!

BB: ain't that sweet? Like me and my dear centipede. Final one from Reen: if you could build a dream home then where? (Can be in fantasy)

Rex: I mean... where we are now is good.

Mari: yeah, right at the border of a huge rainforest in the Yucatan sounds fine.

Ed: but what about the fantasy bit?

Quetz: hmmm... we don't really look at fantasy much. But maybe a castle of some kind?

Rex: or a Mayan temple? But with electricity and Wi-Fi.

BB: that's fair. Need those memes in your life. Now some from Kaz! First she asks: what kind of gifts do you give each other?

Rex: uuhh, well I like getting mi corazon custom things. Like some personal clothes, or even a portrait of the two of us.

Quetz: ehehehe, I like to spoil mi amor with extravagant things! Golden treasure and the like!

Mari: concerning...

BB: next, how would you spend the day if it's raining outside?

Rex: I actually enjoy rainy weather, so I like to chill near a window or even on the porch listening to the rain.

Mari: it's very soothing.

BB: how quaint. Last one from Kaz: whose good at cooking and baking?

Quetz: hehehe, that'd be me. Tho it might be considered cheating since I use my goddess power to help.

Mari: well no one else is the greatest normally so it's fine.

BB: a good 'ol better then nothing kinda attitude! Now we're back to Cadence but with more relaxed questions: what's the current house look like?

Rex: ....big.

Mari: like three stories tall with a DEEP basement.

Ed: like... 5 rooms too many.

Quetz: we also have an indoor pool.

Rex: the outside looks almost gothic, but partially taken over by nature.

BB: all this near a rainforest?

Quetz: si! Despite the size, all the nearby trees still tower over it.

BB: nature can get scary. I've seen worse and have been worse but still. Another one: how do family events function? Any specific holidays?

Quetz: ...most family events are just us... going somewhere nice to eat nice food...

Rex: do they mean bringing extended family? My family lives too far to visit often

Quetz: ...and I'd rather not speak of mine... things have gotten rocky as of late.

Mari: right, well for holidays we celebrate most standard one, like Easter and valentine's and such. For October we kinda try to combine Halloween and Day of the dead.

Ed: but Christmas is the most important for us! Mom and Dad always make the biggest celebrations for Christmas!

BB: gotta love the holidays! Especially when your mom is santa... still weird to say that. Next one! Any plans for the future?

Rex: eh... not really? I mean I want to prepare Maria to continue the family magecraft, since Ed has no interest.

Mari: someone has to continue on this lost practice.

BB: good to know it won't be lost to time like we thought. Next one! Daily life?

Rex: I wake up, eat, work on magecraft, spend family time, spend time with Quetz, go to bed.

Quetz: I wake up, workout, eat, workout, spend time with mi familia, lovely time with mi amor and then I sleep.

Ed: I wake up, take a walk, eat, practice soccer, spend family time, sleep.

Mari: sleep, sleep again, dragged to breakfast by mom, eat, eat again, mess with magecraft, eat, sit with everyone else, scroll thru my phone for hours, sleep.

Quetz: *sigh* mija, you need to change your priorities.

Mari: mmmmm... No.

BB: bad habits there Mari. Next they'd like to know if your in contact with anyone from chaldea? Other then me!

Rex: here's a real quick list: Marie, Mash, Kiara, Penth, Astraea, Martha, Ishtar, Gorgon, Jalter, The twins, your kids BB, etc etc.

Quetz: too many to list...

BB: nice you haven't lost contact! Next! About that Wedding?

Rex: well... it was eventful to say the least. Not long after completing the china LB. Most of the servants were invited, and most of Quetz's family showed up.

Quetz: si, Martha officiated it for us. Most of my family were so nice at the time... too bad that hasn't lasted.

Rex: let's not mention that...

BB: it was such a nice wedding! You two were so "nervous" you had trouble with your vows! How adorable!

Mari: why the quotes?

BB: no reason... now we're at the home stretch! Good 'ol Ash has some for stuff that technically hasn't happened yet, but you should still be able to answer! What responsibilities will Rex take on when he joins the pantheon?

Quetz: ...well he'll be largely a guardian of life on earth. Authority over things like the jungle itself, volcanos, and even snow... for some reason.

Rex: well it still snows in mexico... occasionally.

Quetz: and we'll be sharing authority over Venus! I wanted to share it with mi amor!

BB: cute! Hmmm, not sure if you cananswer this one just yet? Adjusting to God hood?

Rex: well I got to try it out a bit. Summoning lava and snow is... interesting. But also... my mind felt... odd... but also clearer? Not sure how to put it...

BB: I'm sure when you get there you'll get it... took me a bit after servant fest. And how did the other divinities react?

BB: actually I have some recordings of that to answer, so play the clip!

A screen appears showing recordings of some servants, one at a time.

Ishtar: eh! She's turning you into a god!? ...I guess you've earned it master...

Eresh: what!? Can you do that?! ...guess I won't see you in Kur... then again I don't think you have any link to Kur anyways.

Kama: do you really think your cut out for it? I mean... if it's just for you two to be together then I guess it's fine.

Astraea: godhood is a very big responsibility master. Are you certain you're up to it? Saving humanity is also a big task but at least that has an end point. This is... eternal.

Qin: oh! So you have decided to go for immortality after all?! Tho not the same as my methods, it is still good to see you two will be happy together!

Scathach: immortality? I've strived for death for so long... to see you go for immortality... Hopefully you'll find happiness, where I couldn't...

The screen turns off.

BB: very interesting! Most seem hesitant of it all... I for one think it's cute! Imagine in a thousand years you guys have a double date with me and my dear stag beetle!

Rex: ...a thousand years...

Quetz: still having trouble processing it all?

Rex: yeah... maybe when I get there... it'll be easier.

BB: now for today's final one! A scenario! One of you two goes berserk! What does the other do to calm them down?

Rex: well that has happened before... usually a nice hug is more then good enough.

Quetz: si! I've almost destroyed a few servants a few times until mi amor caught me in a hug! I can't bring myself to harm him... so I stop!

BB: sounds too easy... but I've seen that before so... I'll let it slide.

BB: well that's all the time we have for now! Hopefully you all are satisfied by the answers! We'll be doing this again, seeya!

Screen cuts out, the show's over.

Questions provided by: @hasbbdoneanythingwrong @havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong @has-gilgamesh-doneanythingwrong @renmeo @kazmetic @grievouslyxorvia

Other tags

@haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @hasereshdoneanythingwrong @hasabbydoneanythingwrong @haskamadoneanythingwrong

Howdy... Max?!

f you haven't yet watched the season 2 finale of Roswell, New Mexico, stop reading right now. Go watch it (or hibernate in an alien pod until you can) and then come back here to hear what series star Jeanine Mason (Liz Ortecho) and creator Carina Adly MacKenzie have to say about that shocking final moment.

After a season of heart problems (romantic and literal), threesomes(!), abductions, and plenty of family drama, the second season of the CW extraterrestrial drama came to close on Monday night, sidestepping a literal explosion but still managing to make our minds explode. Yup, in the final moments of the episode, Max (Nathan Dean Parsons), Isobel (Lily Cowles) and Michael (Michael Vlamis) arrived in a cave that housed an extraterrestrial cage containing another alien who looked exactly (plus an impressive beard) like Max! Is it an evil twin? A doppelgänger? A dark part of Max himself?

We asked MacKenzie for the inside scoop and all the other insight on the twists and turns of the final episode. Plus, Mason dishes on Liz's decision to leave Roswell and Max behind.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's start at the end. Can you tell us anything at all about Mr. Jones a.k.a Other Max?

CARINA ADLY MACKENZIE: Nathan wasn't working a whole lot at the beginning of this season and we decided we're going to put him to work double next year. I will say, it's been in the works for a while. That scene with his hand on Nora's shoulder was one of the first scenes of the season that we shot and it's one of the last ones that you see, so we've been building to it. I'm excited to tell the story of Mr. Jones next season.

I mean, I'm sure you can't answer but I'm going to ask anyway: Is he a twin? A doppelgänger? Some alien then we haven't heard of yet?

MACKENZIE: Yeah, I'm not going to answer that question. I'm starting a year of my life of trying really hard not to answer that question.

Were you excited at the idea of two Maxes when you first found out, Jeanine?

JEANINE MASON: Yeah, our minds were blown. What I love about the character of Max is he's all things good, decent and righteous and now to turn that on its head and make him all the opposite things... I'm excited for Nathan to have that as an acting exercise and I'm so excited to support him through season 3. Also, for fans, it's going to be really jarring and disorienting, and anything that requires us to watch more attentively and sit on the edge of our seats, and really question the things we know to be true, I think is so smart and exciting and engaging. I'm also interested to see how and when Liz will find out. She's also a prime person to be taken advantage of and duped by it.

"Howdy, partner" was such a great last line for the season. Was that yours, Carina?

MACKENZIE: That was me. I felt like it was the correct mix of amusing and menacing and Mr. Jones is going to be really fun to write because that's sort of where he lives: between amusing and menacing. Nathan loves that beard. He walks differently when he had it. His whole vibe changes. He becomes this like silver, bartender guy, who I don't know.

We saw Liz decided to move to California at the end and Max chose not to follow. Why is their relationship failing right now?

MACKENZIE: Max has had secrets his entire life. He's a very, very, very good liar because his entire life he's had to lie to everyone who loves him and he hasn't yet learned how to be a true partner to Liz. He makes a lot of promises and doesn't follow through. That said, Liz's ambition is overwhelming to her and what she's doing with the alien DNA is unethical. It's not right. In her mind, it's "I'm taking a risk, but I could possibly save so many people." In his mind, the risk is too great. You don't just get to mess with somebody else, even if she's saying it's not hurting anyone. There's this moment in the fight where she says, "I'm not hurting anyone," and he just looks at her with this searing look and it's like, no, she is. They're hurting each other. I think that politically right now, they are on opposite sides of a major issue that affects both of them. We wanted to tell a story in which the conflict in their relationship just comes from the two of them. It's not about Diego. It's not about California. It's about Liz and Max and they're not able to align right now. They love each other so much, but sometimes that's just not enough.

Jeanine, did you feel like Liz was doing the right thing by leaving for now?

MASON: I felt certain that this was what was right for Liz. I was just grateful to our writers that they wrote her in a way that feels, to me, real and mature and actually indicative of a 29-year-old woman who says, right now, this is too much and I need my space. I need to reclaim my agency and I need to go. There's a sense with them and their epic love, the energy of Max and Liz, that probably plays into her being okay with saying, right now is not the right time. I can believe that maybe it will be later because we found each other after ten years before.

Speaking of breakups, Michael and Maria (Heather Hemmens) also ended things in this episode. Can you explain a little more of Maria's thinking there?

MACKENZIE:  I think that Maria's reasoning comes from not wanting to hold anybody back and not wanting to hold herself back. She's made Michael a lot of promises. She's promised that she isn't going to leave him alone and she realizes that she can't keep a promise to herself while also keeping a promise to Michael. In her mind, she's in this difficult situation in which she's watching the man she loves go racing to save someone else that she loves, but then wants her to stay out of the fray. Rather than spend the rest of her life fighting about that, she's just got to let him go. It's kind of heartbreaking. I really loved that scene. Both her actors did a phenomenal job. They both called me and were like, "Wait! Why?" just freaking out. Sometimes I think you have to take a big step back and look at the bigger picture and the bigger implications on your life. We're not telling stories about high school kids. We're telling stories about people that are almost 30 and they're looking for life partners and I think she realizes that he's not hers and she's not his.

I have to ask about Alex's song. Did you write that, Carina?

MACKENZIE: I wrote it with Leslie Powell and Charlie Snyder and I'm super proud of it. My cut of the royalties are going to The Trevor Project, so I'm very excited for people to finally hear it. There's lots of little throwbacks in there.

How has it been having both Shiri Appleby and Jason Behr on set this season?

MASON: I mean, so wonderful. One of the biggest gifts from this job is just how it's a family within a family within a family. That's a really unique experience to get to have and one that's been positively received by the fans, the original fans and fans of the book series. Then also on set, it's fun to see the excitement on our faces of them coming in and joining forces. There's this feeling of disbelief sometimes where I'll look over and I'm just marveling at it. I told Jason like a year ago I was obsessed with Colin Hanks. We'd been joking about it and I was like, "So, now we're at a point where if I saw him at the grocery store, I could tell him we're friends? That could be my intro?" Now he says he's trying to finagle something. I don't know what, but I'm going to die.

The show does so well at being relevant and part of the conversation. Is there one scene, storyline, or interaction your most proud of this season? The scene with Liz and Max in the diner in the penultimate episode where Liz tells Max, “You don’t get this. That’s not your fault it’s just the reality of our experiences,” really stood out to me.

MASON: It's our favorite thing about the show and that we're supported, to be honest, and have our eyes open in that way is such a gift. It's just amazing the timing of last week's episode, alongside these conversations that are happening about Black lives matter and how much they do. It was so powerful. I think that's the kind of stuff that the universe is able to reward you with, when you do something that is right and you're willing to have a conversation that maybe everybody else is dancing around a bit. It was powerful for me to sit there and work on those lines and load them up with all the feelings that I do very much share about, I can love and emphasize with you and you can love and emphasize with me, but you have to understand that it's nothing negative to say that you're not going to ultimately understand. That doesn't mean you can't be an ally.

MACKENZIE: In the current climate, I'm really grateful that we get to ask questions and have tough conversations about race and privilege and misogyny and all of these tough conversations that we're able to reflect on. We just sort of live in that world. Seeing what's been going on in the world lately, I've just been very proud of our show and that no matter what we're going through as a society, I feel like we have been asking relevant questions during our time on Roswell. It makes things feel a little bit less trivial.

Can you tease anything for season 3?

MACKENZIE: The interesting thing is that before we took our extended break, we were planning on a season about racism in the police department. So during the break, we're doing a whole lot of thinking about how we're going to take a look at our plans with new eyes.

~ EW

Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 6

(Top 5 Dislikes)

Holy Hell, I actually made it. Twelve… err,  eleven posts in one week. I somehow did it! It’d been super fun to go back over Volume 1-6. Some of them I haven’t rewatched all the way through in years. It was a super fun ride, but it’s time to wrap things up. Volume 6 is my favorite volume, and now I get to talk about hey. So let’s conclude this series of Like/Dislikes posts with my Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 6!

#5. Maria Calavera

Back in V5, they had to cut out a plotline where, during his search for Huntsmen to recruit, Qrow met an elderly woman. This character, however, had to be cut out due to timing. But they didn’t throw her out. They just her back into this volume. That character was Maria Calavera, and she is awesome.

Maria brought so much levity into the volume honestly. She’s funny and really charming, but also sharp and intelligent. Her ass towards Yang and Qrow always got a giggle out of me. It also helped when the flashback ended, since she wasn’t feeling crushing hopelessness and was able to get everyone to at least start looking for shelter. We didn’t know anything about her, but with how she chose to stay on the train after it de-railed and her going through Barlaby’s journals, it speaks a lot to her mindset and definitely hint at her experience.

Most everyone figured this out by the time of the reveal, but Maria was a former Silver Eyed Warrior. Which while I wish that they did some more foreshadowing about her legacy before, the flashback with Maria was freakin’ awesome and showed how much of a badass that she was in her prime. She agrees to mentor Ruby, and honestly? Maria is exactly what Ruby needs. She’s experienced and an overall nice person who gan give Ruby proper guidance, but also stern enough to give her a good bonk on the head when necessary.  Which proved valuable for when we got to the end.

Maria came in at exactly the right time, and she was a big part of what made V6 so enjoyable. She was hilarious, like the “Maybe she’s dead!” line still cracks me up. SHe’s wise and can get everyone to focus on what matters. She’s been through the same hopelessness and sense of loss that they are… well okay not the exact same way, but she gets it. She wants to do something to make up for when she gave up and finds it in guiding Ruby. Someone who has the same gift and the same drive as she did in her youth. If Chapter 12 was any indication, Ruby may very well be on her way to being the next Grimm Reaper, and that’s all because of Maria. I love that old woman~

#4. Ozma and Salem Backstory

I have been watching RWBY since V1. I started just as the volume wrapped up, so I have more or less been around since the beginning. I have been following every plotline since 2013. I’ve had so many questions for so many years. One of the big ones was the connection between Oz and Salem, and why they have a conflict to begin with. I had waited since the end of V3 to get an answer. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we finally got it, I’d say that it had been very well worth the wait.

The Lost Fable was everything that I had been hoping for. We found out about Salem. We found out about Ozma and why he keeps reincarnating the way that he doe. We found out about the Gods. We found out the history of Remnant and what exactly happened to cause the world to be what it is now. We finally found out about why the moon is broken! There were so many answers to so many questions and even stuff that I wasn’t expecting. I had guessed that Oz and Salem were former lovers, but them having actually formed a family? Making themselves God and that being the beginning of their downfall? Damn man…

The backstory was very well done. I feel so bad for these people. Al that Salme wanted was her lover back after he gave her the happiness and love that she never received before. But she was also selfish, trying to turn the Gods against each other and then driving the world to war But the GOds also made her immortal and wiped out humanity, treating them more like objects than anything else. But the biggest victim here is Ozma. He did nothing wrong except die of an illness. He accepted a deal to be with his wife again, but still had to do what was right for the world. He didn’t do that, and by the time that he realized how twisted Salem had become, it was too late. He lost his love. He lost his children. He lost his life and had to start all over again, doomed to never die until he’s united the world. Otherwise, when the Relics unite and the Gods return, everything and everyone will die.

It all makes sense. Why Ozpin acts like he does and why he keeps reincarnated. Why Salem is so Hellbent on destroying all of humanity and making Oz suffer. Sure there are some unanswered questions, like how humanity came back after their demise, but that’ not that big a deal. This was several years in the making, and I can still remember the utter shock that I felt after the first viewing. I was so happy to have this at last, and again, the wait was very much worth it.

#3. The Brunswick Arc

As much as I wished that we had more varied reactions to the Ozpin stuff, we did get a very good arc due to the hopelessness that everyone felt. These two episodes were really great. It had this horror tone, and the snow setting certianly gave it a cold feeling. There were some good bits. Yang’s PTSD still affecting her and Blake trying to comfort her but saying the wrong words. Weiss being afraid to go back to Atlas after just escaping and her terror after finding the corpses. We have RUby’s concern of Qrow drinking if he finds the storeroom of alcohol and her trying to get him to talk to her, but he’s just closed himself off completely. RUby’s trying to be optimistic, but you can just see how much everyone is weighed down.

Then we get to Chapter 6. Things aren’t going well and everyone’s on the verge of just giving up. Yang’s tired. Blake is tired. Weiss is tired. They’re all doubtful of why they’re doing any of this and why they’re going to Atlas. Ruby tries to remind them that they have to… and that’s when we get Yang asking why. We see her blank anime eyes, and we just know that something is very, very wrong. They all try to get Ruby to drop the lamp in the well, and even she begins to say how tired she is. She goes to the well, her hands trembling as she holds the lamp over the well. Her eyes are blank, but she sighs, pulls back… and a pair of red eyes make her drop ti. She refuses to leave without it, so RWBY all go down and while they find the lamp, they also find something much, much worse: The Apathy.

These embodiments of nightmare fuel are Miles’ favorite Grimm. They’re essentially zombies, using their power to weigh you down until all that you feel is apathy. You feel nothing. You don’t care about anything. You just lay there, and you either die from that or the Apathy get to you first. They are horrifying. You can’t just shoot them dead either. The girls barely get away, only being saved by Ruby’s Silver Eyes. It ends with Weiss burning everything tot he ground as they escape. We find out that Bartleby brought the Apathy tot he farm in hopes of using it to ward off enemies since they can’t keep affording a Huntsmen. Instead, the whole horde found their way there, and no one cared. They felt nothing, except for tired. 

This arc is short, but dark. There’s this bleakness all the way through. It feels like you’re the one standing out there in a blizzard with no warmth to push away the bitter cold. They did such a great job of nailing the tone. The Apathy are horrifying, but such a great concept and I can see why these are Miles’ favorite. You feel for all fo the characters and know that they are not acting right and there’s just so much relief when they snap out of it and drive away. On the upside, this gets them to apologize for their words and regain their resolve in getting the lamp to Atlas. It did a lot of good for Ruby, but we’ll get to that later. For now, this was a highlight of the volume, and I enjoyed it immensely.

#2. Bumblebee Storyline

Ho boy, this one has been controversial. And by controversial, I mean this has been hated on for stupid reasons. Like… really stupid. Bt I’m getting ahead of myself.

We all knew that when Blake came back, she and Yang would have things to work out. Which I think that they handled very well. Weiss’ talk with Yang helped her realize why Blake did what she did and let her back in. She still needed time, but she was just happy to have her back. Blake clearly still felt horrible for running away, trying to help Yang with her bag. I don’t think that Yang needed to be more angry towards Blake. Like I said, she had time to cool down and Weiss helped her with that. Blake was genuine in trying to make things right, especially when she saw that Yang was having a PTSD flashback. She talks about Adam’s tactics of making others feel powerless and tries to comfort Yang. But she ways the wrong words and Yang pushes the whole thing back as a result. Still, Yang pulled Blake out of the house after they got away from The Apathy after Blake, in particular, came close to death, so clearly Yang still cared.

But now, we get to the end of the volume, and as such the controversial bit. So int he final arc, Blake goes to take down the city’s radar, but as it turns out Adam stalked her. At this point, he’s lost everything. The White Fang. His power. His standing. At that point, all that mattered to him was making the one that he saw responsible suffer, and that was Blake. She fought back as Adam kept calling her a coward and a traitor. Unfortunately for him, Blake wasn’t alone. Yang entered the fray, and she held her own against him. Adam tried to intimidate her over what happened last time, and it’s enough to make Yang’s arm tremble. But Blake grabbed it, telling Adam that she isn’t protecting Yang. Nor is Yang protecting her. They’re protecting each other.

Adam was an abuser. While seeing his scar certainly leaves an impact, it doesn’t justify all that he had done. He only cared about control and power, and anyone who got in the way of that would earn his spite. He became a monster who emotionally abused Blake and frequently gaslighted her into making her stand at his side. That is until Blake decided that enough was enough, and she left him and the WF behind. Since then, he wanted her to suffer, as well as anyone else that she cared about. It’s why he dismembered Yang. Imo, Blake had no romantic feelings for Yang at that time, but she was still her partner. And because of it, Yang had to suffer at Adam’s hand. Which caused Blake to run, and for Yang to be traumatized and broken. In that moment, Adam made his choice, and there was no redeeming him nor did he want it.

Fortunately, the two girls recovered and got back together. But there was still one obstacle in their way before they could truly move forward, and it was Adam. They gave him the chance to eave. He refused. They fought him. It was either fight back or die. It ended with Yang managing to stop Adam’s Semblance by using her own, getting rid of his sword in the process. Adam lunged at Blake’s broken weapon ut as Blake did, and had he gotten it first then he’d keep trying to kill them. As such when Blake grabbed it and when Yang grabbed the other half, they did the only thing that they could to save themselves: shove the blades forward through Adam. It ended with him falling over the cliff, and to his watery grave.

Adam’s death caused a lot of controversies, but considering that this is a Likes post, you can probably guess where I stand. Adam wasn’t ruined by the CRWBY whatsoever and he led himself to his end and this was the right time to do it. But really? That’s not important. What’s important is what happens after, when Blake breaks down. Yang hugs her and Blake tearfully swears that she’s not going to run again. Yang answers that she knows. These two girls went through so much Hell, and it was together that they were able to set themselves free. This is what finally got me to subscribe to the bumblebee ship. Before. I was indifferent and at times angered by how many people used it to attack the writers. But this was when I saw the value of it. That sense of mutual support that they both needed. How they freed each other. How they can now move forward, and do so together as equals. This showed how great that bond is. How great that their characters are. How far that they have come, and how they can now move on. I loved this arc. It was well written, well-acted by Barbara and Arryn, and was just a super satisfying ride from beginning to end. I loved it.

But alas, there was one thing that I loved even more. Which is a big deal because this was the one thing that I was hoping for above else in this volume. What was that thing? Well...

#1. Ruby Character Arc

In my Volume 5 Dislikes post, I said that Ruby’s lack of development was the thing I hated most. It was the only real thing in the volume that I hated. When V6 was about to start, my one hope was that they would give RUby something. I didn’t care what, as long as it was something that would develop her character and have a payoff, I could live with it. And… well… they did it. They absolutely did it.

This was everything that I had been hoping for. In this volume, Ruby has to take the reigns of leadership. She’s the one who reminds them about the innocents on Argus when the truth about the Relic came out. When Oz tried to make her give the lamp back, she refused and questioned if he lied about protecting humanity. She made her own choices and was the only one aside form Maria to keep her sense and keep moving. At Brunswick, she had every reason to be frustrated and hopeless. But she kept it together and tried to do things like find food or get Qrow to talk to her. This girl was trying her best.

Then we get to Alone in the Woods. I went over this a bit int he Brunswick section, but Ruby here was fantastic. We do see that she can get frustrated and that she can’t always kepe up her optimistic facade. She almost gives in to being tired, but he fights it back, This was what she signed up for. She had a duty, and she was going to carry it out to protect everyone. She managed to fight back against the Apathy’s influence to save Blake, and then with Maria’s help was able to tap into the Silver Eyes enough to blast a huge number of them into dust. And because of it, we finally, finally have Ruby question about the Silver Eyes and ask Maria to teach her to use them.

So much good for Ruby was in here. She has to harden herself a little. It never gets to the point of brooding or angsting, but she and the others are left with no true guidance. The closest thing that she has is Maria, but she’s a new arrival in the conflict. Ruby’s used to Ozpin or Qrow having the answers, but they both have given up. But Ruby hasn’t. And when Qrow refuses ot hear Jaune’d plan out and tells everyone to just give up now, what does Ruby do? She turns to her uncle, her mentor, and tells him that she’s going to hear Jaune out. THat she doesn’t care what Qrow thinks. He may have given up, but it doesn’t mean that she has to. This was where she truly became the leader of not just her team, but the entire group. It took a second talk, but she restored Qrow’s hope. She refused to give up because they can’t. This was what she chose to do, and she was going to do it. With or without anyone to guide her.

It all ends when, after the plan went array, RUby faced Cordo. All that she has is her scythe, but this teenaged girl tells Cordo to either let them through or else. Cordo refuses, so Ruby carries out her threat by gumming up the canon arm to the point of disrepair. But that’s not the end. The Grimm attack, and they all decide to stay. RUby calls the Argus base, telling them that she is a Huntress. This isn’t the same wide-eyed girl who fangirled at Glynda and asked her for an autograph because she was a Huntress. No, this time Ruby is that Huntress. Her resolve is stronger than ever. She’s going to save Argus, and she has the one thing that can do the job: the Silver Eyes.

This was RUby’s trial by fire, and she passed it. It isn’t easy as her happy memories get tainted by the bad ones. But she’s able to use her wits and summon Jinn to buy herself time. Yes, she used the Relic despite not having a question, and she got away with it. It’s enough to let her recollect her happy memories, and ended with the first shot of her mother, Summer Rose. That image is the last thing that RUby needed to, for the first time by her own choice, use the Silver Eyes. while she’s only able to briefly freeze the Leviathan, it’s enough time to let Cordo recover and kill it for good. She lets them through due to this, and RUby not only guaranteed Argus’ safety, but them successfully making it to Atlas.

Ruby is often derided as a flat and under-developed character. I disagree. It’s not easy to move forward. It’s not easy to stay strong when so much is falling apart. Giving up is easy. Hating is easy. But RUby refused to take the easy way. She made a choice, and she has stood by that choice over and over again. She began as a naive girl with a childish dream and major anxiety. She surpassed it. She went from being afraid to make friends to befriending everyone that she meets. She went form charging at a Nevermore to prove herself, to channeling that recklessness into insane but brilliant plans. She went form questioning Oz if he was right to choose her to be leader, to effortlessly leading her team and encouraging others. Her dreams went from a childish fantasy to true dedication and understanding of what she’s fighting for. Bad things happen, and she wants to make people’s lives better as much as possible. She has a stronger understanding of the world and used it to better herself. Now here? She’s taking matters into her own hands and pushing everyone forward along with her. She’s holding on to her hope, and that is what makes her strong. 

Ruby is an amazing character. She is my favorite character. And this volume shows why that is. This corrected all of the mistakes that I felt that V5 made. She actively develops and it’s never dropped. She questions things and starts to learn from them. She learns to use her Silver Eyes. But most of all? All of this got a payoff wth her facing the Leviathan. Yes, she’s still suppressing so much and that’ll come back to haunt her. But for right now, this is what she needed. She needed to take this step, and they executed it wonderfully. As such, ti si is without a shadow of a doubt my favorite thing about RWBY Volume 6.

And with that, we are done! It’s been one Hell of a trip going back down memory lane, but I enjoyed it! Thank you, everyone, who read this as well as the previous posts. I’m not likely going to do any other LikesDislikes for RWBY until V8 starts. But I’m not done reviewing. V7 starts tomorrow, and I plan to do my episode reviews for it. I hope that you all will check those out. V7 is on the horizon my friends, and I am ready for it! I hope that you are to. But for now, thank you again, and I’ll catch you later~!

Kiratto Prichan Episodes 59-64

Welcome back, Meltic StAr!

I bet you thought I forgot about Prichan right? This gonna sound like a lie but I didn’t, for real. XD

The problem Prichan has is basically the same one as AiFure, the subs come out late and things just pile up. Last year I used to watch Prichan without the subs as normal because I wasn’t as invested in the story and if I felt like I was missing out on something I could check on tumblr and see what actually happened. But this time around I actually wanna know what's going on with these characters, especially for this batch of episodes that give major focus to my favorite members of this cast.

But anyway, I got a lot to cover so let's get right into it.

Episodes 59 and 60 are pretty boring. 59 is one to try to promote the new rarity in the game while 60 is to promote the new toy, and I didn't really care for neither of them.

59 had some cute moments on it, specially Daia she was pretty adorable on this one. The owners of that bookstore were also fun sometimes, and I do like the idea they came up to save their business. But the rest of the episode I just couldn’t care less, boring stuff from left to right.

Episode 60 I had quite a lot of problems with it. First I don’t like how they made Mirai so over-obsessed about the palette thing, as far as I know, she never showed signs of being crazy over something at this level before and is just awkward. Second, I don’t like how they make the design palette be such a big deal when we probably won’t see it again after maybe one or two months, also if it’s such an important and rare thing why would Aira give it to Mirai? It makes no sense to me. And in overall it’s just not an interesting episode at all. IF only IF, the new Prism Stone uniform was good I think I could give it a pass and say at least something good came out of it, but these new ones are nowhere near the ones from S1 so...

I think I would've liked 59 more if instead of a repeat performance of Rinka we got one in that Snow White coord. If they still wanted to use Yumeiro Energy it'd be fine for me, I've come to accept this song more from the last time I did one of these, but still I don't think that Miracle Idol coord fits neither the song or the stage and is just a generic group coord because they were lazy to make new performance coords for each new song. But nothing could save 60 for me, not even Super Cutie Super Girl.

Episode 61 is when things get interesting again because MELTIC STAR!!!!!!!!!

The first episode of this mini ark is great, I was surprised by how much I liked this one since it was very focused on Emo and Oshama Tricks was a big part of it as well, and these are normally two elements that if put together could make me go crazy and bored because I don’t like neither of them. But in this one, it worked very well and I enjoyed this episode a lot.

They’ve made a very good job showing how important Anna is for Emo even though they drive each other crazy, and because it was so well done that you can really feel both Emo sadness for thinking that everything was just a lie and her happiness right after as soon as the girls introduce themselves on stage.

If there’s only one thing to complain about this episode is that Meltic StAr’s new unit coords are weird as hell, I really dislike them and I don’t get why they would go with this aesthetic for them. Maybe if these were introduced with a new group song that had this Circus vibe to it I wouldn’t dislike it as much, but since that’s not the case I can’t like them, at least not yet.

I also don’t understand why they would have to announce they’re taking part in the Jewel Auditions since I though everyone doing prichan was eligible for it, but this is honestly just a minor nitpick and not a problem per se.

The next two episodes are used to finally cement Meltic StAr as active parts in this season this gets evident by looking at the opening that features them on it.

I think that, to me, the best that episodes 62 and 63 do is creating bonds between Meltic and Ring Marry, and I’m not saying this just because the 5 of them are my favorites and I love to see their interactions. I promise. I think it is just natural having the two groups together when you consider that Kiratts and Daia have a strong relationship and this has left Maria and Suzu behind for a little.

And honestly, both groups work really well together. Even though both episodes are mainly focused on Mel and Suzu, they still add some other nice little touches to it like for example, saying Sara knows Maria’s channel. Sara loves cute things so is just natural that she’s aware of Maria’s channel. Are small details like this that make me appreciate and enjoy these episodes a little more.

These episodes are so well constructed that they alone made me raise Suzu in my faves list, I really enjoyed seeing her with Mel and seeing how they’re very different from each other which makes possible for both of them to learn a lot from their time together. Given that in both episodes Suzu basically was the one in charge of learning rather than teaching, I believe Mel was able to extract some good this from this experience as well.

Talking about 63 more specifically, I have two problems with it. First is Mel getting jewel chance in the first episode she performs alone in this season, I already mentioned that I don’t like this but since it seems this is the trend for all idols who were already a part of the original cast I can let it pass, also Universe Queen jewel coord is gorgeous and probably my favorite of all we’ve seen so far so this makes me even less mad about the whole situation.

The second is that part where Mel insists for Suzu to sing, I know it’s a minor moment, it goes very quickly, and it’s there just to consolidate even more the fact that Suzu doesn’t want to sing yet. I also know that Mel had good intentions there, but I still don’t like it. As someone who constantly has people trying to force me into doing things I don’t like/want, I can’t stress enough how bad this is.

Thankfully this episode does so many other great things that in the end they overcome these bad points and results in a good episode. My favorite bits being all the moments where Mel was the most hyperactive kid on the planet. Gosh, I love her so much. ALSO, Mel promoting education and saying that learning is fun is very valid.

The highlight of this episode is definitely Mel’s performance!!!!! What a great song it is!!! I have the same problem as before where the Circus Ringmaster Coord doesn’t fit the song and the stage, but I still enjoyed every single bit of it. Even using the repeated stage was good, I think the Amusement Park stage works better here than the palace stage and the sweet shop stag does for Mirai and Rinka’s song. I must say, I didn’t expect Mel’s song to be like this, I expected it to be more like Cometic Shilouette, but I really like it and it fits Mel PERFECTLY. I also think the Meltic StAr generic Yattemita for this season is better than the Kiratts generic one so that’s another plus for this performance.

Closing up this batch the show goes down again in Episode 64. I really don’t like this episode, I really don’t see the point of it and the execution of the thing was kinda wonky.

This Daia Fest was very confusing. First, I don’t get the concept of going through a competition to win a single piece of a coord. I know this is something they do since the Pretty Rhythm days but still, I don’t get it.

Second, I don’t understand why the only two participants are Mirai and Mel, I’d think that more idols would get jewel coords as well, it’d be a good way to showcase in the show that the jewel coords come in various colors in the game. Making the two of them the only competitors make the competion even more pointless.

Third, I don’t get how someone could come out victorious of this thing, they’ve done the exact same thing with nothing different being added to spice things out. Yeah they performed in their Jewel Coords, but in general they share the same value so, is not like they’ve done anything special.

Fourth, Mirai’s victory feels empty. They tried to set up a conflict with Mirai not knowing what her dream was but they don’t do anything with it. If they made Mirai lose they could give her an ark about finding herself, and finding a dream for her and make the culmination of all that be really amazing. But no, she’s the main character so we have to give everything to her very easily.

But to not say I dislike everything this episode has done, I liked the excuse they came up with to why Rinka didn’t got in, I think this thing she has with her mom is very funny and probably the only thing I REALLY like about her.

Oh there’s also Naru who’s in the middle of love and hate. I do like her character here but since I never watched the PR season she’s from I have this sensation in the back of my head that i’m already loosing lots of information about this character, even though like Aira she’s not the same naru from Pretty Rhythm and technically all we’re seeing here is new.

And this is it for now! It took me way longer than I wanted to write this down but I’m finally done.

A FEW SIDE NOTES:

Maria is very relatable.

IS THIS A MOTHERFUCKING BRAZIL REFERENCE?

Despite all the bad things I had to say about these episodes, I can’t deny that we got some very adorable shots from them. LOOK AT IT, THEY’RE SO CUTE.

Now that’s everything I had to say.

I’ve already watched Episode 65, but I’m leaving it for its own post because I have lots of things to talk about and this post is already long enough as it is. I’ll probably post it later today by itself or tomorrow with Episode 66, it will depend if Aikatsu subs will be coming out today or not. Regardless, the symphoger review will be out very soon, I’m finishing up some things here and I’ll be watching the episode in no time.

See yall soon (very soon this time, I promise).

Lapping it All Up

It's Sunday morning and time to part company with Sue and Peter. It was a fun 5 days. We are heading to Helsinki and they will drive the car back to Riga where it all commenced. They are stopping the night at Parnau. Rainy day again as we said our farewells and they dropped us at the ferry terminal. Saw an amusing sign at the terminal which pointed to the very short term car park (15 mins). It said " Kiss and Sail" which was very apt. We had laughed our way through Latvia and Estonia with them and had covered a bit of ground in those 5 days. Despite it bucketing down Liz did a quick sortie after they left to take a photo of the sign. This led to one of those amusing moments. Something you very rarely see Liz do - "run". If I said a sort of Donald Duck style of running I might be close to the mark. Possibly even being flattering. There is a lot of action, arms flapping, feet akimbo, head rolling from side to side and forward momentum is not speedy. The ferry ride from Tallin to Helsinki takes about 2.5 hours. We had basic tickets so it was first in best dressed for seats. A number of bars and cafes on board and as soon as boarding started the regulars made for prime positions. We had to stow our luggage and were given a bit of a bum steer, in terms of where to store them, by one of the staff so a lot of seats had gone by the time we were free to look. Anyway we snagged a couple of uninspiring but fine seats in a a cafe and settled back for an uneventful trip. Despite the rain it was petty calm and we had a snack, read and blogged. Interestingly they had a couple of stages with musos performing. I might expect that on a cruise ship in the Bahamas but not somehow on a couple of hours ferry in the Baltics. One stage was on the upper deck where quite a raucous bar was in full swing. The wind and rain were coming down on the uncovered end though plenty of cover. Singer was flat as a tack and slaughtered Ed Sheerin's " A Girl Like You" (a bit of a holiday anthem as you hear it a lot in beach bars etc over here). The audience didn't care. They were all getting tanked. Another singer was close to us in a neighbouring area and he was playing the guitar and performing solo with some electronic instrumental help. Not too bad, middle of the road - Eric Clapton, Jonny Cash etc but more importantly his voice I was better. I strolled around looking at the duty free shop where the Finns on board were fairly determinedly stocking up on booze which is much cheaper in Estonia than Finland. This included people with several slabs of beer. Liz noticed that many of those slabs were being consumed on board. It was certainly a lively ship. Trip was easy and we worked out we could get a tram into the city and quite close to our hotel from the ferry terminal. A bit of a scramble getting off but we were in no rush so took our time. Slight problem though, it was raining quite steadily. We headed for the tram stop which was close by but in a master stroke of planning the ticket machine was exposed to the elements and quite a queue. This included the guy who had no idea what to do, did not appear to have the right money (possibly any money), whose credit card would not work and who consequently held us all up in the hissing rain for 5/6 minutes - could have been longer. This on top of the 7/8 mins we had already been waiting. In the end the couple behind paid for him. Liz was now huddled under the tram shelter while I stood out there in the pak-a-mac. No point in two of us getting wet(ter). By the time I got to the front of the queue the wind had set in and rain was horizontal so jeans and shoes pretty soaked. Guys behind (equally wet) who seemed local provided some guidance on the payment process but even they stuffed it up a bit so another minute or two of soaking. Anyway at last I had two tickets in my hand but the various delays meant we just missed a tram by about a minute so had a 6/7 minute wait for the next one. Still, under some shelter, though I was drenched. We duly trundled off for the 10 minute ride and I couldn't wait to get out of my jeans and shoes. I made the mistake of sitting down which was even more uncomfortable so quickly sprang up. Anyway the Hotel Helka was only about a 10 minute walk from the tram stop. Liz did a good job of getting us off at the closest stop and guiding us home. At last, out of that gear and into the shower. All was well and Hey! We were in Finland. Time to explore and we headed off into town. Basically heading for the main square and market square. First impressions were that it was more modern than Riga or Tallinn and a little less atmospheric. Plenty of shopping malls, cafes etc. and even the older buildings which were often quite attractive, of the the six storey terrace variety, did not seem that old. Made our way to market square where there were a number of stalls selling local "products". Very soft hats, wood carvings, paintings, the usual fridge magnet memorabilia stuff but also fox, wolf and reindeer pelts and extremely sharp hunting type knives in scabbards - not sure exactly what the purpose of them was. The market was starting to close but quite a few stalls selling food were in full flight. Now around 4.00pm and we had only snacked post breakfast so were hungry. The offerings were often local delicacies and we couldn't resist sharing a plate of fried Vendace (very similar to sardines) with garlic sauce. Just on a paper plate, pretty decent serve (30 or so smallish fish) you eat the lot, heads and all, and we wandered around happily chomping on them. Very delicious and sauce not too garlicky at all but tasty and needed. It was sun over the yard arm time and we looked for a decent pub/ venue to have a drink. Plenty of craft beer here though we had heard horror stories about the price of alcohol. We couldn't quite find what we were looking for in terms of character but settled on a cafe/bar and sat outside. Rain had stopped but not exactly balmy. After that we continued to wander through the back streets though being Sunday a lot of places closed. Did find a good looking Pho joint which was a possibility if all else failed. Liz loves her Pho. We headed back for the hotel. The Helka is a little boutique hotel and quite quirky. They had a little Swiss style bird house (no birds) that you could deposit your keys in when you left. The coffee mugs in the room had an inscription inside the rim which read " Stolen from Hotel Helka" Staff very friendly and a range of nice touches. We determined that dinner would be in their relaxed little bar/cafe area downstairs. Some good craft beer on tap and bottled and rose OK too. I had the salmon on bread with salad. Big chunks of salmon served cold - excellent. Liz had the coconut and sweet potato soup which was also very good. A local porter and IPA for me (both good especially the porter) rose for Liz. All very laid back and sat very happily not feeling we had to traipse about town. Not too late a night headed up around 10.30 for the usual blogging, reading and planning next phase. Greece definitely on. Thessaloniki as a kick off point looking the goods. Also need to ensure we have a flight out of there to London about a week after arriving in Greece as flying home from London. All pretty tortuous evaluating alternatives but in the end have to bite the bullet and its Turkish airlines to Thessaloniki and BA from there to London though the poms charging usuriously. Liz doing sterling work with bookins Next morning at 11.00 we were going on a free tour of Helsinki. After a great breakfast at the Helka (we expected nothing else given its form to date) we headed for the meeting point a 20 minute fast walk away, back at market square. Our guide was a young and vivacious lady who had spent time in Canada hence a slight North American accent. Super smart and despite a crowd of around 35-40 with a microphone headpiece and a resonant voice she was easy to hear. We covered a lot of ground both literally and metaphorically. Some aspects were: Lutheran religion is the main one for Finns. Apparently a not unusual fall away in those following a structured religious approach in Finland though you have to attend a religious camp for a week when in your late teens if you want to be married in church. A lot of the design of the buildings in the older parts of Helsinki was under the auspices of the German architect Engels in the 19th century. He had spent time in St Petersburg and hence there are similarities between the cities (though not the flamboyant stuff). Education is subsidised in fact you are paid to attend for your first 5 years at Uni. Food is also subsidised for uni students and is free at kindergarten. Start school at 7 pre that it's kindergarten where formal lessons are minimal. At junior school the first 5 years are pretty hands on - sewing, woodwork etc. no homework in that period. Health care free for all though dental must be paid for unless impacts health more generally. We were starting to understand why prices were so high with all those taxes. The guide (Maria I think) quipped that they all live a good life but it's hard to get rich. They were ruled for hundreds of years by the Swedes and then from early 19th century by the Russians. They gained independence in 1917 and in that period also had a bloody civil war. Fought against the Soviet Union in 1939 and collaborated with the Germans to fight against the Soviet Union 1941-44. They did not persecute minorities however. Then they also had to fight against the Germans to remove them from Finland as the tide turned at the end of the war. They are proud to have maintained their independence throughout despite some land losses to the Soviet Union. In winter the harbour freezes over so all boats must be lifted out and stored in dry dock including some pretty large fishing boats. Ice breakers were also visible in the harbour. It was a wide ranging, interesting tour with plenty of fun thrown in. Amazing coincidence of a couple from Melbourne, Meredith and David, being on the tour more especially because Meredith taught the preps at Camberwell primary around the time our kids went there. She didn't teach them as it turned out. Liz and Meredith swopped school and other local stories ++. David was an interesting character. He had worked for the CSIRO and was a resin expert. He had for the last umpteen years supported businesses making wood paneling and other resin involved products around the world. This included a 5 year stint for the whole family living in Italy while he worked there. He had most recently been working in China and had come straight to Finland from there. Yet again there's a lot of different stuff makes the world go around. Nice guy to chat to. Pommie origins though born in Australia and we had a good time dissecting Brexit. He has the same problem as us may lose his European passport. We were interested in the big issues! We did that nattering over a coffee and tea that stretched for about an hour and a half post the free tour. After that Liz and I headed for the market square again and needed something to eat. Beside the square was a pretty attractive and ornate indoor market building. Really it was a tasteful food hall with a range of tidbits you could buy to eat immediately or take away including exotics like reindeer jerky. We plumped for a couple of open sandwiches which we consumed at a little eating area outside by the docks. One was cured salmon and the other was prawns in a sweet chilli sauce. We shared the first two but so tasty we went again. Me for the prawns and Liz for the salmon. Just very nice sitting there with this scrumptious food. Back to the market square and as opposed to yesterday evening all stalls were in full swing so we had a good look around at the knick knacks but did not purchase. Time to go our own ways. We both went looking through shops though Liz also found a strange square which looked like a lunar landscape. People were skateboarding and sitting around the square and it all seemed a bit unexpected in what seems like quite a conservative city. I stumbled across the City Museum. This was a very quirky place which essentially probed some alternative aspects of Helsinki and Finland. One of the highlights was an exhibition by 5 Finnish artists. It was titled "Objection". Essentially it was about disagreement and the role that it plays in our society (particularly Finnish society). Each artist illustrated a different story. One was about Hjalmar Linder the wealthiest man in Finland who fled to Sweden during the 1918 civil war. On his return he found that members of the losing side were still being persecuted (killed) so he wrote a letter to the newspaper saying "enough of this bloodbath" which broke ranks with his peer group. He was then hounded out of the county and eventually died penniless, slashing his own wrists. Another was about left wing activism in the 1930s and 40s. It was being suppressed and so a password " Have you seen a running dog" was used to identify sympathisers. Essentially how people find a way to "object" Yet another was about a book "the Price of Our Freedom" still found in many Finnish homes. It contained a photograph and short description of each of 26000+ people who were killed in the Winter War 1939-1940. The artist had taken the photographs of key people in the book and turned them into ghost like portraits using hundreds of layers of pictures - "the Price of Freedom". Separately there were also general narratives about what Helsinki was like in the past. Pretty rough and ready in the 1920s apparently. Also a photograph gallery with some fantastic photos of Helsinki in the past including one which captured the docks area including market square. I couldn't see a date but perhaps 100+ years ago. All these photos were available for purchase. I kept wandering post the museum. Just walking lost really. Took in a few shops and generally soaked up the city. Liz did much the same. No acquisitions. Liz grabbed a bit of shuteye and we met up again around 7.00 in the hotel bar/restaurant. We decided not to move. The restaurant which the guy in "Radio" restaurant in Tallin recommended was closed ,being Monday night, and the informal dinner they served at the Helka had been pretty good the night before. We both had the open sandwich salmon. Thick chunks of salmon. Liz not the greatest salmon fan (she prefers her fish to be white) but enjoyed it, and I certainly did including polishing a few remnants of salmon from her plate. Of course a couple of craft beers also supped. Liz took it easy as a bit tired and slightly heady. It was relaxing and we headed up around 10.00. I took a quick stroll to walk off dinner but boy had it got cold. I think you can probably keep the Finnish summer. Here we were 12th August and it might have been about 16 degrees out but with a healthy wind that felt around 12-14. I was wishing I had a scarf. This reaffirmed our decision to head back to some warmth in Greece.

New Years Eve (Rosawatts)

authors note: it’s a to the moon fanfiction! my first one ever! fun times. so, number one, i did write this pretty quickly and only went over it once so if theres mistakes im really sorry! and two, i feel like in one of the minisodes they mentioned eva’s canon family but i just. completely forgot about that. so if eva does have a canon family sorry about that- all of her family members i just completely made up. this fic is also pretty long- or at least i think so. its a little more than 5k words. just an fyi, i guess. anyway, thats about all i have to say, so thanks!

Neil was awoken to the sound of incredibly loud banging outside of his hotel room.

“Neil! Neil Watts! Open this door right now, I know you’re in there! I am not afraid to open this door by force, I swear!”

Neil sat up in his bed, feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the hard mattress and also the fact that this was not his usual bed. He wipes the sleep out of his eyes and quickly puts his glasses on so that he’s able to see more than two feet in front of him. He takes a quick scan of his surroundings. There’s cheap art of fruit baskets and lakes all around the stark white room, an old TV that he’s surprised even works anymore, and the weird, popcorn effect of the ceiling. He quickly realized that he wasn’t in his apartment he shared with Eva- but he was still groggy enough to not remember the reason why.

The woman outside the door continues to yell, obviously either not aware of the other patrons in the hotel, or she quite simply doesn’t care. She starts banging on the door again. “Come on, groom to be! Eva will literally kill you if you’re late, so if I were you I’d hurry up.” A brief silence ensues, giving the still tired Neil- not really listening to anything the voice outside says- the time to finally step out of his bed, wipe off his glasses, and head towards the door. The noise outside quickly pipes back up. “It’s also a possibility I will kill you before Eva gets the chance to. So you better hurry up.”

Neil groggily walks towards the door, it still shaking even though the person outside knows for a fact that the door is locked. Still stretching his face out, trying to wake himself up, he finally answers the person outside. “…Roxie?” Neil says, slightly yawning.

“Yes, Neil, it’s Roxie. Who else would be yelling at you at 9 am?”

“Eva.”

“Other than Eva, idiot. You guys aren’t allowed to see each other today.”

This sentence quickly jumpstarts Neil’s memory- even though Eva and Neil aren’t really ones for superstitions or traditions, they decided to do the whole thing of not being able to see each other on their wedding day.

Their wedding day.

On this day, Dr. Neil Watts is going to marry Dr. Eva Rosalene.

“I’m assuming you just woke up, considering it took me about 20 minutes to even get a response out of you.” Neil assumes that Roxie is exaggerating this, as she does with most stories, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He decided to go the safe route and not question this in case the story actually was true.

“Yeah, can I just… uh…. can you hold on a quick second?”

“Are you going to let me in or do I need to sit out here for another half hour?”

Roxie increased the time again, so Neil can safely assume that she did exaggerate how long she was outside, banging on his door.

“Just hold on!”

“If you’re in your little Pokemon boxers, I’ve seen them before. I’ll be fine. Just let me in, Neil, oh my God.”

Neil turns a bright red as he looks down, seeing his bright blue boxers with the little red Pokemon logo on it. “Wait, Roxie, how do you know I have… better question, when have you seen them?” There is silence from the other side of the door, but Neil has known Roxie long enough that she’s probably rolling her eyes.

“So, obviously you don’t remember anything about your bachelor party.”

Neil is too embarrassed to answer. He’s always been a little self conscious about how much of a lightweight he is- it doesn’t take him much to get him blackout drunk.

“Okay. Long story short, you got blackout drunk- obviously- and you wouldn’t stop taking off your pants to show everyone the ‘super cool Pokemon boxers’ that your ‘beautiful wife’ got you, even though you weren’t married yet. I tried to help you to your car because you literally could not stop stumbling, and you yelled at me multiple times for ‘trying to flirt with a happily married man.’”

Neil blushes thinking of drunk-Neil’s shenanigans, but he does think it was really funny he was telling everyone he was married. He’ll probably tell Eva about this story after the wedding- he’d like the embarrass himself as little as possible in front of her before they get married.

“Neil, I will start yelling again.”

“Just let me put my pants on, Roxie! I’d rather you not have to see my boxers while I’m sober.”

Roxie lets out a long, drawn out ‘ugh’ outside of the door while Neil quickly goes through all of his things, looking for pants. The first thing he finds are the dress pants that go with his suit, so he quickly pulls those on and opens the latch on the door, before Roxie ends up waking up the people in the building next to the hotel.

Neil opens the door, looking straight ahead, before quickly looking down to make eye contact with Roxie. He stands almost a foot taller than her, and it infuriates her whenever he jokes about her height or rests his arm on her head. He decided not to bring anything up today. He can already tell Roxie is angry.

“You owe me so many gallons of ice cream for this.”

“I really think you were only out here for a couple of minutes-”

“So. Many. Gallons.”

Neil shuts up quickly, staring into Roxie’s glaring eyes. Roxie quickly scans over him, giggling. “Graphic t-shirt and dress pants. It’s a really good look for you, Neil.” Neil turns bright red once again.

“Wedding’s at 6, Watts. All the groomsmen are downstairs. The bridesmaid are all helping Eva out- except for the best one, of course.” Roxie does the fingers in the cheek thing, smiling warmly at Neil. “None of us are dressed up yet. We’re gonna dress up a few hours before hand. We’re all going out for brunch.”

“Wait, why aren’t you helping Eva out?”

“Well, she did tell me that I could help out, but I know myself. I’d probably end up spilling everything humanly possible onto her dress. So I just decided…. not to.”

“You think it’s fine to spill stuff on my outfit though.”

“Weddings are for two people and two people only- the bride and the bride’s mother. So, no, you don’t really matter in the whole equation.”

“Yeah, because the whole marriage and love thing doesn’t matter at all.”

“Exactly!”

Neil sighs, not bothering to deal with Roxie’s logic of marriage and weddings this morning. “So I’m gonna get changed so that… I don’t want to go to brunch looking like this.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

“Thanks, I try,” Neil says, with a cocky grin. Roxie rolls her eyes as Neil closes and latches the door.

* * *

Eva keeps twirling the engagement ring around her finger. She has a lot of pent up nervousness about this day- it needs to be perfect. Not that she’d ever tell Neil, but she’d daydreamed a lot about her wedding day. Sure, as her third-grade self she had never imagined the man she would one day marry would’ve been a snarky, sarcastic asshole, but she did know that she would’ve never picked someone she wasn’t sure she truly loved. She knew she made the right choice, she just didn’t want to kick off their marriage with a horrible start.

Her mom, Estella, walked into the bedroom alongside Eva’s twin sister Charlotte (who was called Charlie by basically everyone who knew her). They looked like they were glowing.

Charlie started lightly jumping up and down, clapping her hands and smiling cheerfully. “Evie, it’s here! You’re getting married!”

Eva jumps up with a start at this, not realizing that they were in the room. Eva starts, “How long have you two…” when Charlie sprints towards her and envelopes her in a bear hug.

“Evie, oh my god, you’re getting married! It’s finally happening! I’m so excited, oh my  god! I’m the most excited I’ve ever been!” Charlie pulls away from the hug, still slightly bouncing. “Well, okay, probably not the most excited, I was probably more excited on my wedding day, but you know what I mean. And you’re probably more excited than I am. I mean, that makes sense, right? Anyway.” Charlie takes a deep breath from chattering excitedly. Eva smiles warmly to herself- there’s really no stopping Charlie ones she gets talking. Not that she minds, Charlie’s always been her best friend since day one and she appreciates that she can do the talking for the both of them.

“Umm… thank you, Charlie. I am also very excited,” Eva says, stifling a laugh. She looks behind Charlie, seeing her mom still standing by the doorway. She sees Eva looking at her, and she gives her a warm smile, closing her eyes. Eva smiles back.

“So… when are we starting with the makeup? I’m so excited! I can’t wait to do your makeup! Oh my goodness, you’re going to look so beautiful! Not that you don’t already. I’m just super excited!” Charlie starts bouncing up and down again, along with her natural curls, while Eva starts giggling while Charlie keeps prattling on excitedly.

Eva looks around towards the doorway. “Mom? Where are the rest of the bridesmaids?” Her mom was one of the bridesmaids, and she had agreed to keep track of everyone. Usually that job went to the maid of honor, who was Charlie (technically matron of honor, in her case), but they all had mutually agreed they would not have Charlie in charge of keeping track of everything. Her mom responds in a small voice, “They’re all carpooling here. As you know, that girl… Roxanne? She’s staying with Neil. Too clumsy.” Her mom smiles with this last sentence. It wasn’t meant maliciously, Estella loves all of Eva’s friends, but anyone from a mile away can tell Roxie is one of the clumsiest people to grace this Earth.

The last three bridesmaids- Sophie, Maria and Valentina- were close friends from college that Eva was able to keep close in touch with. They weren’t doing anything in particular to help Eva out with her wedding, they were there for morale support and to give Charlie other people to talk to. Charlie was a professional cosmetologist, so she was in charge of doing Eva’s hair and makeup; Estella was in charge of making sure everyone was in the right place, at the right time. All Eva had to do was make sure she looked presentable, and show up to her wedding on time.

Eva hears the doorbell ring from the front of her shared apartment, and Charlie lights up. “Oh! They’re here! I finally have company!” Eva started to say something along the lines of, “Am I not good enough company for you?” but Charlie had already sprinted towards the door. In just a few seconds, she heard the hellos and semi-quiet screaming of girls by the door. Estella turns to Eva. “I’m going to step into a different room. I need to check on the Neil and the boys…” She smiles to herself. She had always loved Neil- he always managed to curb his tongue whenever he was near her. “Oh! And Roxanne.” She pats Eva’s arm appreciatively, and heads into the living room as all the other girls file in to the bedroom.

Charlie holds up a hair dryer in one hand and a hair straightener in the other. “Alright, Evie! 11 am. Gotta head out at 4. Five hours to get you ready for your wonderful groom!” Charlie smiles with all her teeth as Sophie, Maria and Valentina cheer behind her. Eva smiles sheepishly as she sits down at her vanity, waiting for Charlie to work her magic.

* * *

Neil, Roxie, Alistair, Rob and a few others who were Neil’s personal friends were still all sitting down at the brunch place. The wait had taken a while (this place was always very popular) and with the amount of people in the restaurant, the food had also taken a while to arrive. Everyone was already mostly finished up as Neil got the phone call from Eva’s mom. His phone started vibrating as the contact ‘Estella ❤’ popped up.

“Uh… I’m gonna go take care of this okay? You guys got the bill? Thanks guys love you bye!” Neil finishes quickly and leaves the restaurant to step outside as Rob yells after him.

Neil steps out into the cold winter air- Neil thought it would be romantic if they had gotten married in the winter. Eva didn’t care either way, she was just excited for the wedding. They had both decided on New Year’s Eve (which Neil had also suggested, thinking that it would be symbolic for their ‘new beginning.’ Not that Neil would ever admit this to Eva.)

He immediately regretted not bringing a heavier jacket or maybe some gloves, which Roxie had pestered him to do so and Neil had brushed her off. He picked up the call for Estella, fingers already freezing.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Neil!” He smiles to himself. He always loved how happy Estella was to hear from him.

“Yes, hi, Estella. What’s going on?”

“Just checking up on my boys! How’s Roxanne?”

Neil looks inside the window of the restaurant, watching Roxie pick up her drink and accidently spill some on herself. He turns back around. “Well… she’s exactly how you’d expect her to be.”

He hears Estella giggle on the other line. Neil smiles.

“So? Neil? Are you ready? I know I am a nice woman but if you are late I will find you.”

“Yes- yes, Estella, I’m going to be ready. All of our suits are dry cleaned and at my hotel room. Is Eva almost done with her makeup?” Neil smiles to himself again. It hasn’t really hit him yet how big of a thing this is- he’s getting married. To Eva Rosalene. The girl he’s had a crush on since high school.

“Oh, she hasn’t even started on makeup yet! She’s still straightening her hair. It might be a while.”

“Estella, not that I don’t love talking to you, but could you hand me to Eva? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Yes! Sure! Just one second.”

Neil hears shuffling on the phone and takes this moment to look back inside. He sees Rob paying the bill, then he turns back to Neil, giving him the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. Neil quickly turns back around.

He then jumps, hearing a loud cacophony of noises from the other line. Lots of girl’s voices yelling “Hi, Neil!” and some other squeals in the background.

“Hi, hi, everyone.”

He hears some whispering that he can’t really make out, but soon he hears Eva’s voice.

“Neil?”

He puts on his sappiest, mushiest voice. “Hi, babykins!” he says, drawing out each word.

“I swear to god, Neil, if you ever say that to me ever again I will call off this wedding.”

Neil laughs. “So, babe, what’s happenin?

“I’m just getting my- OW! Charlie!” He hears some muttered apologies, presumably from Charlie. “I’m getting my hair done, if Charlie doesn’t rip it all out first.” He hears Charlie go, ‘hey!’ in a mock-offense tone.

“Sounds like a really fun time.”

“Yeah, I can tell how enthralled you are by your voice.”

“So… whatcha gettin done?”

“Neil. Come on. You know I’m not allowed to tell you what I look like.”

Neil grins. “Not allowed to say what you look like?”

“Wait, I didn’t-”

“Oh no, Eva, I’m forgetting what you look like! What color is your hair? Do you still have those beautiful dark brown eyes? I don’t know. And you can’t tell me.”

“Neil, I swear, you know what I meant.”

“Please answer my questions. I’m getting so worried. I can’t remember.”

“I hate you so much,” Eva answers, but he can tell she’s speaking with a smile.

Neil sees the group leaving the restaurant, Roxie turning around and waving at him to follow them. Neil turns back to his phone.

“Alright, I gotta go. Hanging out with my crew, you know the deal.”

Eva sighs from the other line. “Bye, Neil.”

“I love you!”

Eva smiles. “I love you too.”

“Okay, bye for real this time. Roxie has been glaring at me this whole time.”

“Bye.”

“Adios, Eva.” Neil hangs up the phone, puts it in his pocket, and walks over to Roxie to rejoin the group.

* * *

“I cannot believe you don’t know how to tie a bowtie.”

“This would’ve been much easier if everyone could’ve worn a tie, not just the groomsmen.”

“Would I have had to help you out with tying a tie too, Neil?” Roxie asks with a smirk.

In the church’s dressing room, Roxie was standing on her tiptoes to try to help Neil get his tuxedo on. Neil was able to get everything else on- Estella made sure he could button everything and that everything was the correct size for him. However, Neil had never learned how to tie a bowtie.

“Well, you see, I know how to tie a tie. I just never wear bowties.”

“It’s really not that difficult.”

“Don’t patronize me, Roxie. Not on my wedding day.”

Roxie giggles a little bit, as she finished up his bowtie. Neil makes eye contact with Rob, standing by the doorway. He’s there to make sure Neil and Eva don’t see each other before the big moment.

“You really should learn how to tie a bowtie, Neil.”

“Rob, do not make me resend your best man responsibilities.”

Even though Neil and Rob had more or less hated each other when Neil had started working, Neil had eventually warmed up to him. Rob was one of the ones who first caught on to Neil’s crush on Eva, and prompted him to ask her out. Neil decided that this was good enough to give him the position of best man.

Rob smiles. “You’re going to resend my best man responsibilities.”

“If you keep talking like that, yes, absolutely.”

Neil walks over to the tall mirror to check himself out. He does a few poses in the mirror, giving Rob a glare when he sees him laughing in the background.

“I can’t believe I’m going to look better than Eva on our wedding day.”

“That part’s debatable,” Rob answers.

Roxie adds onto this. “Yeah, you haven’t even seen Eva yet. Trust me on this one, she looks absolutely stunning. I can’t wait to look that good on my wedding day.”

Neil turns around, putting on a self assured face. “No, trust me, I definitely look better than her. Me and Eva are having a little competition for whoever looks better today.”

Roxie raises an eyebrow. “…Eva agreed to that?”

“Well, no, but… I did. And that’s what matters.”

Roxie and Rob sigh at the same time.

“Are you nervous?” Roxie asks.

Neil has felt butterflies in his stomach the whole day, and now knowing the wedding’s going to start in half an hour his hands have started to shake.

“Absolutely not. I was born ready for this, are you kidding?”

Roxie and Rob obviously saw through this, but they said nothing.

Roxie starts backing up towards the door. “Gotta go meet up with the bridesmaids- haven’t even gotten into my dress yet.” Roxie ducks out into the hallway. “Adios, losers!” she yells, voice echoing down the hallway. Neil sighs.

Rob and Neil stand in silence for a few moments, before Rob pipes up.

“Are you ready?”

Neil turns to himself in the mirror again, giving himself a once over. His tuxedo is all buttoned up, none of his clothes have any wrinkles, and his white boutonniere was perfectly placed in his pocket. He looked good to go.

But how are you ever ready for the most important moment of your life?

Neil turns back around to Rob. “The readiest I’ve ever been.”

“I don’t think readiest is a word.”

“Shut up, Rob.”

* * *

All of the many guests have sat themselves down in the large church. The officiant has made his way to the altar. Neil and Rob have made their way to the altar from the side door. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen have made their way to the top; all the groomsmen in black tuxedos and ties; all bridesmaids in cream colored dresses with gold sashes. Charlie then walks up to the altar by herself, in a full length gold dress. The ring bearer has delivered the rings, and the flower girl has sprayed flower petals over the aisle.

The only thing left was Eva and her father, James, to walk down the aisle.

Neil kept fidgeting with his pockets. The only other wedding he had been to before was Charlie’s, and he didn’t pay attention to what the groom was doing because he was too busy getting yelled at by Eva for not paying attention.

He now wishes he would’ve actually watched the reception instead of trying to get Eva to laugh at his jokes. Almost all eyes are on him. He’s never had stage fright, he was always a theatre kid at heart, but he has never been this nervous before in his life.

The organ player starts up and Neil quickly picks his head up to watch the big church doors at the end of the aisle. Everyone in the pews stands up, facing the doors too. Neil’s heart is beating faster than it ever had before.

The big church doors burst open, as the organ player plays a crescendo. James and Eva walk through the doors, and-

Eva looks the most beautiful Neil has ever seen her.

Her hair is in a low bun, held up with silver hairsticks. She is in a beautiful, long a-line sweetheart dress with long lace sleeves. Her face is covered with a veil, but Neil knows she looks as beautiful as she always does.

James and Eva slowly walk down the aisle, and Neil realises he’s tearing up. He remembers what he said to Eva one time- how ‘liquids and solids’ come out of his mouth at weddings- but he knew that was a lie. He was a sucker for weddings, he just couldn’t help it. He tries to wipe his eyes, before actual tears start rolling down his cheeks. He keeps his hand up by his face the entire time Eva is walking towards him, he can hardly believe this. He’s really doing this. He’s really going to marry Dr. Eva Rosalene.

James and Eva reach the end of the aisle, and Neil can finally see Eva’s face through the veil. She’s smiling at him. Neil smiles back, eyes tearing up again.

James takes a seat in the front row, watching Eva step up onto the altar to join Neil.

Eva takes Neil’s hands in her own. She looks up at him, smiling warmly. Neil keeps looking at her with bewilderment- she’s here, right in front of him, and she looks so beautiful. Neil can’t help it this time- tears start rolling down his face. He can’t wipe them away, he doesn’t want to stop holding Eva’s hands.

Eva starts giggling. “Thought you weren’t the sentimental type?” Eva whispers under her breath, while the officiant talks behind them.

“Eva. Not on my wedding day.” Neil whispers back.

“Just your wedding day, huh?”

Neil was about to respond, when the officiant said, “And do you, Dr. Neil Watts, take Dr. Eva Rosalene as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Neil looks at the officiant, then back to Eva, staring into her beautiful dark brown eyes. He chokes up a little before answering. “I do.” He says this while not looking away from Eva’s eyes.

(Not that he’d ever tell Eva, but he did consider saying ‘no’ as a joke when answering this question, but then he realised that almost every person there would murder him. So he decided against it.)

Eva smiles at him. The officiant turns to her. “And do you, Dr. Eva Rosalene, take Dr. Neil Watts as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Eva looks up at Neil, and holds her gaze for a few moments. “I do.”

The officiant smiles at the both of them, and then to the crowd.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

All the guests cheer loudly as Neil lifts Eva’s veil, cups his hands around her face and kisses her. When he pulls away, he sees Eva’s eyes shining. “Not bad,” she whispers to him, in  a sarcastic tone. When they both turn to face the front, Neil elbows her a little bit. Eva smiles and glances at him for a moment.

They laugh as the groomsmen and bridesmaids pull out gold confetti poppers and sprinkle them with the confetti.

* * *

“Are you ready for our first dance, m’lady?” Neil extends his hand out towards Eva, who was sitting next to her family, when the lights had dimmed and the DJ had introduced the two of them to come out onto the floor.

“Call me m’lady again and I will divorce you.”

“You won’t, you love me too much.”

“That, and it’s expensive,” Eva responds with a smile. Neil frowns good naturedly.

“Oh, come on. Dance with me.”

Eva allows herself to be pulled up by Neil, leaving her family who all turn to face towards the floor. Neil turns the ‘dragging Eva’s forearm’ into ‘holding Eva’s hand’ as they get closer towards the floor. They step onto the middle of the floor, holding each other close as the song turns on. Eva looks confused for a few seconds, then looks up at Neil, eyebrow raised but still smiling. “You chose ‘You Were Meant For Me’ by Jewel? Really? How sappy are you?” Neil blushes. ‘You told me you liked this song.” Eva, smiling, leans in close to Neil, moving her arms to his back and resting her head on his shoulder. “I do like this song.”

Eva and Neil stayed on the floor throughout the whole song, swaying with each other and keeping each other as close as possible.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the reception, which meant that it was time for Neil and Eva to cut their wedding cake. The cake was 3 tiers tall, the bottom tier chocolate (Neil and Eva’s shared favorite), second tier vanilla (they both decided that they needed something basic for anyone to enjoy), and the final, smallest one, carrot cake. Eva took it upon herself to show Neil that carrot cake can be delicious if cooked by the right person.

They had done the sappy thing where they both held onto the knife while cutting into the cake; Neil playfully elbowing her, trying to get her to mess up, while Eva laughed.

When they had both gotten their slices onto their plate, Eva said, “Do you want to do that really cheesy thing where the couples shove the cake in the other person’s face?”

Neil tried to remain as straight faced as possible. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Eva took this moment as a teaching lesson for Neil, not noticing the grin growing on his face. “Sometimes, at weddings, when the betrothed are cutting their cake, they ball up some of the cake in their-”

Eva was cut off from the rest of her sentence as Neil had picked his slice of the cake in his hand and shoved it into Eva’s face. She looked confused for a few seconds, then looked back up at Neil with steely determination, a sly smile on her face. “Oh, you are so paying for that one, Watts.” Neil was about to correct her, saying that technically today, they were both Watts, but got interrupted because of the cake that was thrown in his face.

Eva had another fistful of cake, laughing, and Neil went to grab another part of his slice, when they were interrupted by a flash in front of both of them. They lower their pieces of cake and turn towards the bright flash, seeing a smiling Charlie holding her phone. “Oh, sorry! You two just looked so cute so I thought I might as well get a picture, right?”

Neil was about to say something along the lines of ‘that’s alright,’ but was once again interrupted by the act of cake being shoved in his face. He turned to the Eva laughing beside him. “You’re paying for that one too, Watts!” Neil said, as he picked up Eva, now laughing even louder, and slung her over her shoulder. She playfully hit him, yelling, “I swear, Neil, put me down!” if she could get it out between bursts of laughter. Neil was smiling too, and Charlie continued to take multiple pictures of the newlywed’s shenanigans.

* * *

Most people had already filed out at this point. Only Eva’s family, the groomsmen, the bridesmaids and a few stragglers were left. It was time for the final dance.

“You picked this final one too, yeah?”

Neil looked at Eva. “I absolutely did. And you’re gonna love it.”

Eva rolled her eyes in a good natured way.

The DJ introduced the final song, saying it was almost time to pack up, as Neil stood up from his chair and once again tugged on Eva’s arm to get her to follow him.

“I’ll stand up if I find out it’s a good song.”

“Alright, well, I guess you’ll just have to watch me out there, alone, busting some pretty awesome moves on the dance floor.”

“So you do admit it’s a bad song?”

Neil sighs while smiling, as he makes his way to the dance floor. He stands in a pop punk boy band pose while waiting for the song to start, making Eva giggle. The first beginning notes of the song start, as Neil starts to dance horribly. He watches Eva put her head in her hands while laughing, causing Neil to smile.

On the loudspeakers, Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners was playing.

Whenever the lyric, ‘come on Eileen!’ played, Neil sang ‘come on Eva!’ loudly over it. Eva turned bright red from the embarrassment of her husband, but was smiling nonetheless.

Neil had stayed out there for about 30 seconds, starting to get worried that Eva wasn’t joking when she said she wouldn’t join him. But when he turned around, and he saw Eva standing up from her chair, smiling and shaking her head, with a glint in her eyes-

He saw his whole future.

Congratulations on your thesis! If it isn’t too late to ask, for the fandom question I’d like to request FMA and Mystic Messenger ^^

Thanks!! Sorry I didn’t respond when you sent this last night, but I was just way too tired, haha. I’m putting these under a cut because they got long.

FMA:B:

Favorite character:

Colonel Hot Stuff, a.k.a. Roy Mustang. ♥

Least Favorite character:

For a non-cliché answer? Gluttony. Sorry, but cannibalism is a huge squick. He grosses me out. (Cliché answers are Shou Tucker and Zolf J. Kimblee.)

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

Haha, unlike many shounen mangaka, Arakawa actually knows how to write romance well, so . . .

Roy/Riza, and that gets to be bolded because it is supreme, easily the best ship in the manga.

Ling/Lan Fan

Ed/Winry

Al/May

Izumi/Sig

Character I find most attractive:

Colonel Hot Stuff, obviously. But Riza is also super pretty.

Character I would marry:

N/A? I never really thought about it.

Character I would be best friends with:

Ed and I would get along pretty well, tbh.

A random thought:

I’m not sure a more perfect shounen series exists, tbh.

An unpopular opinion:

Though I do still hate Shou Tucker a lot, by this point I’m so desensitized to what happened to Nina that, while I still think that it’s horrifying on a logical level, it doesn’t phase me anymore and neither do the memes about it / people bringing it up randomly. I also think that using it as a meme / shock thing is really old and boring.

My canon OTP:

Roy/Riza, and listen . . . it’s canon that they love each other. Arakawa has said that the only reason why they’re not together is because they can’t be according to military law. They’re in love, it counts.

Non-canon OTP:

Ed/Ling, or Winry/Rose. I love both of these ships a lot even if I didn’t list them above.

Most badass character:

IZUMI CURTIS. Look fam, she whoops all kinds of ass despite the fact that she’s missing several important organs and often coughs up blood, like . . . she survived the Briggs winter by herself when she was young. She took down bears. You don’t fuck with Mama Izumi, you just don’t. Not if you want to live, anyway.

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Roy/Ed. Sorry, but I just see Roy as one of Ed’s (and Al’s!) many surrogate parents.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

None? None. Arakawa is a godsend.

Favourite friendship:

TEAM MUSTANG. I love Team Mustang so muuuuch (as well as the honorary members of Hughes and Armstrong, and the children, Ed and Al). I also really love Maria and Denny’s relationship, too. They’re “brotp or otp” material, honestly.

Mystic Messenger:

Favorite character:

SAEYOUNG, LOVE OF MY LIFE. ♥

Least Favorite character:

Out of the main cast? Yoosung. Easily. I was neutral on him until Another Story, but once that came along . . . ohhhhhh boy.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

A list:

Saeyoung/MC 4 (as I write her)

Jaehee/Zen

Jumin/V

And, uh . . . pretty sure that’s it, haha.

Character I find most attractive:

Saeyoung ♥ But I will also admit that Zen and Vanderwood are quite pretty, and Jaehee is pretty when her hair is short and she’s wearing her glasses.

Character I would marry:

Saeyoung, obviously. Jaehee would be my second choice, though.

Character I would be best friends with:

Again . . . the reason why I pursued Saeyoung right off the bat was because he made me laugh and it was so much fun to play around with him. We have very similar senses of humor and a lot of the same hobbies.

A random thought:

It’s not random, but I do headcanon that Saeyoung has likely killed people while on agency jobs in the past. Not maliciously, and only ever because he had to. It was him or them, it was self-defense. But he’s done it, nonetheless. The first time was when he was only about thirteen, or fourteen, and Vanderwood (because he didn’t know what else to do, or say) gave him a cigarette after to try to calm him down. Maybe Saeyoung even asked for it, I don’t know. And Saeyoung took it, and of course nearly coughed up a lung as a result to not being used to the smoke, and after a few minutes Vanderwood says, “You know, it gets easier.”

“What?” Saeyoung said, his voice still raw (from crying? from the smoke?). “The killing, or the smoke?”

Vanderwood was quiet for a moment, then he shrugged. “Both.” 

(Saeyoung doesn’t smoke anymore after that, but there are times after when he’s still forced to kill.)

An unpopular opinion:

Zen/Jaehee is practically canon, and Cheritz needs to give us a route where we can play matchmaker for them.

My canon OTP:

There are no canon ships lol. Well, there’s one, but it’s terrible, so.

Non-canon OTP:

Zen/Jaehee, Jumin/V.

Most badass character:

SAEYOUNG, is this even a question? This man gets shot, and then manages to stay conscious for so long after that, and that’s on top of everything else he manages to accomplish, like . . . goddamn. When V says that Saeyoung has the skills to make things happen, he’s not exaggerating.

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Saeyoung/Yoosung. Both of them have to be OoC to make it work, and Yoosung is really, really not good for Saeyoung regardless.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

Saeyoung was treated so horribly in Another Story, it’s honestly offensive.

Favourite friendship:

SAEYOUNG & VANDERWOOD. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Do you have any blackhill head canons?

Thank you anon I have been waiting for this question my whole life

(Alright, some Headcanons are a “classic”, as in they’re pretty much accepted by the whole BlackHill fandom, but still:)

Natasha and Maria started dating shortly after Natasha joined SHIELD and they’ve been basically married before Natasha’s first scene in the mcu. Yes, that’s a long time. Yes, this is partly because she is written only as a love interest in the mcu, so we all decided the only explanation was if she was playing her love interests into following SHIELD’s orders and was just acting through the whole thing instead of admitting to the butchering of her character, welcome in Denial, we have wine and cookies

Natasha has a Demon Cat named Liho (only Black Widow can name a cat “the embodiment of evil fate and misfortune”). Legend has it Liho has something to do with Fury’s missing eye.

Natasha likes to climb Maria (a lot). That book is too high? No problem, Natasha’s just going to quickly jump on Maria’s back, climb her until she’s sitting on her shoulders, take the book and jump down. Maria has a stict training routing because the first time Natasha attempted this she reacted a moment to late, wobbled, and they both fell down disastrously. Clnt, the bastard, still laughs about that. Maria worked out her core muscles so much she could probably carry Steve Rogers on her shoulders, she is always prepared at all times now for any climbing.

Maria is unweavering. Some see Hill as either really anger-ridden or impulsive, but imo she’s the most cold and calculating person. As an abused kid she must have learned rather quickly that reacting impulsively doesn’t get you too far, she thinks through every move she has to make and anger doesn’t drive her. (As I said, there are two currents of thoughts, this is only how I see it :p)

(Now some HC that aren’t maybe as popoular:)

Maria likes to cook. She says it’s all in the name of efficency, but Natasha can she she enjoyes it, and she’s also rather good. Not, renouned chef good, but my-grandma-taught-me-how-to-cook-so-I-could-stay-at-her-place-longer-instead-of-going-back-to-my-abusive-father’s-house good. Natasha is very cool with that because she eats like a super soldier (literally, she can almost match up Steve).

Undercover jobs are hard for both of them. They have missions abroad, sure, but they can all and text and skype each other. The first time they’re apart for a very long time is when Natasha goes undercover as Natalia at Stark Industries. (Clint tease Maria because he thinks she’s going to get jealous of Stark, but she isn’t. When Pepper starts to like Natasha as an assistant, tho…”she’s your type. Older, wears suits, is in charge”, Natasha wants to laugh but she knows better) They Do Not Handle It Well. The distance is hard and their story starts as purely phisical (granted that lasts about two months but still), they don’t know what to make of the absence after spending so much time on the same giant-flying-plane-parking-lot together, seeing each other everyday. The first time Deputy Director Maria Hill disobeys an order is to sneak around with her wife to get to see her at least on their anniversary. No regrets.

Natasha is a nerd. She makes silly jokes and smirks a lot. Lots of innuendos. Lots of nerd stuff references. She hacked into the CIA for fun once. Also, Maria thinks the cutests thing ever is Natasha Romanoff eating junk food on their couch and watching The Princess Diaries for the third time. (She’s the friend that every time Anne Hathaway says something, goes “This is why she’s the queen of Genovia”). There’s this one time Maria almost cries because she remembers very well how things were when Natasha first got out of the Red Room and now she’s free and she laughs and hacks federal agencies when she’s bored and snuggles up to her on their couch and their life just seems like some kind of miracle.

Maria is softer outside of work. Slightly. She’s soft with Natasha, and at first Natasha feels like it might be because Maria is afraid of breaking her. Maria tells her Natasha is the strongest woman in the world, especially to her, her softness isn’t out of fear, but out of love. Natasha at the time isn’t ready to say it back and Maria understands that, because she loves her. (”Are you just going to keep saying that?” “Well, it’s out there now, isn’t it?”, yes, Maria is forward like that). She’s still hard and sometimes cold and closed off, but so is Natasha, and still they make it work. It’s a process. Almost everything in life is.

Natasha is the one to propose. I am ready to fight anyone on this. Maria tells her exactly one (1) time that yes, under the right circumstances, with the right person, at the right time, she would like to get married. Maria also knows Natasha has been married before and it was a disaster, it was an handler, she was forced to marry him and when they started to develop a friendship he was taken from her. So, Maria knows she’s never going to suggest they do get married. It’s not a necessity, they’re happy, they trust each other by that point with their lives and hearts and there’s no need for a piece of paper. They don’t need it, but they want it. Not the ceremony, but the marriage. The stability. They both have been always kind of scattered around waiting for the next bad thing to happen, but in each other they found an anchor. So, Natasha proposes, because she knew Maria would have never would have pressured her into it and she’s all too aware. It’s all but traditional. They’re sitting on their couch, Natasha planned the perfect date but Maria (Maria Hill, the one who gets sick once a decade) has the flu. Her nose is sticky, her eyes are heavy and there are dark circles around them, she’s wrapped up in a blanket and she’s sweating. And Natasha can’t get sick, but even if she could, she wouldn’t give up hugging Maria to comfort her. She knows Maria is in pain and she would give anything to ease it and she knows it’s the worst timing and she knows - she knows all that, but still it comes out of her mouth like she’s not been thinking about how to say it for a month: “So, I was thinking we should get married.” Maria is half asleep by the time she muster the courage. “Yeah, we should do that,” she is asleep and drooling on Natasha’s shoulder a moment later. “I- well, I kinda had a speech and a ring and-” Maria is snoring. It’s all good.

I’m so super sorry this got too long please forgive me my kind, beautiful anon!!!

Stardate: 2689

Chapter 9: Echoes of a Crew

a fire emblem Heroes fic by me and @pupmon1 in a Ster Trek AU

warnings: injury mention

Captain’s Log. XX/XX/2689. Camilla. We FINALLY received a message from Valm regarding the crew they promised us. They’re finally sending their delegation to us, fourth captain and all. And yet, we received word that we will have to pick them up from a Valm station...because of course we have to...

Camilla fidgeted restlessly in the hangar bay as the ship docked with the station. The fourth captain slot has been empty for longer than it should have been, and Hinoka had been taking care of that shift, something she is not trained for.

“Why the hell did this take so long?” Severa asked. “It sucks having to work extra shifts...”

“Because screw Valm…” Lucina muttered. “This Union was their idea...but they still get their own little bubble of ‘don’t go’.”

“We’re expecting around 25-30 new members,” Rhajat said, looking at a holo-clipboard. “Hopefully on the low end. We already picked up 5 extra crew...”

“Ye-” Camilla stopped as the ship docked and the airlock slid open...revealing about 16 people standing there in uniforms.

A redhaired girl stepped forward with her hands behind her back. “Commander Camilla?”

“Yes. Are you...Captian Celica?”

“Yes, I am the Valmese captian. This is my crew.”

“Oh fuck no…” Lucina grumbled.

“Your crew is about 20 people short,” Rhajat mused, checking off names while listing them off. “Celica, Mae, Faye, Silque, Mathilda, Sonya, Saber, Genny, Valbar, Leon, Delthea, Kamui, Catria, Palla, Est...those are the crew that’s present.”

“My ship needs more people than this!” Camilla snapped. “What happened?”

“...there was a borg attack on this station as we were preparing...we lost fine men…”

“A borg attack?” Camilla and Lyn glanced at each other nervously. “Well...that’s not good…”

“My sympathies,” Lucina said. “We managed to avoid that disaster narrowly...”

“We drove off the cu-” Celica paused for a few seconds. “Wait...you avoided the borg? How did you manage that?”

“...experimental technology that Camilla...acquired...about a decade ago.”

“That technology could be useful. I would like for my sci-”

“No,” Camilla said firmly. “It’s...not that simple…the technology is very……temperamental.”

“Integrated into a person who doesn’t want to give it up,” Rhajat responded. “We’d have to kill her to extract it. Hey, the Union approved this.”

Celica’s eyes narrowed. “...I assume I will get a proper report once we’re on board and settled in.”

“Of course,” Camilla responded. “And your crew is welcome to take a tour of the ship before assuming their shifts.”

Celica nodded and gave a wave to her crew, allowing them to stand down and relax. A large man with an eyepatch stepped up behind Celica.

“I want to see this technology,” Saber said.

“I’ll ask her.” Rhajat pulled out a comm and stepped away. “...yeah, one of the crew wants to see you...he’s big, red mohawk, eyepatch...no? Okay. She says no.”

Saber frowned and stepped forward. “I am your deputy, it wasn’t a request. I will see this woman.”

Rhajat rolled her eyes and pulled out the comm. “Yeah, he wants to see you. He’s not taking no for an answer and he outranks both of us. Yes yes, I know, organic...” Rhajat let out a sigh. “She says no. I’ll take you to her anyways but she’ll probably be hostile, she’s not very balanced yet...oh and i’ll remind you again, this is just observation. You can read the report we gave the Union if you want a justification, they seemed to agree...”

Saber nodded and followed Rhajat.

Celica turned back to Camilla and the other captains. “Now, am I going to be staying in a captain’s quarters? Or can I select another room?”

“You’ll be staying in the captain's quarters,” Camilla said simply. “The large bed belongs to me and Lyn, the other two...can be worked out between you and Lucina.”

Celica nodded. “...may I request that Faye, Silque, and Mae be put in the same quarters?”

The three captains all glanced at each other and grinned. “Yeah sure,” they said. “Why not at this point.”

Off in the distance someone shouts. “Might as well rename this the USC Polyamory!”

“I don’t want to have to pay for the paint job!” Camilla shouted back.

Celica frowned. “Wait...you have...open relationships on this craft?”

“Darlin’, when you’re floating in the loneliness of space, with only your fellow crewmen to talk to, not much stays hidden for long.”

Several audible sighs of relief could be heard from Celica’s crew, including her. “...good, then I see no reason to keep it from you. I’m dating Mae, Faye, and Silque.”

Camilla put a hand around Lyn’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “We’re together, with Hinoka, Florina, and Setsuna as well.”

Lucina squirmed and looked away. “I-...uh...Noire, Severa, and Kjelle…”

Mae grinned and jumped forward. “Yay! So far this is awesome. Better than back home, at least!”

“I’m a Nohrian who feels emotions and dares to show it, I clearly care that everyone is socially acceptable to those on their planets,” Camilla said with a dismissive gesture. “Now, let’s get you all settled in.”

“Hinoka! Severa! Florina! Show these crewmen to their quarters!” the captains called out.

“Yes ma’am!” the three deputies responded before herding the Valmese away.

---

Rhajat led Saber to the science lab, where Beruka spent her regular shifts. “Here she is.”

Beruka looked up, twitched, and snapped to a salute. “Hello, Deputy Saber. This unit greets your unwelcome arrival.”

“So...you’re the reformed borg, huh?” Saber walked up and circled around her. “Ya sure don’t sound like it. Or look it, for that matter. Ya just look like a Borg with a chrom job.”

“This unit does not understand what you are implying. This unit cannot replace my essential parts without quick and painful death.”

Saber stood in front of Beruka, looking down at her. “So...you helped this ship evade the borg cube that was recently found in this sector?”

“Yes.”

“Did you tell them where the station was to send them away?”

“They did not ask. And all communications had to be disabled to stay safe. I assume by the time we managed to send a transmission, the Borg intercepted it, or it just got there too late.”

Saber stood down and crossed his arms. “...that’s acceptable...have a good day…”

“You too, Deputy,” Beruka said, with a very forced and unnatural looking smile.

“...how about...not trying that...” Rhajat said.

“Okay…”

---

“Well this is a lot better than the station!” Mae said happily as she donned her uniform in the morning, her antennae wiggling happily.

“I hope they have a kitchen I can work in,” Faye said. “Wonder if anyone will like my cinnamon rolls...”

“I’ll punch anyone who hates it,” Mae said, punching the air.

“And I won’t heal them,” Silque said with a light giggle.

“Now now girls, don’t antagonize our crew members,” Celica said as she slipped into the room. She noticed there was one large bed. “Huh...they’re really used to people being in a relationship, aren’t they?”

“Probably,” Silque said.

Mae smiled and hugged Celica. “I missed you. This ship is too big...I couldn’t see you…”

Celica sighed and petted Mae’s head. “I know, I know dear. I told you...the walls are going to mess with your signal. But don’t worry, based on what Lucina did last night, I can come in here a sleep with you three.”

“Ooo, who’s Lucina with?” Mae asked. “Sorry, I get like...super into all this kinda gossip.”

“Believe me, I know Mae.” Celica paused, trying to remember. “Her deputy...along with her communications officer and one of her security officers.”

“Oh cool.” Mae shrugged. “Guess I’ll get to know them.”

“I hope they’ll be okay with the fact that I let my cats loose in the ship,” Celica mused.

“Did you tell the-”

“WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE SO MANY CATS?!?” they suddenly heard Camilla shout. “THEIR FUR IS EVERYWHERE!!!”

“SORRY!” Celica shouted.

Celica sighed and shrugged. “They’ll...be fine…” she muttered. “Now, I want to make some rules for you three. First off, no messing with Mae on duty, this is more serious post. Understand?” Faye and Silque nodded. “Okay, good. Now Mae, no smoking on duty. But, if...you can’t find one of us to help you during your off duty times…” Celica hesitated, nervous to give Mae the okay to smoke during off hours.

“...they have a bar, i’m sure there’s somewhere she’ll be able to smoke,” Faye said.

“I know...I’m just nervous about telling Mae she can smoke whenever she’s off duty...which...I know is how she will take this…”

“Well I think that’s all the confirmation I need,” Mae said with a grin. “They have a bar too? Gods, this ship is loaded.”

Celica frowned and put a hand on Mae’s shoulder. “Mae...please...don’t hurt yourself.”

Mae’s smile vanished with a sigh. “...I know...just...”

“I know your power is a curse as well as a blessing. I just…” Celica pulled Mae into a hug. “I don’t want you hurting yourself…”

The other two joined her in the hug, and Mae sighed again. “...thanks, guys...hey, maybe the weapons tech thing will occupy me enough..?”

Celica nodded and smiled. “Yeah...hopefully.” She pulled away and stretched. “Now...I have to spend time with Saber to get used to the ship. You three have fun.”

---

Maria walked up to the science lab and knocked on the door. She had been called up here to consult on something the new science officer had devised. She wasn’t completely sure why a science officer would request the presence of a medic, and a junior officer at that, but orders were orders.

The door slid open. “C’mon in!” Delthea said.

She was leaning over a workbench, adjusting something on...well, Maria didn’t exactly know what to call it. It looked like someone took apart two shotguns and a medical extractor and haphazardly assembled the pieces.

“What’s that?” Maria asked, puzzled.

“Oh, it’s uh...it’s like...it’s a multi-chambered tranquilizer gun!” Delthea responded. “Perfect for administering multiple medications at once from a long range or delivering a ludicrously potent dose of anything you choose to inject. I just...ah... need you to observe it and...stuff...”

Maria nodded. “Okay...don’t see why you need my opinion...”

Delthea nodded and aimed the gun at a target on the other side of the room. She pulled a lever and cocked the gun. “Here goes...”

She fired the gun. Three syringes hit the target perfectly...but one missed, bounced, ricocheted off a wall..and hit Delthea in the leg.

“Oh no...aim needs work...” she said. “...I feel kinda dizzy...”

“Did you load that with actual tranquilizers??” Maria asked panickedly.

“...yep...probably a bad idea...” Delthea responded sluggishly. “...sorry...screwed up...”

Delthea passed out. Maria wasn’t sure whether to be more concerned or frustrated...but what she knew is to take Delthea to the medbay, immediately. She pulled out her comm. “Hey, um...Dwayne?”

“It’s Dwyer.

“Right. Uh...prep for medbay, science officer Delthea accidentally shot herself in the leg with uh...” Maria pulled out the syringe. “...a full dose of military-grade tranquilizer, enough to bring down an adult rollenratl.”

“HA! Wait, you’re serious?” Dwyer chuckled through the comm. “Shit, she’s fitting in with this crew already...alright, I’ll prep for it. Stomach pump necessary or just the regular accommodations?”

“Uh...regular prep.” Maria put away the comm and sighed, attempting to shoulder the other short woman...to little effect. “...guess I’m gonna have to drag her...”

---

“Ugh....” Delthea blinked and looked around. She was in the medbay, and Maria was looking over her. Great. She had fucked up...maybe she could salvage this with a smooth line. “H-hey, doc...am...am I in heaven? Cause you’re an angel...”

“No, thank the gods you’re not dead,” Maria said, frowning. “Why did you load that with actual tranquilizers? You nearly overdosed! And....and...” She processed what Delthea had said...and blushed. “...and did you just hit on me?”

“Yeah...wait.” Delthea frowned. “Don’t you recognize me?”

“...wait...” Maria frowned and furrowed her brow...and then her eyes lit up. “Delly? From high school?”

“Yeah…” Delthea muttered. “It’s good to see you again...Mary…”

---

Delthea and Maria were in Maria’s quarters, sitting on her bed. Both of them were thinking of holding out a hand but were afraid that they’d just be left hanging.

“...so...” Maria began, “Uh...what’s new with you?”

“Well, a lot of accidents for one,” Delthea said, pointing to her metal eye, hand, and leg. “Though I chopped off the hand on purpose...otherwise I uh...went to engineering college, dropped out, and then got an honorary degree thanks to a few advancements in concealed weapons tech I sold to the military and a flip-out first aid arm. Got invited to join this project, decided it’d be a cool way to pick up more experience...and then sat around on that space station for six goddamn months waiting for Valm to stop screwing around and finish the fuckin prep. What about you?”

“Well...I finished college, then I went to med school, and I just got my degree and ended up here.” Maria shrugged.

“Ah. Always the valedictorian, eh Mary?” Delthea said.

“And you would have dropped out of high school if I wasn’t there to tutor you,” Maria retorted.

“Yeah...true...” Delthea sighed. “I miss those days...well, I don’t miss being covered in acne and having teachers yell at me all the time, but I miss...” She sighed and flopped back on the bed. “I miss you...and I miss us, and I miss those days when we would just hang around your house and watch tv and study, and I miss going back to my house and talking to Luth about everything and I miss writing you love letters and...yeah.”

Maria paused. “...maybe we could...maybe we could do that again. Make some new memories.”

Delthea sat up. “You mean it, Mari?”

Maria chuckled. “Yeah, Delly. I mean it.” She leaned down and hugged Delthea, giving her a smooch.

Delthea blushed. “...good...maybe now we can finally be happy.”

---

Hinoka sat in the gym, relaxing from a workout session. She looked around the empty room and unwrapped her bindings, her small brown wings fluttering as they were freed…..and then the door opened.

“...well fuck me…”

“Hi deputy!” Est announced. “Wait, are we interrupting someth- oh my gods your wings are tiny.”

“Let’s...not make fun of the deputy...” Palla said reproachfully. “Though...I confess, we all mistook you for human at first.”

“That is...kinda the point…” Hinoka muttered, her wings pressing close to her back...they don’t even look big enough to carry her.

“Can you fly with those?” Clair asked. Gods, it was more than just the whitewings who showed up...

“Why would you want to pretend to be human?” Catria asked quizzically. “I am what I am and you are what you are.”

Hinoka sighed and closed her eyes. “To answer your question...I’ll answer the first. No, I can’t fly…”

“Ah. That’s kinda sad...” Est said.

Hinoka squirmed and buried her face in her arms. “......yeah yeah...whatever…”

“...crap did I offend you?” Est asked. “Sorry, sorry!”

“....I don’t want your pity...leave me alone, fullwings…”

“Ok. Sorry,” Est said, backing up, Palla joining her.

Catria, however, continued to stare quizzically. “Why pretend to be human?

Hinoka looked up, her wings bristling a little. “...I thought I answered that…”

“...no...” Catria shook her head. “No you really didn’t...is it something to do with your parents?”

“...I...can’t fly…” Hinoka muttered. “I’m...I’m a...shame to...to my species…” Hinoka’s wings drooped and she sighed. “...I’m too small…”

“...ah.” Catria shrugged. “Never really got the whole ‘shame’ thing...sorry you feel that way, though. Flying isn’t everything though. It’s...well, okay, it is necessary to navigate our cities and stuff but it’s not really a mark on character...”

“It’s a pretty big body image thing too, sis,” Est reminded her.

“Indeed. Wings should at least be able to hold someone up,” Clair said with a shrug. “Anything else is useless and unappealing.”

“Thanks, that helps her a lot,” Palla said sarcastically.

Clair gasped and shook her head. “No no no, I didn’t mean anything by it I mean-...I-...” She looked at the whitewings, pleading for a little help.

Catria sighed. “What my girlfriend meant is that that’s how society generally views wings. Nonfunctional wings aren’t glamorous and aren’t exactly demeaned but aren’t appreciated or celebrated. There’s also a tad of envy in there cause those with smaller wings have an easier time sleeping, driving, and generally being in human society...It’s complicated and stuff.” She paused. “...huh I kinda explained it to myself there...dunno why I didn’t think of it like that before.”

Hinoka sighed and shrugged. “...I guess…” She stood and grabbed her bandages. “Well, I...shouldn’t linger around here…”

“Apologies for interrupting your workout, Deputy,” Clair said formally.

Hinoka just nodded, and pressed her wings close to her body and trying to bind them, and her chest again.

Clair suddenly blushed and turned around. “A-are you usually so indecent while you train?”

Hinoka chuckled and shrugged. “Depends...”

Palla raised an eyebrow. “Camilla’s lack of shame is spreading, it seems.”

“I date her...so…” Hinoka trailed off as she secured the bandages.”

“I’m aware...my girlfriend has told me...less than savory things about her.”

Hinoka frowned and crossed her arms. “Really? What as she told you?”

“Broken most social rules of her species, almost from the get-go. Also very abrasive.” Palla paused. “...I mean...those rules are somewhat strange but still. I respect her culture and she should probably respect her own.”

Est rolled her eyes.

Hinoka snorted and closed her eyes. “Do you actually know about her culture? Her culture says emotions are bad! How do you respect that?!?”

“By keeping my mouth shut and not offending the woman I love,” Palla said. “How would you feel if someone walked up to you and started making fun of Hoshidian culture?”

Hinoka stepped forward. “Even if that means she has to be half a person because humans are assholes? There’s a difference in antiquated traditions and not fucking feelings anything! I’ve met your girlfriend, and she’s a bit of bitch.”

Palla walked up to her and flared her wings out, glaring down at her. “Say that again.”

The other two whitewings rushed forward. “Palla, no!” Est said

“Your girlfriend, the great Admiral Minerva, is a bit of a bitch,” Hinoka repeated, not backing down from Palla. “She traipsed on this ship and dragged Camilla around like it was some kind of damn honor to be in her presence, told her what she felt, who she is, is inappropriate like she stripped naked and danced through the damn corridors!”

Palla seethed with rage...and then turned and punched a wall. “...you’re lucky I’m lowkey terrified of you...ow. I think I just broke my hand...”

“I’m standing by what I said,” Hinoka said. “Fight me if you want.”

“You’re the deputy. No matter how much you make my blood boil, I wouldnt dare hurt you.”

“At least I stand up for the women I love...I punched a general to get here,” Hinoka said with a shrug.

“You’re a princess, you can get away with those kinds of things,” Palla said with a handwave.”

“Or maybe you’re just too big of a wimp to actually stand for anything.”

“Stop trying to fight everyone,” Camilla called from the door.

“Yes, Captain,” Palla said. Her wings drooped. “My apologies, deputy. And I apologize for demeaning you. And for the actions of my girlfriend, if those offended you as well.”

Camilla dismissed Palla’s apologizes with a hand wave and walked forward to face Hinoka. “Hinoka,” she said darkly.

Hinoka crossed her arms. “No.”

Camilla’s expression didn’t change, but her scales shifted towards a darker shade. She grabbed Hinoka by the neck and dragged her in front of Palla, forcing her into a bowing position. “Say it.”

“Kinky,” Catria said in an aside to Clair.

Hinoka squirmed, then sighed. “Alright...I apologize for insulting your girlfriend, Admiral Minerva, and yourself. Please forgive me.”

There was a heavy pause, Palla looked shocked. Then she nodded and said, “...I forgive you.” Then she looked up at Camilla. “...what are you doing here? I am at fault. And...again, I’m sorry for my comments about your modesty.”

Camilla shook her head. “No no, you’re fine,” she said with a gentle smile as she released her deputy. Hinoka stumbled backward and rubbed the back of her neck. “I apologize for the actions of my deputy, she should know better.”

Hinoka shied away as Camilla leaned down towards her, nodding a little.

“...In all fairness, I provoked her, kinda?” Est said. “I pointed out her wings, and that got this whole awkward situation started.”

“Isn’t what you just did a conduct violation?” Clair said.

Camilla just shrugged. “My ship, I do what I want. If that means my higher officers respecting the crew, then I’ll do so whatever way I like.”

Hinoka chuckled and shrugged. “She’s...yeah...that…”

“...I’m just going to say I’m glad I don’t work your shift and leave it at that,” Catria said. “Y’know...fragile bones...actually I’m surprised you didn’t shatter Hinoka’s neck, are her bones stronger than ours?”

“Yes,” Hinoka spoke up. “Not as strong as humans or...Nohrians...but stronger than fullwings…”

“Huh. Interesting.” Palla said.

Camilla shrugged. “I’m used to doing it?” She paused and looked away. “...oh shit that makes me sound abusive…”

“She’s just a physical person, she doesn’t mean any harm.”

Palla nodded. “I see. Minerva is too...Gentle but forceful I guess?”

Hinoka shrugged. “I guess that’s just how Nohrians are…?”

“Probably. We should ask Felicia about that...”

“Yeah maybe.” Hinoka paused. “Minerva ever...uh...broken your wrist by accident during…” Hinoka trailed off. “Or is mine just an ass…?”

“...no but she shattered my foot trying to dance once...the first few times Minerva was extremely stiff though. Not..in that way, more trying a bit too hard to be careful.”

Hinoka flinched and shook her head. “Ow...that’s gonna hurt. Camilla does when she...gets ahead of herself. But every time after it she gets the same way.”

Hinoka put a hand on Palla’s shoulders, gesturing for her to follow to the med bay to look at her hand...and continue talking about the experience of dating a Nohrian.

“...did we just witness an enemies-to-friends turn in less than five minutes?” Clair asked to nobody in particular.

“I think we did…” Camilla muttered. “...fliers are weird…”

“Everyone’s weird,” Est said with a shrug.

Everyone just nodded.

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

Write A Thon Day 3 (Lit Day) Eliza Schuyler x Maria Reynolds Words: 1760

Hey, would y’all believe me if i told you i was stressed out of my mind? Cause let me tell you, I am stressed out of my mind.

i’m not sure if all the other write a thon fics will be posted on time but i will try my hardest. i had finished all of tomorrow’s one but it turned out that half of it deleted when my computer did an update, which was fun.

but moving on, my lit day fic is based on the books / movie the sisterhood of the travelling pants which is super cute so go check it out if you haven’t already!

requests are open and i send you my love xx

Masterlist

~

Eliza had never believed in fate. Sure, she had heard of people finding their soulmates and calling it an act of fate, but she had never quite believed it to be real.

The three girls had always stuck together. When Peggy got her first period, Angelica was standing right outside the toilet door with a heat pack and pads. When Eliza had her first date, Peggy did her makeup and made her look like a princess. And when Angelica had her heart broken for the first time, the three sisters stayed together and cuddled like there was no tomorrow.

When summer rolled around, Eliza knew that after many years of never leaving each  other’s sides, the sisters would have to part ways. Angelica was off to London to study for the winter holidays. Peggy was spending the summer at her friend’s beach house in Florida. Eliza had decided staying home in the summer was the best option for her. Someone had to take care of the house, so Eliza nominated herself.

A few days before the sisters were set to part, Eliza realised that her sisters weren’t prepared for the trips ahead of them. She was shocked when she went through their cases and found next to nothing. So Eliza decided the best thing to do was have one last shopping trip together.

“I still don’t understand why this was necessary. I have plenty of underwear, I don’t need more just because I’m leaving the country,” Angelica stated, swinging Eliza and Peggy’s hands as they walked down the sunny streets of New York.

“I know… but you didn’t do a very good job at giving the underwear to your suitcase. It might get hungry without them, so you’ll need more,” Eliza stated. Peggy raised her eyebrow.

“Damn. You’ve gone insane,” She replied, giggling quietly. She squealed when she saw a vintage store on the corner of the street, dropping Angelica’s hand and running towards it. “C’mon! We have to go in!”

“I don’t think that’s the best place to buy underwear. Aren’t vintage stores full of old stuff?” Angelica said, raising her eyebrow.

“Sometimes. Sometimes they’re new, but with vintage styles. It’s pretty cute,” Eliza said, looking at the store. “I agree with Peggy. We’re going in.” She pulled Angelica into the store, following Peggy to a rack of jeans.

“Look how cute these are! I’m gonna try them, you gotta come check them out okay?” Peggy exclaimed excitedly, bolting towards the change room.

Angelica laughed. “I don’t understand how she’s so energetic. She hasn’t even consumed any coffee this morning.”

“Well, neither have we but we don’t seem to be falling asleep while standing up,” Eliza replied, rolling her eyes and smiling when Peggy opened the curtain to the change room. She stepped out, doing a twirl with a big smile on her face.

“They’re wonderful! And so comfy. You should try them Liza,” Peggy said, stripping off the jeans and passing them to her.

“We’re nowhere near the same size Pegs. But just for your sake, I’ll try them,” Eliza said, taking off her skirt and pulling on the pants. Shockingly, they fit like a glove. Eliza looked herself up and down in the mirror, a smile spreading from cheek to cheek.

“Well, I guess it’s my turn in that case. Pass them,” Angelica replied, holding out her hands. Eliza whined, taking off the pants and shoving them into Angelica’s hands.

“It’s got to be some kind of miracle if they fit me as well,” Angelica stated, taking off her shorts and pulling the jeans on. Her eyes widened. “Well… what do you know?”

“This is insane. We’re cancelling the rest of our shopping trip and just buying these,” Peggy stated, smiling as she emerged from the change room.

“But how do we decide who takes them? I mean, we’re all going separate ways. We can’t exactly borrow them from each other’s closets,” Eliza said, huffing.

“Well, we’ll mail them to each other! I’ll go first, then Peggy, then you Liza! It’ll be fun!” Angelica said, taking the pants off and putting her shorts back on.

“And with the magical pants, we’ll send letters of what happened while we’re apart. Sound good?” Peggy asked, turning to Eliza who was biting her lip. “Liza?”

“Well, I don’t believe there can be such a thing as magical pants, but the letter thing sounds fun. Let’s do it.”

-

It was two weeks before the jeans returned home to New York and to Eliza’s arms. Everything had been ordinary until the pants were clinging to her legs. She had been attending school as usual, and taking care of the plants in their apartment.

As Eliza stepped onto the streets of New York, she felt a confidence overtake her. She felt her sister’s presence in the pants, and that made her smile more than any cat video ever could.

That was until a rude girl in red decided to spill her boiling hot coffee all over the pants.

Eliza yelped as the brown liquid hit her thighs. She looked down at them and then up at the girl in front of her, frowning. “What the hell?” She exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“Oh my gosh! I apologise. I c-certainly didn’t mean for anything like this to occur. I promise that next time, I’ll be m-more careful! I’m just so clumsy this morning, i-it was an accident,” The girl rambled, a pink blush spreading over her cheeks.

“No need. Just… ugh. Now I’m going to be late for class,” Eliza mumbled, fumbling through her bag and pulling out a napkin. She dabbed the napkin over her the wet patches, a frown etched on her face.

“I am seriously so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I swear. Could I take you out for a… a cup of coffee? I mean… I need to get another one, and it’s the… the least I could do after all of this….”

Eliza glared, shaking her head. “Keep your filthy money. I have other priorities,” She muttered, turning and heading back towards her apartment.

- She bumped into the girl five other times that week, and each were in the same situation. By now, the jeans had taken all they could. Brown stains covered the majority of them, and Eliza didn’t even bother washing them. She knew by the time she left the house again, they would be close to ruined again.

Finally, Eliza had had enough. When she saw the girl walking down the street, she stormed up to her and took the coffee before it could be spilled all over her. “What is wrong with you? Can’t you just hold onto your cup tightly or something just for one day?”

“I know i’m a terrible person, but if you let me buy you a cup of coffee I’ll…”

“If I let you take me out, will you leave me alone?”

The coffee girl went silent, nodding slowly. “I will leave you alone. I promise,” She said, holding out her hand for a handshake. Eliza rolled her eyes, shoving the cup into her hand before sighing.

“Where’s your coffee shop of choice?” Eliza asked, adjusting the strap of her handbag so it sat on her shoulder better.

“I hate to be typical, but Starbucks. It’s cheap and the frappucinos are delcious. I’m Maria, by the way,” She said, smiling and walking towards the Starbucks.

After the two had settled in the booth with their drinks, Maria broke the silence.

“I saw you walking into your apartment building a few weeks ago while I was working on a photography project, and it was one of those moments in which everything just fell into place. You took my breath away. And while I did not know your name, I knew your face and that was enough for me,” Maria said, fiddling with the many rings on her fingers anxiously.

“So you then decided the best way to start a conversation would be to ruin every single piece of clothing I own?” Eliza replied, frowning slightly.

Maria’s eyes widened.  “No! Of course not. It just kinda… happened. I never planned to spill the coffee on you that first time, I was just distracted that day because i had a lot on my mind… but then I ended up continuing to do it. And I knew it was terrible. I knew I should’ve explained myself that very first time, but in your presence I kind of froze,” she said, sighing softly. “You’re one of the first people that intimidated me honestly. But having even a moment in my day in your presence made me feel better.”

Eliza bit her lip, looking down at the cup of coffee that her hands were wrapped around. “I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself. My name’s Eliza and I’d love to meet you for coffee tomorrow morning… if it was okay with you.”

A wide smile spread across Maria’s face. “Of course.”

-

When the jeans arrived in London later that week, Angelica sat down with a cup of tea and began to read the letter from Eliza, the last wearer of the jeans. The oldest Schuyler was at first confused by the multiple brown stains over the light blue denim, but she hoped the letter would explain it all.

She ran her fingers over Eliza’s curly hand writing, a soft smile appearing on her face.

My dearest sister, Angelica.

I have never been the type to believe in mystical things like fate, but this week has changed my mind. These jeans are something incredible, Angie. They have lead me to the love of my life.

Of course, there was some miscommunication at first that involved the spilling of coffee and possibly the wreckage of the jeans, but now we spend most of our time together. Our apartment no longer feels as empty now that she’s in my life. Maria Reynolds makes me smile more than any man could. I cannot wait for you to meet her. I’m sure you two will get along like a house on fire.

I hope your London trip is going well, and I hope the jeans bring you as much love and goodness as they did for me.

Sincerely, Eliza.

Angelica placed the letter down on the table, running her hands over the coffee stained jeans. She sighed happily, placing them next to the letter. Angelica knew that for once, she would be able to sleep well. Her sisters were safe and happy. What more could she ask for?

87

What’s your favourite flavour of jam? I hate jam. I never want to see it anywhere near my bread, nor my desserts. And what’s your name? Hello, I’m Robyn :-) Are you a fast runner? I used to be fast enough that I made it to our track team, but I haven’t run a lot in quite some time so I don’t know about now. I got a bit sluggish over the past few years I think. At school was is/was the main reason you get/got in trouble? I never made my parents sign the circulars being given, nor did I take deadlines seriously. I found grade/high school dumb even then so I never really put in my 100% because it would be irrelevant in college. I was right. Are you an independent person? No. I’m terribly scared; I need opinions; I always need somebody by my side.

Is there any singer’s voice you cannot bear to listen to? Meghan Trainor, Alessia Cara.. When was the last time you were on a bouncy castle? Years ago. Definitely more than ten years back by now. Have you ever went on a bouncy castle whilst drunk? No but now you’ve given me an idea. Have you ever entered an art competition? If I wanted to embarrass myself I’d join one. No I haven’t - I didn’t quite get the gift of being creative. Are you competitive in nature? Yeah, very. I take everything as a competition and tend to beat myself up when I see myself being ‘second’ to somebody. Would you ever pierce yourself? No thanks. What is something people automatically assume about you? That I’m reserved and can sometimes have a little attitude, which is not at all false. What you see is what you get with me, I guess.

Do you make your views heard or do you hide in the background? I make them heard. I can be a bit of a punk when it comes to my opinions, which is probably a bad thing. But I have a big mouth that would be insane if I silenced it. Do you have many friends from foreign countries? I mean, when I was in the wrestling community on Tumblr and Twitter, yeah. I had tons of friends from North America, South America, Europe...my interest kind of waned after a bit though and so did my relationships with them. What is one thing you will never do? Own a pet cat. My sister recently got one, so this can be already technically false, but she solely takes care of her and I only very rarely interact with the cat. I’d never have one of my own. Are there any commercials that make you sad?  All the Asian ones about insurance companies get me LOL Do you require other peoples opinion’s a lot? Require as in force them out of them? Never. I’d ask what they think of something in a super open-minded way, but would never voluntarily get into debates. What is one food that you detest? Pineapple. Have you ever been pantsed in public? No. Unclipping bras became hugely popular in fifth grade though. It was stupid. Do you like stationary shopping (pens, etc)? No. Will you do my English essay for me? Depends on what it’s about, but sure. Do you ever leave things until the last minute then wish you did them sooner? Some tasks, I guess yeah. But I don’t feel like this about schoolwork; the later I do something the better the product, and I learned that through the years :/ Do you ever try to decipher the meanings of your dreams? No. But I’ve had more than a handful of dreams lately with the same theme of my girlfriend getting shot instead of me, and although I’m not losing sleep trying to find the meaning, it sure has had me puzzled for a while now. Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and then can't get back to sleep because your brain has gone into overdrive? Yes, but it isn’t about overdrive or anything like it. It’s just me. Do you live in a safe neighborhood? Yeah, very safe. Gated, lots of guards on watch, lots of streets so no one knows where you live, stuff like it. Have you ever watched the movie Braveheart? I haven’t. Did your parents dress you in humiliating clothes when you were little? Sometimes, yes. My mom used to make me wear a polo and a necktie and it made me hugely uncomfortable at the time. I still don’t know what made her do it. Is there any festivals your planning on going to this summer? The Hot Air Balloon Festival is coming up next February (not really summer but whatever) and my family plans on going again :) We went there seven years ago; I don’t know why we didn’t make it a yearly thing afterwards since it was so fun! Also how is 2010 seven years ago? Have you ever watched the Eurovision song contest? No. When I used to have online friends in Europe I used to dread when Eurovision season came up, because no one understood what they were talking about, and it happened FOR DAYS   When you have a cut do you ever feel the urge to poke it? Haha sure. Hooray for hurting myself. What is the last thing you did that shocked someone? Cut my hair till my neck. Shocked my siblings. Do you remember the original theme tune to Pokemon? Of course. I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST THAT NO ONE EVER WAAAAS DUN DUN DUNDUUUNNN Do you like that new book smell? It’s very pleasant, yes; but I don’t live for it like others. Are you good at giving directions? LMAO I’m really not. When someone asks me for a building around campus all I can say is “It’s on the other side.” I’m awful. What is the last thing that disappointed you? Last night. Events I anticipate that then turn out to be a bummer disappoint me more than anything. My BPD acted up and I was very hard to deal with as a result. How do you like your tea? No tea. Can you open your mouth very wide? Sure, I guess...it’s why I eat large ass cheeseburgers all the time. What was the reason for your last x-ray? I had a physical for UP. Funnily enough it was one of the few times I got X-rayed and they had to find out I had scoliosis. Do you ever say really inappropriate things at the wrong time? Yes. My mouth has a bad habit of doing this. What is the last piece of advice you received? As in any advice? Welp, I asked Gab for help regarding yearbook work, and she laid it all out for me. Have you ever read Murphy’s law? Yup, but I forgot where I heard it. Did you have a rebellious phase growing up? I did. I was a terrible teen. Some of my mindsets and habits have continued to this day, but I was much worse as a 13 year old. What religion were you brought up with? Roman Catholic. Are you still that religion? No. Do you have any plans for this week? Try to get my mind off of things, get back for my second sem, and hopefully have fun :) When is the last time you just wanted to give up everything? Last night. It was a bad case of dissociation, I didn’t feel like I was anywhere at the time, and I had to drive home all the way from Ortigas at midnight. Just awful in every sense of the word. Do you think your parents did a good job raising you? They did and gave me everything they can, I’m not going to deny this. But they somehow failed on giving me the care I needed. There is a difference. What is the most common name where you live? Maria. Do/Did you have a teacher at school who just despised your mere existence? Ugh, there were a handful of them. When Gab and I came back to the school fair a couple of weeks ago, we happened to pass by some of these teachers who allegedly despise me. So I told Gab about each and everyone of them and by the fourth time I said, “This teacher hated me too,” I realized how much of a pain in the ass I was to a lot of my teachers looooool Do you like to wear sunglasses? Not really. I don’t like my vision being dimmed, plus I’d have to wear them with actual eyeglasses because I’m virtually blind. Are you a selfless person? I can be, especially with people I love. Is there anyone mad at you these days? I think everyone is... Do you often find yourself questioning your future? Yes. What’s on your mind right now? Last night and how I can’t cope with it very well because I was horrible and I can’t stop beating myself up about it. Answering a survey or two really helps, though.

Femslash Exchange Letter!

A03 Name: LadyReisling

First of all, thank you SO MUCH for creating something for me. I know I’m going to love whatever you come up with! I truly appreciate  the time and effort you are going to put into this. PLEASE do not stress over it; I am really very easy to please and just looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I’ve jotted down some basic prompts here, follow them or don’t--the choice is yours!

Style Stuff:

Competency is absolutely my greatest kink. I also have a decent-sized hair kink and love hair-touching/stroking/brushing, etc, as well as any kind of safe touch. I like friendship in love, equal partnerships, ass-kicking females, friends to lovers, grudging respect that becomes not so grudging, fluff and cuteness, light angst (angst over the perfect gift, for example), caretaking, hairbrushing, cuddling and tender kissing, blanket/bed-sharing in a totally platonic way, all the non-sexual intimacy and tenderness, late-night talks, letters. Tenderly-described safe touch makes me squee. I don’t mind sex so long as it’s consensual between adults, well-written, driven by emotions, and true to character. My favorite AUs are coffee shop and library.

My A03 bookmarks are pretty heavy on MCU and Hamilton, my two latest obsessions. I love mission fic/casefic, adventures, unwinding/caretaking after a mission, hurt/comfort with emphasis on the comfort, celebrations, and all the happy things.

I adore setting detail and good descriptive writing. Fall is absolutely my favorite season--so perfect for walks, crisp air, toasted marshmallows, apple orchard trips, cider and donuts, colorful leaves that crunch underfoot, hay rides, cozy sweaters, knitting, lazy weekends, bonfires (or fires in fireplaces) new pens and notebooks, etc. I also love holidays and celebrations--all of them equally, so whatever feels natural to you and the characters is great. Cultural descriptions and events are fabulous, as well as setting, time period, and seasonal details. I’ve been blessed to grow up and live my entire life in a place with four distinct seasons, and as long as I’m not driving in them, I actually adore blizzards and being snowed in. If you happen to live in a place where you don’t have seasons, I’m sorry! But pull up some Google images and describe away and I’ll love it.

Dislikes:

D/s relationships, PWP, A/B/O dynamics (I don’t understand how these work), dark/dystopian or supernatural AUs, kidfic.

Hard Squicks:

Please no rape/non- or dub-con, rough sex, underage, graphic violence, suicide or self-harm, depression, or non-canonical character death. All of the above are major triggers for me. Also, in general, I feel like the world needs to come together and celebrate love and inclusion without judgment. In other words, please use this exchange to make the world a softer place for everyone.

Specific Fandoms and Prompts:

Code Name Verity - Maddie, Julie

This is one of my absolute favorite books ever. WWII is one of my favorite periods to study/read about, so play up the setting and the war and the clothes and makeup and all of those details. I would love to see the early days of the war, how they became best friends and maybe something more. Show me each of them knowing more about the other’s job than they strictly should--Maddie showing Julie how to navigate/fly or fix an engine, Julie teaching Maddie how to communicate in code. Did they write each other letters in a code known only to the two of them? Give me their stolen moments of friendship or dates in the middle of mayhem, nights at the pub, bike rides, perfecting cover stories, meeting each other’s families, days when Julie doesn’t have an assignment and Maddie is grounded because of weather or the need for repairs, sharing newspapers and iced buns and making jokes out of their fears. Show me the cuddling and comforting that goes on after missions/interrogations, saving up ration coupons for special treats, or using up the saved-up rations for something like comfort food. Give me a missing scene from that time that they don’t see each other, during which Julie’s brother Jamie gets hurt. Do they have an umbrella that they pass between the two of them as a token, a reminder of their first meeting? Was the whole meeting between Maddie and Jamie a setup on Julie’s part, so that Maddie could be taken care of/stay in Julie’s family if something happened to Julie? Was Maddie’s relationship with Jamie originally meant to be a front for her and Julie’s relationship, which then became something entirely different that grew out of their shared grief over Julie? How does a lesbian couple manage to date in the middle of a war, and particularly World War II? How much pining goes on before it comes to fruition?

MCU: Peggy, Angie, Dottie, Natasha, Maria

Agent Carter is absolutely my favorite of the MCU shows, and I was so sad when it was cancelled. See above about my WWII obsession. I love the dynamic of Peggy and Angie and would love to see them sneaking around the Griffith or enjoying Howard’s house. I think that Peggy capitalizes on Angie’s acting skills at some point for something minimally dangerous but mission related, perhaps even without telling Angie what was really going on until later. And speaking of such things, what is Angie’s reaction to her newfound knowledge that her BFF is a super-spy? How does she help Peggy keep in tune with civilian life and help her unwind after missions? I also love that Peggy and Dottie are basically two sides of the same coin. Would Dottie ever turn sides and act as a double agent for Peggy? Do they ever get to a point where, even if there’s not love, there’s a grudging or not so grudging respect for the other’s craft? Would a rehabbed Dottie give Peggy espionage advice?

I really feel like Peggy and Nat have a special connection--it works best with Nat’s comics background, but I love my mental images of Peggy handling Nat’s onboarding with SHIELD, helping her reconcile her past and find her way and not carry a ton of guilt, and carefully handing her over to Maria. I tend to OTEveryone in the MCU, so go wild with whatever characters you like in whatever way you want. I prefer espionage to action, and please, please don’t bash anyone--I ship Peggy with all the things, too: Peggy/Steve, as well as Peggy/Bucky/Steve.

West Wing: Abbey/C.J.

West Wing is a new fandom obsession for me, but these are my two favorite ladies in that show. I love how Abbey plays the matchmaker for, like, everyone, and I adore C.J. in every capacity. I’m still in the early seasons, but I feel like these two ladies have been looking out for each other for a very long time. Did C.J. help Abbey find her platform and her voice as First Lady? Help her pick out her inauguration dress? Does Abbey ever worry that C.J. works too hard and doesn’t have a social life or might settle for less than she deserves because of her job stress?

C.J. is such a strong caretaker and I feel like she probably had to fight her way up in the ranks to get any cred in a male-dominated profession, a male-dominated workplace. President Bartlet obviously has the utmost faith in her, but did he come to that on his own, or how was Abbey involved in that staffing choice? Were they girlfriends/gal pals in college until Abbey went to med school and C.J. went to J-school, and was working for Abbey’s husband just a cover for staying close? I love this show so much, so play with whatever background characters you like, too. (Do the assistants ever get on C.J. for being basically the only female senior staffer before Mandy came on board? How did she handle that, and how much help is Abbey?) Give me all the West Wing shenanigans, and I will be a happy, happy person.

Anne of Green Gables: Anne/Diana, Anne/Katherine

I truly love best friends in love, and there’s no better pair in fiction for that trope than Anne and Diana. I love how Anne encourages Diana to let her imagination fly and Diana keeps Anne as grounded as possible. What would it have been like for them if Diana had gone on to college with Anne? Would she have left early to get married, or planned to do so and then decided not to because of Anne? I like that Diana encourages Anne in her writing--what passion does Anne encourage Diana to follow?

For Anne/Katherine: Was Katherine just playing hard to get all that time? Did she shy away from Anne because she was head over heels in love and didn’t think that Anne would ever want her? I love that Anne wore Katherine down--show me that period from Katherine’s perspective! But was there ever a dark night for Anne when she almost gave up on Katherine? I love the setting of Green Gables and PEI and Charlottetown, so countryside rambles and social outings and other fun would be very much appreciated.

Again, thank you so much for your time and creativity! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!