this man is about to either be the sweetest wingman or the vilest softspoken rat bastard to ever walk the earth and i have no basis upon which to make this claim but i KNOW

spent a month mashing two of my long term hyperfixations together into an AU, bone apple teeth

I wouldn't consider this a crossover as much as an inspired AU because autism brain drew parallels between the two narratives and I think it would be fun to explore the earlier years of the apocalypse, before the world is absolutely decimated (alongside many of the resources), before the fam loses Donnie and Raph, et cetera. I have Plans™

Paying homage to this iconic panel from The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem:

Still finalizing each of the bro's code names, but here are the initial drafts and close-ups of their designs:

Riff-Raph

Donamite

Antimatter Master-Plan

Magic Mic

What I think I know about Quantum Mechanics in relation to Quantum Computing.

This will mainly be going off the top of my head because this is my current hyper fixation. I find it endlessly fascinating and seeing how you can break the veil of abstract and real and where you can in some instances literally see the effects. So what the shit does this have to do with computers. Classical computers use bits to do literally any function within any computer. It is a binary system 0 and 1 . On or Off. Once you get the hang of it you can write entire sentences in just binary, then convert that string into hexa-decimal binary to send a coded message that says "Poopy fart shit". Put that hexadecimal code into a .txt file and transfer it onto a floppy disk and hide in under the sys admins coffee mug, coaster style. Well Quantum Computers use a qubit. I am going to butcher whatever the fuck goes on with these so here is a definition from the internet. They are used to measure probability and calculate that within the infinity that lies between 0 and 1. "In quantum computing, a qubit (/ˈkjuːbɪt/) or quantum bit is a BASIC unit of quantum information—the quantum version of the classic binary bit physically realized with a two-state device. A qubit is a two-state (or two-level) quantum-mechanical system, one of the SIMPLIST quantum systems displaying the peculiarity of quantum mechanics."

Okay, my brain already hurts so fuck you I am done reading. Valid. You don't have to ingest or comprehend any of this long term. I just need to put it down somewhere. So for those along for the ride, lets a go! Okay to understand any of this we start with a classical bit. 0 or 1 . On or Off. When the logic of a program, for example Super Mario Bros. Within the games code there are variables or states a games code can be in. While the game is in various states like the Pause menu or the Start menu or the actual game. The NES and the game cartridge are running all of there pre-determined moves, music, and animation. There is one crucial understanding to all of this. While any computer is running it is WAITING for a binary input to interact with it. Computers WAIT for input both in classical and quantum. Each keystroke is sending one cycle 0 -> 1 then compounds and is translated by every component between the physical key switches and the html I am writing this on. This is all to state very abstractly that Classical Computing isn't simple, but it requires a circuit like understanding. If we are gonna talk quantum shit we gotta get some things cleared up. I am not an expert. Please prove me wrong if I say something incorrect. I am learning and trying to grasp these ideas. I appreciate you. Quantum Mechanics Time: No scary equations here, yet... However I want to clear up the stigma of the spooky math symbols. Everything has a definition and a rule set. What makes something quantum? A "something" is quantum if it can exist in what is called a superposition. That means being able to exist in two arbitrary positions in space at once, but only if it hasn't been measured. Once measured a quantum system or wave function collapses to a single point or in the case of a qubit state 0 or state 1. Woah I thought you said qubits are different I see a 0 AND a 1. Keen eye there sport! Keeping you on your toes. You see the magic happens behind the curtain. NOBODY SEE'S THE WIZARD you see? Before the wave function is collapsed/Qubit Measured the qubit did some funny business inside of the quantum computer. We gotta start from the very beginning so bear with me. Just like classical computers quantum computers wait for inputs to change states on the bit or qubit. So what causes the qubit to do the magic? Entanglement. When two qubits become entangled. No matter how far physically they are from each other. If you collapse the wave function of one the other immediately collapses as well. Not at the speed of light. INSTANTLY! This is done algebraically. You marry the two wave functions with math so if you change or measure one the change in immediate in the other. How does this work exactly? When you entangle 2 qubits you create a new wave function. This is due to the no-cloning rule of wave-functions. No wave functions can exist more than once. This is why we use complex numbers, you need the infinite obscurity as leverage. Once you can mathematically prove 1 measurement equals 2 queries. That means 2 is 4 and 3 is 9 and 4 is 16. Exponential. Next time on Quantum Computing. Bra-Ket Notation, and Matrix shenanigans.

Because I'm sure this is going to be inevitable, how about some angst for the Chaos Trio (Mei, Jin and Yin)? With 61 and 52

Oh I have been looking forward to Chaos Trio angst since you sent me this, anon. Despite how they act in show... I think Jin and Yin are not exactly harmless. Especially if you mess with people they start to consider family.

The Cursed AU and the Chaos Trio in it come from @winterpower98!

Warning: blood and head injuries, enemy demons limbs (not detailed).

That is not a good hiding spot./I am a really bad actor.

Things had been going pretty well, all things considered. Jin and Yin had no problem getting Mei to join them in a little bit of... let's say "competitive insurance" as it were. They had to make sure they were secured in their own little tech related ventures, and after some financial setbacks they needed extra fallback. They’d planned the whole thing out with her help, more than 2 steps and everything! She was good at that.

The problem was that someone got a lucky hit.

They would have made it out with no problems, if they all hadn't decided going on Mei's motorcycle as a group (which, now that Yin thought about it, was probably incredibly dangerous and illegal with 3 of them on it... not that they cared about legality for themselves but somehow when it came to Mei that suddenly made them concerned). But nope. 1 bike. 3 people.

One lucky shot to the rear tire.

The three of them went flying, Mei landing very impressively on her feet whole Jin and Yin bounced on a bush and thanked anyone listening that demons were sturdier than humans. They didn't thank anyone for the pieces of bike that came flying at them all, and they were certain that they heard a piece make contact with something hard, maybe the nearby light pole, but couldn't be sure.

By the time they looked up they just knew they had a group of very angry demons that were pissed they stole and then wiped their code for... something, didn't matter to the twins what it was. They just wanted their competition out of the way. For solely selfish reasons. Nothing else. Not like they wanted it to see what it was and maybe figure out a counter attack so that certain overpowered people with monkey motifs would have an easier time in the future.

Not a chance.

As they fought off the attacking demons they insisted to themselves they didn't care that much.

"That is not a good hiding spot!" Jin yelled across the battlefield as Yin ducked behind crates. "Just chuck it for now and beat em with the blunt end of something else!"

"Just give me 2 seconds, I can fix it!" Yin yelled back, trying his best to reassemble a part of his sword hilt that had broken off.

"Come on, these guys ain't so tough!" Mei laughed out, easily dodging projectiles and backsliding and slicing and dicing as she went. No one was actually killed, but they were lucky because the only reason for that was the young woman wasn't exactly out for blood. They'd be feeling every single hit well into morning though! She was doing much better than the two of them. "Grab a pipe or something! Wish I had MK's magic building power though, I'd rather not be here all-YIN!"

The younger twin looked up from where he had been crouched, eyes widening as he saw the form of a much larger demon hulking over him and ready to batter him with a club.

Things had been going well. All things considered. Then someone got a second lucky hit.

Right as Mei dove in to push the younger silver twin out of the way.

For a second the fighting stopped. There was just the sound of wood hitting hard plastic and fiberglass as the club was sliced in half by her sword and the lopped off half continued it's trajectory and slammed into Mei's head to lead to her crumbling on top of Yin. Jin stood on too of a pile of crates, watching as a line of red seeped through a crack in her visor and stained the white of her suit.

And then his entire vision was red as he lunged at the demon and sliced, sending his arm flying in the opposite direction.

The demon screamed, holding the stump that was his arm from the elbow down, backing away as quickly as he could. "W-what the hell!?"

"Mei," Yin said softly, carefully clicking the emergency release button to make her helmet digitize away. Her eyes were closed, blood dripping from a slice running along her scalp... but as far as he could tell it was from part of the helmet being cracked and cutting her. She was most likely knocked out from the impact, breathing odd but steady in her unconscious state. "You... we're going to get you to the hospital."

His tone hardened as he carefully laid her on the ground, standing tall as he grabbed his broken weapon and a nearby piece of broken steel.

"You. Are going. To pay for that," Yin said coldly, stance no longer lose and half playful as it had been the whole battle. His stood tall, eyes wide and cold and the demons surrounding them felt a chill run down their spines.

Jin stood in front of him, blood from the other demon splattered across his face and chest in a stark contrast to his orange visage.

This... this wasn't the pair of Gold and Silver Demons they had heard about before. They were known for not taking almost anything seriously, making bad deals and pacts and weird blood oaths they wasted on bizarre favors. They were known for being good at tach but not much else, most demons in the area knew vaguely of their history with the Monkey King but even that ended in failure. Their plans were half baked, goofy, and lately they'd heard they'd gotten roped in with the Monkey King's successor and renewed flame of the Six-Eared Macaque.

The two standing before them did not look like the demons they'd heard about.

Mei hadn't wanted to seriously hurt anyone. The demons heard her yelling as much on the battlefield. But now Mei was hurt.

And the twins did.

It happened fast. They wanted to get it over with quickly. Mei had also not wanted to kill anyone at the very least the twins could do was keep up their promise from earlier in the day to avoid that. And they did.

That didn't mean there weren't lost limbs. Hands and arms. A leg or two. More than a couple eyes were lost. Someone lost an ear. Another a tail and horn.

Injuries they could recover from meant as warnings.

All it took was 3 minutes and the entire storage area they crashed in was a mix of grey and brown and red. Demons holding their injuries or running off.

The one who had attacked Yin and hurt Mei stood in awe and fear, looking down at the smaller twins who has decimated an entire group so fast.

"I-how!?" He yelled, backing up slowly. "This isn't possible, you're not this strong!"

"Who told you that?" Yin asked slowly, tilting his head and watching as the demon realized... he'd never heard they couldn't fight. "We don't fight like this because we don't want to. Never meant we can't."

"Why?"

"We are really bad actors," Jin said, wiping the blood off his weapon on an unconscious demon's shirt. "Why bother trying to hold back when we can just hide it by not trying?" He turned to the demon, glowering coldly as he watched his brother pick Mei up carefully. "Tell anyone who asks nothing. We'd like to keep it that way. Unless you want a round two where someone else doesn't hold us back."

And then they were gone.

~

"What in the actual hell happened?" Macaque asked in an even tone. Practiced even. A dangerous even.

"Well-" "You see boss-" "we kinda-" "-there was-"

Jin and Yin tried to think of a reasonable excuse, faltering as everything they thought of sounded worse and worse in their heads.

The two sat in Mei's hospital room, towels draped around their shoulders. They’d been smart enough to stash Mei's bike somewhere safe and wash off in the ocean before coming to the hospital, less covered in demon blood meant less scared humans when they rushed in with Mei in tow, and it was easy to make the nurses believe them.

Simple bike accident, friend hurt, help please.

With Macaque staring them down with his patented death glower, shadows growing and warping around the room in response to him, it was infinitely harder.

Of course Mei's emergency contact was MK. Of course MK could call Macaque before her parents (who were apparently on their way back from some kind of dragon family business trip when they learned). Of course Macaque would show up almost immediately and begin asking questions.

"It was my fault," Mei chimed in, voice slightly off from having awoken with a nasty concussion. "I thought it'd be fun to go on a joy ride late at night, I've done it before without issues! But, uh... I've never had two passengers before... and we hit something. Don't be mad at them?"

Macaque looked like he believed Mei as much as he believed Tang would lose interest in the Monkey King and switch his field of study to obscure methods of basket weaving. Which is to say: he didn’t. But he sighed, giving Mei a small smile as the shadows returned to normal.

"Ok," he said softly, tone much more gentle with the dragon descendant as he reached out to brush loose hair out of her face. "I won't be mad at them. I'll be very disappointed-" his tone hardened for a second at those words as he turned to the twins with a glower again. "-but I won't be mad. Do you need anything?"

"Maybe a candy bar from the vending machines outside?" Mei asked with a smile.

"Sure," Macaque laughed and shook his head, moving to the corner of the room. "I'll be right back."

He sunk into the shadows, a cool trick that the twins would always be impressed by, and they breathed a sigh of relief at knowing they were alone. For now.

"You didn't have to do that," Jin said, frowning at Mei in concern. Maybe it was just because he was now the eldest in the room, but some kind of protective feel pulled at him.

"I know," Mei said with a tired laugh, laying back into her pillow. "But you guys are like... my bros. I gotta stand up for my bros."

And that made both Jin and Yin pause. They looked at each other, eyes widening as they both came to a realization that was probably a very long time coming at that point.

"Yeah..." Yin said, a soft smile forming on his face. "We'd do the same for you... you know, if you didn't take that hit for me you probably would have kicked everyone's ass way better than us! We barely got out by the skin of our teeth!" A full truth and a blatant lie, but he hoped Mei wouldn't pick up on that second part.

"You know it, boi!" She didn't.

It was odd for him in particular. Yin had never really thought of himself as an older brother before.

First time for everything.

(AO3 link)

“Okay, okay, okay!” Mabel yelled from atop a soapbox in the center of the kitchen. “The library auditors are gonna be here in an hour! We’ve gotta get our act together!”

Everyone -- Henry, Stan, Ford, Dipper, and the triplets -- nodded in unison and then scattered to different rooms. Mabel blew Henry a kiss as she got off her soapbox and then took off after the triplets, who were only a couple of years old and were more likely to cause harm than to actually help. 

Henry stayed behind, clicking away on his laptop, trying to figure out what exactly the auditors were going to be checking for when they arrived, and pointedly ignoring the sweat pouring from his brow. The Stanley Pines Memorial Library of the Supernatural may not have been the library he was employed at, but it was his family’s, and he’d be darned if they didn’t pass this completely unnecessary inspection.

Some of the regulations they had to pass seemed kind of arbitrary though, and he wasn’t entirely convinced that someone hadn’t made them up just to try to steal the Library away from them.

Like, “All Books Must Be Registered In An Online Database For Customer Browsing” -- this one seemed reasonable, until you factored in the number of books they had that were so cursed that looking at the title would kill you.

And then it got weirder. “At Least One Bookshelf Must Be Made With Pine Wood”.

“Any Fanfiction For The Lorax Must Be Kept Inside A Locked Cabinet”

“William Shatner (or his ghost) Must Visit Your Library Exactly Once”

Henry was just figuring out the logistics of that last one when there was a crash from the next room, followed by Mabel’s voice. “Oh poop on a corndog, the triplets just knocked over a bookshelf!”

“Shit. Are they okay?” Henry yelled back. He got a weird croak/trill hybrid response from his wife and he started pacing back and forth. “Okay, we can still do this. Mabel’s got the kids. Ford’s hiding the books that make you evil if you stand next to them, Stan’s cooking the accounting section, uhhh, Dipper -” (he said, noticing his brother-in-law walk into the kitchen) “can you go reshelve the books that the triplets knocked over? You know how to organize stuff in a library, right? I don’t want to assume I know how your omniscience works. Why... are you backing away?”

Dipper had gone pale and was indeed backing into a corner, looking panicked and wringing his hands. He opened his mouth a few times but something seemed to catch his tongue each time.

“...Dipper?” Henry asked. “What are you standing around for? I don’t want to be rude but we’re all in a bit of a predicament right now...”

“Henry. I like you a lot so it’s hard for me to say this.” Dipper closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he reopened them, his eyes were fully dilated and golden. “But I have to be honest with you. I will completely destroy Dewey’s Decimal System if you let me do that. I mean I will annihilate any kind of order to those books that makes sense to human minds. I’ll do it and I won’t be sorry.”

Henry’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Ì ̵c̷an̨'̀t̨, ̢Hen͜r̡y̴, ͠I͠ ̨c̸a͜n̢'t̛ ͘or̢gan͡i̢ze ̨t̕h̀in̵g͟s̛. I̧’̕ĺl sơrt the boòks̢ ̧bu͏t͢ ̶t͝hey’͝ll ͠on̢l̛ỳ b̷e or͡dere̛d if you̸ ͢vie̡w t̷he sḩelf ̀áş a ͜p͞r̷o͞j̡ec̶ti͝on̡ fro̸m͝ th̕e ̧fi̧fth ҉di͘m̢e͘nsion͞ ҉whil͠e͜ pu̡ll̷ing ţhe s̷èc̨ond̡ ̨an͘d ̴th͜i͟r̸d̡ ̢d̕i̶m̢ensi̵o̴ns thróug̴h ̀the͢ f͞our͝th.͘ I'l̢l͝ t͟r̵ansl͜at̴e̛ e͘ac̢h̨ t̢it̕le i̧n͏to t̸he̷ ̧c͢o̸nlan̛g ̢C̴thu͏l҉u ̸m҉ade͟ ͠ţh̸a̕t̶ w̨as̶ s͝o ҉bo͝ring̶ evȩǹ its ́f͠ol͞low̕e͟rs͜ d̶idn'̢t l̶e̸a̵r͝n͜ ͠it. I'ļl -”

“Just put the books back on the shelf, buttface!” Mabel yelled from the other room, breaking Dipper’s trance. “I’ll give you a Snickers later!”

Dipper’s eyes returned to normal, and he gave Henry a wistful nod. He kicked off into the air, wiggled his feet, and vanished.

“What was that about?” Henry asked as Mabel walked into the room, arms full of babies. “Should I have not asked him to do that? Is it because he’s a demon and demons are beings of infinite chaos that detest order with all of their beings?”

Chuckling, Mabel handed him Willow and Hank. “Nah, bro-bro just hates tidying up. You should’ve seen our room when we were kids, it was a mess. I mean yeah that was half my fault too but at least I put my stuffed animals back in a row on my bed when I was done with them. Sir Dippingsauce would wake up every day surrounded by broken pens and scribbledy-up paper and just stuff them all under the covers. It was really funny!”

“Dipper, put out that fire!” came Grunkle Stan’s voice. “No one told me you’re not supposed to cook books in a microwave!”

“And our lives continue to be funny,” Henry murmured, facepalming.

Mabel laughed and got back on her soapbox so she could give him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay. We’ll get through this. We Pineses have a way of pulling through when things are at their bleakest!”

“I finished the wax sculpture of William Shatner!” Ford cried triumphantly, bursting into the room. “Get Dipper now so he can kiss it to life!”

“See what I mean?” Mabel squealed. “And you were worried!”

(The auditors were astonished to find not a single code violation in the entire library. They thankfully did not notice the entire Pines family standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of a swirling vortex spitting out demon!Once-ler fanfiction.)

Just comparing two cartoons I love

I understand that nobody asked in any capacity, but here I go anyway:

It feels fair to compare Ducktales 2017 to Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018), not only because they're only about a year apart and truly, what is a year, but also because they

1. Both use this style that looks like it jumped straight out of a comic book. Okay, it's mostly the solidly inked shadows, but it gives me, personally, comic-y vibes.

2. They have taken what's arguably the main characters (the triplets for DT, the Turtles for TMNT) and shaken the formula up a good bit. Were the triplets formerly indistinguishable and all had the exact same personality, interests and voice actor, they are now three entirely separate entities with different traits and appearances. And while the turtles had about one defining personality trait and looked basically the same, save for the color of their masks, Rise made them different species of turtle to justify giving them radically different designs and three-dimensional personalities. Both shows faced criticism for this decision from people who cannot deal with change. Despite this, in both cases, it just works and does so incredibly well.

3. The oldest bros wear red.

4. We have two middle bros associated with the color blue who are both voiced by Ben Schwartz.

5. Both shows have a focus on family, with Ducktales especially focusing on found family and Rise on brotherhood.

6. Anime references!

Ducktales has a larger cast overall, with a lot of different characters all interacting with each other and they all have the most pleasant voices I've ever heard in my entire life. It's all solidly animated, the style is consistent and the animation is fluid, the characters are diverse and they're all lovely in their own right, except for those who aren't. The writing is top notch. Everyone feels consistent despite the large cast and it's delightful to watch all those interesting people interact with each other in their own way. The show also handles its mystery elements and occasional action scenes incredibly well, building suspense and delivering laughs and gut punches without hesitation. They juggle different tones like a professional clown, except the true clown was us, the audience, all along, for ever having doubted them.

The overarching plot of Ducktales, for its first two seasons, was mostly to uncover the mystery of what had happened to the mother of the triplets and all that would entail. Mystery and mythical elements will likely continue to be afoot for season 3.

Rise works with less focal characters, we have the Turtles, Splinter and April as well as various bad guys, but more than makes up for it with a lot of animation. A lot a lot of animation and it's all high quality. There's usually so much going on on-screen that a watching it once isn't enough to catch it all. Despite that, it doesn't feel crowded or rushed. Lots of dynamic shots and incredibly-choreographed action scenes, but nothing the thoroughly solid writing has to hide behind. Even when the baddies aren't the main concern, they're still well-rounded, interesting characters with unique abilities and motivations. Although, most of the mutants are just really feral. Still a delightfully diverse cast.

The turtles on the other hand spent their first season trying to foil their various foes, from a yokai trying to mutate all of humanity, to his mutants, to dealing with random mythical stuff, to the nefarious Foot Clan trying to reassemble the Dark Armor in the shadows. It's generally a more action-driven show, but they still find the time for some heartfelt moments.

The triplets 2.0

Despite their conventiently color-coded caps, they were really mostly the same character possessing three different bodies at a time. Well, the times of eerie The Shining like-twins, except extended to triplets, are over!

We have Huey, the oldest brother, voiced by Danny Pudi. He's a gentle, intellectual soul who values red hats, science, scout badges and checklists. Huey is arguably the closest in characterization to the original triplets, with some additional neat freak sprinkled in for flavor. He tries to be the responsible older sibling and keep his brothers under control and out of trouble. He also seems to have the most fiery temper of the bunch and should clearly not be pressed to the breaking point. He's my personal favorite and I heard season 3 will bring more focus to him, which makes me elated to hear. 888/10.

Middle child Dewey, the blue one, voiced by Ben Schwartz, who will inevitably come for all the iconic blue characters. He's very clearly the middle one, because he craves attention and validation and occasionally dreams of being an only child. Dewey is the one who started the investigation into their mom's disappearance and kept it from his brothers, partially to save them from hurt, but also because he wanted to feel special. He's the most interested in going on adventures with their uncle, but can get reckless when doing so. He's a bit of a spotlight hog, who has his own talk show that nobody watches and sings his own theme song when he needs to get hyped up, or just to fill this silence. This may sound kind of negative, but rest assured, he's a good, sweet boy. The focal triplet for the first season. 500/10.

Louie, the evil triplet, a schemer and a conman. Voiced by Bobby Moynihan.  The youngest of the bunch. While they call him evil, he's really far too lazy to cause serious harm, except for when it's his laziness that's causing him to take dangerous shortcuts, oops. He dreams of making a fortune, but without having to work for it and preferably without any responsibility either, thank you. He also occasionally dreams of being a spoiled fat cat. Despite his chill demeanor, he can be a bit of a crybaby and those tears are only fake 50% of the time. I feel like he likes getting babied, but mainly because that means there's less work for him to do. Season 2, which focuses more on him, reveals that he's actually quite brilliant, capable of seeing all the angles and giving him some chessmaster-like qualities. He needs to learn to use those abilities for good. 665/10.

Hi, she's Webbie! The honorary triplet, who also got a massive makeover, from annoying token girl tagalong to socially awkward, adorkable action girl. Be careful who you call ugly in middle school, indeed. Like a more ferocious  Mabel Pines, she has a grappling hook and years of martial arts training under her belt. Webbie can absolutely decimate you, but won't, because she's a sweet girl. Voiced by Kate Micucci. She continues to like unicorns and the color pink, but assuredly in the most badass of ways. She helped Dewey with his quest to uncover the mystery of his missing mom, but works well with all of the triplets, with Huey taking her under his wing a bit and Louie trying to get her to chill out more. Webbie is a sweetheart and I would die for her, were it not completely unnecessary, since she's more than capable of taking care of herself. ∞/10.

A lot of the supporting cast also saw updates and changes, for instance Gyro being a genius without social skills and Fenton being an adorkable scientist, but again, they work really well. They're interesting new takes on beloved characters. Even the new additions to the cast are great. In short, I love me some birds and am excited for season 3, Disney, get your scheduling together.

The Turtles 2.14.2 - I upgraded my upgrade in the middle of the upgrade

Also, these guys have seen so many different iterations in their, what, 30+ years of existence. As someone with no prior attachment to the turtle brand, I don't have a lot to say here. Leo's not the leader in this one and Raph has more personality than being angry at Leo for being the leader. Donnie is not just a random nerd spouting technobabble and Mikey has more depth than yelling the catchphrase every now and again. Apparently, this made people upset. I don't know how to help you with that.  The middle brothers exude some high chaotic energy and should not be left unsupervised, but the oldest and youngest seem fairly stable.

Raphael, the red-bandana'd alligator snapping turtle is an imposing figure. He's the oldest and therefore team leader by default. Raph has no reason to be upset at Leo, so he isn't. Despite his ferocious appearance, he's a soft guy, who likes teddies and doting on his brothers, but fears puppets. He's a bit of a knucklehead, most of his plans involve smashing things with his tonfa and he may refer to himself in the third person in the heat of the moment, but he possesses emotional intelligence, is open about his feelings and looks after his brothers. He is big and and strong, but his heart is bigger and stronger. He especially loves small animals animals, who don't usually return his feelings. RIP in F. This responsible guy is voiced by Omar Benson Miller. 300/10, very soft. Somehow both the heart and the big guy of the group.

Donatello has been upgraded from second-to-youngest to second-to-oldest, not that it makes much of a difference. His color of choice is purple and he continues in the character's tradition of being a nerd, although this time, with self-confidence. Donnie is very sure of himself and his abilities. As a spiny soft-shell turtle, he's less sure of his shell, but that's okay, he's made robotic battle shells to make up for it and his bō is the mother of all multitools. This guy can build you a tank out of a buggie and upgrade your animatronic into something to give the FNAF franchise a run for its money. He's the smartest of the four and when not focused on his phone, very focused on the mission. Due to having to deal with his bros, he can be exasperated a lot. Thinks of himself as an emotionally unavailable bad boy, even though he's just really sensitive and wants his dad or someone parent-aged to tell him they're proud of him. Theater kid. 999/10, give the middle child a hug and some coffee, you can't tell me he has a healthy sleep cycle. This sarcastic nerd is brought to you by Josh Brener.

Leonardo, Ben Schwartz's second blue character (Sonic (2020) being the third under his belt) and also his second ninja after Randy Cunningham. He's not the leader. He's still a good character. Leo has approximately 800 charisma and unwavering faith in both, his family and himself. Mostly himself though. Like Louie, season 2 revealed that he is a master of prediction and playing people like the cheap kazoo you can't tell me he doesn't have to play Darude's Sandstorm on. He dabs, he boards, he will pun you to death and back and he has an Odachi that can cut through space. Leo likes hogging the spotlight when given the chance and wants to be showered with attention and praise. Having four kids really only means twice the middle child nonsense. Leo is a red-eared slider, the original species of the TMNT, as I've been told. He's also the best at being a ninja, but usually too lazy to really apply himself. He's younger than Donnie, but tumblr suggested to read the two as twins, since they're approximately the same age, which sheds a whole new light on their dynamic and frankly, makes way too much sense. 420/10, for our memelord Leonardo.

Michelangelo, the eternally youngest of the bunch. An artiste, who puts stickers on himself, tags the lair, has a spiritual connection to his skateboard and the color orange. Mikey loves all things arts and craft, but he also tries his hands at cooking. He idolizes famous TV chefs and can do pretty much anything out of and into pizza. He's funny, without being annoying, like I feel a lot of other iterations of this character are. It's an easy pitfall for comic relief guys, but this one is more than that. If that's an issue, feel free to leave my house. Mikey is genuinely sweet and happy, optimistic and soft, but also the one brother who knows when it's time to take off the gloves and just get straight to the point. He's open about and in touch with his feelings. He's just baby. Don't treat him as one though. A lot of promo stuff says Leo has taken him under his wing, but he's had more episodes together with Donnie. Not that I'm complaining, they work very well together. Mikey and Raph are both the emotional centers of the group. Does not mind being yeeted after retracting into his shell, as box turtles may do. (Disclaimer, do not yeet actual box turtles!) His weapon of choice is a Kusari-Fundo that can turn into a fire-demon and is about as unpredictable as he is. Likes to jump and bounce around. Probably does parkour. Voiced by Brandon Mychal Smith who is audibly having a blast. 500/10, just an all around Kusari-fun guy.

For last, but certainly not least, April O'Neil, my girl, who saw an upgrade from flip-flopping love interest who was vaguely ninja-ing, but mostly damsel in distress-ing, to all-around spunky powerhouse and by God, she is glowing. Rise has her more as a big sister figure to the turtles, and I will not be told otherwise. She is independent and don't need no man, mutant or no. She has her teleporting pet, her faith in herself, her pinpoint baseball hitting skills and the a complete and utter lack of fear. Despite being a weirdness magnet, April is perfectly comfortable. She would like to be able to keep a job, maybe, but she has loving friends who respect and love her. Surprisingly good a ninja, fearless and fun. Occasionally thinks about being popular at school, but it's really not a big concern, she's not gonna throw a tantrum over it or anything. April is very chill. Not likely to be damseled. More likely to run after the turtles and clean up their messes or save them and everyone involved is fine with that.

The late 10's are really coming in to show us how dynamic and well-written female characters that aren't just "strong", but three-dimensional and relatable are done, huh?

An iconic performance by Kat Graham and ∞/10 for being the honorary better ninja non-mutant non-turtle and best big sister.

Here we have it, two older properties, having new life breathed into them to make them fresh and enjoyable. Have a new spin put on them, to better fit in with our current world. You can feel the love oozing out of every frame. At the end of the day, of course, it all boils down to taste and whether or not you like something. I gave Ducktales 2017 a go because a lot of the staff from Gravity Falls went to work on it and if you don't know me, I love me some Gravity Falls. It's a good show and I enjoy it. I recently got into Rise and while I don't know much about the people working on it, it is also a greatly enjoyable show, easily on the same level as Ducktales, if not above, yet with far less people speaking about it. Which is frankly saddening. I can only recommend the two of them wholeheartedly. If you love animation, yourself and occasionally feeling things, these are for you!

Convincing Loki to help you out - Part 3 (Finale)

Pairing : Avengers x Gender Neutral Plus Size Reader ;  Loki x Gender Neutral Plus Size Reader (platonic)

Warnings : Language, Endgame events altered, Death of character

Word Counts : 1.9k

Once the teams have been split, everyone got into those terrible red and white Quantum Real uniforms Tony designed and circled the entry of the device. "Everyone knows what they're supposed to do", said Steve looking at everyone warmly before his eyes narrowed on your figure to which you grazed at him with a smug smile. They nodded and Natasha commented "See you in a minute" to which you made a grimace, not feeling like it. "Come on Loki Luke, let's get this junk started", you grabbed the God of Mischief and traveled back to 2013 Asgard, ending in the prison district. You saw Loki's room and turned to the present version telling him, "You could at least clean your room." He rolled his eyes before turning towards you, justifying that it wasn't his room but his cell. "Hmm…even in jail you have to be a fancy bitch, don't you?", you commented while passing the cell. 

You saw Rocket and Thor hide and in the middle of a commotion. And then you snapped when seeing Rocket's hand lift. "Don't you dare slap him!", you said through greeted teeth and preventing the hit. "Y/N the mission", whispered Loki. "If I know that you did it, you can say goodbye to that furry thing between your legs", you threatened the Guardian. He swallowed harshly and dropped his hand. "We'll gonna check out what's happening in New York", you said softly to Thor and calmed his anxiety down with some of your powers. Giving a deadly look to Rocket, you grabbed Loki once more and disappeared. 

You ended next to Tony who slightly jumped, "God, you scared me." "What's happening? Tony?", you heard Steve on the comms. "Y/N and Loki are here", answered Scott. Tony commented on Steve's ass and you checked him out. 2012's Loki version began impersonating Rogers once more during his life time and you turned towards him, "You surely like impersonating Steve in particular, hein" and saw Loki's cheeks turn a slight pink shade. "It's ok if you wanna bang him, he surely must be righteous in ALL the places", you joked. "Would you Stop!", he greeted through his teeth making you chuckle and Tony smirk. "I hate you", he tuned towards you. "Yeah, yeah, love you too". Passing him a Pym Particle you told him you were going to check on the events in Vormir.

You arrived after the Keeper finished his famous 'One soul for a soul' part. "Alright Kim Possible what's going on?", you chanted while seeing them fighting each other. You rolled your eyes and sighed before paralyzing the two Avengers. You nodded at the Keeper and said "How's life, Skully?" "Long and empty", he responded. "Yup like my sex life. Happens. " You marched at the former SHIELD agents and they seem in pain. "What are you doing?", asked Clint. Your tone got solennel, "My job." Natasha's eyes widened and she whispered, "You gonna jump aren't you?" "It won't work, it must be someone you deeply love", said Clint. "No shit Sherlock." Turning to Red Skull, you saw him nod. You looked down the cliff and exclaimed before jumping, "This is gonna hurt like a Motherfucker." The only thing that was heard next was your skull fractured on the stone. 

Natasha and Clint woke up, water surrounding them and the most beautiful sky they've ever witnessed. Inside her palm, Natasha had the soul stone in her possession. They sighed and activated the Pym Particle to get back to the present timeline. As planned, everyone arrived at the same time with the Infinity Stones. Some of them let out a happy scream of joy for achieving the Heist until Loki noticed your absence. "Where's Y/N?" He looked at Natasha and Clint and repeated his question with a firmer voice. "Where are they?" They bowed their head and said, "They sacrificed themselves for the Stone." The room quieted down, everyone giving you a minute of respect for what you've done. Loki left the room and ended near the compound's lake. "Why did you do it?", he mumbled to himself. 

In the meantime, Tony carefully inserted the stones on his Gauntlet and Hulk reverse snapped everyone back. They felt the air around them shift and truly realized it worked when Clint's wife called him. Their joy quickly vanished when Thanos' ship shadow rotated above the compound and bombed the place. Recovering their senses, Tony, Steve and Thor marched at their nemesis. The fight 2.0 began. Thanos was on the verge to get Thor when Steve wielded Mjöllnir. "YESSS", shouted Thor. Thanos and Steve fought until it was only The Captain facing Thanos and his army. "On your left", he heard the comms. Two simple words warming his heart. Portals opened up, the World's Mightiest Heroes joining each other for one purpose. One order and everyone ran into battle. 

Before crashing against the army, the right fling was decimated by an unknown force. "ProtoVision" by Kavinsky was blasting in the air. You appeared in a grand entrance, sword in hand, decimating everyone in your passage. The Avengers seeing you alive, proudly shouted into battle. "Hello Thanos, long time no see", you faced the Titan, who tensed at your presence. You didn't give him a chance to respond and attacked. Steve, Tony, Thor and Loki joined you. Each taking a turn on the Titan. At the corner of your eye, you saw Peter fleeing with the Gauntlet and decided to give him a hand. He didn't see the Alien coming behind him at full speed. You intervened the moment the monster was about to stab him but ended stabbing you instead. You fell to the ground, bleeding out. Loki was by your side, "Y/N, hey it's gonna be ok. I'm here." You shook your head and told him to go gets his revenge before, once more, passing away. 

The fight escalated. Doctor Strange had to control the breach before it drowned the place while Thanos called for back-up. The Avengers were on their lasts ressources when Carol Danvers came crashing the Alien Spaceship. It was her turn to face off Thanos. She was keeping the Gauntlet from him while standing her ground. Thanos managed to take the upper-hand and take the Gauntlet back. Tony pushed further by attacking Thanos but was projecting to the ground by the Titan. "I am the inevitable", he proclaimed before snapping his fingers. When he saw it didn't work, you let the masquerade fade away and transformed from Tony to yourself, the Stones glowing on your bare arm. "And I am the beginning and the end", you said with a piercing gaze and snapped. 

You felt the Stone's powers invading you, burning you whole. Thanos and his army vanished while you laid on the ground, breathing weakly. The Avengers kneeled before you and asked how you managed to come back. "I was created to keep the Stones safe and hidden. In doing so, I managed like a cat to have an amount of life chances. Six stones, six lives. I just used the last one. No coming back anymore", you spoke slowly, a silent tear sliding down your face. While you were telling them how you managed to come back, you traced a code in the dusty ground. Natasha noticed your move but quickly focused her gaze back on you dying. "I got my wish. I won't die alone", you said before slightly pushing your sword to Loki's direction. "You're worth it", and with that your body glowingly faded away. 

————-

5 months later

The compound has been in reconstruction after the Grand Battle. Natasha recovered your code left on the dusty ground, tracing every formula with Tony and Bruce's help. Until now it was a dead-end. "If they left this behind it's not a coincidence", said Tony, while scratching his neck. "Sir, there is a delivery guy outside the compound's door", exclaimed F.R.I.D.A.Y. Confusion was written all over their features seeing that the package came from you. They intercepted the delivery guy and asked them about the package. He checked his notebook and declared that they that received instructed to deliver it today. Tony called everyone on their provisory conference room. "Why today?", asked Rhodes. No one had an answer. Inside the box, Tony recovered an USB drive to which he uploaded on the main screen. 

It was a video recording of you facing the camera.

"Hello, if you see this message it means I am no longer. Obviously, otherwise that would be weird me watching this with you. So dramatic, right?", they heard you chuckle and couldn't help smile at the screen. "I know you all loved me and will miss me so much to the point of questioning if life is worth living without me in it, but it is. I would like to use this tragic moment to leave my last impressions and directives to you." 

"Rhodes…would you slap Ross for me. Pleeeasse. I can't stand that one. Squirrel if I find out you slapped him, I will come back and cut not only your furry D but both your hands", you said with a piercing look. "Alright, I get it no slapping, Jeez", spoke Rocket in the room. The others looked at each other confused except for Loki who laughed out loud. "Little Ant, never stop growing, the stars aren't the limit." "Awnnn so cute", exclaimed Scott with a dorky smile on his face. "Clint I have been willing to ask you this for some time now. …WTF is that hAiRcUt ?!? Bruce, Hulk…Hulce, the new look definitely threw me of the grid. Wasn't expecting it but as long as you're in peace that's what matters. And ohh by the love of the cosmos NEVER DAB AGAIN." "Bro what?", Tony turned towards his friend who only shrugged. 

"Thunder Thor out here killing all the humans with that amazing smile. Never stop doing that. Hmm who next? STEVIE-OHHHH, I know what happened in that office. No, I wasn't creeping around like some", you said insinuating it about him. "She knows she means everything to you, trust me for once. The past should stay in the past. It's time for the world to meet the Nomad *winks* you know what you gotta do." Steve's gaze briefly landed on Sam.

"Tony, Metal man himself. You can go rest now. You did good. It's time for your second journey, tiny and cute Morgan. Natasha, the spy of it all. I think I left you a task didn't I. Here let me give you one more hint. 'What you're looking for is closer than you think'. And finally, the one and only God of Mischief, Low-key. It was fun hanging out with you. Who thought you were more than just an amazing haircut. Don't do anything stupid but in case you do, don't forget about me. Take care of our baby."

"Anyway this is fucked up. If I had to choose a song to describe my life it would be Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It started slow, hesitant, simple before unexpectedly accelerating. The Rock'n'Roll notes overflowing my existence. Yeah you better be ready, sometimes I'm deep ok. Well 'was'. You were my Rock'n'Roll part and I would like to thank you for that. For a small fraction I didn't just exist but I lived. Bye Losers and live freely you little birds. " 

The video ended with you smiling at the camera. 

"Oh I almost forgot, btw, Nick Fury and Maria Hill are Skrulls. Peace!', your voice was heard for the last time on the tape. 

The audience turned towards Fury and Maria, who felt very uncomfortable. They revealed their true identity before 'Fury' declared, "We can explain." 

* gifs not mine, credit to owners*

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A Prelude to Chaos Control - Chapter 9: Loss of Me

Click here to start from the beginning. You can also read this story on FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own.

*****

Sonic stared aimlessly at the ceiling fan above. He was unable to sleep, playing back the words he spoke to Knuckles as he tossed and turned in his sleeping bag.

“I don’t know if I could live with myself if somethin’ ever happened to him. Waiting for Tails to wake up in the hospital was bad enough...”

“Yeah Tails is young, but look at all he’s accomplished over the years. And besides, who am I to tell ‘im what he can and can’t do? I’d rather have him fight by my side than go off on his own or feel bad for himself at home.”

“Tails…” Sonic sighed as he pulled his arm closer to his face, staring into his wristwatch communicator.

“Five in the mornin’, huh?” Sonic’s eyes were heavy as he gently cleared his throat, careful not to wake the others in the living room. Turning over, he saw Knuckles fast asleep, snoring gently under his covers.

Stretching his body out on the floor, the blue hedgehog pulled himself out of the sleeping bag and crept over to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of tap water.

“Ahhh…now that hits the spot.”

Sonic set his glass on the counter as he returned to the living room, stopping as he noticed the unoccupied sofa. The young kitsune was nowhere to be found.

“Hmmm…” Sonic picked up the blanket pushed against the end of the couch. “Whereja go, little buddy?” Setting it down, he scanned the dark living room before starting his search. After finding nobody in the restroom, he crept over to the bedroom, pushing the door slightly open as he peered through the small opening to see the two girls sleeping on their respective sides of the bed. Amy’s arm was hanging down from her side of the mattress, her hand gripping the Piko Piko Hammer leaning against the bedside table.

Chuckling lightly, the blue hedgehog gently shut the door.

“Well, where could he be?” He scratched his head as he listened to the sound of rain pouring over the small cabin.

“He couldn’t possibly be…”

The blue hedgehog tip-toed to the window, looking out at the shrine in the distance to reveal the orange kitsune studying the Master Emerald, an open canopy tent with small flood lights covering the mystical gem and the top level of the shrine.

“Isn’t it a bit early to be doin’ science stuff?” Scratching his forehead and rubbing his eyes, the hedgehog walked through the kitchen, grabbing his blue umbrella as he left the cabin.

I hope he’s doin’ okay…

*****

Making his way up the stone steps of the shrine, the hedgehog heard an angry yell near the top as a small object launched over the stairs, several yards above Sonic’s head. Acting upon instinct, the blue hedgehog leapt into action, jumping upward to catch the device with a gloved hand, his umbrella still gripped by the other.

“Gotcha!” Sonic landed near the base of the stairs, the umbrella panel bending inside out during the descent, rendering the mangled contraption all but useless to the now-wet hedgehog.

Sonic brought the thrown object closer to his face, the circular radar cool to the touch. Gripping the detector, he slowly made his ascent up the slippery stone steps.

All right Sonic…just play it cool. I’ll ask him what’s wrong, but I won’t pester him.

Sighing anxiously, the blue hedgehog took the final few steps up the shrine as he noticed the orange kitsune staring off into the distance facing away from the stairs, his arms leaning on the foldable table under the canopy tent.

“…Heya Tails.” The young fox turned around to find the soaked hedgehog and his decimated umbrella, the detector in the palm of his hands. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Ohh...something like that.” The orange fox scratched the back of his head. Sonic stepped closer to him, setting the device on the table.

“Ya dropped somethin’.” He pushed it closer to Miles, who gave the device a cold stare. “Mind tellin’ me what’s wrong?”

Tails sighed. “It’s just that the readings I’m getting from the Master Emerald are wildly inconsistent with the data from my prior tests, and I’m not sure what’s causing the discrepancy. Without determining the causal connection between the energy fluctuations, I won’t be able to develop adequate programming code.”

Sonic scratched his head. “Mind dumbin’ that down a bit?”

“In other words,” Tails replied, walking over to the Master Emerald, “I’m no closer to completing the detector than I was before.” He placed a palm against the mystical gem, staring at it with blank eyes.

“Hey lil’ bro,” Sonic walked over to the young kitsune, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sure you can get it workin’ eventually.”

Tails turned around as he looked up at the blue hedgehog, moisture forming in his eyes.

“…but…do you?”

“Huh?” Sonic peered into the distressed fox’s eyes, his downcast face eyeing the stone floor. “I don’t understand.”

“…I heard what you said, Sonic…when I was in the shower.” The orange kitsune balled his hands into tight fists as his arms began to shake. The blue hedgehog was frozen solid, unsure how to respond as the two stood in silence.

Tails gulped. “…Why do you keep me around?” A frown covered his face, his eyes unblinking.

“What d’ya mean?” Sonic slowly approached the young kitsune. “We’re best buds, brothers ‘n all but blood. There’s nothin’ keepin’ us apart!”

“Is that what you tell yourself to justify babysitting me all the time?” Tails furrowed his brow as he looked into the blue hedgehog’s confused face.

“Babysittin’? Who said anythin’ abou—”

“You did!” Tails voice grew angry, a small vein appearing near the top of his head. “You just keep me around so I don’t run off and do something stupid!”

“What?” Sonic stepped back, watching his normally docile, kindhearted little brother succumb to rage. “Now wait just a min—”

“Why, so you can tell me things will be alright when they aren’t? Tell me how useful I am when I mess up all the time? Guilt yourself into babysitting me when you should be fighting Eggman without distractions? Lie to give me a sense of purpose and belonging when I…” Tails sniffled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “…when I just…don’t belong?”

“But…” Sonic was dumbstruck at Tails’ seemingly never-ending rant, bottled up emotions finally boiling over. “But I…don’t think those things…”

“Why? Any rational person would believe this. Or are you just playing dumb? Acting like the dumb, lovable hero as per usual?” The young kitsune walked in circles and waved his arms as he spoke, missing the pain in Sonic’s face.

“It isn’t true, tho—" Sonic began, only to be cut off once more.

“I’m done, Sonic!” Tails approached the table, grabbing the Chaos Emerald detector. “I’m done…”

“Tails…” Sonic stepped closer to the young kitsune, whose eyes shot up to meet his, the fox’s hand gripping the detector so tightly the glass casing began to crack.

“I said…” The fox raised his hand up in the air, his arm stretched back as far as it could go, the device still held between his fingers as he bent his knees. “I’M…DONE!” Tails swung his arm forward, letting go of the device.

The detector came hurling at Sonic’s face, the blue hedgehog too dumbstruck to dodge. Striking him across his cheek, the device fell to the stone surface below, shattering into small pieces.

Tails kept his throwing arm forward as he breathed heavily, anger still in his eyes. Sonic, meanwhile, was as still as a rock, a red bruise forming on the side of his muzzle, the blue hedgehog ignoring the physical pain, lost in his emotional turmoil.

After what felt like an eternity, Sonic took a knee, placing a gloved hand against his bruise, closing his eyes as his head pointed downward.

Reason slowly returned to Tails as he doused the flames in his eyes, his anger now replaced with an overwhelming feeling of sorrow and dread.

Did I…just hurt…?

“…Sonic?” Tails’ arms dropped to either side as he slowly approached the blue hedgehog, fumbling his steps as if a zombie walking through a deserted cityscape. Looking down at his older brother, he could see a small teardrop forming between his closed eyelids, an unmoving frown on his face. Tails looked at his palms, tears of his own welling up in his eyes as he tried to comprehend how his hands could have carried out such a deed.

“W…what have I done?” The orange kitsune turned around, no longer able to bear the sight of his injured brother.

“I don’t deserve…to be your sidekick anymore.”

Wiping his nose with his arm, he approached the stone steps as he began spinning his rotary namesakes, preparing to leave the injured blue hedgehog behind. As his feet left the ground, however, a gloved hand grabbed his arm, holding him in place a foot above the stone surface.

Tails looked back to find Sonic, a frown on his face as he kept his other hand against his cheek.

“No Tails…” Sonic stared intently into the kitsune’s eyes. “Please…don’t go.” His voice cracked as he made this plea, the orange fox slowly planting his feet back on the surface as his namesakes stopped spinning. Opening his eyes, Sonic approached the kitsune for a hug, an embrace which Miles didn’t reciprocate, too stunned to react.

“I’m…so sorry, Tails…” The young fox could feel the blue hedgehog’s tears rolling down his back as he struggled to comprehend.

“But…why, Sonic?” His fists balled up once more as the blue hedgehog broke down against him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who lost it just now.”

“Don’t you see, Tails?” Sonic sniffled through his shaky voice, keeping Tails in his embrace. “I’m putting all this pressure on you. I’m responsible.” The blue hedgehog gently pulled himself away, the young fox witnessing, with his own eyes, the rare sight of the world-renowned hero as an emotional wreck, black rings around his bloodshot eyes. The blue hedgehog turned away as more tears dripped down his muzzle.

“I don’t understand…” Tails looked away as well, holding one arm with the other. “Why…don’t you hate me?” The blue hedgehog stepped over to the Master Emerald, allowing himself to lean against the mystical gem. He pushed himself backward as he slipped to the ground, staring at his muddy shoes once he reached the floor.

“All this time, I’ve been encouragin’ ya to finish the detector. I never stopped to think how much pressure you were puttin’ on yourself.” He looked up at the orange fox once more. “And at Seaside City, I told you to stay out of the fight, not considerin’ your feelings.” He looked away, closing his eyes as a new bout of tears began to form beneath his eyelids. “And then you heard me talkin’ behind your back…sorry ya heard that.”

Tails approached the blue hedgehog, stepping around what remained of the destroyed Chaos Emerald detector, various pieces scattered across the stone ground.  

“No…I don’t hate you, Tails. I could never hate you…” Sonic’s eyelids closed as he shivered, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“Sonic...” The young fox watched as the blue hedgehog placed his face into his knees, his arms wrapped around them.

“Maybe I can treat it?” On his knees, Tails crawled over and carefully analyzed the side of his face. “Let me know if this hurts…” The orange kitsune gently poked the bruise with a gloved finger. Sonic winced, closing the eye closest to the welt as Tails turned to face the cabin. “I’ll go get some ice.” As the fox stood up, though, the hedgehog gently grabbed his namesakes.

“No, Tails…please…jus’ stay with me.” The hedgehog softly pulled the unsuspecting fox backward, Tails falling into Sonic’s lap, his fur still wet from the rain. The young kitsune allowed his heartrate to rest, taking a deep breath as his own fur began to moisten at the blue hedgehog’s touch.

“I’ll stay for as long as you need.”

The two sat quietly for a while. Only the sound of their breathing and the steady flow of rainwater falling over the tent could be heard. The duo watched as the clouds dissipated, and the morning sun began to peek over the horizon. Sonic stopped shivering as the close presence of his little brother provided a sense of tranquility.

After several minutes of mindlessly gazing at the view, the blue hedgehog broke the silence, gently speaking into Tails’ ear.

“Sometimes in life…we win…and we lose. It’s okay to lose from time to time.” Sonic chuckled to himself. “Funny how that’s comin’ from me, huh?”

“Yeah, a little.” Tails looked up at the blue hedgehog, his face no longer weary or stressed. In fact, if not for the bruise on his cheek, the slight puffiness of his eyes, and the dampness of his fur, he would have looked perfectly normal.

“If you can’t get the detector workin’, we’ll find another way to beat Eggman…we always do.” Sonic chuckled to himself once more. “And I want you there with me…not to be in the way, but to defeat Eggman together…like always.”

“…Like always?” Tails looked over at Sonic. “But what about when he kidnapped me and forced you to go Super Sonic? I was the reason we lost the Chaos Emeralds in the first place.”

“No, Tails.” Sonic placed his hands behind his head, gazing into the dimly lit horizon. “That was my call to make. I coulda saved ya without the Chaos Emeralds…I just…” The blue hedgehog’s voice cracked as he collected his thoughts. “…I just…didn’t wanna lose you...” Running a hand through his quills before returning it behind his head, he lightly chuckled. “So, really, I’m to blame here.”

“Sonic…” The blue hedgehog could hear his younger brother sniffling below, a fresh set of tears forming in the orange kitsune’s eyes.

“Hey little bro…” Sonic rustled Tails’ hair. “No need to cry…” As he said this, though, his voice cracked once more as a few small tears escaped his own eyes, falling over the young fox’s head. Feeling the tears splash near his sensitive ears, Tails turned to face his older brother once more.

“…Same for you…big brother…” The two gently laughed as the orange fox settled in, wrapping his namesakes around himself, using the blue hedgehog’s chest for both physical and emotional support.

“…Hey Sonic?”

“Yeah?”

Tails closed his eyes.

“I promise to never hit you again. I’d rather die than cause you pain.”

“…I know, little buddy.”  

As the sun peeked over the horizon, the two brothers slept peacefully against the Master Emerald, the rays drying their fur and tears as they forgot about their worries.

*****

The rising sun warmed the green hills, silent forest, and azure lake surrounding a secluded, peaceful cottage, the rays slowly evaporating the water from last night’s thunderstorm. This didn’t stop Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao from performing their daily ritual of morning tea at the backyard picnic table, though, even if the young bunny had to dry the table to ensure she didn’t get wet.

Sporting an orange dress and a blue neck bow, Cream poured nothing out of her toy tea kettle, her gloved hand firmly clasping the pot as she meticulously filled the two teacups without spilling.

“Here you go, Cheese!” Cream pushed the tiny teacup to the blue chao sitting on the table next to her.

“Chao, chao!” Inseparable from the young bunny, Cheese had yellow, stubby hands and feet, a small yellow sphere floating over his dumpling-shaped head, small purple wings, and a red bowtie. Playing along, the chao picked up his cup with both hands, lacking the fingers necessary to use the handle as he poured the make-believe substance down his throat. Setting the cup down between his lap, he smiled at the young rabbit.

Taking a sip of her own, Cream looked up at the blue sky, breathing in the fresh, crisp air, a hint of moisture still present from the storm.

“Sure is a lovely day, isn’t it, Cheese?” The blue chao nodded approvingly, taking another sip as they studied the cloudless sky.

The young bunny turned around as she heard the sound of her mother’s footsteps against the wood porch connecting the cottage to the backyard.

“Good morning, Cream,” Vanilla said, gently waiving at her daughter from the topmost stair of the patio. Like Cream, Vanilla sported long, flappy ears and brown eyes, but unlike the younger bunny, she had a tuft of brown hair between her ears. She wore a purple dress below a burgundy vest, a blue neck bow and white gloves completing her outfit. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Okay, momma.” Cream smiled back at her mother as the elder rabbit stepped through the sliding glass door leading to the kitchen.

“We should finish our tea, Cheese.” Cream tipped her cup toward her lips as she drained the last of the invisible substance. Leaving the tea set on the picnic table, the bunny climbed up the patio and entered the cottage, Cheese flying beside her.

The young bunny took her seat at the kitchen table, eyeing the large stack of chocolate chip pancakes waiting for her. The bunny grabbed a bottle of maple syrup and generously poured it over her breakfast, the sugary liquid covering nearly the entire top cake as the substance ran down the sides.

Taking a swig of freshly squeezed orange juice, Cream grabbed her utensils and began eating while maintaining proper breakfast table etiquette, just as her mother taught her. Sitting next to his owner on the table, Cheese nibbled at shreds of coconut in his bowl, smiling happily as the inseparable duo enjoyed their breakfast.

Vanilla sat at the opposite side of the table, taking a sip of coffee. “After we clean up, I need to run some errands. Don’t stray too far from the house, okay?”

“All right, momma.” She gave Vanilla a brief smile before returning to her breakfast, eating a banana before returning to her stack of pancakes.

“And if you encounter any danger, remember what Sonic taught you.” Vanilla was referring to the periodic combat training Cream received from the blue hedgehog, who taught her how to implement a spin attack, where she could roll into a ball and deal damage to opponents or travel downhill at great speed.

Vanilla took another sip of her hot beverage as her daughter nodded in agreement, placing the last forkful of syrupy pancakes into her mouth.

As Cream finished off her juice, she gathered her dishes and placed them in the sink, brimming with hot, soapy water. Looking back at the breakfast table, Cream watched as Cheese attempted to lift his own empty bowl, flapping his wings as he struggled to carry the dish with his stubby arms.

“I can get it for you, Cheese.” Cream picked up the bowl and placed it in the sink.

“Chao, chao!” Cheese smiled approvingly as he flew around the kitchen. Meanwhile, Cream helped her mother wipe down the kitchen surfaces, making the room as spotless as it was before breakfast.

“All right Cream, I’m off to the store. I’ll only be gone a short while.” She bent her knees, allowing her daughter to give her a hug.

“Bye bye, momma.” Pulling herself from the embrace, Cream smiled as she watched her mother leave the cottage, walking down the dirt path leading to the nearby small town where she purchased her daily groceries.

“Wanna go play outside again, Cheese?” Cream looked up at the chao hovering in midair. He gave her a nod of approval as the two headed to the backyard.

“What should we do first, Cheese?” Cream looked up at her energetic chao, who, after a few seconds of twirling around, hovered in front of the small bunny, shrugging his shoulders.

“Hmmm…” Cream placed a gloved hand to her chin. “I know! How about we g—” Her thought was interrupted by the sound of a scurrying squirrel running down the side of the tree near the corner of the yard.

“Wonder what spooked the squirrel?” Cream approached the tree as Cheese followed close behind, a worried look on his face.

“No need to be afraid, Cheese.” Cream raised her arms toward the chao, holding Cheese to her chest as the determined rabbit investigated the cause of the squirrel’s fright. She peered up at the tall tree, green leaves covering its thick branches as small drops of water from last night’s storm occasionally dripped to the ground below.

“I don’t see anything. Maybe the squirrel got scared of nothing?” Shrugging her shoulders, the bunny turned around, preparing to plan her next activity with her chao when she caught a glimmering object in the corner of her eye.

“Hmmm?” She faced the tree once more and looked up, noticing a shining object wedged between the branches near the top of the tree.

“All right Cheese, I’m gonna need to set you down for a second.” The bunny placed the chao on the grass a few feet away from the tree before running her gloved hands along her long ears. She firmly planted her feet to the ground, bending her knees slightly as she prepared to retrieve the shining object. Finally, she leapt upward, floating in the air by flapped her ears. Looking up, Cream flapped with greater intensity, lifting herself higher as she approached the top of the tree.

The rabbit placed her feet on a branch directly below the shiny item, holding onto the upper branches with her hands to keep herself balanced. Tiptoeing along, she slowly approached the central trunk, pressing her body against the bark as she prepared to grab the object directly above. Raising a single hand in the air, Cream snagged the item, pulling it down to eye level.

“Wait…this is…a Chaos Emer—” Before she could finish her thought, she felt the branch directly below her beginning to crack under her weight.

“Uh oh.”

With gem in hand, she maneuvered herself as fast as she could to the tip of the branch, jumping as the large twig fell to the ground below. Using her ears, Cream slowed her own descent as she hovered down to the patch of grass where she left Cheese, the chao sighing in relief as his creased, worried face gave way to a bright smile.

“It’s okay, Cheese.” She smiled at the chao, rubbing her cheeks against Cheese’s face, tickling him before setting the chao back down.

“Look what I found.” She lowered the gray Chaos Emerald to Cheese’s face, the blue chao looking at it with curiosity in his eyes before rubbing the mystical gem with his stubby hands.

“We should tell Sonic!”

“Chao, chao!” Cheese enthusiastically agreed as Cream made her way back to the house, hoping to give the blue hedgehog a call.

As the bunny was about to open the sliding glass door, however, she heard a rumbling sound rapidly approaching. She turned around to witness a dozen Egg Pawns tearing through the brick hedge bordering the backyard. Behind these robots appeared Dr. Eggman, riding in his floating Egg Mobile, a birdcage-like structure dangling from his personal transport. Cheese hid behind Cream’s short legs, peering out from behind to capture a glimpse of the menacing madman.

“Wooahhooohoohooo! If it isn’t Cream the Rabbit! How are you doing on this splendid day?” The sarcasm dripped from his lips as he gave the young bunny a sinister smile.

“What do you want, Eggman? Can’t you just leave us alone?” Cream kept her hands behind her back, shielding the Chaos Emerald from Eggman’s view.

“I’m afraid not, my dear Cream.” Robotnik snickered as his small battalion of robots stepped closer to the wood patio. “My readings indicate you are harboring a Chaos Emerald. Is this true? I’d very much like to add it to my collection, you know.” His smile grew even wider, showing his white teeth as he eyed the frightened rabbit.

“W…what’re you talking about? I…I don’t have a…Chaos Emerald…” Cream looked away from the evil doctor.

“I’m afraid you’re just as bad at lying as you are at hiding things behind your back.” Cream’s face turned to shock as she dropped the Chaos Emerald. Looking forward, she saw the closest Egg Pawn stomping its way up the patio, splintering the wood as the group got closer to the little bunny.

“I’m warning you…to back off…” Cream kicked the mystical gem to the side and picked Cheese up from the ground. Once worried, Cheese now wore a stern look of determination, ready to join the young rabbit in vanquishing the entourage of mechanical slaves.

“Oh yeah? You and what army?” Eggman massaged his mustache as a group of Egg Pawns formed a semicircle around Cream and Cheese, the bunny’s back against the glass door.

“You asked for it.” Cream raised her arm back as Cheese rolled into a ball.

“Let’s get ‘em, Cheese!”

“Chao, chao!”

The determined rabbit threw her arm forward, launching the chao directly at the nearest robot. Cheese’s collision knocked the Egg Pawn back, static forming all around the machine as it fell to the patio floor, a chao-sized dent in its torso. Cheese ricocheted back to his owner, landing in Cream’s hand as she prepared to launch him again.

“Grrr…that silly rabbit. Doesn’t she realize tricks like that aren’t for kids?” Eggman turned his attention to his remaining solders, pointing at the young bunny.

“Egg Pawns: ATTAAAAACK!”  

Cream threw her chao projectile once more. Cheese smashed one of the robots at an angle, bouncing off several more pawns like a pinball before returning to his master, leaving a trail of destruction behind.

A new wave of machines kicked the debris of their fallen comrades aside as they ran toward the young bunny. Unable to launch another attack in time, Cream rolled herself into a ball and performed a spindash through the wood railing of the patio, gripping Cheese tightly against her chest as she landed on her feet in the yard below, putting a small distance between themselves and the remaining forces.

The first robot to approach Cream in the yard wielded an Egg Gun, a cartoonish-looking weapon with a similar color scheme as its mechanical user. Cream cradled the blue chao, still catching her breath as sweat rolled down her brow.

The bunny lunged to the side as the mechanical soldier fired a laser blast. The beam hit the large tree in the corner of the yard, bark exploding everywhere upon impact.

As she dove, the young rabbit threw Cheese toward the Egg Pawn. The robot dropped its laser gun as it fell backward, sparks flying in all directions as the chao bounced back to his owner once more.

“I must say,” Eggman began, maneuvering his Egg Mobile closer to the heroic duo, “you two pack quite a punch…for a pair of small fries.” Itching his chin, Eggman gave them another menacing smile. “I’ll give you one last chance to surrender the Chaos Emerald to me. If you comply, I may spare myself the trouble of keeping you as my prisoner.”

“No way!” She balled her hands into fists as she leaned forward, fire in her eyes. She stepped closer to Eggman’s personal transport, Cheese floating alongside his determined master. “We won’t back down to a bully like you, Eggman!”

“Chao, chao!” As the rabbit placed her hands against her hips, so too did the blue chao, both eyeing the doctor with a level of determination and fearlessness well beyond their young years.

“Very well, I guess we have to do this the hard way, then.” Eggman snapped his fingers before two Egg Pawns grabbed the heroes from behind. “Although with you two in my care, it’ll make getting what I want much easier.” As Cream and Cheese unsuccessfully struggled to pull away from the Egg Pawns’ metallic grasps, Robotnik peered down at an unoccupied soldier, standing at the ready.

“You there!” Eggman pointed at the machine, the pawn instantly saluting the evil doctor. “Go fetch the Chaos Emerald so we can be on our way.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?” The evil doctor set his sights on the motherly voice coming from the porch. Vanilla held the grey gem in her hand as she glared at Eggman from the damaged patio.

“How dare you, picking on a young girl and her pet chao!” She briskly walked across the porch, intending to chew him out up close.

“Egg Pawns, retrieve the Chaos Emerald from this rabbit by any means necessary!” Eggman yelled as he pointed toward Vanilla, the remaining five unoccupied, undamaged robots swarming the elder bunny.

“No momma! Don’t do it!” Cream and Cheese were hastily thrown into the birdcage dangling from the Egg Mobile, the two colliding with the metal bars on the opposite side, wincing at the resulting pain as they stood up in their new prison. “Run away! Please don’t get hurt!”

“Cream…” Vanilla watched as her daughter’s eyes filled with tears, the little bunny’s hands clasping the rusty bars of the cage as she begged her mother to flee. Vanilla turned her gaze up to Eggman, staring into his glasses-covered eyes with a menacing glare.

“No…I’m gonna protect Cream…at all costs!”

The Egg Pawns ascended the damaged patio, lunging directly toward the older bunny. Bending her knees, Vanilla dodged the diving pawn’s attack, chopping its back from behind as she spun around to meet her next opponent, her motherly instincts manifesting in a way which rivaled Robotnik’s forces. The mechanical soldier fell over, sparks encompassing the downed robot.

“…M…momma?” Cream was in shock, having never seen her mother so much as lift a fork in anger let alone take down an Eggman robot.

“Who’s next?” Vanilla bent her knees, pulling her arm forward as she extended and retracted her gloved fingers into her palm, beckoning her next challenger to approach the impromptu wooden ring. As if on cue, another Egg Pawn, this one wielding a lance, threw itself at the rabbit with brute force. Vanilla dodged, the robot’s spear shattering the door as the pawn fell on a long shard of glass, permanently putting it out of commission.

Without missing a beat, Vanilla punched another pawn in the face, causing its panel-like teeth to dim as the robotic soldier flew backward, tumbling down the dilapidated stairs.

“Grrr…you insolent rabbit! I’ve had enough of your tricks!” Robotnik flew his Egg Mobile upward, carrying his captors with him. “If you don’t throw me the Chaos Emerald, I’ll drop your precious daughter to the ground below.” Eggman laughed, his bellowing voice echoing into Vanilla’s large ears. “If she’s lucky, Cream may come out of it with merely a broken leg…or two.”

“Cream!” Vanilla jumped over the shattered wooden steps, landing in the grass as she helplessly watched Cream and Cheese from below.

“So what will it be?” Eggman massaged his mustache, grinning in satisfaction as he peered down at the distraught mother. “The Chaos Emerald for the safety of your daughter? Sounds like a reasonable trade if you ask me. Wooahhooohoohooo!”

Vanilla gripped the grey gem in her hand, her arm shaking as tears began to flow down her face. “Okay Eggman…you win…just don’t hurt her.”

“No way! Give me the emerald first!” Robotnik reached an arm down along the side of the Egg Mobile, a smirk growing on his face as he readied himself to catch the gem.

“…Okay…” She cleared her tears with her arm as she prepared to throw the emerald up to the evil doctor.

“No momma! Don’t do it! He’s tricking you!” Tears were falling from Cream’s muzzle as she shook the metal bars, hoping to persuade her mother to keep the gem, but it was too late; Vanilla threw the grey emerald upward, the gem whizzing past the birdcage before landing in Eggman’s gloved hand. Eyeing it intently, he gave a bellowing laugh as he turned the Egg Mobile around.

“Wait! You have the emerald, now give me back my daughter!”

“Oh, was that the agreement now?” Robotnik snickered. “All I said was that your daughter would be safe. I never mentioned anything about returning her!” Eggman’s laughter dissipated as his Egg Mobile zipped away, taking Cream and Cheese along for the ride. The remaining Egg Pawns followed them on foot, leaving Vanilla alone in the backyard battlefield.  

The distraught mother collapsed to the ground, the wet grass staining her dress as tears flowed down her face. “Oh Cream…I’m so sorry…” She stared aimlessly at the ground, machine parts strewn about her as she replayed her daughter’s kidnapping over and over in her head, tears dripping from her muzzle and landing on her knees.

After what felt like forever, Vanilla stumbled to her feet, the physical and emotional toll from the fight and the loss of her daughter catching up to the weary rabbit as she stepped over the destroyed Egg Pawn blocking the back entrance of her cottage.

Making her way to the kitchen counter, Vanilla leaned forward as she struggled to pull a phone toward her, dialing a set of numbers before placing it to her ear.

“Hey Vanilla! How is it going?”

“Amy…please…help me…he…Eggman…took Cream…”

“…Please help...”

*****

Chapter 10 can be found here. 

Dedicated to @thadelightfulone . 🏈 This will have five parts. Disclaimer: Okay there was a big mistake in Cali geography from the last part but I'm getting it together.. 😂 Word Count: 3,388

Cute and chubby reader lives her life through books. Erik lives his life on the field. Can they meet in the middle to make it work?

Part 2: Training Season

“HUT.. HUT.. HUT!” Erik grunted loudly, his cheeks puffing as he squatted low before standing with the 80lb Eleiko weighted spiderbar rested on his broad shoulders over and over in a consistent motion using pure quad and core strength.

“You got it. Right there! Right there! Come on,” Travis guided as Erik fought vigilantly through the burn in his muscles.

“AN-,” he panted coming up again with all his might, “ANSWER THAT,” he barked, breathless. His phone was ringing from next to his yellow Gatorade bottle. “Before it goes to voicemail,” he grunted almost to the end of his spider bar squats. He’d already run four miles. His phone was laying right there on top of his gym bag. Travis, his trainer, just had to move his ass and run to it instead of speed walking. “FASTER nigga,” Erik yelled, resting in a standing position with his squat reps completed. “If I’m working this hard, you can run for five seconds.” He almost missed the call, but Travis picked it up in time.

“He’s training. Who is this?… Who?… It’s a Y/N,” he yelled.

“Tell her to hold on while you take these weights down,” Erik grunted allowing Travis to properly remove the weights as requested. He’d dropped the bar with a loud thud once and Travis ain’t appreciate that, angrily telling him how much the equipment cost. Since then, Erik made it a point to respect the property of the training center. Just because he could afford to replace the bars many times over didn't mean he planned to waste his money like that.

“Hand me the phone,” Erik waved, swallowing the gulp of his Gatorade before putting the phone to his ear. “Y/N… Y/N,” he turned the name over as if he were trying to recall where he’d heard it. “Doesn’t ring a bell. Jog my memory.” Travis threw him a towel to wipe his face and neck with. Sweat was collecting on his brow. Of course he knew who she was. The number on the iPhone screen was the number he’d studied to the point of memorization after Savrina wrote it down for him.

“You early coming on this side, bro. You heading on over to Napa or flying back to LA,” Erik asked Sean, who’d made himself at home and was playing Dead or Alive 6 on the xbox. Sean had popped up on him accompanied by one of his favorite bitches, without warning. They both almost got shot at the door. “Fuck is yo problem,” Erik snapped at Savrina. She’d been looking at him all stupid since she walked in. He thought they were cool.

“You ain’t that cute,” she frowned rolling her neck seemingly unprovoked, looking him up and down. Sean snickered with a wide grin enjoying the drama and Erik kissed his teeth, his lip curling in irritation.

“Like I give a damn. Let me be ugly ‘cause you ain’t my type either.”

“What IS your type? No really, enlighten me because I thought you were a man of substance? You think you just about to ghost my friend like nothing?”

“Well maybe she was ugly. My man, Erik, picky ‘bout bitches,” Sean yelled out. Savrina ignored him with a deep eyeroll. She ain't really like Sean, Erik could tell.

“You can’t even respond to a fucking DM to say you aren’t interested. Five seconds from your day. Five. Fuck you. She don’t need this shit, she better than you. And here I thought you’d be the one to have some sense but–”

“DM.. what DM,” he waved cutting her off. He had to stop her because her finger was going crazy and she was about to go a mile per minute, he could feel her words rushing to spill out together all at once.

“The DM she sent you, don’t fucking… act like… Wait. Did you really not get it?” He shrugged as she cocked her head to the side in thought. “This changes everything. Check your DM’s real quick. Check it!”

“Okay, shit.. No DM. I don’t know who she think she messaged, it wasn’t me.”

“You got two IG pages,” Sean reminded Erik. He hadn’t even been thinking about that.

“I got the password to that shit somewhere.. If it wasn’t a fan page, she must’ve DM’d the page ran by my publicist. I don’t even use it that’s why it only follows three people.”

“Aww.. I’m sorry I called you unattractive, boo. You’re really cute! I was just mad. I get overprotective,” Savrina grinned causing him to stare through lowered brows, unconvinced. “Since this whole thing was a big misunderstanding, can I give you her number and have you call her to let her know what’s what?” She wrote it as she spoke on the corner of a page she ripped from the sports magazine on his end table, before he could answer. Typically, he’d raise hell but since she was writing digits, he let it slide.

“Does your friend know you be giving out her number? Last I checked, she wasn’t checking for a nigga.. at all.”

“You know how it is with the real ones, Erik, it takes some vigilance. Some time. She’s cautious. She’s not going to jump and bussit for the first rich prettyboy who gives her attention or flashes a card.” He narrowed his eyes looking back and forth from her to Sean who was still engulfed in the game and she rolled her eyes, a cue for him to keep his mouth shut and mind his business. “Give her another chance. If she shits on it this time, I’ll kick her ass myself.”

“You tell her scary ass to call ME. Otherwise, I’m busy,” he said typing his number in her phone and balling up the paper number to throw in the wastebasket across the room. Savrina twisted her nose in an irritated frown. “She'll call and we'll go from there.. or she won't and we'll move on,” he nodded firmly. That was his final word. He hopped on the game with Sean and the couple spent the night in his spare room having loud sex through the night. It was around 4 AM when Erik crept silently back to the wastebasket to retrieve that wrinkled triangle of paper. He looked at it, reciting the number in his head over and over before shoving it in the pocket of his joggers.

“Y/N from the pool party in LA a while back? We hung out for a bit.. I got your number from Savrina?” The fact that she really thought he didn't remember tickled him. What kind of life did she think he lived to forget shit like that? He was a pro athlete not a xanax rapper.

“I remember,” he said throwing her a bone.

“Hey look, um,” she paused as if she still wasn't sure in her mind what she wanted. Spit it out, he thought. “I don’t know if you’re still interested or–” Or? Sitting down on the weight bench, he waited patiently for her to speak. “Basically, I was wondering if you wanted to meet and hang out or something. I think.. no, I know that I judged you too soon and I want to apologize formally for that.” He waited to see if she was done, listening to the silence over the line and pinching his nasal bridge.

“You just apologized. What you need to meet me for, to do it again?” He scoffed rubbing the lines smooth and flat on his forehead. “Hang out. You wanna hang out with me? Are we fifteen? I’m looking for something real, something permanent. I need to be able to call on you 2 AM. Ain’t no casual hanging out for me.” He waited listening for what she had to say. Nothing. “If you in, you all the way or don’t waste my time.” The silence stretched on further on her end. “Call me back when you figure yourself out,” he said hanging up.

Travis smirked playfully. “You done with The Young and the Restless?”

“Why you up on my dick? Get the weights on, nigga,” Erik chuckled. Travis put the weights on the bar and positioned himself to spot, signaling for Erik to lay back into position and begin lifting.

—

Did he just call me out for being a fuckboy? Incredulous, you stare at the phone in your hand. 2 AM? Nigga. I’ve got a job and a life with no one to step in and live it for me. I’m not picking up at 2 AM to fly to your city at the drop of a hat on ANY day. I don’t care how fine you are. You push the trolly of books down an aisle to organize them on the shelves in their proper places based on the decimal numbers on their spines.

You’re both two busy people in different cities and both of your lives and careers are important.  In fact, you're in the process of picking up a second job in editing. You're already dabbling and you don't plan to stop any of what you're doing to set yourself back in any way. What type of Ja Rule 'Always On Time’ relationship does he expect? It gets you thinking. Could you really go all in for a man who you barely even know? Should you? Your full attention, access to your every hour (waking and non), and all of your energy. Can you afford to give that up? Nah. No. Your free time, you can give. Sacrificing, however? Tuh. In the memory of the late great Eartha Kitt, you whisper, “Compromise? What is compromising? Compromising for what? Compromising for what reason? To compromise? FOR WHAT?” Snickering in your own world, you push the trolly to the next aisle to reshelf a few more. Law books and code books. “Stupid.. A man comes into MY life and I have to compromise? You must think about that one again,” you mumble trying not to make too much sound. Eartha had it right. When the books are reshelved, you return to the circulation desk. No one seems to need assistance at the moment so you type out a series of messages in the group chat detailing what happened with the phone call.

Max: Well that's one way to lose a guy. Kate Hudson should've called you.

Danica: No comment

Danica: Actually, I do have a comment. You're weighing the cons with no consideration of the pros. Think on that.

Max: No, no, let her date Brock the Princeton jock with no cultural integrity. Maybe she'll be happy.

Y/N: Oh no, I don't do white boys. No matter how nice a white boy seems, he's always an argument or three words away from calling you a nigger. I refuse.

Savrina: I will wring your thick ass neck if you don't call him back. What more do you want? Are you dumb?

Max: *eats popcorn*

Y/N: Suck a dick and get off mine. I'm trying to think this through instead of investing myself into a relationship that's a waste of time.

Danica: Just think about it. That's all we're saying.

Leaving the chat, you grab your bottle of water and take a long swig looking up to see people walking to and fro. Sometimes the library is extremely busy and other times it's pretty much dead. You decide to use the break to reconsider and think about the pros. What were the pros of dating an NFL player? Money? Clout? That's about it. That's all you could think of, a sugar daddy situation only Erik is young and cute.. and he smells good.. surprisingly. You reopen the chat briefly ignoring the string of choice words from Savrina.

Danica: No one's asking you to give up yourself or your life, just live a little. You're too safe.

Too safe? Is there really a such thing? The idea sends you down a spiral of thoughts. What makes a thing or a person worth the risk of losing your time and energy, both things you cannot get back? When you Google the question, a quote pops up and arrests you. “‘It’s impossible’, said pride. ‘It’s risky’, said experience. ‘It’s pointless’, said reason. ‘Give it a try’, whispered the heart.”

You pull up Erik's number, your finger hovering over the call button. If you're honest, you do want to know him. You want to sit and talk with him and figure out what you have in common. You're interested and you can't lie about that, but you have to be sure. You don't want to waste your time or his.

With a deep sigh, you determine in your mind that this is worth the risk of it not working out. You call the number back and it rings going to voicemail, but then he calls back almost immediately.

“I’m still training,” he blurts and you can hear the clinking of what sounds like weights in the background.

“I’ll make this brief. I’m interested in you. What now?”

“What’s your cashapp?” Just like that. You tell him and he goes silent for a few seconds. “Sent. Come to Oakland. I’ll text you the address.”

Hanging up, you check your cashapp. $200 added. You decide on Saturday. You’ll leave from Inglewood on a 1 hour 20 minute flight to Oakland and come back the next day, Sunday. It works for your schedule. It’s gonna have to work for his. You send a text letting him know when you’ll be there before messaging the group chat to let them know you booked the date. Like a game of telephone, it’s minutes before your entire circle knows and the chat is blinging.

Saturday is the day where you go through airport security and board the plane to Oakland, unsure of what awaits you. You're happy to fly because you surely weren't driving. Looking at the clouds through the window and reading through the book in document form you've been trusted to proof and edit occupies you until the plane lands and you head to the airport exit to find a taxi, almost missing the big sign with your name on it. A black boy who looks like he just graduated high school is holding it high and tossing it, making it dance in the air. He makes eye contact, walking hesitantly toward you. "Ms. Y/N," he asks leaning forward and when you confirm, he looks so happy. "Erik gave me a description and I was hoping I didn't miss you. I'm Devon," he smiles shaking your hand. "This it?" He grabs your shoulder bag from your arm. "Aw man, you must not plan on staying. That's too bad, training season is lit! How was your flight? Where are you coming from?" He continues with the small talk as he leads you to a shiny black range rover, opening the passenger door for you and putting your bag in the back. He turns the key in the ignition and some lively song you've never heard plays over the speaker. "I don't think he knows you're leaving so soon. He said bring you to his place and then you'll head to the training center."

"How far is his house from the training center?"

"Oh don't worry, it's like 30 minutes," he says catching the concern in your tone. It's still very early, only 7:45 AM, but still you plan to leave on time tomorrow to make your 6 AM flight back to Inglewood.

Erik's house is fairly large. When he opens the door, he's just as fine as you remember and even taller it seems. "Oh, ok..," you smile, eyes widening anxiously as he wraps his muscular arms firmly around your thick waist, his face grazing your hair. He's shirtless and barefoot in grey sweatpants, scarred and defined abs and chest out and proud. He smells like soap and you know he's fresh out the shower.

"What you mean oh, ok," he smiles pulling back.

"I mean oh, ok... You have a nice place," you say nodding casually as you look around at everything but him. You feel anything but casual.

"But you said it when I hugged you, not when you made your arrival. Don't tell me you shy! You bitchin up on me?" Your eyes dart to his and he smirks. "Bruh we gone stand out here or you coming inside?" Kissing your teeth you push past him.

"You have a maid?" You inquire because the place is far too neat for a single young male athlete. The interior is nice with white walls and contemporary decor.

"Nope.. Against popular belief, we aren't all dirty animals living waist deep in our own filth."

You grimace. "I stuck my foot in my mouth again." Turning to look Erik in the eye, you try your best to communicate nonverbally that you had no malicious intent.

"You alright? ...Or you still under the spell of my good looks," he teases and you roll your eyes. He's just fine.

"You're not that cute," you lie with a teasing smile that betrays your actual thoughts. He nods.

"That seems to be the popular opinion nowadays. Your friend said the same thing. Fuck you, she don't need this shit," He mocks playfully in a high voice copying her gestures and you laugh because that's Savrina. He's got her down perfectly with the finger pointing all crazy. "This is you," he says catching your attention with a small gesture like he's about to act a scene. "Um.. Hi? Um.. D-Do you remember me? From, um, LA?" His immitation is quiet and meek and he shrinks his massive body hunching over to look small. You walk up to slap his arm.

"I do not sound like that!"

"Not now," his chest bounces, "But on the phone.. like I wouldn't remember you. How could I forget you? You told me off, almost made me kill my teammate, and turned me down all in the same day. You dangerous as hell. Then you got me cussed out like I ain't a child of God." That makes you weak and you fall over yourself giggling, your finger in the air begging for a moment to recover.

"In Savrina's defense, she does get protective and she's very stubborn, but it comes from a good place.. speaking of, do you have any food because I'm famished. I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

"You ain't e- DEVON," Erik calls, "Why you ain't feed my woman?" The boy pops up from a different room and you realize you didn't even feel him pass you to enter the house.

"My bad E, I ain't know she was hungry," he calls back and Erik folds a bill in his hand before he's out the door. "Bye Ms. Y/N," he grins passing you and the door closes behind him.

"Mhm," Erik hums like he's watching Devon. "Good kid. He's finna start college in a bit, but until then..," Erik shrugs.

"You pay him to do odd jobs, help him earn a little money," you smile putting two and two together. He nods and you can tell he's not comfortable with elaborating so you drop it. "I'm hungry," you remind him to change the subject and he jumps to lead you into the kitchen.

"Have a seat and watch ya boy work," he points to a tall chair at the kitchen island. You're about to get the inside scoop on what I eat on a training day."

He goes to work cooking a high protein meal while his body moves and flexes filling you with a completely different type of hunger. He whips out the turkey bacon and eggs and you watch, thoroughly entertained by his off the wall commentary and artistic flare. He's definitely trying to impress you with his cooking techniques and it gives you a genuine smile. In a moment when he's just cooking and things are quiet, it's not awkward. It's just peaceful. You chuckle and he looks back at you to read your expression. "Nothing," you smile in answer to his unvoiced question. He raises a brow but lets it go. You'd tell him the truth, that you're just really happy you came and glad you took a chance but you don't want to sound corny so you just rest your hand over your mouth to cover the smile that won't be smothered and you continue watching his back as he cooks the both of you breakfast.

@muse-of-mbaku @imaginewhoever @whoramilaje @panthergoddessbast @thadelightfulone @misspooh @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @marvelpotterlove @youreadthatright @forbeautyandlife @theunsweetenedtruth @bidibidibombaclaat @myboyfriendgiriboy @dameshaemonique @blackpantherimagines   @vikkidc @hidden-treasures21 @mysidefanting @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @syndrlla97 @winteroflife @thotyana-in-this-hoe   @texasbama @gingerylimonte @princessstevens   @magic-madness-heavensin @wawakanda-btch @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @wakanda-inspired @blackgirloneshots @thegucciwaffle @thiccdaddy-mbaku   @monogamous-nympho @drsunshine97 @purplehairgawdess @trevantesbrat @indigoxsummers @cccccx1   @dynastylnoire @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @fonville-designs @they-call-me-le @theblulife @raysunshine78 @sheisexcellent

When Worlds Collide: Part Four (Limited Series)

  Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction. Overall Series Rating: 18+ Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her. Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), Taylor Reed (ES), and Donovan Bailey (TE). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header. Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @debramcg1106 @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @ladynonsense @kinkykingliam @jlouise88   @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam@tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you @eileendannie @imogen-wescott

*** Westchester, Oregon - Many Years Ago Not many people came to visit the old lady in the woods. Just the way Cora Pritchard preferred. The last time she had company, her visitor had traveled from relatively nearby Pine Springs for some advice. But that was some time ago. The new guest she was expecting would be coming from much further away and would be in a much more dire situation.

The young, and very pregnant, brunette arrived at Cora’s door late one night, knowing the elderly woman was the only person that could help keep her unborn daughters stay safe. She knew after her first trimester that something was different about the pregnancy. Her coven wasn’t sure what to make of her complications, so she made her way across the country to find Cora. Members of her coven had always held Cora in high regard as one of the most powerful witches in the country. If anyone could help, it would be Cora Pritchard. As the last few months of Anastasia Freeman’s pregnancy progressed, Cora tended to her needs as best as an old woman could, especially with limited resources. Anastasia appreciated it all. She knew Cora had modest means, but her willingness to help a stranger be as comfortable as possible during the final days of her life was truly a blessing. “Cora,” Anastasia called with shallow breath. “It’s almost time.” Cora gripped the young woman’s hand tightly. “Are you sure this is what you want my dear? There is still time to get to a hospital.” “No. We can’t. They’ll ask questions. It will get back to my children’s father and he can never know they exist.” Anastasia cried out as her contractions began to intensify. “He’s hell-bent on power and if he knew that his mistress bore children with such gifts; he’d exploit them. I want my daughters to grow up with a normal childhood Cora. Promise me you’ll do as we discussed. Promise me that Adam Vega will never know of his daughters.” “I promise you Anastasia. Your secret is safe with me. Your daughters will never end up under Vega’s control.” Years had long passed since Cora performed a binding spell, but back then it was to reign in a rebellious young witch who didn’t realize the honor it was to possess such magical powers. This binding spell was much different; much stronger. The three infant subjects had no idea their birth was a once in a millennia event that could unleash a power struggle between good and evil that would decimate the planet. Cora intended to keep their births unknown per Anastasia’s final wish. There would be groups on both sides searching for the trio of sisters, but Cora would do everything in her power to keep them protected from harm. Cora successfully bound the powers the infants possessed, but the massive spell drained most of her energy. Recuperation took several days, yet she still managed to tend to the trio of babies left to her charge. After a few day of caring for the newborns and a private burial ceremony for Anastasia, Cora prepared the sisters to be taken to their new homes. The incantation she used would allow her to always know their locations should the need ever arise where Cora had to undo the spell and unleash the sisters’ powers. For most of their childhoods, things went smoothly for Abby and Scarlett. They were both raised in loving family units. Carissa’s situation, however, was unexpected. The young couple Cora had selected to raise Carissa ended up divorcing a few weeks after the she was placed with them. Rather than contacting Cora, the couple abandoned the baby at a local hospital. Cora debated finding baby Carissa a new home, but didn’t want to raise suspicions with any entities or groups seeking the power of the sisters. So she left the baby in the care of the state. As the years passed, Cora monitored from afar. Only once did she have to interact in the lives of all three to avert the sister’s discovering each other. The trio had all been drawn to New York City in their early 20’s. For Cora, it made her realize just how strong their bonds were to one another. The three unknown sisters lived within a few blocks of one another and it would only be a matter of time until fate brought them together. Until Cora changed all that from happening. San Francisco, California “We are never going to find a writer worthy of what we’ve established here.” Martin thrust his fists against the glass conference table, tired and annoyed at looking through countless résumés. “ClickIt is at the top of its game TJ and we can’t just accept anyone. We need someone with quality and a thirst to get ahead of the trends.” “You’re so right bro. They should also be hot.” Before TJ could continue, a knock at the conference room door interrupted his train of thought, which no doubt would have continued down the path of wanting a writer for their physical attributes. “What?” The elderly secretary from the Temp Agency shuffled her way inside. She was friendly enough, but something in her scared TJ to his core. “I’m sorry to interrupt gentlemen,” she began, “it seems that this one résumé was previously misplaced.” She dropped the document off in front of Martin before making her way back to the door. “I think you’ll agree that this woman would be the best candidate for the company.” Martin quickly glanced through the woman’s qualifications and liked what he saw. “Thank you Cora,” he said, but she was already gone. It would be the last time Martin or TJ ever saw the elderly woman. “Abby Bennett huh?” TJ remarked after snatching the résumé from Martin’s hands. “She is definitely qualified. And she sounds like a hottie. Let’s hire her and be done with this nonsense.” New York City, New York Three dates with the reclusive billionaire and Abby couldn’t believe just how wrong she had been about him. She had imagined that Adrian Raines was like every other rich guy she ever met: Arrogant. Selfish. Philanderer. After getting to know him, however, Abby realized Adrian was nothing like the others. As an interview subject, he was rather boring; but the dates were a very different story. Abby snuggled her back close to Adrian’s firm chest as he wrapped his strong arms around her midsection. She was absolutely floored at how ridiculously muscular Adrian was beneath his expensive Italian suit, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. And the sex - goodness was the sex incredible. Abby couldn’t believe that someone so young could perform as if he had a lifetime of experience. Adrian brushed a strand of hair from Abby’s neck as he placed a gentle kiss to her collarbone. “I can’t believe that just happened. I usually don’t move to intimacy so quickly, but something about you Abby just drew me into your grasp.” “Squats. I do squats like you wouldn’t believe. Never underestimate the power of a nice booty,” Abby joked as she turned into Adrian’s embrace. She ran her fingers up his washboard abs, eliciting a soft moan from her lover. “You clearly know the benefits of going to the gym as well.” Abby pressed her lips to Adrian’s while pushing him onto his back. She straddled his waist, raking her fingers down his taut chest, ready to go for another round when her cell phone blared with an incoming call. She glanced at the number, immediately recognizing the San Francisco area code, and promptly rolled off Adrian. “Sorry. I’ve been expecting this call and need to take it.” Several minutes passed and Adrian propped his body up on his elbow while still lying in bed as he watched Abby pace his penthouse master bedroom. Adrian could tell she was excited, but was actively working to contain that emotion from coming through in her voice. “Seems like you’ve got some good news,” he commented when she hung up her phone. “I’ve been offered a position as a Featured Contributor with ClickIt in San Francisco,” Abby squealed as she jumped back onto Adrian’s bed. She shoved him onto his back once again and re-straddled his lap. “I’ve wanted this job for months. I can finally work at a place that is solely focused on digital media, unlike the frickin’ Manhattan Daily which keeps stifling my attempts to expand their digital footprint with an app.” “San Francisco huh? I’m happy for you, but I won’t lie. I was hoping to get to know you better.” “Oh Adrian. I’m sorry. I wasn’t really looking for anything serious. I figured we were just having some fun.” Abby pressed her hips down tightly on Adrian’s waist, slightly gyrating until she felt his manhood respond. “You’re a fantastic guy and one day you’ll make some lucky lady very happy.” Abby kept grinding into Adrian as she leaned forward and kissed his soft lips once again. “Until then, we’ve got the rest of tonight to have a good time and I think you should give me a proper send off.” Adrian rolled Abby over and positioned himself above her. “With pleasure,” he whispered as he slowly pressed inside Abby’s core for the second time that night. ___ “I wish you didn’t have to go through with this Liam. Just tell Leo to take it back.” Drake nudged his head tighter into the crook of Liam’s shoulder. His hand draped across his best friend’s bare chest. Drake lightly massaged one of Liam’s nipples into a hardened peak as his mind came to the realization that this could very well be the last time he got to cuddle in his lover’s arms. “I hate him for doing this to you. To us.” Liam understood Drake’s pain. For as long as he knew what it meant to love, Liam always believed that he would be with Drake. However, all of that changed when Leo abdicated the throne. As progressive a country Cordonia was, Liam knew that his time with Drake was over. While the people of his kingdom may accept a Prince Consort, the laws were still deeply archaic and required him to produce a natural-born heir to the throne lest the reign of the Rys family come to an end. Liam knew he had to put his country before his own needs. “You don’t hate him Drake. As much as it pains me that I can no longer be with you, we both know that this is what is best for Cordonia. I love Leo, but can you imagine him running a country?” Drake chuckled at the thought before rolling on top of Liam, pressing his chest tightly to his best friend’s firm body. “All I want to think about his going down on you one last time.” Drake slipped beneath the covers, about to pleasure Liam, when the bedroom door flew open. He felt his best friend immediately tense up at the intrusion and once he heard the voice, he knew why. “What are you still doing in bed Liam? I have a night of fun planned. Tariq and I are downstairs waiting,” Maxwell said with ferocious energy as he plopped himself down on the bed beside Liam. “Do you know where Drake is? He wasn’t in his room. I checked.” “Not a clue. How did you get in here? The door was locked.” Liam made sure not to pull the covers too tight so Drake would not be revealed hiding beneath. “I had keys made to everyone’s room. How else am I to give my patented Beaumont morning greetings?” Maxwell sprung from the bed and was back by the door in an instant. “Anyway Liam, hurry up and get dressed. I’m gonna search for Drake. See you downstairs.” The energetic young Beaumont disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Liam peeled back the covers to reveal a startled Drake looking up at him. “Well that kinda killed the mood.” “Yup.” Downstairs, Maxwell found Tariq waiting in the lobby without Drake. Lord Beaumont had checked his room a second time after leaving Liam’s, but it was still empty. “Still no sign of him Tariq.” Maxwell was simply met with a knowing smirk from the nobleman. “He’s gonna miss out on all the fun.” Maxwell began to rattle off all of the places he planned for the group to experience tonight, when a gentle hand tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes?” He questioned spinning around to see a frail looking old woman. “I’m sorry to interrupt young man, but I couldn’t help overhearing your plans for the evening. With your exciting agenda, you’re going to work up quite the appetite. There is a quaint bar not too far from here that has the best burgers in the city. Ones that will change your life.” “Ooooooh. That sounds yummy!” “Indeed they are. And if you go, I hope that you get Carissa as your server. She is a bright flower in this concrete jungle waiting to bloom.” “Like a little blossom?” Maxwell questioned. “Exactly my dear.” “This is awesome. Thank you Miss...?” “Cora.” “Thank you Miss Cora.” Maxwell took the elderly woman’s hand and kissed it gently, when he spotted Liam and Drake step off the elevator and into the lobby. He excused himself from his new friend to greet the King-to-be and Drake. “It’s about time! We are gonna have so much fun. And this sweet old woman just gave me a lead on a fantastic place for burgers later.” “What old woman?” Drake questioned. Maxwell turned to see that Cora was no longer where he left her. “But she was just...?” A look of confusion crossed his face as he craned his neck around the lobby to no avail. “Tariq? You saw her right?” Tariq shook his head not even looking up from his phone, no doubt swiping to find a hook-up for the night. “Right. Well shall we go?” Liam asked ready to get the group focused on having a good time for his bachelor party. “I’m looking forward to having a great night out with friends. And we will definitely be going to grab those burgers later because I’ve been craving one ever since we landed in America.” ___ The following morning, Cora Pritchard found herself sitting on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs situated on either side of the worn brown door belonging to the office of Damien Nazario, Private Investigator. The building was rather rundown, borderline squalor, but no more decrepit than the shack she called home. Several moments passed before the attractive former police officer arrived. His dark hair was matted to his head and his body covered in a fine layer of sweat. If Cora had to venture a guess, she must have caught him after his morning run, before he went for his usual morning coffee with his friend Kyle. “Good morning ma’am,” Damien said with a smile as he grabbed his office key from his pocket to unlock the door. It was quite unusual for him to have someone waiting for him so early in the morning since he tended not to open for business until well after 10am. Hell, even then it was unusual for him to have a walk-in client. Most of his business operated on referrals. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long. I usually don’t open for another three hours.” “Oh that’s quite alright Mr. Nazario,” Cora said with a grandmotherly smile as she followed the fit investigator into his office. The place was an average size and, much to Cora’s surprise, was fairly well organized. Several pictures of him with a pair of people, who appeared related, adorned the walls. More pictures with the same people were in frames on Damien’s desk. “I won’t take up much of your time.” Cora took a seat across from where Damien usually sat when meeting with clients, nonchalantly swiping the closet framed photo to take a look. “A Ms. Scarlett Joy had applied for a Junior Editor position with Piquant Press recently and we wanted to schedule an interview for her with the Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Peralta. I’m afraid the phone number she provided is incorrect, so we weren’t able to reach her. She listed your office as the most recent place of employment so I thought I’d stop by to set up the interview.” A brief look of disappointment washed over Damien. He was looking forward to catching another case since he could use the money. “Oh I see,” he replied fumbling around his office looking for a spare shirt to cover himself. Unable to locate one quickly, Damien took a seat across from Cora. “I’m sorry ma’am. I don’t usually have conversations with people dressed like this,” he said motioning to himself. “Or undressed like this,” Cora joked. “But it’s quite alright Mr. Nazario. I’ve seen plenty of shirtless men in my time, although few as remarkable looking as you.” A chuckle escaped Damien’s throat as his face blushed slightly. “Well, thank you,” he replied caught off guard by the old woman’s remark. Cora could sense he was a little flustered by her comment. “I’m old Mr. Nazario. Not dead,” she laughed. “Your boyfriend here is a lucky man.” Cora placed the picture of Damien with his arm wrapped around a young man’s shoulder, both smiling brightly, back onto his desk. “Who? Kyle?” Damien stammered. “No, no. Kyle is my best friend. He and his cousin, Nadia, are in fact. I’m actually dating Scarlett.” “My apologies Mr. Nazario,” Cora said as she stood from her seat. “Well if you could have Ms. Joy call Mr. Peralta’s office so that her interview can be scheduled, it would be greatly appreciated.” “Not a problem.” “Thank you for your time. And again, I’m sorry for my confusion.” “It’s quite alright,” Damien said standing behind his desk as Cora made her way towards the door. “Can I ask you a quick question though?” Cora stopped and looked back towards the investigator. “Why did you think Kyle was my boyfriend?” “All of the pictures in your office feature you and him. You both look very happy together in them.” Cora watched as Damien glanced around looking at all of the photos. She could tell that he was taking in her words. “Life is short Mr. Nazario. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart or chase your dreams. I hope that you’ll encourage Ms. Joy to follow her dreams as well. I have a very strong feeling that she will do well on this interview. Piquant Press would be fortunate to have a woman with her talents.” With a final nod to Damien, Cora exited the office. Westchester, Oregon Minutes after speaking with Damien, Cora collapsed down into an overstuffed chair in her living room. Her body wasn’t used to astral projection, let alone doing it three times in repeating days. She needed time to rest and recover, but she hoped that her efforts to keep the sisters apart and safe proved fruitful. *** (To be continued)

Links

Earth Pond shared on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2R8nuNi_xY

whyter Odd tv OG flat earther https://www.youtube.com/user/MrDoseman

Uap for flat earth and tartaria/mudflood https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnK3gIeVugsW_MzkG82pcUQ

Dr Jon D, measurements for FE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrV1BQhaufM-PsEtMjjehDQ

D marble, fe observations/ research https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOP7kv7dFIQzGxqDRuWtUCw

Red pill philosophy, globe skeptic https://www.youtube.com/user/LifeLibertyNow

Russianvids, flat earth OG autohoaxer, https://www.youtube.com/user/BuildingNumber7

Jeranism og flat earther https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_FY5mR4g22L_E9t1D_ExQ

Eric dubay Og flat earther https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_CSKUIVVFlfocgezQEBDg

Marty Leeds for gematria and general info https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjcYXazpAS5g9uUEeQMAC4Q

Jon Levi tartaria/mudflood/architecture https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5vXBfxN7rxKeJHJxS8dNDw

Globe busters Sunday FE talk show https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXIovaBdnA4UHdd-TZ-MqRg

Nathan Oakley debate flat earth https://www.youtube.com/user/NathanOakley1980

The NASA channel og flat earther https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNASAchannel

Rob skiba, fe fesearch/observation, Bible https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoiIt_v1D-6z75LmrdIU2aw

Balls out physics Brian Mullen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYEzK9HvAh5jI_Mr-w_6nscAUvhPHqBqc

Fe paradise, fe philosophy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrMtGn3xwOY2Q7BbyYBkAnQ

Aplanetruthinfo lots of goodies https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoCRM1rq5P3ODxC6RbfWEXw

Taboo conspiracy flat earth and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU-1R9qMNQcSupm6o1TfSTQ

Truth unveiled777 current events and Yahushua https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9YuzFsaIfCH25tSmPRvqyA

Decimal z, fe research and observation https://www.youtube.com/user/MrZtotheO

Feed your mind2, fe research https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9FeyiPyDG92NkxXzZr98qg

Bro Sanchez, fe livestream and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC--mKMTBMxilVT1yGSp2ZUQ

Authentic intent flat smacking https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUyESujKVvSpP6Z6FvyPwQw

Horry sheetshow online flat smacking https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRCIfeu2VvYUZQepykHYzDA

Ranty flat earth, observations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6XOkw6bHnw_tb5Iijc8LPg

The morgile, FE research https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMorgile

DITRH, FE research and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6s_ScG0PZThdwhKsUFSRw

Subtle infinity, FE philosophy/research https://www.youtube.com/user/l3ano

Jewrassic liars, exposing Zionism https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClV46NgvFqqmUJdHZvltbNg

Hacking the headlines, exposing NWO https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCIn_o5NUBDGph7CQ3zrT3w

Jay dreamerz, fe and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXYJURtHaPHC5F-mhs0kbcg

Paul on the plane, fe research https://www.youtube.com/user/HealthyEcoBaby

Antonio subirats, fe discussion https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZb1vcqOPq2BhkRkja81NXw

Wide awake, fe observation https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkxN0iPWExvmFGvbT-zvL6Q

Jungle surfer, exposing lies OG https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJUNGLESURFER

Mike helmick, fe, NASA expose, scripture https://www.youtube.com/user/omnix32

World history official, FE research https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuV7s0h4ZzM9LzsQ1Hho0cg

Fe doctrine, fe research and scripture https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqg2KuhD4-XsmcRTNFzKm8Q

Celebrate truth, FE and scripture https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz81IIi1Fu_TRUvrc_iiVDA

Chris Van Matre, fe observation and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGHF5iXb_m5Kvt9KAf8cROA

Fe music Guru, fe music and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnle0nUC3Fx0lkchpmZy0Lw

Fe sub genius, fe philosophy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYNNXLvI9lDvrSSZzwZJEhw

Polarization nation media, unified code https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiPSZHLiY_xQhOyqiZDT_Bw

The Potter’s clay, fe research and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEdOLvL6olNghR-BWghUQA

Stinky cash, fe OG https://www.youtube.com/user/jwalstein1

Probably Alexandra 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrbpH5eUxuaiyaDNVIEvYzw/videos

bythepowerof4 uuuggggggggggghghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ugggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

nickatnightwalker good morning sunshine

bythepowerof4 very very bad morning. day. all of it :/

nickatnightwalker im trying to feel compassion but you did kind of do it to yourself

bythepowerof4 do what???

bythepowerof4 i didn't get fucked bro i was only a little off lmao i just had like. a bad time ):

nickatnightwalker oh is this not a hangover moaning

bythepowerof4 god i wish

nickatnightwalker what happened as far as i could tell you stayed clothed so whatre the regrets

bythepowerof4 i did lmao. ok like ur ego is probably swelling in the wake of everyone's poor decision making, but would it inflate it more if i said u were right all along

nickatnightwalker my ego's already reached terminal velocity youre gonna have to be more specific about what i was right about

bythepowerof4 etsuko :/

bythepowerof4 and prom. and prom with etsuko

nickatnightwalker /fuck/ yes i knew it and it's a bad thing because you dont know what to say, yeah?

bythepowerof4 fuck oooooooffffffffffffffffffff yeah :/ but it's also a bad thing cause she was fucking smashed and wanted to kiss me and chucked on my shoes and oh my god

nickatnightwalker oh smooth that's a definite winner as far as first moves go

bythepowerof4 haha yeah ok but i think maybe it wasn't the first move??? and i missed the others cause im an idiot i guess??? and she was so weird and sad and i feel like shit

nickatnightwalker no in all seriousness i obviously have a bias but good things have come from worst first moves it's not your fault you didnt know something she didnt say if she's sad you didnt pick up on it that blows but it's not on you

bythepowerof4 fuck lmao u are the expert :p and yeah. are you like. very sure im in the clear bc idk tbh i got kinda pissy and im still kinda pissy cause she said weird things about me and also daisy but like, we're friends and i think i was harsh

nickatnightwalker it's not your fault for not being a mind reader

bythepowerof4 i wish i was they need a class for that here. everyone wants you to be a fucking mind reader

nickatnightwalker oh what am i gonna have to stuff somebodys second mouth with newspaper and make them smell a jockstrap or what

bythepowerof4 no you are not and none of this leaves this chat ok!!!!

nickatnightwalker yes yeah but do i have to kill her or what i already gave thiren the flu this school year im comin in hot

bythepowerof4 was that you holy shit she shared her flask you gave it like everyone lmaoooo but wait no no killing!!!! she was just like. idk im kinda fuzzy on the deets but she acted like she was scared of like. breaking girl code. getting up on some other girls territory i think she actually said territory which made me feel very gross and i still do actually wow

nickatnightwalker i didnt make anyone share her bottle im innocent of everyone else getting sick alright also what the fuck girl code? territory??

bythepowerof4 i know girl code is strange and mysterious to us both but it was still. weird

bythepowerof4 she thought she couldn't say anything cause of daisy i think. cause she brought it up before i even said shit i think???

nickatnightwalker girl code is not a thing

bythepowerof4 i think it's shorthand for like basic decency

nickatnightwalker alls fair in love and war motherfucker if you and someone else like the same person whoever wins wins theres no playing nice playing nice is like, insulting

nickatnightwalker you like who you like and someone bowing out for someone else isnt fair to you just saying

bythepowerof4 :/

nickatnightwalker im serious it's wildly outdated and treats you like something that someone has a right to

bythepowerof4 like territory

nickatnightwalker very uncool

bythepowerof4 its not her fault i think im making it sound worse than it is

nickatnightwalker to be totally fair probably she thinks you like daisy and didnt want to get in the way which is respectable and respectful and a different story but territory is very uncool

bythepowerof4 yeah i think that's closer idk i barely have it in me to be confused about one girl this sucks talking to people sucks i don't know what's going on

nickatnightwalker you dont like have to know whats going on

bythepowerof4 it clearly helps

nickatnightwalker like. not to be fake deep but feelings arent easy to parse like, ever sometimes it takes a long time so just chill it's not a big deal to not know what to say the second someone comes on to you

bythepowerof4 i did say things though like a few things and i think they were kinda mean like youre right but it Sucks !!

nickatnightwalker ok. ok like.  being mean may have cut that option off for you you know that right

bythepowerof4 oh my god

bythepowerof4 oh my god fuck

nickatnightwalker dont freak

bythepowerof4 shes not an option she's just my friend which means i shouldn't be mean yeah way too late

nickatnightwalker on a scale of 1 to 10 how bitchy were you also if shes like.  not an option.  and just your friend.  isnt that kind of your answer clea.  like i dont mean to point out the obvious or sway you in any way but im not getting strong yes vibes from this strongly negative reaction

bythepowerof4 i don't know!!! i don't know it happened very fast i think i called her dumb

nickatnightwalker ouch

bythepowerof4 and got pissy about like. how we are Always Doing This

nickatnightwalker what, throwing up on each other

bythepowerof4 her throwing up on me yes

nickatnightwalker ok i can see how thats a bit of a turn of *off

bythepowerof4 this has like. happened and i think it's bad which means i should have been nicer about it

nickatnightwalker youre really being so vague right now you mean shes tried to tell you before or what

bythepowerof4 i mean she's gotten off her fucking face and started crying before and i just like, take her to the dorm or back to mine and its like. idk

nickatnightwalker right you dont love it

nickatnightwalker is what im gathering

bythepowerof4 no i think i think i think it's kinda nice sometimes cause i like helping her and that's really really bad

nickatnightwalker it's bad that you like helping her im just trying to get this right have patience with me

bythepowerof4 well yeah if she needs to need help before i can help her

nickatnightwalker oooooookay well it's not like youre sabotaging her just to get your hero rocks off

bythepowerof4 that sounds even worse thank you

nickatnightwalker youre not, are you?

bythepowerof4 i don't think so but like

bythepowerof4 i didn't stop her or anything

nickatnightwalker youre not her babysitter

bythepowerof4 i was um. distracted but i shoulda right

nickatnightwalker if you wanna help her outta the goodness of your heart thats good for you but youre not her babysitter i let damian and daisy both make turds of themselves last night

bythepowerof4 they weren't even drinking that's different

nickatnightwalker yeah, they did that shit sober and i still didnt try to stop them dude, my guy, bro youre your own responsibility ok

nickatnightwalker youre not her mom

bythepowerof4 im her friend!!!! friends look out for each other and stuff!!!!! and if im apparently leading her on or something and making her feel like she can't talk to me and letting her get all messy and miserable then im a bad friend and im upset about it!!

nickatnightwalker 1. leading someone on kind of has to be intentional, otherwise youre just like, being crush-worthy by being yourself 2. friends arent moms 3. moms are a social construct anyway 4. you dont "let" her get anything youre not in chargeof her cmon clea youre takng on way more of this than you should

feel bad she feels bad if you want to but guilt doesnt factor into this

bythepowerof4 you're like. way too rational you're making it very hard to be hysterical that's a compliment i think but im mad about it lmao :/

nickatnightwalker my job is to be rational about everyones problems except my own

nickatnightwalker thats my niche in the social hierarchy

bythepowerof4 big words from the guy trying to decimate my well meaning babysitter niche !! if you ever need someone to be hysterical about your problems know that im here for you

nickatnightwalker i have no problems my life is a glittering utopia compared to the dumpster fire of your last night and today apparently

nickatnightwalker like i cant make your decisions for you or anything but before you do make one id seriously advise you to work on not taking responsibility for etsuko's life and bad choices cause that way lies a really fucking miserable relationship

bythepowerof4 lmao liar!! everyone has problems and i'll be personally offended if you don't at some point dump them on me like im doing right now to you. two way street :p my advice might be less cool and wise and prophetic but like. still its not like, a """decision""" anyway cause its not some weirdo love triangle bullshit. cause i dont like. maybe if she said something before or if u know?? if shit was different but not now the decisiony part is just how to undo the dumpster fire lmao. which i think. i can maybe do idk thank u ur so good at this i hate you

nickatnightwalker i gotta be real i have no idea what anything you just said meant

bythepowerof4 oh i thought i made sense that time :/ that sucks this sucks again

nickatnightwalker is this a new kind of sucking or is this the same suck as before

bythepowerof4 part of the same suck cause i don't make , like. sense :/

nickatnightwalker just that one part where you say youre not making a decision cause you kinda got to even if it's to do nothing

bythepowerof4 oh ok yeah

nickatnightwalker "cause i dont like. maybe if she said something before or if u know?? if shit was different"  also this part

bythepowerof4 well im not doing nothing cause i don't wanna fight with/not talk to anyone and if i said i was thinking of waiting it out you'd tell me that's stupid lmao and that parts just like. u know

bythepowerof4 what she wanted to do and whether i also wanted to do that thing

nickatnightwalker idk i actually dont think waiting it out is a terrible idea in this case at least until she's calmed down and youve had time to think about whether you also wanna do that thing

bythepowerof4 i don't think i do right now i thought i was making that part fairly clear it's not like a hard no cause she's cool but i've got a lot going on rn lmao

bythepowerof4 ok so waiting. lmao can you be a mate and like buzz me when it's a good time to no longer be waiting

nickatnightwalker no that part was fairly clear from the way this news didnt like, make you happy in the least

bythepowerof4 oh. yeah i guess? that could all be circumstances though

nickatnightwalker it's been a couple days now probably tomorrows a good day to apologize for being bitchy

bythepowerof4 ok. ok i can do that !!!

nickatnightwalker circumstances arent THAT much of a game changer when it comes to wanting a person to kiss you or not also dont apologize for her getting drunk that was her choice dont be weird about it

bythepowerof4 barf mouth tho

bythepowerof4 and yeah ok i'll skip that part

nickatnightwalker ok barf mouth is actually a good point

nickatnightwalker but still easy enough to fix for it not to be a huge dealbreaker

bythepowerof4 oh hey ets yeah let's go get you some goddamn listerine, and i'll go change my shoes and then we'll meet back here in 15 for super scheduled smooching !! no thank you!!!!

nickatnightwalker do other people not do that i feel like people do that i personally have definitely sent people away for listerine

bythepowerof4 oh my god and you can just?? get back in the moment like nothing happened???? i don't see it

nickatnightwalker idk if theyre hot enough you can let a lot of stuff slide

bythepowerof4 oh bc ur sooooo hot enough that they let ur critiques on their hygiene slide :p

nickatnightwalker you think im that tactless? im fucking smooth people dont even notice it's insulting

bythepowerof4 is there a tactful way to send ppl off for mouthwash

nickatnightwalker yeah, you tell them what they get when they come back or pass em some gum and hope if it's not too bad

bythepowerof4 jesus you really think you're all that !!!!!

nickatnightwalker what it's not like im making this up when youre out sometimes people arent super picky ok

bythepowerof4 i believe you its just weird !! i thought people were picky as a rule and like, idk it sounds so awkward

nickatnightwalker oh no absolutely people are not that picky all the time and if you wanna k iss someone you wanna kiss them and you'll wait if you gotta you see?

bythepowerof4 oh well duh im good on the waiting part lmao which is why i would wait for a different time entirely when no ones barfy or critical :p im very patient!!!!

nickatnightwalker right but you have to like.  want to wait. and if you wanna wait then that should kinda clue you in

bythepowerof4 oh. yeah we're talking about that again ok

nickatnightwalker it all comes back around theres no such thing as tangents

bythepowerof4 youre a terrible person i live off tangents

ok well. yeah no. i don't wanna like a little but not enough. which i feel weirdly bad about but sure whatever brain!!

nickatnightwalker no no guilt over that

nickatnightwalker not allowed if etsuko's a half decent person i dont think she'd want you to feel guilty about that either

bythepowerof4 tell my brain that im trying !! she wouldn't duh i think she feels worse about it which makes me feel worse about it

nickatnightwalker say it with me now i am not responsible for someone else's feelings now you

bythepowerof4 :/ i am not responsible for someone elses feelings

nickatnightwalker yeah there you go try this one im not responsible for someone else's messy behavior

bythepowerof4 i am not responsible for someone elses messy behaviour even though if i can stop it i should probably try ok next

nickatnightwalker nope if you want to out of the goodness of your heart go for it but you have no responsibility to stop it not even should

bythepowerof4 are you sure not even should that seems extreme

nickatnightwalker no like it'd be nice of you but youre really NOT under any obligation youre not her mom

nickatnightwalker thatd be creepy and gross clea

bythepowerof4 not obligation just like the parameters of friendship it's creepy and gross that u keep saying that!!

nickatnightwalker it's creepy and gross that you feel like youve gotta babysit her im just being real here

bythepowerof4 ughhhhhhhhhhhh i knew it i knew i was gross it's not even her ok i would look out for you if you weren't so mr perfect perfect all the time!!!

nickatnightwalker thats the first time ive ever been accused of that lemme bask in it for a second ok im good

nickatnightwalker clea that kinda sounds like an issue that's you-based and youre like, gonna get worn out and have a breakdown or something

nickatnightwalker we're kids we're not old enough to take care of other people like that

bythepowerof4 i just. don't get why ur objecting to my like, decency if you ever actually needed it then maybe you'd get it but you don't so it's fine!! im not gonna have a breakdown i don't wanna have a breakdown

nickatnightwalker im not objecting to decency im objecting to feeling guilty if you dont go out of your way for someone not like i dont generally frown on decency anyway but thats not related

bythepowerof4 no tangents!!! everything is related :p it's just. very hard ok can't help it, didn't know it was weird, this is by and large new information

nickatnightwalker i too like introspection better when someone else does it for me

bythepowerof4 god right ppl should make a living off this

nickatnightwalker i think that's called therapy

bythepowerof4 shit yeah ok but who needs that

nickatnightwalker apparently most of us no shame

bythepowerof4 :( i don't see you so much as going to the school counsellor

bythepowerof4 that sounds weird nvm

nickatnightwalker well you got me there but as we've established im perfect so

bythepowerof4 lmao right!! you should go to counselling and counsel the counsellor

nickatnightwalker you think i could take that up as an extra curricular beef up my resume

bythepowerof4 oh for sure "browbeat a mental health professional into respecting my superior opinions" looks good to me

nickatnightwalker i dont have to browbeat anyone into knowing im right

nickatnightwalker are you like.  good though

bythepowerof4 oh of course!!!! my mistake

bythepowerof4 oh um. yeah like no but yeah everything's just a lot u know

nickatnightwalker it sounds like it shes not like, on you about itthough right

bythepowerof4 no she hasn't said anything which is worse

nickatnightwalker shes probably mortified wouldnt you be?

bythepowerof4 well. yeah i have some recent experience here actually so yeah i can imagine

bythepowerof4 shit

nickatnightwalker of what? bein?

bythepowerof4 yeah being drunk and dumb and um. misreading situations and friendship and liiiiiiiiike idk being fucking mortified it's this nvm idk arrgggghhhhhhghhhhhh

nickatnightwalker damn you had a busy summer huh

bythepowerof4 ://////// yeah kinda :/

nickatnightwalker which is part of whats going on with etsukoe? whyd i add an e

bythepowerof4 lol autocorrect always fucks with it its so annoying ok i guess it's maybe related to the degree that everything, as we've established, is related but i just had a uhhhhhh not so great time with my old friends

nickatnightwalker you were drunk and misread a situation

bythepowerof4 not the alien kind the people kind

nickatnightwalker were you the etsuko or teh clea

bythepowerof4 oh my god. i had, like, previously been the etsuko. but that was a while ago and not a big deal it just kinda came rushing back u know and then i realised she thinks im a freak and then i did freak in a full freak way cause my face kinda popped

nickatnightwalker what

bythepowerof4 hey do you have any problems we can talk about instead this is terrible

nickatnightwalker im very interested in what you mean by your face popping but ok

bythepowerof4 you know like the glamour its kinda like paper and im underneath very much not like paper and then pop! no more paperface no more old friends

nickatnightwalker oh fuck hopefully they were all trashed too and just think they were drunk?

bythepowerof4 all of them????? sharing the same weird drunk hallucination??????

bythepowerof4 that's like extreme sunnydale syndrome

nickatnightwalker but it's so weird i doubt theyd wanna discuss it because theyd be worry about sounding crazy

bythepowerof4 i guess they're still gonna think it it's still how they're gonna picture me

bythepowerof4 and apparently they already thought i freaked and had to like go "somewhere" which i guess is true but i feel weird having ppl think of me like that

nickatnightwalker just seeing you one weird brain glitchy time isnt gonna change what they think of forever and i mean you could like.  tell them you just transferred schools like, tell them the partial truth right?

bythepowerof4 i did idk i don't think she believes me or like she does but she still thinks i had a breakdown???? i just don't get it ok im very put together

nickatnightwalker youre more anxious than i am

bythepowerof4 what no im not pretend i put some sincerity exclamation marks there

nickatnightwalker yeah you can see how thats not convincing though right

bythepowerof4 the exclamation marks? those are very convincing also im not trying to be convincing bc it's just true. cause u like. Have anxiety right

nickatnightwalker what

nickatnightwalker no im anxious about living in a magic school where everything and everyone can kill me

bythepowerof4 oh i just you use the word anxious a lot that usually sorry :/

nickatnightwalker im like 85% sure you can be anxious without having anxiety

bythepowerof4 well yeah i just im sorry u seemed really like im gonna stop ok cool im very sorry

nickatnightwalker im interested in how deep a hole you were going to dig for yourself

bythepowerof4 im not we should really move on also you were the one saying it's perfectly believable that i would completely flip my shit so maybe i should be offended !!

nickatnightwalker point was you seem really stressed like a lot

nickatnightwalker youre kinda tightly wound clea like regardless of whatever i am you are kinda a little stressed all the time

bythepowerof4 ok well im not or like a little bit but i don't want people thinking of me like that so this also just sucks

nickatnightwalker yeah, it sucks for people to think youre nuts, but that's kind of how it is if youre even a little bit weird out there, isnt it

bythepowerof4 yeah. that is how it is but it's oddly enough not making me feel better :/ hey ok im just gonna put these issues away bc i don't like them and i have to deal with the main problem bc ai is bugging me oh my GOD

bythepowerof4 please don't go trying to talk to ppl on my behalf bc it is apparently really annoying

nickatnightwalker ai is bugging you cupcake girl? the plot thickens

bythepowerof4 she stopped its fine i shouldn't even have said that she's just looking out for ets cause she's a good pal and stuff there's just like a lot

nickatnightwalker whatd she think she was gonna do change your mind

bythepowerof4 no she just asked why im mad so she could report back and now im reporting back on her reporting back?? this is so high school i have a headache

nickatnightwalker where is the self awareness with these people holy shit

bythepowerof4 i don't knooooooow im freaking out i don't like it

nickatnightwalker wait why are you freaking out youre not mad at etsuko, anymore, right?  you can like.  talk to her instead youre not beholden to ai's nosy ass

bythepowerof4 yeah i can but not yet because im talking to u and daisy kinda and ai and she's talking to ai and it's a lot of talking and i actually really have a headache everything's all doubletriple

nickatnightwalker wanna talk about something else

bythepowerof4 yes please

nickatnightwalker uhhhh i took a fuckload of martial arts classes over the summer and can now reliably flip people so thats cool

bythepowerof4 oh what that's so cool!!!! is that who was in the back of some of ur pics?? like the class??

nickatnightwalker oh yeah and daisys ballet class is in some of them too

bythepowerof4 yeah i defs noticed that lmao i dunno if i said enough but that was nice like getting those idk i missed you and now we're all back and im making it all drama!! instead of all chill could u flip damian. hypothetically but also for demonstrations sake

nickatnightwalker yes and yes

nickatnightwalker the more important question is will i the answer to which is also yes dont feel bad about the drama it's actually really 100% not your fault

bythepowerof4 i know but telling you about it is on me lmao text me when you're gonna there's no way you can do that without me there ok

nickatnightwalker who says i cant do it multiple times and idont mind you telling me either everything's chill on my side so it's easier to sort of have perspective

bythepowerof4 if you do it multiple times i insist on being there for all of them sorry not sorry yeah. perspective is good. you're good at that

bythepowerof4 >:/

nickatnightwalker ill do it right the fuck now clea

bythepowerof4 omg really omg please

nickatnightwalker i would never lie about this

bythepowerof4 yes yesteryear you're so good i love u tell me where *yesyesyes lol let me be excited autocorrect!!!!!

nickatnightwalker i was wondering why you were talking like carolyn ok were in front of artume lets do this

bythepowerof4 yessssssssss ill be right there

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

time to ask for my v3 holy quintet: kaito momota, tsumugi shirogane, kaede akamatsu, kirumi toujou, and gonta gokuhara! for the character ask meme (sorry there's so many!!!)

Thanks for asking me Nick! And second, hecking good taste! A lot of my faves are there (key: all) so I can’t wait to answer this for everyone but Kirumi (since I just answered that one!)Spoilers In ROT13

Kaito Momota

What I like about them

Warning for caps lock because this is how I always have to say his name any time he is mentioned. 

BECAUSE HE’S KAITO MOMOTA

LUMINARY OF THE STARS

FAMOUS EVEN IN SPACE

EVEN CRYING CHILDREN ADORE THE ULTIMATE ASTRONAUT

What I dislike about them

Some of the things he says in the Japanese version were on the “No Kaito!” and “How could you say that” side. 

Favourite moment

Rot13:

Url vs V fnl rirel zbzrag crbcyr zvtug npghnyyl trg znq fb cssss.Zl snibevgr zbzrag, vs V UNIR gb cvpx bar, vf gur bar jurer vg'f Puncgre 4 naq gurl'er va gur fvzhyngvba naq Xnvgb ehaf nebhaq gur ebbs gbc orpnhfr vg'f fabjvat! Vg'f fb cher!

Least favourite moment

Rot13:

V pna'g ernyyl oynzr uvz sbe guvf, ohg V qvqa'g yvxr gung orsber Xnvgb jnf rkrphgrq va Puncgre 5, ur onfvpnyyl tnir Fuhhvpuv gur fnzr fcrrpu gung Xnrqr tnir. V zrna, tvir guvf zna fbzr perqvg! Unir uvz fnl fbzrguvat ryfr vafcvevat gb Fuhhvpuv; gurer'f n ybg bs bgure guvatf ur pbhyq unir zragvbarq.

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more

Rot13:Uvz yvivat.But besides that, Kaito is an Astronaut. He’s probably somewhat smart. I’d like to see more of that side of him. 

An interesting AU for this character

Kaito Momota, but he’s training to be an astronaut. It’s not a cool AU, but I wanna see Kaito overcome the trials and tribulations!

A crossover

Kaito crossover with literally anything having to do with space travel.Actually, what if there was a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy crossover with him? That would be cool (and count towards the AU question too!)

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship)

I like Kaito x Shuuichi, Ouma, Maki. Kaito x Amami is pretty good too!

Other ships?

I guess Kaito x Kiibo also isn’t too bad! Kaito x Hoshi sounds interesting too. Kaito x Nekomaru would be funny too!

BROTP

Kaito is everyone’s bro! Everyone’s. 

NOTP

Not that I know of!

An assortment of headcanons! - Kaito loves dogs- When Kaito was a kid, due to all the lore of the constellations and stuff, he would always imagine himself as a greek/roman hero fighting monsters and becoming a constellation himself in the stars- Hoshi teaches Kaito how to gamble…better. He’s still bad at it though.- For Kaito’s birthday everyone got together and rented him a planetary so they could all celebrate together. Kaito kept trying to run off because he didn’t want them to see him crying tears of joy.- Naegi and Kaito are a dangerous pair of optimism. Don’t even involve Kaede. It’s dangerous. Nothing is impossible. 

Tsumugi Shirogane

What I like about them

At first Tsumugi was just there, but then she really picked up and I love how she’s a deadpan snarker basically! And the blues used on her palette are pretty as well!

What I dislike about them

Rot13:V jvfu fur unq zber gb qb fb vg jbhyqa'g or fb rnfl sbe zr gb pnyy ure orvat gur znfgrezvaq nf n wbxr va puncgre 2. Fgvyy, gung zvtug unir orra ure cyna  gbb fb V'z abg gbb fher. 

Favourite moment

Rot13:

Jura fur fgnegrq ernyyl qvfyvxvat Zvh. CSSSS nf zhpu nf V ybir Zvh gung jnf syvccvat uvynevbhf, gur guvatf fur jbhyq fnl V zrna. Nyfb, orvat gur znfgrezvaq jnf nyfb ernyyl pbby naq obhtug ure punenpgre jnl hc sbe zr!

Least favourite moment

Rot13:Gfhzhtv pna'g jevgr. V fgneg ng I3 nf vs vg jrer fbzr onq snasvpgvba naq nyy V jnag gb qb vf erjevgr Gfhzhtv'f zrff cebagb. Fur unq fhpu tbbq vqrnf ohg…pbhyqa'g rkrphgr gurz.Nyfb xvyyvat Xnrqr jnf RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR orpnhfr *funxrf gfhzhtv* V XABJ JUL LBH QVQ GUNG OHG JUL?! NYFB NYY GUR VAPRFG FGHSS. URYYB GFHZHTV LBH JEBGR ZBFG BS GUNG FGHSS. JUL? Ohg ubarfgyl rira jvgu nyy gung V fgvyy yvxr Gfhzgfhz!

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more

In game, since she’s the “nerd” character I kinda wanted her to try and get the group to do more “nerd” things. Like maybe suggest a cosplay competition or something. Something that would make her want to do something of her interest with the group! 

Rot13:

Xvaqn jnaan frr ubj I3 jnf! I2 pheeragyl gnxrf hc n ybg bs zl vagrerfg ea!

An interesting AU for this character

AU where Tsumugi and the Imposter meet up.Rot13:NH jurer Gfhzhtv pna JEVGR. 

A crossoverTsumugi x Sailor Moon. Make it happen people!Actually, this kinda goes into AU but, an AU where Tsumugi goes into different anime worlds and just. . acts like CinemaSins / TVTropes and critiques each show! That would be hilarious!

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship)*coughs* Tsumugi x … Angie

Other ships?Tsumugi x: Maki, Kirumi, Kaede, Amami, Tsumugi x Chiaki 

BROTPTsumugi x All DR Nerd Kids

NOTPNah.

An assortment of headcanons! - One day Tsumugi made an attempt to see how many cosplays she could do in one day while doing things around the city. She then asked her classmates to keep count of how many cosplays they saw. The number ranged from 25-71. 52-53 seemed to be the common answer however.- Tsumugi once held a con booth with Angie. It was as wild as it sounds.- Tsumugi and Kirumi talk frequently, for Kirumi is able to assist Tsumugi when she makes cosplays and is able to give solid opinions as well- Tsumugi is the class matchmaker sorry I don’t make the rules.- This …isn’t really a hc per se but . . *coughs* so in the future if Tsumugi and Angie had a child, that artist would be a “con-artist” con artist. They go to cons selling artwork that isn’t theirs or they try to rip people off. 

Kaede Akamatsu

What I like about them

Everything? I legit love everything about Kaede. I love her flaws and her imperfections. She’s a musician, she’s my favorite colours, she hecking plays piano, she’s outgoing and funny and a lovable goof ball. 

What I dislike about them

… *sips a smoothie* Oh? Did you really think something would be here?Oh here’s something. I dislike the fact thatRot13:XNRQR NXNZNGFH URPXVAT QVRF. V jbhyq fnl zber ohg gung'f n pna bs jbezf ba vgf bja. 

Favourite moment

Rot13:Gur zbzrag jurer fur yvgrenyyl qbrf nalguvat fgenatr naq Fuhhvpuv unf gb or yvxr “Huu …ohg Xnrqr fubhyq jr ernyyl–” naq Xnrqr whfg QBRF. JUNGRIRE. Sbe rknzcyr, cbxvat Gfhzhtv! Gung jnf phgr naq nqbenoyr.Nyfb gur zbbovrf fprar jnf cerggl tbbq. V nyfb yvxr ubj gurl qvq gur cebgnt fjvgpu. Gung jnf pyrire. Ubjrire. Qb V yvxr gur cebgnt fjvgpu? Gur nafjre vf V arire yvxr cebgnt fjvgpurf. Rire. 

Least favourite moment

Rot13:Yrnfg snibevgr zbzrag vf ure rkrphgvba. V srry anhfrbhf naq fvpx vs V rira guvax nobhg pubxvat/unatvat abj. Fur zrnag gb zhpu gb zr fb frrvat gung nyzbfg znqr zr guebj hc naq cnff bhg.

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more

More music references! This musician (aka, me) really wanted to see Kaede list off some more pieces for me to listen to!

An interesting AU for this character

I have…a lot of Kaede AUs. Here are some I’m working on. A Kaede x Girls coffee shop AU. Someday.Speakeasy AUMythical creature AU where Kaede is a humanRot13:Bgure NHf yvgrenyyl vaibyir ure orvat n tubfg. Yvxr va gur Zbafgre NH, Xnrqr qvrf naq gheaf vagb n Tubfg. Gurer'f nyfb gur Qrngu Abgr!Xnrqr NH, gur Xnrqr vf n tubfg!cebgntbavfg naq urycf Fuhhvpuv NH, naq gur TubfgGevpx NH.

A crossoverNot a real crossover, but Kaede and the other musical DR kids would be swell!

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship)Hhh. Wow what a …question.Even though a lot of ships are close, I guess it’s Kaemaki!

Other ships?Kaede x all girls. Good hecking stuff. I’m also okay with Shuuichi x Kaede too, as of her x Amami.  

BROTP

Kaede x Musical Kids brOTPKaede x everyone brOTP she deserves all the friends

NOTPNone!

An assortment of headcanons! - Kaede makes a lot of references to musical pieces. A lot of them.- Kaede has a friendly rivalry with all of the instruments. All of them.- Shuuichi is Kaede’s impulse control. As is Maki. And Kirumi. And–- When Kaede falls asleep on her piano her friends take turns in covering her with a blanket- Kaede has composer headcanons. Like, headcanons about people from the past. Because yeah.- Note, this one is in a code because it’s a weird one. >uROT SECRET: - Lnaab. Svefg bss, vs lbh npghnyyl qvq gur pbqr, pbatengf gb lbh. Yrtvg, V gevrq gb qb nyy guvf zngu naq fghss gb trg na bevtvany ahzore, naq gura vg raqrq hc orvat 13. V'z fb znq ng zlfrys. CSSSS Gb gubfr jub whfg unccrarq gb thrff, pbatengf  gb lbh thlf! Naq gb gubfr jub whfg svtherq gurl jbhyq fgneg ng Ebg13 qhr gb ynmvarff / vaghvgvba, V jbhyq vaivgr lbh gb zl jrqqvat. Naljnlf, gur jrveq urnqpnaba V unir sbe Xnrqr vf gung Xnrqr yvxrf tbffvc! Vg'f xvaqn fgenatr, ohg fvapr Fuhhvpuv qbrfa'g yvxr tbffvc V gubhtug gung jbhyq or na vagrerfgvat! Bu, naq rira fgenatre, V yvxr gb frr gung Xnrqr, yvxr Anrtv, nyfb pbagvahrq gb jrg gur orq ng na rzoneenffvat ntr. Bu jryy, ng yrnfg gur cebgntf unir fbzrguvat gb gnyx nobhg CSSS! Gunaxf sbe pbzvat gb zl GRQGnyx. Naq gb gur crefba (lbh xabj jub lbh ner) V'z fb fbeel CSSSS.

Gonta Gokuhara

What I like about them

Gonta is a gentleman! He’s so nice and honestly, if there is one person out there who will help me get rid of my fear of bugs, it’s him!

What I dislike about them

How the English translation dealt with his translation. He’s a scientist for crying out loud. 

Favourite moment

Rot13:Jura Uvzvxb pevrq urefrys gb fyrrc naq Tbagn pneevrq ure ba uvf onpx. Vg jnf fb gbhpuvat naq lbh whfg xarj Tbagn jnf n erny tragyrzna naq ur jnfa'g whfg fnlvat gung! Ur zrnag jung ur fnvq, naq gung'f jbaqreshy!

Least favourite moment

Rot13Crefbanyyl, abg n ovt sna bs uvz orvat n xvyyre. V zrna vg qbrf jbex fgbeljvfr ohg birenyy vafgrnq bs oernxvat zr yvxr V rkcrpgrq vg gb vg whfg znqr zr ahzo naq hcfrg ng Bhzn sbe /xvaqn/ fgrnyvat uvf fcbgyvtug.

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more

Gonta acting more like a scientist. He needs respect, and I’d love to see him talk in detail about bugs!

An interesting AU for this characterGonta watches a whole bunch of bug movies and cries and he enjoys himself. Preferably with Miu since she also likes children’s shows. Also that HPA Nature Club AU. That’s a good one.

A crossover

I don’t really have any crossovers really, but I guess him meeting Gundam would be cool!

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship)I actually do not ship Gonta. Probably just Gonta x Bugs. If I had to pick one ship, maybe with Hoshi? 

Other ships?I don’t really know? Oh, how about Gonta x Bugs! Again. 

BROTPGonta x Anyone who deals with Nature brOTP

NOTPNope!

An assortment of headcanons! - Gonta owns a wooly aphid and everyone seems to have nicknamed it Komaeda. Gonta is confused about why that is. - Tsumugi bought Gonta butterfly ponytails and butterfly clips. Gonta uses them. - Gonta is trying to train insects to deliver papers and messages. So far Gonta is just placing them in the areas where he wants the messages to go to, but he says they are making great progress!- Gonta has a bug named after all of his friends. Bonus: Ouma’s is a Ashy Gray Lady Beetle and Ouma tries to steal it every time. It’s the only bug he likes.- If you try to kill a bug Gonta is there. He’s always there. WHEW! That was a lot! Hopefully I managed to do this justice!

🌈- A memory about when they first fell in love

Abel and Iria had been sitting out upon the pier beside her house, her brother with them as he was tossing stones into the water.  “It’s fucking bullshit, Abel.  I don’t understand.  We want to move Mom to Ishgard so the doctors there can treat her.  This doctor here keeps saying that she’s too unstable to be moved, but I know she’d be better off being there,” her brother grumbled.  Iria had been staring out over the water, she almost near to tears as she knew that her mother’s condition was turning for the worst.  She just couldn’t find a way to prepare herself to make that one last final goodbye.  Ian’s words just pierced her heart as their father had made the recommendation after Honoria’s condition seemed to worsen.

As Abel watched her, his expression turned to one of gentle sympathy as he crossed the pier from his “brother” to settle down next to her.  He took her hand in his as he tilted her chin upwards to meet his eyes.  “Listen, when we’re married, that’s something you’ll never need to worry over.  You will be cared for by the best physicians and you will never want for anything.  I’ll talk to my father to see if there’s anything he can do to help intervene.  She at least said ‘hello’ to me today!  That’s a small victory in and of itself, right?  I mean, I’m not here and present as you all are but she somehow remembered me.  That made me feel so much hope, Iria.  Please don’t give up, we’ll get her well.”

A gloved thumb ran across her cheek as she smiled through her tears, nodding.  He continued: “She did tell me something when she asked me to come in to visit.  She made me promise to take care of you and to allow you the freedom to chase any intellectual pursuit that crossed your path.  Who am I to deny you your dreams?  I want to help you build them.  I mean, after all, we are sort of breaking through a glass ceiling already, are we not?  Hopefully our union will inspire others to not be so fearful of racial differences when it comes to marriage.  The old goats in the Holy See will finally see that there is no shame in it.  I certainly see no shame in it.  I will be thanking Halone every night for giving me such a beautiful wife.”

She remained speechless.  Abel was never one to hide his emotions, especially the contempt he felt for the upper echelon and the code of living they seemed to impose on everyone.  Even being where he was, he remained steadfast in his convictions.  He was still quite young, but working his way up the ranks within the Ishgardian military and was completely without equal.  She felt so confident in this and had seen with her own eyes.  They had spent the rest of the week of his visit making up for lost time as he made his intentions to her perfectly clear.  They had shared their first kiss in that visit, and she couldn’t wait for him to return.

Several weeks earlier, the Nicholaides family was invited to Ishgard to stay with the Theriots and enjoy one of the many Tournaments that had been held for the different milestones that Abel and his fellow knights had surpassed.  He had been lined up to participate in just about every event his battalion could’ve entered as he had excelled so far with his tactical abilities and battle prowess.  With some coaxing, Iria’s brother was able to participate as well being one of the blademaster’s former students.  As Abel had been the last left in the training room to ready himself for the tournament, finishing up suiting up in his armor, Iria had walked into the room with a smile lighting up her features.  Newly 19, she was an adult by now and looking forward to that next step with him. 

He looked up, only as soon as he had fastened his cloak around himself, almost donning his helm when those pewter eyes fell upon her aquamarine orbs.  He smiled softly as he approached.  She bore a dress of a deep sapphire that was trimmed in silver and gold satin with emerald gems dotting the neckline, all within the fashion of his House colors.  Removing the ribbon that kept her hair bound, it fell in a curtain of flamed mane around her tiny frame.  Aqua.  Her favorite color. 

He knelt down before her, he meeting her height as he took her chin into his fingers as he always did to show affection, his helm tucked underneath the opposite arm.  She was practically beaming at him.  “I know you’ll do well, that much is plain to see, but…is it not customary for a knight to bear his lady’s colors when entering combat?” Her voice was gentle, and he chose that moment to share another private, lengthy kiss with her.  Pulling away gently, his plated fingers tucked a lock of her unbound hair behind her ear.  “I would be remiss to pass up such a golden opportunity, my love.  Thank you, I’ll wear it proudly and wave to you in the stands as soon as I’m called.  How’s Ian faring?” he grinned, already having an idea of what she was about to say.  She tied the ribbon to the wrist of his gauntlet.

“Oh, he’s very adamant that you both are going to completely decimate all of the opposition.  I’ve no doubt you will, Abel.  Your strength and knowledge has increased so much in the past few years, and I’m so very impressed with everything you’ve managed to accomplish.  How could I not?  You’ve worked so hard and now here you are,” her voice was barely above a whisper.  He grinned in a bit of pride.  “You know why that is, correct?”  She canted her head at him in curiosity.  “Because you wish to accomplish your military goals?” she questioned, thinking that should’ve been the most obvious answer. 

“No, Iria,” he said, bringing her head close to his so he could place a kiss to her forehead.  He looked back into her eyes once more.  “When you come to live here in Ishgard with me, I want to make certain I have every necessary tool in my arsenal to protect you, it’s been very important to me for you to see that I’m capable, and having this chance with you present today is just but a taste of that,” he quietly confessed, stealing one last kiss from her before they were interrupted by Ian bursting into the room.  “Abel, they’re ready, bro.”

Ian was outfitted in his own armor with a sword and shield, their duo combatant competition marking the beginning of a long competition for them both.  He grinned a bit goofily as he looked to his best friend and little sister.  “Alright, Princess.  The knight has to tend to his duties now,” Ian said teasingly.  “Love you baby girl, Dad and Momma are sitting in the stands waiting on you.”  Iria nodded as her brother approached and gave her a small hug and a kiss to her head, making sure not to crush her tiny frame in his large armored embrace.  “You look so pretty!  Go get yourself settled, we’ll wave at you from the stands.”

“Wait, one second, Ian,” Abel interrupted as he grabbed Iria’s wrist gently while she was turning to leave.  He turned her back towards him.  “At the ball tonight, you’ll save a dance for me, right?” he winked at her as she nodded enthusiastically.  “Of course I will, I doubt anyone else would want to whisk me across a dance floor.”  He frowned.  “None of that, you’re beautiful.”  He collected her fingers into his and pressed a kiss upon her bare knuckles.  With that his helm was on his head.  Ian had started to walk out as Abel had pulled his greatsword from the rack on the wall.  “Abel, wait!” He stopped in his tracks, only to turn around and kneel once more for her.  She kissed the metal of his helm where his lips would’ve been.  “I’ll see you soon, love,” his muffled voice breathed out as she made haste to join her parents.

Declan and Honoria had been sitting and waiting for their son and future son-in-law to take the field, Declan with a large cigar sticking out of his teeth as Honoria sat with both arms around his massive bicep.  Lord Aristen and Lady Inissa had been visiting with the elder Nicholaides only to smile over as their future daughter-in-law had joined them.  “Iria!  You look so beautiful!  Did Miranah make that gown for her, Ria?” Lady Inissa had inquired, reaching over to take Iria’s hand in affectionate greeting.  “Mhm!  She most certainly did.  Iria, Lady Ina invited us for tea next week and to stay for a few days.  Hopefully you should be excited for that as we get wedding plans squared away,” her mother smiled.  “I’m sure you’ll be excited, it’s another chance for you to see Abel.”  Iria blused at that, Lord Aristen letting loose a guffaw as Declan chuckled himself.  Declan playfully socked Aristen in the arm.  “Can you believe it?  Our kids, man!  I’m a proud papa right now, you should be too.  Gotta a whole lotta stuff ta look forward ta,” he grinned as he took another deep inhalation of his cigar. 

Honoria gave him that look to tell him to settle down.  Declan immediately regained composure.  He turned back to Aristen who lofted a brow with a playful grin of his own.  “We’ve some business to talk later over a glass of bourbon, Dec.  There seems to be a few things we need to iron out in haste before we allow them to say their vows.”  Declan nodded, “Anythin’ ya need, buddy.”  Abel and Ian took the field as soon their names were called, both taking a quick moment to wave to their families in the stands, Abel blowing a kiss to Iria in the stands and she “catching” it. 

The assaults from their opponents seemed relentless, but for everyone that approached, Ian was able to suppress the blows with his shield, making effective timing with his own sword thrusts while Abel held nothing back.  His own timing seemed a bit erratic and restless but far too overbearing for their opponents to handle.  It was only after several rounds and several hours that they were able to be reunited with their families, Iria beaming as Abel received his commendations and awards.  Once everyone was released from the stands, she rushed over to Abel in a full sprint, her skirts flowing behind her with every sprinted step she made forward.  He was just as eager as he took her up into his arms and held him close, throwing his helmet off into the grass and spinning her around a few times.  He stole a kiss from her.  “Oh my stars, that was magnificent!  You were absolutely brilliant, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!  I am so proud of you both!” she declared in all of her excitement.  He winked at her.  “See?  You’ll never have anything to worry about.  Now, let’s go get ready for that after party.  I’ve a dance saved for the woman I’ll be spending the rest of my days with.”

@captain-rez

Ok I'm starting to feel like I'm using you for your wonderful writing skills but your fics are always so PERFECT & I just cAN'T HELP MYSELF I'M SORRY plz send help; anyway, what about sterek + “i’m sorry i kicked you in my scared haze in the haunted house, can i do something to make it up to you?” au?

Sorry this took so long, but who doesn’t like Halloween fics in the middle of January? Also on ao3!

Stiles had no idea why he kept letting himself be dragged into these kinds of situations. Then he remembered that he and Scott had known each other for literally their entire lives and it made a little bit more sense. Not much, but enough.

Enough to remind him why he went along with Scott's asinine attempts at wooing Allison and getting off the bench at lacrosse practice. Enough to remind him why once he got his driver's license he played chauffeur for Scott and Allison on almost all of their dates.

But it didn't make enough sense for him not to be suspicious when Scott came to him and asked for a ride to the high school's annual haunted house.

For the past three years of their high school careers, Scott had never once shown any interest whatsoever in going to the haunted house. He always said it was too childish, that he would much rather stay home and watch Halloween specials.

Stiles had a feeling that Scott's sudden desire to attend the Halloween tradition had something to do with Allison. And his dad had always taught him to trust his instincts.

Sure enough, when Stiles had pressed Scott about why exactly he wanted to go, the first word out of his mouth had been, Allison. Stiles didn't even pretend to be surprised.

Apparently, Scott's plan was to impress Allison by showing off how brave he was at the haunted house, all the students assured that this year it would be genuinely scary. Utilizing the same technique as people who took their dates to see horror movies in hopes of being the one their terrified date could cuddle up to, Scott planned to be the big, strong man whose arms Allison could fall into.

It was doomed to fail.

Because nevermind the fact that Allison was one of the most badass people Stiles had ever met, going on hunting trips with her dad every other weekend and starting an archery club at the school, that wasn't why the plan was destined for failure. It was going to fail because Scott was one of the biggest scaredy cats the world had ever known.

Just last week, he had almost fainted when Stiles had gotten a paper cut in English class, the mere sight of a few droplets of blood nearly sending him right to the floor. A few days before that he had gotten woozy from seeing a particularly rare piece of rib eye, blanching at the sight of dinner Stiles had slaved over for hours, just picking at a baked potato instead.

Stiles had told Scott as much, detailing all the times, just that week, that he had been scared shitless by the most plebeian, unassuming everyday things. From the microwave beeping to a dog barking in the middle of the night, Stiles had listed them in order of occurrence, going on for several minutes before Scott finally cut him off.

Invoking the bro code, Scott pleaded for Stiles to just come along with them, desperately in need of a ride with his mom using the car for work and his dirt bike on the fritz. After a few minutes of deliberation, Stiles had finally agreed to drive them to the haunted house, figuring he might get a little bit of entertainment out of it if Scott did, in fact, make a fool of himself.

Now, walking through the fog filled main hallway of the school which had been decked out in orange and black Halloween decorations, all by himself, he was regretting his decision.

After picking up Allison, her dad glaring daggers at him and Scott as though worried they were picking his daughter up for a threesome, they had driven over to the school. The outside of the building didn't look much different, a few fake cobwebs tossed over the shrubbery and windows and a large banner announcing the runtime of the haunted house.

At first, entering through the back entrance of the school, the haunted house had been just as boring and campy as Stiles had expected. Student and teacher volunteers randomly popped out of classrooms in cheap dollar store costumes to make people jump, the PA system playing spooky sound effect tracks full of thunder cracks and howling wolves.

He followed closely behind Scott and Allison, tapping his fingers against the spare inhaler he always carried with him just in case Scott had an asthma attack, hoping nothing scared him enough to trigger an episode. Because as they progressed through the school, it got darker, the scares more genuine, the decorations more gruesome.

The lights were completely shut off, plunging the hallways into complete and total darkness. It was deathly silent, the artificial sounds fading away as they walked further through the hall. Along the locker-lined walls, oddly real decorations adorned the hallway, raising the hair on the back of his neck.

Stiles had paused to investigate a smudge of disturbingly realistic blood on a locker when Scott and Allison apparently decided to ditch him. When he turned back around, they were both gone, leaving him all alone in the quiet, foggy hallway.

Cursing his friends for being such assholes, especially since he was their ride home, Stiles apprehensively continued on through the hallway. He didn't put it past Scott and Allison to try to scare him themselves, resigning himself to being the victim of some half-assed prank.

He just wanted to make it through the rest of the haunted house and go home, hoping to beat his dad to the leftover candy from the bowl they left on their porch for trick or treaters. But with his luck, his dad had already decimated the bowl and all he was doing was walking further and further away from the exit, stuck in the maze of hallways.

Sites was waiting for someone to jump out at him, glancing nervously at every door and alcove in the hall, chewing his lip. He was prepared for someone in a cheap mummy costume to pop out at him, someone dressed as Dracula or Frankenstein to scream boo!

He wasn't prepared for a werewolf.

It leapt out at him from around a corner, tucked out of sight until Stiles got closer, springing out from the shadows. A vicious growl bubbled up out of its throat as it swiped a clawed hand at him, narrowly avoiding slashing his throat.

Stiles shrieked in terror at the sight of flashing yellow eyes and fangs dripping with shiny spit, taking a few steps back in shock. Scared out of his mind, acting purely on instinct, Stiles did the only thing that he could think of and kicked the werewolf right between the legs.

The werewolf fell to its knees with a pained whimper, furry hands cupping its crotch. Furry hands which Stiles suddenly realized were gloves, fake black fur on plastic, the claws actually blunt white rubber.

Just like he realized that the werewolf's snarling face was merely a mask, albeit an extremely realistic one.

The bared teeth he had been worried would rip his throat out were nothing more than painted rubber fangs. The flashing eyes that had petrified him so much were just little yellow LED lights, the only source of light in the dim hallway.

Stiles could feel the blood drain out of his face as he abruptly realized that he had just kicked some poor person between the legs. He felt like he was going to throw up when, through grit teeth, the werewolf wheezed in a painfully familiar voice, "Jesus Christ, Stiles!"

Wincing, Stiles shook himself out of his stupor and rushed to the werewolf's side, dropping to his knees beside them. He reached over to yank off the hyper-realistic mask to confirm his worst fear ― he had just kicked his long time crush, Derek Hale, right in the nuts.

He had met Derek two years prior at the vet clinic while he had been waiting to pick Scott up after his shift. Derek had rushed into the reception area holding a small gray kitten in his hands, announcing he had found it on the side of the road and just wanted to make sure it was alright.

Stiles had been gone for him ever since.

"Oh my god, Derek!" Stiles gasped, tossing the grotesque mask over his shoulder, ignoring it as it thumped against the tiled floor. Laying a hand on Derek's shoulder, curling his fingers into the sleeve of Derek's shirt, he apologized, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! Not that I would've wanted to kick someone else! You were wearing that mask, which kudos to you is like super realistic! Did your sister make it? Because I know she's really into art and SFX makeup and stuff, so―"

"Stiles," Derek snapped through grit teeth, immediately silencing Stiles' rant before it could stretch out into something longer and more convoluted. Stiles snapped his mouth closed with a click, miming zipping his lips and throwing the key away, well aware of how annoying his rambling could be.

Forehead furrowed while he clutched his poor balls through his jeans, Derek let out another whine of pain, the sound driving a knife through Stiles' heart. Tightening his grip on Derek's shirt, Stiles leaned closer and murmured, "I'm sorry, Derek. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Stiles," Derek grit out, breathing deeply through his nose to help alleviate the pain, a muscle in his jaw twitching. As though trying to convince both himself and Stiles, Derek repeated himself, mumbling, "It's fine."

Squeezing Derek's arm with one hand, Stiles tentatively ran his fingers through Derek's hair, brushing a few strands off his forehead. Smoothing out the furrow between Derek's brows, Stiles wondered aloud, "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Catching a glimpse of a shy smile stretching over Derek's face, Stiles smiled himself, glad to see that Derek wasn't too furious with him. Running his hand over Derek's arm, Stiles insisted, "I mean it. Anything."

"Well, there is one thing," Derek announced, tilting his head up to meet Stiles' eyes, thankfully looking much less pained. Stiles just nodded eagerly, prompting Derek to casually suggest, "You could kiss it better?"

Stiles froze. Had Derek really just suggested something so crass? Was he really implying that Stiles should kiss him down there?

He yanked his hands back, severing all physical contact between him and Derek, jumping to his feet. He took a few steps back, wide eyes darting between Derek's face and his crotch where his gloved hands were still cupping his abused junk.

Curling his hands into fists at his sides, Stiles narrowed his eyes, feeling his face flush in humiliation as he watched the smile fall from Derek's face. He was sorely tempted to give Derek another kick in the balls, instead simply snarling, "Excuse me?!"

Apparently realizing what he had just implied, Derek raised his palms, looking horrified by his own words. Shaking his head, he insisted, "No! No, no, no! That's not what I meant! I just-I just meant―"

"What?" Stiles pressed, taking a step closer to Derek. "What did you mean?"

Derek's eyes immediately shot down to the floor, faking sudden interest in the pattern of the tiles. A light flush coloring his cheeks, he reluctantly admitted, "Maybe like...a kiss on the cheek...?"

"Oh," Stiles said simply, at a loss for words. He hadn't been expecting that.

Deflating as every last trace of anger seeped out his body, Stiles bit his lower lip, thinking about his next move. Feeling his own cheeks fill with heat, he formulated a plan he hoped wouldn't backfire, cautiously kneeling back down beside Derek.

"Forget about it," Derek muttered quietly, turning his head to avoid meeting Stiles' eyes, shifting to sit on his butt on the cold tiled floor. Hugging his knees to his chest, tucking his face against his legs, he miserably claimed, "It was stupi―"

Stiles cut him off with a kiss, cupping his cheek with one hand to turn Derek's head back towards him, tugging him closer with a hand fisted in the front of his shirt as he pressed their lips together on pure impulse. Derek hesitated for a moment before responding, curling a gloved hand around the back of Stiles' neck to haul him closer.

Stiles sighed almost dreamily against Derek's lips, having never even dared to hope that his first kiss could be with his crush. He shuffled even closer to Derek, wrapping an arm around his shoulders just so he would know what it was like to hold Derek.

He hummed high in his throat when Derek teased his bottom lip with a hint of tongue, swiping it across the seam of his lips in a barely-there glide. Kissing Derek was something he could easily become addicted to.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss to get some air, Stiles licked his lips, eyes still closed as he willed his brain to come back online. He could feel Derek's warm breath on his lips as they both panted a bit, winded from the admittedly short kiss.

"Better?" Stiles whispered as he slowly opened his eyes, unable to keep from feeling rather proud of the more pronounced blush on Derek's high cheekbones. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the pink cheek, feeling the slight prickle of stubble against his skin.

"Mmm... Much," Derek answered with a devious little smirk curling his lips to the side, the sight somehow infatuating Stiles even more than he already was. He opened his eyes a moment later, looking up at Stiles with a kaleidoscope of colors glittering in his irises.

"Go out with me."

They both paused, looking at each other in awe and confusion, having both blurted out the same thing at exactly the same time.

Stiles broke first, ducking his head and laughing at their simultaneously request. Raising his head, he nodded and announced, "Okay. How about next Friday at seven? You can pick me up at my house in your leather jacket."

"Alright," Derek readily agreed, grinning widely before leaning in for another quick kiss. It was merely a peck on the lips, a fleeting bit of contact that nonetheless filled both their cheeks with heat.

"So," Stiles began, scratching his nails through the hairs at the back of Derek's neck. "How the hell do I get out of here?"

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