#and now he has his little buddy to dimension hop with for better or worse

[ambreiiigns]

like SORRY to be rick and morty posting but

#he didn't wanna do the dimension hopping but when he's forced to do it bc he needs to kill that bastard rick he becomes like. hooked up #like all ricks are bound to do probably #bc he does use it just for fun too. he does put his whole pussy into having fun after a while. which he deserves #anyway. even if it grows on him it's still lonely like he thought #and so he tries to get his best friend his beloved his right hand man his silly rabbit birdperson to join him in like. one of the maybe fiv #moments of weakness. or vulnerability in his life post-dianebethmurder #and gets rejected. which is fine and he doesn't even care btw #and he Continues to be relatively lonely & becomes an alcoholic thru all that citadel bullshit until eventually he finds morty #and now he has his little buddy to dimension hop with for better or worse #more or less intensely for good or bad reasons w good or bad intentions but heeee mortyyy he is soooo special #only rick in the land who loves his morty baybay and maybe he doesn't do it well at all but considering where the bar is #morty got real lucky i guess #like he goes on and on abt how morty sucks and he can replace him w whoever but DOES HE. does he ever #like go tf ahead buddy get a new one what are u still doing here. did you perhaps get attached to this morty. surely not #he doesn't even have the strength to replace morty w his other grandkid like. come on #the closest he ever gets to actually replacing him is when crows teach him the way of Being A Decent Person and as he always does when he #realizes he's terrible he removes himself from the family and leaves. w the crows. before crawling back like the sad grandpa that he is #oh nay

[spongeguyandlelouchvibridankia]

Amphibia Christmas Gift

@kaminos-hangout-corner

Snow.

 It had been 1 whole year (sort of, she was still trying to understand just how much time had passed) since she had gone to Amphibia .

 Since she had made her first real friend.

 Since she found a family.

 And…

 Anne Boonchuy, decked out in a frog themed Christmas sweater, tapping her foot nervously, was unsure if the first person she should come out to was her beloved and endearingly over protective Hop Poppy.

 But considering her… Let’s say it nicely, shit parents, it seemed like he was really the only choice.

 Sighing, she glanced out the window again.

 Snow had once been a danger, due to its once a year appearance in Amphibia. Snow forced the frogs into hibernation and near death (thank GOODNESS for interior heating!).

 Anne had protected them from it once. And while it was touch and go (the small business of Polly nearly dying), she had succeeded!

 In fact, Anne Boonchuy was very different from the girl she was when she first stumbled onto the magical other dimension.

 What once was selfish was now thoughtful.

 What once was subservient was now independent.

 What once was impulsive was… Well, actually, that sort of stayed.

 And what was once straight as a rail in her mind was so gay it made Elsa look straight!

 So why was it so hard to tell him about this?

 “…Anne, you’ve been sitting there for about 5 minutes narrating. Just tell me the problem so I can return to making angsty AMV’s of “Suspicion Island”!”

 Anne couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement, and at the frog who sat before her.

 His thin grey tufts of hair were now covered with a Santa hat (whom he was still wary of. “Breaking and entering is nothing to be proud of, unless of course you’re doing it to Monroe”), his cane was colored like a candy cane (Anne could have sworn she heard a drum snare from Marcy’s room) and his sweater was appropriately ugly, asking people to “honk if you’ve adopted a bby recently”.

 For a once so rigid and traditional frog, Hop Pop Plantar had truly given his best efforts to the transition to the human world.

 In fact, as Anne shuffled her feet and sighed, he had done more than anyone would have expected.

 After a disastrous dinner revealed that Anne’s parents were… Shit, Hop Pop had gone on a 8 hour long rant, dissing them so inappropriately that Polly hadn’t needed Anne to learn all the swear words in existence.

 If it wasn’t for Sprig ripping the chained pen off because it looked “Yummy”, Anne would have been adopted way faster.

 It was flashbacks like these that made Anne wonder how could she possibly think he wouldn’t accept her.

 After all they’ve been through, Hop Pop truly loved her.

 Which meant…

 Anne took a deep breath and stood up, deciding to face it head on.

 “I’ve got a bit of a… Hard confession to make.”

 Anne then smiled softly as Hop Pop seemed to take on a knowing look.

 “But I know that you’ll accept me for who I am, and I shouldn’t be afraid.”

 “Oh, you should! Grime has been walking around the house decking anyone who plays “Frosty The Snowman”. Says that little bastard “should have melted the moment he knew about thermomaters, even though he really shouldn’t know”.”

 Anne giggled and Hop Pop smiled warmly. “But seriously, Anne… You can tell me anything.”

 Anne beamed at this and Hop Pop remembered why he was still alive as she began to explain.

 “Well… You see, Hop Pop, ol’ buddy ol’ pal… Have you ever felt like you want to kiss someone, but society thinks it’s wrong?”

 “Why, all the time! I keep telling them that Cacti are softer than they seem but no one listens!”, Hop Pop said, removing a cactus and kissing it.

 “Oh wait, never mind. My tongue wants to die now.”

 Anne shook her head, laughing. “No, dummy! I mean… Say there’s 2 someone’s you like…”

 Anne’s mouth suddenly got very dry. She wasn’t sure she could do this.

 Even if Hop Pop was open… Who was to say that Sasha “GOD THAT SCAR MAKES HER HOTTER” Prince and Marcy “HOW CAN SOMEONE SO SARCASTIC BE SO MOE” Drosselmeyer would be interested in something so… Bizarre?

 Anne was starting to panic again. She wasn’t some badass warrior or hilarious kawaii girl (well, she was, but she doesn’t listen to me).

 She was just Anne “I can make  a decent omlette” Boonchouy.

 Sure, she helped destroy an ancient monster and she helped make peace between frogs and toads, but anyone could have done that!

 Why would Sasha and Marcy want… Her?

 Nerves at their limits, Anne decided to go for a distraction.

 “HEY HOP POP!”, she suddenly called out, mad look in her eyes. “WANNA FIND OUT HOW MANY JELLYFISH I CAN JUGGLE?”

 As she began to juggle and yelp from the pain, Hop Pop tried to stop her with logic. “ANNE! Only Polly can do that!”

 Meanwhile…

 “I don’t understand this stupid human holiday! First we watch some ridiculous children’s cartoons, then we take a tree and force it to get dressed, and now you’re telling me that you need to make some sort of “like, earth shattering” confession? I thought this “Christmas” was fun!”

 Formerly Captain now Dad Grime was very confused by the day he had been through. He’d had to endure many odd customs, and outside of drinking dangerous amounts of Egg Nog (what was IN that stuff?!), he had not seen any reason to be jolly or merry.

 Why, he hadn’t had a chance to be senselessly violent in hours!

 And now his beloved daughter Sasha had some sort of confession to make.

 “Great. Now I get to know where all my strawberry lip gloss has been going.”, he grumbled as Sasha stood next to a screen.

 Clearing her throat, the former soldier seemed less confident than usual.

 Giant anime sweat bead, feet shuffling cards, shaking more than the jell-o he DEFINITELY didn’t steal for himself…

 She was hiding something.

 He could feel it.

 That, and she had said “I’ve been hiding something” just 38 seconds ago, so…

 SCORE!

 “Get on with it, Sasha!”, Grime ordered, impatient. “I’ve got other things to do, like go back and complain about having to do all these things!”

 Sasha laughed nervously and picked up a remote. “Well, Grimesy, in order to properly explain my confession, I have arranged a powerpoint presentation…”

 Even on Amphibia, people knew that powerpoint was sad.

 Grime moaned and leaned into his hand, depressed. This was going to be worse than the time he almost died.

 “Just finish with it, before the alcohol receads and I get enough sense to leave the room.”

 Sasha gulped again, very nervous of her frog father’s reaction. While he too adopted her from terrible parents, he was less affectionate, more of a fun dad who took you to bear baiting matches and taught you how to survive torture.

 You know, fun things all children should know!

 The emotional stuff? He was less qualified.

 Why, once she told him she was feeling sad and he said to just beat it senseless until it stopped working.

 And when she had homework she couldn’t figure out, he actually spared with the words.

 And when she was having a period…

 Well, the less said about the “boxing match with god” the better.

 So, this was going to be a piece of fucking cake, right?

 Sasha continued to hyperventilate as Grime read the title, which was accompanied with an audio book version read by Samuel L. Jackson.

 “Shit, I CAN Haz Girlfriends?: The Day I Never Stopped Worrying And Learned That Women Are Hotter Than Men!”

 Sasha face palmed. “I REALLY need to get a better editor.”

 “Come on, Darling! That title is marvelous and so much better than “AAAAAAAAAAAAA HOW DO I EXPLAIN THAT ME AM GAY?!”, Sprig, with spectacles, turned around and commented.

 Meanwhile…

 “So I’m gay for Sasha and Anne and I want to date both of them. Is that weird?”, Marcy asked, while playing a snare drum for Anne’s unintentional candy cane pun.

 “Oh, it’s totally normal! Give them a whirl, girl!”, Valerina said, not phased for a moment.

 “Great! Can we T-Pose now and headbang to “Megalovania”?”, Marcy asked, setting up her boom box.

 “That’s why I adopted you!”

 Marcy and Valerina then started to aggressively T-Pose and headbang.

 “I hope this conversation is easy for Anne and Sasha, who clearly have the hots for me!”, Marcy said as she danced.

    “Anne, I can’t believe that of all things, you were hurt by tripping on a box of wiener dogs!”

 Hop Pop was applying another Hello Kitty band aid as Anne sighed morosely.

 “I’m sorry, Hop Pop! I just… I… I’m very nervous!”

 Hop Pop sighed affectionately and patted his girl’s back. “Anne, my darling… I’d NEVER judge you. And even if I did, I would be in the wrong for that.”

 Hop Pop smiled as he made a promise with his eyes. “Whatever you have to say is who you are. If your friends or your family can’t accept that, then, well, they’re pretty darn lousy at their jobs, I reckon!”

 Anne shed a tear while smiling, her real father as ever making her feel valid. Real.

 Once she was so afraid of expressing her true self.

 Now, she felt like she could sing it out loud.

 Not that she would; Musical theatre was a pale imitation of vaudeville, according to Hop Pop.

 Taking a deep breath, Anne confessed her secret.

 “Hop Pop… I tried to understand this for a while, and for a while I wasn’t sure if it was true, but…”

 “I know that you have the crushy crush on Sasha at least, that’s for sure.”, Hop Pop commented, scratching his chin.

 Anne’s eyes were now very buggy. “HOW IN TARNATION DO YOU KNOW THAT?”

 Hop Pop was too busy thinking something else. “I’ve never said tarnation, where’d you pick that up?”

 “Doesn’t matter! How do you know that I like Sasha?”, Anne asked in disbelief. What had given her away?

 “Anne, you’d need to be blind not to know! Also, you once forced me to marry you and your Sasha cardboard cutout in a lavish ceremony.”

 Anne blushed wildly. “I do crazy things when I drink too much cocoa…”

 Hop Pop chuckled warmly and observed Anne with sparkling eyes. “Well? I assume there’s a part 2…”

 Anne laughed as well and admitted that “Marcy’s pretty fine too!”

 Anne then got shy again. “I know that it’s customary to only like one person, but I really li…Lo…”

 Anne swallowed her spit and resolved herself.

 “I REALLY love both of them.”

 Anne sighed again. “I know it’s weird, but it’s who I am.”

 She looked up, scared again. “Do you… Do you see me any different?”

 There are moments in life where one has to prove to one’s kids just how much he/she loves them.

 In that moment, Hop Pop aced so hard no one would ever get close.

 “Do you know what I see, Anne?”, he asked, and as she shook her head, he sat next to her.

 “What I see is a beautiful, smart, strong, brave, independent young woman with a kind heart and a lovely soul.”

 He continued. “I see an amazing friend and an incredible daughter.”

 He nearly choked up for a moment. “I see someone who has grown so much, but hasn’t lost that innate goodness that was there from day 1.”

 He then embraced her. “You know what I see?”

 He whispered. “I see someone I am PROUD to call my daughter.”

 He retracted from the hug to wipe away her tears. “And if these two girls make you happy, then, well, I see no problem in you getting together with them.”

 Anne, who was feeling all the feels, gripped her Hop Poppy and said “Oh THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”

 “Of course, Anne. Of course.”

 Anne hiccupped for a moment and softly smiled. “I… I… Thank you for letting me be me.”

 She kissed his forehead and as she ran off, she called out “Love you, Dad!”

 Hop Pop shook his head softly as she left. “Kids…”

     Meanwhile meanwhile (revenge of the meanwhile)…

 “And that’s is why I want to kiss two girls under the mistletoe today, so you better understand, motherfucker, before I stick my hand up your ass and make it talk like a puppet to give me validity!”

 As the powerpoint finally skidded to a halt, Sasha wished that she could erase all the bar graphs and pie charts on how “lit” lesbian OT3’s were.

 In fact, Sasha had cringed really hard for the entire presentation, and as she finally opened her eyes and laid them on a very quiet Grime, who had uncharacteristically said nothing the entire time.

 Sasha was getting REALLY nervous now. What was going to happen?

 Would Grime get angry? Would he fire her from being his daughter?

 Would…

 Would he hate her?

 Sasha already knew that Grime wasn’t exactly the softest and most understanding person in the world.

 So what would he be like with this?

 Tentatively, her fingers shaking, Sasha asked a cautious question.

 “Well… What do you think, Grimesy?”

 Grime scratched his chin in thought, before turning to Sasha with an odd expression.

 “Let me see if I understand: You love that Anne girl, and that Marcy girl?”

 Sasha nodded, depressed.

 Grime chose his words carefully. “All right… If I may ask…”

 He tilted his head. “Why are you asking me if it’s ok?”

 Sasha blinked, surprised. “I… Uh… Huh?”

 Grime cleared his throat, hoping to make himself clear to Sasha. “I may not understand human customs, but I don’t think that loving someone is wrong, at least, under certain conditions.”

 He attempted a soft smile as he grabbed hold of her hand. “The way I see it, if it’s not illegal, it’s ok. And, well… I may seem like a real grouch, but when it comes to you, all I need is a smile, soldier, and I’m in approval.”

 Sasha never liked showing such strong emotions, least of all next to Grime, but she couldn’t help but squeeze him once he finished.

 “Ok, ok…”, he said, but his enjoyment of the hug was obvious.

 Patting her back, he saluted her. “Report me of your success once the conquest is over!”

 She saluted back, grinning. “Aye-Aye, Dad!”

 None noticed that that was the first time Sasha had called him dad, but Grime would later feel his heart grow 3 sizes once he realized what she had said.

        Later that evening, Anne, Sasha and Marcy found themselves underneath the mistletoe, all a little confused and VERY flustered.

 “So… We all had the same idea and crushes?”, Sasha asked, very embarrassed. Pink was not a color frequently seen on her cheeks, but today it was dominant.

 “I guess so.”, Anne said, feeling very shy. Was all her worrying really for nothing?

 “Cool cool cool cool. When do I get to be gay?”, Marcy asked, wearing a rainbow hoodie over a shirt that said “Go to the YMCA? I AM THE YMCA!” and shoes that played “Girls Like Girls” by Hayley Kiyoko.

 Anne, Sasha and Marcy all looked at each other, and realized that sometimes, all the worrying really IS for nothing.

 Here they all were, very much in love with each other and willing to take the next step.

 So…

 Why not just do it?

 For Anne Boonchuy, Christmas had once been most magical when she opened her presents under the tree.

 But this year, it was when she kissed her two girlfriends at the same time.

     Finishing the story, SpongeGuy looked at his words and hoped they were enough.

 As ever, the lesson he tried to impart had a harder time reaching him.

 The words stood on the screen, daunting.

 Teasing.

 Were they enough for such an angel?

 Were they enough for such a blessing?

 Stepping into the room, SpongeGuy could see his sister/brother/BroSis Kamino sleep peacefully in a bed. An adorable beanie sat on the cute short hair cut and her eyes, despite being closed, sparkled with wonder, that made him want to be so excited.

 Hands shook as he clutched the manuscript and wondered again: Was it good enough?

 She had given him so much in so little time.

 Had he deserved any of it?

 Could he ever justify his existence?

 Floating in from another room was a frequent visitor.

 Cold hands sent a shiver down SpongeGuy’s spine and he didn’t need to turn to know it was the reaper.

 “You seem awfully ready to go. I haven’t sensed such resignation in a while from you.”

 SpongeGuy tried to say something but the words stuck in his throat.

 “…You haven’t even come close to succeeding in your mission. Are you ready to call it quits? It’s not like you ever deserved to succeed.”

 But SpongeGuy shakes his head. “Maybe I don’t deserve it…”

 He put down the manuscript next to Kamino’s head.

 “But they do. Every single one of them needs a hero.”

 SpongeGuy turns defiantly. “If it means fighting for years without a smile, then I will do so.”

 “…What makes you so sure that you’ll ever be happy?”

 SpongeGuy turns and sees a miracle in front of him.

 “…Just a hunch.”

[meowloudly15]

Stranded: Day 9 - IMPENDING MORAL CRISIS

Oh CARP I forgot to post this yesterday... I’m sorry. Next chapter will be up on Thursday.

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The Spider-Gang took shelter in an alley behind a Burger Monarch restaurant. Gwen inspected her left arm, which had taken quite a beating. It felt less numb now, and she could finally hold things in it without exerting a death grip. Since she was right-handed, it didn't matter too much.

"Where's Miles?" asked Noir.

Peter B. looked around frantically, as though Miles was still there but had turned invisible. "Oh no, he's not here. Miles! Miles, c'mere!"

"Can't believe you lost him again," commented Ham.

"I, no, I didn't lose him. He's just… he's just… something happened to his uncle. They'll both be okay? I think?"

Peni's face was impassive. "The Prowler's dead."

"How do you know?"

"Sp/dr has infrared scanners. He's in the next alley over."

"Is Miles over there?" asked Gwen.

"Uh, no. Just a couple of cops."

Oh, this wasn't good at all. Miles was in no shape to help out at this point, considering that the poor kid's uncle had just died. She was going to have to sacrifice herself. But that was okay if it meant that everybody else stayed safe.

"We need to find Miles," Peter B. said. His brows were set in a hard line.

IMPENDING MORAL CRISIS

Gwen knew that her spider-sense could help her find Miles. She knew that the Spider-Gang could comfort him. But was it really the right choice? Was having a load really the best idea? Would he die if he came along?

She shook her head. "No. We shouldn't. We need to get to the collider now. Miles would… he'll just slow us down."

"Then who will stay behind?" asked Noir.

"I will," said Gwen and Peter B. simultaneously. They looked at each other.

"It's okay if I die. There's nothing left for me back home, anyway," said Peter B. calmly. "My wife's gone… well not really, but kind of. There are other heroes in my dimension: Ricochet, Prodigy, Sable, just to name a few. The public… isn't super fond of me. I won't be missed much."

"Yes, you will. Your wife… your ex-wife will miss you. So will all the people you've helped, and all the people who've helped you.

"And I'm supposed to be dead. Don't you get it? Why do you think the media calls me Ghost Spider? Why do you think all the heroes in other dimensions are like you, not like me? Why is Gwen Stacy dead in every dimension but mine? I shouldn't be alive!"

Peter B. adopted a soothing tone. "Yes, you should be. You're a hero in your world. You've saved plenty of people, including your own dad."

Gwen's voice started to break, and she exerted all her willpower to hold herself together. "I'm no hero. I killed my own best friend! And I'll fight tooth and nail to make sure I don't have to see Peter Parker die again!"

"And I'd do the same for Gwen Stacy."

Gwen balled her hands into fists. "Not if I have anything to say about that."

Ham spoke up. "Woah woah woah. Nobody's gonna die. We just… need to figure out what to do with Miles."

IMPENDING MORAL CRISIS

Again, Gwen was struck with a ray of hope. Miles couldn't be the MILES OF INTEREST for no reason. But at the same time, she couldn't put all her faith in someone else, especially if that somebody had already been proven unreliable. She could only rely on herself. That was one reason why she didn't want to let friends help. Gwen couldn't control friends, but she could control herself.

At the same time, she owed it to Miles to help him feel better.

Where was Miles?

VISION OF BROOKLYN

Gwen exhaled. "I know where Miles is. Follow me."

Of course, as she remembered only when the Spider-Gang reached Visions Academy, she didn't know which part of the building he was in.

That question was answered a couple seconds later, when Noir caught a book that had been cast out of a third-story window. Miles' name was on the cover. Noir threw the book back through the window, and the Spider-Gang followed it in.

Miles' room looked like that of any teenager, except in even more disarray. He must have had a roommate, since there was a bunk bed, neither level of which was properly made. (Not that Gwen was judging, as she only made her bed when her dad forced her to.) Clothes were strewn across the floor, as were his books and notes. They looked like they had been recently scattered. Gwen, not known for her tidiness, knew that even her room at home wasn't as messy as this one.

Amidst the mess stood Miles, looking just as disjointed as did his room. He wiped a tear from his eye as he looked up at Peter B.

"Hey buddy," said Peter B. "You all right?"

Miles turned aside and softly shook his head.

Peter B. laid his hand on Miles' shoulder. "We've all been there. For me, it was my Uncle Ben."

Noir replicated the gesture. "For me, it was my Uncle Benjamin."

"For me, it was my dad," said Peni.

Gwen blinked hard. "For me, it was my best friend."

"Miles, the hardest thing about this job is that you can't save everybody," added Ham.

She couldn't help but smile. Though he was a goofy cartoon character, Ham was probably the wisest member of the bunch, if not the smartest one. It likely had something to do with him having been a superhero for 35 years.

"But, but I feel like it's my fault," said Miles. "You wouldn't understand."

Gwen remembered a dreary day in school, limping between classes, an unending bell tolling in her head. She remembered an even worse night afterwards, the bell striking the insides of her skull. The bell was still there, ringing more softly now, but she had given up on muffling it. It would slow to a stop eventually, but it wouldn't go away.

Miles needed to learn what had taken her two years to understand.

"Miles, we're probably the only people who do understand."

PERSONS TAKING NOTICE

Gwen saw the door handle rattle.

"Oh no, it's Ganke," said Miles.

Everybody jumped onto the ceiling just before a stocky young Asian fellow wearing headphones walked in. He sat down in the rolling chair and pulled out a comic book. As Ganke slid to the left, the spiders scrambled right, trying to stay out of his field of vision. When he spun to the right, they moved left.

Finally, inevitably, the kid looked up and saw everybody.

PERSONS TAKING NOTICE

"Hey," Miles said awkwardly.

"Do animals talk in this dimension?" asked Ham. "'Cuz I don't wanna freak him out."

Ganke passed out.

Gwen helped Miles drag his roommate into bed while Peni, Noir, and Ham left the room. After he pulled the covers over him, Miles turned around to see only Peter B. standing there. Gwen was halfway out the window.

"What's going on?"

IMPENDING MORAL CRISIS

She looked down. She really didn't want to leave Miles behind. But she had to. For his sake. For everybody else's sake. Peter B. might have deluded himself into thinking that he would save everybody, or that Miles could, but Gwen needed to sacrifice herself.

But would Peter B. listen to her? He never seemed to. He always had his own agenda. Sure, it was understandable, seeing that he was a loner. Maybe he didn't want anybody else in on his plans because he didn't trust anyone? But how would Gwen make him see that Miles couldn't help? How would she make him see that he couldn't stay behind?

As little as she trusted herself to handle the situation, she was the only person who could.

"Bye, Miles."

Gwen hopped out of the window.

Noir, Ham, and Sp//dr clung to the other side of the wall, listening in on Peter B. and Miles. Noir waved for Gwen to join them. As much as she wanted to get on with saving the multiverse, she wanted to stay. Friendship prevailed over duty in this instance.

This was why Gwen didn't want to make friends. They would get in the way, just like Miles would have. They would get hurt, just like Peter had been.

But did that make them bad to have?

Gwen stopped worrying about herself and listened.

Should she be here?

SURE

"You're not getting it. You're staying here."

"I need to be there, so you all can get home."

"They are going home. I'm the only one staying."

That's what he thought.

"But if you stay here, you'll die."

"I'm doing what needs to be done. I just wanted you to hear it from me."

"What about MJ?"

A heavy pause.

"Not everything works out, kid. I need the goober."

Wait, Miles still had the goober?

"Don't make me take it from you."

Miles sounded agitated, like he was drawing on his last reserves of conviction. "But that's not fair! Tell them I can do this!"

"It wasn't their decision."

"But, but I gotta make Kingpin pay! Let me make him pay!"

"You're gonna get yourself killed if you do that."

"But I'm ready! I promise!"

He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready. What would it take to make Miles understand that?

Gwen heard thumping.

Peter B.'s voice sounded like it was coming from higher up than before. "Then venom-strike me right now. Or turn invisible, on command, so you can get past me."

Miles strained. He gritted his teeth and growled. But, apparently, nothing happened.

Gwen couldn't help but feel bad for him.

His devotion to friends wasn't going to help him. He needed to be broken of the habit before he got himself killed.

"Poor little guy," Noir muttered under his breath.

"I know how much you want this… but you don't have it yet. I'm sorry."

Webshooters fired repeatedly.

"When will I know I'm ready?" asked Miles.

"You won't. It's a leap of faith."

Peter B. climbed out the window and joined the rest of the Spider-Gang. They swung back into the city in silence.

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#spidergwen #spider gwen #gwen stacy #ghost spider #spiderverse #into the spiderverse #spiderman into the spiderverse #fanfiction #writing #writers on tumblr #stranded #stranded fanfic #long post #marvel

[champofpallet]

I’ve Returned...(SSBU Drabble)

“Red! C’mon! We have to get going! Do you have your stuff?”

“Uh huh...”

Leaf looks back at her friend and sighs, hands on her hips. “I thought you were happy you got back in. You’ve been doing a lot of dangerous stunts lately. The boycott you did, the Smash Run stunt. You got what you wanted. Charizard is your Pokemon again.”

Red was quiet again, trying to think of what to say. Charizard was his starter since he was still a trainer back in Kanto, the one he trained the most. He remembers the fun times they had on their journey, the laughs they shared. Maybe Charizard didn’t want to come back. He doesn’t have his Rock Smash anymore, so he must be bummed about that. While Red has been dreaming of this day for so long, he still felt bad about that. Maybe Charizard was better off without him.

Leaf rolls her eyes and gently bonks the red hatted boy with the tip of her fists. “Yoooowch! Ow ow ow...” Red moved to the fetal position and rubbed his head. Leaf was stronger than she looked. “You’ve trained Charizard since he was a Charmander, remember? I was there when you picked him! If anything, Charizard would be happy to see you again. You are one of the most important humans to him, after all.” She gives a big smile before putting her bag on her shoulder. “C’mon we’re gonna be late.”

How does she know that he was the most important human in Charizard’s life? She couldn’t speak Pokemon or read their memories. But alas, he just nods his head to avoid another sharp punch to the noggin. The Pokeballs that contain Squirtle and Ivysaur viberate with joy. They were going to see their friend again. Red wished he could be as ignorant about stat changes and nerfing as they were. He wonders if Charizard would know...his stomach felt sick.

The bus arrives quickly, everyone boarding it in a single file line. Of course, the only people...er and Pokemon that were getting on from this stop were Leaf, Pichu, and himself. Red could see a lot of old faces, ones he hasn’t seen since Brawl. They all cheer when they see him, they missed their old Pokemon bud. He was sure they were clapping for Pichu though since the little baby Pokemon jumped on his shoulder. People did love Melee after all. Red sits on a empty bus seat and Leaf sat on the other side of him.

The Smash Mansion...it’s been awhile since he’s been there...

The ride was pretty long since they had to stop through different Nintendo dimensions just to get everyone. Leaf had never seen such an amazing sight and looked out the window as lights of red, blue, green, and yellow flashed in a circular motion. That was just how dimension hopping worked. In fact, that’s how he got himself to that rainy ruined zoo in the first place. He constantly checked his Pokeballs to see if they still had Ivysaur and Squirtle. There was no way he was going to have to capture them all again like last time. Leaf just thought that it was hilarious how he kept checking on his Pokemon. Red always was a worry-wort.

With a loud screech the bus haulted to a stop. Everyone was ordered to get out in a single file line. Charizard is here...he could feel it in his heart. People evacuated the vehicle carefully, almost slipping on the last step as they departed. Red though had really tripped over the last step, almost knocking Leaf down with him. Oh Red, such a clutz. 

Again they all were seated in front of a big stage. Someone Red didn’t know escorted Leaf to the stage since she was a newcomer to the tournament. He waves goodbye and goes to sit in one of the chairs in the audience. So far...he didn’t see Charizard. Red’s heart sank. It wasn’t that long before he heard someone call his name. A short boy with blonde hair wearing a red and yellow striped shirt. Lucas. His first friend from Smash. Red quickly picked the boy up giving him a bone crushing hug, much to the dismay of Lucas, but he was still so happy to see his friend again. 

“I missed you, Red! It wasn’t fun without you here.”

“I missed you too, Lucas! Man you haven’t changed a bit!” He ruffles his hair and Lucas lets out a small whine. “Aww...but your still taller than me...I thought I could at least get an inch off of you.” Red laughs and scratches his nose with his index finger. “Don’t worry! You’ll be as tall as me soon!” The psychic shook his head to disagree. “You’re just unnaturally tall. Um...no offense. I mean you’re-”

“Twelve. And I even met my adult self!” Well that made sense if he’s twelve, but being the same age and Red still being freakishly tall was...uh...kind of weird. “Wait, you met your adult self? How tall is he?”

Red puts his hand to his chin.

“Hmmm....five foot seven.”

And Lucas looks down in defeat. He was never going to catch up to Red height wise at this rate.

“HELLO ONE AND ALL TO THE FIFTH ANNUAL SMASH BROTHERS TOURNAMENT!” A loud voice boomed through the stadium and everyone turned their attention to the stage. “WE HAVE SOME NEWCOMERS TO SHOW YOU TODAY! THE FIRST IS CAPPY!” A small red cap that looked a lot like Mario’s jumped up. It still was on Mario’s head as it looked around at everyone with bright brown eyes. As intriguing as a hat with eyes was, Red still had to find Charizard. Perhaps he was in the audience? Darn it! It was too dark to even see past your own nose! Maybe he could see a shadow of his Pokemon in the darkness?

There was some commotion on stage as well as lots of applause, yet Red didn’t even look back. He just wanted to see his best Pokemon pal again. “ISN’T HE SOMETHING! MARIO, WILL YOU INTRODUCE THE NEXT PERSON?”

“A-hah! Yes Master Hand-a sir. Ahem. Next up we have our newest new-a character, the Inklings!”

More applause as three Tentacruel looking kids go on stage waving at the audience. Someone sitting dirrectly behind Red didn’t take kindly for blocking their view and told him to sit down. Red grunts and sits back in his chair, agitated that he couldn’t find Charizard anywhere. Lucas could tell something was bothering Red. He opened his mouth to whisper something but was interrupted by a loud voice introducing the next person. 

“AND NOW, FROM PALLET TOWN, RED’S CHILDHOOD FRIEND AND FELLOW POKEMON TRAINER: LEAF!” 

Seeing the girl walk on stage, Lucas smiled and looked back at Red. “So...is that your girlfriend?” Red’s worry was haulted for a moment and replaced with embarrassment. His cheeks turned as red as his hat. “Ahahaha...w-well we...uh...um...”

That’s when he noticed a Pokeball being held by Mario on stage. He wondered if Charizard’s in there. Of course he wouldn’t want to see him. Red stares at his feet. Lucas looked at Red and back to the stage trying to piece together the puzzle. Then like a bolt of lightning, he realized it.

“...Red...”

“AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR-”

“Um...scusami Master Hand. I have-a one more announcement.”

Master Hand looked at Mario in...a way only a hand could look I guess and moves over a few steps. The red plumber went to the podium and clears his throat again. He holds a Pokeball in his hands. From far away, it was like the Pokeball was shaking.

“Red Satoshi, can-a you please come up to the stage?”

Everyone stares at Red as he gets up from his seat. Red looks back at Lucas as if to ask “what’s going on” and all he could reply was a small shrug. Oh man...what is this? Is he going to become an assist trophy now or something? And where was Charizard? Every step he took made his stomach hurt worse and worse. He wasn’t sure what was happening.

As he got on the stage, Mario smiles that friendly smile he always had making Red feel a bit more at ease. Slowly he hands the shaking Pokeball to Red, clasping it in his hands.

“I believe someone wants to see you.”

Red looked at the Pokeball and back to Mario. His smile never left his face, so this must be something good, yes? Red then turned to the audience, everyone excitedly waiting for him to open it. One deep sigh. The pokeball was shaking frantically in his hands now, it was hard to even get a grip on it. Well...he guesses if this is Charizard and he’s mad at him, he could go ahed and give up his spot. He loves Charizard with all his heart after all. A Pokemon Trainer should always strive to make their Pokemon happy. Red takes two steps back and presses the white button on the Pokeball.

A flash of white light appears in front of him, slowly forming to a familiar shape. An orange dragon opened his eyes slowly, scaning left and right. Was that...it was! Red’s Charizard. The one he held as a Charmander. The one he raised for so long. Red was afraid to speak at first, he must be furious with him. But this was never going to get anywhere if he didn’t say something.

“...Charizard?”

Two horn like ears twitch hearing the familiar voice. It takes a moment, but Charizard turns around to see who it was that called him. His blue eyes grow wide.

“H-How...ya doin’ buddy?”

The two looked at each other eye to eye. Red’s own eyes began watering themselves. He knew that Charizard might be mad at him, but it’s been so long since they were together like this. A trainer and Pokemon bond that could never break...

Charizard makes a sound Red hadn’t heard since the Pokemon was a Charmander. It was a sound between a grunt and a gurggle, almost like a trill. He does another a bit louder, almost sounding like he was getting choked on his tears. Before Red could say another word, Charizard flies to him, almost knocking him into the wall. Red flinched. Charizard was mad. He had to know! Why would he jump his trainer like that?

Then he felt a hot nose nuzzle against his cheek, smoke coming out of the Pokemon’s nose like a chimney. Red opens his eyes to see Charizard doing his best to hug him tightly, his blue eyes still filling with tears. Red was confused...wasn’t Charizard angry? Still...he places his hand on his muzzle, stroking it gently.

“Hey...don’t cry...I won’t...take your place. You can go ahead and be your own fighter as you were.” Red couldn’t stand to see his Charizard cry like that. Sure he wanted to come back, but not if Charizard didn’t want him to. Red tries to move but Charizard hugs him tighter, almost as if he’d never let go.

“It seems to me that Charizard wants-a to be with you as a team again. You wouldn’t want to break his heart, would you?”

Red turns back to his Pokemon looking him straight in the eyes. “You’re not...mad about bein’ in a Pokeball? O-Or Rock Smash?” Charizard makes that gurgle noise and hugs Red tighter. In fact, it almost crushed him from how tightly he held. Red’s face turned purple thanks to the lack of oxygen, yet Charizard was too busy hugging the trainer to notice. Mario laughs a small bit. “Er...Charizard you’re hugging him just-a little bit too tight.” Charizard looks back and gasps, letting go of his trainer as he tries to get his breath back.

“So what do you say? Will you let him be on your team again?”

Red was quiet, but then took out Squitle and Ivysaur’s Pokeball and let them out too. All three hugged the fire type tightly, happy to be together again. Squirtle of course was holding onto Charizard’s leg, crying happily to be with his big brother again. Ivysaur was just wrapping her vines arround everyone in a hug. Red hugged Charizard’s stomach, remembering how warm and cuddly he used to be.

“The team is back together at last! I love you guys so much!”

#Smash Brothers Fanfiction #super smash bros ultimate #Pokemon Trainer #this took me 2 hours #but it was worth it

[chainzwebcomic]

Descent III

PREVIOUS UPDATES: DESCENT II

He was put a top the spire already, limbs secured in place by many chains, hung up for all to see, with his head held back to leave his throat exposed. It’s quite a ghastly display, he’s primed and ready to be butchered, soon a blade will slice his neck open laterally, and he will be drained of all life upon the spire. This ritual is something the After Lands has not done in a large number of years and Uriah had forgotten how much he hates the absolute barbaric spectacle. Unfortunately not everyone else feels the same way. This event is ‘the cleansing,’ said to release all the negative energy in a rotted individual and bring good energy to the After Lands for the next 10 years. If this horrid place was going to go through with their sacrifice he was going to at least grant the man’s last wish and help him see his lover again. He clutched a bead on his enchanted necklace.

“The waves lay still under the full moon, not a sound is heard in the grand forest. All life is perfectly still, the world lays suspended in harmony and not a sound is heard.” The beads glow brighter and brighter as he continues his incantation. “I call upon nature to help me disappear, SUKÉ TAOSUGA”

Uriah had made his entire essence appear invisible to the rest of the world, a technique he has not had to use since the fight with the creatures of the abyss eons ago. He was a valued member of the army back then due to his vast array of powers. He was a force to be reckoned with. Even if he hated the thought of fighting, he knew the odds of his losing were very low.

He made his way up to Vanthros and cast the same spell on him. The complete disappearance of his presence alerted the guards, but when they went to check on him it was too late, he had somehow escaped.

He held Vanthros as they flew to the edge of the After Lands.

“Who are you?! Vanthros questions as this mysterious individual facilitated his escape.

“That’s not important.” Uriah slowed down as they finally got to the edge miles away from any other forms of life.

“You said you’re a gatekeeper right?” “You’re that Patron who stood up for me in the trial!” “Open the gate, go to the real world with her, let’s go before anyone sees!”

Vanthros hesitated for a second, then collected his thoughts “Thank you so much, this means more to me than you know-”

“Not so fast buddy, I’m going with you, but we’re coming back. I just want to grant you your last goodbye.”

Vanthros’ heart sunk to his stomach, he tried to hide his sadness and remain grateful that this kind stranger would allow him to see Winona one more time.

Vanthros clapped his hands together loudly, pressing them tightly in front of his chest as his arms stretched outward. He shut his eyes tightly as he focused all his energy on his finger tips. Suddenly he shot his  eyes open, irises which glowed before with a dull amber shone bright with a brilliant yellow as he became to kick up energy around himself. He then separated his hands and dug into the air in front of him. He clawed viciously at what appeared to be nothing until a visible resistance began holding his hands back. His fingers glowed a lustrous crimson as he began ripping a small hole and opening a portal to another dimension. Violent flashes of blue white and violet erupted from the small hole he had created, as vicious energy poured out reacting to the breaking of reality. The power emitted from this portal would give their location away even if Uriah masked their presence completely.

“Vanthros, we don’t have much time!” Uriah yelled as he anxiously covered their 6.

“Just- A little bit… Longer!” Vanthros yelled powerfully. He let out a powerful bellow as he pulled as hard as he physically could. “HRAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!”

Vanthros ripped open the portal viciously, as he let out a sigh of relief. He grinned slightly as he rested his hands on his knees “Ha… sorry, still not used to doing that.” The portal cracked loudly with energy reacting rapidly to the exposed new dimension.

“Good job nonetheless, I can carry you the rest of the way if you’re too tired to continue.”

“No I’ll be fine, that’s very kind of you sir, thank you. Do-Do you mind if I ask your name?”

Uriah froze up for a bit, at this moment it all collapsed on him. What he was doing, how far he had gone in the name of justice to save this man. How far he had become invested in preserving the imagine of the After Lands he once loved. He broke the law, if he was caught he would surely be caught. And all for what, this stranger who stood before him? This foolish boy who fell in love with a mortal and now may change the course of history with his actions. This is the man he was willing to risk everything for, just to grant his last wish before he atones for his crimes. Uriah let out a loud sigh as he realized how far he had gotten himself into this mess.

“I’m… I’m  Uriah. Uriah Setoah, I’m a Patron of Life. What was happening to you- I couldn’t bear to see. The After Lands I stand for would never treat a fellow Spectre so harshly, I guess I took your case fairly personally. I wanted to at the very least show you the mercy you should have been shown among your peers… And look how far I’ve gone…”

“I’m sorry about all this Uriah, I- I didn’t mean to cause all this commotion I really didn’t! I never thought what I did would affect anyone else in such a grand way.”

‘Don’t apologize for having a conscious kid. Even if it’s against the rules it’s admirable what you did I say. But rules are in place for a reason and I’m afraid you’ve upset the balance of our world severely with what you did. It’s unfair what that woman was going through but life doesn’t exactly function in fair ways. There is always uncalled for tragedy that never receives an element of retribution. Maybe what you did is what the Universe planned all along… I can’t say…”

The Portal continued to crack loudly, Vanthros peeked into it and saw the never ending abyss that awaited them.

“We better get going. They know you’re a gatekeeper and no one has business in the outskirts at this hour. They’re coming for us.”

Vanthros gave a slight nod and swallowed the emotions that consumed his mind. He would never have come this far without Uriah’s help, a Patron who was willing to risk his life for proper retribution. He truly was the embodiment of the Philosophy of the After Lands. The two hopped into the portal together as they made their way towards Winona.

Travelling through a portal was intensely taxing on one’s spirit. A human couldn’t dream of making it through one in one piece. Once you enter you are suspended in a sea of absolute darkness. Your only guides are the sparks of energy emitted between dimensions, guiding you to your location. Venturing through this abyss of darkness can be treacherous. Many corrupted creatures inhabit the darkness, feasting on the lack of light and lurking in hopes to prey on passers by. The air of the space itself saps your spiritual energy away slowly as you venture through, not leaving you with time to waste. Low energy targets are chum in the water for the beasts of the abyss.

The two made their way swiftly through the heavy darkness without a second to spare. Once at the entrance to the human world Vanthros opened the gate quickly as the two travelled together to where Winona lives

Once they finally arrived in the real world together Vanthros stormed off to the Northern part of town rushing to find Winona.

He burst through the door and saw her sitting at the table alone, clutching a pregnancy test. Her long violet hair cascading down unto her lap like a soft waterfall in a Fae world. Her tired worn eyes catching a small glint of light causing them to shimmer delicately  as she looked up shocked. The bags under her eyes puffed from recent tears. Tears begin to trickle down once again as she formed a smile and rushed to hug Vanthros.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave me!” She cried into his shoulder and held him tight against herself

“Nothing in this universe could stop me from seeing you again Winona, I love you.” He held her tight as he stroked the back of her hair.

“I don’t know where I’d be without you my angel, you’ve done so much for me. Oh there’s something I have to tell you-”

“I already know Winona, you’re going to have my child! I’m- so happy!”

They held each other tightly as Winona opened her eyes in shock!

“Wha-What’s that!” She said in a shrill shocked voice. She glanced at this absolute beast on a creature that stood behind Vanthros. An unreal being so large It could not fit through the door properly. With the only think it sharing with man was a torso. She held Vanthros tightly as she gazed in awe.

“That’s Uriah, He’s- another guardian angel. He helped me get here. Winona there’s something I have to tell you. I can not stay, what I have done is forbidden, angels are now allowed to interfere with human affairs and you bearing my child- is something they can not forgive. I am forbidden from ever seeing you again. This kind angel was benevolent enough to grant me my last goodbye with you.”

“Vanthros this- this can’t be!” She held onto him tightly as she sobbed into his chest. All Vanthros could bring himself to do was hold her tightly as he held her gently.

They hugged and Uriah sighed, he can’t leave her without him. He had made it this far, and for what? To strip this man away from the mother of his child? He was already too far gone, if he gets caught, he’ll lose his prestige in the After Lands. He’ll become a wanted criminal no matter what. Failing to bring this man back would guarantee he can never set foot in the afterlands again. He had made his choice. That place was no longer the Utopia he remembers dearly. It had changed to quickly, for the worse. As much as he has been trying he was powerless to stop the wicked direction his society was turning too. He’ll set this man free, and the next morning he will plan his escape.

#im getting to lazy to tag these #naomi help #chainz webcomic #webcomic #freelance

[rorykillmore]

sooo it’s time to get to the rest of my (now belated) christmas fics! this one is for @sonofkaden who didn’t have a specific request and just wanted me to write something i thought she’d like. well i... gave it some thought, and while we’ve written a ton of wonderful and important stuff together over the years, there’s one important rp dynamic that i thought could benefit from a bit of cathartic and well-earned closure.

this is, in essence, a sort of sequel to  this fic which she wrote awhile back. writing from the perspective of a character i don’t rp as or otherwise write regularly for is always vaguely intimidating for me, buuut the last gift fic i wrote was from kara’s perspective and i thought this piece would work better (and mean more to fate) from ratchet’s perspective anyways. so uh. hopefully i pulled it off!

fate, to get sappy for a moment, this year has been a particularly important one in our friendship. we finally got to meet irl and we also built an rp dynamic in the superfriends that has become so significant and definitive. it seemed only right to write a tribute to them in their entirety, so i hope you enjoy this. thank you for consistently being kind and supportive and funny, for never failing to make me smile with your distinctive brand of humor even on my lowest days -- you really are an invaluable presence in my life. <3

privately, he hopes he’s not in the process of creating some kind of dimension-crumbling paradox. clank would kill him.

There’s an image of another world shimmering on the other side of the portal. Ratchet wants to reach out and touch it; he flexes one gloved hand, stirred by its familiarity. 

“What is it?” Clank asks, his voice careful and quiet.

He can’t construct a response that’s seamless or immediate, and he knows Clank must feel his silence like a chasm between them -- but after a moment he murmurs, “It’s been awhile.”

Five years, by his estimate -- at least on this side of the rifts. The passage of time between dimensions is a tricky thing, and the awareness that it could have been much less or much more in the other world feels like a weight bearing down on him.

He’s afraid. He can’t articulate it, but he’s afraid. He can feel it in the hammering of his heart, the subtle prickling of his fur. He stands there, staring, yearning and reluctant.

“It took longer than expected to rework the schematics of the Dimensionator into something stable,” Clank begins hesitantly. “I would understand if your feelings on this matter have... changed.”

A test run, he had called it only weeks ago. Ratchet wants to laugh at himself now for that feigned flippancy. They finally have a reliable way of traveling through dimensions, and he could have used it to find the other Lombaxes --

-- He would have been lying if he’d said that hadn’t been his first thought, despite how many strides he’s taken towards making peace with it --

But that’s an entire journey, and one that doesn’t have a clear end in sight. His proposal for today is something different -- a test in essence, sure, but also a goodbye.

A proper goodbye. One he’d almost started to assume he would never get.

He doesn’t know what to do with it now. Improbable as it once might have seemed, the prospect of it has always been there, hanging in the undefined future. If he goes through with this now, it’ll be gone -- and maybe he’ll be able to let go of what he’s been holding on to since he got back.

He’s not sure he wants to.

“Nah,” he says decisively in spite of that -- and in spite of the fact that what he’s looking for might not even be there any more, which would hurt all the worse. “Can’t turn back now that we’ve come this far. Wish me luck, huh buddy?”

A part of him aches to ask Clank to come with him - the comfort of his oldest friend’s presence is easy to fall back on, even after their separation - but this is his first time deliberately dimension-hopping with this thing, and if something goes wrong... better one of them than both of them.

Besides, this is something he should probably do alone.

He feels Clank’s hand hover over his arm briefly before settling there. “Good luck, Ratchet,” the little robot echoes, and when Ratchet turns to meet his eyes, he feels the weight of the emotion behind the words.

He greets them with a nod, because he knows his own response would fail him, and then turns and takes the plunge.

“Holy shit, he’s alive.”

It’s a grating, painstakingly familiar voice that he’s first greeted with on the other side -- though in spite of that, it takes him a moment to place it. He sits up slowly, slightly dizzy with the effect of the jump, and tries to focus on the two figures looming over him. Mostly because they’re there, and easy to focus on.

He regrets it a second later.

“How did you survive Belsnickel?” demands Chanel #3, leaning in closer than Ratchet would like to get a better look at him. “Did he restore you to life once you’d learned your lesson and acknowledged the true meaning of Christmas?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Number Three,” Chanel cuts in abrasively. “Everyone knows that’s Krampus’ deal.”

Chanel #3′s expression goes blanker than usual.  “I thought he trapped people in snowglobes.”

Quickly and without much internal debate, Ratchet decides to leave them to their argument. It’s only another moment before he’s reasonably sure that his legs aren’t going to give out underneath him, so he springs abruptly to his feet -- and dashes out of the building without a backwards glance.

“Hey!” he hears one of the girls exclaim, but he doesn’t falter, his mind racing. That building is still there, and it looks the same as it ever did. And if even those two creeps are still around, then there’s a chance --

He cuts himself off before the thought is fully formed, but allows himself a tiny sliver of hope. There’s a chance.

When he reaches their old apartment, he’s out of breath, and he’s almost grateful for the moment’s pause it excuses.

Except then the moment goes on a little too long, and he’s just staring at the door, reevaluating everything. Again.

Sometimes he hates that he thinks too much.

It’s sentiment, ultimately, that quells his doubt. The thought of seeing his friends’ faces again, the knowledge that they could be right there on the other side. So he lifts his hand and manages it to keep from shaking as he knocks. Twice. A third time.

And then he waits a short span of seconds that feel like a lifetime before door opens.

It’s Kara on the other side, and Ratchet feels his heart swell with relief -- and then stutter. She looks so much like he remembers her (but then he remembers that thing about Kryptonian aging, and realizes that probably shouldn’t tell him anything). The way the smile on her face freezes tells him that at least some time has passed, for her. Enough for her to notice his absence.

Probably, he guesses as he looks at her now, enough for her to mourn it. He hates the idea of everything they’d built together - everything he’s left behind- having splintered and broken.

“Hey,” he decides to break the silence, inevitably awkward.  “I, uh -- I know this is probably weirding you out. I can explain.”

“Ratchet,” she murmurs faintly in response, and the sound of it wrenches at his heart.  She looks as though she’s seen a ghost, and while he rationally knows he has no control over the rifts, he can’t help feeling guilty.

He hesitates, feeling his ears droop. He’s almost afraid to ask, but he can’t see anything to do except push ahead.  “...How long’s it been?”

She doesn’t answer, almost staring through him in a way he can’t remember ever seeing her do before. He wishes reaching out to her felt as easy as it once did, but whether it’s the time that’s passed or the way she’s reacting,he suddenly feels helpless.

And then a shadow moves behind her -- and Ratchet instantly recognizes Sasuke. He’s visibly changed. He’s not dramatically older, but maybe a year or two, and his hair’s grown out a little to lesson some of that inexplicable spikiness.

Too bad. Ratchet always liked teasing him about that.

For a moment, Sasuke’s expression is nearly as vulnerable as Kara’s, and that’s even more disconcerting -- but he recovers more quickly, finds his voice before Ratchet has to stumble again for something to say.

“You came back.”

“...I can’t stay.”  Telling them this suddenly feels agonizing  -- dropping in to say goodbye felt comparatively easy, in his own world. Now it feels like the first thing he needs to tell them, and the one thing he doesn’t want to -- if they’re reacting like this, how will losing him again feel?  “I just -- wanted to see you both. One more time.  I thought... you deserved that.”

His voice sounds uncertain to his own ears, and he deflates a little further. Weren’t they happy to see him? He doesn’t like that thought. It feels... selfish, somehow. But it’s been hard for him too. He’s missed them too.

A fleeting look passes between his two old friends, gone almost before he notes it -- and then something seems to give way. Kara’s the first to step forward, and suddenly her arms are around him, her voice close to his ear as she murmurs “We missed you so much.”

In spite of the whirlwind of emotion still raging between the three of them, it’s instinct to hug her back. This feels familiar, this is how things click back into place -- he remembers a time when the two of them were practically attached at the hip, when hugs like this were commonplace.

Well, he thinks as he holds onto her a little more tightly, maybe not hugs like this.

It’s only a moment before his gaze drifts past her and over to Sasuke, who’s still standing in the doorway. He’s a little startled by what he sees: in some unexpected sense, Sasuke looks almost lost, his hand flitting up to brush his hair away from his eyes in a gesture that’s strangely apprehensive. The look that passes between them is silent and loaded, and after a couple of heartbeats, Ratchet finds himself wordlessly disentangling an arm and holding it out to him.

It’s a minuscule reaction, and he might have missed it if he hadn’t been trained to watch so closely -- but Sasuke almost seems to draw away from him. But this is so much the way Ratchet remembers it being: reaching out to Sasuke sometimes means being patient until he decides to reach back. And slowly, almost painstakingly, he finally does. His grip is tight as it closes around Ratchet’s, and the three of them stand together in silence for a moment, bound by memory as well as touch.

“I’m... sorry we greeted you like that.” After what seems at once like lifetimes and seconds too short, Kara pulls away, and Ratchet gets the feeling she’s not talking about the hug. The three of them simultaneously disentwine as if they’re one mind, and he straightens, glancing between them inquisitively. “It’s just -- a lot has happened, since you left.”

He can’t help but smile faintly. “Yeah. For me, too.”

“I guess we have some catching up to do,” Sasuke remarks, though Ratchet’s almost sure he doesn’t imagine the look he shoots Kara -- or the way Kara glances behind her, in the direction of the clock on the wall.

Even so, no one has to say anything else. When they let him inside, Ratchet remembers the day Kara asked him to be her roommate and marvels at how much and how little has changed since then.

In some small, odd way, it almost feels like coming home.

The things they tell each other aren’t easy. Sure, catching up involves a lot of laughs - they share anecdotes and reminisce, and there are moments when it feels like no time has passed at all - but Ratchet also tells them how he had to sacrifice his then-only hope of finding the Lombaxes (he sees it hit Kara particularly hard). He listens as they tell him how Kara lost herself thanks to some drug concocted by Mason Verger, and how Sasuke’s newfound power entailed him hidings his meetings with Orochimaru for months -- a wound that still seems to be healing, because Kara goes tightlipped when it comes up.

It hurts him, to know they’ve been hurting, but it also makes him fiercely proud. They’ve stayed together, through everything. Their team has survived. And -- there’s something telling, he thinks, about how now none of them thing twice about telling each other everything.

Except, it turns out, there is one thing they haven’t told him.

One... kind of big thing.

“You -- met another Ratchet?”  he can’t keep himself from blurting out when they finally confess. “Another me?”

His mind flits back to the memory of meeting the other Kara, and how it prompted a discussion about another Sasuke, and he has to take a moment to wrap his head around it. Wryly, he reflects that he’s somehow managed to forget how much of a headache this can be.

“...He’s part of our team, now,” Sasuke says, watching him closely, and Ratchet feels a small jolt at the realization.

This isn’t just a one or two time anomaly. The... Other Ratchet has been with them the whole time. He’s painfully aware of how frozen he must look, and struggles to work out how to feel.

“But it’s not that simple,” Kara’s quick to put in, reading his expression. “It took a... long time for us to work things out. It wasn’t like we just replaced you.”

Ratchet flexes his hands, taking momentary comfort in the familiar feel of his glove, and wonders. Replace him?  He doesn’t think his friends would ever try. Still, this is a jarring shock,  and he can’t help but reel -- and somewhere buried beneath the startled confusion, he feels the seeds of envy beginning to burrow.

Never in a million years would he have imagined being almost jealous of his younger self.

They seem to be taking his silence as a bad sign, because it’s Sasuke who continues, “When he got here... we were still grieving you. He noticed pretty quickly. It was a mess, for awhile.”

“That’s -- around the time I got hit with the Red Kryptonite.” Kara shifts, her jaw tightening.

His eyes widen at the implication, and he hesitates for a moment, forcing himself to sort through his thoughts before he finally speaks.  “I... wow. So that’s why you guys... kind of freaked out back there.”

He can think of about a hundred questions he wants to ask, and wonders whether it would be better if he didn’t.

“Not because we didn’t want to see you.” Kara reaches out to rest a hand over his -- she’s hardly broken contact, since he stepped inside. “Just -- we thought things might get... complicated, if he realized you were here before we had a chance to talk to him.”

Ratchet doesn’t pull away from her, but for the first time, he lowers his gaze. “...Well. Like I said -- I can’t stay.”

This time, the silence that falls between them is heavy. In spite of how much all of this is, he doesn’t want this to be his last member of them - doesn’t want to leave with all of this baggage between them - so he tries to think of something else to say.

It’s Sasuke, actually, who beats him to it -- Ratchet can’t help but be reminded of the evening he surprised them all by being the one to uplift them. Funny, the details he can still remember.

“You helped build this team, you know.” His voice is level and direct, and Ratchet finally looks over at him. “Without you, none of this would have this. We’re not about to forget that.”

Kara nods, giving his hand a light squeeze.  “You know, younger Ratchet -- we’re close with him now because of everything we’ve been through together. Not because of who he is.  But you -- you were my first friend here. I still feel like I... owe you so much, in some ways.”

He glances between them, silent but pensive, feeling a strange kind of sadness even as something in him lightens.

“And -- that night on the rooftop, after the Christmas party? We promised each other we’d always be friends,” Kara finishes, sounding softer and a little firmer all at once. “I haven’t forgotten that, either.”

Her words hang in the air for a beat, and then --

“...You’re still a sap, you know that?”  Ratchet murmurs with teasing fondness, but he remembers it, too. His comment earns him a smile, and he can’t help but smile back at her. Even Sasuke’s expression looks lighter, and these are the little things Ratchet missed: Kara’s open warmth, Sasuke’s rare softness.

He knows - whatever else he might feel, looking at them now he knows - that when he has to leave them again, they’ll be okay -- and that he will be, too. He recognizes it as the peace he came here to find.

“So... I still have a little while, before I’ve gotta take off,” he ventures, his smile turning just a touch more sly. “What do you guys say to one more patrol -- for old time’s sake?”

They make for - of all things - the quarantine zone. It’s half a joke, half for nostalgia’s sake, and either way Ratchet finds it strangely peaceful for the former site of a zombie apocalypse. Sitting on the wall, facing the ocean with his friends -- it’s a little easier to put things into perspective. And even if he realizes that some part of him will always be a little sad for the things he missed, the knowledge he bears now makes up for it.

That instead of drifting apart, Kara and Sasuke have become almost seamlessly close. That Sasuke seems more comfortable and less alone now than he ever did in all the time Ratchet has known him. That Kara herself seems to... fit into her place in this world in a way she once yearned to.

Ratchet remembers his promise to her, when he vowed to help her chase after normalcy. In those quiet last moments with his friends, he thinks he might owe the fulfillment of at least part of that promise to someone else -- someone who isn’t even sitting on this wall.

And with only a hint of trepidation, he decides he has one last stop to make before he goes home.

Looking down at your younger self, it turns out, is kind of a trip.

“Now I see why Clank’s so fussy about time travel,” Ratchet murmurs, reveling for a moment in the silliness of making idle comments to himself. From his calculated position on a nearby rooftop, he blinks at the other Ratchet, marveling at the reality that this is so clearly him -- but not. He can’t fully put his finger on it, but there’s something about the kid that looks a little... softer than he remembers being, at that age.

And -- is he walking home from school?

That realization prompts a pang of mingled amusement and envy, and Ratchet’s careful to tuck it away before he swingshots down and lands effortlessly on the street.

“Hey,” he greets the other him with what he hopes is a casual enough grin. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The other Ratchet jolts as if struck by lightning, and whirls around to face him -- he cringes inwardly, feeling a little bad for startling him. ...Himself? Whatever.

The look on his younger self’s face doesn’t exactly manage to reassure him. It’s blank with shock, at first, and then raw with anger - and wow, does Ratchet remember feeling like that - before it finally settles into something a little more conflicted. A little more cautious.

“...You’re him,” his younger self says, and it’s almost a whisper.

“Uh -- yeah.” Ratchet makes every effort not to think about how weird this objectively is. “Look, I know you’re probably not... thrilled to see me. But I thought I should swing by and say something. I’m sorry about... you know, how rough things’ve been for you.”

The other Ratchet’s ears droop in a way that’s all too familiar, even as his tail lashes indecisively. “I...”

Ratchet waits for him to finish. It takes him a moment.

“...It’s not your fault,” the kid manages at last, though his expression is guarded and unsure.

“It’s not yours, either,” Ratchet responds simply.

They stare at each other for a long moment, and Ratchet himself can’t help but feel some of the disbelief he still sees written across his mirror image’s face. Privately, he hopes he’s not in the process of creating some kind of dimension-crumbling paradox. Clank would kill him.

“So -- so the rifts... ?” The other Ratchet begins, and he shakes his head.

“Nah, I came here on my own.”

“You -- on your -- ?”  There’s something weirdly endearing about how the younger him fumbles for words. “You found a way to travel through dimensions -- on your own?”

Ratchet rubs behind his neck. “Well... I had a little help. Don’t worry, I’m not hanging around -- I just owed Sasuke and Kara a goodbye.”

The other Ratchet’s expression falters for a moment, and he looks as though he’s not sure how to respond to that. Ratchet suddenly finds that there’s so much he wants to say - the whole ‘if you could tell your younger self one thing’ deal really shouldn’t be treated as such a hypothetical - that he pauses, too.

In the end, what he settles for is:  “You know, I took a look at some of the designs you reworked -- at the tech center?”

“-- Oh! Yeah.” The younger Lombax hesitates. “I, uh... kinda didn’t think anyone would be back. For them. I mean, I know they were yours --”

“I’m impressed.” Ratchet interrupts his uneasy rambling with a calm smile. You improved them. Seriously.”

He has to fight not to broaden his smile as the other Ratchet gapes at him, his ears starting to lift. Taking a step forward, he decides to risk it, and rests a hand briefly on his shoulder.

No paradox. No sudden crumbling of reality. Always a good sign.

“Something tells me you’ve got quite a future ahead of you,” he says quietly, despite -- despite everything. “And it doesn’t have to be mine.”

They hold each other’s gazes, strange emotion brimming between them, and he recognizes that nothing else needs to be said.

When he steps away again and swings off, he doesn’t look back -- in spite of all the warnings he could have given, the advice he could have bestowed. He’s said everything he needed to, and he realizes - has long since realized - that there are a lot of things that shouldn’t be molded or shaped.

He doesn’t need to look back anymore, anyway.

He knows now that the important things are the ones he will carry with him always.

#suggested titles for this: the ratchetception fic #also i put that dumb krampus joke in the middle of it just for jemi #anyways acit!ratchet and reboot!ratchet are both Important and they deserved this #fic

[almostentirelylost-blog]

The Forgotten Post

The Multi-Part Great Big Post

    Part I: The Poorly Planned Castle Visit

 It's been a while since I've written up a post, and that's for a few very good reasons.  Let's see, two days gone by undocumented, and still no pictures that were promised.  They'll come at some point, I swear it. So for context, I'm currently on a train on my way out of Dresden heading towards Prague, about a two hour trip, and some of the most beautiful countryside i've seen in a very long while.  Looks like we just arrived at Bad Schandau, look up some pictures.    So.  My last day in Berlin consisted of one very poorly planned, very fun trip out to Potsdam.  Beautiful town, that one, sort of where the rich folk like to have their homes for the sake of some sort of theater/filmmaking business.  I guess it's sort of a mini Hollywood, or maybe that's just nearby.  I can't remember, but the point of the trip was to go see a castle.  Schloss Cecilienhof, specifically, and it turns out that the entire thing is under construction and has been for 3 years already.  Go figure, but I didn't do any research and my grandmother doesn't use the internet at all.  

 Sort of a bummer that we didn't get to really see the castle very well.  I mean we saw it, but all covered with scaffolding and tarp.  The grounds were gorgeous though, immacutely kept gardens and pathways.  The sort of place where I'm sure you'd find a hedge maze.  Also right on a river, and I can't remember which river that was to save my life.  So we walked the grounds, enjoyed that, and then went on our merry way to find a beer.

 We found that beer at the Brauerei Meierei.  The place might as well be a museum, except it still produces that delicious, frosty, malted beverage we all know and love.  In massive quantities (three story tall brewery, which I haven't seen before on that scale), and served in half-litres or litres in heavy glass steins right on the riverfront.  We tried to take a boat tour too, but we also missed out on that one.  A shame really. Anyhow, the trip back to Berlin wasn't very interesting, just trains and busses, back to the luggage disaster I had to re-organize and sort through to decide what I needed for the next leg of the journey.

Part II: The Next Leg of the Journey

  Got everything sorted out that I needed, freaked out a little bit, calmed down, had a cup of coffee, and then hopped on a train to Dresden.  The idea was to go out there to see an old friend of mine, one Fritz Stenzel.  Well, that and sightseeing because I'm still totally a tourist.  Dresden is an incredible, old city with a very long histoy in science, religion, art, war, and medicine.  The various museums and palaces are standing testaments to these things and many of them house incredible old collections of any combination of all of the aforementioned things.  The most notable building are the Frauenkirche,and the Zwinger.  

 The Frauenkirche is a stupidly large stone church of typical stupidly large European church varieties.  It's unfair how pretty it is, and the art inside is even worse. 

 Oh look at that, I'm now official in Czechia.  Anyways, church.  The line was long, but there was also a guided tour going to the top of the tower.  A little cupola or whatever those rounded domes at the top of these old buildings are called.  the ones you can walk around in that usually have bells and all that.  That was neat, but the spiral staircase leading up to it brought a whole new dimension to the word 'treacherous'.  Not that it mattered much, I only really peeked into the building.  My real interest was in the Zwinger.   

  The Zwinger.  Once a capitol building/royal palace, it has now been turned into a museum and a monument.  It is well maintained and the gardens are beautiful with some ancient old carved fountains layed tastefully throughout.  There are also three museums there.  An art museum with an extensive collection of works from the 16th-18th century.  Most of this is religious art, Christian/Catholic, and a few Greek and Roman pieces as well.  I took pictures of the ones that really stood out to me.  The next museum was more interesting to me, since it was all old scientific equipment and nautical navigation, or the beginnings thereof.  Have you ever seen a handmade astrolabe?  Beautiful, though I can't understand why you would need to make them out of 7 different metals.  It was Czech, I suppose, and they had a thing for alchemy.  Last was a porcelain museum.  Pretty, but not all that interesting.

 After that I got a call from my buddy and headed his way, right in the middle of downtown Neu-Stadt.  Good to be able to pick up a friendship again after 6 years of not seeing one another.  For those of you that know my taste in music, he's the man that got me started down this path.  First thing in order was a beer, then a shower and change, because Dresden is hot in the summertime.  Then we went and drank more beer at a fun little jazz/blues club called Evergreen.  A Czech beer even, called Gambrinus.  Very cheap, but tastes good.  Would recommend to Euro-travelers that might be reading.  Night of drinking, yay.

Part III:  First Time in Czechia

 So far all I can say is that the countryside is gorgeous.  All rolling hills, green fields, and lush, diverese forests.  Pretty.  The city of Prague is also astonishing, as it turns out.  At the train station I met a fellow American traveler and togetherwe decided that the best decision at the time was to find ourselves a good Czech beer and some goulash.  That was more or less instant success, as I guess he was something of a foodie, and knew exactly where the best places were.  Over lunch it was all scheming and plotting about what was next.  

  A really neat thing about Prague is how big and old the buildings are, but that also translates to some very dark, confined streets. Anywhere you go is paved in cobblestones and overshadowed by great old stone gargoyles or carvings of forgotten alchemists and kings.  The city is also basically a maze.  It turns out that I get absolutely no cell service in Prague at all, so that was a maze I learned how to navigate the old fashioned way.  Czech is a pretty funny language too; impossible to understand and yet it's frustratingly familiar.  Familiar really is the best word for that feeling, where it seems like I should be able to understand everything just because the intonation and pronunciations are so similar.  I don't know, there were a lot of doubletakes and little wait-a-moment moments. 

 I stayed at an Airbnb for the first time that night.  I'd booked it on the train on the way in, it seemed like that would both be the cheapest and best option, plus I got lucky with a really central location.  Took me like two hours to find the damn place though, because there was no signage and the door was a four meter tall cast iron monstrosity that honestly didn't even look like it could be moved.  Turns out it was just a regular apartment building, and by that I mean Eastern European regular.  For any of you that have seen Interview with a Hitman, think along the lines of the apartment building that movie starts in.  Room had 6 beds, a gorgeous view of the city, and a couple of exhausted looking Australians that I later saw pounding 40's and smoking in the stairwell.

Part IV:  Alchemy, Green Liquors, and Metal

 Prague at night is special too.  The entire city lights up and really comes to life.  All those little cobblestone streets and gothic monuments turn into mysterious, gloomy corridors with all the feel and air of the 16th century, alchemy fueled, scientific center that the city was.   I won't get too much into the details of the night-life, since it's more or less the same everywhere, except that I found a metal bar!  A really neat place called Hell's Bells, where I spent a fair amount of time drinking and talking with a couple of Estonian metalheads I met.

 The Czech have a tendency to buy people they think are cool shots.  Specifically shots of this flourescent, toxic looking, green liquor that I can't remember the name of.  Not that I could pronounce it even if I did have it written down somewhere.  I learned pretty quickly that there's a proper way to do that shot too.  You're supposed to gargle a little bit first,and then down the rest.  Holy shit that was a sight to see.  A bar full of Czech guys gargling liquor and then singing some sort of drinking song...  Any case, the stuff isn't something I think I'm going to be drinking more of.  Way too sweet and way too minty.  Hell it might actually be mouthwash, but with more sugar.  Bleh.

 So, woke up with a bit of a hangover, showered, dressed, forced some food, drank lots of fruit juice and here I am on a train, almost in Vienna, felling a whole lot better and looking forward to some opera and a really nice dinner...

 Pictures will be uploaded from the hotel at some point tomorrow, probably.

#dresden #zwinger #museums #beer #elbe #czech republic #prague #trains #morebeer #alestorm #opeth #metalbar #thanks mom