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yaeggravate · 1 month

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I wanted to collect my thoughts on the newly released book Perinheri, focusing on the usual overlooked suspects such as Kaeya, the Seelie and the connection to Princess Fischl.

TL;DR: Kaeya is (probably?) not cursed because he's half-Seelie

I strongly recommend reading the book first, which you can buy in Fontaine's book shop. Link to the official website here.

Perinheri is "based on a legendary story known throughout Khaenri'ah, but there are none left who can verify this." Ok, first of all, Kaeya and Zhongli are right there, you even put their names in the book!! Second of all, Khaenri'ah is only ever referred to as the "Kingdom" throughout the rest of the story. 🤨 Most likely because it went by a different name back then.

I think most people are aware this book is probably connected to Arlecchino because of her constellation Ignis Purgatorius which is Latin for Cleansing Fire. In the book, the titular Perinheri is made to crawl through a dark corridor filled with ash. He is pulled out of the other side, "reborn".

This fits with depictions of Purgatory:

The faithful dead go through the furnace and once purified ascend towards Heaven. Some of the faithful are plucked by angels, the result of intercessory prayers.

That being said, I don't really want to dig into the Arlecchino connection too much, since we'll find out what her deal is in a few weeks anyway, and with story spoilers running rampant, it won't be much fun anymore.😮‍💨

FALLEN SEELIE

But isn't it fascinating how one of the characters' name is Angelica who guided Perinheri out of a subterranean realm?

Kaeya has connections to the Seelie who are equated to angels in the game. Brief summary here, but the meat of it is that Kaeya most likely has Seelie roots and Nabu Malikata's last name can mean "angels" plural in Arabic. This wordplay tells us Angelica is without a doubt a Seelie, or at the very least someone belonging to the angel category. (The Jinn, for example, are descendants of the Seelie.)

What's funny is that Kaeya owns a book called The Adventures of Angelos, that he deliberately showed to the Traveler. Dude has been dropping hints since the very beginning! It's almost as if he's important to the plot or something.

Perinheri reveals the curse laid on Khaenri'ah is not unique to them and affects those who have forsaken or betrayed their god. There are a few other instances in Teyvat's history that have people turning into beasts, but no further information was given which made it hard to tell how it was connected to the curse of the Cataclysm.

Ukko, the last survivor of the fall of Sal Vindagnyr, was turned into a Frostarm Lawachurl. His final recorded words were of him asking for the destruction of the world as a last middle finger to the gods.

Didn't work.

Shiruyeh, Liloupar's grandson, fell into the abyss thanks to the behated lamp's machinations, and brought back a plague to Gurabad, which turned his people into wild creatures without faces.

Something interesting is that one of the six sins of the Akademiya is to revere gods without acts of devotion. Perhaps the other sins are connected to the conditions of the curse as well:

Cyno's Character Story 5 To prevent researchers from being devastated by their own knowledge, the sages laid out six cardinal sins. They held that all the crimes in this world derive from these six sins. The first is to interfere with human evolution; The second is to tamper with life and death; The third is to delve beyond the universe; The fourth is to investigate the origin of words; The fifth is to revere gods without acts of devotion; The sixth is to attempt the forbidden and fear none.

According to Angelica, the "pure-blooded" (for lack of better word) aristocracy of the Kingdom persists because any offspring they have with those who forsook their god will be affected by the curse as soon as they venture outside.

The witch, Angelica, explained thus: "Hleobrant is the descendant of those who forsook their god and came to the Kingdom. This is why the Kingdom's obstinately pure-blooded aristocracy persists. This is the price of betraying your own god."

The implication here is that the Kingdom seems to be protecting its people within its borders. Those who have come from another world like Perinheri are also curse free.

Angelica herself is not affected by any curse. It's hard to say if she was telling the truth here but she claims to have come from a nation that was defeated by Zhongli. Keep in mind, it's possible that she was only saying this to cast herself in a more favorable light by disguising herself as a fellow god-hater.

Whatever the case, since Angelica is most likely a Seelie, who were cast down by the heavens for reasons unknown, we have to analyze her words a bit more carefully.

The Seelie were also cursed after all.

Arama: Seelies are just empty husks that race left behind. This is because they were born with a curse: If they fall in love with Nara, they shall lose their intelligence and strength, and their bodies will regress.

Explains why Angelica led Hleobrant on and to his demise. Not unlike a certain other Seelikata we know.

Angelica: As for you, Perinheri, you are one who drifted there. Thus, you bear no such curse. You may not have the nobility to shoulder a world, but you too have your own destiny. And as for me? I betrayed no one, not for a moment, until my god died, so I too bear this curse not. But you now see who I truly am, yes?

"Until my god died." If Angelica is a Seelie, then who would her god be? Istaroth? A moon sister? Both? Something to think about…

As for why Angelica did all of that...No idea. Maybe she was just being a little silly. Haha, get it? Because Seelie means silly. But guiding people with a promise of a reward only to lead them into a trap sounds eerily similar to what Kaeya did in his story quest... and in the manga.

It's because he's silly 😂!

ANGELS GEORG

How exactly Kaeya is connected to Seelie is unknown but the character of Kaeya is partly based on Hagen/Högni who is himself half-human/half-dwarf or half-elf. If Kaeya is also half-human then mayhaps the other half could be Seelie.

If Kaeya is half-Seelie, it would explain why he isn't cursed: Angelica. Angelica never betrayed her god. If Kaeya's "pure-blood" father, had a child with a Seelie who never betrayed their god, then maybe the curse wouldn't transfer to Kaeya. This is just one suggestion because we have no idea why the curse gives immortality to pure-blood Khaenri'ahns and if it can be passed on or not.

(As an aside, Kaeya's father is most likely cursed. Kaeya said his hand writing was atrocious, which implies his hands were losing dexterity like Chlothar's.)

I'm aware of the technicalities and the plotholes here such as "uhhh aren't Seelie all empty husks" and "don't they regress if they fall in love"?? Well, we know at least there were survivors out there, meaning there might be loopholes. Columbina, Nabu Malikata, and maybe even Nicole are all characters who weren't husked to floating eye state.

And of course there is Angelica, whose name I joked about being Kaeya's mom's name long before this stupid book came out. 😮‍💨 RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS, ARE WE, HOYOVERSE EMPLOYEE READING MY BLOG

(It could also be that Kaeya's mom was a descendant (Jinni) or scion of the Seelie instead, which I have talked more about here.)

Another alternative is that he's something akin to Perinheri: a child who drifted from some destroyed world. This doesn't seem likely though. Kaeya has the patented star shaped pupils that are more prominent in official art than in the game.

I will say however, that Kaeya's pupils are very different from other Khaenri'ahns such as Dain, Halfdan and Clothar. His pupils are similar to Pierro's which are also "solid". Maybe Pierro is in a similar situation as Kaeya.

Kaeya is in part based on the changeling prince from Midsummer Night's Dream. Changeling in this context means a human child raised by fairies... The title of the Harbingers' trailer, Winter Night's Lazzo, is probably a nod to this play…

In Scottish folklore, the Seelie have a darker counterpart: the Unseelie. Unseelie haven't been mentioned in the game yet, but it's likely they do exist. Perhaps they're the fallen angels, abyssal creatures or even the pure-blood Khaenri'ahns. It's hard to say without more information.

The Seelie Court is ruled by Titania, the Fairy Queen from Midsummer Night's Dream. While the Unseelie Court is their cold, somber counterpart, described as a winter's night...

Fischl's princess outfit is called Immernachtstraum which is also a nod to Midsummer Night's Dream. It's like Fischl and Kaeya belong to the Seelie, also known as the Summer Court, while the Tsaritsa belongs to the Unseelie, the Winter Court.

Getting off track here, but whatever's going on with Kaeya is connected to Princess Fischl and it's difficult to talk about either of them without acknowledging their strange bond.

Lastly,

Kaeya's Character Story 4 Sinister thoughts flashed through Kaeya's mind, and he simply smirked: "This world is truly… fascinating."

Why say world, why!? He just had to throw that in to confuse us even more!

Recently I found out that Kaeya took the traveler to the nameless island on his birthday. No one would go to such lengths if the place wasn't important to them. This island has a ravaged moon-or sundial belonging to the God of Time. The platform on the island can also be found in two places in Dragonspine; the Mural Room and the Secret Room. What the purpose of these things are is unclear, (my guess is elevators), but the Mural Room just so happens to have a painting of a giant angel on it.

The fact that the island is shrouded in mist, hidden from the map, implies someone very powerful brought Kaeya and his father to Mondstadt. If Kaeya's mom was a Seelie then perhaps she was the one who brought them above ground. I can also see a scenario in which a fellow brethren of hers might have helped out.

Such as, I don't know, someone with connections to the Seelie and Dawn Winery. Like Nicole or Columbina, who just so happens to be part of the Fatui… Someone must have given Crepus that delusion after all. 🤷🏽‍♀️

(Venti was taking a power nap at the time, so it can't be him.)

IMMERNACHTREICH

A while back I proposed Fischl might have been a ruler of Khaenri'ah. And now Perinheri has dropped more crumbs unto our laps.

Princess Fischl is the ruler of the Immernachtreich, which is appointed as the future realm of Fischl. This is an important distinction because it means this Realm wasn't always hers. The Immernachtreich is described as an otherworldly place where everything will eventually flow into.

Mitternachts Waltz Everything in this world must pass through the doorway of their destruction unto the future kingdom of the Prinzessin. In the silence of her pitch-dark Nachtgarten would they find a place to slumber.

Flowers for Princess Fischl: Phantasmagoria Every good, bright and noble thing must eventually fall to inexorable entropic destruction, and the final destination of the universe is the realm-in-waiting of the Prinzessin, Immernachtreich.

More About Fischl: To condemn the guilty, to sanctify the just, and to draw all castaway dreams into the embrace of the infinite Immernachtreich.

Something about that sounds familiar!

Perinheri Vol 1 Due to the Kingdom's unique position, things from outside this world were always leaking into it. The Kingdom's weapons would wipe out the calamities slipping in, but what of all the other objects? Such as, say, a child who may have come from some destroyed world?

A child from a destroyed world leaking into an underground Kingdom and the Immernachtreich, another subterranean realm, the doorway of their destruction.

Both realms are welcoming to castaways.

The annoying thing is that it's unclear if Khaenri'ah is the same as the Immernachtreich since Fischl describes her Kingdom as a "small and forbidden paradise". Perhaps Fischl created a subset within the underground realm that kept people safe. At least for a while.

She did after all create a Sommernachtgarten, or Summer Night Garden, that is referenced in the domain Midsummer Courtyard. See, I didn't just mention the Seelie Summer Courts for no reason; Fischl might've been the princess of the Seelie/Angels. But there's little else to corroborate that other than the wings on her back and the Seelie like emblem on her waist...

Anyway, Fischl can see the threads of fate and has seen the causality of worlds too numerous to count. As we all know, she created another universe and founded paradise. This other universe might be a new branch that split off from the parent timeline.

In other words a parallel universe.

These branches are referenced in the description for Mitternachts Waltz, so I'm not just pulling this out of my ass.

Even the branch of the tree of time upon which the great and glorious Reman Republic nested would be cut off in the end, such that the nation founded by the other twin child of the wolves might rule.

Perhaps this is also what Perinheri's world was. Maybe the various destroyed worlds were branches that got cut off...

Another interesting similarity is that Fischl ran into a bunch of fate-resisting royals who devolved into beasts after denying her status....

Flowers for Princess Fischl (I): End Time Zersetzung When the lone pilgrimaging princess reached the kingdom of eternal twilight, the fate-resisting royals chose to deny everything in their desperation. They refused to recognize Fischl's noble stature and mission as the princess of the Immernachtreich; denied their 13,000-year lineage as a branch of the royal family; and forsook their own nobility and restraints as humans… devolving into clumsy and vicious beasts.

Huh, it's just like Angelica said 🤷🏽‍♀️. Kingdom of Eternal Twilight might be the "Kingdom" from Perinheri and the fate-resisting royals is code for those who forsook their gods. However, Fischl wasn't without sympathy and took it on herself to protect the Immernachtreich.

Narrator: The Prinzessin harbored much sympathy for all living things, and wished to never see them in pain. She harnessed the power of darkness and dreams to weave the night, and gave it the task to safeguard all living things. The people celebrated and worshiped the Prinzessin's authority, and followed her call to migrate to the sacred land that would eventually be known as the Immernachtreich. We established a nation on the Holy Land, revered the Prinzessin as The Absolute One, and introduced poetry, theater, and adventure to the Kingdom, laying the groundwork for the Immernachtreich.

One final stray thought:

That giant crying left eye on the cover may or may not be the same as Fischl's left Auge der Verurteilung, which caused her great agony due to its ability to pierce through the heart of all truths.

It could also be Fischl's enemy, the World Beast, a night-patrolling beast named "World", who casts a greedy eye on all dreams...

Perinheri The crimson moon, hanging high in the pitch-dark night sky, suddenly turned around, revealing itself to be a titanic, horrified eye.

About Us: Shooting Down the World Beast You seem to be troubled...? Oh traveler, you need not be perplexed. With my left eye, this "Auge der Verurteilung" that penetrates the threads of karma, I keep watch over your fate; with Oz's crow-eyes that have witnessed the nirvana of a thousand worlds, he observes your way forward. If the ferocious night-patrolling beast named "World" casts a greedy eye on your dream, then I will shoot it down with my Magic Arrow of Holy Retribution!

#genshin impact #kaeya alberich #princess fischl #this is a little jumbled but whatever i'm tired #.txt #lore bytes

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fictionadventurer · 1 year

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@ellakas I'm so glad you asked!

Zachary Taylor is one of those presidents that no one talks about in history class. But the thing is, in the 1840s, everyone was talking about him. He was the war hero of the Mexican-American War. The war itself (a blatant land grab by President Polk) was unpopular, but Taylor emerged as a beloved hero, because was a really good military commander, and because stories emerged about how humanely he treated Mexican prisoners.

Taylor was so popular that both political parties asked him to be their candidate in the next presidential election. He had never held political office. Never shown interest in politics. He had never even voted in a presidential election before! (His reasoning was that, as a military man, he didn't want to serve a commander-in-chief that he had voted against). Yet he was eventually persuaded to run--and win--as the Whig Party candidate.

(Fun fact! His wife, who had no interest in being a politician's wife, prayed that he'd lose the election. Taylor also showed his religious convictions by refusing to be sworn in on a Sunday, so his inauguration was delayed by a day, leaving the US president-less for twenty-four hours).

Even after he was president, Taylor had no interest in playing politics. He wanted to serve the country, not the party. He refused to play political games, purposely not appointing some of the big names of the party to his Cabinet so he could have more diverse voices representing a wider swath of the country. Still in the military mindset of "I give orders and people obey", he was frustrated that he was constantly questioned by Congress, and was very much at odds with them.

The big issue of his presidency was the fact that the US had just gained a ton of land from Mexico, and they had to decide if they'd enter the Union as slave or free states. Since Taylor was a slave-owning Southerner, the Southern Democrats hoped he'd side with them. But Taylor didn't want to expand slavery. First, because it's dumb--it's not like we can grow cotton or sugar in New Mexico or Arizona, so why would we even need plantations? But also because he was coming under the influence of some of the most vocal anti-slavery New York Whigs. To the great anger of the Democrats, Taylor said he wanted California to enter immediately as a free state, and would prefer all the territories to be free states. Before the issue could be resolved, he died. He got violently ill after Fourth of July celebrations in 1850 (because the White House water was still contaminated by human feces), and died five days later, after only a year and a half in office.

A year and a half isn't much time to make an impact. But I'm still fascinated by this president. He was a wonderful mess of contradictions. He was a Southern slave-owner who joined the Northern anti-slavery party. He was against all talk of secession--on the grounds of "I spent forty years serving this country and I want it to stay in one piece"--even though his son-in-law was (I'm not kidding) future president of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis. As a slave-owner and US military leader in the 1800s, he logically can't be a totally good guy, yet I get the sense that he was genuinely trying to be, in the context of his time. And he was showing signs of further character development. If he had lived, who's to say what he could have become, what he could have done?

But we'll never know, because his death left the country in the hands of Millard Fillmore, possibly the most aggressively mediocre man ever to become president (though I have high hopes for Chester Arthur). He actually has a pretty amazing origin story. He was the son of a dirt-poor farmer who apprenticed him to a cloth-maker in what became an indentured servitude situation. He scraped up enough money to buy his freedom and return home. Growing up, the only book he had to read was the Bible, until he turned 17 and bought himself a dictionary. At 20, he started taking adult classes to finally get the education he'd been denied; his teacher was a woman two years older than him who he eventually married. He became a lawyer, and then went into politics, serving in the New York State Legislature. He authored no significant bills. Made no big impact. The main traits people noticed about him were "tall" and "good-looking" (Queen Victoria did later call him the most handsome man she'd ever met). He was just kind of... there.

He was picked as Taylor's vice president for much the same reason Taylor was recruited as presidential candidate--he was moderate enough to appeal to both sides of the polarized political spectrum. New York was the home of the most vocal anti-slavery Whigs, but Fillmore was moderate on the slavery issue. As vice president presiding over the Senate, people mentioned he was "very fair" in how he let both sides speak. And that's like...the best people can say about him.

The question of the slave states eventually produced a bill that came to be known as the Compromise of 1850. Taylor--the enemy of compromise--was against it. Fillmore, a few days before Taylor's death, stated he would support it. After Taylor died, his entire Cabinet resigned rather than serve under a president who supported the Compromise. When the bill passed, Fillmore signed it into law.

The Compromise stated 1) California would enter the union as a free state; 2) the slave trade would end in Washington D.C.; 3) The other territories would decide for themselves if they wanted to allow slaves or not. Most importantly, it put the Fugitive Slave Act into effect, requiring all citizens, even in Northern states, to help return runaway slaves to their owners. The North was outraged over the Fugitive Slave Act; they wanted nothing to do with the practice of slavery and now the government was forcing even free states to support the institution. This law was meant to bring together both sides and prevent war, but it probably had the opposite effect, deepening the divide and hastening the plunge toward armed conflict.

This has led historians to speculate--if the more forceful, principle-driven Taylor had lived, could the path to Civil War at least have been delayed? No way to say, of course; maybe Taylor's solution would have made things worse. But the contrast between these two presidents is so fascinating. In Taylor, you have the apolitical war hero who sticks to his guns--the increasingly anti-slavery slave owner. Meanwhile, Fillmore is a bland politician from the most anti-slavery state who refused to speak against slavery--a man who never really achieved anything because he never really stood for anything. They're such complex characters, full of irony and contradictions, and I'm outraged that my history classes completely skipped over them on the way to Lincoln.

#history is awesome #answered asks #ellakas #my reaction to the taylor episode was outrage i'd never known any of this #the only thing animaniacs taught me about him was he 'liked to smoke his breath killed friends whenever he spoke'#(which is a tidbit the podcast failed to mention)#i feel like there should have been *something* about this guy's ridiculously colorful life worth mentioning #now i'll have to fight the urge to track down my brother again to tell him i forgot to mention the jefferson davis thing #talk about irony!#presidential talk

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honey-tongued-devil · 4 months

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BG3 city for Fanfiction writers and reader

[Guide to Lodging in Baldur's Gate 3]

Disclaimer: This post is intended to provide potential readers with a clearer idea of the taverns. It's useful if you want to read my writings or if you've never played and have no idea what ElfSong is, but want to better understand some stories you read or write your own. Feel free to ask anything!

General information (Elfsong)

Lore

In-game map screen

My modifications

Other location

Context: A small revised map of the ElfSong tavern because:

Not everyone reading the fanfiction has played the game, so I'm sorry they don't have context.

I love you all, that room is meant to be comfortable in terms of the story, they're all close enough to interact with each other, but such a lack of privacy is almost comical (besides the fact that it should be the entire floor of a tavern, not a family room), so I felt the need to "reprogram" the rooms.

1- ElfSong General Information:

The Elfsong tavern is located in the Lower City, popular judging by how crowded it is. However, since a major murder occurred, people are hesitant to stay overnight. That's why Alan (the guy behind the counter) offers an entire floor for a few coins (200 gold pieces). As a tavern, if you don't have camping supplies, you can buy dinner directly for 60 gold pieces from your room. It has an underground cellar full of wine, a ground floor with the kitchen, bar area, and entertainment area, a first floor (technically blocked due to a murder), a second floor where you can stay overnight, and a very nice area to relax on the roof. To access the second floor, there is also an external staircase that allows you (if you have a hypothetical key) to avoid the chaos of the tavern and enter from outside.

2- Lore (from NPCs):

Not the best tavern in town, but one of the most famous, especially for its ghosts. Many people go there to hear the "ghostly elven song," and the ghost's crying is often heard too, making it an attraction for many. For this reason, there are no bards in the tavern. A bard in town tells us that the ghost is self-centered and doesn't like to share attention, so it's hard for bards to be accepted there, and they have to go to other taverns. There is a closed room with some refreshments where a comedian performs, providing entertainment for those who want it without disturbing those there for the ghost or minding their own business. There are two cats, even though they're in the kitchen, who are extremely lazy and arrogant. (They will persuade you to kill the mice for them so they can peacefully enjoy the reward).

3- Building map:

ground floor

First floor (locked) (no pictures)

Single room

Second floor room

corridor and Roof

4- Changes made in my stories:

The rentable floors go from two to four, for a total of seven floors (basement, ground floor, first floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor, roof).

Given there is a total of six companions, three recruitable characters, your tav, and, in any case, four free beds (where the active party generally sleeps), each floor will have seven single rooms, not too small but independent. Additionally, there will be a common area, identical to the in-game one, at the opposite end of the hallway from the entrance stairs.

The common areas will resemble those in the game, identical but without the communal bath and beds. There will be a fireplace with two sofas on each side and a couple of stools, along with two tables, a carpet with cushions, and a hookah.

Companions are divided between the third and fourth floors. This allows the rooms to be larger, and the floors are less crowded.

Since in the game there is a staircase that allows access to the rented rooms from the outside (and not from the inside), to avoid intrusions, the first and second floors are only accessible from inside the inn, while the third and fourth floors are accessible only through an external staircase.

The staircase for the first two floors is guarded by two bouncers when the Elfsong is opened, and when the tavern is closed, with a wooden door that closes the staircase, and a second one that closes the inn itself.

The staircase for the last two floors, being external, is protected by a metal gate preceding the staircase and a wooden door leading to corridor that leads the rooms.

5- Other places where it is possible to stay overnight:

The Shanty (Outskirts): A seedy place where often unsavory characters roam. Astarion mentions when entering that he used to go there frequently to look for victims for Cazador. (Ground floor, first floor, attic with a hidden room)

Abandoned House (Rivington, adjacent city): The owner has abandoned it to find a better place. There are holes in the walls, but it offers good shelter if desperate, although I recommend boarding up the walls first (one floor, a fireplace, a bed, but you make do).

Caress of Sharess: A brothel with many independent rooms accessible from an external corridor to ensure customer privacy. The main building has a bar area on the ground floor and a mezzanine with a restaurant area. The rooms are varied and different in style. For example, one has a kind of tub in the first room and a canopy bed in the second, with a completely floral style. Another is a kind of library, with a basin for washing and supplies inside. Be creative.

Nortale Hostel: A modest and very rustic hostel located in a fairly central position in the Lower City. Pammella Nortale, a charming and well-groomed halfling, is the one in charge. They primarily accommodate refugees, and the place is funded through donations. The hostel is divided into two floors. On the upper floor, there are six bunk beds (12 total sleeping spots) with six large chests, each secured with a lock. Ideal if you want to stay incognito and don't have too much gold with you.

The Blushing Mermaid

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undercoverwizardfanfiction · 1 year

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Title: Drowning

Mirrored Fall

Part: 1, 2, 3,4,5

Verse: ROTTMNT

Summary: We can run from monsters but we can't run from ourselves

Characters: Draxum, Splinter, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo

Warning: Medical Terms, Settings, Coughing, Mention of Vomit. I will update each chapter with a warning specific for that fic dont worry

Pairings:

Being a single father to four boys, Splinter savors every second he gets to himself. It hadn’t always been that way. When he had first decided (and by ‘decided,’ he means worn down by relentless begging) to let his boys go to the surface, he had been wracked by anxiety.

What if they got hurt? What if Raph’s fear stink led the FBI right to them? What if Donnie got overstimulated? What if Mikey did something so adorable he was immediately signed on for a ten-season contract for a Disney Show? Not to mention the eternal aspect of Leo being Leo.

Those thoughts alone kept him pacing the lair floor for hours. On that first night, he hovered by the entrance, ready with a first aid kit and a box of lollipops for any trauma that might have occurred. But other than a few moments of overstimulation, they were fine. They were fine the first night, the second, and the third. By the fourth night, Splinter realized three things.

For the first time in years, he had the lair to himself.

His boys were just fine.

For the first time in years, he had the lair to himself.

What had followed was a snack food bender that left him waking up on the floor covered in Cheetos dust and somehow six inches shorter than he had been at the start of the day.

And a new appreciation for much-needed ‘me’ time.

Years later, he dances out of his room with a crowbar whistling a merry tune from his short-lived sitcom, ‘Arrested Donut-elopement.’ Another adaptation to a growing family was his need to hide precious snacks. Not that he’d ever deprive his sons, but he deserved to have some snacks to himself. He pushes the armchair to the side, revealing a ‘perfect’ square cut into the stone floor that he digs his crowbar into with a heave and twist. The large slab lifts and wrenches just enough to reveal a large cache of snacks underneath, “Ho ho! Just as untouched as the day I snuck you into the lair under my moo-moo,” Splinter says, already filling his arms gleefully. He turns to sit on his armchair, staring at the tiny black kitten now occupying the space that rightfully belongs to him. Splinter's eyes narrow, “Hello, Soup.”

The kitten’s head tilts toward his name and gives an inquisitive ‘mew’ before standing up and putting its tiny paws on the armchair. It peered at him with youthful curiosity. Such expressions might work on his sons, but Splinter knew better than to fall for its feline tricks, “What's it going to take to buy your silence on the matter?”

“Mew?”

“Do not give me that. You are a snitch, and we both know it.”

“Mew?”

“Oh, so, Orange just happened to find the sugar-free popsicles he had bought for me, buried in Central Park, on his own,” Splinter asks, with a narrow of his eyes. The snitch incarnate turns back and curls up on the armchair, deciding that Splinter isn’t interesting enough to hold his attention. The Rat Man laughs loudly. “So, blackmail it is?! Very well, but two can play that game. I am not afraid of you,” Splinter says with square shoulders before deciding that sitting on the cold hard concrete is far more appealing than the recliner he spent the better part of a decade molding to his body shape.

Grumbling to himself, he sits down and tears into his bag of chips, “Rotten kitten. First, he steals my son's love. Then, he steals my seat. What's next!?” He glances back at the kitten yawning so wide that Splinter can see the still-growing fangs that could potentially be the last thing he sees.

The Rat Man is so enrapt in foreseeing the mechanics of his doom that when his phone starts blaring, he jumps out of his skin. He only manages to re-catch all his well-hidden treats through well-trained acrobatics and food-based survival instincts. He quickly shifts them all to one arm and takes his phone out to see Raph’s number on the screen. ”Oh, Red! One, are you on your way back? Two, would you pick up some dinner on the way home? Nothing with fish,” he asks, glaring at Soup—no point in making himself more of a target.

His face drops in horror as Splinter listens to what his son says. Before Raph finishes his sentence, the lair floor is covered in dropped snacks, and he runs out the door.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

(Ten Minutes Earlier)

In the span of a few seconds, Draxum has lost what little control he has over the situation. He knew he could do nothing to stop Raph or Mikey from going after him. And if not for his waylaid leg, Leo would have been in front of them all. He turns to go into the area he had hidden Donnie when he stops, turning to face the two turtles, “Michelangelo, stay here. Raphael, if you insist on following, do not get in my way.”

“But-”

“Do as I say,” Draxum snaps more intensely than he should, but he’s already behind the curtain. Donatello, who had been in a half-awake state a few minutes ago, was now doubled over. His hands were twisting the front of his hoodie as he coughed heavily, only broken by painful wheezes, as though both were just as desperate to get oxygen but unwilling to compromise. Draxum circumnavigates to the ventilator and starts tapping the touch screen. He was pulling up anything that might have malfunctioned while more than acutely aware of the snapping turtle still standing at the entrance. Then, without looking up, “I can help your brother, but it would be infinitely helpful if you didn’t stand there gawking.”

“I-”

Draxum didn’t have time to feel guilty for his tone. He finds no fault with the machine and quickly goes to Donatello’s side just as Raph joins him. “Help me get him on his side,” Draxum demands, already taking Donatello by the shoulders. Raph complies without hesitation, supporting Donnie’s shell and the back of his neck to prevent him from twisting it wrong. Draxum moves the mask out of the way to make sure Donatello isn’t about to get sick, but after a few moments, Donatello’s breathing finally starts to level out. The creases on the purple turtle’s forehead flattened out as he seemed to return to some form of restful sleep. Draxum releases the breath he didn’t know he was carrying. The two of them move Donatello back onto his shell. But as Draxum replaces the oxygen mask, he notices Raph's hand drifts to hold the back of Don’s head with his free hand clasping his younger brother’s.

“Is he ok?” Raph asks in a small voice that starkly contrasts his vast form.

Draxum closes his eyes and returns to the ventilator, bringing up the screen again, “He’s better than he was a moment ago. I believe it was just a bad coughing fit.” Draxum couldn’t bring himself to look at Raph’s helpless face as he checked the antibiotic cartridges he had put in. Even though they weren’t close to being empty, he went to his counter and took up a few more, “I had hoped a half dose of antibiotics would help him breathe better. Or at least start off his treatment.” Draxum moves and puts them in place. The machine lets out a soft hiss indicating the acknowledgment of additional medicine. For a moment, Draxum keeps his gaze on the device as he gathers his thoughts, “Go back to your brother, Raphael.”

“I-I don’t want to leave Donnie.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, your brother went through great pains to not worry you.” Draxum finally turns to fully look at him, “So, as I see it, you have two options. One, you and your brothers can all gather and hover over him like I know you desperately want to. Then he’ll wake up and see you three and go into a full-on panic attack. Which will only make his current state worse,“ Draxum raises his hand as Raph opens his mouth, “It doesn’t matter if that would make you feel better if you were in his place. He is not you. He is not Michelangelo. And thankfully, he is not Leonardo. He is Donatello. Who, in case you haven’t noticed, went to great lengths and great pains to make sure he would not worry you. Not until he could get his condition under control. A course of action he failed. Which brings me to our second option. You can wait with your brothers, wait till your father gets here. And when Donatello wakes up, I can explain what happened. Allow him to adjust and decide what he wants to do.”

During his whole argument, Raph’s face falls closer and closer to outright despair. Had it been even a few months ago, “The Baron” wouldn’t have been able to bring himself to care. But Draxum, who now knew who Raphael was, not as an experiment but as a person, turns to the sink and starts scrubbing his hands, “I cannot tell you what to do though.”

Draxum hears the barely audible shaky breath escape Raphael, and out of the corner of his eye, he watches the hands holding Donatello. They are shaking so hard Draxum was scared Raph would wake the soft shell. “W-we can wait,” Raph says softly, “We can do that for him.”

“Good.” Draxum shakes off his hands before drying them off, “If you want, I can call your father. I can explain what happened.”

Raph shakes his head, “N-No I can do it. J-just focus on Don. Please.” He steps back, looking at Donnie for a moment as though he was hoping that Donnie would wake up any moment and tell the red turtle he was fine. But it doesn’t happen. Raph squeezes his swelling eyes shut and ducks out.

It was a moment of ignorance he knew Raph was desperate for.

Because it was the same ignorance that Draxum was desperate for.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

Raph barely steps behind the curtain out of Draxum’s sight before he presses his hands over his face. His shoulders were the only indication of the nearing panic attack, desperate to be heard. But after a few moments of deep breathing, he managed to calm himself down. Using his wrist, he wipes at the few tears that managed to escape. “It's ok, he’s ok, it's ok,” he repeats to himself a few times. Finally, when he’s managed to calm down, he picks up his phone and calls Splinter. The conversation barely lasts thirty seconds. It ends with the knowledge that Splinter is on his way as fast as possible.

It’s ok.

He’s ok.

I’m ok.

As Raph opens the curtain to see where he left the rest of his brothers, Mikey leaps off the examination table and tackles Leo from his half-standing position, sending them both to the ground. Mikey immediately wrapped his arms and legs around him to bring him down while Leo, now with the hood of his hoodie shoved into his mouth, thrashed around with muffled shouts.

All the anxiety that had fueled Raph a moment ago was now replaced with ‘older brother’ mode. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” He snatched them both up by the back of their respective hoodies and held them at arm's length as though they were rambunctious kittens. They were even swiping at each other like feral animals. “Break it up, you two!”

“Leo was trying to follow you!” Mikey points.

“Was not-”

“You were literally trying to throw yourself into the hall-”

“Falling is good for sprained ankles! How many times do I have to tell you that-”

Had Raph had a free hand, he would have facepalmed. But instead, he only had the emotional exhaustion of someone dealing with too much at once. “It’s like wrangling kittens in here, “ he grumbles as he pins Mikey to his chest with one arm. With the other, he drops Leo back on the exam table, palming the blue turtle’s face with his hand to keep him in place. “I’ll release you if you promise to stop fighting each other. Agreed!?”

Mikey gives a puffed cheek pout before nodding in agreement. After a moment, Raph can see Leo glaring at him as though contemplating chewing through the red brother’s fingers then and there. But soon, he feels both his younger brothers relax in his grip. He waits to ensure they're not trying to trick him before he sets Mikey on his feet and steps back from Leo. “Alright, there, good jo-”

“Great, now where’s Donnie?! We heard him coughing. I know he’s here! Why aren’t you with him?! If you’re not going to him I-”

Raph's palm again covers Leo’s face: "I fell for it. I knew he was lying, but I still fell for it.” Raph schools himself as Leo continues talking. He was pulling at Raph’s hand to free himself before his shoulders dropped, and he crossed his arms in irritation. Raph knew better than to let him go this time, “Draxum is taking care of him, and Dad’ll be here soon. Draxum said he wanted everyone together before they explained what’s going on. Right now-“ Raph has to catch himself before his voice crack became audible. But judging by the way his brothers look at him, his silence speaks far louder. “Right now, he’s resting, and we just have to wait for for-”

Somewhere on the other side of a clinic, there is a shattering of glass followed by a gust of air. “Boys?! Draxum!? Are you in here?!”

Thank Pizza, reinforcements.

“Dad, we're over here!” Finally, after the continuing sound of breaking glass, scurrying along the curtained wall, and one of the walls being knocked aside entirely, there is left standing Splinter. When they had left their father, he had been eating a braided five-foot-long fruit by the foot. Now, he was standing here with heaving shoulders and rotten trash hanging over parts of his completely sweat-soaked robe. Judging by the trash stuffed into his robe, the banana caught around his neck like a scarf; he had run through several dumpsters. (Instead of jumping over them like a normal mutant).

But whether oblivious to the filth or uncaring of it, Mikey has already dropped to his knees and thrown his arms around Splinter, hiding his face in his shoulder, “Dad, something's wrong with Donnie! Something really, really bad. I-I don't know what to do.”

Splinter's arms wrap around the youngest turtle with a hand on the back of his head. “I know my mandarin. We will get answers soon I promise.” He takes a few moments to comfort Mikey before inspecting his other present sons, only to do a double take when he sees Raph’s hand still covering Leo’s face. He gave Raph a bewildered look, “Do I want to know?”

“Leo’s taking a time out.” Raph narrows his eyes at Leo again to see if he’s learned his lesson but judging by the way Leo narrows his eyes, he has not. But before he could further retaliate, the sound of stomping hooves before Draxum appeared at the entrance with wide furious eyes and a heaving chest, “What did I say about keeping it down!?”

Leo tries to shout something in his muffled state, but Draxum shoots him a glare so intense that the chatterbox turtle lets out an almost panicked squeak before clinging to the hand he had previously been trying to escape from. “Thankfully, Donatello wants to see you as well.”

“He’s awake?” Mikey asks eagerly.

“He is. He’s very tired, but he wants to talk to you all. He knows you have questions, and he’s ready to give some answers,” he says. As Mikey and Splinter stand to follow, Splinter moves his hand to hold MIkey’s as they walk. Draxum leans over to hiss at Splinter, ”And you’re paying to have my window fixed, you Raging Rodent.”

“If you don't want your windows shattered, then you should make a more obvious entrance-” the two whisper-argue as they walk away.

Leo Immediately tries to pry Raph’s hand off his face again, but Raph does not release him just yet. “Leo,'' He says softly. Quiet enough to catch Leo’s full attention and not just rampant concern, “I know you’re worried. We’re all worried. And I know you want to see him, but I really need you to calm down. We need to hear what he has to say. So, please? For him?”

He expects more pushback, but this time Leo closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths before making eye contact again and nodding. Having been burned in the past, Raph slowly removes his hand. But this time, Leo doesn’t thrash away or try to crawl up the wall like a creature from a sci-fi movie. But he does grip the edge of the exam table and hunch his shoulders as he takes several deep breaths. The red turtle’s hands hover again to overcome some sort of physical comfort. Instead, Raph looks around the room and sees the mass pile of leg casts Draxum had been going through earlier. Raph picks through them for a moment to find the blue turtle the right cast. Only then does he return and catch Leo’s attention, who sees the implement and nods, letting Raph help him put it on. Leo’s leg buckles for a moment as he goes to stand, but Raph makes sure to hold on to his arm in support as they make their way after the others.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

( Ten minutes earlier)

When Donnie was six, he got the flu for the first time.

He didn’t count Rat Flu as an actual incident of being sick. Because until then, whenever Splinter could feel the animalistic instincts of his illness kicking in, he’d just fill the lair with prepared snacks. As well as ensure everything was safety proof and they had access to emergency numbers and anything else that could go wrong in six hours. All while he quarantined himself. (But if Raph could accidentally turn the microwave into a heat-based time bomb in less time than it takes Splinter to take a spoon out of a drawer, Donnie shuddered to think what they’d do with six hours unsupervised).

Donnie could remember being trapped in a suspended state of far too warm and far too cold. One that no amount of blankets, wet cloth, or comforting presence could solve. It couldn’t have been more than two days, but it was easily one of his most miserable memories.

But this?

This was way worse.

He felt the remembered juxtaposition of fever and chills. Along with a splitting headache and stomach twisting like a snake trying to untangle itself. Every breath to try and satisfy his brain's need for oxygen was met with a painful wheeze and an even more painful cough. He was so wrapped up in his struggle that he didn’t notice a fast-approaching presence. Not until it's by his ventilator. But he’s so disoriented he almost thinks there’s another form standing by him. A large hand holding the back of his head. Even if it was just in his head, the touch was soft and kind, making him turn into it more.

He tried to open his eyes, but the soft light that had filled the clinic now blinded him with the intensity of a searchlight, and he was forced to squeeze them shut. He feels the tightness in his chest finally lessen to a more manageable state, and the tension leaves his body.

With it, he lets the dark take him.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

With a jerk, Donnie returns to the waking world with moments of confusion and delirium. He rockets up to a sitting position, hand on his mask as he lets out another cough via his already barren throat. Finally, vertigo wins out over his confusion, and he tips over, only for a pair of hands to grab him by the shoulders and guide him to lay back on the half-upright bed. After a few breaths, the dizziness starts to fade.

Oxygen mask.

Clinic.

Draxum.

Usually, a combination of words would make him sick all over again, but this time, it made him sigh with relief as he looked up at Draxum. “Thanks,” he says weakly, “What happened?”

“You passed out again and had a coughing fit. I’m going to refill the antibiotics to a higher dosage. Try taking as deep a breath as you can.”

“Y-yeah, good idea.'' Donnie takes another breath, as deep as his lungs allow, leaving a settled sting down his aching airway. “Thanks for getting my family out of here. Was Leo’s leg ok?” When he doesn’t get an answer, Donnie looks over to where Draxum is scrubbing his hands. For a moment, he’s not sure Draxum heard him until the yokai puts his hands on the counter, fingers tightening over the laminate surface, “Draxum?”

“I am sorry, Don,” he says quietly, “Your family is waiting to talk to you.”

Donnie is not sure he has heard him right. But as Draxum’s words sink in, so does the return of short, shallow breaths and panic. “Wh-what do you mean?! You said you wouldn’t tell them! You promised-”

“They heard you coughing. I didn’t have a choice. It was either come here and help you or try to devise some cockamamie excuse and potentially let you suffer.”

The soft shell opens his mouth to argue but instead squeezes his eyes shut and falls back on his bed, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes. As much as Donnie wanted to, he couldn't fault Draxum for what he had or hadn’t done. And perhaps Donnie was acting less grateful than he should have been. But he could still feel tears biting the corner of his eyes as he pressed the palms of his hands over his eyes. Of course, they’d find out. Why wouldn't they? He had lied to them. He risked his health to keep them in the dark. Donnie knew he had to tell them eventually, but when he thought about it, Donnie could still feel his arms wrapped around Leo as his brother sobbed. The rushing water that had almost been his brother's grave roared by them.

“If you need to express outward negative emotion before you talk to your family, I understand.”

“No-no, it's fine.”

Donnie tries not to think about how he should be grateful for all Draxum has done for him. None of this was his fault. Why did Donnie ever believe he could stop his family from finding out before Donnie dared to tell them? How he had lied to them? Risked his life to keep them in the dark? What right did he have to cry when he brought this on himself? The purple turtle takes a few moments to collect himself before moving around, peering over the sides for the popper mechanism. “Help me sit this up more.”

“It’s high enough-”

“No, I'm not going to have them walk in like I'm on my deathbed. I need them to see me sitting up. Talking. If I can't lie to them anymore, I can at least not make them think I'm on the brink of death.”

Draxum meets his eyes for a moment before sighing and walking over to the side of the bed. He reached down, touched some hidden mechanism that had been out of Donnie’s reach, and guided the bed upward with his free hand. Even though it only moved a few inches, his body aches in protest. The turtle adjusts himself for a moment and then nods to Draxum.

“Do you know when Dad will get-”

Before he could finish his question, a shattering window cut him off. It was followed by a gust of cold wind that almost ripped the blanket off Don’s leg. Then the running of stubby legs echoed off the walls, past his curtained-off room, “Never mind, I guess he’s here.”

Draxum pinches the bridge of his eyes, “So it would seem. I swear your father waits until midnight to bail me out of jail with starbucks for himself. But when he wants to, he can move faster than the speed of sound.” The yokai grumbles as he leaves the room. (The tinkling of glass a moment later and the return of warmth told Donnie that Draxum had fixed the window.) But honestly, Donnie was just grateful that he hadn’t woken up to his family descending on him like seagulls in a frenzy. The turtle catches a glimpse at a window, barely visible between the marked-off curtains, and seriously considers jumping for it.

But before he can consider giving in to his thoughts, the youngest turtle runs in. Before Donnie could think, Mikey’s arms were thrown around him, and his face in his shoulder. “I-I was so scared! I-I heard coughing and- it sounded like you- And- and we ran for you! And- and Raph wouldn't let me in the room! And- and-”

“I know bud, I'm sorry.” Truth be told, at the moment, Donnie wasn’t sure how much physical interaction he could stand but decided to stomach it. If only to give Mikey a little bit of comfort. Donnie rests his hand on the back of Mikey’s head. He looks up in time to see Splinter join. Standing just right behind them, Raph stayed behind a second before stepping in with a hand supporting Leo’s arm. Raph ensures Leo has the curtained wall to lean on before joining Mikey and Splinter. At first, Donnie wanted to say something about how Leo shouldn’t be up and walking but sees, with relief, that he managed to get some sort of walking cast. He tries to make eye contact with Leo to give him the somatic cue to come closer. But without making eye contact, Leo shakes his head and seems to slink further back into Raph’s approaching shadow.

Before Donnie has time to feel guilty, Raph is already at his other side, and Splinter stands by his hip. “My Purple Plum, how are you feeling?”

“Not great, but better than I was,” the purple turtle looks and catches his eye with Raph. Judging by the look in Raph’s eyes, he’s thinking of taking a step back, but Donnie reaches forward and takes his oldest brother's hand, “I promise.”

Raph opens his mouth to respond but closes it with a small inaudible sigh. Before Donnie can offer any more reassurance, anything to make his family feel better, Draxum appears by Mikey. “I know you are all concerned, but give him some space before he passes out from carbon monoxide poisoning.”

The part of Donnie that values his personal space was grateful, even though Mikey stayed close enough to still hold his hand. But the part of him that was desperate to keep his family calm just wanted to keep them close and give them all the empty promises and lies. Ones that said everything he could to keep them calm. Donnie closes his eyes and rests his head on the bed behind him, “I’m really sorry, guys. I’m sorry.”

“What happened, Dee,” Raph asks first, “You were fine an hour ago.”

“I-I was. I mean, I was trying to be." Without the strength to meet his family's eyes, he focuses on his blanket, twisting the fabric in his hands. “I don’t want to lie to you. The only reason Draxum didn’t tell you was because I begged him not to. I thought if I could get treated and get ahead of this, I could make you all less anxious. But it didn’t work.” The purple turtle’s hands travel up to his chest. Not for the first time that day, he wished to reach into himself and pull out what was rotting inside him.

No more hiding.

No more lying.

“As you all know, Leo and I went to fix some failing wire. We got caught in a tunnel, and one of the nearby tunnels was activated by an overflow warning. It had to redirect some water…into the tunnel we were trapped in. I couldn’t get Leo’s leg free, and as the water came for us,” finally, Leo finally makes eye contact with him. “I-I panicked. I covered Leo’s airway, but because I was holding on to him, l- I couldn't cover mine, and-” for a brief second, there’s almost unbearable silence.

“How much water,” Leo asks quietly, speaking for the first time since he entered the room.

“A lot. It got in my lungs. In my stomach. When we got to the walkway, I coughed and ejected as much as possible, but I had to check on you, too. After that, I was just focused on getting us home safely….” Donnie let the sentence drift off. He couldn’t look at MIkey’s horrified expression or see Raph’s eyes. Every set of stares in the room looked on with varying degrees of horror as each took in the information in their own way.

Very briefly, he looks in Leo’s direction. Just enough to see that Leo is finally looking at him. Looking like he was either about to be sick or rip the walls down with his bare hands, and then horror as his face drops.

Mind Melding hadn't been a thing for a few months, not since Big Mama’s train. But they still had moments where they could just look at each other and know what the other was thinking. And at that moment, Leo could see the past few hours with entirely different eyes.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

Only when they break the surface does the hand over Leo’s mouth and nose disappears. He’s heaved onto the pathway. Donnie follows, turning and hacking towards the water uncontrollably. His body desperately tried to reject every toxin that violated his body. As he wiped at his streaming eyes, he heard Leo hacking behind him and turned to see the red slider curled up, with his arms wrapped around himself. He was oblivious to the world around him other than the horrors now going through his mind. The turtle wipes off his mouth the best he can and crawls over, taking Leo by the biceps. As tear-filled, disoriented eyes looked at him, the turtle pulled him close to his chest and held him. “It's ok, bud. I got you,” he said, voice so sore it could barely be heard over the gushing water. But Leo must have understood him somehow since his body curled towards him, and he wept into his shoulder. The turtle can only go against every instinct he has as a scientist as he rocks his brother to his chest. In reality, where the truth comforts him, he can only comfort his brother with the sweet poison of lies.

“It’s ok, Leo.”

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

Donnie rolls over onto his hands and knees, gripping the sink counter and testing his strength momentarily before he feels comfortable climbing to his feet. He had barely left the shower before his legs had given out, and only the floor rug had prevented him from hitting his head as he coughed helplessly. Of course, since the bathroom isn’t so far from the bedrooms, the turtle would be more worried if someone had heard him. But Leo had fallen asleep as soon as he climbed into bed, and the rest of their family was on their way home. Donnie takes a moment to breathe with his hands braced on the sink before he checks his complexion. Other than a paler-than-usual complexion (nothing that couldn’t be explained away), Donnie looked fine. He still makes sure to wash his face and rinse out his mouth.

Leo was safe. That’s what mattered.

When he’s sure he can move without getting sick, Donnie moves across the Lair to the Med Bay, gathering what items they need. First Aid kids, ice packs, wipes. He also finds the bottle of modified antibiotics with a sigh. “At least there’s that,” he says softly before twisting the lid, only to have his heart drop at the contents.

Three pills.

No, that was impossible. They had more than that. Donnie always made sure they had enough for everyone in case of emergency. He retraces their last few medical incidents. Mikey cut his arm on a rusted pipe. That was two. Raph had gotten caught in a toxic cloud in their previous battle and always required more for his mass. He mentally recounts and slowly realizes the numbers match up. He remembers promising himself to get more later.

Then this happened.

It wasn’t like he could go up to the surface and buy more at a moment's notice. Since they were mutants (technically part yokai), normal medications didn’t work on their family as intended. Not only did it work at one-twelfth the strength it was supposed to, but it also gave them something close to a mind allergic reaction. That's why Donnie started making modified medicine in the first place! But that required a trip to the Pharmaceutical Lab across the city, and he didn't have time. And to be honest, he didn't have time now. All he knew was that with their exposure to the water, three pills wouldn’t be enough for just one of them.

Any rational doctor or provider would point out he needed the medicine more. His body was starting a war against toxins. If he thought about all the toxins his body was starting a war against and remembered the sensation of the water filling his body, he’d begin to lose his breath. His hands would start shaking. He would start heading down the path of an inevitable meltdown curbed by pure will alone. So, not now. Not until everything was taken care of.

He thinks about the scrapes and cuts that covered Leo’s calf and ankle, which had also been touched by untreated water.

He doesn't think twice when choosing between himself and his brother. Despite the new onslaught of tears threatening to take over him, Donnie squeezes his eyes shut and puts the lid back on. Wiping his eyes on his sleeve as he heads back to Leo’s room.

“It's ok, Leo.”

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

It's barely an hour later, and what is a celebration for the rest of his family feels muffled by the emotional numbness threatening to overcome Donnie. When Leo drops his head on his shoulder, he can only respond in the way a person manipulates a puppet. Presenting the emotions rather than feeling them. He laughs with them and teases them. Does everything he can to make Leo comfortable. Safe. Happy. Protect him.

“I'm ok, Leo.”

“I’m ok, Leo.”

Ten Minutes ago, everything was fine.

Leo can’t breathe

Ten minutes ago, they were laughing.

Leo feels like he’s drowning.

Ten minutes ago, he planned to eat ice cream and terrorize Mikey with his horrific toppings.

Leo can’t be here.

He has to leave.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

Leo’s body is moving, but he doesn’t realize it until his shell hits the draped wall behind him and it nearly fell over. All eyes go on him. His breath is already short, and Leo barely has time to give his brain the oxygen it brain so badly needs. Then, finally, he hears a voice and knows they're asking if he’s ok.

“I-I- '' Leo’s hands hover close to his chest with a painful internal itch that all the fluttering in the world can’t fix. “I-I gotta go. I gotta go,’ he says. Softly at first, but a touch to his shoulder almost feels like electricity to his frayed nerves as he steps back, “No, I gotta go.” he says, this time more forcefully. The walls are closing in. The forms that had been his family become elongated, stretching towards a ceiling that was now tall enough to touch the stars. He can’t breathe. He can’t-

“It's ok Leo.”

He opens his tear-stained eyes again. The world still distorts beyond his control. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the one sitting in bed. Looking over at him with a soft, if pained smile, “You can go.”

If there’s an argument against it, he can’t hear it. In one fell swing, he turns and swipes his portal sword through the air, barely giving it time to fill the room with a soft light. He steps through a vortex of blue, white, and tears, and the fearless hero flees.

Even as he flees

He falls

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

Ten Minutes later

It's only because of Splinter's interference that Raph doesn’t go after Leo then. Whether it was because Splinter understood Leo needed some space to himself or for some other reason, Donnie didn’t know. But they knew it was better to move Donnie back to the Lair. Draxum agreed to ‘loan’ some of the equipment he had ‘borrowed’ from the hospitals to make up for anything the Lair lacked. Like in every other situation where they are faced with helpless feelings, Splinter assigns Mikey and Raph things to do around the lair to help make Donatello comfortable. (“Orange, go toss Donatello’s hoodies in the wash, so he has them if he wants them. Raphael, do the dishes. No, I’m not using the situation as an excuse to make you do your- just clean the dishes, Red!”) It's only then that Draxum appears later, standing in the light of his own portal with a box of medicines. “I have the rest of the modified antibiotics that you requested.”

“Thank you. Donatello is the only one who knows how to make them, so we’ll need as many as we can get.” Splinter wasn't sure the last time he used “Draxum" and “Thank you” in the same sentence, but it wasn't a phenomenon they could expect very often. Draxum turns to head into the med room when he stops and looks back to Splinter, “You shouldn’t have let Leonardo leave. He shouldn't be prioritizing his own feelings over Donatello's-”

“First of all, you’ve been a dad for–What? Five minutes? Watch ten seasons of my cancelled sitcom Toll House and maybe we’ll talk. Second of all, Blue needs time to sort out his emotions. Donatello needs calm around him right now. If leaving is what he needed to do at that moment, then he can do that.”

Draxum narrows his eyes and sighs, “Fine. Whatever. When I drop this off with Donatello, we can talk about treatments. I have a few in mind but hope for more options.”

Treatments. The closest thing Splinter had been to any medical stuff was during his stint in Generals Tso’s Chicken Hospital. So, really, he was at a loss for what to do. The rat puts his hands on the back of the armchair his two middle sons had been enjoying just a few hours ago and lets himself sigh. “Do we have options,” he asks.

“We do not have many, but we do have them. Other than simply hoping his body will fight it off. Plus, your son is so stubborn, I doubt he’d let anything defeat him.”

Splinter lets out a small smile and chuckles. He tries not to notice Draxum let out a small smile as well. As if that was his intended reaction as he returned to the med bay. Splinter picks up a waylaid blanket before he sees Draxum poke his head out of the room. The rat is confused when he sees the yokai still holding the box. But there’s a look in Draxum’s eye that drives Splinter over.

It's only a few steps closer when the sound of soft sobbing reaches him and makes him walk faster. Ducking under the yokai’s arm, Splinter sees Donatello back up to a sitting position. His face was hidden in drawn-up knees, and arms wrapped tightly around his chest. It seems the weighted blanket Mikey had gotten for him wasn’t enough. “Oh, Purple,” Splinter says softly. He goes to sit on the edge of his bed, and not even a second later, Don turns and presses his face into Splinter’s shoulders. His soft weeping became full-force sobs as he clung to his father in a way he hadn’t since he was a child.

Splinter’s bottom lip trembles as he holds his son in turn, knowing no amount of lies or comfort would bring him out of the dark hell his mind was in. He catches movement out of the corner of his eye, just in time to see Draxum hover at the doorway before deciding something and moving over to them. Splinter wasn’t sure what he would do, but Draxum sat on Donatello’s other side. After his hand hovered for a beat, he rested his hand over Splinter’s and placed his forehead on top of Dontaello’s blanket-clothed shell.

In moments like this, grief will not only break you.

It can drown you.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

<Part 4

Part 5

Part 6 (coming soon)

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles smart lair #rottmnt fanfiction #hurt comfort #sick fic #donatello #leonardo #brothers #medical situations #rise of teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtle fanfiction

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femme-tank · 1 month

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1st Game - Fabula Ultima: Femme Tank

All right, for the first game I considered doing something else, but realized I have a TTRPG that is intending to reproduce JRPGs. Unfortunately my group did not quite enjoy the combat of this game the concept and character creation is still pretty cool.

I'm using the core book. There is a "High Fantasy" update which might have a couple of good add-ons, but don't have the money to pick it up just at the moment.

The steps are as follows:

Step One - Identity

For identity, I'm going to go with "A sweet girl who will protect others to her last breath."

Step Two - Theme

For theme, I'm choosing from the suggested list and considering either Hope (hope for a better world) or Justice (side with the weak and defenseless). I think Hope probably feels the best here.

Step Three - Origin

This is another short sentence and I think I'm going to go with "Blessed mountain village".

Step Four - Classes

Okay, Fabula Ultima characters start at level 5, which basically means we start with five skills. These levels can't all be in the same class, but they can't be drawn from more than three classes. (You will only get your fourth class when you master one class by hitting level 10)

In this case, I'm going to go with three classes:

Fury - 1 Level: Provoke 1

Guardian - 2 Levels: Fortress 1, Defense Mastery 1

Orator - 2 Levels: Condemn 1, Encourage 1

Step Five - Attributes

We have three options of spreads:

Jack of All Trades - d8 to everything

Balanced - d10, d8, d8, d6

Specialized - d10, d10, d6, d6

For this case, I think I'm going to go with Balanced and do the following:

Dexterity - d6

Insight - d8

Might - d10

Willpower - d8

Step Six - Figured Characteristics

Now we calculate figured characteristics.

Let's start with Hit Points and we figure that with:

Total Character Level (5)

Five times Maximum Might Die (50)

Having any levels of Fury grants 5 bonus HP

Having any levels of Guardian grants 5 bonus HP

Each level in the Fortress skill increases HP by 3. (3)

So the total is 68 HP

Next, we'll go for Mind Points, this works similar:

Total Character Level (5)

Five times Maximum Willpower Die (40)

Having any levels of Orator grants 5 bonus MP

So, the total is 50 MP

Defense is based on your maximum Dexterity die. 6 in this case.

Magic Defense is based on your maximum Insight die. 8 in this case.

Initiative modifier by default is 0.

There are also Inventory points, spent to draw potions and stuff out as you need them. Rather than keep a precise list of such things, you just spend Inventory points and say "I have a healing potion" Inventory points generally are recovered from some treasures or can be recovered at a shop by spending money. Characters start with 6 and this tends not to go up unless you get one of the classes or skills that increase it.

Step Seven - Starting Gear

We have 500 zenit (the game's currency) and due to our classes, we're able to equip Martial Weapons (Fury), Martial Armor (Guardian and Fury), and Martial Shields (Guardian).

I'm going to buy two items: runic plate (cosmetically renamed to be "reinforced robes") and heavy spear, (cosmetically renamed "war staff")

This changes her Defense to the following:

Defense: 11

Magic Defense: Insight +1, total 9, Initiative -3

And her attack looks like this:

War Staff - Attack Dex+Might: d6+d8. Damage: High Roll +12, Physical

That's all her money.

Step Eight - Name and Pronouns

And now we give her a name... and I think I'm going to expose some of my childhood media and name her Althea with the pronouns she/her

Althea

Identity: A sweet girl who will protect others to her last breath.

Theme: Hope

Origin: Blessed mountain village.

Attributes

Dexterity: d6

Insight: d8

Willpower: d8

Might: d10

Skills

Fury: Provoke 1

Guardian: Fortress 1

Guardian: Defense Mastery 1

Orator: Condemn 1

Orator: Encourage 1

Figured Stats and Gear

Hit Points: 68

Mind Points: 50

Inventory Points: 6

Defense: 11 (Mountain Robes)

Magic Defense: 9 (Mountain Robes)

War Staff: d6+d10, HR+12

Initiative: -3 (Mountain Robes)

Onward!

I think this is a game where carrying the char gen into a full character build to maximum level 50. I'm not going to do it level by level in this because there's really nothing that's tied to level. Attribute dice go up twice and some skills become more effective, but nothing else. So I'm going to just jump to the end-game plan.

As a caveat, I am going to point out again that all my plans are flexible and will change based on the opportunities and challenges I find in gameplay, but I like to have them as a combination of my character's intentions for where to go and also my own interests in where to take her story.

Level 50 Althea

First, at levels 20 and 40, we increase two Attributes by one die size to a maximum of d12. This will be Might to d12 and Willpower to d10.

Now, we have to choose the other classes we'll take. Because, in Fabula Ultima, you can only take each class up to level 10 and you can have a maximum of 3 unmastered classes.

So, we need at least two more classes, or 4 more classes if we're not interested in mastering all of them. However, I think I'm going to go with 5 mastered classes. And those will be:

Arcanist - Merge with powerful spirits.

Fury - Taunting, adrenaline, and berserk.

Guardian - Defense focused skills.

Orator - Communication skills.

Weaponmaster - Attack skills.

Let's start with the classes closest to the concept and go from there. There will also by 5 Heroic Skills, one for each mastered class, but I'll hit those at the end all together.

Guardian I think will start with the two non-ranked skills. There is also a skill called "Dual Shieldbearer" but we're not taking those.

Protect - The dive in front of someone skill mentioned above.

Bodyguard - Ability to use Guard to protect other people.

And now on to the two ranked skills. They can both go to level 5, but we with the above two skills we only have 8 levels to spend. One of these increases HP and the other reduces incoming damage. I'm going to max out the one that reduces incoming damage, as I tend to find that more powerful overall. So:

Defense Mastery 5 - Reduce incoming damage by 5 as long as she's using martial armor or shields.

Fortress 3 - Increase HP by 9.

For Orator, we want to emphasize the character traits of patience and trying communication. There's only one non-ranked skill here, but I think I will get it. It allows you to acquire a temporary friend as long as you are kind and respectful.

Unexpected Ally - Gain a temporary ally if you have treated someone well.

As for ranked skills, the one short scene in the inspiring post has the character speak firmly and not-so-vaguely threateningly, but still kind and patient. So that was why I took "Condemn" before. I'm also going to take "Persuasive" and "Encourage", which lets her talk people down or boost morale.

I didn't think I was going to, but I think I'm going to max out Condemn. It wouldn't take much to max out Persuasive as well, but I'm going to leave it at rank 1 instead as it is pretty expensive to use, and I imagine that role would go more toward other members of her party. Encourage would max out at 6, but I can only take it to 4.

There is a fourth ranked skill called "My Trust in You" but it's a bit more back-rank nature than I want for this character.

That results in the following:

Condemn 4 - Enemy loses 40 MP and suffers shaken or dazed.

Persuasive 1 - Complete an extra step in a clock when using charm, deception, diplomacy, or intimidation.

Encourage 4 - Target heals 20 HP and temporary boosts one attribute.

The Fury is more obviously a damage dealer, but there are some definite defensive skills in there. There is a non-ranked, "Frenzy" but it is for use with brawling, daggers, flails, and thrown weapons and our lady focuses on polearms (ie "spears" reskinned as war-staves)

The ranked skills include "Adranaline" which causes you to do increased damage when your health is low, "Withstand" which lets you beef up your ability to use the Guard action. "Provoke" is a taunt. "Indomitable Spirit" gives extra recovery benefits to using Fabula points, the game's meta-currency.

I'm actually going to dip into all of this. Except Provoke, which will be maxed.

Adrenaline 2 - Add 4 extra damage to attacks when under half-HP.

Indomitable Spirit 1 - When spending Fabual points also heal 5 HP, 5 MP, or remove a status effect.

Provoke 5 - Add a +5 bonus to Might+Willpower checks to taunt people.

Withstand 2 - When guard without providing cover to others, heal HP equal to twice highest Bond and improve Willpower to d12 for one round. (if Might wasn't already max, could improve that too)

The weaponmaster focuses on the use of, unsurprisingly, weapons, and is very much an offense oriented class. There are two non-ranked skills, both of which we'll take. "Bladestorm" which allows for attacking multiple targets. And "Counterattack" which does what it says.

Bladestorm - Spend 10 Mind Points to increase the number of targets attacked by 1 to a maximum of 3.

Counterattack - When an enemy's attack against you has an even number on its accuracy total, whether it hits or misses, you get a free attack.

Now, to the remaining 8 levels. Let's look at the ranked skills, "Breach" allows you to make an attack that will either destroy gear or make them vulnerable to the next attack. "Boneshaker" allows you to inflict statuses or Mind Point damage rather than Hit Points. "Melee Weapon Mastery" improves your accuracy with weapons. I'm going to max out the mastery and then dip into the other two here, so she'll have a little bit of all the Weaponmaster skills.

Melee Weapon Mastery 4 - Add a +4 to accuracy checks with Melee weapons.

Breach 2 - Make an attack that can do one of the following: destroy a shield, destroy armor, or increase the next damage to this target by 4.

Boneshaker 2 - When hit with an attack can choose to deal no damage to do one of the following: inflict dazed, inflict weak, or the target loses 20 Mind Points.

Now we come to the oddball of this build. I could have chosen Rogue for some initiative and speed shenanigans or Darkblade for some alternate grim tankiness. But instead, I'm going to go with her bonding to some sort of spirit.

And this one is fairly easy, one of the Ranked skills only works with spell-casting, which this character does not do. This is "Arcane Circle" which allows a character to cast a spell for free they dismiss an Arcana they summoned in a prior turn. This is on top of the benefits for releasing an Arcana.

So, that leaves us with the following, all of which I can actually max out so instead of describing them and relisting, I'll just list them.

Arcane Regeneration 2 - Recover 10 HP when summoning an Arcana. (yes it maxes at rank 2)

Bind and Summon - This allows you to bind yourself to an Arcana, a sort of spirit. It costs 40 Mind Points to do so.

Emergency Arcanum 6 - If under half-health, the cost to summon Arcanum is reduced by 30.

Ritual Arcanism - You may perform Arcanism rituals, narrative magic not usable in a combat.

As for the Arcanum... I'm going to say she found three of the example Arcanum rather than create new ones:

Arcanum of Gate: While merged, resist Dark damage and +1 Magic Defense. When Dismissed either teleport the party OR deal Dark damage to enemies.

Arcanum of the Oak: While merged resist Earth and Poison. Immune to Poisoned effect. Healing is more effective on you. When dismissed, heal the party and clear poisoned status.

Arcanum of the Tower: While merged, your allies (not you) gain resistance to one elemental damage. When dismissed deal Light damage to enemies.

Now, every time you master a class by reaching level 10, you gain a Heroic Skill in addition to the skill you gain for adding a level to that class. So that gives us several options as there are general Heroic Skills available to everyone and two skills associated with each class (though some are shared on multiple classes, like all the spellcaster classes can get "Powerful Spell"). Rather than list all the available Skills I'm just going to list the options I took.

Rampart (Guardian) - Resist damage and status effects in the first round.

Unbreakable (Guardian) - Survive a fatal hit once per scene.

Tempest Strike (Weaponmaster) - Concentrate "multi" attacks on a single target.

Disarming Rhetoric (Orator) - Convince enemies to retreat.

Extra HP - Have increased HP, pretty simple.

I'm also going to give her some items... these aren't the most expensive items in the game, but they do surpass the suggested increased budget for starting at higher level.

Sanctified Warrior Robes (reskinned Adamantorso) - Defense 12, Magic Defense: 8 (Insight), Initiative -4, Resistance to physical damage.

Whirlwind Staff (base Heavy Spear) - two-handed, Mig+Mig, Damage: HR+16, Multi 2 on all attacks.

Emboldening Scarf - Immune to Shaken and Dazed.

Level 50 Althea

Althea

Identity: A sweet girl who will protect others to her last breath.

Theme: Hope

Origin: Blessed mountain village.

Attributes

Dexterity: d6

Insight: d8

Willpower: d10

Might: d12

Skills

Arcanist: Arcane Regeneration

Arcanist: Bind and Summon

Arcanist: Emergency Arcanum

Arcanist: Arcanism Rituals

Fury: Adrenaline 2

Fury: Indomitable Spirit 1

Fury: Provoke 5

Fury: Withstand 2

Guardian: Bodyguard

Guardian: Fortress 3

Guardian: Defense Mastery 5

Guardian: Protect

Orator: Condemn 4

Orator: Encourage 4

Orator: Persuasive 1

Orator: Unexpected Ally

Weaponmaster: Bladestorm

Weaponmaster: Boneshaker 2

Weaponmster: Breach 2

Weaponmaster: Counterattack

Weaponmaster: Melee Weapon Mastery 4

Heroic Orator Skill: Disarming Rhetoric

Heroic Skill: Extra HP

Heroic Guardian Skill: Rampart

Heroic Weaponmaster Skill: Tempest Strike

Heroic Guardian Skill: Unbreakable

Ritual Domains

Arcanism

Arcanum of the Gate

Merge: +1 Magic Defense, Resist Dark damage

Dismiss: Either Oblivion (deal 30 Dark damage to any number of creatures, ignore resistances) OR Teleport (party travels to a place up to 1 day's travel distance)

Arcanum of the Oak

Marge: Resist Earth and Poison, Immune to Poisoned, Gain +5 HP when receives healing

Dismiss: Blossom: Heal any number of chosen creatures 60 HP and remove Poisoned status on all affected.

Arcanum of the Tower

Merge: Choose on damage type: air, bolt, dark, earth, fire, or ice. All allies (not you) are resistant to that damage type.

Dismiss: Judgment: Deal 30 Light damage to any number of creatures, ignore resistances.

Figured Stats and Gear

Hit Points: 154 (d12 Might, Fury, Guardian, Weaponmaster, Fortress 3, Extra HP)

Mind Points: 110 (d10 Willpower, Arcanist, Orator)

Inventory Points: 6

Defense: 12 (Sanctified Warrior Robes) - Resist Physical damage

Magic Defense: 8 (Sanctified Warrior Robes)

Whirlwind Staff: d12+d12+4(Mastery), HR+16, Multi 2

Emboldening Scarf: Immune to Dazed and Shaken

Initiative: -3 (Sanctified Warrior Robes)

#tabletop roleplaying game #ttrpg #roleplaying games #tabletop roleplaying #character creation #femme tank #character build #Fabula Ultima #JRPG

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woodox-earthtaurus · 7 months

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Incoming unpopular opinion. Did it not occur to anyone that Filoni, much like Taika in marvel, just doesnt have the respect for the majority of the characters of Star Wars that - say- Favreau with IronMan or others have? Who the hell treats the Mandalorians like he has? Why the hell were either of them allowed to treat Luke like that? 😤 Who wouldn't understand & acknowledge that there's a SAG and WGA strike ongoing and then refuse to be on the front lines / voicing support? They're both writers & directors/producers. And Favreau (like a certain New Zealander) is also an actor. Plus wtf 🙃 was with Kennedy & Filoni being allowed say on Mando s3?

First off, the Nightsisters were never said to be Dark Side Witches except by maybe Dooku and Palpatine. Look where that motivation is coming from. Second, the Zabrak aren't from Dathomir. They're from Iridonia. And they don't always have red/orange skin. That's kind of specific to the *subspecies* that developed on Dathomir. The Nightsisters are literally referred to as 'dathomiri witches'. Third, they're not using the Force. Did 😒 no one see any clips of (or play) Fallen Order or Survivor? Merrin is thought to be one of the very last of her kind. She literally explains to Cal that their Magic isn't the Force.

That leads me to my fourth and fifth points. No4: Filoni is just making shit up at this point, i would hope reviewers would understand this. Why would there be something beyond the 'unknown regions'? This isn't some dinky galaxy we're playing in with Star Wars. Have you SEEN the Star Map for the number of worlds just in the Outer Rim? There are hundreds of solar systems and nebulae and solar clouds and tunnels (wormholes). And he wants you to think that there's a whole new set of worlds beyond 'unknown space'. 🤣😅 I explained about the Dathomiri already but lets use an actual Dark Force God. In Legends, the eldritch horror Abeloth lurks in a cluster of black holes called The Maw. Its within the edges of the Outer Rim - Inside the known universe of Star Wars. There's hardly anything *known* about the areas outside the Outer Rim; its why the name is Wild Space & the *Unknown* Regions. JFC.

After what has been written about beloved characters in the sequels, in Mando, and even with Boba not having starring roles in his own series, I find it highly insulting as a fan that yall just take this dummy's word that this is gospel. Like holy shit, do some basic research TOR before raving about how great ep 6 was for canon.

Canon so far has been dogshit. S3 of Mandalorian, the cliffhangers of both Boba Fett & Kenobi, the shit writing... The only great thing out of Disney post lucasfilm buy is Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian and getting to see Morrison as Boba. --> 🫠😵 I find it super insulting that Disney would retcon *their own canon* from games/books/earlier shows to allow Elspeth and the 'Great Mothers' to have the Force. To say that this 'never before known planet' is some special jedi place. To hint that Thrawn might be the main antagonist when no one can say that with the strike or books that are *already out*. Icould keep going but yall bore me. Ewww.

#star wars #luke skywalker #the mandalorian #booo filoni booo #do research first #abeloth #planets of origin #do it right lucasfilm

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mobiletextgamesaremakingmebroke · 1 year

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Game Recommendations likes Duskwood

I'm sure there are others like myself looking games similar to Duskwood to play. So I thought I'd play some and give you my thoughts. If you have suggestions let me know. I'll update this from time to time. This was last updated on January 28th of 2023.

Completed:

The Healing

Pros:

Players really got to know the core characters, and I felt it was pretty immersive.

I personally am tired of the 'swap and make 3' (aka candy crush) like games, so I liked the minigames used for 'hacking.

Pretty clever puzzles

If you like dark this does get a bit dark

What's scarier than one masked killer? Three.

For premium, I loved breaking the fourth wall and talking to the authors. Great fun.

Multiple endings. I believe there is a good, a neutral, and a bad end.

Your choices matter, even when they may not seem to.

Cons:

So. Many. Characters! It was hard for me to remember who was who and with each character came a lot of info.

Considering so many characters, I felt like only Andreas/Zoe were romanceable.

I was unable to save everyone, which makes me sad. However, that does make the fight more personal.

Would I recommend/Recommend buying premium?

Absolutely recommend playing. If you want 4th wall breaking dialogue yes premium's worth it, if not then I wouldn't recommend buying. I don't recall premium coming up any other time really.

Blue Orchid

Pros:

I like the puzzles and the 'minigames' in this one. They show you a photo and you solve the puzzle based on it, or you find the important things.

If there's a puzzle your struggling to figure out, no worries. The groups on your side and after a bit they'll figure it out. They provide hints too.

Small cast, and I quite liked the characters. There is no romance, but there's very little time for such thing.

There's more I really liked, but I'd spoil too much so I'll say this. I was not expecting the plot twist at the end of chapter 1 and into chapter 2. The game did a great job keeping me on my toes.

As you can imagine I found the plot really engaging, and interesting.

Depending on your preference, the game isn't actually all that long. I got most of it finished in a single evening.

Cons:

Ticket system. Most of your dialogue options require a ticket. So you have the option to pay for more, or watch free ads. Takes about 20 minutes for tickets to refresh.

This one is not a murder mystery situation. So if you're expecting to uncover the identity of a killer, this isn't for you. It's a bit more complicated of a plot to explain without some massive spoilers. Let me just say, it's more science fiction than crime.

First chapter alone would probably make people want to stop, I do recommend continuing. I don't want to spoil too much though.

Personally, I don't like when characters are my allies, then not, then they are, then they're not again. Let me just say, got a few emotions I need to work through on who I should have trusted/liked at the end.

You don't really develop much of a bond with the characters like in the Healing or Duskwood. In fact you really only learn the back story of two characters, and those are the two I'm most confused about.

Would I recommend/Recommend buying premium?

Absolutely recommend playing. I found it very fun, and a decent short game. As for buying premium? I don't think it's worth it. No special dialogue or anything. It's just 10usd for unlimited tickets. I can just "watch" a bunch of ads.

Currently Playing:

Somewhere- The Vault Papers

Thoughts thus far: (I'm not very far in this game)

Unlike the other games, this one doesn't look like a phone interface. It's more monotone in color and blocky.

The game will be put on hold from anywhere from minutes to hours so the characters in it can do something. Can be a bit annoying.

I haven't encountered any minigames yet. Just been directing 'Cat' on how to escape danger.

The term Crop Corp made me laugh.

Then it went downhill again.

I hate Cat. She acts in a way that makes it VERY hard for me to like her.

Honest opinion, I'm annoyed by the waiting only to not have dialogue options. Personally not a huge fan thus far and from what I've read from the developer's replies to bad reviews, not going great.

Scriptic: Interactive Dramas

Thoughts thus far: (Completed one of the first episodes)

Multiple chapters, multiple episodes

Oh my gosh I'm getting Layton Brothers Mystery Room vibes. I'm hyped

I have to pay for the next chapter of a case :,D

You play as a detective who is the 'behind the phone' guy. You contact the on the ground men, the lab, and intelligence.

You can interrogate suspects and decide on if you arrest them or not.

Honestly, very good chapter 1, holy cow I am very tempted to buy the next chapter of the 'redman' case

I have discovered there are free seasons.

Recommended

The Seven, aka The Healing's prequels.

#Recommendations #Duskwood Recommendations #Mobile Video Games

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themattress · 1 year

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I Grade: Chairman Rose

Most find this guy to be an awful villain - but how bad is he, really?

Games: Pre-tty bad, if you’re going by the original Sword/Shield games. The problems are threefold. First off, there is precious little proper foreshadowing that he’s a villain until the climax. He’s the first character you see on screen in these games, and yet the story fails to properly build him up as a potential threat! And it’s weird because being a powerful and successful business philanthropist like Lysandre and Lusamine, he’s actually the most obvious suspect! Yet like with Lysandre, and Colress before him for that matter, the games act as if they’re being clever by revealing a twist villain at the last minute even though just about everyone had them pegged as a villain from the get-go. Secondly, his motivation is stupid. He owes his capitalistic success to a unique energy phenomenon and now Galar’s whole economy relies on it, and he somehow freaks out about the possibility of that energy running dry in 1,000 years so he decides to do illegal things to release a dangerous entity that could potentially destroy Galar in order to “preserve Galar’s future”. Huh!? Last but not least, he’s not even much of a villain in his demeanor. He’s always polite and affable, never ruthless and clearly conflicted when doing things like battling you, and is such a graceful loser that he turns himself in to the authorities once his plan fails! Likeable villains are one thing, but when they act this respectably it makes you wonder why they’re even a villain at all!

Some interesting details are revealed about him through Trainer Cards, the postgame, and DLC expansions, but by that point it’s too little too late for anyone to really change their mind about him having been a lackluster villain...and that includes me. Rose just kinda....sucks.

He debuts in Pokemon Masters, voiced by Maaz Ali, to serve as the antagonist of the Galar chapter of the Villain Arc, where he seeks to use the power of Sync Stones as a new energy source to the point of teaming up with Giovanni and threatening to have Lear overthrown as Pasio’s leader. Not only are there no real fixes down to his character, but it’s arguably made even worse: being defeated in a tournament by Lear and his supporters is all it takes for Rose to immediately change his mind and become a good guy! Because after all, if the other side believed his point of view was wrong strongly enough to lead them to victory in a tournament, then his point of view must be wrong! It’s how human nature works, right? Wrong. It’s how fickle idiots who clearly have no business being villains to start with work.

Score = 1.5

Anime: After a cameo appearance in an earlier episode, Rose serves as the main antagonist to the four-part “Sword & Shield” event in the Revival Series. He is significantly improved over his game counterpart by being an active villain from the beginning and having a noticeably more ruthless streak to him while still maintaining his personal affability and well-meaning aspirations. Most importantly, we actually are granted a backstory where his father died in a mining accident when he was young, which perfectly explains his desire for both sustainable energy (so that work such as mining isn’t required) and securing Galar’s future - he wants to “save” Galar to make up for the helplessness he felt at being unable to save his father! So, Rose has been turned into a credible, interesting villain by the anime. Great! Then what?

.....Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Yep, in a baffling act of self-sabotage, not only does Rose suddenly start behaving extremely out-of-character in the fourth “Sword & Shield” episode - flipping his lid when things go wrong and shouting like a madman - but after he and Oleana escape off-screen, he is never heard from again. Nothing more is done with him, not even with DLC-based stuff like his relatives Peony and Peonia who just straight never appear in the anime. It makes no sense; why build him up as a character only to completely discard him? For shame, Pokeani! For shame!

(Also, his English dub voice is horrendous.)

Score = 2.5

Manga: Rose in Pokemon Adventures is a truly bizarre case when contradictory elements somehow add up perfectly. He’s a successful businessman, but he’s also an overemotional man-child. He’s friendly and compassionate, but he’s also capable of cruelty...sometimes being cruel out of compassion! He’s obsessively paranoid about Galar’s future, but he’s also rationally prepared for future events with multiple contingencies. He’s an open book that’s easy to read, but he’s also someone who can trick others and play up his foibles to make himself strategically underestimated. He’s prideful and won’t accept help easily, but he’s also humble enough to admit when he’s wrong even to the point of stepping down as Chairman and turning himself in to the authorities. He’s full of dualities like this, and it’s fascinating!

Like the anime, we see more of him in an antagonistic role and his motivations are fleshed out, with the nonsensical parts of it either called out point-blank by other characters as being so or changed altogether (ex: the energy crisis he wants to prevent won’t be 1,000 years in the future, it’ll be very soon). And best of all, he’s not the only villain in the equation or even the dominant one: Sordward and Shielbert, the asshole “celebrity” princes of Galar, are the primary driving force of villainy that unleashes Eternatus and who are motivated by purely selfish aspirations, with Rose and Oleana looking better by comparison since they do what they do out of genuine care for Galar. This is exactly what the games should have done.

Score = 3

TCG: He shows up in the Darkness Ablaze set on a Trainer card and on special prints of Eternatus cards. Fittingly enough, his card’s effect revolves around obtaining energy. He’s really just the impetus behind Eternatus being unleashed, and is otherwise pretty bland.

Score = 2

Other: Rose is a recurring character in the Twilight Wings web series. Voiced to perfection by Keith Silverstein, he comes off as a highly charming and compassionate person who truly does love Galar and its people. He’s the good sort of capitalist who remembers and respects where he came from and how he got where he is now, and who wants to grant that same opportunity to others - which we see most vividly with Oleana, whom he also is implied to have developed romantic feelings for. Rose is a great character in this, but the downside is that it’s a prequel to the Sword/Shield games, which means he undergoes a sort of character derailment in order to be the “twist villain” of those games’ story, which is highly unsatisfying.

Score = 3

TOTAL FRANCHISE SCORE = 2.5 out of 5

To me, Rose is a tragic case. He’s a good character and can make a good antagonist when utilized properly, but the stigma of his showing in the Sword/Shield games is inescapable. Yes, his appearances in other mediums are all improvements, but unlike with Lysandre, they just aren’t enough of improvements to rehabilitate his overall image. It’s said that every rose has its thorns, but most roses aren’t hurt by their own thorns. Chairman Rose, however....is.

BONUS: Which version is my personal favorite?

Pokemon Adventures’ Rose is the best, and also my favorite. I must again stress that him not being the primary antagonist went a long way toward making him a good villain, and his personal complexity that makes you both love him and wanna punch him is also fantastic.

#Pokemon #I Grade #Chairman Rose #Macro Cosmos #Evil #Opinion #Analysis

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milkandraspberry · 2 years

Text

misc bugsnax thoughts

(spoilers)

Floofty’s ending photo shows them with a prosthetic leg, meaning that missing body parts regrown with bugsnax go away when the snakification wears off. So even if things initially worked out with the plan to cut off their head, they’d need to stay snakified to stay alive.

I keep going back and forth on what could cause Filbo’s immunity in the finale from a narrative standpoint. It could be that Filbo simply has the determination to overpower the bugsnax’s temptation due to his personality (Honestly he seems pretty hands-off to bugsnax, iirc the only time he asks the player for snaks is the Strabby in the tutorial, which I don’t think is comparable to a vice like other snak gathering missions since he was just hungry.) or maybe either the required story beats of bringing the grumpuses back to town/the final confrontation with liz could have acted like the side-quests do for the other characters.

I’m fairly certain that, if given more time, Gramble could have fully trained even the larger Bugsnax, I feel like alot of people noticed Sprout being loyal through the finale but also the trip-shot section uses a device powered by a Kweeble treadmill. Assuming these are the ones Gramble was training in Simmering Springs and aren’t part of the hoarde then that would mean that the factor that stopped Sprout from turning wasn’t being in a hamster ball or being too young, it was love (maybe)

In his interview Cromdo explained he was intending to hijack the team’s boat to escape himself before finding out that it’s missing and blaming Liz. Iirc the boat’s dissapearance is never explained?

Speaking of boats, Floofty’s makeshift lab in Boiling Bay is like, literally inches away from the Triplicate Space entrance. Two of that place’s biggest lore reveals involve Triffany’s Grandma and Snorpy’s conspiracy theories. Floofty just barely missed bringing huge revelations for their best friend and sibling (...or did they? the 100% post-credits dialouge brings up the idea of some of the grumpuses knowing the secrets of snaktooth but keeping quiet to be smart. It’s definitely speculation bait, but this is speculation anyway so)

Where does the skeleton hand that Triffany waves around come from? Like iirc she always has it on her, even when she’s away from archeology stuff. Is it from one of the Snaktooth Grumpus skeletons or did she bring it from home?

Triffany mentions Pinkle being an important crop for the stone grumpuses in her Flavour Falls sidequest, implying that the design of a pickle jar existed since what i assume is the equivilant of the stone age and that bugsnax can just look like future stuff. But in her Frosted Peak sidequest she mentions that the Pinkle reskin Aggroll was only reported recently (or maybe that was other flavour text?) which implies that bugsnax can’t look like future stuff. (if it turns out cavement *did* know how to pickle cucumbers and i’m just reaching, fair.).

In the finale, Eggabelle was able to fuse with monster Liz. Unless the rules are differant for joining and becoming a queen, that makes her the fourth known character to be a suitable bugsnax queen

Monster Liz being able to control bugsnax might be the reason why bugsnax avoid capture while they canonically want to be eaten. (I don’t buy into the theory that the snax are avoiding the player character due to their allergy because A: If they were only avoiding the player then Filbo wouldn’t have needed help to catch a Strabbu and B: I think the snax are too stupid to be that coordinated)

Chandlo and Snorpy both live in Sugarpine Woods at the start of the game. Chandlo doesn’t have his own house like Snorpy, but is shown to be skilled at building houses, so I assume he built Snorpy his log cabin along with other things like the watch tower and hot tub. I’d say this is Chaldo prioritising Snorpy over himself but he also probably built the basketball court just for him, so he probably just shares a bed with Snorpy

How did Wambus grow the special sauce he gives the player in the finale? Is it just an exotic sauce not found on snaktooth, or does it imply sauce plants can be cross-bred?

In Liz’s video letter to the player at the start of the game she mentions one of the player character’s articles on soylent grump, which based on it’s namesake is food made out of grumpuses. Beffica is an open fan of the Player Character’s journalism and would likely know about soylent grump, it’s possible this put the thought of cannibal conspiracy in her head and could explin why she so quickly jumped to assuming Floofty was a cannibal besides “Beffica mean”.

It’s also possible that Beffica’s admiration of the Player Character is what lead Liz to invite them specifically as the expedition’s journalist. Since the video message Liz sends takes place after the arrival to Snaktooth which seems to take place with most other Grumpuses aside from the player character and also gives a timeframe for the eixisting team to mingle, when Beffica could put the Player Character on Liz’s radar.

Might be me being dumb here but how did Shelda join the expedition? Like she says it was a raffle in the main game, then the dlc has her sidemouthing that it wasn’t actually a raffle. I honestly have no leads on how she joined, and even less on why she would want to hide how she joined. Is this just a retcon? and if it is what about the older explination made the writers want to retcon it?

I made at least one for each of the other 12 chars so i gotta complete the circle and do one for wiggle but i don’t care for wiggle so i’ll just ask if she ever got Grapeskeeto bites from sleeping out in the open on the Simmering Springs beach. and if so then good.

#bugsnax

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emblemxeno · 2 years

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As someone who enjoyed Birthright and Conquest enough, I still find some aspects scummy. Idk if you played FE4, but we obviously don't pay full price for both gen of that game. Imagine if they made a FE4 remake and you had to pay full price for gen 1 and gen 2 to get the full story. And Awakening had tons of free DLC, which probably made Fates seem more scummy in comparison at the time. 3H was repetitive but you paid for the whole game upfront. You didn't need to pay more to get the full story.

I feel that's not a fair comparison, considering FE4 is unique in how it's structured and is also a game from 1996.

For one, Fates is massive. At the time it eclipsed pretty much every other FE game in terms of sheer content amount. I'm not saying "you should be grateful for buying it cuz they worked so hard!!1!" but it stands to reason that as a business, they wanted to at least break even on financial returns.

And yeah, I get it, because paying more for a full story isn't appealing, but to me a lot of complaints regarding this sound like as if it's the same exact content just with a different plot. But it's not.

You're paying for more and different stuff. You're getting bang for your buck with a new plot, tons of new supports, different toys to play with, etc. Each route of Fates on its own is an Awakening sized game, but people continually treat it as if you're paying for either an Eliwood Mode or a Hector mode, when it's not comparable.

3H on the flip side, yeah you're paying full price for the full game, but the entire game is recylced content within itself. That's what I don't understand when people praise this aspect over Fates splitting its routes apart. Why is the game being fully together that big of a celebratory aspect when the game itself has next-to-no gameplay related replay value? When three routes follow damn near the same gameplay beats (with two of those three being blatant copy paste) and the fourth one still reusing the same maps despite being a perspective flip, why is this getting cheered on? And that's only after having to start each route with the same first half over and over again, with no way to skip directly to the new content. The biggest form of replay value you can get in 3H that isn't recycled, is having to inhibit yourself by not recruiting characters from different houses, a mechanic that the game wants you to do because otherwise you won't get certain exlcusive supports or paralogues.

Maybe I'm just out of touch but $60 USD for a game that recycles itself again and again for 4 different routes will always sound worse than paying $80 USD for 3 different routes with unique content across all of them and have their own merits to stand on. I just don't get this kind of "it's the principle of the matter" mentality regarding "having to pay more" as if paying half price for another complete game is asking so much of people :/

#queue #fire emblem discourse #fire emblem fates

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spideyskrunkly · 2 years

Text

4th Of July

Criminal Case Fanfic

Characters: GPD, cc suspects

Relationships: Cathy/Alex (two-sided crush), Grace/Luke (engaged), Ramirez/Maria (Married/idk who she is so we gotta MAKE THIS WORK ☝️☝️☝️☝️/they have a kid), Samuel/Donna (One sided widowed/mentioned), June/David (two-sided crush/platonic/canon x oc) Nathan&Kailin (platonic/canon & oc friendship)

Warnings: Swearing, fireworks, hcs, some angst, alcohol game

The gang has their own ways to celebrate for the 4th of July. (Happy (Late) 4th of July !)

Luke was the one doing a cookout.

Grace was talking to Arturo about Newton, her dog. Ramirez was setting up the table and Maria was planning to read her book.

"Hey, Grace, where do you keep the forks?"

"In the drawers in the kitchen, Ray!" Grace showed photos of Newton as a puppy. "And here's a photo of him in the bathtub! He literally thought he was in a puddle and started splashing everywhere."

Arturo thought for a second. "Do you think maybe Dad and I could convince Mom to get us a dog?"

"Well, as long as she's not allergic, maybe! But remember, dogs are cute, but they're also hard work."

"Like babies?"

Grace nodded. "Exactly."

"AH! Crap, some of the steak sprayed on me." Luke was having trouble with the steak.

Maria went over. "Here, let me help. You gotta make sure you're not using too much sauce."

Eduardo came back with the silverware. "Alright, I seemed to have got some! I'll make sure to wash these, Luke."

"Not a problem! Just make sure to leave them on the plates and then I'll wash them." Luke knows that Eduardo would accidentally mix dish soap and the blue frosting they had for the cake together.

"Okay! Do you need help with the steak and chicken?"

"No Maria's helping and we seem- oh wait. Actually yeah, can you run to the store down the street and buy some BBQ sauce? I'll make sure to pay you back."

"No problem!" Ramirez headed on down.

Grace spoke. "Uh, sorry there's not a lot of kids around. I know you'd probably have more fun." She tries to chuckle it off as a joke.

"It's okay. You're more fun to hang out with to be honest." Arturo was about 9 and well, kids happen to be the most honest.

"Aw, thank you! I try to be friendly."

As the whole night smelled like BBQ, the breeze of the wind helped chill everything out.

Alex and Cathy were back at the university.

The university threw a party for this time of year. But the duo remained on the fourth floor balcony and watched as the party lit through tonight.

"Man, I would have loved to come here. To the university, I mean. I would have had the greatest college experience here." Alex looked down to the shiniest crowd of the university. But Cathy was only looking at Alex as if he was much more shinier.

"You are my greatest college experience here." Cathy quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment as Alex looked at her with a flustered face.

"A-aw shucks, Cathy...." Alex put a hand on his face as he felt it warm up. Then he looked as Cathy turned away. He looked down and saw her hand reaching for his. He kindly accepted it and squeezed a little. "I'm sure you are the Princess Peach to my Super Mario."

"Oh, Alex you dork." Cathy giggled with happiness.

They continued to watch below as the party tries to scream louder then how much they were in love.

Samuel was having his usual quiet evening.

As he heard fireworks in the background, he sipped on his tea as he watched one of the shows that him and Donna would have loved to watch together.

He remembered how Donna would go and sneak out of her house so that she and Samuel could go and plan their own little party at the pier in Grimsborough. Sure, she'd get caught, but they'd have fun.

They'd gather a couple of friends. Like Serena and Stuart. They would go and eat at the shore of the ocean at the pier. They'd eat jambalaya in bread bowls, cotton candy and cupcakes. They would have soda there too.

Donna was more of the excited, sweet and extroverted type while Samuel was the quiet boy with anger issues. Opposites attract unexpectedly.

How Samuel missed their moments, but he never forgotten how much love and fun there was when his one and only was still here.

"Oh, Donna.... you would have loved to see what today was like." He sighed as he refilled his bowl of Cheeze-Its and strawberries.

"Okay, only for the movie, though, I don't want you going stupid again." David had to make sure that June was not gonna go too crazy with the strawberry wine.

"I know, if I take more than like... 15 bottles, stop me, okay?"

"You mean 15 shots, right?"

"No, 15 bottles. I'm trying to break my record."

"June!"

"Okay! Okay. 10 shots."

As they decided, they wanted to watch a movie AND play a game. The movie has a repeating word saying 'honey'. Whoever got the most drunk wins the game.

The contestants were June and David as the watchers (and caretakers) were Nathan and Kailin.

"Now, if any of you two start to feel unwell, don't hesitate to stop, okay?" Nathan was worried at how this was gonna play out.

"While that's never gonna happen, FIGHT TO THE DEATH YOU TWO!!" Kailin was just here for the giggles (even if she won't admit she's a bit worried herself).

Strawberry wine and some water on the side in case either of them wanna quit.

"Alright, ready? Set? Go!" Kailin plays the movie.

The movie started with the dumbass quality. "Now, sheriff, darling? Don't get too crazy with the criminals!"

"Now don't worry, honey, all will be well!"

"SHOT!" Kailin yelled as the contestants drank their first shots.

"You don't need to yell it..." Nathan was starting to get more focused onto the movie.

June looked at David and gave a daring smirk. "What's wrong, old man? Losing already? I don't mind winning for ya."

David looked at June with a bit of annoyance mixed with courage in his voice. "Me? Losing? Hah! You're just looking for an excuse to act mighty before I win."

June was feeling like a winner before the end of the game already. "Tell ya what, if I win, you... just touch your elbows together for me. But if you win... well, what do you want?"

"Go to bed after and... maybe cookies and cream ice cream?"

Kailin paused the movie for them. "Are you guys done?"

Nathan wasn't letting this slide. "Now June, pick a more appropriate dare. You ain't slick."

"No! No. Whatever 'touch your elbows together means, I'll do it. Just hope it's not so harmful." David was not a scardy cat.

"Oh, you'll see." June was ready to go.

"Finally." Kailin played the movie again. "Shut up and wait for the signal now, gentlemen."

The movie played again.

"But Sheriff! We haven't our delicious pudding for dinner?!"

"Puddin? Ohhhh.... well, pudding is on me tonight, honey!"

"SHOT!"

The movie went on as Kailin continued to count the score as the two kept drinking their shots. The more the shots, the more they lose contact with the world.

Nathan noticed their dumbass smirks for the win. "Maybe we should keep the game at here, it seems like they're out of it after 8 shots."

June wasn't havin it though. "No! I'm not go... gonna listen to the boomer tell ME what to do! I'm the captain!"

David was as into the game. "Well, I'm not gonna have my elbows tied together!" "SHOT!" "Just what- *gulp* whatte fuck is that anyways!?"

June was smirking now. "No... no..." he started to giggle.

"No whaaaa????"

"No... no.... no... hehe... no..."

David gasped. "You maniac! You thought I couldn't do it cus I was muscular! Well guess what!" David actually managed to touch his elbows together. "I can actually do it, fucker!!!!"

"Haha! You actually did it!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Nathan turned off the movie. "How about we call it a tie and you two have some of your waters?"

"Aw man, things were getting funny!" Kailin turned it to a different movie.

As the duo drank their water, Nathan and Kailin talked about it.

"Man, if it were 20 shots, things would have went crazy!"

"Okay, but if they have kept going, they would have done something they would have regretted and that's not a good thing-"

"Man..." they heard June started to come back down slowly to reality. "You kn- you know I actually... think you're muscular enough, man??? You're... so cool, I would have never admitted it."

"Really?????" David was starting to tear up.

"Yeah, ma- honey." June took a sip of his water as a joke. "I- I think you're cool just the way you are, it's- it's me tha... fucking sucks, dude...."

"No, dude, you're literally a badass!! That's... you're my bestfriend, dude."

"No, you're my bestfriend, dude."

"No, you are!" David pointed to him.

"No! YOU ARE MY BESTIE! I LOVE YOU SO YOU HAVE TO BE MY BESTFRIEND!" June pointed back.

The two argued on who was who's bestfriend as Nathan and Kailin eavesdropped.

"Idiots." Kailin took a bite of her sandwich.

"I know." Nathan chuckled at them.

"We'll be sure to be careful over there!" Grace headed to the van.

"Arturo, be noce to your mom and to Luke!" Eduardo called as he got into the driver's seat.

As everyone waved goodbye, the two went off.

"So we got all of GPD to get (except Frincley cus he sucks). Let's just hope that June and David aren't too drunk.

They stopped by Samuel's place first as Grace rung up the phone. "Yo, chief! We're here!"

"Took you two long enough, I was busy being bored." He hangs up.

It took him 5 minutes to come down and become the new driver for Ray. "So we just have to get my granddaughter, her boyfriend and some idiots with drunk idiots. Great."

Ray shrugged his shoulders. "To be fair, sir, that game sounds fun."

As they pulled up to June's place, they managed to see the group of 4 outside.

It seems like June and David are kinda sober again as Nathan and Kailin stood next to each of them.

"Alright, get in, idiots, we're doing fireworks."

"Sir!" Grace gave him a scolding look.

"What? I'm right. They're idiots."

Nathan and Kailin were explaining to everyone what happened, June and David were embarrassed about it and planned revenge together on Nathan and Kailin somehow. For now, let everyone laugh about it.

Samuel pulled up to the university. "Someone call Alex and Cathy. Then keep them FAR away from each other in the van."

As Cathy and Alex made it to the van, Cathy was next to Grace as Alex was between June and David in the far back.

Nathan and Kailin were in front of Grace and Cathy's row and then Eduardo and Samuel were in the front seats. Huh, so Cathy and Alex weren't really that far.

Everyone made it to the pier and got to an area where fireworks setted off in the sky.

Orange and Green blasted in the air as Grace thought of Luke in that moment.

Eduardo felt lucky as a husband and father as the sky lit blue, red and magenta.

Nathan and Kailin talked about snakes and their history as the sky lit green and yellow.

Alex and Cathy held eachother as they watched white and pink turn the sky purplish-pink for a few seconds.

Samuel, not caring about Cathex for a few seconds, remembered this place of how much Donna adored it as blue and white came in.

June never saw fireworks this pretty before. And David never saw June smile so bright at something before. They weren't drunk anymore, they just loved the moment. As June sat next to David and felt more comfortable with him, David felt like he was in heaven where the world was covered in red and blue for 2 seconds.

End

#criminal case #grimsborough #david jeremiah jones #june shiloh #alex turner #nathan pandit #eduardo ramirez #grace delaney #chief king #cc suspect #original character #cc fanfic #cathex #junvid

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