#(that art jase did is amazing and I love it

[mediocrischorus]

Spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader

God this show was beautiful. Obviously it's the same main team that made our beloved BTAS so we already knew things were going to do. The brought back the beautiful meld of 20s art, fashion, architecture, and mob scene while also allowing for the modern representation of women and POC in high esteemed position. All of the men still get what my family has joked of as the "linebacker build" with the occasional skinny man for flavor but the women get variety. Babs has the classic batman woman silhouette, Montoya has broad shoulders, Harley has hips, and Selina got an hourglass.

This show goes back to origin stories but reworks them in a way that made every character exciting, even for someone who probably knows an obnoxious amount about the universe. Some characters were reworked entirely like us getting a female Penguin with sons working under her. While some were more akin to their originals like Harvey Dent (more on him later).

Some characters that aren't seen are name dropped such as Harley mentioning that she studied under Dr. Crane, assuring us that there is still space in this universe for them. Honestly, going into this I was excited that these characters weren't going to be bogged down by the Joker. He's a fun character but there's so much focus on him that other characters, plot lines, and stories tend to get rushed so they can get back to their big money maker. Their decision to keep him out of the first season really helped provide focus for the story being told.

The show balanced its violence well to. I've noticed with a lot of action, especially those with a darker framework like the Batman universe, a lot of the violence kind of blurs together until the creators feel a need to keep one upping themselves to keep the story going and create a shock. I genuinely gasped when "Fire guy" fell. I've been trained that Batman always swoops in to save the villain so having him crash into the car after falling several stories held that shock that the grandiose Joker stunts lack.

I loved Barbra Gordon. Her first appearance I was like "there's Babs" even though they changed her look a bit the essence, the competence, and the caring were all there. I really think they did her justice and I hope she ends up being great representation.

I loved that Jim Gordon wasn't all powerful. A lot of Batman media portrays him as Batman's "guy on the inside" that helps cover things up. They portray him as though he runs Gotham. This Gordon answers to a mayor and has to fight through bureaucratic bs. Alternatively, other depictions try to make him a pathetic guy who is only around to flip on the Bat signal. This show doesn't do that either. They really show the work he is putting in to clean up the force. They show that he doesn't instantly trust Batman and that he tries to do the legal thing until he can't justify ending the good that Batman does.

Detective Montoya. There's a character that not everyone knows but deserves respect. I love them showing how competent she is instead of writing her off as the foolish detective that just gets fired. She is an amazing detective and she works hard to do the right thing. I hope they explore her becoming the Question especially since it doesn't seem like we're making room for Robin anytime soon.

Speaking of Robin, episode 8 hit me like a truck. Right off the bat (heh), name dropping "Dickie" and "Jase" and then showing me their old designs!? Then they go outside and we get a Tompkins name drop!? I love that Doc is giving to the community even if its not as a medical dr she deserved to be mentioned. When Steph was mentioned I started being entertained by wondering how many they can incorporate. When Carrie's name was mention I celebrated. Talk about doing an often forgotten character justice. While it sucks that with 4 of the infinite Robins appear by name in this episode implies that we will not be seeing them in a more major role I do appreciate some of the things that will come of this. I know the fandom loves the Robin's, I am a prime example, but I feel like there is so much love there that any mischaracterization would have been met harshly. This also means no active child endangerment. If they do decide later on to bring on some of the other sidekicks I hope they don't use the name Robin. I know that the name is iconic, so of course they're going to want to use it but without the Grayson backstory it doesn't make sense. This is a real pet peeve of mine, especially with AUs like The Robin King where Bruce named himself that without real reason. They have been doing well so far with renaming where they feel necessary or even skipping over rogue names so I have hope.

Words cannot express how much I have wanted a film representation of Onomatopoeia. The first time I saw him on a screen grab from the comics instantly grabbed my attention. I went down a research hole and I have just always thought he was a wonderful, eerie, and compelling rogue that you just never see. When he stepped in I celebrated. I wish we got more but hopefully we'll see him again and maybe next time we'll get to see some of his more macabre work.

The somehow gave as rich and poor Selina Kyle and I live for it. Recent depictions of Catwoman being a scrappy woman who grew up in poverty are cool but I've always felt like they were just a weak attempt at making her more compelling. The fact that she started as a socialite had always interested me. This telling gives us that while also having her live rough like more modern interpretations because of loosing her funds. It makes sense why she's so good at playing the heiress because she is one. She belongs at those parties.

Dent was wonderful in how subtle but impactful the changes were. He was skeezy from the start. He didn't have this golden child reputation that we tend to get from his backstories. Every interaction we saw throughout the series was painted with him being underhanded and working on the wrong side of the law at times even if it was for the greater good. This was great set up to the part that I really love which is that the melted side of his face becomes his conscience. Typically once his face is melted, things are framed to show the disfigured side to be a corrupting influence, the reason he's willing to commit monstrous acts. In this show it frames that side when he's showing true remorse. It is such a subtle thing but it really highlights that he was always filled with this anger. He was always capable of committing these crimes, but the red tape was stopping him. The disfigurement shows that he is still human.

Harley having a darker motley was teased a lot leading up to this show. We heard that they were exploring her back story without the Joker's influence and that got me excited. I was never a fan of that dynamic but I do understand how she was created and the purpose it served. Making her Asian American was a wonderful choice. She's still unquestionably Harley. I wish they would have brought up some of her gymnast history because I feel its too often overlooked. A lot of people think she got her acrobatics from being crazy. They even gave her a relevant conversation to just drop a little comment about that history but alas. I think she was very well done. They gave her the trademark positive attitude without making it over the top bubbly. They kept the clown motif but justified it by having her make comments on the benefits of humor. Her experiments were dark and twisted without being over the top. They made her queer without making it an afterthought to help move her away from the Joker. Also they gave her a real human body so kudos there.

I mentioned this in a separate post but I really love that Bruce Wayne's voice is the Batman voice and that Brucie is the fake voice. They don't go out of their way to clarify this but the fact that he speaks as batman whenever hes alone with Alfred outside of the Bat stuff he still uses that voice. When he gets concerned for Harvey you can hear his voice starting to slip down into the Batman register like he's struggling to keep up the act.

[readtheriot]

dance of thieves - a review

Me: *sees one TikTok about an enemies-to-lovers and knife-to-the-throat book by Mary E. Pearson* Yep, that’s it *purchases the book*.

At first, I was concerned that since Dance of Thieves had done an amazing job on booktok, that it would be slightly worse than what readers were saying. But boy oh boy was I wrong! It lived up to all of my expectations, and more! Pearson certainly belongs on my Top Authors of 2021 list. Pearson did an impressive job of grabbing the reader (yours truly) in the first sentences of Kazi’s first chapter. Was I blown away by Kazi’s chapters? Absolutely.

I felt as if I was watching a movie. Especially when Kazi and Jase go after each other's throats— often with a blade of sorts. The constant change of “I love you” to “No I don’t” will keep the reader on their toes until the very end. If you are a lover of the enemies-to-lovers trope, or even better; the dagger-to-the-jugular trope, Dance of Thieves is for you! The descriptions of both violence and love show that there are more ways of showing your admiration for someone. Like giving their family sleeping powder! How romantic!

Art by @grishakenna

If I had to choose between Kazi, Jase, and Kazi’s band of thieves… I simply couldn’t! The writing for all of the characters was incredible! Even minor characters, or even Jase’s ancestors, had detailed explanations as to who they were, where they came from, and what they wanted. Pearson surely captured my heart with these incredible characters I could not love more.

Dance of Thieves falls in the New Adult (NA) and Fantasy (or High Fantasy) genre categories. Although this book is fascinating, I would caution buyers with children under the age of 13. There are some violent scenes, but none that you wouldn’t see in PG13+ films and television shows. The romance and non-abusive sensuality certainly makes this my favourite romantic fantasy. Again, there is nothing too intense in this book, and could easily be ranked as PG13+ by any movie-goer.

This book is a love letter to all of the sad fanfic readers, and suckers for daggers. I can’t wait to read the second book Vow of Thieves in 2022!

rating: 🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡/5 ziethes

art by the amazing @grishakenna!!

[thelastspeecher]

The First Morning Back

I was really sad after I saw this art by @agent-jaselin of this AU, so naturally, I had to write something happier to counteract it.  It’s got some sweet moments and some sad moments, but it’s mostly just a happy ficlet, I promise.  It’s the morning after the day Stan gets back from being on the other side of the portal.

               Like he had for the last eleven years, Stan jolted awake.  He almost sat up, but upon feeling Angie’s arm wrapped around his chest, decided not to.  Stan slowly rolled over to look at his wife.  Angie made a small noise in her sleep and scooched closer to him.  

               She’s always been one hell of a heavy sleeper.  Stan stared at her, noticing wrinkles on her face he didn’t recognize.  Some part of him twanged with sadness that he wasn’t there to see them form, or to see the lightened streak in her hair start to appear. He reached out a hesitant hand and stroked her cheek.  Still asleep, she smiled and leaned into his hand with a satisfied noise.  Stan smiled in response.

               Stan lost track of how long he stared at Angie while she slept, the both of them bathed in watery rays from the rising sun.  Like she always did, Angie woke up slowly.  When she first opened her eyes, she stared at him in groggy confusion, her blue eyes cloudy from sleep.  

               “Hey,” he whispered.  The confused expressed vanished, replaced by one of euphoria.  Angie beamed at him.

               “It wasn’t a dream,” she whispered back, stroking his face.  “I- I thought it was a dream, you comin’ back. Somethin’ to take the edge off the nightmares this last decade.”

               “I know how that feels,” Stan said quietly.  Angie leaned her head against his chest with a satisfied sigh.

               “I want to touch yer skin, darlin’.  You should sleep shirtless sometimes,” Angie told him.

               “Only if you do, too.”

               “You drive a tough bargain, Mr. Pines,” Angie said with a chuckle.  “But you’ve got yourself a deal.”

               “Sweet.”  Stan wrapped an arm around her.  “Oh, uh, the kids- they wouldn’t come here in the middle of the night fer some reason, would they?”

               “Durin’ shirtless nights, or normal nights?”

               “Both.”

               “I doubt the boys will come in here fer a while.  Emmett, he…he’s goin’ to take a little time to warm up to ya. And Emory won’t leave him alone in their bedroom, since Emmett’s nervous.”

               “Yeah.  You mentioned that before.  What else can ya tell me ‘bout him?”

               “Well, he’s got twelve toes.  And he’s very graceful.  His favorite color is blue, and his favorite food is peach cobbler,” Angie recited.  Stan smiled.

               “Peach cobbler, huh?”

               “Yeah.  It’s kinda funny, actually, since Emory can’t even eat peaches.”

               “What?”

               “He’s got a tree nut allergy.  Peaches are included, since they’re related to almonds.”

               “Damn.  Does Emmett have any allergies?”

               “Nah.  But he’s got asthma.  He- he had trouble breathin’ when he was born,” Angie said softly.  She closed her eyes.  “The doctors- they had to keep him in baby intensive care overnight.  Infant respiratory distress syndrome, they said.”

               “Oh, shit.  I- I was wonderin’ if there were complications with the boys.  Since it started so rough, and the girls weren’t that easy on ya.”

               “I got put on bed rest near the end,” Angie said, still in a low tone.  “I fell and- almost- almost lost ‘em.  And then of course, the day after I was allowed to go walkin’ ‘round, I went into labor.  In Portland.”

               “Portland?”

               “Lute took me there.  Thought change of scenery would do me good.”  Angie buried her head in Stan’s chest.  “Ended up stayin’ there in a hospital fer a week and a half, from the emergency c-section, blood loss, and nutrition deficiencies.”

               “I’m so sorry you went through that alone.”

               “I wasn’t alone.  Lute ‘n Fidds ‘n everyone were there with me.”

               “Yeah.  But I shoulda been there.”

               “Darlin’, it’s okay.”  A moment passed.  Angie cleared her throat.  “Anyways, Emory’s favorite color is purple, and he likes workin’ with me in the garden.”

               “Oh?”

               “He also likes readin’ ‘bout explosions.”

               “Heh.  We should set off illegal fireworks together.  Father-son bonding.”

               “…Yeah,” Angie said.  Stan stared at her.

               “Did you just agree to somethin’ against the law?”

               “Hon, I just got ya back after twelve years.  Ya could ransack the police station and I wouldn’t care.”

               “Hmm, there’s an idea.”

               “Stan.”

               “Hey, you said I could do it,” Stan said.  Angie chuckled.  Her bedside alarm went off.  “What’s that for?”

               “The kids.”  Angie sat up and rubbed her eyes.  “Got to get ‘em ready fer school ‘n dropped off ‘n whatnot.”  Stan sat up as well.

               “Can I come?”

               “Come where?”

               “Droppin’ off the kids.”

               “Oh!  Of course ya can,” Angie said, startled.

               “Good.  Never dropped off kids at school before,” Stan said.  Angie looked at him thoughtfully.  

               “No.  Ya never did. Well, maybe ya like it enough that ya do it for me, so’s I can sleep in.”  She winked at him.  “Got to get my beauty sleep in.”

               “Aw, babe, ya don’t need beauty sleep.”

               “I do!  I’ve got wrinkles!”

               “They’re gorgeous wrinkles,” Stan said, kissing her.  Angie kissed him back.  The bedroom door burst open.

               “Ma!  We have to get goin’!  I forgot that I need to be at school early fer band practice and- ew!” Daisy shouted.

               “What’s ‘ew’?” Stan asked.  Daisy wrinkled her nose.

               “You’re being all, like, couple-y.”

               “So?”

               “Ma doesn’t do couple-y things.”

               “Now that yer father’s back, honey, I do,” Angie retorted.  “Now, get on out of here, ‘less ya want to see yer parents changin’.”

[kandoesfanfics-writes]

A Century of Friendship

Hi guys! Sorry for not updating in a while, but I got really sick. I’m still sick, but I found it in me to finish this piece that’s been sitting unfinished since about November! Updates for Head Omega, The Bat and The Peahen will be coming soon!

This is a Jasonette prompt based off this post. This was my first crack at writing Jasonette, so I hope you all enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

His stomach clenched in the most unpleasant manner.

Today was the day.

He had to tell her.

He’d been putting it off for almost a century now, and his family had told him it was now or never. None of them really remembered how long humans lived, but they knew it wasn’t even a blink in the lifespan of a demon. He needed to come clean with her before she died. He needed her to know what he truly was...and just how special she was to him.

Befriending her had been an accident. He had been wandering around the city, looking for some sinners to terrorize when he came across this small scrap of a human woman. She had been assisting the homeless by passing out clean blankets and giving them directions to a shelter. She had even gathered a bunch of local homeless children and was reassuring them that she could lead them to a safe place.

Before his...change...he too had been a child of the streets. He knew that people lied. He knew what life on the streets was like. He knew it was oh so easy to fool a child. He knew what people on the streets could trick a child into, so he had followed her as she led the children away. He’d been shocked to see that the woman had been telling the children the truth.

The woman had led the children to the Leslie Thompkins’ Children’s House. The children had immediately taken inside, fed, and bathed. The volunteer at the house seemed to know the pretty woman. She had spoken to the strange woman, calling her Marinette. Marinette had made small talk with the other woman, and they had spoken of what was going to happen to the children she’d brought.

He didn’t entirely understand why he’d stayed so long, even now, but he had watched her until she returned to her apartment. He had repeated this routine for days, wanting to know more about the young woman who was rescuing people around this city. He hadn’t been able to recall such a being existing when he’d been brutally murdered. He had been fascinated with her, and he had been simply content watching her until someone had gotten it into his head that he was going to try and rob the little lady.

He had decided at that point to take on a human form in order to help her. He had barged into her apartment, only to find the would-be robber crying on the floor. The would-be robber had been a teenage boy who told Marinette that he needed money for food for his family because his mother had lost her job. Marinette had then given him some money and suggested places for him to apply for work.

Marinette had thanked him for coming to aid her, but told him she had things under control. She had then asked what his name was. He had panicked for a moment, struggling to think of a name when a voice in the back of his head whispered, “Jason Todd.” He had introduced himself under that name.

Their friendship had blossomed from there.

Jason began spending most of his time outside of work with Marinette. They went to bookstores— somehow she always knew where to find the old classics— and talked about literature. Once Marinette had expressed her love of fashion, Jason had immediately inundated her home with books on fashion through the ages. Marinette was delighted, and Jason enjoyed watching her create ‘modern takes’ on historical clothing. He’d even modeled for her several times, enjoying the one-on-one time with her.

Marinette always seemed to be making something. Whether it was food, new clothing, or some kind of art piece, the small woman seemed to thrive off creation. She always looked the happiest when she was creating something. Her hands were never still. She was never content with just completing one thing and then stopping. Marinette seemed to be an endless wellspring of creation.

Jason didn’t quite understand it, but chalked it up to a human’s need to feel like their time on Earth meant something by leaving behind their creations. Luckily, Marinette never took it hard when he admitted that he didn’t quite understand her passion. She had told him that creation wasn’t for everyone, and she understood why he didn’t seem as excited about her projects as she was. Not to say Jason didn’t love helping her! He just wasn’t as enthused about making something that would be destroyed eventually...which made Jason think about his relationship with Marinette.

He was immortal now, thanks to Bruce. She wasn’t. Jason would have to watch Marinette grow old and grey. Eventually, he’d watch her pass on...and given the type of person she was, Jason highly doubted he’d ever see her again after that. She’d become an angel, live in heaven, and forget all about Jason Todd. She’d definitely forget once the angels told her what he was…

A demon.

Jason felt bile rise up in his throat as he knocked on her door. It was now or never. She would probably start growing old soon, and Jason wanted to tell her the truth before the angels did. He knew Marinette valued honesty, so perhaps if he told her now she’d forgive him for hiding it. His green eyes bored holes into the chestnut door as he waited for it to open, trying desperately to steel his resolve.

The door swung open to reveal his best friend, and Jason remembered once again why he’d put off telling her the truth.

“Jason! It’s so nice to see you again. Are you sure you’re okay with helping me take the delivery down to the gala? I know those kind of events aren’t really your thing,” the tiny woman said with a smile brighter than the sun.

Marinette was all dressed for tonight’s event. Her silky looking hair was pulled into a low bun that rested against the nape of her neck. Her brilliant grey eyes were highlighted by peach and bronze eyeshadow and pitch black eyeliner. She was wearing a darker nude lipstick that made Jason want to lean over and kiss her to see if her lips were as soft as they looked. It didn’t help that her lips were pulled into the most adorable smile Jason had ever been graced with even before death. What also didn’t help was the fact Marinette was wearing the pearl earrings Jason had gotten her, and that made him feel even more fuzzy inside.

She was wearing a baby pink cheongsam that fell a little past her mid-thigh. It was hand embroidered with plum blossoms all around it. To complete the look, Marinette was also wearing pale pink heels that brought her to about Jason’s upper chest. She looked gorgeous, amazing, and...well... Jason had to fight to keep his more inappropriate thoughts to himself. 

“Yeah, yeah, Cakepop! Show me where the goods are so we can get this show on the road!”

More like show me where the deserts are before I decide to have you as my desert, Jason thought to himself.

The sensible part of Jason growled back that he wasn’t sure if Marinette even liked him that way! And even if she did, Marinette was mortal, and Jason was not. Even if she loved him, they could never be together. His sensible part argued and argued until it was all he could think of as he walked into her apartment. He followed her into the kitchen where he knew the boxes of baked goods would be.

As Jason went to pick up a few boxes, he caught Marinette’s eyes roaming over him. The hopeful part of Jason preened, shooting back at the sensible side that Marinette was interested in him! After all, he’d gone through a lot to make his human form look good! He’d borrowed a tux for the occasion— thankfully Alfred ensured that it was a proper fight and highlighted his good points— and had made an attempt to tame his hair. He wanted to tease her, but once Marinette caught him watching, the dark haired girl had scooped up several boxes of her own.

“Onwards, my good man!” she said. “The gala awaits their deserts!”

He laughed at her over dramatic acting, and almost blurted out another terrible truth he was keeping from her.

The truth was that the infamous demon known as the Red Hood had gone soft for a mortal woman. The infamous Red Hood— adopted son of the fiercest bat-demon, Batman— had fallen in love with Ms. Marinette. He did not desire her just for her body...which some demons couldn’t understand. Jason had fallen in love with Marinette’s good heart. Jason had fallen in love with whispered secrets and shared grins. Jason had fallen in love with a woman who in another life would have been his salvation. Jason had fallen in love with someone doomed to die.

And Jason would sooner cut his head off than admit to that.

He followed Marinette to her car and assisted in loading all the sweets into the vehicle. Marinette was singing another random tune, one she’d come up with herself, and Jason couldn’t help but smile broadly at her. She was such a sweet human. Jason was going to miss her terribly, but he had forced himself to face the fact he was destined to lose her. He just didn’t know if he’d lose her from death or because of the fact he was a demon.

“Jase? Jase, are you okay? You’re spacing out on me.”

Marinette was shaking his shoulder, one hand on the wheel with her eyes forward. Her face was scrunched in concern even if she never took her eyes off the road. Jason quickly responded, wanting to wipe the frown off her pretty face.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just lost in thought, Cakepop. How long do we have to stay at this shindig?” he responded.

“We were invited to attend, but we can leave right away if you want. You’re doing me a huge favor already, so I won’t ask you to stay at the party,” Marinette chirped. 

“Do you want to stay for a little, Cakepop?” Jason asked. “Forget about me for a moment. Do you want to attend this party?”

The look on her face told Jason everything, and he sighed deeply. The things he did for love...well, the party wouldn’t be as bad with her by his side. He’d stay glued to Marinette, ignore the sinners, and enjoy himself. The only bad thing was that the odds would be high that they would run into Dick.

Jason loved his brother dearly, but Dick was...well he could be a lot. His older brother loved the party scene, and that’s where he hunted his victims. Dick could charm the pants off of anyone. He was also a hell of a dancer, and Jason was slightly worried he’d try to flirt with Marinette if he spotted her. Dick wasn’t stupid. He knew what he found attractive, and since Jason was rather inclined to agree with him, he would most certainly find Marinette attractive.

He told Marinette that they could hang around for an hour or two, but then he wanted to go home. The smile she gave him nearly caused his heart to stop and restart. She was so happy that Jason was willing to spend time with her, doing something she liked. She began to chat about everything she wanted to do and who she wanted to speak to. Apparently Marinette had grand plans in the works and was really hoping she’d be able to speak to them tonight.

Jason listened to her chatter, smiling, relaxed against the passenger’s seat. He could listen to her talk for days. Her voice was sweet and soothing. It made Jason melt every time he heard it. He’d been brought back from the edge several times by Marinette’s voice and a small hand on his forearm. He wanted to hold her hand so bad, but he figured he’d get to do that once they’d delivered the goods.

As they pulled up to the kitchen entrance, Jason smoothed his tux once again and inhaled deeply.

He could do this.

Especially if it was for Marinette.

—————— 

Marinette would like to make it clear, first and foremost, that she was not stupid by any means.

She knew Jason Todd wasn’t what he said he was.

She was definitely certain that he wasn’t human either.

It had been almost a century since the pair had met, yet Jason didn’t seem to realize that Marinette’s lack of aging wasn’t normal for a human. She’d had to erase a few memories already of her existence, replacing the last century’s Marinette with a new one. She had also noticed that Jason hadn’t aged either. He still looked the same as the day he burst into her apartment. 

Jason was over six feet tall, something that infuriated her to no end, with pitch black hair. He had a strong jaw and the most enchanting pair of green eyes she’d ever seen. He was muscular and knew how to fight. He had scars splashed across his body, but Marinette never asked about them. His soul though...his soul was what drew Marinette to him. 

She could almost hear Plagg’s laughter…

Despite the intimidating appearance, Jason had the potential to be an unbelievably kind person. He’d assisted Marinette with more projects than she could count. When she helped the homeless, Jason was gentle with the children and mothers while fiercely reminding the drug peddlers what would happen if he found them selling to the kids. When she helped at the local orphanages, Jason would read and play with the children. When she went around to the hospitals, Jason had an empathetic ear and a sympathetic shoulder for those grieving...especially if drugs were involved.

Marinette found herself developing an intense fondness for him early on in their friendship that eventually grew to love. If she were being honest with herself, she’d admit that she’d been in love with Jason for at least twenty years. She never told him because she was waiting for him to come clean with her about what he was. Marinette wanted their relationship to be built on honesty, and she couldn’t think of anything more difficult to admit than the fact one was a demon. Once Jason had admitted it to her, then Marinette would allow herself to begin to entertain the thoughts of a relationship with him.

Her mother, Tikki, had approved of her plan.

Plagg— her mother’s lover/friend/husband(?)— had told Marinette not to wait too long. He explained that his creatures were not the most patient bunch, and while they would never force a relationship, they would give up on a love interest if it appeared the affection was not returned. He was happy that Marinette had found her match in one of his children. He told her that Jason was a good one, and Marinette readily agreed.

Plagg had created the demons as a balance to Tikki’s creations. They were not necessarily bad, like a lot of humans thought, but they were agents of chaos and destruction. Sinners, as the humans had deemed those who attracted the demons, were simply just humans who caused/welcomed chaos and destruction in their lives or in others’. Some demons punished them, and some demons joined them...but put too much chaos in anyone’s life, and it will become a punishment. Jason was a special case, given life by Plagg after one of his demon’s requested it.

Plagg had allowed Jason to become a demon because he pitied the dying human child. The God of Destruction and Chaos had refused to tell her anything else about Jason, insisting she’d need to learn it for herself. Marinette didn't have many qualms with that. She already had several theories, and none were pleasant.

Marinette, on the other hand, was a muse and daughter of the Goddess of Creation, Tikki. Tikki had created Marinette and other muses to inspire and promote creation in the human world. Tikki admitted that perhaps she’d put too much of herself in Marinette, making her more like a daughter than a mere muse. Marinette could create wonderful things, and Tikki had encouraged it. Eventually, Tikki had declared the muse her child and heir should Tikki somehow be unable to fulfill her duties.

She had begun to lose hope until she saw the palpable anxiety on Jason’s face. 

Today would be the day...hopefully...that Jason told her the truth. 

————

Jason couldn’t bring himself to come clean until Dick almost caught them.

He’d pulled Marinette out onto a balcony and hid off to the side, ignoring his brother’s shouts. He was holding her close, pressed firmly against his body. She was looking up at him with her damnable grey eyes, face flushed, mouth gaping slightly. She was so close to him. If he just leaned down a little more, he could capture those lips in a kiss like he’d been dying to do.

But there was one thing he needed to do first.

“Marinette, I’m a demon.”

She blinked in confusion before tilting her head slightly. Jason took a deep breath before pulling away from her. He rested both hands on her shoulders before looking her squarely in the eye.

“Marinette, did you hear me? Because this is really important. I used to be Jason Todd...but that was a very long time ago. I’m actually an immortal demon known as the Red Hood. I’m sorry I didn’t come clean sooner, but I was afraid. I was afraid that I’d lose the companionship of one of the most spectacular women I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. But I knew I’d have to come clean with you before...well before you got old—” 

Jason’s sentence trailed off as he stared at the woman before him. 

She was laughing.

Marinette was almost hunched over, trying to contain her laughter. Her eyes were shut tightly, tears almost leaking out from the corners of her eyes. Jason felt a spike of anger at this. Didn’t she know this conversation was important! Did she not believe him! Did she think he was lying to her! 

Before he could open his mouth, Marinette straightened up and asked, “Jase, how long do you think a human lives?”

“...I dunno the exact numbers, but like a century or two?”

“Oh, hun, they might reach a century if they’re lucky. Most humans only live to be in their 80s in most industrial countries. Other humans don’t even make it that far. Now tell me, how could we have known each other for almost ninety-two years, and neither of us have aged?” Marinette said sweetly.

Her smile showed teeth.

Jason was taken aback a moment. Did humans really live such short lives? It had been so long since he was human, and if so, why hadn’t Marinette aged? Why wasn’t she dead? Unless— but she didn’t feel like any demon he’d ever encountered before! If she wasn’t a demon or other creature of darkness, than what was Marinette?

“I’m a muse,” she replied.

Jason jumped a little, not realizing he’d asked the last question aloud.

“Just a muse? Don’t muses normally specialize in one area or something?”

“That’s right, a muse, and the average ones do. I’m the daughter of Tikki, so my powers are not as...limited.”

“Tikki as in the Goddess of Creation, Tikki?”

“The very same.”

Jason was stunned. Of course he knew of the great goddess as his boss, Plagg, never shut up about her. Tikki was the opposite of Plagg. Tikki was his other half. Tikki was creation and order while Plagg was destruction and chaos. Tikki could make anything, and rumor had it, she’d created a muse who’d ended up becoming her favorite. She called this favorite her Ladybug, and this muse was not limited like the others.

He just never thought he’d actually get to meet the legendary lady herself...let alone fall madly in love with her! But if she was Tikki’s daughter...then that meant she could sense energy just like he could...maybe even better than him. Did she know? Did she know this whole time and still befriend him?

“Did—”

“Yes, I knew. I’m glad you told me yourself though,” Marinette said softly. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me the truth, even though it could have hurt you had I been human.”

Somehow...Jason wasn’t angry.

Irritated? Oh most definitely. She’d watched him sweat about telling her several times and never came clean that she already knew! If they’d had this talk earlier, Jason probably wouldn’t have been so stressed out! They could have done more together! He wouldn’t have been so worried about how much time they had to spend before she was gone for good!

At the same time, Jason understood why she didn’t tell him. 

Just as people were not fond of demons, not all demons were fond of the muses and vice versa. Had Jason known she was a muse, had Jason been able to recognize her energy for what it was, he probably wouldn't have stuck around. Batman had warned him time and time again about the muses, and how certain ones played with demons for the thrill of it and left when they got bored or scared. After watching one break Tim’s heart, Jason would admit that he wasn’t fond of them at all. He’d avoided them completely, despite never actually meeting Tim’s ex in person.

Besides, muses normally didn’t go into the void as deep as Jason liked to venture, so his contact with them had been extremely limited. He would have stormed off, thinking that this was a trap for him.

“Soooo…” Jason said, anxiously rubbing his palms on his pant legs.

“Sooo?” Marinette echoed, grey eyes still fixed on him.

“...where does this leave us, Cakepop?”

“...I was hoping this leaves us together.”

“Like...together as we were? As friends? Or…”

“Or.”

“Or?”

Marinette smiled mischievously before grabbing the black tie Jason was wearing. She tugged hard, forcing him to bend down. As he did, he felt a very soft pair of lips collide with his. The smell of flowers invaded his senses as she snaked the hand not holding his tie around his neck. She tilted her head and allowed the kiss to deepen. She was determined to pour as much love as she could into that one kiss. 

Jason’s hands had flown to her hips. The silk of her cheongsam was soft against his skin and warm from her body heat. He pulled her close once again, savoring the feeling of having her close. He also couldn’t help but realize how tiny his muse was when she was pressed against him.

The second she deepened the kiss, Jason let out a muffled moan. She tasted like the confections she baked, sugary with a hint of spice. He ran his hands up and down her sides, noting which places made her shiver into the kiss. He would have consumed her then and there, but fate had other plans.

“There you are Jas— SO THAT’S WHY YOU WERE RUNNING AWAY FROM ME! I’m offended, Jason! Didn’t you want to introduce your big brother to your cute little girlfriend!”

The pair broke apart at mach speed, embarrassed and surprised. Jason glared at his older brother and snarled, fangs showing.

“Now, now, Little Wing! I’m not here to steal possibly the only woman, human or otherwise, who could put up with your dumbass. I’m just trying to be friendly!” the slightly shorter man said.

Marinette noted that he had black hair like Jason, but his eyes were a crystalline blue, too clear and too bright to be human. This man also wasn’t as muscular as Jason, but it was still clear he worked out and was strong. He had an easy going smile, even if those eyes read mischief, and he was carrying a glass of champagne.

He walked over to Marinette before grinning, exposing his fangs. He held out his hand and said, “Good evening, miss! My name is Richard Grayson, but my friends call me Dick—”

“Clearly because you are one.”

Both Dick and Jason froze as those words tumbled out of Marinette’s mouth. Both demons finally took a good look at the little muse and felt a mix of fear and attraction run through them.

The little muse did not look happy with Dick, not at all. Her eyebrows were furrowed as her grey irises disappeared into her sclera, giving her narrowed eyes an all white appearance. A frown was cemented on her face...but it wasn’t so much a frown as it reminded both demons of a snarl. Perhaps muses couldn’t snarl the same way demons could, so she was making up her closest interpretation?

Her fists were clenched, and her body was tense, as if she were trying to hold herself back.

“I’ve waited at least twenty years for that kiss, and you interrupted it!” Marinette hissed. “Quit being a dickhead to your brother and leave!”

Dick’s smile brightened before he laughed, “Aw, she’s going to fit right in! You’ll have to bring her around sometime, Little Wing. Alfred’s going to love her and so will—”

Dick never got to finish his sentence as a swarm of bees came barreling towards him, completely ignoring Marinette and Jason. Jason watched in silent awe as his brother tried to defend himself, but it didn’t seem to matter how many bees he killed. There were always more bees to take the place of the others.

He ended up running away from them, and it wasn’t until he was all the way down the hall that the bees ceased their swarming.

Jason turned back to Marinette, whose eyes were just returning to normal. He gave her a grin before wrapping her up in a hug. He felt her slump against him a bit, tired after using some of her power to create enough bees to make Dick leave them alone. He rubbed her back for a few moments before asking her if she’d like to return to her apartment now.

“I have a few terms,” Marinette said, turning her head so her voice wasn’t muffled against his chest.

“Oh?”

“One, we strip down into our underwear and kiss and cuddle. Two, we watch old movies and make popcorn. Three, we’re boyfriend and girlfriend!”

Jason barked out a laugh before scooping Marinette into his arms.

“Sounds like agreeable terms, Cakepop,” he said, holding her bridal style. “Let’s go home.”

Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the cheek. Jason carried her all the way to where her car was parked, feeling joy coursing through his veins. She wasn’t going to die. She was immortal like he was. They had a chance. They could make this work. If Jason did his best, he’d never have to say goodbye to Marinette.

Jason set Marinette down again once they’d reached the car. He gently took her head between his hands and kissed her softly. This kiss was not as heated as the first, but simple, sweet, and brief. He kissed her nose and eyelids next before hugging her tightly. He promised her more kisses later, and opened the door so Marinette could get in the passenger’s seat.

Later on the couch, snuggled up under Marinette’s favorite blanket, Jason would hold Marinette close to his chest. She’d be nodding off, feeling safe and content in his arms. Just before she would drift off to sleep, Marinette would sleepily murmur something Jason had been waiting for years to hear.

“I love you, Jason.”

And he would reply.

“I love you too, Marinette.”

[laryna6]

Things I would like to write for someday:

MDZS - I do have a bunny - The Adventures of Murder Mom and Love Freak Sectmaster Dad, just energy is the issue.

Baccano - Such a delightfully crazy cast! I need to get caught up on the novels.

Diana Wynne Jones - Howl’s Moving Castle is the obvious choice, but I really like this one short story, Carol Oneir’s Hundredth Dream. It kind of ends on a note of ‘when she grows up she’s going to be amazing’ and I kind of want an in-universe interview about the long-awaited release of her Hundredth Dream, and how does the former blockbuster creator feel about her new work not becoming a massive hit the way her childhood work did, but Carol basically *dons shades* and is too rich to care about mass market appeal anymore. 

CJ Cherryh’s Foreigner series - I was delighted to find there is fic for it! But I have a ‘verse where Bren was in the same generation as the paidhi he replaced instead, and was in court when a young Ilisidi made her trek over the mountains and Jase ends up meeting this Cool Old Guy Bren who is just not fazed anymore because long association with Ilisidi overloaded all his brain’s adrenaline receptors decades ago. So Tabini’s delight at a paidhi who is his age gets targeted at Jase, who is not the velvet glove to his admired-but-terrifying grandmother’s iron fist. (Ilisidi runs over idiots on her mecheita and then Bren provides tea and sympathy) 

Dragon Quest IV - Alena showing up places in search of a fight and soloing the final bosses of various game franchises while Kyril follows her around offering apologies and seeming like a wimp until someone discovers he’s gotten *much better* at the instant death magic (courtesy of one of the spin-off games). Now-Queen Alena has been able to abolish taxation in her country and fund impressive public works programs by selling the loot from her hobby of kicking the shit out of ultimate evils, and they have a public health service that dispenses all the late-game healing items Alena doesn’t need. She also teaches martial arts classes to the various kidnapped princesses she’s run into. 

Lunar: Eternal Blue - Remains the best-done romance in a video game I’ve seen to this day. On the Grand List of JRPG Cliches, it’s the namer for a trope... that it actually subverts? 

Petshop of Horrors - I am so pissed that Tokyopop replaced the line with Leon revealing that he’d known what was up for ages with something random. I’m not pleased with the epilogue and did the sequel series ever stop being filler? 

Koori no Mamono no Monogatari - So good and I should re-read. 

Archdemon’s Dilemma - I raved about this relatively recently. 

[storiesbyjes2g]

Time in Willow Creek: 2 years, 8 months

For three months, Hillary and Juliana fought about her dress for the gallery’s grand opening. It was a black-tie affair, and Juliana was the main attraction. People from all over Oasis Springs–and beyond–would come to see her work and praise her name. The press would be there snapping pictures and begging for interviews. This would probably be the biggest night of her life, and she wanted to wear a simple dress? Not on Hillary’s watch. She picked out sparkly, elegant evening gowns worthy of the woman of the hour, but Juliana turned them all down. Either they were “too much” or she felt too exposed. Poor thing. Hillary thought she had finally come to grips with her own femininity, but she still had a long ways to go. She marveled at how Americanized Juliana had become while so much old-world Monte Vista remained. She had to explain to her over and over again that no one would lose their head over the dress. People would look at her and say, “Wow! She’s beautiful,” and not, “Whoa, why is she showing so much skin?” Juliana needed to be the most gorgeous woman in the building. All eyes would be on her all night, and she couldn’t disappoint them.

After she accepted her beautiful fate, she settled on a dress and Hillary couldn’t have been more excited. It was one of the first ones she tried on, and she looked amazing. The others were gorgeous but looked more like something she would wear a ball or some fancy gala with dancing. They were so flowing and had long trains. The venue was much too small for that kind of dress anyway. The one she selected was perfect. It hugged her in all the right places but still flowed. The halter style exposed her shoulders and back, and she looked so sexy but still elegant. If Kevin’s eyes didn’t pop out of his head, something was bad wrong with that man.

Juliana had so much hair, and Hillary wasn’t sure she could do it justice. Besides, she had to get herself and the baby ready and wouldn’t have the time to do Juliana’s hair and makeup, so she recommended a salon for her hair and agreed to do her face. Shortly after finishing up, Kevin arrived in a limousine to pick her up.

Juliana was terrified almost to the point of regret. Nothing about this situation was familiar. Why did she ever think this would be a good idea? Her whole life, she dreamed of showcasing her work in a gallery, but none of her dreams ever looked like this. She didn’t look like a movie star, arriving by limo dressed to the nines. She wasn’t accosted by people wanting to know her entire life story. So much had already been put into this including much of her dear Kevin’s money. It was too late to back out. Too late to admit she would much rather continue dreaming about it than actually going through with it. Maybe she would be happier doing something simpler with her life. Perhaps she could go to school, get a degree, and work as a librarian in her own library.

“You look amazing, Juliana.”

She flashed a quick grin and continued concentrating on not crying. Hillary would kill her if she did.

“Are you ok?”

She started to nod but shook her head.

“You’re scared.”

She nodded.

He scooted closer and draped his arm around her shoulder. “It’s ok to be scared. This is a big night! I’m a little nervous myself, honestly.”

“You are?”

“Sure. This is new for me too. I’m mostly excited but still a little nervous. But, that’s ok. It’s normal to be scared.”

“There will be so many people.” That was the only way she could describe how she felt. Honestly, her feelings were conflicted. While she always dreamed of people seeing her work in a gallery, she never wanted to be in the gallery while people gawked at and discussed her work. Every painting had a little piece of herself in it, and experiencing a bunch of people staring at them would feel like being naked in front of a crowd.

“I know. But the family will be there. And the art club too. I’m sure there will be plenty other faces you’ll recognize. Just pretend like you’re talking to the donors again, or you’re back at the town hall meeting. You were awesome then, and you’ll be even more amazing tonight.”

He kissed her cheek. She hoped he was right.

For the rest of the ride, he kept her mind occupied, and she appreciated it. When they arrived, they found Karli doing exactly what they paid her to do and what she did best: handling everything. She directed the bartender and pianist on where to set up and looked fabulous and confident; they were so lucky to have her. Honestly, they had no reason to arrive so early with her in charge. They could have arrived late like celebrities and wade through throngs of people, waving at them on their way in, but it wasn’t their style. Kevin wanted to greet people as they arrived especially because they had no idea who would attend apart from their own friends and family. They toyed with the idea of making it a private event, but that would fuel the fire of the people who opposed them in the first place. The gallery wasn’t some exclusive members-only club, and the grand opening shouldn’t have been either.

Jase and family arrived much later than anticipated and hoped they didn’t miss anything important. Abigail had missed one of her naps and made dressing her a painful experience. The child didn’t enjoy wearing socks, so putting on tights caused a huge ruckus. The only reprieve from the dressing saga was her hair. Everyone had been surprised to see how curly it was when it began growing out. The Humphries had hair straight as an arrow, so the curls must have come from his Latin genes, compliments of his mother. Hillary put a couple of barrettes in it and called it a success.

Harold offered to drive, but Jase suggested they take a cab. Because they were so late, all the good parking would probably be gone. Besides, an open bar awaited them.

When they arrived finally, Kevin was at the door speaking with a tall, blonde guy. Or, maybe his big hair made him look taller.

“Hey guys,” Kevin said when he noticed them. “I’m glad you made it! Marq, this is Juliana’s friend Hillary and her family.”

Jase felt weird about not being introduced by name, but maybe Kevin didn’t know what to call him; they hadn’t announced their relationship yet, so he probably didn’t know.

Blondie took Hillary’s hand and kissed it, sending a wave of panic over Jase. “Well, hello there, beautiful. I didn’t know Juliana had such stunning friends.”

Jase’s stomach dropped. That moment…that scene…it was the thing he had been waiting on. He didn’t realize it until then but saw it so clearly. The reason he hesitated to trust Hillary for so long was that history repeated itself over and over, and it was just a matter of time before it came back around again. They were always in a good place right before some tall, modelesque dude came along and stole her attention. How could he have been so stupid? She declared her love for him and made him trust her, and he let her in again. He wouldn’t be able to recover this time.

“Nice to meet you too,” she said as she clung to him.

“Hello there, little lady! Aren’t you pretty!”

“This is our baby, Abigail,” Hillary said, smiling at Jase.

The blonde douche finally realized he existed and introduced himself. “Marquis Girard, but you can call me Marq.”

“Jase. Nice to meet you.”

Marq grinned at him. “I know you’re a cool dude because you know gray is the best color for a tux, amiright?” He slapped Jase on the shoulder and laughed.

Kevin shook his head. “I swear you’re the only idiot who laughs at his own jokes. Don’t mind him, guys. Welcome, enjoy, and when you’re ready for the bar, it’s on the patio.”

Harold wandered off just before Kevin introduced them to that blonde yuppie. He didn’t go there to meet a bunch of people he would never see again. He came to see what Juliana had been doing for the past two years. Though she lived in his house, he respected her privacy and never went into her room. He knew she painted well but never saw for himself. Naturally, he would have preferred to go to the gallery sometime during the week after the party, but it would be important to Juliana that everyone went to this fancy event. He found her in the corner talking to some people and didn’t expect to see her looking so fancy. That dress had Hillary written all over it, and he snorted to himself. She looked so comfortable though. Apart from that one time he went to the library, he had never seen her outside the home where she was soft-spoken and submissive…unless Hillary pissed her off. This grown-up version of the scared foreign girl he used to know was a refreshing surprise.

She waved at him when she noticed, and he waited for her to finish her conversation.

“You made it!”

“Mmm hmm. We’re here.” He nodded toward Hillary and Jase.

People kept trying to get her attention, so he said what he needed to say. “So this what you been doing, huh?”

She grinned. “Yes.”

“My. Well…it’s mighty fine. I’m proud of ya, and Harriett is too.”

Her eyes glistened from tears moving in. “Thank you, Harold.”

He grabbed her hand and patted it before leaving her alone.

“You want something to drink?”

“I’m good,” he said a bit more tersely than he planned.

“What’s the matter? You want me to take her?”

“No, no, I got her. You enjoy your friend’s event.”

She looked a bit disappointed like she knew something was wrong and wanted to know what it was. “She’s busy. We can talk to her later.”

He walked around to the other side of the gallery, and she followed him. Abigail got a bit antsy, so he put her down.

“Do you think it would be fun to hang out with Kevin and Juliana? We could go to one of those places where you drink wine and paint.”

The randomness of her statement made him laugh, disarming him a little. “You don’t even like painting.”

“I’ve never tried! Besides, don’t they tell you what to paint with numbers or something?”

“Probably.”

Abigail began babbling and pointing to someone in the corner. He had no clue who they were or why she would be interested in them. “Y-yeah, ok, Abbie. We can talk to them later, ok?”

When she couldn’t go do whatever she wanted to do, she fussed. Jase got nervous. Not only were they in public, and he didn’t want to be that guy who couldn’t control his kid, but also Hillary would step in proving that he couldn’t handle his kid, giving her more reasons to keep her. He wanted to prove that he could take care of the girl just fine without her, but so far, he was failing.

“Don’t you want to look at Juliana’s pictures? They’re so pretty.” He scooped her up, but it proved to be a mistake.

The girl screamed and carried on, telling everyone in the place that her bedtime had passed. In the corner of his eye, he saw Hillary not smiling as bright as before, but not stepping in either. She wanted him to succeed even at the expense of her embarrassment. At that moment, he realized his feelings from before were all wrong.

“She’s tired,” she said as if to give him a helpful hint.

He snorted. “That makes sense. She fights me every night around this time.” He didn’t want to admit defeat, but the fact of the matter was he hadn’t been able to get her to cooperate at bedtime for the past few months. She loved her daddy, but for some reason, she did not appreciate him at night. “Here…take her.”

“Ok, sweet pea. Ok, ok. Shhhhh.”

And just like that, she calmed down. Hillary rubbed her back and rocked with her. “Why do you always fight daddy, hmm? That’s not nice.”

Gosh, she was so beautiful. She didn’t give herself enough credit, but she was a natural with children. She did so many little things that reinforced over and over again how there could only be one woman for him. After all those years of trying to make her see how perfect they were for each other, despite how wrong his approaches were, she finally chose him. He felt ashamed for thinking she would throw away what they had for some cute faces. Marq used to be her type, and she would have been all over him two years ago. Even after flirting with her, she remained professional and showed him who she belonged to. They also ran into her friend, Jesse. She seemed enthusiastic about seeing him, but that was just her way. Despite being glad to see him, she kept her eyes on Jase the whole time.

Actually, she stayed close to him all night, checking on him and making sure he was ok. Never once did she look longingly at the other guys. She chose him. Honestly, she chose him a long time ago, but he never had an opportunity to see it in action before. The carrot dangled in her face, and he got a little spooked, but she didn’t bite. He had her, and they were in it together for the long haul; he was certain of that now.

Juliana had much more fun than she imagined. To her surprise, she knew many of the people who came. All the Humphries were in attendance along with the art club and Selina. A few of the library’s donors also came. Branson Mello, his wife, and the Fonescas all happened to live in Oasis Springs and thought it was a coincidence that the gallery had the same name as her. Juliana overheard Hillary speaking to a woman who turned out to be her doctor. Kevin said they lived across the street from him. She recognized a few faces from the town hall meeting including the anxious reporter. He cleaned up very well, she had to admit. He behaved much more professionally, so she agreed to an interview. If Kevin saw them together, she would never hear the end of it.

With all the socializing, and standing in those heels, Juliana grew weary and hoped the party would end soon. She needed a few moments to regroup and enjoy some quiet, so she snuck around to the covered porch on the side of the building. She forgot how cool the evening spring air in Oasis Springs could be. Maybe it was because she usually had on more clothes. Whatever the reason, she caught a chill and attempted to go back inside.

Kevin met her at the door. “Oh, there you are. I’m gonna make the obligatory speech and then wrap this up. Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

He motioned for her to come with him while he found Karli and asked her to usher everyone outside. “You look like you had fun tonight.”

She smiled confidently. “I did.”

“I see your boyfriend found you too.”

She rolled her eyes and he laughed. People poured out of the building and spilled onto the patio and lawn.

“We appreciate each and every one of you for being here on this very special night. Galleria Sepulveda is not just an art gallery. It is the fulfillment of dreams.”

“It is also a great example of how dreams can come true with hard work and dedication. Not just dedication to your craft, but dedication to your dream. Juliana and I met in a bar almost three years ago.”–some people laughed–“I know…I can hardly believe it myself. We were both there for the first time, and we were looking at the artwork. I said to myself, ‘now there’s a kindred spirit.’ Heh, if you would have told me then what great friends we would become and how invested I would be in this young girl who could barely speak Simlish,” he turned toward her, “and how deeply in love I would fall three years later with the woman she would become…I wouldn’t believe you.”

His words never ceased to affect her, and it got really hard to keep from crying.

Realizing he got off track, he turned back to the audience to finish. “Three months ago, we first opened our doors quietly to get things in order. Now we welcome you to come and see and enjoy what Juliana has spent the last two years doing. She is an amazing talent–a natural talent. Despite how many talented artists we’ll showcase, Juliana’s work will always have a home here.” Applause echoed off the building. “Juliana, do you want to say anything?”

She nodded. “I didn’t know so many friends would be here. Thank you for being here. To the art club, I learned to express in different ways from you. Thank you for the friendship. The Humphries are my family. They took me in and cared for me when I had nothing. I don’t know where I’d be now without them. Thank you for the love.” She turned to Kevin. “And Kevin…” The words got stuck in her throat, and an onslaught of tears assaulted her cheeks. “I love you.”

She fell into his chest as the crowd said “awww” and applauded even louder than before.

“I love you too,” he said, holding her as she cried happy tears. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

She came out of his arms, wiping her face and hoping she didn’t look like a raccoon. “Yes, I’m ready.” Hillary probably cringed, but at least her work lasted for the entire night.

Kevin grabbed her hand and waved to the crowd. “Goodnight, everyone!”

They piled into the limo and sighed in relief as their backs hit the plush, leather seats.

“Are you glad it’s over?”

“Yes, but I liked it.”

She placed her head on his shoulder, and he grabbed her hand. “I’m glad.”

The words she attempted to say earlier were released. “You do so much for me. Sometimes…I feel I don’t deserve it.”

“If there is anyone on earth who deserves to have everything, it’s you.”

She chuckled. “I don’t think that is true, but…thank you for everything.”

Juliana - Chapter 134 The Grand Opening - It's finally time for the grand opening of Galleria Sepulveda! Time in Willow Creek: 2 years, 8 months For three months, Hillary and Juliana fought about her dress for the gallery's grand opening.

[itispossibleihaveissues]

Another Perfect Catastrophe -5

AUTHOR: Mikimoo PAIRING: JayDick RATING: Mature

WARNINGS: Non Consensual drug use, Non Consensual touching, Non Consensual kissing, humour, slight mayhem

SUMMARY: Dick goes undercover as himself in order to catch a gang of international thieves. Jason reluctantly tags along as his long suffering bodyguard. During the ensuing mayhem they get to know each other again and build a few bridges.

Thank you to burkesl17 for the beta!

Notes: An embarrassingly long time ago, the amazing and very, very talented Pentapus invited me to do a reverse bang style exchange, and drew me an amazing prompt. I have no idea how this story was the one that emerged from the many options I had, but such is the creative process I guess! Anyhoo, many thanks to Pentapus for both encouragement and patience, and of course the incredible art! (which will be included at the end of the appropriate chapter)

Chapters: 1, 2, 3 4

GO HERE FOR THE AMAZING ART BY THE AWESOME PENTAPUS! 

He found them in the small sitting room. Dick was sprawled in a chair, glassy eyed and sweating while Sofia unbuttoned his shirt. He didn’t look like he minded, but he also looked completely wasted on whatever they had given him. 

Jason paused to assess, moving too soon might not be the best option, but waiting while they molested Dick was not an easy choice to make, and went against every instinct he had. He grit his teeth as Sofia tugged on Dick's hair, manoeuvring him for a kiss. The new position of his face meant Jason was now in his line of sight and he suddenly attempted to sit up, dislodging the girl with ease. “Jay! I’m on drugs!” he said, happily.

Thanks Dick. Who needs the element of surprise anyway? Unfortunately, Celia seemed to agree and she stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of a small but powerful handgun to Dick’s sweaty temple. His eyes crossed as he tried to look at it. The expression was daft and annoyingly adorable. Jason had clearly lost all control over his hormones on this trip.

“Don’t even think about it, Jase,” Celia said. “Hands on your head and step forward.”

Jason sighed and did as he was told. He could still gain the upper hand in a couple of moves, but he needed to play it carefully as Dick was clearly out of his mind and might accidentally stumble into a bullet if they started shooting. Better to play it safe.

“Listen, Ms Denbury. I don’t give a shit what you do, you want to rob him? Blackmail the old man? Go for it, I’m not going to stop you. We'll do what you say.”

“Your cooperation would benefit us both,” she said, pleased. “Put these cuffs on.” She chucked him a pair of simple handcuffs. They really were ridiculously sloppy. He cuffed his own wrists in front of himself and rested his hands casually in his lap. He could wait for the right moment.

“Hello, Jason!” Dick said, as Sofia slipped his shirt over his shoulders, revealing the myriad of scars across his torso.

“Whoa,” Jack said.

Sofia ran her fingers across a healed gash that bisected Dicks left nipple. Her brows creased in confusion.

“This shit isn’t normal, what the fuck?” Jack said, wide eyed.

Time for damage control, the last thing Jason needed was for them to get twitchy and trigger happy. “Don’t you people read the tabloids?” he said, scornfully. “He got kidnapped and tortured as a kid. Why do you think he drinks so damn much?”

“That’s why Wayne is so ruthless about kidnap attempts,” Celia added, knowingly, clearly pleased her previous research was being backed up.

“Yeah, although he might pay up for his golden boy – but then again he might also chase you to the ends of the earth.”

Jack looked uncertain, like he actually had a brain cell and realised that attacking the family of a billionaire with connections to both the police and access to mercenary types, might be a bit of a bad idea.

Then the door opened, Henry and Garner entered with a gust of sea air. The mood in the room shifted subtly, and Jason found himself tensing. This was the real predator in the group and his gaze was flicking between Dick and Jason like a cat torn between two weak and tasty looking mice.

“Wayne has other boys,” Garner said, by way of greeting. “He seems to like them younger.” He reached out and ran his fingers though Dick's damp hair, and the drugged up moron leaned into the touch. Garner looked over his scars with interest but not a great deal of surprise, his expression was almost reverent, like they just made Dick more attractive somehow.

“Yeah, but he is fond of Richard,” Jason said, managing to keep his voice even as he watched Garner trail his fingers over Dick’s skin.

“It doesn’t bother you?” Celia asked curiously.

Jason shrugged. “Not my business. He pays me to keep an eye on Richie here, and to try to keep him out of trouble and that’s it. What the old man does and with who is irrelevant.”

“Not doing such a good job, are you?” Garner said. He was watching Jason as he pressed his lips to Dick's jaw, hoping for a reaction. Dick turned into it, allowing the fucker to kiss him fully. It looked deep and wet and turned Jason's stomach. He clenched his fists and willed himself to remain calm. Celia still had her gun aimed at Dick’s head and Henry was watching Jason carefully, the only one who seemed to view him as a threat.

“Although,” Garner continued, as he pulled away. “I can see how you might let yourself get distracted. I met Richard and Wayne once, at a function in New York. He was about fourteen or fifteen, small for his age, ridiculously pretty. None of the usual awkwardness at that age. When I shook his hand I noticed faint bruises on his wrist, and at the juncture of his throat. I wanted him, I knew he would be perfect. Wayne wouldn’t let him out of his sight though.” He skimmed the scar over Dick’s nipple. “And I can see he wasn't gentle. The kid took a lot of damage it seems.”

Jason snorted, his anger levels were not far away from boiling over. “And now, years later you have your shot at him. How lovely. Of course you have to use drugs, rather than just force.” Jason couldn't keep the disgust from his voice, for some reason it seemed to get up Garners nose and he pulled away from Dick to get in Jason's face instead.

“You have a smart tongue for someone completely in my power,” he said. It might have been menacing to someone who wasn’t Jason.

“And you're a grandstanding creep,” Jason snapped, he’d been dealing with more frightening people when he was still in diapers.

Garner slapped him hard across the face. Jason rolled with the blow, it was barely a love tap, but it did help him get his mouth under control. He had to play by their rules for now.

Dick didn’t get that memo though, and he suddenly shot to his feet and pointed a finger, slurring loudly, “Stop! Don’t hit him, you fuck-face!” Then he fell over his own feet, face first onto the plush carpet.

“Is he okay?” Jason asked when Dick didn’t immediately get back up. He was oddly touched that his being smacked around by a Z list criminal inspired Dick’s protective instincts despite the amount of drugs in his system. Or because of them.

Garner nudged Dick onto his back using the toe of his expensive loafer.

Dick blinked blearily up at him. “Did someone hit me?” he asked. “My face hurts.”

“You fell on it,” Jason told him mildly. “Defending my honour.”

Dick smiled up at him from his position on the floor. “When did you get so big, Jaybird? And so hot? You were so scrawny, all gangly with giant hands and feet like a Great Dane puppy.”

“Just how long have you two known each other?” Celia asked, suspiciously.

“A long time,” Jason told her, with only the slightest hint of scorn.

“Oh? How do a rich bitch like Grayson and a nobody like you meet?”

“He wasn’t always a rich bitch. He was just another little orphan like me. Except prettier, so he got life with a billionaire and I got to stay in the group home,” Jason lied effortlessly.

“That's really sad,” Dick said, mournful. “I'm sorry, Jay.”

Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes and kept his expression hard.

“Enough of this nonsense,” Garner said. “Let’s get the bank details off him and then get on with things.”

Things. That was one way to put it. Jason leaned forward slightly. “That sounds ominous. If all you want is access to his bank accounts, I can provide what you need. All I care about is keeping my hide in one piece and getting Richard back to Daddy so I get paid.”

“You’ll just give us the information?”

“Yeah, why not? Safeguarding the Wayne millions isn't my job. And this counts as under duress in any case. “

“We will check, and we will seriously hurt you both if you mess us about.”

Scary stuff. He was shivering in his boots. He managed to hold back the aggrieved sigh he desperately wanted to heave and gave them the information of the very convincing but very fake account they had set up in preparation for something like this happening. And Celia, Sofia and Jack took their leave, presumably to go though the info and transfer the cash.

That left them with Henry and Garner.

Henry had a slightly disgusted look on his face, he clearly found Garner’s sadistic games distasteful. “If you’re going to play with Richie Rich here, then I'll take Jason elsewhere,” he said.

Jason suspected 'elsewhere' meant: out back for a bullet to the brain. But either way he wasn't going to leave Dick alone with Garner in this state, not even for the five minutes it would take to dispose of Henry.

“No, I want him to watch,” Garner said. His particular perversions coming to the rescue, not often you could say sexual sadism saved the day.

Henry sneered. “As you please, I’m not going to though, so you best let me secure him a bit better.”

Garner nodded absently, he had Dick off the floor and back in the chair. Although Dick was no longer being compliant and was scowling like a pouty puppy. Probably still angry about Jason being slapped earlier, which was very endearing, despite the circumstances.

Henry approached and Jason kept himself still, ignoring what was happening across the room with some difficulty. “Why do you put up with this nasty ass shit?” he asked quietly, trying to get more of a measure of the man.

“Same reason you do. Money.” He held a gun to Jason's head and forced him to his feet, before leading him to the heavy side table. He undid Jason's cuffs and redid them behind him before using a second pair and attaching him to the solid oak table.

“I'll be just outside, Garner. Shout if you need assistance.”

It took Jason thirty seconds to get the cuffs off, about as long as it took Garner to fail get control of Dick, who was trying to shove him away with all the strength of a kitten – but he was a kitten with some serious training and Garner was bleeding from the mouth where he had been bitten or scratched. He smacked Dick open handed with a blow that wouldn't even have registered for Nightwing but sent drugged up Richie sprawling across the floor. It was at about that point that Jason decided Garner was going to have to die.

Dick seemed stunned by his fall to the carpet and was curled up, facing away when Jason struck, he snapped Garner’s neck with a powerful punch and twist - not an easy move, but a brutally effective one he’d learnt from teachers he’d later put down like the scum they were.

He carefully lowered Garner’s dead weight to the floor. The guy deserved to die, and Jason felt nothing about the action itself, only a fission of regret for the arguments and stupidity that were sure to follow. But he would deal with the Bat fallout later, he didn’t have time to fight with Dick right now.

Thankfully Dick hadn’t actually noticed and was still on the floor, he appeared to be rubbing his bruised cheek on the carpet, perhaps enjoying the sensation the drugs caused him to have at the action. “Come on, Dickie,” Jason said, pulling him to his feet. “We gotta run, okay?”

“Jay, I missed you when you were dead.”

Jason blinked at him. “That’s nice? Can we go?” he said at last and Dick allowed himself to be supported as he wobbled into motion. He swayed and caught hold of Jason's jacket, burying his face in the leather with a sigh.

Jason heaved a sigh of his own. They were a long way from being out of the woods yet, and he was going to have to get them there because being taken down by this bunch of incompetent morons was just too embarrassing to contemplate. Thankfully with the blueprints in mind he knew the location to the wine cellar – there was no knowing how long they would have until their absence was noticed, so the quicker they got there the better.

[cnotes]

Would love to!

This is back in very early 2014. I had just finished work on a project at Disney Toon Studios when I received a call from the kind folks at Disney Television animation asking me if I would like to take a swing at a pitch for a possible Tangled series for television. Now, I was a big fan of the film having worked at Feature Animation for most of my adult life in the 90’s and had a few close great friends that worked on the film itself so I felt it was an honor just to be approached.

So yes, Disney Television approached ME with the opportunity to develop the show. But I didn’t take the responsibility lightly. I knew that if this pitch was going to be taken seriously, I had to take it very seriously and and bring some great artists and storytellers onto the project ASAP. AT THE SAME TIME, it was extremely important to me to lock down an overall story for Rapunzel. Something that was important and couldn’t be moved. My good friend Jim Hull, who is a firm believer in STRONG story structure, and I came up with a structure that was big enough to last three seasons, loose enough that it could allow for growth and discovery and personal enough that I could feel invested in it for the duration of the project. After that, I was lucky enough to be able to bring in an old buddy of mine, Shane Prigmore to help figure out the visual aspects of the story we were planning and he helped form some of the major elements of the pitch before presenting it to the Studio and Channel.

And that all came together rather quickly! By September of that year we had the overall structure in place with gorgeous visual inspiration by a TON of amazing artists such as Claire Keane, Shiyoon Kim, Shane Prigmore, Jasmin Lai, and Craig Elliott.

Once we pitched to the studio, we immediately went into Production mode and that’s when we brought on Jase Ricci who became our head writer and story editor. Shane moved to a higher position at the studio and I was blessed that my good friend Ben Balistreri was willing and available to fill his position and we were OFF TO THE RACES! Not long after that we hired Alan Bodner as our Art Director who brought the incredible color to the show and our three first season directors, Tom Caulfield, Joe Oh, and Stephen Sandovol came shortly after. It really was a whirlwind of hiring and organizing.

Looking back, it’s a small miracle that it all came together as fast as it did and I owe a lot of that to my Line Producer, Joe Crowley (yes, Old Lady Crowley is named after him because she runs a pretty tight ship just like he does!!).

Too many stories inside of that summation to expound on now, but that should give you a little look into HOW we put the show together from the beginning.

Do you know if disney approached chris and shane to make the series or vice versa? I know i read about it somewhere but i cant remember who it was.

I believe they approached Disney. At the time that the series was proposed, Disney had basically written Tangled off as uncontinuable, which is why there wasn’t (and likely never will be) a sequel.

@cnotes feel free to correct me.

[glopratchet]

jase

page 14,067 You think to yourself "with enough time, anything's possible" brush your teeth Well not everything As hard as you try, with your pass-able looks and natural charisma, you couldn't convince a regular girl to settle down with you There was of course the time you got close Really close You could almost taste it But events didn't quite turn out in your favor, giving birth to your desire for revenge against these menacing criminals that took everything away while keeping the status quo in the background, you prepare the vehicle for tonight The heavy modified hoverbike sitting in your parking space in the Apartment-Boat you call home could bu handy if anything happens tonight A quick look in the mirror and you make sure your kutte is straight Time to fire this festering hole eventually door shuts behind !!!!!" "What did you just say?" You bend your head to your scruffy looking "girlfriend" "Darling" "I said he, are we or aren't we eating an alligator burger tonight?! Come on! We are going to be late! her fingernails nervously as she wears her construction outfit in your room She didn't work to day, but instead wanted you to show you this new opening at a Gallery You roll on the bed and sit up to catch a napping Cello, "uhh I dunno Bri, I'm supposed "No excuses! We are going, be ready, meet me there, DON'T BE LATE! Whole alligator dinner , assemble or eat Last weekend on my break from capture the flag, I stayed with my father, and his new bride "Darling" has no blood relation to me, but she feeds me bugs everyday and lets play near the construction sites We love to ride the huge trucks and dump them Once we were playing catch with a grenade since we thought it was a medicine ball Right before it blew up, dad came running at us with his eyes bigger than us Now that I rely use some filters and stay near sea I do not get to eat opening acts 4 minutes ago Well back in the day, I had an assassin try to take me out at their main encampment This was years ago when the ED and GC were still allies My public reason was to get some fuel for the trip to Nine-Oak, my real motive well to this day I'm not quite sure but it must've been important since I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it out of there and owner Door 5 The smell overtakes the sensors While 4 channels show a heavy dose of psychosis swinging back and forth with tylium injections, a brighter side appears You nearly see hope Her quarters are the large one at the top of everyone's screens covered with a one way window; perfect for spying and collecting intel, while maintaining necessary top security Also, you instantly recognize this families logo Your mind draws a blank then slowly; a blurry memory resurfaces ! Now! The writing on the walls is like no language you've ever seen, but you can make out a few familiar shapes Your mind struggles Zukhara? No, much older "Darling" hasn't moved an inch Quickly she grabs the image of an alligator in a fine crafted cherry wood frame from the wall and throws it on the floor with a loud crack The mirror and painting lay shattered and displayed on the ground or the paintings for dinner? And that other thing, whatever it was Be my guest! You pull yourself out of the seat and slowly walk to an empty space on the wall where you open a hidden safe Typewriter and stacks of cash fill the drawer as you sit down and start writing a note While your writing doesn't exactly look like calligraphy, presumably this will still be counted as "artwork" finish it and then mount it on an alligator skin I believe? Well if it'll honor you prefer the skin? Nothing's stopping you now, assuming he is on the level then both will be coming from our rations tomorrow night along with a bottle of 1975 empire Zinfandel which should make a fine adhesive, provided the gluing is up to the quality of your current paintings Your collection should look flawless The door opens as a slight breeze pushes it further into the room pay money to own some of that, shining in black frames on the red walls, alligator skin flooring and a genuine Empire zin Please give our compliments to genius chef as soon as he has time Research Assistants - University of Progensberg Your art is now top secret Even if anyone thought the colorful swirls were anything more than bits to be analysed they wont get far before it's taken out of general circulation , good thing arnt they one of the few human like species discovered it'd be a shame to see them go extinct before we had a chance to eat them Year 595 Research: While the painting sub branch isn't exactly mundane, you don't feel like it's enough creative outlet for today How will this help forging a GC post extinction legacy? You need to be doing more smelling faintly of paint and on most occasions you see red, blue or purple flash before your eyes Congratulations, after 500 years since the inception of the project it appears urantra brain secretes some kind of purple pigment for decoration purposes At this point we don't care, just take it and inject it into your veins almost as much as a fine bottle of empire zin The purple lightning strikes outside seem brighter and warmer these days, might just be the drugs talking though Almost done with this batch and then it's a few months of off book research Wanna come with? to EAT animals but not ok to EAT people or OTHER human like species, or elves or anything like that After rereading Anecia's speech you realize how close the average person is to becoming their food source Hopefully this research will earn a bit of trust that you aren't planning on eating them probably I heard that! And no im not coming with you, ill just be here waiting than they'd want to hurt Anecia They are essential for milk and cheese after all That being said, when your racing home after a hard day at the lab, hoping that tonight might treat you to some Anecian Stuffed Peppers, how often do you think about where the meat in that casserole really came from? And where did the cow come from anyways? Was it just walking around one day when it decided to become lunch? ? plus they taste good You were always told that dragons where monsters that scorched the earth and sky alike but now your standing here arms deep in a corpse of one The first dragon you've ever slain, and its wings are actually alot smaller then you thought If your parents could see you now, how proud they would be They'd probably question their training however, and rightfully so but still you had this one in the bag all along to realize, be it hook, spear or net, the dragon had little chance of escape With your own particular set of skills, you have this wyrm failling to a blow from above Year 600 You meet mr Average Person (read:secretary) early in the week with the to-do list every sunday you have to go over everything with him and give some sort of idea of what the team is going to work on two months from now or the intense studies of the Purple ichor's amazing healing properties? Question 6 (1,798 voters, tcoh_input@yahoo com) Hello nice to meet you roommate! tell me about yourself Name: Sun LiRace: Black TrollClass: PlayboyER demigodSTR! 30INT! 30WIS! 40 AGI! 50LUCK! 70SKILL! 56TRAIT! 18 let's see your father ran before he took you away Since that is no doubt who your roommate is let's see if we can figure that out There are roughly 100 students at this school about 25 are demi human and half of them are races that could easily be your roommate (or would that be roommers?) Of the remaining human race half of them are girls hmmm 1 in 4 now that probably isn't right If your more of gun nut check the lastest firearms at [kroger market] beer !!! if i were a teamate in this, what would my role be? (ans: Captain Kirk) if you don't find the quest fun anymore you can get The big you go, the harder it gets and more danger you're in with the law getting in your way many snatchers have been shanked because they tried to use deadly force Common based snatchers are in it for a quick buck, so as such they won't try to take on an entire orc tribe by themselves They'll hit lone caravans and small to mid sized groups of merchants Most cases the black market isn't a criminal underworld full of dangerous felons and relentless mana-vampires as it is a bunch of bored immortals trying to pass the time One of these things is the demon market, located in the third layer of hell (dashit) , with a 50% savediscount! As the thief harvest goes on, something a bit odd stands out to you In each and every case of missing persons a lot of them were last seen in the area around Kroger's region That supermarket is either running a regular scam or is involved in this somehow It wouldn't be the strangest thing you've seen, and it certainly wouldn't be the worst crime organization By questioning the store manager, it becomes clear that he knows exactly what's going on at your supermarket The hell is this? This smelly bigfoot goes by many names, from dogman, to the grizzy, to bigfoot, yet in all cases it is all the same creature Some say it's a werecreature of some sort while others believe them to just be a rare species that has managed to avoid discovery all these years But fact is, they look like bigfoot and that's good enough for you with the scope With this mode, each gun has a different "feel" to it You'll need to spend some time with this to master precision shooting There's aiming on the move, finding your range, and many other types of shooting Since you've only got the one shot, make it a good one To shoot or not to shoot With a deer carcuss near it You find the creature standing outside for some reason with one shot Not such an easy task, considering you're pretty far away Your standard iron sights are going to have to do since you don't have an optic for this gun It's a bit tough since when you use this gun from the hip it's over 20 pounds, so getting your aim steady is important Fortunately for you there's no wind so you just have to account for your lateral movement and launch the round There's fur, blood and entrails everywhere It's easy meat to take back and sell, which is important, because you're not getting it for free after your hunt congrats op you've more than doubly profited from this encounter Choose: deer skin or alligator skin Oh ick totals Maybe this game would be a little easier with higher caliber guns, or at least ones that can accept scopes The noise really isn't worth it though since all you're doing is driving away any game in the area In the future it might be worth going furless, but for now all those useless bits can be turned into ichorium explosives , as usual So, loot and sell the gall bladder, liver, heart, intestines and maybe even a tooth or two Keep these offable parts in your pack until you get home, then put them in the fridge If you need more storage get a cooler or upgrade the house comes, sell more parts to him then cook dinner for you and your buddy While preparing the meat for cooking have some guests come over They brought a few six packs of brew with them Go ahead and share the wealth You should put it in your new fridge After eating, showing off a bit and having a generally good time its time to hit the hay You fell asleep on the couch so move yourself to the bed at 12 99 a person Ohh monetization Tonight's profit: 2168 ichorium shares, 8 silver, 4 quarters Days passed in the marsh and you still don't have Clyde or Fen just a lot of wet feet You do however have eaten everything in your fridge even the bait, so you're going to have to get more food or eat something inedible again like the alligator fleshes you've got hanging around The thought haunts you throughout the day and night It's really throwing off your concentration, you can't wait for this time to be over so you can bag a couple of wyverns First thing in the morning you sharpen your rifle and put on your pack This is going to be the day Not once, but twice people from the fort come and see if you're around and suddenly everyone wants to see me And they'res not just a few people they're like 18 of them You were out hunting so you weren't around to whlect their calls, replys or even show up while prying eyes were watching Instead they get your mildly annoyed brother in law to talk to them They leave dissapointed and unanswered Then you jump in and make things worse You wander into the fort to pick up a few things at the store and who do you find there? The same two wyvern jockeys that approached you To your surprise they knew you were out here, but even more surprising was what one of them said while the other looked on in silence "We would've been better off if you hadn't helped us at all Did I really do that much damage? You tried to wave them off and assure them of the contrary but they left shortly there after You could only hope they would come to appreciate what you did for them in time Just then an all too familiar symbol caught your attention, staring up at you from a wanted poster it was Clyde! Or rather Commander Ram himself If you wore a mask around here people might mistake you for someone else But what does it say about us that someone like him was able to take charge in the first place? You were Clyde There was no denying it But you couldn't hunt him down, not after what happened The poor sap that did finally catch up with him on that wanted notice looked a lot like Mason, even had a family resemblance It wasn't him, but it could've been What would you do if you found him, put a gun to his head and drag him back? It was a tempting idea but he probably wouldn't get far and in your current mood you might not be able to bring yourself to help if someone else was beating him to within an inch of his life It was shameful, but the best thing you could do for him right now was stay away However he still needed to be brought to justice, the way he was gallivanting around the countryside rounding up god knew who and throwing them in his cells was bad for business People would begin to unite against him and that could be far worse bandits, mercenaries, wary townies, kobolds all with one collective ideology: Fear Something you only engendered towards yourself and justified with your greater purpose To lose that power could cost you your survival! No, Ram had to be brought to justice, but not by you The best way of erasing your past was to put some distance between it and yourself You'd head west, maybe head out to sea or even up north to where the gnomes and their contraptions came from A new frontier, there had to be one yet untapped But before you could begin your new life you had to make one last trip out to the woods and see how Detlaf and Ranon were progressing on their logging town (You didn't want to go out there again ever but beggars can't be choosers ) You found them both cutting down trees like it was going out of style, which with the influx of new settlers it very well might Seeing you ride up they finally take a break You didn't really have to, but it was a convenient excuse to just sit there pulling up your shirt sleeve and scratching at your glowing badge of honor Your beam of light may have been gone, but it would never fade from your arm You came to accept that, you only wished you could do the same with the scars that wrapped around your back Still, the badges were going to come in handy as you've managed to use them as a conversation starter "See something you like Mason?" Ranon playfully sneered while waggling his eyebrows He probably didn't even realize what he was doing but you just let it slide and carry on with what you needed "That town you were working on looks like its coming along well "Town?" Ranon said with some pride "Haram, it's a city now King Sylvester himself stopped by recently to give his official endorsement Lot of people flooding to it You were genuinely happy for both of them but the news did stop you for a moment A whole another kingdom? If a place that big could form that fast just from one bandit gang then wherever you end up things were going to be very different Actually now that you thought about it considering how big the kingdom must be there was probably anothere bandit gang somewhere else doing much the same thing you were Bandits: Been there, done that It probably hadn't even been a year yet and already the game was up Well in for a coin, in for a Rai-ken You had made your decision and your destination doesn't matter as long as its a new frontier and they needed doctors right? Well maybe you'd stick to frontier clinics, but that was still medicine Might even get to put those old bandit skills of stealing from the sick for the good of the community Time would tell In any case you had some people to see and from there you'd make your plans Your next destination was Rask and then beyond it! Or so you thought Funny how things worked out, but it was the calm before the storm You laid down to sleep on your bed one night and then you heard a loud noise followed by the house shaking as if there was an earth quake going on Your rabbits in a stew because none of the furniture broke but everything ended up in disarray and broken pottery was everywhere One of your manticores came running in from one of the other rooms having been spooked by the noise if the trampled flower vase and rolling obei seeds meant anything You were still half-awake and pretty startled yourself, but instincts kicked in and you moved towards your rifle, thinking it was hostiles or something By the time you got into the living room and realized what happened it was over And just in time too, because you heard Naji let out an unearthly shriek of pain from her bedroom next door

[acn59685-blog]

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Al intends in order to help expand future leaders within his organization and also to assist alter an increasing number of lives with this strong possibility. His five easy actions he encourages people to follow are: Enter, Obtain qualified, Reach training, Obtain customers, and obtain customer getters on your team to do the same. Then do it around again! Shane and Dana make sure their team members have the required tools to plug into ACN's tested system of success by obtaining consumers. That system consists of not just setting goals and also dreaming big but likewise consistent personal development. "Succeeding in ACN comes down to need, resolution as well as a desire to expand as a person," Shane claims.

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Spencer's guidance is this: "New Independent Entrpreneurs need to take this business as major as a heart attack. It's straightforward yet the job should be done. Depend on the leadership as well as be coachable. If you desire just what effective people have, just do just what successful people do." Reflecting on his life prior to ACN, Sunny Kim sees a directionless boy without the self-confidence to identify the talents as well as presents inside of himself. "I will drop a rough path," he jokes. Worse yet, his moms and dads had lately shed everything.

What Mike values most is his household. In 2008 he met is better half Kylie, as well as through ACN, they have actually been able to construct a solid, Christ-centered marriage. They are both able to stay at home with their 3 boys: Noah, Jase and also Child Luca. Today Jeff is an Elderly Vice President and expands his group from his house in California. He's able to invest top quality time with his two children 4 year old Zoey and 6 month old Jade as well as job from anywhere in the globe on his very own terms. "I have actually been able to throw away my alarm clock as well as wake up when I'm completed resting," he says.

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After joining ACN Leanne's success didn't come easily. "I struggled greatly in my trip as well as had to go through a great deal of personal growth.However, I really felt such a connection to the Co-Founders and also culture of ACN, that there was never an uncertainty in my mind that I intended to become a leader for the business." With a background in pharmaceutical sales, James Adlam really felt as if he was acn digital reviews staying in a dog-eat-dog globe. While functioning relentlessly in the sales atmosphere, a pal asked James to join him in looking at the ACN Organisation Opportunity. Excited with the ACN Opportunity, they both began their jobs." ACN has the opportunity for personal advancement and also there's plenty of area at the top of the company for everybody. ACN is entirely focused on aiding others be successful in order for you to do well, which had not been the very same in company The U.S.A.," discussed Aaron.

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Aaron and Chanelle not only discovered new lives via ACN, yet they additionally found love. Prior to being separately introduced to the ACN Opportunity, Aaron was a 5th grade teacher and also Chanelle was an electric engineer. Both were looking for a chance to generate added revenue. After discovering ACN, he understood he 'd found the ideal company yet wasn't seeing results in his checking account. Mathieu thought success in ACN boiled down to ability. Besides, that's just what established his basketball profession. "However in ACN, The outcome is in the discipline, not the skill, and that's a skill anybody could find out." However, exactly what matters most to Cody as well as Marlo is returning to their confidence and also investing in their household. With the hard work they have placed in throughout the years, they are currently able to stay at home and also homeschool their 3 kids Art Napolitano played in a rock band till he was Thirty Years old and also usually wondered how he would certainly ever before have the ability to manage a home and a household. He wanted to enjoy while also gaining extra revenue. Internet marketing seemed to be the ideal specific niche for him, and also he quickly found success in internet marketing as well as deserted his desire for rock stardom. As the proprietors of 4 successful organisations, Michael as well as Jennifer Crowder fit. Possibly too comfortable. Michael's downfall came in 2009 when the economic climate took an awful turn, and also all of a sudden, this effective entrepreneur saw whatever he had actually worked so hard for vaporize virtually before his eyes.

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He started looking for a new possibility and a chance to start over. "I was trying to find a residence, a solid firm that had stood the test of time as well as where I could build a true lasting residual income." When introduced to ACN, Michael was amazed at the company's business design and also just how you might change your life by providing everyday necessary solutions. Today, James has exactly what he's always wanted: simply the time to enjoy his life, however he hasn't quit presenting others to the ACN Chance. "I really feel everybody should learn about this business. The setting alone that ACN develops can make you a much better individual." Spencer was so impressed with ACN that he obtained his moms and dads involved in the business. They are now Senior Vice Presidents-- an advancement that Spencer proudly calls his "best accomplishment in ACN."

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Mike Bisutti is living evidence that constructing your ACN business Click for more info is not easy, yet the effort is all worth it. Prior to joining ACN, Mike worked multiple tasks as a full time university student, building up financial debt in the process. When he found ACN, he understood he found a possibility that fit well with his unshakable job principles. He genuinely believes in the ACN system and has a passion for supplying incredible services to his clients, along with being a leader to his growing group.

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Luca was born premature with medical difficulties needing him to stay in the NICU. Due to ACN as well as the job ethic Mike put forth in the years prior, both he as well as Kylie had the ability to be by his side the entire time, dealing with their ACN organisation between the cracks of life.

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But he is the initial to confess that ACN isn't simple-- just as absolutely nothing worth doing is-- yet that it can definitely deserve it. "ACN put me in a placement to do what I desired-- and permitted me to leave a finger print on this planet," Michael said.

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"This service is a true worldwide organisation due to the fact that people anywhere all invest money on telecommunications and energy-- it matters not just what area you stay in or what language you talk-- these are services everybody utilizes," Brian claims.

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Yet the biggest reward of ACN has actually been the opportunity to be there for his infant daughter. "Being able to be a permanent dad is significant," he states. "When I was growing up, my parents were always busy. I have the ability to be there for my child and that's terrific. My entire focus is to live a complete and satisfied life."

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While in college, Michael An was introduced to route selling, however felt that something was not. "I was tired of persuading individuals around me to get products that they really did not need," Michael explained. When Art joined in 1998, ACN supplied simply 2 services in two nations: far away phone as well as dial-up Net. "Today, ACN is a worldwide advertising as well as circulation network providing a variety of services and products though an on the internet shop in 24 nations and 15 languages," he claims. "When you take a look at just how far we've come, it's interesting and also self-evident that ACN is the real bargain." Sunny was presented to the ACN Organisation Opportunity by a full unfamiliar person-- a turning point which he thinks was much more compared to plain chance. It wasn't very easy at first, yet with it all, Sunny remained concentrated.

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The pleasure Jeff obtains from his very own personal flexibility is the reason he shares the ACN possibility with others. "I can honor the people I care about many", he claims, "ACN has actually taught me the best ways to be a servant leader, ways to put right into others and not concentrate on myself."

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For over 10 years, the Davises have actually funded 8 kids and also their family members in the countries of Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia, Philippines and Dominican Republic. "We have had the ability to cover their daily expenses for food, clothing, schooling, real estate, clinical and also much more," Debbie says. With the years, the whole Davis family has expected obtaining letters and also images from the households. "Exactly what appears relatively small to us is everything to them," Debbie states. "Stating that we feel thankful for the opportunity to return is a substantial understatement." When he looked at the ACN Opportunity, it made complete feeling to join. He liked that the 4 ACN Co-Founders had been around because day one, participating in the growth year after year. He was also interested that ACN constantly made a dedication to returning. With a lengthy track record of success, Al recognized this was the business for him.

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When Patrick discovered ACN he shared the opportunity with Michael, and also the bros realized they might work together to assist others and also produce a chance for ordinary individuals similar to them to make money. Michael claimed, "When I opened my mind, I actually started seeing things differently. I ended up being coachable as well as picked up from the people that currently succeeded."

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"Often people ask me, 'is it really difficult and also challenging to do this company?' My answer is this: The system is basic. If a male from Bangladesh who has no network or education here could do it, you could also. Comply with the system by obtaining clients-- as well as you could find success." With belief in the system as well as unshakable vision, Cody worked faithfully to end up being a Senior Vice President in 2014. Along with his wife Marlo, they have actually developed a solid ACN business by obtaining customers and also building a group filled with hard working associates.

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"They didn't judge my past and also wanted to address every inquiry I had about my brand-new future with ACN." Danny quickly located that the crucial to finding success on the outside is to directly create on the in.

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Today, like their moms and dads before them, Patrick and Michael have actually accomplished success with the direct selling sector. The very best part regarding ACN according to Patrick? "Taking a person as well as helping them find the victor in themselves. This firm is huge to human possibility and what is feasible. When your life adjustments, you change the world."