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badgerbl00d · 1 year ago

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captain's girl

☆ characters: akagami no shanks

☆ up next: tbd

☆ summary: shanks has always had a soft spot for you but as he spends more time around you that feeling intensifies- he's fallen, and hard.. how will he confess?

☆ a/n: i lost the ask that originally submitted this but i loved this prompt! so so cute and always lovely to write for my favorite captain.. shanks nation rise!

Shanks hadn’t slept in days.

Shanks- an emperor, had been a pirate for decades and he knew well what it meant to be selfish. To be faced with all the treasure and beauty in the World and it not be enough until one had it all to himself. But he’d only ever seen it. In allies and enemies alike he had seen that corrupting burning want- no, need for something that drives one nearly mad. He’d seen fellow seamen be consumed by this bubbling and boiling desire that had always sickened him to think about.

And then there was you. Beautiful, strong-willed, and unafraid of pirates and men and danger and swords and, all of the sudden, he began feeling the symptoms of that dangerous selfishness. He’d watch you laugh with Benn, or cook with Lucky, or play cards with Yasopp and his chest would tighten. His nerves would begin to ebb and flow in uncertainty and the terrifyingly unfamiliar feeling of jealousy began to sprout within the captain of the Red Haired Pirates. He’d spend hours poring over a potential solution– something to make it go away. But everything he tried was useless. Any slight progress immediately crumbled the moment you walked by him. He’d found a nice girl on an island and flirted with her, buying her drinks, treating her special as the rest of the crew began to pour into the bar. It was working! She liked the same music as him and thought he was funny. But then you’d walked in with Beckman, your perfume immediately recognizable to him and he folded. You were entirely captivating to him, and bless him, he tried to listen to the girl in front of him and feign interest in what she was saying but all he could focus on was the sound of you laughing and thanking the men who were sending drinks your way. On a separate occasion, he’d taken a different approach. You were in a particularly cheeky mood and not the most prone to taking orders, so he got frustrated. He leant into that frustration, barking at you for not listening. But you just rolled your eyes and begrudgingly got up to do what he was asking. As you walked past him, you raked a fingernail across his chest and offered assistance if he needed “any help de-stressing.” And with a wink you were off. After that little incident, he could hardly sleep and was quite literally plagued by (very inappropriate) thoughts of you and decided it would be best if he didn’t do anything for a while. This had been going on for months now. A one sided game of cat and mouse that Shanks did not want to be playing, after all, he wasn't used to playing the role of mouse. Shanks was a man who always got what he wanted.

But he was realizing there was no escape. Constantly you teased him, tempted him, lured him, all to act like nothing the next moment. His head was spinning. Just this morning, you ran into him at breakfast and asked if he wanted to go into town with you. He came up with some half assed excuse and tried his hardest to keep his composure when you pouted at his and said, “Pretty please?” He went up and moped in his office, going over all those moments when he felt that now familiar ache in his chest– that throbbing pain that felt like his swollen heart was being mushed up against his ribcage and had been making his daily life on the ship, oh, so inconvenient.

Like a few months ago when, in your typical fashion, you’d put together a small band out of the rag-tag musicians on the crew. An upright bass player out of your intel gatherer, a drummer out of one of Hongo’s assistants, some brass players that you put through a very selective audition, and, of course, you as the singer. He remembers walking out after having a few drinks with those of his men that he was closest with and hearing the sound of your voice singing a soft jazz tune. ‘I wish you bluebirds, in the spring…..’ his heart picking up a bit, and him leaning over to look at the band playing, ‘To give your heart a song to sing, and then a kiss…’ Him rushing down the stairs and urging the crew to dance, asking Lucky to get behind the bar and start making cocktails and drinks, ‘But more than this, I wish you love’ anything so that he could sit and listen to you. He remembers the boyish surge of energy that coursed through him when you shot him a playful wink. A thank you for entertaining your antics and encouraging your little band of criminal musicians.

Or last week, when you stopped by his office (he’d begun spending more and more time locked in there attempting to find reprieve from your presence which was quickly becoming all too much for him to be around) and knocked on his door in the way you always knocked on any door. Three rhythmic little taps, always quiet and polite. “Come in!” he’d said, forcing his voice to steady itself like his heart wasn’t crawling up into his throat. “Hey Shanks– I have something for you.” You made your way to his desk, dropping a little parcel on it before going to lay down on the couch in his office, a seat he always kept open for you. It was just an old leather chair, but he knew how much you liked it. He opened up the parcel, watching you pull out a cigarette and bring it to your lips, holding it droopily between them as you dug around in your jacket for a lighter. He finished unwrapping the gift, a compass falling out. Gold and the initials R.H.S. engraved in the back. The glass had been carved out so that it was angular and there was a detailed inking of the ocean in the back, and the north arrow was dark red. He turned it over in his palm, “R.H.S.?” he asked. “It’s funny, huh! Red-Hair-Shanks,” you laughed, “It made Benny crack up so I snatched it. They wanted $15,000 for it! Like hell was I gonna pay that…. Hey, do you have a lighter?” You walked back over to him, leaning on his desk, looking down at his face, batting your eyes at him all doe-like. He felt like he might faint. 'Benny' he felt a pang of jealousy but smiled to himself at the nickname. Beckman hated nicknames but you'd started calling him Benny and for the first time ever there was no protest from the man's lips. You'd wiggled your way into all their hearts like that- helping Lucky with groceries and keeping Yasopp company when he drank more than he could stand.

“Sure do, sweetheart,” he maintained his typical flirty cadence but failed to sound as confident as he usually does. You shot him a look. He sheepishly handed you the lighter but instead of taking it you leant over further, beckoning for him to light the cigarette for you. He swallowed and brought the lighter up to the cigarette, the two of you making eye contact as he lit it. You blew a playful puff of smoke at him before making your way back over to the sofa. You laid across it, kicking your shoes off and pulling a magazine from his shelf. “Playboy? Really?” He gave you an embarrassed grin and shrugged. You made a mental note that this magazine had been left open on a photo of a bikini-clad girl that looked an awful like you. Pervert, you thought. You put the magazine away and sunk further into the chair, taking long drags of the cigarette, filling up the room with smoke. Shanks was trying not to stare a hole through you and limited himself from looking over in your general direction. You were so at peace, your legs draped over the arm of the chair and your hands above your head. An hour passed like this, the two of you sharing a silence that was only peaceful on your end. Shanks sat at his desk pretending to be deeply interested in a blank piece of paper and mulled over possible topics of conversation. He was trying not to beat himself up over his newfound shyness- he was like a teenage boy talking to a girl for the first time. When he finally got the courage to ask you about your most recent errand he was cut off before he could even start.

“Y/n!!! Help me with dinner, eh?!”

Lucky. You groaned sitting up, remembering that you’d promised to help him out with tonight’s dinner last week. “Sorry, Captain,” you said, putting your shoes back on, “I’d love to stay and fog up your office a bit more but duty calls.”

He nodded and got up, nearly running into you. “Ah, sorry princess,” he said, guiding you gently out of the room with a hand on your back.

“Try not to miss me,” you’d said, taking the cigarette out of your mouth and placing it in his. He furrowed his brows in equal amounts of confusion and sexual frustration. “Lucky won’t let me smoke in the kitchen,” you explained. You shot him a wink and were off.

He took a short puff of the cigarette before taking it out and staring at it between his fingers. Your red lipstick stained the end of it. He took a very self indulgent inhale before setting it down on an ashtray in his office. It was the first time he’d smoked in a while.

He hadn’t remembered it feeling so good.

He was late to dinner that night and even Benn had indicated some degree of worry about his captain, asking if he was alright.

Shanks knew this couldn’t last forever– that he would have to do something before he lost his ability to lead his ship entirely. But then, of course, there was what happened yesterday.

Some rookie pirates had convinced themselves it would be a good idea to try and loot your ship. You’d been out on the deck helping Beckman with some chores when the first group of them climbed overboard. Neither of you had particularly expressive reactions– after all, you could tell within a few seconds that they were neither strong nor experienced. Still, it was the general attitude of the Red Hair Pirates to avoid conflict as much as possible. So when they wrapped rope around your wrists and held knives to your throats you and Benn didn’t flinch. Some newer recruits had sounded the alarm which eventually led to the rest of the crew making their way lazily out onto the deck. Shanks emerged from his office, reading glasses still on and laughed at the sight.

“Yasopp– take a pic, will ya!?” he laughed, slapping him on the back, “Benny we’re gonna hang this up in the dining hall!”

Benn rolled his eyes and you smiled. It took another several moments before you realized that your body was feeling more and more weakened by the moment, but when you finally felt a dullness creeping up your legs you noticed that the man holding you was a devil fruit user. The Neru Neru no Mi you believed it was called, Sleep Sleep Fruit. Fatigue started to wash over you and you stumbled forward slightly. The laughter on the ship immediately ceased and Benn called your name. You tried responding but instead fell back, landing against your assailant's chest. Yasopp and Lucky both brought their hands to their pistols, and Benn had taken a more offensive stance though it was clear the effect was starting to weigh on him as well.

“We’ll kill them both,” one of the looters had yelled. Yasopp shot Shanks a look, waiting for some kind of command. “Yasopp–” Shanks started, but he hesitated a moment. If his sniper made any kind of mistake it would be your life taken instead. Before he could react, your captor had drawn the knife down your arm, smirking at the cry of pain you let out as your arm was coated in red. “Shoot him,” he said, gaze turning black. You passed out, though whether it was from the pain or the effect of Shanks’ emperor’s haki on your weakened body was unclear. But the last thing you saw before blacking out was the haunting anger on Shanks’ face.

You woke up a bit later, your head throbbing and your arm bandaged. “Holy shit,” you muttered, “What happened?” Hongo and Beckman were sitting by your bed talking to each other and Lucky, Yasopp, and a few others were playing cards.

"You passed out from the effects of the devil fruit," Benn explained, "And you got a nasty cut on your arm. But Hongo says you'll be healed up by the weekend."

You blushed, somewhat embarrassed that you were the only one to have been injured. "What happened to the other crew?"

Benn shot you a half-smile. An expressive mixture of pride and shame. "The Captain took care of it. Honestly all we could do was watch, we all know better than to get in his way when he gets like that. Never seen this ship so bloody, that's for sure."

You grimaced, "Suppose they won't be messing with us again?"

Benn laughed, "Definitely not."

“Hey, Y/n!” Lucky called out, “Want anything to eat?”

You sat up, pushing yourself to the edge of the bed and grabbing the glass of water Benn offered you, “Yeah, Luck. I’ll take anything, honestly. Where is Shanks?” Benn sighed and looked over at Yasopp who was giggling like a twelve-year old. You got the message.

“Maybe we should tell him it’s obvious? And it’ll fix things?”

Benn shook his head and leant back in his chair, “Nah, it would crush the guy. Maybe if you say something to him, though?” You thought about it for a minute. You'd talked with each other before about the captain's feelings. How he acted every time he was around you. Benn added that he'd never seen him like that before, "Buggy's given us stories about how he used to be around girls. He'd run the other way when a pretty lady talked to him. He's obviously gotten over it since then but it's sort of nice to see him like this."

"Can't blame him," Yasopp added, winking at you, "You're about the prettiest thing on the sea."

Yasopp was still laughing about it, over a game of cards with Lucky and Hongo. You appreciated their company while you rested.

“I don’t know guys. You know I love him just as much but will it be weird? I mean– no offense, but this ship isn’t really the ideal romantic setting. And what if he plays favorites?”

They all laughed at this, “He already is, sweetheart!”

“Just tell him!”

“We’ll have a big ol’ wedding!”

You rolled your eyes and asked to be dealt into the card game they were playing. Lucky came back with a bowl of soup for you. Laughter was filling up the small medical room and it echoed down the hall...

Shanks’ crush on you was astoundingly obvious and what was more surprising was how he had been moping about it for the past four months. He was now in his room, shrouded in embarrassment. Half of it stemmed from the generally well known fact that Shanks and his crew were untouchable- or at least, should be. And the other, perhaps greater, half from the fact that you'd ended up hurt because he’d hesitated. It also didn't help that he had doubted Yasopp at all- he knew he never missed. He’d spent the evening drinking a bottle of whiskey to himself and replaying other embarrassing faux pas he’d committed in front of you. The bottle of empty whiskey sat in front of him on the desk and the sun had long set. He got up, feeling miserable, and decided to head to bed. He grabbed the empty bottle, pausing before he grabbed it. Your cigarette from a week ago sat in the mauve ceramic ashtray on his desk (also a gift from you– you’d said it reminded you of his “ugly pants”). He stared at the lipstick still staining the white paper on the end of the cigarette. His chest tightened and he looked out the window of his office. You were out on deck, your arm bandaged up, hauling some rope into a metal bin. He smiled to himself- an injury like that was no excuse for chores. You looked gorgeous. A white glow surrounded you from the beaming moonlight up above. Your hair was messy and flowed freely around your face shifting the shadows that fell on it. He knew, suddenly, that he had to talk to you. That in all his embarrassment and emotion and confusion about his feelings, he’d neglected to check up on you. He set the bottle down and grabbed the half-smoked cigarette, slipping it into his pocket. He paused at the door, momentarily enjoying the nerves that were coursing through his body. How long had it been since he last felt excitement like this? There were moments at sea where he realized that, thanks to his age and experience, he no longer felt those pangs and throes of youthful worry and excitement. But this? This was new and he was reeling like never before. He was submerged in uncharted waters and all of a sudden that spark of adventure that follows every pirate flared up inside him. Shanks closed the door to his office behind him, taking a deep breath.

You wrapped up the rest of the rope and threw it into the container, before taking a seat on it. Closing your eyes and taking a moment to yourself. It was rare to have a night so quiet. You could hear the faint sound of laughter and talking coming from below the deck. The ship was slowly rocking back and forth.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

You blinked your eyes open to see Shanks standing in front of you. It still surprised you how a man of his size and power could sneak up on you so easily. It was a nice reminder of how in control he actually was of everything around him. It put you at ease to know you were in such responsible hands and guidance.

“You feel ok? It’s my fault I should’ve–”

You smiled at him, “What? This? I’m fine, Captain– I’ve dealt with much worse, that I can promise you.” He frowned at that, “That’s not a good thing, Y/n. I don’t like thinking about you getting hurt.” You shrugged and ruffled his hair, “I’m a pirate. A Red-Hair Pirate. It’s bound to happen. And you’re not perfect either. Believe it or not. What’s going on with you lately? So sappy.” You knew very well what was going on with him.

Shanks smiled and looked down at the floor. This was it. Now or never.

“Y/n… You know that, well, women love me and- and that I love women,” he started. Your smile dropped.

“M-hm.”

“Uh,” he rubbed his neck sheepishly, like a child getting scolded, “Well, I guess what I’m trying to say is that you’re not like other women.”

You looked at him, “Are you sure about that?” You looked unamused. He steeled himself– he was an emperor of the sea, goddamnit, you were just a woman! Just a girl on his crew.

He knew that was a lie.

You were his girl on his crew. And he was being eaten alive by your existence, completely consumed by the thought of you. He couldn’t live another day without relieving himself of his constant torture and the emotional suffering you put him through. He couldn’t wake up another morning without you next to him, begging him to sleep in a bit longer and asking him to hold you tighter. He couldn’t spend another night watching you laugh and smile and be the most beautiful, enchanting thing in the world and not call you his. You were his, not through ownership but through love.

“Alright! Damn it, woman, you’re so intimidating.” Your smile returned.

“I love you,” he sighed. It wasn’t as dramatic as either of you had pictured. He said it like he was simply reminding you.

“I love you, Y/n. And I have for months. Since I first saw you– since you first started giving me random antique shop gifts and coming into my office at the most inconvenient times and filling it up with smoke. I can’t look at the color red and not think of you. That’s my color, damn it! And yet– I see red and think of the brand of cigarettes you like and the lipstick you wear and the way your laughter sounds and the color of your nail polish. I can’t listen to music and not think of you. I mean- you’ve come on board and turned everything upside down. My men, my violent men, are playing jazz on Thursday nights! Lucky’s new favorite thing to drink is Cosmopolitans and Yasopp is taking daily showers and, christ, Benn’s new nickname is Benny and he likes it! Everything I have reminds me of you. This is basically your ship now. And I love it. I love how you're everywhere. And I- I need you. I want you but it's more than that- I need you.”

He took a deep breath and looked at you for the first time in weeks. You laughed- at him, and grabbed his hand. His cheeks turned bright red and he felt like a teenager again. You squeezed his hand, “F-i-n-a-l-l-y.” He took a moment to sound out your spelling, and smiled somewhat defeatedly. He laid his head down on your shoulder and mumbled into you, “Was it obvious?”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned your head against his. It was refreshing to touch him without it being strange or feeling unnatural. To just hold one another and understand that that was all it was– a touch. That before either of you said anything and broke this mundane, normal silence everything was perfect. There was no room for mistake or anxiety or insecurity. There was just the mass of red hair on your shoulder ticking your neck and your arms wrapped around his. But you figured he’d suffered long enough.

“Very,” you said, answering his question, “There’re a bunch of betting pools regarding when, and if, you’ll confess. Though you don’t make a great effort to hide it. Looks like Benny’s gonna make some cash tonight.”

He shot up, somewhat offended, “I do hide it! I’ve kept my distance from you and treated you like everyone else.”

You laughed and sat him down on the bin next to you, “No, you haven’t. I’m your favorite. And though you have been avoiding me, when you’re around me your face is pink and you lose all that playboy gusto you think the ladies like. Plus you have those magazines lying around. It flatters me how much I resemble some of those models.”

His mouth fell open at this, realizing he had left it wide out in the open. You smiled at this, but said nothing. It was quiet out again– everyone had gone to bed early, tired from the day’s commotion, an unexpected change of pace from the typical mundane life of a pirate at sea that normally consisted of chores upon chores upon chores. The sea was calm tonight, almost eerily so. You rested your head against Shank’s shoulder and closed your eyes, it was quiet again. You could tell he was itching for a response. You smiled, enjoying the effect you had on him.

“I love you, too.”

You felt Shanks tense and opened your eyes, turning to look at him. He had a stupidly large smile plastered on his face. He was so damn handsome. His hand slid up your back and came to rest on your neck. He gently pushed your face toward his, a smile creeping up your lips, and tested the waters. You closed the gap, closing your eyes as you kissed your captain, shifting forward and finding your way onto his lap. Your arms wrapped tightly around his neck and you could feel him smiling against your lips. Shanks broke the kiss, pulling away after giving you a few more pecks.

His arm sank down to wrap around your waist and pull you in even tighter. He rested his forehead against yours and looked down at your lips, plump from the kissing.

“You’re mine,” he said.

“Yours.”

He sighed, relief flooding his body. You rubbed his neck, "Guess I wasn't as obvious as you, hm?" He laughed and squeezed your hand, "No. God, I was terrified. What an awful feeling."

You smiled. You were getting tired, and your arm was throbbing. "Wanna come with me to see Hongo? I think my arm should get re-wrapped." He nodded, standing up. You walked toward the infirmary, while Shanks stood back for a moment. Waiting awkwardly.

"Shanks?"

His name had never sounded so lovely. He was worried, "Should we tell people yet? The crew- I mean."

You laughed, and kept walking, "I think they'll figure out on their own. After all, I suspect that I'll be greeting them tomorrow morning with your shirt on."

He watched you walk on ahead a bit more before following after you, scooping you up in his arm and pressing kisses to your face. Shanks dropped you off outside of Hongo's door, letting you go in on your own. 'I want tonight to be just us,' you'd explained. Word does travel quickly on a ship. He waited outside the door, listening to you and Hongo talk while he rebandaged your arm. His chest felt warm and full, not with the previous tightness he'd experienced but full with satisfaction.

A familiar ebbing flow of egoism spread through his body. It was nice to be reminded of who he was. An emperor of the sea with one of the highest bounties of all time. A man feared and respected across the world. Wanted by the world government and untouchable to anyone. Almost anyone. Your voice bubbled up over the sound of his thoughts for a moment. His confidence had quickly reinstated itself.

After all, Shanks was a man who always got what he wanted.

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thankskenpenders · 9 months ago

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The Knuckles show

The announcement of a live action Knuckles streaming miniseries was surprising, to say the least. I mean, what would such a show even be about in a version of the Sonic universe with no Angel Island and barely any characters from the games around? Is he gonna go treasure hunting with the gang from Montana or something? Would a streaming miniseries have the CGI budget to squeeze in any new game characters, even briefly? Rouge? Amy? At least one member of Team Chaotix? Anyone?

Now the show is finally out, and it turns out what they actually made was a comedy show about bumbling deputy sheriff Wade Whipple, the minor comic relief character played by Adam Pally who you might not even remember all that well from the first two movies, with Knuckles as his sidekick. While, yes, Knuckles does get a decent amount of screentime and opportunities to punch bad guys and do cool moves from the games, large stretches of this show focus on Wade's personal life, to the point that a couple times I almost forgot I was watching a Sonic-related show. If you're judging it purely by the metric of how well it adapts and engages with its source material, this surely must be one of the worst adaptations the Sonic franchise has ever seen.

So then, despite some huge complaints... why do I kinda like it?

(This will contain full spoilers for the Knuckles show.)

A brief summary of what the show is actually about because I know half of you aren't going to watch it

The show picks up not too long after the end of the second movie. Knuckles is now living in Montana with Sonic, Tails, and the Wachowskis out of a sense of debt to them, though he doesn't really see it as his home. He doesn't feel like he belongs on Earth, and his life currently lacks direction. After communing with the ghost of Pachacamac, though, Knuckles is instructed to keep his culture alive by teaching "the ways of the echidna warrior" to a new apprentice: deputy sheriff Wade Whipple, who's currently more concerned about winning a bowling tournament in Reno than anything else.

Things are complicated by the interference of two rogue GUN agents - Agent Willoughby, played by Ellie Taylor in a bad wig, and Agent Mason, played by Kid Cudi. (Yes, the artist behind the second movie's credits song is one of the bad guys in this.) They want to steal Knuckles' power and sell it to a former associate of Robotnik's played by Rory McCann (The Hound from Game of Thrones), who now works as a black market arms dealer. Yes, they're still doing the thing where Sonic and friends' quills radiate some kind of super-energy that the bad guys all want. No, I don't particularly love this element of the Paramount Sonic continuity. Anyway, they go after Knuckles and Wade, complicating their straightforward road trip to Reno. Antics ensue.

The Wade show

So here's the thing. While the first episode focuses largely on Knuckles, the entire rest of the show is very much the story of Wade, and by extension the other original human characters invented for this miniseries.

Episode 2 is about Wade having to rescue Knuckles from captivity after the GUN agents get him. Knuckles spends most of the episode in a cage.

Episode 3 is about introducing Wade's Jewish family, including his slightly overbearing mother and weird sister, so that Knuckles can learn about their family traditions and have Shabbat dinner with them (and then save them from bounty hunters that the GUN agents hired).

Episode 4 only features Knuckles at the very beginning and very end of the episode, probably for less than a minute total. Wade is captured by a bounty hunter he personally knows, and Knuckles decides to let that be a trial for Wade to overcome on his own.

The last two episodes feature the climactic showdowns with the GUN agents and their arms-dealing ally, who comes in with a mech for the obligatory final boss fight. You'd think this would be Knuckles' time to shine, but really, these episodes are mostly about the bowling tournament in Reno where Wade encounters his estranged father, wrapping up his own personal arc. While Knuckles does get some fights, a lot of the finale is spent on lengthy bowling scenes where Knuckles isn't in the room or even mentioned. It frequently feels more like a spiritual successor to '00s sports comedy movies like Dodgeball, Talladega Nights, or Blades of Glory than it does a part of the Sonic franchise, and the presence of ESPN 8: The Ocho commentary in the finale only drives those Dodgeball comparisons home. They get so immersed in the bowling stuff that it's genuinely hilarious when the show suddenly pivots and remembers "oh shit we still need to do the final boss fight"

Throughout all this, Wade is the protagonist. He's the character we spend more time with, he's the character who drives most of the major events, he's the character who gets more of an arc. The emotional core is Wade's journey. Knuckles is still present - sometimes, at least - but he's there as Wade's wingman, and also just as the excuse for there to be some fight scenes.

How much Sonic stuff is actually in this show?

Honestly? Not much.

Sonic and Tails are only in the first episode. Sonic gets some good scenes, but Tails gets a grand total of five lines. I counted. Unsurprisingly, Jim Carrey is absent as Robotnik, though he does get mentioned a fair bit. (For that matter, basically the entire established human cast beyond Wade is absent, even including Tom, though Maddie is there in episode one.)

GUN is involved in the story, which helps it feel slightly more connected to Sonic, but it kind of feels like it's GUN in name only. They don't use any recognizable GUN tech, and they don't call in the military. It's just two agents in suits. They might as well be the Men in Black.

The Master Emerald is mentioned as something Knuckles has to guard, but it's never seen. Angel Island is pictured as a drawing during the show's intro, appearing exactly how it does in Sonic 3, but it's never referenced at all beyond that.

I guess the climax taking place in and around a Reno casino is a reference to Sonic's many casino-themed levels. That's something. I'll give them that.

Oh, and if you're wondering if this is the point where we finally start to get actual music from the games: no, it's not. The soundtrack consists of a lot of '80s needle drops, many of which are generic Hollywood picks like "Holding Out for a Hero" for the billionth time, thought it at least has some slightly less obvious picks than the Mario movie. The theme song is '80s rock song "The Warrior" by Scandal. You'll hear it many times. You'll hear the Adventure era Knuckles raps zero times in this. You'll briefly hear classic A Tribe Called Quest song "Can I Kick It?" before Knuckles takes the question too literally and breaks the radio in Wade's car.

Beyond a handful of surface level references for nerds (one of which is admittedly wild - we'll get to that), this is probably the least an officially licensed adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog has ever tried to actually engage with its source material. I struggle to think of another Sonic adaptation that has less to do with Sonic. For as much shit as I and countless others have given Penders for seemingly ignoring the content of the games in favor of building his own convoluted mythos, his Knuckles comics honestly included way more elements from the games than this show does.

Somehow, the one new(-ish) Sonic character introduced in this is the ghost of Pachacamac of all characters. Not even Tikal! Pachacamac! A very minor character nobody has particularly strong feelings about! You can't even use the excuse that they already had the character model, because they completely redesigned him compared to his cameo in the first movie to better match his Sonic Adventure design. And he's voiced by Christopher Lloyd! Honestly, so many of his lines are strained that it sounds like he's on death's door here, but then he'll surprise you with a more casual line like "just do it, man" and it catches me so off guard that I can't help but laugh.

Pachacamac here has basically nothing to do with the game character he takes his name and appearance from. Where the game character was a cruel warlord who kicked off a 3000 year cycle of violence, Paramount Pachacamac is now just this chill old man who gives Knuckles (and later Wade) advice in two episodes of the show. Hell, he also feels completely disconnected from his established role in the movies, where he's literally the guy who shot Longclaw. The show will not grapple with this contradiction at all. He's just here to be a thing fans like me will recognize from the games. Again, if that's all they wanted, it's kind of baffling that they didn't just use Tikal.

I don't love Knuckles in this

But what about Knuckles himself? Well, he doesn't feel all that much like Knuckles to me. Ironically, he sometimes feels like one of the weaker elements in his own show.

Back when the second movie came out, I noted that Knuckles' characterization seemed to be pulling heavily from MCU Thor as a gallant warrior from an archaic alien culture who doesn't really understand modern day Earth stuff. That worked for me in that movie. It was just there for spice. Just a little extra flavor for the character in what was otherwise a very faithful adaptation of Knuckles' storyline in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Without those familiar elements grounding him and with a much higher reliance on comedy, Idris Elba's Knuckles becomes a pretty one-note character in this.

In damn near every scene with Knuckles, he's going to say something about being a proud, honorable echidna warrior, or brag about his glorious feats of strength, or be confused about some Earth thing and call it sorcery, or act like every other character is also a member of some noble warrior clan. He still has his moments for sure, but this schtick kinda gets old fast, and it just doesn't feel like Knuckles to me. His entire character feels derived from the scene in the diner where Thor smashes the cup on the ground and goes "Another!" Sure, I can picture game Knuckles smashing a radio to turn it off and being a little too gung-ho about busting holes through walls. That's Knuckles behavior. But building a barbarian combat pit in the living room so the Wachowski family dog can fight the mailman? Nope. That's some other guy now. It really does just feel like them taking a broad character archetype from something popular that kinda sorta fits Knuckles and just running with that, rather than trying to actually adapt the character.

Oh, but don't worry, he wears the OVA hat for like two minutes! AND he loves grapes! See, Sonic nerds? We read the wiki! That's his favorite food! Grapes! This is gonna come up like five times!

Knuckles kind of gets an arc here, but not as much as Wade does. I think the stuff about him starting to feel at home on Earth thanks to Wade's mom and the way he connects with their Jewish family traditions is oddly sweet. This arc is kind of let down, though, by the fact that Knuckles' heritage is treated as a complete joke. He's a cartoonish pastiche of various historical warrior cultures stuck together in a blender and used mostly for comedic effect. When Pachacamac's ghost appears, he's reading a newspaper and bemoaning the fact that the Mets lost again. This is not the place for a serious examination of Knuckles' feelings on being the last of his kind.

This is far from the only time the show undercuts itself with its jokes and attempts at self-parody. In the first episode, for instance, Knuckles clashes with GUN Agent Mason and his tech-enhanced punches, leading to an extremely on-the-nose inversion of the "Do I look like I need your power?" scene showcased in the trailer for the second movie. Except this time, Agent Willoughby butts in and points out how stupid that line is in this new context, since they're literally trying to steal Knuckles' power. The fight can't just be cool, they have to get cute with it. A lot of stuff like that happens in this show.

Given all these complaints, the first two episodes left me thinking I'd be fairly negative on this show overall. This seemed like the version of the show from the fandom's collective nightmares, one that undoes all of the progress the movie series seemed to have been making towards faithfulness to the games. Like, just look at these cast posters. Is this what you want out of Sonic? Do these excite you?

But then, something strange happened. Over time, I just kind of let the jokes and shenanigans wash over me and basked in how fucking weird this show is.

And I started to actually enjoy it.

Look. The Wade & Knuckles Show was never going to be peak Sonic. But that sure as hell doesn't mean it can't be entertaining.

This show is so fucking goofy

Here's the thing.

The show is funny.

Unlike a lot of other people, I didn't hate all the wedding stuff in Hawaii in Sonic 2, because I thought a lot of it was funny, both in its actual jokes and in the ways in which they tied everything back to Sonic. Tom looking wistfully at some bodybuilders doing Top Gun shit and spraying each other with beer and being like "I wish Sonic had that" is weirdly funny. The twist that those muscle bros are all agents of the newly formed GUN, who orchestrated the wedding as an elaborate scheme to catch Sonic, is funny. Mr. Olive Garden becoming the fucking GUN Commander is VERY funny. Are any of these elements of my dream Sonic movie? No, of course not. But my dream Sonic movie was never gonna happen in live action.

The Knuckles show follows up on the comedy of the previous films by being probably the funniest live action Sonic release yet. Did every joke land for me? God no. There are some stinkers in there that made me roll my eyes. But enough of them landed that it worked out for me overall. A big part of this is the fact that they've got a good cast of actors and/or comedians here.

Adam Pally is funny as Wade, and I found myself liking him more and more as a character as the show went on. He becomes an oddly endearing loser, with some sweet moments in his personal arc that made me feel for the guy. I like Wade more than Tom now, thanks to this show. I will now be happier to see Wade in Sonic 3 than I would have been previously.

The supporting cast is frequently great, too, many of whom are playing completely cartoonish, over-the-top characters. They took a cue from how exaggerated Carrey's performance was as Robotnik and decided to just abandon all pretense that this is the real world. Stockard Channing as Wade's mom is funny, and carries some of the more sincere parts of the show. Cary Elwes as Wade's very British dad who abandoned him as a child to run off and be the world's most egotistical professional bowler is funny. Edi Patterson as Wade's sister Wanda is... well, she's kinda trying too hard, but she has her moments. The Mighty Boosh co-creator Julian Barratt(!!) as a scenery-chewing bounty hunter, who was also somehow Wade's former best friend and bowling partner, is VERY funny. I love this guy.

(Honestly, they should let more people who were on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace be in Sonic stuff. Where's Matt Berry)

This is kind of a stacked cast for a bunch of stupid side characters in a live action Knuckles show! And honestly, that just makes it funnier to me. Even when they're not funny, the fact that this exists makes it funny. They somehow convinced Paramount to give them a bunch of money to make a spiritual successor to Dodgeball about a schlubby guy who wants to beat his dad at a bowling tournament... except also Knuckles the fucking Echidna is there as his personal life coach. My life is richer for the fact that I can say that sentence. I think about all the little kids who are probably watching this show this weekend, going in expecting a show about Knuckles the Echidna and having to sit through extensive bowling scenes and lore about Wade's family, and sorry kids, but I just have to laugh. Wade isn't even on the poster! The poster is just a picture of Knuckles!! They punked those kids!!!

In a franchise where every single aspect is so carefully micromanaged these days, it feels truly special to get an adaptation this bonkers. It frequently appeals to the same part of me that enjoys the fact that there's an officially licensed Knuckles comic in which Charmy Bee's best friend (also a bee) dies of an accidental LSD overdose from a drug-laced chili dog. Or like, everything about the original 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie. Or the fact that they made seven direct-to-DVD sequels to Alpha and Omega, one of which is half a retread of the adventure from the first movie (with more annoying supporting characters in tow this time) and half a literal clip show of the first movie. The sheer absurdity of the fact that these things exist is charming to me. Except, with the Knuckles show, it has the added benefit of frequently being funny on purpose! This is why I'm not sure I'd call it "so bad it's good." Like, it's not amazing, but there were a lot of parts that I enjoyed in the exact way I was supposed to enjoy them.

Look. Here's a list of real lines of dialogue from the Sega-approved Knuckles the Echidna streaming show that they're billing as a pillar of the Paramount+ lineup, to drive this point home. Let these marinate for a minute:

"I only eat grapes, and Cool Ranch Doritos™."

"Annihilate this little girl, Wade. Crush her spirit. Humiliate her so badly her parents won't even look at her again." "Doesn't that seem like we're going a bit far?" "Not far enough."

"So is he Jewish?" "Half, I think."

"I had a friend who when he listened to Alien Ant Farm he could lift a Toyota Corolla over his head."

"I'm in dire financial straits. Due to my lawsuit against an unnamed rainforest-themed restaurant franchise, I don't have two pennies to my name."

"We're here in sunny Reno, Nevada, which is so close to Hell you can smell the sparks."

"You can't threaten me with your Jewish karate chops because I am a federal agent."

"I will say, regardless of how you feel about child abandonment - and I'm against it! - the deals at TJ Maxx can't be beat."

This is a Sonic show in which they got Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel to appear as ESPN 8: The Ocho commentators.

This is a show where Wade's mom insists upon pronouncing "Knuckles" with the throaty Hebrew "ch" sound, and declares that Knuckles is basically Jewish. Later, they watch Pretty Woman together while enjoying a nice slice of key lime pie. Knuckles comments: "I don't understand. This young streetwalker with a heart made of gold, why do the others treat her with such disdain? Is it so wrong to walk the streets?"

This is a show where the fourth episode is directed by one of the guys from The Lonely Island and features a hallucinatory low budget rock opera stage musical put on by the ghost of Pachacamac. It recounts Knuckles' life story, with Wade playing Knuckles and the "evil" Longclaw played by the bounty hunter guy who's played by the Mighty Boosh guy.

Look at this.

And also, Knuckles' singing voice is provided by Michael Bolton, which they proudly announce in the middle of the musical.

And also...

Also...???

IBLIS IS IN IT????????????

Yes, Iblis!

From Sonic '06!!

Knuckles is said to have looked for a mythical power called the "Flames of Disaster" to avenge his clan, which ended up being the power that was within him all along that lets him do fire punches yadda yadda yadda. As part of this, he apparently fought Iblis off-screen at some point, as conveyed with the giant singing papier-mâché Iblis in the musical.

...Then Iblis sings about hitting up Facebook Marketplace

How? How does any of this exist? Why reference '06 of all games? How did Iblis get into the live action Sonic movie universe before Amy and Metal Sonic? Why are they using Iblis and the term "Flames of Disaster" in such a goofy way that completely disregards their original context?

I don't know. I don't know how any of this happened. But I love it. We got a Knuckles miniseries in which Michael Bolton sings the phrase "the Flames of Disaster." The world is a beautiful place sometimes.

Some people will tell you to skip episode four. "Knuckles is barely even in it," they say. "It's dumb and pointless," they say. "They clearly just ran out of special effects budget," they say. These are people whose opinions you should disregard. The episode with the least Knuckles in it is somehow the most entertaining episode of the show. I would, in fact, go as far as to say that if you only decide to watch one episode of the Knuckles show to see what goofy bullshit they get up to, it should be this one.

I cannot be mad at this show. It's so dumb, but it completely owns the fact that it's a dumb and unnecessary spinoff. Inferiority is baked into its very DNA. It's very self-consciously redoing the premise of the first movie, but stupider. It's about The Other Cop from the movies, instead of the competent one. Instead of being into a "cooler" sport, his life revolves around professional bowling. Instead of going to Vegas, he goes to Reno. Even his tragic backstory that shaped his entire life sucks. He was abandoned by his pro bowler dad in a TJ Maxx. Not even a nicer department store. A fucking TJ Maxx. This whole show is a Dril tweet.

They put a ton of effort into making it dumb in an occasionally spectacular way. So much effort was put into that joke rock opera that fans will just write off as stupid filler. They put their whole pussies into it. This is not a poorly made show. This has better production values than half the shit made for Disney+. This was made with love. Maybe not as much love for the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games as we'd like, but it's love nonetheless.

Maybe this show broke me and these are the ramblings of a madwoman. Maybe I'm just really nostalgic for the '90s and '00s comedy movies all the Wade stuff is modeled after. Maybe the Alan Wake fan in me just really loves it when a story pivots to a silly rock opera for no real reason. I won't discount any of these possibilities. This isn't high art. This isn't something I would recommend to anyone with zero interest in Sonic, and it also isn't going to sway Sonic fans who hate the Paramount universe. I really can't blame them for being bewildered by this show. But for a specific type of person, this is the absurd three-star Sonic-adjacent comedy miniseries of your dreams. It's a mid masterpiece.

Again, I just have to step back, realize the fact that this shouldn't exist, and smile. Sega's too afraid to do stupid bullshit with the franchise like this these days. And I can't blame them, after years of Sonic being a treated as a laughingstock. But part of me misses some of the goofy shit. No matter how much I tore some of the Archie comics apart as I was reading them for this blog, I just look back on stuff like Cal and Al or the Many Hands issues and laugh. And that same part of me looks at this show about Knuckles being the sidekick to this fucking guy, and just goes...

"We're so back."

In conclusion, I genuinely think this was a more enjoyable TV show than Sonic Prime.

I wouldn't go back and rewatch Sonic Prime anytime soon, aside from maybe, like, a couple of the Shadow-heavy episodes. Huge stretches of that show bored me to tears. The writers squandered all of that show's potential. But I would rewatch the Knuckles show, which takes a terrible premise and has a lot of fun with it, in a heartbeat. Even the bowling parts. The bowling scenes in the Knuckles show are more engaging than 70% of the fights in Sonic Prime. I am not trolling. I mean that sincerely, with all my heart. Don't @ me.

Stray observations

There is effectively zero meaningful setup for the third movie in this, unless Wade's family or the two GUN agents come back or something. Project Shadow is not mentioned in this. There is no secret post-credits scene with Gerald

The CGI in this is pretty good. Not quite on par with the movies, but pretty good. Sonic's weird forehead wrinkles are distracting in his scenes though. Please fix that

I wouldn't say I liked this as much as the second movie, which obviously gets a ton of points for, you know. The Cool Sonic Shit. But I had more fun with it than the first movie, which I still feel is a painfully generic family movie that was only saved by Tyson's redesign

"Grapes are an interesting choice for someone who doesn't use his individual fingers."

Agent Willoughby was apparently the one at GUN who had to buy the Olive Garden gift cards and set up the fake wedding. Her origin story is that she hated doing shit like that and wanted to go fight aliens

This miniseries contains another Keanu namedrop because Wade's childhood bedroom has a Speed poster on the wall. I swear, if Sonic doesn't say Shadow sounds just like Keanu...

Knuckles is familiar with Paul Blart Mall Cop

Near the end the ESPN 8: The Ocho commentators say that the 1974 Reno bowling championship was also interrupted by an extraterrestrial, and given that was exactly 50 years ago I can't write off the possibility that that was Shadow. Please for the love of god give us a sequel series after the third movie where Wade takes Shadow the Hedgehog bowling. I need this more than I need air

#tkp post #other media

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arendelle-archives · 6 days ago

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January 2025 Frozen map bonanza!

That's right, there is more than just in-depth studies of Frozen kingdoms and family trees in the Archive cabinets.

This was my present to the Arendelle Archives discord server for the new year! A quick recap of every large scale map we've seen in the Frozen franchise so far.

Here they are in order of appearance:

1. Frozen - The Troll Map (2013)

A supposedly ancient map that guided the royal family to the Valley of the Living Rock on the night of the accident. In the novel Dangerous Secrets (2020), it was revealed that the map had once belonged to Agnarr's mother Queen Rita. Ironically, later maps have proven this location of the Troll Valley to be incorrect.

2. Frozen Free Fall (2014)

A massive 3d-map assembled from screenshots of the mobile game Frozen Free Fall. Shared by u/DuckOfDuckness on reddit (full quality in the comments). Some of the locations, like the Troll Valley on the middle left, are actually consistent with later maps.

3. Frozen Fever (2015)

The first map that showed us the outline of Arendelle and The Southern Isles. Thanks to this, fans quickly deduced that Hans's home country was based on the Danish island Funen (Fyn). Note: "Nordsoen" (technically Nordsøen) is Danish for the North Sea, the real sea between Scandinavia, Denmark and the British Isles.

4. Frozen: Live at the Hyperion - Arendelle History 101 Queue Video (2015)

The only official map so far to feature Weselton. An expansion of the map from Frozen Fever. Shared by u/ArendelleKnight on reddit (video). Notice how the seemingly small island gets cut off on the left? I suspect Weselton is a bit bigger than what's seen here. Edit by me on the right.

5. Sailing Sisters (2016)

A comic book map I very recently analysed in my Frozen-project covering the kingdom of Vakretta! Arendelle is to the right and Vakretta is to the left. Also, notice how the large island at the top appears to be in the same location as Weselton on the previous map.

6. Forest of Shadows (2019)

The first and only map so far to show actual places of interest in the kingdom. The locations of Oaken's trade post, the Troll Valley as well as the Roaring River are consistent with the Frozen Free Fall-map! A very interesting map overall. Just don't look too close at the misaligned grid compared to the compass. Or the ridiculously wide fjord...

7. Saks Fifth Avenue - Disney’s Frozen II Enchanted Forest Experience Booklet (2019)

A proper little treasure revealed to me by @saiten-gefroren through his Frozen timeline project Annals of Frozen in 2021. Originally posted on Instagram by @imdaaddlepate. Edit by me on the right.

8. Frozen II: Spirits of the Enchanted Forest - Iduna's Map (2019)

A re-imagining of the scene from the movie (even though the book was released before the movie) and actually showed the whole map, including The Southern Isles. In this version, Ahtohallan is a mapped landmass rather than just a sketch! According to what's revealed in Dangerous Secrets, this actually makes sense!

9. Frozen II: Look and Find (2019)

This version of the map also shows Ahtohallan as a mapped landmass.

10. The Art of Frozen II - Arendelle Town Map

Concept art (3D model) for Frozen II by David Womersley. According to the map, this part of the town is called"Arendelle North", suggesting the other (southern) half of the town is called "Arendelle South."

11. Frozen II - Iduna's Map (2019)

The map seen in the movie showing the borders of Arendelle and Northuldra. Rivers are consistent with the map from Forest of Shadows, meaning the Roaring River marks Arendelle's northern border. This map was a breakthrough for analysing Arendelle's location, as it features real coordinates along the "frame". You can find interesting theories about this here, here and here (my own project). Edits by me.

12. Frozen: The Saga - The Legacy of Anna and Elsa - Iduna's Map (2020)

Iduna's map before she hid it in the watertight compartment. Like the movie map, this one is cut off at the bottom and is missing The Southern Isles.

13. The Love Tree (2021)

An adaptation of the map from Frozen Fever. To my knowledge, this is the only other time we've seen this particular map design appear in a comic. What's odd is that (besides using the outdated geography) Kai is pointing out the land across the Arenfjord as if it belongs to Arendelle when the map from Frozen II clearly showed it doesn't. But at least we can credit the artist for getting the compass angle right!

14. Disney Wish - Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure (2022)

A slightly adapted version of the map from Frozen Fever, with "Nordsoen" (North Sea) written in English instead of the original Danish. The "frame" also features added coordinates. Unfortunately, the latitude is off by one degree compared to the map from Frozen II. The third pic was very kindly shared with me on discord by BadAtNamesAndFaces.

15. Tokyo DisneySea: Frozen Kingdom - Royal Banquet of Arendelle (2024)

This is the complete version of Iduna's map from Frozen II. Found in one of the dining halls of the Royal Banquet of Arendelle restaurant. The map once again confirms the borders of Arendelle and Northuldra.

16. Tokyo DisneySea: Frozen Kingdom - Kristoff's Ice Delivery Map (2024)

Many variations of this cartoon-y map have been included in the Frozen Official magazine throughout the years but this is to my knowledge the first time it has appeared "in-universe". Locations and rivers are consistent with previous maps. Note: the "Best ice in Arendelle!"-spot by the North Mountain is actually located outside the kingdom. It seems Kristoff doesn't have the best navigation skills 😁

/Virtual Winter

#frozen #frozen 2 #disney frozen #frozen fandom #arendelle #frozen analysis #frozen lore #frozen books #frozen comics #rozen maps #frozen geography #arendelle archives

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fure-dcmk · 7 months ago

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FINALLY WATCHED THE MOVIE first impression rambling >>>

[MILLION DOLLAR PENTAGRAM SPOILER WARNING]

HEIJI WAS SOOOOO COOL. HANDSOME. TERRIFIC. the first 20 minute is just me losing my mind from all the heiji details

>> heiji and kid bantering about fairy lips in the intro. kid going your fault for not noticing hmmp! <- huh? are you a tsundere heroine

>> HEIJI ORIGINAL DUFFLE BAG!!! CAMEO-ING IN 2024!!!

>> 4 new outfit from heiji that fits him so well... handsome guy

>> a fairy lip redraw. i died

how the hell did heiji brought his bike with him all the way in HOKKAIDO. you can almost way osaka to tokyo is only half of the travel to hokkaido how many day trip would it take to reach that far. also a jp tweet i read once brought to question how a high schooler was able to use the high way. did he brought kazuha with her in this extreme trip? with the excuse that he's going for a kendo tournament... when his bigger agenda is to confess. everything about the bike being there doesn't make sense but i give it a pass for being cool 😁👍

and the heikazu scene.,.. i came there fully expecting to not care at all but they actually made me invested. ran was SOOOO CUTE her excitement directly influenced me to also want to see heiji succeed. heiji asking if the legendary 100 million night view is better than big ben and ran agreeing just to placate him for the sake of her otp 😭

THE STUN GRENADE! the fact that kazuha immediate reaction is to protect heiji ears.... her self sacrificial nature a call back to mermaid island in the most subtle way 🥹🥹🥹 heiji shocked eyes was so cute. and heiji confession speech isnt cringe and is actually cute! shocker! (sorry trauma from heart anniversary lines its so awful im dnfuebdjfjf) devastated such an ideal confession scene was wasted. but its from kazuha trying to save heiji SO FORGIVEN

need to make sure ppl know im a momiji enjoyer. all her faults are forgiven purely cuz she is funny. let a rich girl be delulu !

also loove how they keep cannonizing her keen hearing from m21 THIS IS THE APPEAL OF KAZUHA THEY GET IT

touichi gifting a lost national treasure to his little brother yuusaku for winning the macademy award, as well as keeping in touch with him and gifting various trinkets.... meanwhile keeping his own son completely in the dark that he's alive this entire time...

conclusion 1: worst parent award goes to kuroba touichi 🥳🥳🥳

conclusion 2: ah he's definitely a brocon huh

kills me that everyone is dejected that the katana with the star shaped guard is a lost treasure. meanwhile its quitely sitting in kudo yuusaku's store room cuz his big brother gifted it to him LIKE SDJDJFF!? turning your justice leaning lil bro into an accomplices. the gag potential here is so made for me

shoutout to sonoko who took up haibara's usual information provider role. every scene with her was animated so cutely IM SHOCKED m27 doing excellent job at showing off her cuteness. there is a fun parallel to think about, sonoko was the first person heiji went to to get information on kudo's whereabout, and now heiji is also going to her for information ♥️ heiji-sonoko friendship crumb thank you for the food

this movie really play a lot with the crumbs from kendo school tournament arc. heiji-ran friendship makes me want to cry, ran efficiently karate chopping hijiri to make sure theres no distractions for heikazu 🥺😭 ive been convinced on okita's cuteness the past 3 month cuz if the okita fanart boom in my corner of jp twitter but watching it for myself... he really have it bad for heiji LMAO wdym "it's boring if hattori ain't here~" how much did you say this for kaitou kid to catch that its a good trait for an okita disguise. im glad this movie give a good balance of real okita and fake okita, m10 still makes me so sad for having ZERO real hakuba 🥲 kid's dosu e~ is so moeblob

ah i still got so many word vomit on this movie it seems to be never ending 😭😭

my final review of the movie is this is my no 1 fav conan movie of all time, 2nd place is bride of halloween. i still havent rank anything below that properly. im truly entertained by this movie it got so many characters i care about with a lot of bombastic scenes. as much as i want to say my ultimate fav is m7 and m21, both of them are kinda... slow with all the deduction talk. im here for eye candy after all 😔 mixing kid's energy is doing wonders for the tone of a heiji movie. heiji's presence is also doing wonders for KID as well cuz gosh!!! KID has never emit this much childlike moe blob energy. heiji and conan being the straight man to kid's prank is the dynamic really help to emphasize his whimsical energy

and the final theme i caught; parallelism where hijiri is willing to do anything to protect his father's legacy only for us to find that its all for naught.... now why does this sound familiar 🤔🤔🤔

rewatching the movie tomorrow so ill probably do another ramble on it

#m27 spoilers #million dollar pentagram #100万ドルの五稜星 #personal

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theyoungeragrippina · 1 year ago

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🫶🏻 15 gentlebeard/blackbonnet fic recs

(17 if you squint)

hey legends, in this bittersweet period where a lot of a us are feeling gutted but simultaneously, rebelliously hopeful, i've emerged from my reading den to showcase to you all some of the brilliant talent we have in this fandom! these fics are some of the best of the best, and i hope you love them just as much as i do! <3

they are all complete, do not feature any ongoing steddyhands/edizzy/stizzy, and are above 20k words.

peruse part 1, part 2, and part 3 at your leisure if you want to compare our tastes/devour more fine literature, or check out my masterlist as an ao3 collection.

adrift between the dreaming seas by @dandy-pirate-time

49k, mature, locked

stede lives a cursed life on a moving island, until the monotony of his days is suddenly interrupted by the fearsome kraken.

this was such a fascinating & incredible idea! i love how it manipulates aspects of the original story and transforms them into parts of the cursed island <3 sweet & unique & magical. i want to hug poor stede.

Five Birthdays and a Funeral by @bizarrelittlemew

58k, explicit

"When Ed and Stede's friend groups merge, they meet at a birthday party, and Stede's life is turned upside-down. As they collide again and again, he not only has to figure out what Ed means to him, but what he means to himself."

stede gets to be oblivious and a bit of a silly goose as a treat. also: treasure hunts, lucius is the best, ed has a cat whom i would die for, such a sweet & heartfelt fic. you will be so unbelievably fond of this version of every character.

The Ghost of Frigate Point Lighthouse by @piratecaptainscaptainpirates

53k, explicit

"When history professor Stede Bonnet goes to investigate rumors of a ghost haunting the local lighthouse, he's thrust into a mystery centered around the ghost of one of the most famous pirates of all time."

was SO eager to read this and it did not disappoint!! it has everything - fun, magic, mystery, tired TA lucius, and a lil bit of seduction. good enough that i am worried the author may actually just be a sea witch recollecting events he personally witnessed.

Haunted by @thepirateroo

60k, explicit

"The Kraken is a famous spiritualist, working the music halls of 1920s London to help families communicate with their dead. But Stede Bonnet knows that underneath the fame and illustrious title, Edward Teach works as a ghost hunter, debunking the spirits he makes his living off."

this is, genuinely, in the top 5 fanfics i have read for any fandom EVER. i wouldn't bat an eyelid if i read this exact work as a published novel in a bookstore. the mystery is so good and had me guessing and re-theorising constantly, the characterisation is brilliant, and the emotions are perfect. i cried, i laughed, i felt sick with worry for the characters, and i couldn't stop reading until i was done.

haunt me, then by @hyruling

28k, explicit

"He releases the ropes slowly, barely registering the burn as they slip through his fingers. Then, fallible as Orpheus, turns to meet his ghost."

post s1 fixit fics ily. everyone needs some therapy. really VERY well written and a joy to read.

Homeward Bound by mari_who

51k, explicit

"In the long-ago year 2000, bouncy blonde boy-band member Stede Bonnet is 17-year-old Edward Teach's gay awakening. Decades later, Ed hears a voice he could never forget."

i said 'ohhh no poor ed/stede' so many times while reading this. a lovely exploration of emotion and human connection, and finding yourself when everyone else has always defined who you are on your behalf.

I just need some air by @cuddlytogas

26k, teen

"Stede Bonnet's been having panic attacks for almost as long as he can remember, suffocated by pressure and expectation... When [he] finally takes his life back — divorces Mary, moves to Melbourne, starts his own event management business — things get better, but he's still no good at parties. He still needs some air, even at the very events he's brought to fruition. Meanwhile, Edward Teach, renowned chef and owner of Blackbeard's Catering, is wondering why the newest bigwig in events still hasn't hired him."

zoomed through this faster than lightning mcqueen. such a lovely writing of stede, ed and the whole crew - it feels like there's depth in every character, even background ocs.

also fantastic australia rep (i was jumpscared by mention of the cotton on group) AND i've been to the bar the final scene takes place at!!!! most exciting reading experience of my life.

i'll be your treasure by @monksofthescrew

48k, mature

"Wasn't the Dread Pirate Blackbeard rumored to have a hoard hidden somewhere near Essex? It's a metal detecting AU. They're detectorists. They fall in love."

i LOVE this fic so much it is just,,,, so sweet. stede does self-discovery and is seduced. ed is a bit of a goose and i'm obsessed with him. doug and mary are lovely. alma is so cool and i love her.

+ the sequel! drift o'er the rolling hills, swim through the briny sea (made me cry. btw. doug keeps being the best.)

The Kraken's Sacrifice by @trinityofone

22k, explicit

"Every year, a person is chosen—supposedly at random—to be sacrificed to the Kraken, to quell the sea's worst storms and to stop the taking of ships... Stede discovers that there is much more to the creature than he was led to believe—and that they have a deeper connection than he could have ever dreamed."

i LOVED this okay. it was funny and sweet and gave an interesting spin to the ed-is-the-kraken genre. get both of these boys some self-esteem asap. also comes with art by @avatoh!!!!!

lovers in a dangerous time by @veeagainsttheday

52k, explicit

pacific rim au - "Edward Teach becomes a jaeger pilot, first with Izzy Hands and later with Stede Bonnet. It’s not easy trying to save the world and falling in love with your drift partner…"

made me feel every emotion under the sun, including foaming at the mouth jealous that i don't have a drift partner. absolutely, masterfully written. i've popped this link first since its the fic that focuses on stede & ed, but it was written as a prequel for:

+ catagory five: a shatterdome romance by @owlinaminor (27k, mature), which focuses predominantly on jim & oluwande, and which i also massively recommend reading (first). it's told through lucius' words and made up of journalistic notes and transcriptions, and its really terribly clever. i knew nothing about pacific rim before this, and now i'm really very invested. if i wrote something this fantastic (& creative & wildly unique) i would never shut up about it.

More of the Gravy Basket than of the Grave by @veeagainsttheday

36k, explicit

"Ed and Stede’s ‘unorthodox friendship’ ended four months ago when Stede left Ed without a word after Ed asked him to run away to a parallel universe with him. They’re thrown back together when they’re summoned to perform a supernatural exorcism at the Hillside Hotel during a blizzard."

this has got to be one of the coolest and most creative fics i have ever had the pleasure of reading. genuinely kept me guessing and so so intrigued, PLUS the most sweet stede & ed dynamic!!!

Nothing Missing in My Life by @semisweetshadow

63k, explicit, locked

"Hollywood action star Ed Teach is bored with his celebrity life. Everything changes when he meets Stede, a sweet extra working on the set of his latest film shoot. Stede doesn't know who Ed really is and treats him like a real person and Ed can't help wanting to keep him."

ed plays an action hero called jeff the accountant, and if that's not immediately the greatest synopsis ever idk how else to win you over. hilarious, clever, & so heartfelt. i gasped and said 'oh no' with a hand over my heart nearly as many times as i laughed out loud.

not pickles by smallestchurch

84k, explicit

"Ed's minding his business when the new neighbor's kid comes around holding a human puppet. It's creepy as hell, but as soon as the kid's father rounds the corner, Ed doesn't mind."

i actually feel a bit ill when i think about this fic because i love it so overwhelmingly. there's family, and healing, and good food and friends, and ed teach and louis bonnet become the dynamic duo they always had the potential to be.

Our Fangs Mean Death by @flawedamythyst

87k, teen, locked

"Master Vampire Blackbeard's afterlife is enlivened by the arrival of a new coven in town, lead by the self-styled Gentleman Vampire. Now here's a Master who doesn't mind shaking things up by wearing clothes 300 years out of date, buying a massive gothic mansion for a lair, and leading the most eclectic coven Blackbeard has ever seen."

ridiculously fun. this is the vampire novel/fic i didn't know i needed and i loved every silly second. stede really gets to fulfil his dad-ness. i'm furious i can't join the gentleman vampires coven irl, will just need to embrace the gothic vampire aesthetic in my own life.

Wayfaring by @justkeeptrekkin

35k, explicit

"The downside to being stuck on a desert island is that Stede's not awfully good at adapting. The upside is that he and Ed can finally have some peace and quiet– that is, if Ed ever wakes up from the gunshot wound in his stomach."

the sweetest desert island fic, feat. the cutest piglet in the world, a little bit of pining, a helpful skeleton named dusty, and some of the best & most accurately written stede and ed content ever (imo).

#really cannot emphasise how brilliant every one of these fics is #they are all worth 100 million kudos and eternal love #please lmk if i have mistagged anyone or not tagged u!!!#or lmk if u have any favourites or other recs #i would love to talk more about any one of these #ofmd #our flag means death #renew as a crew #save ofmd #ofmd fic recs #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #blackbonnet fic recs #gentlebeard fic recs

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robin-evry · 4 months ago

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Maybe you could do Dungeon Meshi with Eda like reader? With all curse and rebellion stuff? Though, I do feel like they would hide their curse due to all shame they felt and when they tell the truth they would tell everyone that they "would understand if they want to leave them behind"

OMG, finally a dungeon meshi request. Ask and you shall receive, this eda is before eda makes peace with the owl beast.

𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐃𝐀!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 🦉🪄

Eda is known as the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. But due to her rebellious nature, she is pretty much an outcast/criminal who has a great number of enemies. Eda makes a living selling human treasures at the markets, and sometimes homemade elixirs and potions. She also happens to be a collector, as she keeps most of her human treasures at home.

( English is not my first language)

The island holds many interesting and powerful individuals. But there was always an elf sorcerer that had usually been talked about around the island.

The elf sorcerer is known for being one of the most powerful mages in the island as well the number one most wanted criminal there.

Even tho eda!reader is a merchant, they travel towards the dungeon for their free time, collecting ancient scrolls to find a cure for their curse, sell or to collect They are able to decipher the ancient text in the dungeon.

During one of these expeditions they met laois party, the party ambushed by a party of monsters and eda!reader save them. As a thank you they offer them some food from the monster

Originally eda!reader was weirded out by this food, but they started to enjoy it.

Eda!reader is also a user of ancient magic much more proficient than marcille, due to exploring the dungeon they manage to enhance their proficient in the magic.

They often give marcille some advice on ancient magic and how to get away with it, hiding the evidence.

Chilchuck originally doesn't trust eda!reader, due to some rumors heard about them, I mean they're the island number one criminal and are hanging out and what if they continue hanging out with them to steal their stuff and leave them stranded.

Even tho most characters look down on Laois, eda!reader can see right through him. Even tho he looks like an idiot as well a weak warrior. Laois is not someone that should be looked down upon. He's very powerful and they respect him for that.

They usually discuss monsters with him and are surprised at his knowledge about them, as well as learning about his sister. Eda!reader said they will try their best to help them if they do have a time of need or they will assist them in their journey as much as they can.

Senshi is by far one of the chilliest people that they ever come across usually people would warn others if they come across them or they will try to arrest them to get the bounty under their head, but no he's just talking to them as if they are just a normal person.

Marcille and chilchuck are by far the most worried about eda!yuu at the beginning, they are a criminal and at the mean time both of them started to warm up to them but never let their guard down.

As for izutsumi, they see eda!reader slyness is not a reason to trust them as well for their sarcastic humor. But there are still some moments of vulnerable moments between. Izutsumi is by far the first person to know about their curse.

By far they keep the secret of their curse hidden from the party. Until one day and they forgot to drink the elixir medicine and turn into their owl beast form.

Originally, the party was unaware about this and was fighting the monster, izutsumi realized that the monster has the same scent as them and asked the team to stop attacking and retreat for sometime.

She explained that the monster was them and they needed to find a way to wake them up. After a lot of brain scrolling they managed to turn eda!reader back to normal.

When they woke up, they thought laois or the party would be disappointed by them. But instead Laois looked at them with admiration saying how cool their beast form was. While the other party doesn't mind as long they are okay and they took their elixir medicine dayle

By seeing this they manage to give an idea towards the party how to save fallin. And Soon eda!reader will start to join their journey more often.

#dungeon meshi headcanon #dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi x reader #delicious in dungeon #not canon #eda the owl lady #eda clawthorne #owl house #eda!reader

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sunsetconcert · 10 months ago

Text

In 1994, the Muppets made one of their most bizarre films to date.

An adaptation of Goncharov, a cult classic that languished in obscurity until the 2020s. While the film was referred to internally and in public reviews of the film as "The Muppets of Naples", the actual marketing of the movie instead titled it after its main lead: "Gonzorov". This was one of many enigmatic choices made by the production crew, and has never been elaborated on by the cast or crew. The film was a gigantic flop for multiple reasons, but most agree that the source of the troubles stems from the nature of Goncharov as a tragedy and a generally depressing movie to watch.

Reportedly, conflicts among the writing staff began almost immediately due to being unable to decide on which cut of Goncharov to base the film on. Eventually, however, director Brian Henson put his foot down and forced the writers to adapt the Ambrosini Cut. Generally agreed to be a less depressing movie than the Morelli Cut, it was expected that "Gonzorov" should have been a much more entertaining and narratively adept movie than it was. As the Muppets proved just two years later in "Muppet Treasure Island", they are very capable of handling otherwise dramatic material with aplomb. This leaves the question of why this movie was such a flop.

To quote Kermit the Frog during the interviews after the cinema debut, the movie was allegedly emotionally draining for the crew to adapt. "You know, we have a script. Mostly. But we do a lot of improv too. I'd wager it's about 60% script, 40% improv on a good day of filming. But, uh… We just weren't feeling it with this one, you know? We watched the original, and… Boy, it's really sad. Goncharov's just kind of a lonely guy trying to make himself a life. And it's not a good life, but it's his to own, and it ultimately kinda falls apart. Gonzo tried to make the role his own, but I think we all realised that we couldn't really make a joke out of the movie in the way that we wanted to."

The Muppets were skillful enough to change the genre to an absurdist tragicomedy, a film where the tragic and meaningless cycle of violence is paradoxically played for laughter. However, despite this, the film is well-known for its bizarrely melancholy air and almost hopeless atmosphere. Everybody seems thoroughly certain that their improv will have little to no impact on the film as a whole, creating a strange and compelling meta-narrative where not even the actors themselves can escape the almost gravitational pull of the ticking clock. Their characters will die, and any attempts to joke their way out of it comes off as desperate, almost deluded in a sense.

The original Goncharov held a deep fascination with inevitability. Clocks are the primary theme, though it appears in other forms. It is this same inevitability that strangles the Muppets, their impressive comedic skills held captive by their own belief that the narrative is inescapable.

Of particular note is the bridge scene, wherein Gonzorov and Katya (played by the dazzling Miss Piggy) discuss the slow collapse of the Italian mafia. The original Goncharov scene had Goncharov desperately trying to hold things together, even as they slipped through his fingers, but here… Gonzorov realises that it's pointless. He can't fix it, but at the same time he can't let it go. He begs Katya to shoot him. Cut to the chase. She's going to shoot him anyway, that's how the movie ends, right? Might as well go out on his own terms. But this horrifies Katya, and she throws her gun away, accidentally saving Gonzorov in the process.

This adds a new layer to the themes of inevitability that Goncharov is wrapped up in, and it's this: Inevitability goes both ways. You're going to die, but only when you're meant to. You don't get lucky. You don't have accidents. Inevitability is a ticking clock, but that countdown is a safety net. As long as you can still hear that clock ticking down, it means you've stitll got time to burn. When a bomb is counting down, just five minutes until it detonates, you do everything you can to buy yourself more time on the clock. Even if all your effort only gains you an extra second, that's what you have to do, right? A single second is worth the blood of innocent men.

But again, inevitability. That second you earned cost you minutes, cost hours days weeks months years. The clock WILL run out.

[read more]

#goncharov #the muppets #the muppets of naples #unreality

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gotskamstuff · 2 months ago

Text

The downfall of the show began when they started moving the treasure hunt all over the world for treasures that came out of nowhere and had no real emotional value for the Pogues.

The series is literally called “Outer Banks” and it started with them going on this journey because it was all related to the history of their island and their own families past, families that were all intertwined with one another and stories that perfectly blended into one another, the Royal Merchant that was John B’s father entire life work that led to the Cross being Pope’s family heirloom and who’s ancestors were attached to the Cameron’s land. S2 finale was the last piece of the real Outer Banks with the treasures being connected to one another and to the original quest that started everything, after that it was all random and detached from the Pogues.

El Dorado was incredibly random and felt just thrown out there with a one season villain no one had any correlation with just to make them rich in the end. Even S4 with JJ’s story and the Genrettes connection to the blue crown was so sterile and lacked sentiment since it came out of nowhere, had no correlation to the rest of the story before and it was about a family that although blood JJ nor the audience had any connection with and it still took them far from their homeland with nothing to do with Kildare, something incredibly underwhelming since season 4 was promoted to be a “going back to season one vibes” and promoted to be centered around Blackbeard and therefore a portion of the North Carolina history.

S1 and S2 were the real Outer Banks with the two treasures being connected to each other and with very defined backstories that gradually got unveiled and made us discover a little more about Kildare and the Pogues families, with villains like Ward that had a relationship with the Pogues and motives against them and remained the villain throughout the seasons building a story gradually with depth and giving us purpose to keep following and rooting for the protagonists.

Outer Banks isn’t even about the Outer Banks anymore, it should be renamed “Whatever place in the world holds the next treasure”.

We got initially so attached to it ‘cause it started as a very personal story about the main characters, their roots and their hometown, but it ended up being Indiana Jones adventures around the world just for the sake of actions, the heart of the show got lost into meaningless adventures written with clear confusion and hurry just for the sake of getting renewed by the network.

They didn’t need 4 seasons and they simply should’ve NEVER made season 3 about El Dorado, Ward should’ve died on the Costal Venture and Big John should’ve stayed dead (since all they did in S3 was just be back to do nothing and get killed again) and they should’ve found a way to connect JJ’s roots with Blackbird to the rest of the main story about the Royal Merchant and the Cross ending with them finally getting rich for discovering the history of Kildare and becoming the owners of Goat Island where they built Poguelandia 2.0 (basically S3 finale and the beginning of 4x01 merged together as the series finale).

Three seasons for the three boys born in the Cut discovering the hidden history of their families past on their island would’ve been enough and would’ve made much more sense following a common theme . At a certain point they started doing TOO MUCH when we had actually fell in love with the simplicity and genuine nature of the story.

Outer Banks should’ve never made it out of the Outer Banks and a well written trilogy would’ve been enough.

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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 2 months ago

Text

His Dream - Francis Drake

(Their Heartwarming Private Life)

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

On a night after a busy day...

As soon as Drake got into bed, drowsiness overwhelmed him.

Drake: "Zzz."

In his dream...

Guided by the "X" mark on an old map, Drake and his crew pressed on with their adventure.

Drake: "Alright, lads! Are you ready to find the treasure?"

Crew: "Yeah!"

Watching his crew raise their fists triumphantly into the air, Drake couldn't help but feel sentimental.

(We finally made it to the island we've been searching for. It's been a long journey.)

He closed his eyes, and memories of their grand adventures came rushing back.

------------Flashback-----------

On one island...

Crew Member 1: "C-Captain! I can't run anymore!"

Drake: "You fool! If you stop, we're all gonna get squished!"

They were being chased by a massive boulder rolling down a slope.

On another island...

Crew Member 2: "C-Captain! I can't stay still any longer!"

Drake: "You idiot! The more you struggle, the faster you sink!"

They were stuck in a bottomless swamp, desperately trying to escape.

On yet another island...

Crew Member 3: "C-Captain! I can't walk anymore!"

Drake: "You moron! If you stop, the whole crew will get stuck behind you!"

They were crossing a shaky suspension bridge that looked like it could snap at any second.

---------Flashback Ends--------

(There was also that time when our mine cart derailed and sent us flying or when hungry sharks surrounded our tiny boat.)

(But in the end, it was all worth it.)

The crew finally landed on the island marked on the map and discovered the long-sought treasure.

Drake: "Well done, lads! Let's load it onto the ship!"

Crew: "Aye-aye, Captain!"

The crew tirelessly hauled heaps of gold and silver onto the ship.

But after a while…

Crew Member 1: "Captain! We have a problem! The ship is sinking!"

Drake: "What!? Why!?"

Crew Member 2: "The treasure's too heavy. It punched a hole through the bottom!"

Drake: "You've got to be kidding me!"

As their efforts seemed about to go to waste, Drake clutched his head in frustration.

Drake: "Wait a second. Does that mean...?"

At that moment, the ship tilted dramatically.

Crew Members: "C-Captain!!"

With loud gurgling sounds, the ship began to sink, sending the crew into a panic.

Drake: "Everyone, jump into the se—OUCH!"

He shouted as he tumbled out of bed with a loud thud, waking up from his chaotic dream.

Drake: "It was just a dream, huh? Even in my dreams, the treasure's hard to get."

Drake: "But it was pretty fun, so I guess it’s fine."

His current life wasn't so bad after all.

But sometimes, longing for adventure, he found himself dreaming of setting sail across the vast ocean once more.

Part 1 ╎ Part 2 ╎ Part 3

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp translations #ikevamp jp #ikevamp #ikevamp drake #francis drake #cybird

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nishayuro · 1 year ago

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Saw that you were asking for Stanley x reader requests because I need to see more of him.

So you know how Xeno is Senku’s mentor? What if Stanley was our Mentor? He mentored us similar to Senku before the Stone Age and now we’re with the kingdom of science.

Dr.Stone Stanley Snyder as your Mentor

A/N: YESSSS MY LOVE STANLEYYY

Genre: Fluff / small Angst (its dr.stone new america city, its gonna have some angst lmao)

GN!Reader.

Also, This will be Platonic, let me know if you want a more romantic approach lmao

You’re originally from America and back in the old world, in your teenage years, you were a regular at a local shooting range near your school. You were very interested in the art of shooting a gun, so much so that you’re also a great FPS player. But you prefer the real deal.

One time, a competition was being held at your local shooting range, so naturally you signed up.

Your skills astounded everyone, even those who were older than you.

You naturally won the competition, and decided to stay back to get some more shots in.

That's when a guy with blonde hair stood next to you and shot all the targets with a bullseye before you could even blink.

You were shocked, and you looked up at the man

“Wha-” you stammered, impressed by this man’s marksmanship. You stared at him in awe, “I watched your game, you’re quite the natural” The man complimented, facing towards you. ‘Oh damn, he’s pretty’ you thought, “oh.. Uhm… Thanks, it's a hobby, I guess” you answered.

“Is that so…” He trails off, “Were you the one who shot those bullseyes in a flash? How’d you do it?!” you asked excitedly, getting over your shyness. “I’m in the US Military.” He answered, shocking you. A military officer just complimented your skills? “Wait, really? That’s so cool! Thank you for serving our country!” You exclaimed.

“I’m Stanley by the way, Stanley Snyder” He introduced, “I’m Y/N L/N, nice to meet you!” you replied. “I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but honestly, why not? Hey, want me to show you a few tips and tricks? You’ve got skills, it'd be a shame to not see them prosper.” He offered, making your eyes wide. You nod aggressively with a smile.

Whenever he had free time, he’d meet you at the range. Sometimes, he’d take you hunting or to paintball to test your improvement. He’s taught you about different guns, about how to properly feel for where the bullet will go by knowing how the wind affects it and all that other stuff. Since then, you’ve joined lots of tournaments and won.

Unfortunately, your family had to move to Japan, and Stanley was being deployed on a mission, so your time together was up for the meantime, however, you made him promise to you that he’d keep in contact whenever he can, and he agreed.

Fast forward to Japan where you met Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha when you transferred to their school. Taiju recognized you as the famous junior marksman. You easily fit right into their small friend group.

The day of the petrification, you were in the science lab along with Senku, just playing a shooting game on your phone after Taiju barged in and did the whole Yuzuriha confession spiel, and that's when you noticed the green light.

You were revived by Tsukasa, after Minami said that your marksmanship can help with hunting, along with Ukyo’s.

As confused as you were, Taiju and Yuzuriha filled you in on everything that’s been happening, and obviously you sided with the Kingdom of Science.

Since then, your new weapon of choice has been a bow and arrow since no other projectiles were present. You aided the Kingdom with hunting for food. As well as in battle during the treasure island arc.

After the treasure island arc, Senku made you your own gun.

Background done, let’s move on to the New America City Arc.

You and your friends were just minding your business when Tsukasa asked everyone to get into cover because a plane was shooting at your boat.

Despite the initial fright, you grew excited, knowing that the big guns are back in the world, but grew scared again once you remembered that it's the enemy team that has them.

When you saw the plane flying a bit lower, you grabbed your gun and took a shot towards its engine. Hitting it and making it crash in the forest.

Now, this was your new friends’ first time seeing your gun skills since you’ve been using the bow and arrow. So they were shocked when you hit the mark.

“Y/N-chan?!” Gen screamed in shock, Yo’s eyes were bulging out, and Ryusui was laughing out loud. “Well done, marksman. That ten billion percent took out their engine” Senku exclaimed with a smirk.

After that whole incident, you, Kohaku, Chrome, and Gen were sent to pursue the plane’s pilot. However, Gen asked Kohaku and Chrome to stand back, and asked you to come with him but to leave your weapons.

You eventually found the person, with Gen going into panic, but you just stared at the man in shock.

“Stan…ley?!” You whispered, although apparently enough for him to hear and set his eyes on you, which widened at the sight of his old student. “Ah, I didn’t expect our next meeting to be like this.” He said, “you know each other?!” Gen exclaimed in surprise, “He’s my mentor.” You answered.

“Well, I'll need you two to come with me. I got a whole heap of questions. Bet you’ve got some too. So, How about you come meet our leader?” Stanley said, walking towards their base. Gen looked at you, letting you know that this mission is a now or never deal.

He brought you to their base, where you met Dr.Xeno, who you remembered from before when Stanley would tell you about his childhood best friend. After threatening Gen, he looked down at you. “And you?” he asked. “Y/N L/N, pleasure to finally meet you, Dr.Xeno.” You said in a calm voice to help with your situation once you realised that you were being read on a Polygraph test.

“Oh? That name’s quite familiar.” Xeno ponders, looking towards Stanley. “My Mentee back in the old days” Stanley answered. “Ahh, is that so. Yes, I’ve heard quite a lot about you. In that case, this will make this whole thing easier.” Xeno said, a smirk on his face.

“You of all people should know how dangerous my dear Stan is, so it will be in your best interest to comply with us.” Xeno stated, his back towards us. “Yes, I understand. Although, I haven’t been with the group for long, so I don’t think I can give you much information” You answered calmly again, as if you were stating facts.

After the whole act Gen put on, with him revealing that Dr.Taiju was the lead scientist, you were let free to go for the time being while Xeno gets ready to talk to the Kingdom of Science.

“Yow, Y/N. It’s been a while, how’re you fairing?” Stanley approached you while you were with Gen. “I’ve been better, seem’s you’ve been enjoying life here recently, yeah? I mean, I see you’ve even got machine guns.” You answered with a smile. Although he is your enemy right now, It’s still a great feeling to reunite with your childhood mentor. “Heh, I’m guessing you’re the one who shot down my plane with a single bullet to the engine?” He smirked, looking kinda proud. “So what if it was me? I learned from the best, didn’t I?” you smirked back.

“A person who blindly trusts a person who double-crosses their own people needs an appointment with a head doctor. That said, Y/N, I don’t trust you one bit, we might’ve been Mentor-mentee in the old days, but until your little kiddy science team surrenders, you’re not off the hook.” He states, a serious look in his eyes.

“I knew that much, you’ve always been a cautious person. It’s fine, I’ll just prove myself to you perhaps.” You answered, you knew he wasn’t going to be buddy buddy with you just yet. But it’s worth a shot.

“Mhmm, you do that.” Stanley replies, walking away. As you look at his back profile, you’re reminded of the same person who you’ve bonded with since your childhood. A small smile appears on your lips.

You notice the man stop before the door, looking back at you, you see a small smile of his own, with a hint of pride in his eyes, are you imagining things? Maybe, but his next words shocked you.

“I might not trust you, but that doesn't mean I'm not glad to see you again.”

masterlist

navigation

#dr.stone #dr.stone x reader #stanley snyder #stanley snyder x reader #stanley snyder fanfic #stanley snyder headcanon #dcst #dr.stone fanfic

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p-artsypants · 1 month ago

Text

The Pale Rider (5) The Shambling will Cease

The Isle of Berk is cursed. Like, extremely cursed. It has been for generations. The extent of the curse has been forgotten over time, but no descendants of the original village are able to leave the island, lest they suffer a gruesome fate. Three years ago, the Blacksmith invited the Pale Rider to town. He’s a creature that’s haunted the forest and childhood campfire stories for centuries. Now, he arrives every day at noon. One day, Astrid Hofferson decides to be brave and talk to him. He’s actually really nice…for an eldritch abomination. A Beauty and the Beast AU.

Ao3

It was early in the morning. Most businesses, minus the bakery, weren’t open yet. The morning dew was still fresh on the patches of grass strewn about the square, and the horizon was orange with the rising sun. Astrid entered Gobber’s shop, hoping to speak to him before anyone else arrived.

Luckily, he was there, lighting the fires.

“Oh! Astrid! My, you’re early!”

She latched the half door shut behind her, a pep in her step. “Good morning, Gobber. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Must be pretty important if you’re here so damn early,” he noted again.

“I can come back,” she pointed at the door.

“No no, none of that. What do you need?”

“The Rider seems to have a knack for gift giving.”

“That he does!”

“I thought maybe…he’d like a gift in return?”

Gobber chuckled. “Knowing him, he’d probably try to pay you for it.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of…”

“What were you thinking about giving the poor creature?”

She hopped up to sit on the counter, and swung her legs idly. “I’ve noticed he doesn’t walk so well. He said his leg was taken a long time ago. I think his fake leg is broken or too short.”

“So you want me to make him a prosthesis?”

“I was just…wondering if that was possible? But the problem is, I really don’t have the coin to pay for it. I could bring you fresh flowers for your shop everyday!”

“That’s not necessary, dearie. He’s been overpaying me for everything for years. I’ve got plenty of cushion to make him a leg.”

“Would you?” She folded her hands in front of her chest.

“Sure! Though, I don’t know why he never asked me for one before.”

“I think he doesn’t have a lot of self-love. You know, he said the curse on this island is because of something he did.”

“Really? What did he do?”

“He says he can’t remember. How hard must it be to repent for a crime you didn’t know you committed?”

Gobber hummed sadly. “Poor lad. He’s had a rough life.”

“Yeah? He told you about it?”

“Tiny fragments, every once in a while. You know, it wasn’t until earlier this year he started talking in full sentences. First two years, I had a lot of ‘yes’, ‘no’, and pointing. That doesn’t come from a life of ease.”

Again, Astrid felt that weird churning in her gut. A deep sense of grief for this friend that was still mostly a stranger. How lonely must he be? Talking about his parents had led him to tears.

If she could give him a brief moment of happiness, it would be worth it.

—

She was thrilled to see that Dagur was busy today. With what, she had no idea. She really didn’t care, as long as he was leaving her the hell alone.

The Rider came around the bend, and she smiled and waved at him.

He raised his hand and awkwardly waved back.

She stooped to grab a parcel from inside her cart, and pulled out the thorny vines with purple berries he had asked for. “Your order, good sir.”

“Thank you, Astrid,” he began before Toothless snatched the bouquet out of her hands. “How much do I owe you?”

“5 gold please!”

There was mirth in his voice as he said, “I guess you are taking to heart what I said about the treasure.” He held his hand out, and five golden, shiny coins fell into hers.

“And…” she crouched again, and this time, gave him a small satchel brimmed with silver coins. “Your change.”

He sighed. “Astrid…”

“You said you were running out of silver!” She protested.

“Yes, but I don’t want more.”

“Too bad, if you want to be my friend, you’ll accept it.”

He hummed, amused that she was using that on him. “Very well, Miss Hofferson.” He waved his hand over the satchel, and it disappeared.

“Now that our business is concluded,” Astrid beamed. “Let’s go to Gobber’s!”

He tilted his head. “Are you so eager to be rid of me?” Another one of his weird jokes.

“Nope! I just think you’ll find something interesting there, is all.”

He watched her waltz in front and take hold of Toothless’ reins, and then start leading them over to the forge.

“You are eager about something, in fact,” he noted.

She tilted her head and nodded, still grinning.

Gobber greeted them boisterously as they entered. “Rider! Astrid! What a surprise!”

“How could this be a surprise?” Rider asked. “I come to see you at the same time every day.” He slid off his horse, but stayed drawn back, hesitant. “What is going on?”

Gobber gave him a reassuring smile. “Astrid commissioned me on your behalf.”

He ducked his head. “Me? What would she possibly have you do for me?”

“Your leg,” she explained. “Your fake one. It hurts, doesn’t it?”

He took a step back, shoulders hunching. “How could…?”

“Gobber has a missing leg too,” she gestured. “But he doesn’t walk as slow or staggering like you do. We want to help.”

He shook his head. “I deserve no such kindness.”

“Barnstat!” Gobber hollered. “Every man deserves the chance to walk properly if his body allows it!”

“But—”

“No buts!” Gobber shook a hook at him. “You’ve been coming here for three years. You’ve pumped money into our village that no one has acknowledged. Snotlout won’t shut up about the sword you gave him, and Fishlegs’ uncle hasn’t stopped giggling since he saw that book! You’re getting a new leg! Are you going to sit down and let me measure? Or are we gonna do this the hard way?” He twisted his hook, menacingly.

The Rider was stunned silent for a very long time. Slowly, he took a step forward, limping as he did. “Very well.”

“Great!” Gobber grabbed a stool and brought it forward. “Take a seat.”

Like everything he did, the Rider hesitated before sitting down. As he sat, he threw his cloak back so it would be out of the way. Then he gathered the front and tied it up into a loose knot.

This revealed his legs, up to the top of his thighs. Almost normal human legs, but long and gangly. His right leg had armor, greaves, or greave, since it was just the one, and a sabaton. The outside was a shiny, black metal, while the joints were covered in a dark chainmail. The left leg, however, was made of wood. Starting just below the knee, a bundle of sticks gathered together with rope, tightly woven to truncate in a point to walk on.

It simply couldn’t be comfortable.

“Lad, did you make this?”

He shook his head. “It’s what I was given.” He rolled up the black fabric of his pants to reveal the snow white skin of his knee. Closer to the amputation, the skin became scarred, gnarled, blistered and bloody. It was nauseating to look at.

Gobber frowned. “And you say you lost it a long time ago?”

The Rider nodded.

“The wound looks fresh.”

“Yes. A part of the curse.” He reached down and grabbed hold of the bundle of sticks that made up his leg. “As is this.” He pulled, making a horrible squelching noise. The Rider audibly whimpered, dislodging the sticks from his skin. The ends were pointed, and had been held in place by being stabbed into his leg, like some sort of horrible pin cushion.

“Oh dear Odin…” Gobber looked sick.

Astrid couldn’t breathe. Her poor friend, walking around with this unimaginable pain. No wonder he walked the way he did!

Astrid grabbed his hand, curling her fingers around them and ignoring the shivers that ran down her spine. “You don’t deserve this.”

“But—”

“No. No, I don’t care what you did. 300 years of this is inhumane. Please let us help you.”

He looked at his leg, almost numbly, as drips of dark blood fell from the multiple stab wounds.

Gobber got up and got a bucket and rag. “You know, I don’t feel right about giving you any kind of prosthesis until that wound heals.

“I don’t think it will,” said the Rider.

“Not if it’s being stabbed over and over with a dozen spears!” Gobber shook the cursed pegleg. “I’m gonna make you a proper one, but it might take a couple of days. I’ve got a temporary one you can use in the meantime.” And he chuckled the leg in the forge.

“Gobber! It’s black wood!” Astrid shouted, in vain.

The leg caught fire immediately, exploding in bright eye-burning green flames that filled the forge and licked the ceiling. The burst sounded like the scream of a dying woman. Astrid and Gobber fell to the floor, covering their faces. As the flames died down a foul smelling smoke filled the room.

Gobber took the charred leg with some tongs and threw it into the back yard.

“I’m sorry,” said the Rider.

Astrid coughed and fanned the air in front of her face. “Not your fault.”

“But—”

She poked his chest, right on the sternum. “Not. Your. Fault!”

He didn’t argue. Just fell silent.

Astrid took the rag and bucket that Gobber had brought out and started cleaning the wound.

“Careful, my blood is poisonous,” he warned.

“So are a lot of things on this island, and yet I pick them. I don’t have any open cuts on my hands. Don’t worry.”

He fidgeted with his hands, rubbing his thumb on his index finger.

“Does this hurt?”

“No, it feels…quite nice.”

“‘Cause you’re not bein’ stabbed!” Gobber exclaimed. “I’m gonna have nightmares about this for weeks!”

“Again, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Astrid comforted, bandaging the wound. “So you made a grave mistake 300 years ago. The person that’s really at fault here is the one that did this to you. So…who is it? Can you remember?”

The green fire that was his eyes went dim, as he raised a hand to his head. “...it was…my best friend.”

“What kind of friends do you keep?” Scoffed Gobber.

“Well, you two.”

“Besides us,” Astrid smiled. “Can you remember anything else about them?”

“...betrayal,” he whispered. “Blood spilt…he…he knew magic.” He shook his head. “That’s all I can remember.”

“Well, that’s certainly a start,” Supplied Astrid.

“I got it,” Gobber snapped her fingers. “Sounds to me like you betrayed and killed your best friend. There’s many a folklore that says that a mage’s blood is powerful, even after death. If true, his blood would have been on you, and also seeped into the ground. Ta-da, curse solved!” Gobber stated, plainly, seemingly not bothered by the idea of the Rider being a murderer.

“It makes sense,” said the Rider. “I just…wish I could remember. I would pray for forgiveness. But I don’t even remember what I did exactly.”

Astrid patted his hands. “It’ll be alright. You’ve long served your time. Now, let us help you.”

Gobber then took measurements. A few sitting down, and a few standing and using the counter for balance.

At the end of it, Gobber brought out a standard peg leg with a leather cuff. He had to add a block to the bottom to make up for the extra height.

“Alright lad, this attaches very simple. You just pull this cuff over your leg, and then pull the drawstrings nice and tight.” He did it for him as a demonstration. The Rider then straightened and bent his knee a few times to test it, then he carefully got up, keeping his weight on his good leg. Then he slowly balanced on both, and then took a step.

“Well?” Asked Gobber.

“It's a relief. The pain is…so mild now.” He took another few steps, and Astrid noted happily that he wasn’t lurching like before. Just walking. “I don’t know how I could ever thank you.”

Gobber waved him off. “That’s just the spare leg! I’ll have a right proper one for you in a few days.”

The Rider held his hand out, offering a handshake. Gobber clasped his hand, only to have the Rider wrap his other hand around that one and squeeze. “I will forever be indebted to your kindness.”

Gobber attempted to pull away, uncomfortable with the immense gratitude being laid on him.

But the Rider held firm. “I never would have had friends if you hadn’t invited me into town. Thank you, Gobber.”

Gobber wiped a tear from the corner of his eye with his wrist. “Aye lad, you’re very welcome. Now stop before ye make me cry.”

The Rider let go, and hummed fondly.

“Wanna go show the others?” Astrid asked, eagerly.

The Rider nodded, and bid Gobber another fond farewell.

They stopped at Fishlegs’, the twins, and at Heather’s. Each time, before any greetings, he pulled his cloak aside and pointed. “Gobber fixed my leg.”

“Oh, how good for you!” Said Fishlegs.

“Whoa, you had a wooden leg?” Said Tuffnut.

“Lucky bastard,” said Ruffnut.

“That Gobber sure is handy!” Said Heather.

“Okay, and I care why?” Said Snotlout.

Astrid didn’t have the heart to explain just how much pain the Rider had been in before the new leg. She wasn’t even sure how to explain the way the old leg had been attached. That would inevitably lead to more questions, and telling the others that she and Gobber theorized the Rider was a murderer was not a good idea.

Maybe in a few…years.

Or maybe never, if she and Gobber could solve the curse without their help.

After tea, the Rider remained, not running away abruptly like he had been.

“Do you have anywhere you need to be?” She asked.

“Oh,” he clenched his hand up by his mouth. “You have to get back to work.”

“Well, eventually, yes, but that’s not what I meant.”

He tilted his head at her, prompting her to go on.

“There’s one more person I want you to meet. I’ve been telling her about you, and she’s eager to meet you.” She started heading down the road, and he followed, guiding Toothless patiently along as well. “She…it’s my mother.”

The Rider hummed. “And…she is sick, correct?”

“Yes.” Astrid swallowed. “No one knows with what. Gothi, the medicine woman, said she’s…” A lump got caught in her throat, and Astrid didn’t know how to continue.

The Rider’s hand fell upon her shoulder, offering a warm gesture, despite the cold touch.

“She’s dying,” Astrid whispered. “And there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I’m sorry,” the Rider said back, just as softly.

“I don’t think this is curse related,” she clarified. “Just…something we don’t understand yet. Which almost makes it harder. Because no one knows what it is, no one knows if it’s contagious. And because of that…no one comes to visit her.”

“That’s sad.”

“I sit with her most evenings, after work. I’ve told her all about you. I thought she’d be worried, but she was just curious.”

“That’s refreshing.”

She smiled. “I’m sure!”

She led him up to her little cottage. It was small, but had enough of a yard that she could garden. Every inch of soil around the cottage was teeming with plants and flowers. There was no guessing who lived there.

“Very nice,” he commented, reaching out and touching some apricot roses growing around the door.

“My mom planted this garden,” Astrid gestured. “She ran the flower stall, and taught me everything I know. I…actually don’t care about flowers all that much.”

“Really?” His voice raised in surprise.

“Yeah, I mean, they’re pretty and I care about them because of my mom, but…if it had been up to me, I would have had a different job.”

He leaned towards her. “What job?”

“Well…I always liked fighting. I’m pretty handy with an axe. Maybe a guard or a hunter. Something with some action, you know?”

“I see it.” He nodded. “You have a fighting spirit.”

She smiled proudly, before beckoning him inside. “Mother, I’m home! And I’ve brought a guest!”

“Oh my! Is it the young man you’ve been telling me about?” Phlegma Hofferson’s harsh voice called from upstairs.

The cottage had one large room and a loft. The large room had a kitchen, table, and sitting area. A small bed was tucked under the stairs.

The Rider studied the room as Astrid went up the stairs. “I don’t know about the ‘young’ part…”

“Oh pish posh, he’s young at heart. Aren’t you, dearie?”

The Rider ascended the stairs after Astrid, having to duck his head as he came up.

Astrid beckoned him to sit in the empty chair, as she sat on the bed.

Awkwardly, the Rider sat down, and then raised his gaze to meet Phlegma’s smiling, but ashen gray face. “Hello, Madam Hofferson.”

“My! You are a fearsome one! I had almost forgotten. It’s been a while since I was able to look outside and see your arrival.”

“...you do not seem scared.”

She shook her head. “No, dear. I’m not. I’m at the stage of my life where I have more things to fear within me, than outside.”

The thought made Astrid feel cold.

“I understand the feeling,” said the Rider.

“I knew you would.” She closed her eyes and relaxed. “I was hoping Astrid would bring you to meet me sometime. I couldn’t bear leaving this world without getting the chance to speak with you.”

“Mother…” Astrid hated when she talked about her mortality. Phlegma had obviously accepted her fate, but Astrid just couldn’t.

“I’m glad,” said the Rider. “Astrid has become a dear friend. Probably the best I’ve had. I would have been…saddened to have not met you when I had the chance.”

Was he implying that she was his best friend? After only so many days?

“My Astrid is such a loving girl. Her heart is so big. She loves everyone! No matter how tall or scary.”

Astrid felt her lip twitch. “Well, not everyone,” She insisted. “Kinda hard to find love for Dagur.”

Phlegma laughed. “I meant besides him, of course.” She sighed, a hard rattling breath settling in her chest. “Now Rider, tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you live up in that big castle all by your lonesome?”

He shook his head. “There are…several that dwell in the castle. Toothless, of course. And my parents. And…” he hesitated, but then didn’t finish the sentence.

“And?” Astrid persisted.

“And others. But we don’t speak.”

That was news.

“You have parents?” Phlegma asked, surprised.

“Everyone seems surprised when I say that.” He tilted his head, and answered the inevitable question. “They are also cursed. They can’t leave. Toothless and I are the only ones that can.”

“But you can’t leave the island, right?” Phlegma asked. “Like the rest of us?”

“That’s correct. Even if I could, I don’t believe I would want to.”

“What’s your mother’s name, dear?”

He paused, raising a hand to his head. It was heartbreaking to think he didn’t know immediately. “It’s Valka, and my father is Stoick. Stoick the Vast.”

“My! What a mighty name! He must be a big man!”

“He was, once. And I was small.” He tilted his head, seemingly thoughtful. ��He would…pick me up, just by the back of the shirt. He was mad at me a lot.”

Astrid was hesitant to make any noise, lest she distract him. It seemed like he was finally remembering his past. “...but he’s not mad anymore. He should be, but he’s not.”

“What’s he like, then?” Asked Astrid.

He bowed his head, his hands fidgeting awkwardly. After a minute, he spoke, and his voice held so much sorrow, Astrid thought he might just start crying again. “Gracious.”

She came back around to the fact that his actions had caused the curse, allegedly, of course.

But his father forgave him for it? A man who’s anger shone through his hazy memory, had forgiveness for his son. It was a discordant piece of information. She was pretty sure that if she betrayed and murdered Heather, which resulted in a curse on the whole island, her father would be pretty pissed at her.

If he was still alive, that is.

Astrid realized she had been lost in thought for a while as her mother prattled on. The woman could be an absolute chatterbox when she was feeling well.

The Rider just sat there, as he seemingly listened to her mother. And he was listening intently, she realized, as he would nod his head at appropriate intervals, and slip in a question to encourage her to continue.

The conversation was mostly village gossip, old gossip at that, since Phlegma hadn’t been out among people in a long time.

Astrid feared that the Rider would get lost, but if he was, he didn’t show it.

“Mother,” Astrid interrupted, as gently as possible. “I have to get back to the stall.”

“Oh! Of course, dear.”

“Can I stay?” Asked the Rider, first to Astrid, and then to her mother. “If you are not tired of my company.”

Phlegma lit up with joy. “Oh my boy, I would love it if you kept me company!”

“Are you sure?” Astrid asked. “That’s kind of you, but you don’t have to—”

“Astrid, I told you, I’m happiest around people that talk to me without fear.”

She couldn’t really find an argument against that. Really, it was wonderful he wanted to stay. They were both lonely people, desperate to connect to the outside world.

But there was just this nagging feeling in her mind. Hazy memories of the same nightmare over and over, of the Pale Rider coming into her house and taking her mother away.

It was what prompted this visit, and what prompted her to talk to the Rider in the first place.

So the logical next step was to allow it. Leave him alone with her mother and see for herself that there was nothing to fear.

“Okay,” Astrid breathed. “You can stay. But, come say goodbye to me when you head out, okay?”

“I will,” he hummed.

With anxiety coursing through her, Astrid went back to work, standing behind her stall and keeping her eyes trained on her house.

Maybe an hour later, he emerged, fetching Toothless from where he was grazing on weeds from the cobblestone streets. Then, just as he promised, he came over to her stall.

“Your mother yawned a few times. I decided to leave so she could rest.”

There had been nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing!

“Did you have a good chat?”

“Oh yes!” He said, enthusiastically. “May I visit again?”

Astrid gaped in surprise. “I…suppose. I’ll ask and see if she’s okay with it.”

“She invited me,” he clarified. “I only thought it was right to ask you as well.”

“I…don’t see why not. She needs company. And I’ve heard all her stories before. Yeah, I think she’d really like to have you visit.”

“Thank you, Astrid.”

#fanfiction #how to train your dragon #httyd #hiccup #hiccstrid #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #gobber the belch #the pale rider

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loriannbowman · 9 months ago

Text

Honkai Star Rail X Arknights | Yandere!Sunday X Sankta!Reader | Part Five

Sunday continues to explain the many intricacies of Penacony, its history, its people, and its works. He speaks so quickly that you're honestly left in the dust. Why is he speaking so quickly? Is he in a rush?

"-And the Dreamjolt Troupe's origins begin with-"

"Um... Mr. Sunday? Is there a reason for all... this? You seem to be in a hurry. If you need to get going somewhere, I don't mind waitin-"

"No," he says curtly. "I'm not in a rush to go anywhere, don't worry. I apologize if I've been speaking too quickly for you, honest, I just have so much to share about our wonderful home," he smiles.

I only have half an hour left to spend with you and learn everything I can... I don't have time to dally.

"It's alright, I guess. I'm just a little slow when so much is happening at one time, it's nothing to do with you. Everything you've said so far - from what I was able to remember - is very cool! I'd love to go look around this 'dream.' I just wonder how much time has passed..."

Sunday smiles innocently, his eyes creasing with crow's feet. No one will know the cold sweat that drips down the back of his neck. Although he spoke much of the Dreamscape, the Reverie, of Penacony and its history, he refused to speak of the hours of operation. If he does, you'll have to wake up, and he doesn't want to acknowledge such an end.

A Sweet Dream Should Never End.

"Shall we go and explore Golden Hour? Or would you enjoy Blue Hour? Twilight? Dawn?"

You look at him in surprise. Weren't you under arrest for supposed 'infiltration and trespassing'? Why would he suddenly let you go look at the city? You physically shake your head. It's best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Um... Golden Hour is just fine, I guess. It's the closest, and I don't want to trouble you with a long walk."

Sunday smiles once again, a look of faint satisfaction graces his thin lips. He stands from his seat and offers you his hand. His whole body seems to glow with light. You raise your hand and grasp his, the glove is cool with an underlying heat from his palm.

"Let's go. Oh, and make sure to look inconspicuous. We still don't want the citizens to be knowledgeable of a stowaway," Sunday coos with a light chuckle.

~~~~~

As you and Sunday walk around Golden Hour, your eyes are so bright. Amazing things that can only exist in a dream are right before your eyes. Floating ice creams, walking signs, fountains of sparkling drink, pinball transportation, cars that run on music! Everything was so bright and colourful, you wish all the other operators at Rhodes Island could see all this! You could only imagine how Grey or Shaw or even Hibiscus would react to all these sights and sounds. Its all so beautiful, you could temporarily forget about the pains of Oripathy that plagues your thoughts every single waking day.

Sunday watched with a sweet smile. His heart flutters at every little reaction you have. It's so... endearing. You're just like child in a candy store. You are sweet like a pot of golden honey. You are a treasure - a treasure he wants to keep all to himself.

No matter how much he wants to focus on you, the ever ticking clock continues to pass by in the back of his mind. Every single second plagued his mind as it is birthed, lived, and died.

15 minutes...

10 minutes...

5 minutes...

3 minutes...

Sunday quickly turns to you, grabbing your hands in his, pressing them firmly against his chest. You can faintly feel the heartbeat underneath his coat.

"Lamplight, how are you feeling?"

You spirit was so high, you body felt like it would combust from how much you buzzed.

"Amazing! This is all so fantastic!"

2 minutes...

"You like it that much?"

"Yes!"

"Would you ever like to come again? Or maybe stay as a resident for a while?"

"If I had the choice or opportunity, maybe... but I still have much to do, much to accomplish back home..."

1 minute...

"I see. Well, are you satisfied with Penacony as it is? As a head of the family, I can make changes as you see fit. I just hope we can meet again."

"Nah, everything's fine. But... why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

Sunday now is the one to shrug his shoulders. He continues to hold you hands, staring at you with solemn eyes. Oh how he wished time would just freeze in place, to keep this memory alive.

3...

2...

1...

Several of the citizens wake up, and several others come into the dreamscape. Your time was up. You should wake up from this sweet dream and eventually forget about this as all but a dream.

But you didn't

You didn't wake up. You're body was still... asleep? No, something might be wrong.

Sunday's expression was a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Mr. Sunday? Is something troubling you?"

Sunday, unsure of what's happening, but thankful for this blessing, begins to smile, eyes wide with excitment.

"No, nothing at all."

~~~~~

"Doctor!" Amiya calls out, barging into the Doctor's office.

"Yes?"

"Lamplight! They... They're comatosed!"

@sarcastic-cookie

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