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moonmeg · 1 year ago

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"So, tell me! Where have you been all this time?", Cat asked handing her old friend a mug while sitting down on the sofa herself.

Breena accepted the mug smiling and crossed her legs before she began telling her tale.

"Well, it started with me traveling around the Isles. I wanted adventure, I wanted to see new things and so I packed my things and went."

"Your parents never told us that.", Catherine frowned.

When Ahana and her noticed Breena was gone not even Breena's parents knew where exactly their daughter was. All they had was a note saying to not worry, she'll be fine. Breena didn't have the best relationship with her parents and Catherine remembered the red-haired girl as a fierce and quite rebellious individual - the fact Breena left was not as big a surprise as it should've been. Yet Catherine and Ahana couldn't believe their trio was down to a duo over night and the news hit them hard. The hurt healed over the years whenever they convinced each other Bree is alright wherever she was. They knew their friend after all. Breena was perfectly capable of fending for her own.

"Prolly cause they dinna know either. I dinna tell anyone where I went. Even though it hurt me to leave Ana and ye behind.", Bree mirrored Cat's frown. She took a sip from the mug.

"Without a goodbye.", Cat added. Though what had happened was almost twenty years in the past by now the aching in Cat's heart upon learning she lost a friend, unknowing if she'll ever see her again, still lingered deep.

Breena glanced at Cat. She saw the hurt her friend was feeling and found herself confronted with one of her greatest fears: Having brought pain to a person important to her. It's what she tossed and turned around in bed for even years after she had left. She never wanted to see Cat or Ahana be sad through fault of hers, yet here she was facing the consequences of her own betrayal to herself.

"Forgive me, please. I regretted it every night.", she leaned forward urgently.

Cat looked up at Breena and softly smiled. She reached for her hand and reassured her friend: "Bree... no hard feelings. I forgave you years ago."

Breena sighed in relief. It seemed a big rock finally loosened from her heart. At least she could have Catherine back as a friend. Whether or not Ahana has forgiven or would forgive her and accept her as a friend again she couldn't tell -neither could Cat- but Breena would try to gain it.

Genuine smiles of happiness and gratitude were exchanged before Cat asked Breena to please continue with her story. It had been sixteen years since they last saw each other and Breena had at least one child now. Cat was beyond curious on how that happened. She remembered that in the trio Cat was the only one to ever positively speak of having a family and children. Neither Breena nor Ahana mentioned the wish to become mothers one day. And yet Robyn was playing with Micah down the hall in Robyn's room.

The red-haired woman smiled and continued:

"On my travels I landed at a small tavern. I originally only wanted to get a drink and maybe ask where I could find more provisions. There... there was this pretty lad who caught my attention. We started talking and learned the tavern belonged to his aunt. He himself was son to a farmer at the same village. He offered me a stay at the farm for the night as it was gettin' late, I accepted and one night turned into two, two into three and three nights into weeks."

Bree began to smile sheepishly. Her cheeks slightly flushing a light pink, causing her freckles to stand out more. It was obvious she told this from a feeling of fondness and genuine love. Whoever that "pretty lad" was, he had Bree's full adoration.

Catherine smirked kmowingly and tilted her head: "I doubt it was the fields and animals of the farm that made you stay."

"Course not.", Breena laughed, "I stayed because of my sweet goldie."

"Goldie?", Cat raised a brow in curiosity.

Breena gave her a glance and then stared into the mug. She ran her finger up and down the porcelain surface. Her lips never broke the smile. On the contrary: her face only softened at the image of her husband before her inner eye.

"Aye, his eyes are golden. So I started callin' him that and it kind of developed into a pet name.", she chuckled.

"Well, time went by and things started takin' their rolls. Pinin' turned to a relationship, a relationship turned to an engagement, engagement to a pregnancy and so on and so on."

"So you weren't married yet when you had your first child, eh?"

Cat took a sip as she continued to listen to her friend's story attentively.

"No, no, by the time the bairn was born I was already Mrs. Bower. But I take no shame in admitting Makenna was conceived before that. Titan, some people have a lover and bairns but never married and there's nothin' wrong with that."

"No, of course not!", Catherine held up a hand in defense, "I'm surprised you got married and had children at all. The Bree I remember never seemed like the type to do so."

Breena shrugged.

"People change. 'Specially once love is involved.", her lips curved into a small, fond smile again. The type of smile you wear when you think of your beloved. "My 16 year old self wouldn't believe I'm a wife and mother either.", she turned to Cat again with a laugh.

Catherine joined in on the laugh. Suddenly it felt like they were children again. Sitting by each other and laughing together. Breena may have changed as person but her laugh remained as contagious and loud as ever.

"You have how many?", she asked. The curiosity once again got the better of her.

"Three. Micah's the youngest. And the only boy.", Bree chuckled and sipped from the mug.

Cat, thinking she is sly, replied: "So there's two copies of you waiting at home, huh?"

Her friend scoffed.

"The only thing they copied from me are the freckles. They are copies of their father. Brunette, golden eyes, the same smile, the same face. Micah's the only one to get my red hair additionally to the freckles.", she laughed and sat down more comfortably on the sofa.

Tilting the mug around in circles on her lap she grinned. "Seems our sons take more after us. Robyn is like a carbon copy of ye. A few differences here and there o' course. Surely from the father?"

"Yeah.", Catherine stiffened. She hated that she did. She hated she was still so affected by Caleb's death. She hated her facade of the strong, single mother was so thin and easily breakable. Thankfully, she thought, Breena didn't notice it.

Instead, the freckled woman gleefully leaned back on the sofa, placing her arm on the back of if.

"It's yer turn now. Tell me what I missed in yer life.", Bree tilted her head as she let it rest on her knuckles.

Cat stared blankly and almost automatically started tapping her nails on the mug. She quickly gathered herself again and stuttered:

"Ah- uhm... well, I'll uh I'll spare you the first sob story of my first relationship. Let's just say I was left a heartbroken fool when mh partner left me for another."

"Left ye?", Breena's smile faded.

"For another?", her brows furrowed.

"How dare they?! What's their name? I'll-", she drew a circle into the air and the mug loudly hit the little table in front of the sofa.

Much like Ahana, Breena was ready to hurt whoever dared to hurt Cat. They knew Cat was able to take care of people like that herself but it was just this urge to defend and stand up for Cat no matter what.

"It doesn't matter, Bree. I was twenty when that happened after all.", Catherine cut her off and hoped Bree would let it go. She almost pleaded her to with the look on her face.

Breena kept her angry face but sank into the sofa again. Catherine spoke of that first relationship with such ease that it left Breena to believe she had moved on from it a long time ago and so she calmed down and loosened up the tension in her body.

Cat broke the eye contact with Breena as she thought about how much into detail she wants to go with the love story she shared with Caleb. How much she could go into detail without suddenly breaking into tears uncontrollably.

"Four years down the line, I had put a wall around me and swore off love to avoid being hurt again. Little did I know, the walls I built could so easily be crumbled... and all it took was a young man with short blond hair and the warmest brown eyes. A little frail but handsome. A bit awkward but kind and affectionate. I didn't want to admit it at first but had to give in to the fact that my heart beat faster and louder when he was with me... my blondie. My Caleb.", she smiled in a mix of melancholy and fondness. The images flashing before her when she closed her eyes were so vibrant and clear still. They always were.

She reached for the ring on the silk band around her neck.

"I loved him. I loved him like I never thought I could love someone. Titan, I still do!"

A moment of silence.

Bree eyed her friend worried. It was obvious now that this story does not have a happy ending either.

"But he's not here anymore, is he?", Bree asked.

Catherine shook her head slowly.

"Some people...", Bree scoffed again and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "the audacity they have! You don't deserve that, Cat! To be left alone with a child to raise! The least he could do is show himself to the child he partook in creating."

"Oh, no, Bree, you got it all wrong!", Cat leaned forward towards the other woman, "He didn't abandon me and is now living a life without me and Robyn! He... he was taken from us. Brutally and coldly. By someone he trusted."

The grip on the ring around her neck fastened, as if cenching to it would bring Caleb back.

Breena sat in shock, mouth ajar. It took her a little to get another sound out. She wasn't sure what to say. Wasn't sure what to do.

"Ye- ye're a... a widow?", she asked with hesitation. The information still not fully processed and still in a bit of denial that her friend had to experience her husband dying. That she had to bury the love of her life...

Catherine nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, sweet Titan...", Breena breathed and looked her friend up and down, unsure where to focus on, "Cathy, I-", she began and didn't know how to continue the sentence.

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright. I learned to live with it.", Cat tried her best to give a smile.

"But ye shouldna have to! A widow at thirty! That's horrible!", Breena grabbed Catherine by her arm in haste. She began stroking her thumb on Cat's sleeve in an attempt to show comfort.

She projected the situation her friend was in on her own life. The thought of being widowed, of losing her husband, the father of her children, someone so dear and important to her was torturous enough. To actually live through it is something Breena couldn't fathom.

Cat took Bree's freckled hands.

"It's alright, Bree, really. It- it still hurts but Roby and I visit his grave every weekend. I tell him stories and we pretend Caleb is with us, sitting and listening.", she genuinely smiled. However, there was a certain sadness lingering in her teal eyes, Bree noticed. It was almost painful to see Cat like this. It felt worse knowing there was barely anything she could do to help Cat. And it felt worst when she realized she was not there for her friend when she had needed it most.

"Did Robyn ever meet his father?", Breena asked quietly. She hoped Catherine would say "yes, he did.". She hoped the little boy was held in his father's arms at least once. She hoped he had felt the warmth of his father's cradling arms and she hoped he had heard his father's heart beat at least *once*. But Cat's face didn't seem like that would be the answer. Catherine looked down and let out a dry sob.

"I wish he did..."

#tdaac #tdaac comic #toh #the owl house #catherine clawthorne #catherine megpeggs #evelyn clawthorne #breena megpeggs #toh oc #the owl house oc

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freelanceexorcist · 2 months ago

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OK. I watched the first chapter of Ever Crisis First Soldier episode 2 and of course I have thoughts.

Cut for spoilers and length.

Sephiroth has officially become a sympathetic character. I mean, he always was, but there's no doubt about it being official now.

The way he's acting toward people, pushing them away? He's not being arrogant or sullen or a dick. He's a sad, traumatized kid with crappy self-esteem. He's in pain and grieving the loss of Glenn, Matt and Lucia's friendship. He's trying to convince himself that he's a soulless machine because machines don't have to feel what he's feeling. He's pushing everyone away because he doesn't want to make the choice he had to make between saving Rosen and saving himself and his friends. If you're cold, calculating and ruthless, such choices are a lot easier.

Except he's not any of those things or he wouldn't be acting the way he is. He wouldn't care, but he obviously does here. If you push everyone away and keep them at arms length, it doesn't hurt so much when they inevitably leave.

Except Angeal ain't havin' none of that. He's gonna make Sephiroth his bro if it kills both of them. The dynamic between these two so far is

And you know it works, too, and at least they get ten good years as friends after that.

So yes, the Sephiroth from Episode 1 is still there, but he's depressed and traumatized. If he returned to Midgar between episodes, he probably got a good dressing down from the top brass at Shinra and suffered who knows what at Hojo's hands. He's hurting and I think on some level Angeal knows that, which is why he's trying so hard to break through.

Now let's talk about Sephiroth's dream. I hope that was just a regular dream and not Jenova fucking with him because that would be a real kick in the nuts. I'm going to say it was an actual dream triggered by seeing Alissa "Definitely Not Jenova" Goldie and her uncanny resemblance to Lucrecia. And he was handed an empty bowl and told it was pumpkin soup because he doesn't know what pumpkin soup looks like. He just knows it would be good and that his mama would make him some if she could.

And speaking of Definitely Not Jenova. Nope, definitely not Jenova or Hojo mindfucking him. Not at all.

But since I'm a glass half full kinda gal when it comes to these things, I'm considering another angle. Yeah, purple and purplish pink are colors associated with Jenova, but those lights swirling around Alissa remind me of will o' the wisps or spook lights. Depending on which culture's folklore you're looking at, these can represent elemental spirits, the fae or demons (demons as in "spirit that never walked the earth in physical form" and not the Biblical nasties).

What if a forest spirit or similar entity took an interest in Sephiroth and wanted to get a closer look to see what makes him tick? Such an entity wouldn't really understand humans, so throwing Hojo in his face wouldn't strike it as being cruel or malicious. It was just curious to see how he would react.

Yeah, it's probably Jenova. "Those you hate, those you fear, those you love" after all. The other idea is worth considering, though.

Some odds and ends:

*i'm glad that the existence of female SOLDIER operatives has been confirmed. Not sure how I feel about them having to wear coochie cutters while the guys get real pants, though.

*I wonder how Sephiroth will get Masamune from its namesake. I'm going to be optimistic and say Mr. Epic Eyebrows will deem him worthy of receiving it, because that's how that seems to be shaping up at first glance. My prediction is that Masamune will pop up at times throughout the story to observe Sephiroth and test his mettle. He already knows Sephiroth is worthy, and these interactions will serve to verify that.

*Bachman's kind of a pain in the ass, isn't he? Sephiroth isn't your show pony, dude. He didn't even know you'd be tagging along.

*EC is really playing up how innocent and good these kids were back in the day. Angeal certainly had it helped along by his upbringing, but it took work for Sephiroth to maintain his goodness. He's the way he is despite his childhood, not because of it.

*I know I sound like a broken record but bog standard villains just don't get that kind of development. We're not supposed to see them sympathetically. At least not the ones for whom a redemption arc isn't in the works. We're supposed to cheer when they get what they have coming in a movie or on a show. We're supposed to feel accomplished when we beat them as the final boss in the game. We're not supposed to see their inevitable defeat as the heartbreaking last act of a tragic life.

*EC took pains to make the connection between the purehearted pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth and the Sephiroth at the Edge of Creation. It's looking more and more to me like EoC Sephiroth and the Sephiroth menacing the party are two different people. Or, more accurately, two versions of the same person from two different universes/timelines and one of them isn't answering to Jenova anymore (if he ever did in the first place).

*I mean come on. The symbolism. The white feathers (which pop up all over Rebirth, too). This:

*That's not there by accident or because it looks cool. It's a single white wing to contrast with Jenovaroth's single black wing and highlight the differences between the two. The battle theme that plays during the behemoth fight is called White Winged Angel, fercryin' out loud! I will die on this hill.

That's all for now. Thanks for sticking around to the end of this if you did.

#Sephiroth #Angeal Hewley #Ever Crisis #Ever Crisis First Soldier #Episode 2

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piedpiperart · 1 year ago

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Phantom of Gotham 13

Chapter 12

Meanwhile, Jason and Tim met up in the cave after Danny had gone to bed early. “How come you weren’t at dinner?” Tim asked casually. Jason sent him a look.

“Wanted to look over the newest case,”Jason grunted. “Goldie and the old man took down Mr. Freeze trying to bring that blizzard to Gotham. So, the snow should be letting up soon.”

Tim nodded absently.”And that means Danny’ll be leaving soon.”

“Bingo,”Jason grunted. “We know the kid is involved with Phantom somehow, and most likely has some kind of meta abilities. There’s no telling exactly what he can do, but it’s possible that he could be one of the Halfas that Phantom’s been protecting.”

Tim groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “We could ask Phantom? If we come out and ask him about Danny he might help us help the kid. Or at least keep him off the streets. You said there’s more than the Fentons hunting them?”

“The GIW and the Fentons are hunting ghosts like Phantom. Apparently they don’t know about Halfas, but that could change. We don’t know why Danny left Amity Park, and if any of it is because of Phantom,”Jason said. The two of them thought for a moment before Jason spoke up. “I think we should talk to Phantom.”

“Yeah,”Tim sighed. “We’ve already determined that he’s an ally, so it’s a good chance that he’ll let us help now that we know most of the details. It might help segue to the whole treaty between the Infinite Realms and Earth thing that I’ve been working on.”

“Alright. Suit up then and we can try to find Phantom. Maybe we should get him a phone now so we can get ahold of him,”Jason grumbled.

“Anyone else coming?” Tim asked, glancing around. He wasn’t sure if Burce even knew about their plans or much about Danny in general.

“I hope not,”Jason grumbled, steering Tim toward the cave locker rooms. “B’s got his hands full with some stupid Gala in a few days anyway. So have fun going to that later,” Jason joked.

Tim groaned. “Maybe I can use Danny as an excuse to miss it. We have a lot of information to go over and plan for. I doubt Bruce would care if I came anyway as long as Damian joins him.”

Jason snorted. “He’ll have his hands full with the demon brat, you’re probably safe.”

“We can only hope,”Tim sighed.

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Three hours later, Danny woke up refreshed and ready to blow off some energy. Looking at the time, he was happy to note that it was only 10, just in time for the Gotham vigilantes to start their patrols. If he was fast he could probably catch up to them, he thought.

Danny pulled the covers back and stood up to stretch, relishing in the sickening pops coming from his back. Jazz had always shuddered and gave him a look of horror whenever he did it in front of her. He bit back a smile just picturing her face. Then he frowned at the thought. It’d been so long since he’d seen Jazz.

Shaking his head, he put the thoughts behind him as he transformed and flew out of the manor invisibly. Danny distracted himself with loops and twirls until he spotted a speck of red on the roof of a building. Still invisible, he glided down and saw Red Robin and Red Hood quietly discussing something on the rooftop. Feeling mischievous, Danny hovered right next to Red Robin and phased a hand through his shoulder.

Red Robin gave a full body shiver, grimacing at the sudden chill. “Phantom?” He called. Red Hood seemed to perk up at this. Danny hummed, the noise sounding like an echo.

“Uh, we need to talk to you,”Red Robin hedged, and Danny made a questioning noise. At this point he trusted the vigilantes to not turn him in to the GIW or hunt him down. Not so much Batman, but Red Hood he especially trusted..

“It’s about Danny Fenton,”Red Hood cut in impatiently. Danny froze, his core thrummed with chills at the name.

Abruptly, Phantom dropped his invisibility, floating closer to the two startled vigilantes.”How do you know that name?” He demanded. Were they looking into him? Why? Did the GIW come to Gotham? “Is he in danger?”

“No, no, he’s fine. He’s safe,”Red Robin reassured. “We’ve just.. Noticed a few worrisome things about him and uh,”Red Robin trailed off. Phantom narrowed his eyes at him.

“Is he the Halfa you’ve been protecting here?” Red Hood asked. Danny pursed his lips, nodding hesitatingly. “Okay, thank you for telling us. We’re trying to protect him, but some things about his behavior is a bit worrisome.”

They were watching him? Danny thought abruptly. He was pretty sure he’d only met Red Hood as Danny. The only people who really had the chance to observe him were the Waynes. Did they tell on him to the vigilantes? Did they know? Danny floated around them cautiously. “What do you mean?”

“How does being a halfa affect his health? He doesn’t eat much, he barely sleeps but he looks tired the time, and he has a slower than normal heart rate and body temperature,”Red Robin listed, much to Danny’s surprise. “Is that normal for a halfa? Can he get sick? Does medication work on him?” He continued to ramble.

Oh. Danny’s eyes widened. They were worried about him. That was… something he was admittedly not used to, but also made his core thrum with warmth. If anything they sounded like the Wayne’s when they were trying to get him to eat. He took a breath of relief and straightened. “He’s okay, promise,”Danny reassured, holding his hands out with his palms towards them. “Halfas are more or less an unfamiliar species, so we don’t know exactly what his baseline is supposed to be. From what the medical ghosts in the Realms observed-” Or what Frostbite had-” he normally has a lower body temperature, heart rate, and doesn’t need to sleep or breathe as often as a regular human. It affects his appetite to where he doesn’t really feel hungry anymore, so we aren’t sure if he still needs to eat human food or just absorb ectoplasm or emotions, but we have been keeping an eye on it.” Danny explained. He was definitely lying about keeping an eye on it though. Absently, he thought maybe he should go see Frostbite for a checkup. He’d only been there a few times when he’d been really sick, like with his core developing. Other than that though, he’s never been sick with things he used to before he turned ghost.

“Okay, that… makes sense. Half ghost would probably mean lessened functions of his body,”Red Robin rambled, typing on his computer. Danny being not only half dead but also a different species is definitely going to make medical treatment difficult, Tim thought absently. Though some of the symptoms were reminiscent of Jason’s back when he still had the pit rage inside him. Though there were a lot of differences, like that Jason had a higher body temperature than normal instead. “Making sure he eats enough is probably the most important concern..”He trailed off and continued typing.

“What would we do if he gets hurt, or sick?” Red Hood cut in. He kind of reminded Danny of Jason for a moment. Very direct, but still concerned.

“He heals a bit faster than usual humans, and uh. His blood is a bit… ghostly? Radioactive maybe? His molecules sort of got rearranged during the.. When he became a halfa,”Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was not doing a great job of explaining this. To be fair though, he’d only found out most of these things by trial and error. Once he’d gotten blood on his jeans once and it burned a hole through the fabric after a few hours. “So don’t touch his blood directly just in case. Medication doesn’t really work on him unless it’s from the Infinite Realms, but we haven’t really been able to test it on anything stronger in the human realm. And uh, I guess stitches don’t work well on him either. They dissolve,”Phantom concluded, and the two vigilantes looked mildly concerned at the information.

“Alright, so possibility of meta-level medication working on him, radioactive blood, and no stitches. Got it,”Red Robin noted. The other two could tell he was thinking through a bunch of options in his head.

“You said he became a halfa?” Red Hood asked lowly. Danny bit his lip, fangs poking his lip harder than usual.

“Halfas are… rare,”Danny started hesitantly. He wasn’t sure how much he should share, but they seemed to have good intentions. “You have to understand that if the GIW know how a halfa is made they’ll just try to create more, right? It’s not a painless process and halfas can be dangerous. I don’t want this information out and have more portals to the Zone showing up.”

“A portal?” Red Robin’s attention snapped back to Phantom at the mention. “Don’t the Fenton’s have a portal?”

“Listen,” Hood cut in. “This information won’t get out, and we’ll respect any boundaries you have with Danny. We only asked in case Danny had any specific traumas related to it. I know dying isn’t pleasant, so I can’t imagine what it took to become half dead all the time.”

“Ah,”Phantom grimaced. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Should he tell them? They’re helping him so far, but what if they just want to know for bad reasons? Danny shook his head, dispelling the thoughts. No, they were worried about Danny’s health and well-being, and haven’t pressed about anything else. His core hummed and he felt like he could trust them. “Yeah. He uh… The Fenton’s portal… it didn’t work until Danny tried fixing it, and it… turned on with him inside,” He said quietly. Red Robin and Hood were silent, but he could see Red Robin’s lips turn into a thin line. Hood on the other hand had clenched his fists together so hard his gloves made a slight creaking sound. “But uh, the other halfas happened more slowly. With Danny it was instant.”

Red Hood was silent for a moment while Red Robin peppered Phantom with more questions. “So his parents- the Fentons- they didn’t know he was a halfa? And they hunted ghosts. Is that why he left?”

“Yep,”Phantom said, trying not to think too much about it. “M- Maddie and Jack found out and long story short he’s hanging in Gotham until… well until things calm down or he finishes school.”

“About the GIW,”Red Hood cut in. “They know about Danny right? Since the Fenton’s have been working with them? We read that the Fenton’s think you kidnapped Danny.”

Phantom barked out a laugh,”Nah, I didn’t kidnap him. He and his sister, and two of his friends had a plan in case his parents or the GIW ever caught him.”

Red Hood exhaled harshly, “That’s fucked up,” He commented dryly. To be living with people you were terrified of for so long, Jason thought. He might have to pay a visit to the Fentons after they take down the GIW.

“And its exactly why we’re trying to take down the GIW and establish a treaty between the Infinite Realms and the Human world,”Red Robin added. At this, Phantom’s pointed ears perked up and he stood straighter. “Would you be willing to introduce the rest of the bats to some ghosts? You mentioned there was a Ghost King, do you think he’d be interested in a treaty?”

Phantom’s eyes were wide and he suddenly stopped floating, his bright white boots landing softly on the rooftop. “You’re serious?”

The two vigilantes nodded. “They’re already going to be in trouble when the Lantern Corps hears about this from the league. The GIW is basically committing inter dimensional genocide with no one else knowing. That’s a crime. If we could start by meeting with people from your realm to talk about how to form an alliance it would be great.”

Phantom nodded enthusiastically. “I can arrange a meeting between the ghosts. If you’re serious about this that is.” Phantom paused, looking pensive. “I just… don’t want to involve the Halfas just yet. If the GIW or the Fentons know how a halfa is created…” he trailed off but the two vigilantes grimaced in understanding. They didn’t need more people being experimented on.

After a half hour of back and forth about the potential alliance of the Human World and the Infinite Realms, the two vigilantes went back to the cave, while Danny continued to fly around invisibly throughout the city. He was thrumming with energy, mostly excitement and dread about what this meant for ghosts. With the alliance, they’ll be able to come to earth with no threats of being torn apart molecule but molecule. The ghosts acting out in the human realm would be punished by the ghost king and handled by a team of experts appointed by said king rather than a mysterious government agency.

Not only that, but the portals would be restricted and only a few allowed access through. Humans wouldn’t be able to come and go either, but Danny thought it might be okay for scientists- actual scientists- to study the realm safely. He knew a lot of lost artifacts, worldly treasures and sometimes places ended up in the realms. Time moved differently there and so Ancient Greece and Egypt still existed and thrived.

Phantom flew around towards the manor and thought about their next meeting. It was going to be a few more bats at a warehouse tomorrow night. Danny just needed to think about which ghosts to bring. Frostbite obviously, but maybe Dora too. Clockwork he knew was hit or miss, but that was a lot of the ghosts too. Wulf or Cujo might be helpful to open a portal too. He’d have to think on it.

Surprisingly though, was that the two vigilantes actually listened to him. They trusted him to bring unknown beings to meet with them, and that the ghosts really wanted peace with the humans. Danny conceded that he was also giving them a lot of trust in telling them about himself, or halfas. They already knew about the Fentons weapons, and despite being one phone call away, the bats still didn’t put Phantom or Danny in danger. He liked that they waited til they had all the information before making a decision.

Red Robin in particular was focused on gaining any little bit of information he could on Danny's health. It was a bit endearing, and reminded Danny of Tim. Hood on the other hand was quick to think of ways to protect Danny, which was nice. He’d only ever had Jazz and Sam and Tucker to do that for him. Hence the whole moving to Gotham plan.

Eventually after Danny finished catastrophising and coming up with a plan of action, he headed back to the manor. It was only 3am, so he floated to the library to grab another book. He’d finished the last one and had started on a series with demigods. It amazed him to think that he’d never read books like this ever since his accident. Danny’d always been too busy with school and ghosts to read for fun. He took the book invisibly back to his room and for the next few hours he read. It was easy to get sucked into the book and forget about everything that was about to happen.

Somehow, Danny had fallen asleep in the midst of reading, and had slept through breakfast. The residents of the manor had all come to check on him, but once peering into his room to see the boy laying face down on a book, they decided he needed more sleep.

Tim on the other hand noted that maybe Danny had trouble sleeping and read until he felt tired. Jason did that a lot when he couldn’t sleep. Thinking back to everything Phantom told them, Tim couldn’t help but think that Danny really didn’t know how his sleep schedule was supposed to change. He thought maybe Danny finally felt relaxed or safe, and that’s why he’s able to sleep more, but it was just a theory. The same went for his appetite, and Phantom had said Danny literally didn’t feel hungry anymore. He was glad Danny hadn’t outright stopped eating, but it was still worrisome since Danny looked like skin and bones.

He’d have to keep an eye on Danny’s eating habits and sleeping patterns in order to gather data, Tim thought. Maybe he could rope Alfred into helping him. Either way, Danny sleeping the morning away allowed Tim to brief the rest of the household on Danny and Phantom. Jason in particular was sticking around, probably out of worry for Danny, but he didn’t contribute a whole lot to the conversation.

“Do we know what kind of powers Danny has?” Bruce asked, and Jason scoffed.

“Not really,” Tim pondered. “Phantom only told us the medical stuff, which wasn’t much. Danny might have more ghostly attributes too, since we know Phantom has invisibility, intangibility, flight, and super strength.”

“Doesn’t really matter if the kid has powers,”Jason said, “He still needs help. The kid basically got turned into a different species with no instruction manual. If he does have powers, he might have trouble controlling them.”

Damian clicked his tongue. “Folson has shown me that he has the ability to manipulate ice during our snowball fight,”He reported, only for the cave to go silent as everyone stared at him.

“And you didn’t inform us of this before?” Bruce narrowed his eyes, and Damian bristled.

“I highly doubt making snowballs is worth reporting,”Damian scoffed. “Danny had told me in confidence because he trusts me,”Damian preened, before sneering at the others. “I am only telling you as a courtesy. He is unaffected by the cold temperatures but from what I observed unable to create or stop something like the blizzard. He is secretive about his powers and used them minimally, but he could be hiding others.”

“Aw, you two are getting along so well!” Dick cooed, moving to wrap Damian in a hug, but was dodged by the scowling kid. They stepped further from the group as Dick attempted to cajole Damian into talking about his feelings.

“We won’t mention his powers, Damian,”Tim reassured, looking sternly to Bruce. “I’m not sure how ice ties into ghosts, but it might come up later. We can ask Phantom tonight.”

“He’ll be bringing a representative from his dimension?” Bruce clarified, and Tim nodded, bringing up the notes he shared with everyone.

“Phantom said he was going to contact one of the Ghost King’s regents. They’re choosing to trust us here, with their people’s existence and Danny’s safety, so we can assume they’re not going to ambush us,”Tim reported, and Jason gave a stern look to Bruce.

“Think of it like a diplomatic Justice League meeting, but in a dingy warehouse in Gotham,”Jason snorted. Then he stretched, making to leave.

“Where are you going?” Dick called, looking a bit sad. Jason waved him off.

“Chill out, I’m going to find Alfred and see if the kid’s awake yet,”Jason said, heading to the stairs.

“He’s really gotten attached to the kid,”Dick mused with a small smile.

“I heard that!” Jason called, voice echoing in the cave.

“Danny and Jason did sort of die,”Tim muttered, turning to his tablet.

“Danny and Phantom seem close,”Bruce commented, and Tim rolled his eyes at the lack of communication.

“From what Jason and I gathered, Phantom is only in Gotham to keep an eye on Danny and look out for the GIW or Fentons,”Tim said.” We don’t have a way to track Phantom, but he didn’t seem to know who Jason or I was under the mask. He might be keeping track of Danny through other means though.”

Bruce just grunted.

“Hold on,”Dick interrupted, and Tim turned to see Damian sulking behind Bruce while Dick was messing with Tim’s tablet. “He has radioactive blood? Like acid blood?”

“Not.. exactly?” Tim groaned. “I’d really have to test it but Phantom made it seem like their blood had more of a lazarus pit consistency. It’s better not to risk contamination though.”

“I am more worried to how Danny was in danger enough to know stitches wouldn’t work on him,”Damian scowled. Tim made a thoughtful face at that, and Bruce’s mouth stretched to a thin line.

“Well,”Dick sighed,”He is on the run for a reason. We just have to protect him from now on so it doesn’t happen again.”

“Clearly,”Damian crossed his arms,”Those buffoons in the white suits will not be coming anywhere near Danny while I am around.”

Bruce cleared his throat.”There’s been no sign of the GIW in Gotham, but a tech company in the same area seems to have their sights here.”

“A tech company? Which one?” Tim perked up, head swiveling to Bruce. He had his computer out and ready to type.

“DALV Co.,”Bruce grumbled. “Specializes in equipment commonly supplied to the GIW and FentonWorks. Run by Vlad Masters, who has invited himself to the WayneTech gala next week.”

“That can’t be a coincidence,”Dick muttered. “You think he knows Danny? Or Phantom?”

Bruce just grunted again, which Tim translated into ‘we’ll keep an eye on it either way’. Tim turned back to his computer, eager to run more searches on Masters when Dick grabbed his swively chair and steered him towards the elevator. “Dick-” Tim started, only to be cut off.

“Nope,”Dick cheered, hauling Tim out of the chair with Damian trailing behind. “Danny is your friend and you guys should be hanging out more! I bet he’s already up and Jason’s the only one up there right now.”

“But-”

“B can handle Masters, but I bet your friend is missing you,”Dick said sternly.

“Tt. Obviously Danny would prefer my company over Tim’s anyway,”Damian tutted. Tim shot him a look. “He was my friend first, brat,”Tim pointed out.

“The keyword there is ‘was’,” Damian sneered. “Unlike you, Danny has already shown me his secret powers.”

Tim frowned at that. “I thought you said he told you not to tell anyone.”

Damian shuffled guiltily. “I.. It was important to the mission to disclose his wellbeing.”

Tim smirked,”Right, well, I won’t tell him you told unless you distract Alfred so I can make coffee.”

Damian scowled at him. “Fine. But your petty addiction will only worsen and Pennyworth will not be happy.”

“I can live with that.”

Chapter 14

#phantom of gotham #dcxdp #dpxdc #danny phantom

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little-luna-llama · 9 months ago

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What if idol au. ..

What if 1st gen group that left their agency set up their own and redebuted as UpTurn and they have the nickname beasts because they are legit that good no matter what.

And 2nd gen group i-light/5ive, made on a survival show that the producers made to create a new group that would reach the same heights as the beasts did, who blossomed into their own sound. What if they debuted with a song or two that was meant for the beasts before they dipped....

What if before redebuting the beasts took a break, and shadow in particular became a songwriter/choreographer and after getting over the initial salt because of how excited these literal teenagers(at the time) get over the chance to work with him(he's not much older than they are.)

WHAT IF HE, LILY AND HOLLY CHOREO TOGETHER, WHEN THEY ARE READY TO TAKE CHARGE OF THE GROUPS ACTIVITIES. HE ROUNDS UPTURN UP SO THEY CAN HAVE SOME REAL COMPETITION.

sobs what if Shadow finds out vani is having a seriously hard time doubting his abilities as a performer(he can sing like a goddamn angel, but he struggles to keep it up while dancing,) and they practice together loads.

Eternal sugar helping holly and pitaya cover up their relationship until they're ready and helps them set up their own game/chat show.

Mystic flour becomes a high level producer/manager and Cacao becomes head stunt coordinator and they devise a system to provide crazy amazing stunts and fights without sacrificing safety.

Silent salt helps lily when she is struggling mentally to have a break. They introduce her to elder faerie who was a trainee with them who became their manager and visual director.

Goldie and burning spice have been making sick beats together since they were kids, spice was probably goldies babysitter or her babysitters younger sibling. Spice got a drum kit for their birthday and goldie was intrigued.

5ive having to take a break and they come back with solo albums (released in game order ofc) leading up to their big group return.

And then Shadow and vani release a song together

#cookie run kingdom #cookie run #shadow milk cookie #hollyberry cookie #pure vanilla cookie #white lily cookie #dark cacao cookie #golden cheese cookie #burning spice cookie #eternal sugar cookie #mystic flour cookie #silent salt cookie #elder faerie cookie #idol au

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smilingformoney · 9 months ago

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For the Love of Books | Sinclair/Betty (OC)

X. The Lion's Den

Summary: Betty and Sinclair attend a party.

AN: Now with added Lionel :D

Read now on Ao3 or below the cut:

Betty had never been one for adventure. She preferred to stay in and read about other people having adventures. Moving all the way to London from Falmouth to open her own bookshop had been a terrifying prospect, and certainly the most daring thing she’d ever done.

Learning to drive, being in a relationship, having sex - these were all things that most people did as a normal part of life, but they’d passed Betty by. Then came Sinclair, bringing all these adventures into her life, showing her new ways to experience the world. She loved the adventure that was being with him, and she happily agreed to any crazy idea he came up with.

But even so, his latest idea had taken some convincing and a lot of puppy dog eyes. For there was no way Betty could ever understand the appeal of rollercoasters, yet eventually she caved and agreed to go to Thorpe Park with him.

Leaving Goldie in Mei-Li’s care, Sinclair drove the two of them in the Accord to the theme park, which was only a 20 minute drive away but it felt like an eternity to Betty, especially when the tallest rollercoasters loomed on the horizon as they got closer. Sinclair, of course, told Betty all about the theme park that had opened 13 years ago, and he assured her that the rides were safe.

Sinclair practically bounced out of the car and Betty had to jog to catch up with him at the park entrance. His enthusiasm was admittedly infectious, and Betty thought that some of the rides might be fun, so long as they weren’t too fast or too high.

Somehow, Sinclair convinced Betty to go on the ‘Flying Fish’ ride. He was practically vibrating with excitement when they got off, ready to go another five times, and he turned to Betty to suggest that they go again when she dashed off into the nearest bush and promptly vomited.

“Betty!”

Sinclair quickly ran to her side and gathered her hair in his hand to hold it back from her face. With his other hand, he rubbed her back soothingly as she vomited again, then after a few moments she straightened up and Sinclair offered her his handkerchief.

“I’m never doing that again,” she mumbled as she wiped her face.

“Definitely not! Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and have a sit down.”

Ten minutes later, Betty emerged from the toilets feeling as clean as she could having used a public toilet, and found Sinclair at a picnic bench, tucking into some no doubt overpriced food.

He swallowed his mouthful of hotdog and said, “I bought you some fries in case you’re hungry but if you still feel sick and you don’t want to eat that’s okay. How do you feel?”

“Better. When we have kids, you can take them here, I’ll stay home with Goldie.”

“…When we have kids?”

“Well, I fully intend to get married and have kids and grow old with you. You’d better tell me now if you don’t want to, before I get invested.”

Sinclair smiled and wriggled happily in his seat. “I’d love that. Let me just get divorced first, though. Speaking of how much I love you - it’s a lot, by the way - Valentine’s Day is next week.”

Betty popped a fry into her mouth. She was hungry, but she didn’t want to upset her stomach again.

“Yes, it is. Did you want to do something for it? I’ve never had a Valentine’s Day before. What do we do that’s so different to every other day?”

“Well, I was going to offer to take you out somewhere nice to eat, but last night my cousin called me, he’s having a party on Valentine’s Day. He’s no romantic but he’ll take any excuse to throw a party. Would you like to go? He always throws the best parties, he’s got a huge manor in the countryside and all the food and drink is free!”

“You want me to meet the family already?”

Sinclair waved a hand. “It’s only my cousin. Neither of us had siblings and we’re the same age so we’re the closest either of us has to a brother.”

“Big manor in the countryside? Is he rich too, then?”

“Oh, very. Much richer than me.”

“Richer than you, eh? Is he single?”

Sinclair’s eyes widened as he bit into his hotdog, and Betty laughed.

“I’m kidding, Sinclair! Your cousin could be the richest man in the country and I’d still rather be with you.”

“Goo’cuseis,” Sinclair replied with his mouth full of hotdog.

“What?”

Sinclair swallowed, then repeated, “Good, because he is!”

“He is what?”

“The richest man in the country. He’s a billionaire, I’m just a humble millionaire. Only the Queen is richer than him.”

Betty thought back to last year’s Sunday Times rich list for a moment, then dropped a chip in surprise.

“Your cousin is Lionel Shabandar?”

Sinclair nodded, as if he hadn’t just dropped a huge bomb on her.

“So do you want to go? It’s okay if not, we can stay in or we can go to a restaurant —”

“No, no, I’ll go,” Betty said quickly. “I’d like to meet your family. I want to hear all the stories about what baby Sinclair got up to. I bet you were so cute!”

“What do you mean were?” Sinclair asked in mock offence.

“Well, of course you’re still cute now. What do you want to do for the afternoon?”

“Oh, don’t you want to go home? I thought you might not want to go on any more rides.”

“No, I don’t, but I don’t fancy a car ride either. I’m happy to watch you go on the rides. Plus there’s other stuff we can do. I’d love to go to the petting farm!”

“Yes, let’s do that! But don’t tell Goldie we’ve been petting other animals, he might get jealous.”

Betty decided not to mention that Goldie couldn’t understand English, and if he did he probably wouldn’t be jealous, and instead she fished out the park map to find their way to the farm while Sinclair started listing all the animals the farm had.

“I heard they have ponies, do you want to pet the ponies? And sheep and goats too, but I don’t think I’ll pet the pigs, although they are still very interesting so I’d like to see them.”

“I want to see all of them, and maybe once you see how sweet pigs are, you’ll stop eating their brothers and sisters,” Betty said with a smirk, looking up at Sinclair, who had finished his hotdog and was now licking the mustard from his fingers. He looked at her with alarm.

“Do you think they’ll be able to tell?”

“Well, I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out if one of them jumps at you.”

Betty stood up and Sinclair followed her, eyes wide with worry that an angry pig was going to tackle him.

“Can pigs jump? I have no idea if pigs can jump. Maybe we should ask someone there, just in case —”

Betty laughed and took Sinclair’s hand as they meandered through the crowds towards the ferry station for the farm. “Relax, Sinclair, they’re not going to be able to tell you’ve eaten pork.”

“Do you want me to stop eating pork? I can stop if you want, although I’ll miss the pork sandwiches that David does, but your halloumi burgers do look really nice.”

“Just pork or other meats too?”

“All of them! I’ll stop eating meat from right now. That hotdog was my last meat ever! Oh, no, but I have some chicken in the fridge… well, I’ll finish that off, then I’ll stop.”

Betty stopped walking suddenly, and Sinclair skidded to a halt when he realised she’d stopped, her hand in his preventing him from moving any further.

“You’d give up meat for me?” she asked with a frown.

“Of course,” Sinclair said with a shrug, as if it was a trivial thing. “It makes you uncomfortable so I’ll stop. Besides, when one of us cooks we always eat vegetarian so it’s not like - mmhm!”

She interrupted him with a kiss, which he happily reciprocated, and when they separated Betty was looking at him with such sweet adoration in her eyes that Sinclair wanted to melt.

“You never cease to amaze me with how sweet you are, Sinclair,” Betty smiled.

“I just want to make you happy, Betty. I love you.”

“I love you too. Now, come on, let’s go pet some ponies.”

---

The following Friday, Betty stepped out of her dingy London flat feeling like an absolute imposter, dressed in a gold dress and heels to go to a party at the home of the richest man in the country. Not only that, but she was attending as the date of said richest man’s also very rich cousin, who had managed to avoid mentioning in the last four months of knowing her that his cousin was Lionel Shabandar.

Sinclair was waiting outside, and they both equally gaped when they set eyes on each other.

”Sinclair - a limo?!”

”Betty… you look amazing.”

She blushed. She’d closed the shop early and spent all afternoon and far too much money at the salon getting her very curly afro straightened and the money she had left after that had gone towards her dress. She knew that the type of people she’d meet tonight were the type who could tell if she wore a dress from Primark, and would judge her hard for it.

”Thanks,” she said with a smile, fiddling with her hair nervously. “You look even more handsome than usual. Have you combed your hair?”

”Have I —? Never mind my hair! Look at yours! I almost didn’t recognise you! Oh - before I forget - since it’s Valentine’s Day…”

He produced a bouquet of roses from behind his back with a grin, and Betty blushed even harder.

”Sinclair! You didn’t have to go to all this trouble…”

”But it’s Valentine’s Day!” he said with his best puppy dog eyes. “And I have the best date in the world!”

”You’re so cute.” Betty leant up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. Let me just put these upstairs —“

”It’s okay, there’s a vase in the limo! It’s so much fun, there’s a mini fridge too, and a TV, and —“

”Are we going to a party at a mansion or in the car?”

”Both! Come on - here, let me help you in.”

Sinclair opened the door for her and helped her in like a proper gentleman, then he tucked the roses into a compartment and instructed the driver to take them to his cousin’s mansion.

”Clair, be honest, do I look okay? I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb among all these rich people…”

”You look so beautiful, Betty! I mean it. How did you get your hair so straight? That must have taken ages.”

”Oh, it took all afternoon. Straightening an afro isn’t an easy task, I wouldn’t dare to try it myself, I had to get someone to do it. It’s why I don’t straighten it often, it’s far too much effort.”

”It looks amazing. So beautiful. I’d love it if you were able to magically straighten it so you could have it like this more often. Not that I don’t love your curly hair, I adore your curly hair, but I love this too. You’d look good with any hair. Or no hair! Please don’t try that, though. And the dress is amazing! Gold suits you. Any colour suits you, but I really, really like this one. Do you want to see what’s in the mini fridge? I had a little peek on the way over, but I haven’t had any of it yet. Only the snacks. There’s still some crisps left, I think, but I ate most of them, sorry. There’ll be loads of food at the party, and loads of drinks, and they’re all free! Lionel really goes all out for his parties. He goes all out for everything. You think I’m rich, wait until you’ve seen his place. He has artwork worth millions of pounds, just sitting there!”

”Is that any different to your cars just sitting there?” Betty interjected.

”My cars aren’t worth that much!” Sinclair insisted. He was pouring the champagne into glasses now, and shooed Betty’s hand away when she tried to help. “Okay, a few of them are worth millions, but not nearly as many. Natalie always said I had more money than sense, but if anyone does, it’s Lionel. Here you go!”

He finally stopped to breathe as he handed her a glass of champagne.

”Happy Valentine’s Day to the best girlfriend ever!”

Betty laughed. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Clair. I love you.”

His eyes lit up as if she hadn’t said it a thousand times before. ”I love you too!”

They clinked glasses and drank, and Betty swore it tasted just the same as a £20 bottle from Somerfield, but she was sure the price tag was significantly higher.

”So, you just kind of dropped the bomb on me the other day that your cousin is Lionel Shabandar,” Betty said as she leant back into his arms on the double-wide seat. “Do you know him very well? I barely know my cousins.”

”Yes, we’re the same age, so we grew up together and went to Winchester at the same time. We were both very interested in business, and obviously we’re both rich and successful, but he’s even better off than I am because he invested a lot of his money whereas I’ve always loved spending. Then he bought all these media companies and put them into one big company so he owns most media companies in the country now and he can afford to spend even more than I ever did.”

”Yeah, I know he’s got a huge publishing house. Most of my stock is published by Shabandar Books.”

”Not just books! He owns TV channels, magazines, newspapers. I keep telling him he needs to invest in the internet, all my research at work says it’s the next big thing.”

”What’s internet?”

Sinclair’s eyes widened in the excited way they did when he realised he could explain something new to her, and so Betty spent the rest of the trip listening to him explaining some miraculous technology that let computers talk to each other even when they were miles apart. She was so focused on listening to him that she almost didn’t notice the limo slowing to a stop as they approached the mansion, and she almost jumped when the driver got up to let them out.

”Wow.”

It wasn’t eloquent, but it just about summed up Betty’s feelings when she stepped out of the limo - aided, of course, by her very gentlemanly boyfriend - and saw the mansion before her.

She clung onto Sinclair’s arm and let him guide her down the path. The gardens were packed with partygoers, and Betty didn’t want to get lost in the sea of people.

Sinclair was narrating as they walked down the path, pointing out stories behind statues, most of which seemed to be, “Lionel likes lions because of his name so he buys anything with a lion on it.”

“Oh, there he is!” Sinclair exclaimed. “Lionel!”

A man turned around, around the same age as Sinclair and bearing a strong family resemblance. He smiled and went to greet Sinclair with a handshake, but instead Sinclair pulled him into an embrace.

”Good to see you, cuz!”

”Ah - Sinclair. Good to see you too,” Lionel said with a restrained smile. He endured the embrace until Sinclair let him go. He turned to Betty and smiled very differently - warm, welcoming, and his eyes looked her up and down. “And who is this lovely lady?”

“Elizabeth Bennett,” Betty said, holding out her hand to greet him. She blushed when, instead of shaking her hand, Lionel took it gently and kissed the back of her hand as if the sound of her name immediately turned him into Mr Darcy.

”A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Lionel Shabandar.”

”Yes, I… know who you are.”

Sinclair wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. Lionel raised an eyebrow and dropped Betty’s hand.

”Betty’s my date for this evening,” Sinclair said firmly. “And every evening.”

”Oh, is that so?” Lionel replied, though he didn’t take his eyes off Betty for an instant. “You’re not tired of my cousin talking your ear off yet?”

”Of course not, I love listening to him talk.”

”Well, someone has to, I suppose,” Lionel shrugged, then turned his attention back to Sinclair. “What happened to that wife of yours? Natasha, was it?”

“Natalie. We’re divorcing. Didn’t your mum tell you?”

”Oh, probably, I don’t really listen when she starts talking about family drama. Well, I’m glad for you, Sinclair. She was such a bore. I’m sure you’re much more engaging, aren’t you, Elizabeth?” Lionel said, turning to Betty once again.

”I hope so.”

”She’s amazing!” Sinclair gushed. “She’s so smart, she owns a bookshop that she runs all by herself, and she used to be a librarian so she’s read almost as many books as I have, and she’s great at memorising things like the Dewey decimal system, cooking recipes, and she can recite most of Shakespeare by heart!”

Lionel chuckled. “A literature lover, I take it? I’m quite partial to paintings myself, and they do say a picture can paint a thousand words.”

”A thousand words isn’t actually all that much. Especially not when you’re dating Sinclair. He can say a thousand words in one breath.”

“She’s right, I can!” Sinclair grinned. “And she’ll listen to every one of them. Or at least pretend to. Say, Lionel, why don’t you show Elizabeth some of your artwork? She didn’t believe me when I told her you had paintings worth millions.”

“Yes, of course I will! But it’ll have to be later, I have rounds to do. Excuse me.”

Lionel took Betty’s hand to kiss it again, then sauntered off to speak to some other important rich white man.

“Well, he’s… charming.”

Sinclair sighed and shook his head. “That’s one way to put it. I should have known he’d try to flirt with you - he loves beautiful things, and you’re the most beautiful thing here. Not that you’re a thing - I mean because you’re beautiful. More beautiful than anything or anyone here.”

Betty laughed and leaned up to kiss Sinclair on the cheek. “You said the food here was free. Shall we go feast?”

Sinclair’s eyes lit up. “Yes, let’s!”

It soon became evident that getting some alone time with Sinclair was going to be impossible. He was constantly running into people he knew, greeting them like seeing them was the best thing ever, then proudly introducing Betty as his partner. The reactions were mixed - some were surprised or confused that he was with someone other than Natalie, some seemed happy to see him rid of her, and one or two looked at Betty like she really shouldn’t be there. Those people, as soon as their faces fell, Sinclair quickly turned cold to and made an excuse to get rid of them.

Sinclair was deep in conversation when Betty finished her food, so she excused herself to get some drinks. On the way back, she saw from afar that Sinclair was already chatting to someone else and was nearly finished with his food, so she stopped at the buffet table to grab him some more as she knew he’d be torn between continuing his no doubt very interesting conversation and eating more food.

She arrived at the table with a plate of food in one hand and drinks on a small tray she’d borrowed from the bar in another. She placed the drinks tray down first, followed by the plate of food, and Sinclair looked at the plate in surprise, then up at her, and his eyes lit up when he realised she’d brought him some more food.

“Ah, more drinks, excellent,” said the man Sinclair had been talking to, an older man in a suit as fancy as everyone else’s there. He helped himself to one of the drinks, and Betty frowned at him.

“Hey, that was mine!”

The man frowned at her, as if surprised she’d said anything. “Excuse me, young lady, these drinks are for guests.”

Betty froze. She didn’t want to cause a scene, not in front of Sinclair. It was their first fancy event as a couple, and she didn’t want to embarrass him. But she knew exactly what the man meant - he thought she was a server.

Sinclair, it seemed, had clocked too, because he straightened up and shot an icy glare at the man.

“I think you’ll find there are three guests at this table, Mr Benson. I did say my partner had gone to get drinks.”

“Well, then, she’ll have to fetch her own, won’t she? Rather than sending a server to bring them over.”

“I am the partner, dickhead!” Betty hissed.

The man looked at her with shock, as if the concept of his fellow rich white man dating a black girl was unprecedented.

“I’ve changed my mind, Mr Benson,” said Sinclair coldly. “I don’t think I have capacity to take you on as a client after all. I think you should leave now.”

“Well, I never!” Mr Benson spluttered, before standing up and storming off.

Betty felt her shoulders relax and she took her seat next to Sinclair.

“I’m sorry,” they both said in unison, then laughed.

“Don’t be sorry, Betty, you handled that very well.”

“I called a potential client a dickhead.”

“Well, he was being a dickhead. Besides, I don’t want someone like him as a client. You’ve just saved me a lot of trouble. I’m sorry you had to go through that at all."

Betty shrugged. “It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t be used to it!” Sinclair insisted stubbornly. “People like him are morons. I can’t believe anyone would look at you and think anything other than, Wow, she’s so beautiful, I can’t believe how lucky Sinclair is.”

“Yeah, well… I can’t believe anyone would be married to you and think, Hey, maybe I’ll fuck my brother. There are some strange people out there.”

Sinclair laughed. “We must be the only sane ones!”

“We must be.”

She kissed him chastely on the lips, not wanting to be too affectionate in public, and he responded by squeezing her hand under the table.

“I can’t believe you brought me more food without me even asking!” Sinclair said with a grin when their lips parted and his attention turned to the food in front of him. “You’re so amazing. Here, why don’t you have the drink Benson didn’t touch?”

“That’s okay. Actually, it’s getting a bit crowded in here for me. Do you mind if I go for a wander? You can stay here and mingle, I just need a bit of quiet for a bit.”

“Mmm-hmm!” Sinclair replied, his mouth already full of sandwich. He swallowed, then said, “Of course you can, Betts! Maybe see if you can find Lionel and get that tour from him!”

“Good idea. I love you.”

“I love you too!”

She kissed him on the cheek and left him to his mingling, and she was barely on her feet when he was already waving over someone he recognised.

The crowd thinned when Betty managed to squeeze out of the gazebo, but with so many people she didn’t know it was still quite overwhelming, and she was relieved when Lionel emerged from the crowd and greeted her.

“Elizabeth! There you are. How would you like to have a look at my artwork now? I’m desperate for a break from all this chitchat.”

“I was just looking for you to ask that myself.”

“Perfect timing, then. Come along.”

Lionel offered her his arm and she took it gratefully, glad to have someone to anchor herself to in the busy crowd, and she felt like she could breathe again as they left the chattering people behind and approached the front doors to the manor.

Betty followed Lionel inside, eyes wide and mouth agape as she stared at the incredible architecture - and this was only the reception hall. The walls were adorned with painting after painting, and Lionel steered her into a hallway, where more paintings stood proudly on display between lion statues.

”You certainly seem to like lions,” Betty commented.

”Well, they’re the kings of the jungle, aren’t they? And the business world is a jungle in itself.”

”And you fancy yourself the king of it, do you?”

Lionel smirked at her. “I am the king. Come along.”

He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her down the hall, naming each painting and its artist as they passed it, and Betty wondered how much he’d paid for each one of them. The insurance alone was probably more than she’d make in a year.

”You know, king of the jungle is a misnomer,” Betty commented as they turned a corner to be greeted with yet another lion statue. “Lions don’t live in the jungle. They should be called the king of the savannah if anything.”

”Actually, jungle is a Hindi word for a place uninhabited by humans - such as savannahs.”

Betty glanced at him, surprised, and he shrugged. “Sinclair isn’t the only person who knows things. So what do you think of my collection, Elizabeth? Quite impressive, don’t you think?”

”There’s certainly a theme,” Betty said, glancing between two of the many paintings that depicted naked women.

”Well, I also have a collection of landscapes, but I must admit that I have a penchant for the feminine form. This one seems to have caught your eye.”

She felt more than heard him come up behind her as she examined a painting labelled Otahi .

”What is it about this one that intrigues you, Elizabeth?” Lionel asked softly. “Is it the way she sits? You know, this particular painting was considered rather controversial when it was painted. The way she sits… ready and waiting… exposed. Do you feel an affinity to her, Elizabeth? Does this particular painting arouse something in you?”

When had he got so close? Betty suddenly felt very aware of Lionel’s breath on her neck, his hands on her hips - when had they got there? - and when he pulled her back slightly to press against him, she felt a bulge on her lower back - just where —

“Lionel —”

”Hmm?” Lionel replied absentmindedly, his lips by her ear, the gap between them growing ever smaller as he leant his head down towards hers —

“I’m here with Sinclair.”

”Are you? I don’t see him anywhere. He seems to have abandoned you.”

”You led me here…”

”You were all alone.”

”He was talking to someone…”

”He’s always talking to someone. Gets distracted so easily. But don’t worry… my attention is solely on you, dear. Let me kiss you, Elizabeth. I sorely want to kiss you…”

Can I kiss you? … I’d really like to kiss you now … Can I have another kiss?

Sinclair’s voice rang in her head, and Betty felt as if she’d just been jolted awake from a hypnotic state. She tried to pull away from Lionel, but his arms were wrapped around her torso tightly - when had that happened?

”No, thank you,” Betty whispered, her voice hardly audible. She could hardly believe she was turning down the richest man in the country, but as much as he looked like Sinclair, he wasn’t Sinclair, and she only wanted Sinclair.

Lionel only chuckled. “Must you play hard to get, darling? It’s Valentine’s Day. A day for lovers… for making love…”

“Thank you for the advice. I’d really prefer to make love to my boyfriend.”

”And who says who that has to be? Hm?”

”Lionel —”

”Betty?”

Lionel let go of her as if her skin had burnt him. Betty took a sudden, deep breath, as if he’d been suffocating her. Maybe he had been. She turned to see Sinclair standing at the corner of the corridor, looking between them both.

”Sorry, I interrupted,” he said in a cold, detached voice, unlike anything she’d ever heard from him. “Don’t mind me.”

Sinclair turned and left, and Betty followed him as quick as she could.

”Sinclair, wait!”

He left through a side door that led to a quieter part of the grounds, and she jogged as fast as she could to catch up with him.

”Sinclair - come on! I can’t catch up to your long legs in these shoes - ow!”

She hissed as she stumbled, twisting her ankle to the side, and she grabbed onto a nearby lion statue to steady herself. She hopped to a bench and sat herself down to take her shoes off, but before she could do so, Sinclair was suddenly on his knees in front of her, unstrapping the shoe from the ankle she’d rolled.

”Thanks. I don’t think I’ve twisted it. Sprained, maybe.”

”You shouldn’t be running in these,” Sinclair muttered, not looking up at her as he eased the shoe from her foot.

”I wouldn’t be if you hadn’t run off like that.”

He looked up at her, his eyes full of anger and hurt, and it broke her heart to see it.

”What was I supposed to do? You clearly needed your privacy —“

”Sinclair, stop it,” Betty snapped harshly. “I’m not Natalie. Okay?”

”Am I supposed to believe that was innocent?”

”From him? No. Maybe I should have told him to back off more firmly, but… I didn’t know what to do. We were just looking at art and suddenly he’s got his hands on me and I can’t make a scene, not with someone like him, not in his own house, so I just… froze. But I said no. He asked for a kiss and I said no. Then he said it’s a day for lovers so I said the only lover I wanted was you and…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let it get that far. Maybe I should have seen it coming when he pulled me away from the party and started showing me his collection of paintings of naked women, but I’m an idiot, okay? I thought he just wanted to share his art. I forgot men are pigs.”

Sinclair didn’t say anything at first. He just held her ankle gently, looking at it as if it held all the answers. Then he looked up at her meekly.

”Not all men are pigs,” he muttered. “You always said I was more of a puppy.”

Betty smiled. “Yeah. You’re my puppy.”

”You know, dogs can get very possessive. They growl at people who try to take what’s theirs. And what’s a little puppy compared to a great lion?”

”Hey.” Betty stroked Sinclair’s cheek softly. “I’d choose my puppy over a lion any day.”

Sinclair’s eyes shone a little more hopefully then. “Really?”

”Yes, really,” Betty laughed. “I love you, Sinclair. Do you really think I’m gonna sneak off to shag your cousin?”

Sinclair shrugged dejectedly. “Better my cousin than your brother, I suppose.”

”Oh, god, don’t even joke about that,” Betty gagged. “Will you get up here and cuddle me already?”

Sinclair got up from his knees, ignoring the grass stains on the knees of his very expensive suit, and sat next to her on the bench. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cuddled up to his warmth.

”I’m sorry,” Sinclair mumbled into her hair.

”Don’t be. At least now I know you don’t want to lose me.”

”Never! I never want to lose you, Betty. You’re everything to me.”

She leant up to kiss him, and he finally smiled.

“I love you, puppy.”

”I love you too, kitten.”

“Do you wanna dance?”

Sinclair’s eyes lit up. “You said you hate dancing!”

“Yeah, well, you have a way of making me see things in a new light. I think I might like dancing if it’s with you.”

“What about your ankle?”

Betty gave it an experimental flex. “It’s okay. I think I was just being a bit dramatic.” She leant down and slid her shoe back on, then stood up, cautiously putting weight on it. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she concluded. “Come on, Mr Bryant, ask the cute girl to dance.”

Sinclair immediately stood and straightened his posture, and Betty laughed when he gave her a little formal bow.

“Miss Bennett, would you do me the honour of accompanying me in a dance?”

“Why, Mr Bryant, I’d be honoured!”

She took his proffered arm and let him guide her back towards the party, which was still in full swing, with plenty of other couples already dancing, but Betty was pretty sure none of them were as in love as she and Sinclair were.

“You’ll need to lead me, I have no idea how to do anything other than the robot,” Betty admitted.

Sinclair spun her around suddenly, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her up against him, their noses almost touching, and Betty felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

“Focus on me,” he said softly. He was quiet, and the music was loud, but Betty still heard him, because to her there was no one else in the world.

She looked at him, his sweet amber eyes alight with excitement, and nodded.

Betty hated dancing because it made her self-conscious, but for the first time, she felt she could move without fear of being watched. Maybe she was being watched, maybe her dancing was terrible, maybe people were laughing. What did it matter? She was with Sinclair. She was holding him, being held by him, their bodies moving in tandem, perfectly synchronised and so clearly made for each other.

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” Sinclair murmured in her ear. Betty blushed, shrinking in on herself slightly, and Sinclair gently lifted her chin back up to look at her. “I mean it, Betty. I think you’re even more beautiful than…” He thought for a moment. “Julia Roberts.”

Betty laughed. “Julia Roberts?!”

“She was voted People Magazine’s most beautiful woman last year. And she is beautiful, I suppose, but she’s nothing compared to you.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s your favourite thing about me?”

Sinclair, whose hands were currently around her waist, reached down for a cheeky butt grab.

“This!”

“You can’t say my bum! Or my boobs. Or my heart, that’s such a cop-out.”

“Okay, okay!” Sinclair returned his hand to her waist and grinned down at her. “I love your eyes. I love how they sparkle when you laugh or smile, and the way your pupils dilate when you look at me. And I love your smile too, you have so many different smiles, but I think my favourite one is when you’re trying not to laugh. And your nose is so cute too - and I love your hair, of course. Can I just say everything?”

“Sinclair, saying everything is your whole thing.”

“That’s true! If you think I don’t shut up now, just ask me to list everything I love about you, I really won’t shut up then!”

“If we ever get married, you might well set the record for longest wedding speech ever.”

“If I was on Mastermind, my specialist subject would be you.” Sinclair gasped. “I should go on Mastermind! I’d be great at it! I don’t need the money, I’d probably donate it to charity, or just spend it on you. Not that there’s anything I wouldn’t buy you anyway. Anything you want, I’ll get it for you, Betts.”

Betty bit her lip thoughtfully. “Well… there is one thing I’ve always wanted to do but I’ve never been able to afford it.”

“Anything!”

“I’ve never been abroad.”

Sinclair was so shocked that he stopped moving, and Betty almost stumbled.

“Never? Surely not. Not even to France?”

“Devon’s the furthest we ever went for holiday.”

Sinclair shook his head stubbornly. “Devon’s not a holiday when you live in Cornwall! That’s just going up the road! No, that’s it, we’re going on holiday. Let’s find a travel agent tomorrow and book somewhere. We could go to the Caribbean, the Maldives, Hawaii… what kind of holiday do you like? I suppose you won’t know, will you, if you’ve never been away… do you have a passport?”

“Yeah, I needed one to get the shop set up. I don’t need to go somewhere fancy, Sinclair, but it’d be nice to go somewhere just the two of us, no work or Natalie in the way —”

“We need to bring Goldie!”

“Can’t Mei-Li look after him?”

“Well, yes, but she deserves a break from us too. Think about where you want to go and we’ll go! Somewhere dog-friendly with lots of fun things we can do!”

“I can think of some fun things we can do wherever we go,” Betty said suggestively, her eyes alight. “We wouldn’t even need to leave the hotel room…”

Sinclair blushed and glanced to the side, as if checking for anyone who might have overheard. “Betty…”

”Mmm?”

“Be careful what you say… you’ll make me want to whisk you off to one of Lionel’s many spare rooms.”

“Is that such a bad thing? I don’t think he’d mind…”

“I’d much rather get you home where we can cuddle and sleep afterwards.”

Betty laughed. “Sinclair, if we wait until we get home, it’ll be another hour before we leave while you say your goodbyes to everyone.”

“I… don’t have any condoms with me.”

“I bet Lionel does.”

“You’re determined to have sex in my cousin’s manor, aren’t you?”

Betty grinned. “What can I say? I waited a long time for you. I’m gonna savour every moment.”

She trailed a hand down his chest, stopping just a few inches shy of his waistband, her fingers teasing at the buttons on his shirt.

“What d’you say?”

Sinclair glanced around. No one was paying either of them the slightest bit of attention. He grabbed Betty’s hand and led her away from the dancefloor, away from the crowds, and no one noticed them slip away into the manor.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Betty giggled five minutes later as Sinclair hastily unwrapped a condom he’d snuck out of a drawer in Lionel’s study.

“It was your idea!”

“I thought we’d go to a bedroom, not Lionel’s personal art gallery!”

Sinclair grinned cheekily, a twinkle in his eye. “I thought it’d be more fun. We can go somewhere else though if you want —”

“No, here’s good, I don’t wanna wait.”

Betty hitched up her skirt around her waist as Sinclair unzipped his trousers and pulled his cock out to roll the condom down.

“You don’t wanna go on the bench?”

“No, wall’s good. C’mon, Clair, I need you —”

“I love it when you’re desperate.”

Sinclair gently pushed her thighs apart, then tugged the fabric of her soaking wet knickers to the side and began teasing her entrance with his tip.

It was easy to forget their height difference when they were in bed, but it was glaringly obvious now as Sinclair loomed over her, and though she knew he’d let her go if she asked, she liked feeling enveloped by him, as if there was nothing else in the world except the two of them.

“Arms around my shoulders,” Sinclair instructed her. She obeyed, and he lifted her thighs up with his large hands, wrapping her legs around his waist to allow him to slip inside her.

“Fuck , Clair…” Betty sighed with relief as he sandwiched her against the wall, pushing himself past her walls and settling in comfortably.

“Sinclair, please… please fuck me…”

He kissed her cheek and smiled.

“Since you asked so nicely.”

Betty had never in a million years expected this, yet here she was, getting fucked against the wall of a rich man’s personal art gallery, in the arms of her best friend, the sweetest and most loving man she’d ever met, who apparently had a daring sexuality with a bit of encouragement.

She felt completely safe in his arms, physically and emotionally, knowing he would never do anything to hurt her, that he loved and accepted her even with all her flaws.

“I love you, Sinclair,” she murmured against his ear, and Sinclair whined in response.

“I… I love you too, Betts,” he panted. “Mhm - fuck - this is really hot, but can I put you down?”

She giggled.

“Yes, I know I’m probably quite heavy. Wanna move over to the bench?”

“Yes, please.”

Sinclair put her down and pulled out of her, but he was back inside her within seconds when she bent over the bench and spread her legs for him.

He gripped her hips firmly as he thrust into her, and though he preferred to see her face, he did love the sight of her arse jiggling with each thrust, and he could see her hands holding on to the edge of the bench, trying to hold herself steady as he thrust inside her.

Betty knew that if either of them put a finger anywhere near her clit, she’d be done for. The sound of Sinclair’s moans, the slapping of his flesh against hers, filled the large, empty room, echoing back to them, and neither of them cared much that at any moment someone might decide to have a break from the party to have a look at some art.

They were so lost in the moment that they didn’t even notice the door open partway, only to close again as soon as Lionel realised he’d found where Betty and Sinclair had snuck off to.

Sinclair leant forward, his torso pressing against Betty’s back, and with her hair straightened he was able to pepper the side of her neck with kisses, alternating between kisses and murmured words of adoration, reminding her how much he loved her, how happy she made him, how much she’d changed his life in just a few short months.

“Clair… Clair, touch me, please, I need you…”

“Yes, yes, of course, anything for you, Betty…”

He reached around her body to rub at her sweet spot, and his expert fingers quickly had her cumming hard around him, her shouts of his name echoing around the gallery, and he came with a garbled cry soon after, the feeling of her walls shuddering around him too much for him to endure.

Some deranged part of Betty’s brain wanted him to cum inside her, to fill her up completely, and when he pulled out and lifted his weight from her, she felt like a part of her had pulled away with him.

She caught her breath, then let him pull her to her feet, giggling incoherently as she pulled her dress down.

“We really ought to get out of here before someone realises what we’re up to.”

Sinclair wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, smiling.

“Mmm, cuddles first though. Then how about we get cleaned up, say our goodbyes, and we go home and cuddle some more?”

“I’d like that. Can we fuck some more too?”

“Definitely.”

Sinclair had never left a party so quick.

#close my eyes 1991 #sinclair bryant #alan rickman #lionel shabandar #sinclair x betty #for the love of books

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ourpickwickclub · 9 months ago

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The reason I feel like PI is so good is because Gwen writes from her heart and how she is feeling in the moment. I don’t believe she has done that with any of the few songs she released in the last couple years. Now LMRM was great and pure G but the SClap song was trying to capture the girl she was before an I think that’s when she realized she can’t be the HB girl. Now True B was good but to much about B an hard to relate to most fans more like a guilt please song for her. Now PI wow the lyrics are so honest and the music is spot on the feeling of this song is fantastic. You can tell that G was being pure in her insecurities at the time and yes she has them. I just rewatched a interview after they were engaged when she said she was in a place of, where are we going with this relationship, she even though B loves her so deeply had doubts about him marrying her. Even I was shocked by that because I spent 6 yrs watching this relationship blossoms an when it seemed like it couldn’t get better it did. So hearing her say she was worried seemed sad just like will you still think I am pretty an are you still happy. I read some of the post on here today about how G was treated in her past and yes the sticks with you a women never forgets how someone makes you feel you just push it down as far as you can and keep going. At least G has been blessed with being able to write music and sing about.

When Gwen said that they talked about getting married right away when they started dating, because the connection was that strong, and then they decided to just live in the moment and enjoy the relationship for a while, I feel like it was Blake who wanted to get married right away, and it was Gwen who was nervous to jump back into marriage early on. Then, Blake was so happy and so in love, he was terrified to do anything to ruin it. To him, relationships end once you get married. I love how with Gwen, he seems happier and happier every day that passes.

They got there! I really thought for a long time they might end up like Kurt and Goldie. 😂

- B

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formerlycookierunauprompts · 10 months ago

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Hi I'm still alive. School has just been beating me up recently. Anyways this ask is going to be long again, but don't worry, it's not about Golden Butter Cookie this time. (I still like drawing her and Arcane Egg a lot though)

This actually concerns about the dolls GBC makes, mainly the 3 you've mentioned. (I added a 4th, but I will explain that in a bit). This entire thing actually made me research a lot about dolls in a weird way. Honestly I didn't think I would get very invested in it very much but I did, so I think I should thank you for that.

So to get things started, and reviewing back to the last few long asks I've sent the past weeks, the Toybox Realm has 2 level sections (The main layout/landscape, and the Dollhouse). When Rosemary saves the gang, when you fight through the levels, you are mostly required to have her on your team, thus you can only pick 4 cookies from your roster to fight. Enemies that you fight are composed of dolls and toys that make up most of the population of the Toybox: - Poppets (Mostly does healing) - Toy Cars (Charges at the cookies at the front of your line up and stun them, flips over and explodes, damaging only cookies at the back of your team) - Teddy Bears (Toybox version of Bear Jellys. Act like big walls of defense) - Rag dolls (Acts as ambushes, aiming for cookies in the middle) - Apple Doll (Giant creature that acts as a midboss before reaching Salvation's Stitch) When you're in Salvation Stitch, there are dormant and passive versions of the dolls you fight that reside there. In the Dollhouse, they're more damaged and destroyed looking if anything. When you fight GBC as the final boss of the Dollhouse, you're still required to have Rosemary with you, however, she is removed from your team once the boss battle starts, leaving you with only 4 members to endure GBC's constant attacks until Goldie times out.

Alright, let's discuss the main 3: Rosemary, Basil, and Thyme. I wanted to find a way to distinguish them from the rest of the dolls and toys, not just from the name of their spices alone. Originally I wanted to just give them a specific type of doll body and be done with it but I thought that wasn't enough. So I ended up basing them off the 3 wise monkeys. Hear me out. The 3 Wise Monkeys is traced back mainly from a saying in Confucianism. Confucius lived in a chaotic time in China and yet he wished to see peace and harmony, thus he emphasized the importance of moral conduct and virtuous behavior. Comparing this to what was happening in the Toybox at the time, I like to think that these 3 embodied what each conduct was since they were practically the only ones keeping everything from falling apart. Let's start with Rosemary. (Rosemary Lemon Cake). One of Goldie's first living creations, a classic plush doll. She follows the concept, "See no Evil." Though she's lost one of her button eyes, she is still quite perceptive and observant. Despite such harsh conditions, she is still able to see the good in people and believes in second chances. Let's go to Basil. (Basil Mousse). He is based off a Corn husk doll and follows the concept, "Hear no Evil." While Rosemary is the one that goes off in order to scout out the hyperfocused toys, Basil stays behind in Salvation's Stitch, ensuring order and safety is well kept and observed. Though the other dolls may doubt Basil and question him, he doesn't let it bother him. Moving on to Thyme. (Blueberry Thyme Scone). Her body resembles one of a knight, being an action figure, following the concept, "Speak no Evil." Once the leading figure of the Defense Doll Squadron, was forced to leave the other members behind as they succumbed to becoming hyperfocused. They could not listen to her words of reason, to snap out of it... Now they stand silently... thinking to themselves in front of the door of the dollhouse. Making sure no one gets in... and NO ONE GETS OUT.

That seems to be it, but wait, I added a 4th one. Apparently, there is another saying, the concept of "Do no Evil." Lavender. (Honey Lavender Posset). The very first marionette puppet to be created. Unfortunately, they were created during the time Shadow Milk had 'abandoned' Goldie, so she was made in the heat of the moment as a venting process of sorts. A little bit of Goldie placed into Lavender... literally. Being one of the last things Goldie had created before falling into slumber, Lavender craved attention from their creator, dedicated to stay by GBC's side and attend to their needs when necessary. However, sometimes when she isn't busy with Goldie, Lavender spends time with Rosemary who taught her how to do certain things. Think Big Sister dynamic. However, not everything good lasts. Lavender broke, seeing Goldie, her creator inside of that glass coffin. Sleeping their life away, not responding to their calls to wake up, or to eat... or anything at all. Having little to no sense of free will, especially after being created so recently, Goldie was literally her whole life up to this point, and yet in that short amount of time, she never got the chance to thank her for giving her life... All of this spiraled into one single question. "What was she going to do with herself now?" Fear started to rise among a... certain population of dolls... and it wasn't stopping from there. No, it can't be, Mistress isn't in an eternal slumber, she will wake up soon. We just need to wait... Don't you see? For now, all we have to do is focus on the simple task she left with... Defend the Toybox. Years, and I mean many years later... As Gingerbrave and Co. with Rosemary return to find and wake up Golden Butter Cookie, they explore deeper and deeper into the dollhouse. Strung up dolls across the ceiling in a sticky and chaotic manner as strawberry jam stained and dripped down the walls... Being ambushed left and right by disfigured dolls that have gone haywired... Stuffing all over the floor... It was a sight to behold that the weak could not handle. But that overhanging feeling of dread didn't last long as Rosemary stepped out into that hallway first, the scent of burnt butter overshadowed by the overwhelming scent of lavender wafting through the corridor. The pure terror reflected upon her one button eye as she stared back into at the figure across the hall, illuminated by the faint light that shone through the window, petals scattered about all over the floor. ______________________________________________________________

Yee, okay that's it. I wanted to make designs for everyone but I had no idea how you imagined Rosemary, Basil, and Thyme to look like so I only have old concept sketches I made of Lavender.

ooooo... I really like the concepts for the dolls you're proposing here! And I also love Lavender! Her design in the second image reminds me of Mimi's true form from Super Paper Mario and I think that's very cool!/pos

As for concepts I planed for the doll-trio (Rosemary, Thyme and Basil) I imagine them looking almost like cookies but there are slight differences (button eyes, stitchlines, the fabric texture of their bodies) that let's you know that they're dolls.

For starters, I imagine them all in sort of like... cottage-core medieval outfits if that makes sense? Maybe like these but maybe a bit more simplified? And more yellow of course in some of their cases

now onto more specifics, Starting with Rosemary!

I imagine that Rosemary has blond hair with her bangs barely concealing her missing eye. And speaking of her eyes they're made with green buttons(or well, now just one button). She looks quite similar to Goldie herself as Golden Butter imagined her as her successor of sorts.

Now onto Basil, despite their usually composed demeanor their anger is certainly a force to be reckoned with (for example, them telling Shadow Milk to grovel at Goldie's feet). I think their Plum hair would be neat at the beginning but more frayed at the ends to represent this.

Now onto Thyme, the solitary Knight. I imagine them looking a bit like mercurial knight and Silverbell in terms of clothing style with a few yellows thrown in. Their hair would be tied up, probably into a bun. Their eyes would be a shining yellow and their hair would probably be more of an off-white. They're definitely the more roughed up of the dolls so they have a few scars(as in repair stitches) than the others.

But overall, I love your concepts for them and I hope to see more from you soon! And don't worry i completely understand School has been kicking my but as well. I hope you have a lovely day!

#not a prompt #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cookie run au #crk #cr kingdom #Golden Butter Cookie Tag #it relates to her so i'm putting it here anyways.

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spiced-koi-friend · 2 months ago

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Face Card

Ruze won't let up with the teasing, and it's making it rather difficult to get anything done. Gabriel hopes he means well, because he can't help but feel paranoid about all of this still. But you being here makes it better, at least a little bit.

Previous Chapter

Assassin!Goldbullet x Politician!F!Reader, TW: none Words: 1738 | Rating: R | AO3

The rest of the day seems to go by without much of a hitch, although when he’s the threat that he’s supposed to be protecting you from, it’s more of a matter of self control than looking for sneaky assailants. The other guys are chill, although when he’s been placed as one of your personal bodyguards, it is a bit difficult to have much of a chance to talk with them. Ruze keeps elbowing him in the ribs and pushing him into you, Gabriel feeling real bad when he tumbled into you and you got a face full of titty. One minute you’re looking at the mayor’s tits through your sniper scope, the next you’re giving her an up close and personal view of your own. Some may say that’s a fair bargain, but Gabriel wanted to shove Ruze’s face into a brick wall for that.

He has no doubt that this is making it difficult for both of you to work when Ruze keeps pushing you together like dolls. But he’s gone through extensive anti-torture resilience training. Gabriel will not let something as simple as a bastard of a boss trying to get him alone with the mayor. Which, does Ruze work for Altare? Is he trying to give him an opportunity to take you out, and he’s just far too flustered to realize what he’s trying to do? Has he caught onto him and is trying to trap him in it so he can be taken out?

…

Ruze is rather proud of himself, crossing his arms as he grins and leans against the wall. Managed to get the two of you blushing and red once again. It’s turning into a bit of a game of how often he can fluster the two of you and make you personally as unproductive as possible.

“Hey! Back to work! This place won’t run itself, at least not with me nearly catching the two of you kissing all the time! Augh, making me third wheel is the worst. You guys are the worst.”

“Ruze, I sign your paycheques. Shut the actual fuck up.”

“How about this, I’ll go grab us some coffees, and the two of you will have to suffer the silence that comes with my lack of a presence. Remember to leave room for Elysium Jesus!”

Normally he’d not want to leave you alone with a new recruit, but there’s something about how Goldie has been acting that makes him rather protective of you. There’s just a certain way he holds himself, how even when Ruze gets close that he stands up a bit straighter. Normally he’d be one to put a bitch in their place for staring daggers at him, but the look of adoration he gives you when you’re the focus of his attention kind of gives it away. Ruze just figures that he’s your secret boyfriend and you just hadn’t told him yet. Until you confess, he’s just gonna continue to tease.

He has absolutely no clue what Goldie likes in his coffee, but he’s been working for you long enough to know how to make yours while blinking and his hands tied behind his back. Not that he’s necessarily tried, but that’s not the point. Ruze does stop by Bettel’s desk, wanting a bit more dirt on Goldie to tease him about.

“Sup nerd.”

“Ruze, why do I sense you’ve been banished out here for causing problems?”

“Because you’ve been working here for basically the same amount of time that I’ve been. Little ol’ Betsy doesn’t want to look at this handsome mug?”

“You look better with your mask on.”

Ruze feigns offense, setting down the coffees to clutch his chest.

“My weakness! Being told I’m too pretty! Gotta keep my mask on to keep enough bitches for the rest of you.”

“It’d make my life easier, the last date I had was with the virtual assistant on my phone.”

“Bettel, buddy, you gotta get out. Go, I don’t know, lurk in a Taco Bell parking lot and just threaten someone with a knife until they go on a date with you. Or unleash bugs into their air vents when they say no.”

“That sounds like a good way to get arrested with a handful of felonies to boot. “

“Eh, I haven’t been arrested yet.”

Ruze cackles as he picks the coffees back up, incredibly amused by the look of horror on Bettel’s face. Never a dull day when there’s a clown in the lobby to entertain you.

…

What did you do to deserve this treatment? Poor Gabriel keeps apologizing for Ruze pushing him into you at every chance he gets, even though you know damn well it’s Ruze. What is even worse, is that it’s not making your crush easier to get rid of, and that almost scares you as much as someone trying to kill you yesterday. Gabriel doesn’t even look at you once Ruze leaves the room, hiding beneath his hat and fiddling with his necklace.

“You know, I know that it’s Ruze. He has some, weird idea in his head thinking I like you or something weird like that. I mean- I do! I think you’re nice, and you seem passionate about your job. But he seems to think that there’s something more than that. Unfortunately I don’t have any better advice than just, endure him being a pill until he eventually gets bored of it. As soon as it stops being funny, he’ll just find something else. He’s probably just being a bit hard on you because you’re a closer assignment than the other boys. But you let me know if he’s picking on you, and I’ll give him an earful. Wouldn’t be the first time…”

“I’m okay, but I appreciate it. I’m a big boy, I can handle my own shit. If I couldn’t, well, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation, would we?”

“I suppose not. I just know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s good at his job and he’s been keeping me safe for longer than I’ve been a mayor. Met back when I was still just campaigning, he volunteered himself for the position before I had even considered needing bodyguards. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if Bettel chose so many of you because he wanted more people to talk to during the day. I’m just glad he enjoys talking that much because he’s very efficient on the phone.”

“I’m not everyone’s cup of tea either, although I don’t think anyone is. If you were perfect for everyone, you wouldn’t have Altare running against you, right?”

“That bastard. He just laid off a bunch of people from one of his companies to get more money to finance his campaign. And don’t get me started on his mutt of a head bodyguard. Might as well have gotten an actual dog, he literally barked at me at a debate.”

Gabriel laughs, brightening up a bit.

“I take it that Ruze didn’t take kindly to that?”

“Oh he just barked right back. He is not above barking at people either, he just prefers to use a weapon to scare people off instead.”

“Honestly, I bet that was more entertaining than the debate itself.”

“It was a little amusing having to hold them back, as no one else was really on stage. There technically was the venue security, but I don’t think any of them were brave enough to get in between Axel and Ruze when they were nearly at each other's throats.”

“So should I bring a dog leash or popcorn to the next debate.”

“No one collars the great Crimzon Ruze.”

You hold your face in your hands, actually enjoying being able to talk to Gabriel without Ruze’s supervision. He sets your coffee down in front of you, laughing when you flip him off in repayment. Gabriel smells the coffee, making a face.

“Not like I poisoned it, Goldie. Just drink the damn coffee.”

“You can never be sure! I had someone poison a muffin once, couldn’t eat them for like a year and a half after that. I guess unless I made them myself, but I'd rather make other foods. Pan de mallorca is a good one, that can go with like, anything.”

“Ooh! If you make any, I’d love to try some.”

You tried not to seem too enthusiastic, but the raised eyebrow from Ruze makes you realize perhaps your eagerness was a bit obvious. But Gabriel just smiles at you, and you get a glance at his canines, looking a bit sharper than you were expecting. Certainly not a downside though.

“Yeah! I’d totally love to bring some in. I can’t promise any time soon, but I’ll save you at least one the next time I make a batch.”

“Already planning your next date without me? No bread for your best bud Ruze?”

“It’s just bread, Ruze.”

“Bullshit! I once ate two packages of hawaiian rolls that were accidentally delivered to my door and I regret nothing. It is never “just bread”, it is the essence of life.”

“Alright Ruze, I’ll bring you some too.”

“FUCK YEAH!”

The three of you can’t help but laugh at Ruze’s excitement, shaking your head at his behavior.

“Be glad Gabriel likes you, he’s been here for less than a day and you’ve been nothing but a pill to him!”

“So… do I need to try harder?”

…

Ruze hands Gabriel his business card, making him adjust his grip on his coffee to read it.

“Elysium’s greatest bodyguard and your least favorite professional. Ask me about my bugs.”

Gabriel takes a second to read it again, just to verify that yes, it does in fact say that.

“And you, hand these out to people?”

“If they piss me off enough. I usually don’t have enough time to do solo work anymore after I started working for the princess over here.”

“Oi! You volunteered to protect me!”

“Yeah, sorry buddy. She already spilled your tragic backstory.”

“Damnit!”

His cackle is nearly contagious, but it doesn’t help the conflict in Gabriel’s chest. He wanted to make a comment when you were trying to get him to feel better about Ruze’s teasing, but there was still part of him that wished you did like him, because maybe he could actually justify his own crush. Maybe Ruze isn’t setting him up, but it honestly won’t make any of this feel any less painful.

You just had to have that goddamn pretty face.

#goldbullet #goldbullet x reader #holoarmis #holostars en fanfiction #koifictions

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chidoroki · 1 year ago

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182 Days of TPN - Day 182

Epilogue: "Dreams Come True"

I'm gonna be honestly with y'all, no matter how many times I've read through this chapter over the last couple days to try and prepare myself, all my thoughts and comments are still so similar to what I originally wrote two years ago. I doubt anything I say now could top it but I'll apologize in advance if I really do sound like a broken record this time since my feelings regarding this beautiful finale really haven't changed since then. I'll start off with saying that I am a tiny bit bummed that we never got the chance to see the children explore the large city they arrived in, but the second season's ending slideshow sorta filled in that need for me. While the city is definitely a complete contrast to what they were used to living in back in the demon world, I love they all decided to create their own little village around where Emma lives. That'll definitely make her feel more at ease with being somewhere she's familiar with and I'm sure a majority of the kids fancy the wildlife surrounding them too, especially Ayshe and the dogs. Let's not forget how impressive it is that these kids were able to build so many houses on their own as well! And the idea of them taking turns to visit Emma so she doesn't get overwhelmed with so much attention at one given time makes me so happy. Speaking of our girl, she looks so pretty! She definitely looks like the Emma we've come to know and love with that big smile on her face (even if seeing her without her iconic 63194 still upsets me a little) while looking fondly at new photos of her large family. Sure, anyone in this world could've taken the photos, but of course I headcanon that it was Ray who purchased a new camera to do so.

Emma's face here is damn hysterical and Phil looks so proud of himself for surprising her. Seeing these young kids casually riding on top of a plane that large is truly quite a remarkable sight, but she had to at least hear that thing flying closer, yea? No way something that huge can sneak up on someone.

It is so darn cute how the younger kids act like buying a plane that size and flying it everywhere they go is totally normal. Their chill attitude has poor Emma completely speechless. I'm so proud of her for learning everyone's names though, not only by recognizing their faces but their voices too as she knew it was Phil calling to her from outside. Seeing Violet become a pilot is surprising but the job fits Oliver very well since he was typically seen holding onto a plane toy during numerous Goldy Pond flashbacks. Looks like he achieved his dream and I'm happy for him!

I'm even more excited to see Chris feeling 100% better and finally reuniting with Emma! It's sweet how he still loves her so much regardless her lost memories. I'm only noticing now but it appears Jemima even brought flowers for Emma? Ahh, these kids are too precious for words!

It's crazy how they're able to visit so many different places and experience countless new things all in the span of one single day, but I suppose traveling is pretty simple with a plane like that, not to mention how this world doesn't have any national borders to worry about. Seeing Yvette get inspiration and sketch everything she sees is adorable and of course you have Ray being the strict older sibling who makes sure everyone else behaves while out in public. I still wish more of the Goldy Pond kids were invited to join the trip, but I understand how meaningful it is to see all the GF escapees finally live out their dreams which they shared with us at the very beginning of the story.

One of the most ridiculous and funniest things this extra chapter reveals to us and Emma is how Norman became the leading man behind some huge multipurpose company. I know his motive was to act independently from the Ratri clan (which is fair because I wouldn't wanna rely on those bastards either) but at least have the company be a fresh idea in his mind or a little new, not hit us with his total success right outta the gate! I can accept this life for him further into the future for sure, but not at 15/16 years old! You're still a child sir! Dude must have really loved hearing others refer to him as "boss." Vincent would obviously be okay with that and I imagine Ray making fun of Norman each time, or jokingly calling him "emperor" like he did in one of volume 15's extra pages. Speaking of my boy, he looks way too chill and perhaps unbothered about this whole idea, or maybe he's just so used to his friends having crazy idea that he's become immune and knows deep down there's no way he can change their minds once they get this passionate about something. Even though this chapter is primarily focused on the GF children, it's nice to learn more about what Nigel and Sony are up to nowadays with their new roles.

Hearing how Norman was capable of skipping grades and essentially graduating is the most believable thing about this page. I'm sure the schools in the human world were nothing compared to the difficult tests he passed with ease at GF and Lambda. I'm relieved he and the rest of the Lambda crew are healthy as well, but I can't imagine him recovering while simultaneously constructing a large company from the ground up. Perhaps he focused on getting better first and then started on his career path, but then I'd have a harder time believing this boy managed to do so in less than two years, depending how long it took for him to fully recover beforehand. Norman is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Moving onto everyone's wishes now and ooohhh my, the girls look simply gorgeous!! I love each of their outfits so very much! I especially like how often Anna has her hair up in that ponytail too. It suits her and she's beautiful! And it's adorable how she and Gilda pull Emma along with them so they can all take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. Emma looks great in her new outfit too but I very much prefer her previous one, only because it's reminiscent of her GP out a little bit. So happy our little musician was able to witness an opera too. I've been to several Broadway plays and musicals before but seeing an opera is still on my checklist for sure.

I gotta give kudos to all the children because while it's certainly insane how they're hitting everyone's dreams all in one day, not once do they ever look exhausted. They're having the time of their lives and are beaming with excitement no matter if they're fulfilling their wish or someone else's. Some of their wishes are really simple too if ya think about it, like a handful are things us readers could try out for ourselves, but after all the drama they fought through in the demon world, they absolutely deserve to enjoy everything this world has to offer them. I'm once again loving Ray being that caring older brother who makes sure his younger siblings don't exert themselves. Not to mention how damn hilarious it is to see him not even flinch while touring the haunted house. After the traumatizing childhood he lived through and the wacko world of the Seven Walls, nothing should frighten my boy, so I'd like to imagine he only entered the haunted house to look out for the younger child like Rossi and Alicia who are absolutely regretting their life choices. What matters is that Yvette is loving every moment of her wish and possibly laughing at her sibling's expense.

Despite mentioning how we could visit such places ourselves, I have yet to actually go watch an official soccer game, visit a hot spring or eat lunch in such gardens. I mean, I visited such botanical gardens down in the city but not once have I ever had a fancy picnic there! These young kiddos are out here making me jealous for real. I still find it so amusing that Rossi, a child who had fled from actual demons before, is amazed by dinosaurs. I guess it would be interesting to see such creatures whether they're alive or not. As of this previous weekend I can say I finally rode one of those old style trains as well, but Phil is way more excited about the adventure than I could ever be. So glad this moment of his was sorta animated, though he wasn't bouncing in his seat as wildly as he is here.

Everyone has these grand experiences in mind for their wish and Norman is over here just vibing with his two favorite people. It's real definitely simple compared to everything else but with how often the trio was forcefully separated throughout the story I know how much he doesn't wanna feel that pain ever again.

While I love how excited Emma was upon seeing the giraffes, I'm certain her reaction was due to seeing these animals up close for the first time. Of course I'd be ecstatic if our girl would slowly gain back some of her memories over time, they choose to show us the anxieties she probably feels every day about whether or not she's really Emma deep down and if she should act like the girl her family loves so much or just be her new self.

Phil being that one good boy who chooses to focus on Emma and her sudden mood switch while she's battling herself in her head.

I wanna say "oh sweetheart, you're anything but alone," but I know her amnesia makes her feel as if she's isolated from her family by not being able to remember every detail about them, the experiences they shared, or her true feelings. She can imagine this giraffe wish would've made her old self happy, since everyone else's wishes brought such big smiles onto their faces, but that's because they all wished for these kinds of moment their entire lives. New Emma is hearing about this dream for the first time and has no clue on how to react to a wish that isn't truly her own. She's probably even feels a little scared that she won't come across as genuine about the idea and she doesn't wanna disappoint her family by not living up to their expectations of what the original Emma would've done in her situation now. It really breaks my little heart to see her doubt herself so much when she literally has the greatest family in the world who would accept her regardless of what she acts like or feels.

One might think that Emma yelled so loudly to try to convince herself and her family that she's really excited about this wish, but to her surprise, she's rewarded with beautiful laughs. Once they arrived, Emma asked if her dream was to see a giraffe but no one bothered to correct her about how original Emma always wanted to ride one instead. To see this Emma reach deep down into her heart and shout with such confidence about what she really wanted to do is perfect in every way, so little does she know that her reaction was exactly what her family expected of her and they couldn't be more delighted to hear such words come from her again.

I'm in love with her adorable, surprised face and how she's in complete awe to learn that perhaps she and the original Emma are more alike that she's realized.

Aahhh it thrills me to no end that this little joke from all the way back from the first chapter is exactly how this series ends. We're coming fill circle baby!

Favorite panel/moment:

Oh no way, Ray's wish as my favorite? Wow, who could've possibly guessed that? Not to show any dislike towards the Mona Lisa or anything, but I'm very glad the story chooses to show us the kids visiting the Sagrada Familia way better. The architecture of this damn thing is impressive and it's insane how it looks this breathtaking despite it not being completely finished yet.

More importantly, this smile of Ray's is the most precious and beautiful thing I've ever set my eyes on! He's probably filled with so much emotion just by standing in a place he never imagined himself to be. He believe he was gonna die a long time ago but now that all his trauma is behind him and he fought his way to freedom, he's so grateful he's alive to actually see this gorgeous structure actually in front of him and realize that all the hardships he fought through alongside his family was truly worth all the effort. This face of his has absolutely lived rent free in my head these past couple years.

BEST GIRL!! I am so incredibly happy and proud of you that you achieved your dreams!! Truly inspirational and she undoubtedly keeps her top spot as my favorite shonen protagonist.

And with all that, I can finally say: End of series.

Seriously though, thank y'all so much for reading through all this, whether you were here from the very start back in April or ya caught interest somewhere down the line, I appreciate every single one of you! I dunno exactly when these posts went from a couple short comments to full length chapter reviews, so I apologize for all my rambling since I honestly didn't intend to write out such long posts. I literally couldn't help it. The love I have for this series is as strong as ever and I'm very surprised that even after these last couple years I still somehow manage to learn or notice new stuff about this world and these characters. One of the many benefits to reading through this story at a slower pace I suppose, and wouldn't you know it? Today is the perfect day to experience it all over again from the beginning.

(Yes, having the project end today was 100% planned from the start.)

#the promised neverland #tpn manga #182daysoftpn #chidoroki used chatter

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