#Prima Donnas Today Episode

[gemwing1988]

Devilish Double Trouble!

This little story is based on a Cuphead/Pokémon crossover roleplay I did with my good friend, Nataliepthatsme for a bit of fun. The roleplay was also based on the Pokemon episode, “Lights Camera “Quacktion” where Team Rocket’s Arbok and Weezing briefly seemed to have a one-sided crush on that Prima Donna Wigglytuff during their auditions for a part in a movie, as well in the Pokemon XY episode, “Love Strikes! Eevee, Yikes!”, in which a wild Quilladin had a short-lived romantic interest in Serena’s Eevee. So, be warned that my persona’s not going to be the only one with an unwanted lover on her back.

Natty and myself own only ourselves. So, please enjoy.

Summary: When Katie and Natty are on a picnic with their Pokémon at a glade in the woods, the Devil has decided to drop in as an uninvited guest to kidnap Katie and force her to be his bride. But what happens when his Arbok lays eyes on Katie’s Primarina, Nalu?

It was a beautiful day on the Inkwell Isles as Katie Gemwing and Natty Poke are out in a glade, having a picnic with their Pokémon. While the girls were setting everything up and getting the picnic ready, Natty’s Squirtle was splashing about in the brook while Katie’s Primarina, who is nicknamed Nalu was perched on a rock in the water and began to sing while creating bubbles as they had a rainbow-like hue in the sunlight.

“So pretty.” Natty beamed as she and her Pokemon admired the melody.

Katie smiled sweetly as she commented, “Primarinas are best known to be great singers.”

“Ri, Riolu!” Smiled Rian, Katie’s Riolu.

“Pika, Pika!” Natty’s Pikachu chirped.

Meanwhile at a different part of the woods not too far off from the glade, an anthropomorphic toon weasel squealed in terror as he finds himself cocooned in the coils of a hissing Arbok, the Devil looming menacingly over the wrapped up weasel.

Yet again, the King of the Underworld has visited the surface world to stir up some trouble for the locals, ranging from playing tricks on them, terrorizing and tormenting them, and taking their souls.

Today, he decided to bring his Arbok to join him for some assistance while his Houndoom is back at home for his weekly grooming. While the Devil has his shapeshifting and other powers to subdue his victims, he wanted to be a bit more creative.

And his loyal Arbok never fails to ensure his victims don’t get away so easy.

“Your soul is mine now!” The Devil sneered as he rears back, his clawed hand held high to make a grab for the weasel’s soul.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks when he and his Arbok heard singing.

“What is that?” The Devil wondered.

“Chaw?” Arbok uttered.

The weasel suddenly forgotten, the purple cobra-like Pokémon uncoiled himself from his master’s prey and slithers off towards the source of the singing. Without a second thought, the terrified weasel runs away, making his escape.

“I always hated snakes!” The weasel panted, running off and never looking back.

Arbok slithers up a tree and coils himself around it as the Devil peeks out from around the same tree, spying the two humans and their Pokémon in the glade. They then both eyed Nalu, who was still singing from her perch on the rock in the brook.

“Well, well, it seems my little Katie is out.” The Devil smirked lustfully. “And what a lovely voice I hear from her Primarina. Very nice.”

Upon seeing the singing Primarina and seeing how pretty she looked, the stunned Arbok suddenly had a lovestruck look on his face as his eyes transformed into huge pink hearts.

“Chaw!” Abork exclaimed.

“Awww, you like that, don’t you?” The Devil cooed, amused and surprisingly happy for his Pokemon to find someone he likes. “Well, I don’t see the harm in grabbing the both of them. Come along, Arbok.”

“Chaw-bok!”

Grabbing his pitchfork, the Devil taps it to the ground and teleports Abork and himself in a puff of black and dark purple smoke.

Back with Katie and Natty, Nalu had finished singing as she and Squirtle rejoined their trainers just as the girls were finishing preparing lunch.

“It’s a really nice day to be outside; sun shining, the birds are singing…” Natty commented.

Katie happily nodded in agreement. “I know. It’s so lovely to bring our Pokémon out for a picnic and some fresh air. I can’t imagine anything that could spoil our day.”

*POOF!*

Sure enough, the Devil had appeared, hand smugly on his hip while he held his pitchfork with a devilishly arrogant grin on his face that make even the Cheshire Cat feel uncomfortable. Coiled next him was his Arbok, seemingly have a lovesick on his face, staring off with dazed bedroom eyes at something.

“Hello, my sweet darling Katie!~” The Devil greeted as he cheerily waved his fingers at Katie with a seductive smile.

“Aaaand the moment has passed… Natty said in exasperation.

“Pika!” Pikachu growled, getting down onto all fours while his cheeks sparks in warning at the Devil.

Rian growled at the Devil warning, just as unhappy to see the demon as Pikachu. Even the rest of Katie and Natty’s Pokémon were giving the Devil mean looks while uttering their names, growling, whinnying and making other warning sounds to tell him to back off.

Katie groans as she face palms while muttering, “I spoke too soon, didn’t I?”

“Eh, not really.” Natty shrugged.

“Dreadfully sorry for interrupting your panic with your little friends, my dear but I wanted to see you again.” The Devil said to Katie. “And my Arbok wanted to see your beautiful Primarina.”

“Prima?!” Nalu gasped in horrified shock.

Arbok uncoiled himself and slithered in closer, staring straight at Nalu with a sickeningly lustful look.

“Chaw…”

Katie, Natty and all of their Pokemon were completely shocked and disgusted by this.

“Ewwwww! Gross!” Natty retched.

“A cobra-like Pokémon crushing on a sea lion/mermaid Pokémon?” Katie asked in disgust. “Sorry but no! And how does that work exactly?!”

“Oh, I don’t think the complications.” The Devil replied. He’s very fond of your Primarina. I think they’d make a cute couple… as will we.~”

“Oi! You leave my Primarina out of this!” Katie snapped. “There’s no way I’d ever let overgrown hose be anywhere near her!”

“Yeah! That’s gross!” Natty agreed.

“Riolu!/Pikachu!” Rian and Pikachu added in furiously.

Unfortunately, the Devil doesn’t know when to take a hint and take no for an answer.

“I don’t see the harm of it.” He shrugged.

He suddenly turns into his dragon form and creeps towards Katie, circling around her like a predator would with a prey, his serpentine body threatening to enclose around her any second.

“I’m sure he’ll keep her safe in his coils… as I will with you in mine…” The Devil hissed as he leered down at an unnerved Katie with a seductive grin.

“Ugh!” Natty exclaimed in disgust.

Furious, Katie’s Alolan Ninetales, Wynter, used Ice Beam, hitting the Devil in the back of his head. The Devil yelled out in pain before scratching off the patch of ice on his fur and scales. As he was distracted, Katie managed to jump out of the circle of coils.

Managing to clear himself of the ice, the Devil returns to his normal form as the girls and their Pokemon gave him hateful glares.

“Don’t you have the slightest notion how creepy you made that sound?” Katie demanded. “I suggest that you and that nasty Arbok of yours to keep your coils to yourselves!”

“Prima! Primarina!” Nalu snapped.

“Chaw…” a dejected Arbok moaned, giving out puppy dog eyes.

But no one was buying the snake’s act.

“Oh, darling, I was being realistic.” The Devil protested.

“For the last time, NO!!” Katie screamed.

“Yeah! Why don’t you go before I decide to unleash Pikachu on you and your slimy snake?” Natty snapped with a glare.

“Pika! Pika!” Pikachu growled defensively, cheeks sparking.

“And that goes double for my Riolu!” Katie added. “And his punches can be quite… a shock!”

“Riolu!” Rian barked, getting into a defensive stance.

The Devil narrowed his eyes at the two humans as Arbok hissed.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to convince you!” The Devil sneered. “Arbok! Poison Fang!”

“Chaw!”

Arbok lunges for the girls and their Pokemon, about to bite the nearest thing he can sink his poisonous fangs into.

“Watch out!” Katie cried.

Since Fairy-Types are severely weak against Poison-Types, Katie quickly pushed Nalu out of the way, tackling her into the grass and holding her just as Arbok missed them as well as Natty, Rian and Pikachu as they dodged in time.

“Okay, you wan fight? You got one!” Natty challenged. “Pikachu! Thunderbolt!”

“Pika… CHUUUU!”

Pikachu unleashed an electric attack at Arbok, electrocuting the purple serpent.

“Chaw!” Arbok screeched in pain as he got zapped.

“Alright! Try this on for size!” The Devil countered. “Arbok! Gunk Shot!”

Shaking off the Thunderbolt, Arbok opened his jaws and fired a Gunk Shot towards Pikachu in retaliation.

“Pikachu! Dodge and and use Quick Attack!” Natty commanded.

“Pika!” Pikachu responded, dodging the Gunk Shot.

Landing in his feet, the electric mouse began to charge towards Arbok at breakneck speed and tackles the snake with a well executed Quick Attack, throwing him back.

“Chaw!” Arbok shrieked.

The Devil growled in frustration. He was becoming more furious that he was losing so far. But he wasn’t going to quite. One way or another, he was going to get his future queen and snag her Primarina to be his Arbok’s mate.

And as everyone knows about Old Scratch by now, he still has a few tricks up his hairy sleeve.

“Argh! You’re being annoying!” The Devil snarled. “Abork! Use Acid Spray!”

“Chaw!” Arbok acknowledged as he recovered from the Quick Attack.

“Argh! Hate it when he does that!” Natty groaned.

“Nat! Pikachu! Be careful!” Katie cried as she hugged Nalu protectively.

“It’s fine, we got this!” Natty reassured. “Alright, Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Just like we practiced!”

“Pika!” Pikachu nodded.

His lightening bolt-shaped tail suddenly glows a with a steely hue as he leaps into the air, descending towards a stunned and surprised Arbok.

“Chu! Pika!”

With a mighty swing of his tail, Pikachu slammed it into Arbok, square in the face, throwing the Posion-Type back. The force was strong enough to actually throw Abork into the Devil, knocking him back.

The Devil groaned as he laid flat on his back, his arms spread out, practically making a T-pose while a knocked Arbok was draped unconsciously over his stomach.

“Uhggg…” The Devil moaned as he sat up, rubbing his head.

He then gaped in complete shock to see Arbok down for the count as the large cobra’s eyes turned into swirls.

“What?! Arbok!”

Katie stood up and held an arm up as she acted as a referee for the Pokemon matches.

“Arbok is unable to battle!” she announced before motioning to a triumphant Pikachu. “The victory goes to Pikachu!”

“Argh! Stupid snake!” The Devil snapped as he angrily shoved the knocked out Arbok off him while standing back up.

“Chaw…” Arbok moaned apologetically.

“Don’t worry about leaving, I’ll cover that!” Natty smirked. “Pikachu! Thunderbolt once more!”

“Pika… CHUUUUU!”

Pikachu gave out a tremendous Thunderbolt, hitting the Devil and Arbok, zapping them both. As he and Arbok screamed and sputtered in pain, the Devil was zapped in the same fashion of the invisible sweater episode up to the point even his skeleton is shown.

*ZAP ZAP ZAP! KA-BOOM!!!*

The Thunderbolt created a great explosion, throwing the Devil and Arbok back into the air as they blasted off like Team Rocket until they disappeared into the sky, creating a twinkling star.

All of the girls’ Pokemon cheered in praise and relief. Natty bends down and pets Pikachu’s head.

“Good job, buddy.” Natty smiled.

“Pi! Pikachu!” Pikachu beamed.

Katie and Nalu walked over to Natty, both looking relieved and grateful.

“Great job, Nat. You and Pikachu are such a great team.” Katie commented.

Nalu scooted towards Pikachu and leans down, nuzzling her nose against his cheek in gratitude.

“Primarina.” Nalu said.

“Cha!” Pikachu cooed.

“Aww, thanks.” Natty giggled. “I’m glad those creeps are out of the way.”

“Me, too.” Katie agreed. “And with that pest problem taken care of, how about we get back to our picnic? I bet that little Pokemon Battle had worked up an appetite.”

Natty nodded. “Agreed.”

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu beamed.

“Ri! Riolu!” Rian chimed in. And so, Katie, Natty and all of their Pokémon sat down to a nice and peaceful picnic, enjoying the rest of their day of rest, relaxation and taking in the beautiful scenery.

So once again, the Devil’s kidnapping and force marriage attempt had been thwarted thanks to the teamwork of Natty and her Pikachu. Katie is very thankful to have such incredible friends who will always look out for her as she would do the same for them.

On the Inkwell Isles, adventure is around every corner. And there are even more excitement and adventure in the world of Pokemon.

**The End**

[sithsjedi]

on today’s special edition episode of epiphanies callie has about her own muses:

The tragedy of Shi’al Valorum has numerous DIRECT PARALLELS to the tragedy of Count Dooku.

At the very core of Shi’al’s character is the ancient tug-of-war between society and the self. Throughout her life, Shi’al must determine whether she wishes to honor the wishes of those she loves most, or maintain some semblance of individuality by sticking steadfast to her unshakeable belief in the galaxy’s inherent goodness. All she wants is to see genuine improvement in the lives of the galaxy’s peoples, and she is unafraid to pull the strings necessary to get what she wants. Shi’al wields an extraordinary amount of social capital and power due to her stardom as a Prima Ballerina and Prima Donna; even those on the farthest boundaries of the Outer Rim recognize her name.

⠀ ⠀             The more cynical beings within the galaxy are bound to ask what sets Shi’al apart from her fellow politically-inclined peers, and the answer to this question is predicated upon the fact that Shi’al wants to use her platform of privelege granted to her by birthright — something which ordinarily benefits the few — for the benefit of the many. Long before she becomes the architect of Palpatine’s reputation as Emperor, she learns the delicate art of pulling strings to ensure political action, and it works. The changes that she wants to see within the galaxy are made.

This is precisely what Dooku intended to do, when he first left the Jedi Order and took the title Count of Serenno. He grew disillusioned with the corruption present in the senate and the influence of corporations in the lawmaking process, and sought to enact tangible change.

⠀ ⠀             Palpatine, however, sunk his claws into and masterfully engineered the downfall of them both. He took two idealistic individuals with lofty dreams and twisted them into shadows of their former selves, transforming them into the very things that they swore to destroy.

Shi’al was one of Palpatine’s greatest long term pet projects. For more than twenty years, he played the role of doting family friend and uncle in all but blood. After having Finis Valorum assassinated, Palpatine worked to isolate Shi’al and cut her off from her support systems, until there was no one left for her to trust but him. He played this long game of chess for multiple decades, aware as he was that he would need her talent when he one day became Emperor. It was textbook emotional manipulation, and the illusions that Palpatine so expertly crafted remained in place for many years, only to crumble to pieces once Shi’al begins questioning his rule and joining the Rebellion’s ranks.

History has a penchant for repeating itself.

[stolenrocket218]

on today's episode of "Spotify fucks me up emotionally" we got, in order:

--Epic Musical Theatre Villain Song

--Epic Musical Theatre Villain Song

--Epic Musical Theatre Villain Song

--"Prima Donna" from Phantom of the Opera (2004)

[olafsings]

Music History Today: February 1, 2023

February 1, 1962: Shelley Fabares debuted her hit single "Johnny Angel" on The Donna Reed Show episode "Donna's Prima Donna." This song is a tale of a girl who has a massive crush on a boy (Johnny) who does not know of her. Fabares was primarily an actress and a regular cast member of the program. In that episode, her character Mary Stone abandons her plans to attend college to pursue a singing career.

[maladaptive-ninja-returns]

It’s The Avengers (03x12)

Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)

Season 3 Episode 12: The Double Effect

Series Summary: Living in the Avengers facility post-apocalypse in a better timeline   Tony Stark has decided to capture every moment by pulling The Office on the Avengers. All of housemates are pretty used to the idea except for you, who had just come here to finish her degree, and the newest member- Loki.

Warnings: ehehehehehe

Word Count: this chapter happened every time I tuned out my decision making brain, and the world, and just picked my laptop to go sit somewhere that is not cozy enough to fall asleep.

MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)

A mellifluous note from a violin took over the speakers kept on the coffee table before a prima donna voice did a Snow White-esque intro. The camera sitting on the floor captured the graceful and delicate toes tipping their way before swirling three times. Another pair of feet came in the frame to let it capture two stoic bodies in their perfect ballet stance before they both dropped their head and twerked their behind at the tunes of the fairy tale WAP, revealing the faces of Tony Stark and his mentee. The exquisite routine ended with the same fervour that Tony Stark reserved for his biggest balls, leaving the two breathless and the audience- that was just coming in focus with their mouths gaping wide- quite impressed. "Let's see if you can top this," Tony winked at them, his stern face soaking in the silent applause.

No one said anything. "How can you look so good in tights?" was all that could be heard in the loud thought leaving Scott's mouth, who had to blink and get himself out of the trance. "Did I say that out loud?" "Oh...kay," Rhodey's forehead lines held the weight of all the sanity in this universe, "how about we do something that does not kill the audience with your balls in their face?" Natasha opened her eyes wide while looking at infinity.

Natasha: Can't say this was my first time to have someone dance with their Spanx on for full display. *looks at the camera with no emotion* The ones before were not that lucky though. *camera zooms in* may their souls rest in peace.

"How about an Among Us themed video?" Peter jumped where he stood, his tutu fluffing up with his movements. "And those Ooooooo-aaaaaaaahhh ones," Bucky added. "I'm surprised you even know that," Sam was quick to mention. "Cassie's been teaching me." "...Cassie as in...Scott's Cassie." "Mmm-hmm. She set up everything for me on my iPad." "But your iPad has a child lock." "Oh, that's for me," Scott called from the other side of the table. Natasha looked straight at the camera recording this conversation, making it focus on her face when she closed her eyes and mouthed 'don't ask'. Past the chatter, another camera focused on Tony's eyes stuck on the flat screen that was not turned on for the first time in a long while. "She's fine," Wanda assured him with a smile. "I just now saw her running through a desert. And she seemed really excited." Tony nodded, his body not still at the thought of you out...somewhere he could not see you. "And what about the too-clever-for-himself God?" Wanda chuckled. "He's right behind her. Almost catching up." A certain tick in his train of thoughts made Tony narrow his eyes before turning back to Wanda. "You can see inside people's head, right?" He whispered. Tugging her upper lip under her teeth, Wanda chuckled. "I can read everyone's mind and I know what you're going to ask. The answer is no." Tony straightened his back like a good ballet dancer. "No as in you can't read his mind or no as in he...does not...or no because he is...not..." Wanda passed a quick look to the camera by her side before walking away.

Wanda: *shakes her head* No. Not going to answer that. Or that. Or that. *breaks into a giggle* *sparkling eyes* oh but you should see his head!! Peter's voice: *from outside the frame* Who's head? the camera shifts from Wanda to a curious Peter standing in the doorway before coming back to her. Wanda: *looks back from Peter towards the camera* *stifles a blush* No one. *gives the camera a knowing look*

The Galactic Desert Lulu walked over the rocks giddy as ever. The familiar boots in black followed him as the camera rose from the bed of rocks to bring in the horizon over the smooth desert dune they were climbing. The view of the beginning of the rocky side of life on this planet welcomed them where some old ruins of a monastery lay scattered everywhere.  From where he stood on the top, they looked like scattered Copic markers left by a giant's child on a wild spree; that or something resembling close to your room. When his eyes focused on those figures, he could see the familiar rainbow group that he had grown to dislike. If they were close, it meant so were you. And as if to answer the question- that had just loosened that tension in his brows- Loki's attention was taken by a delightful chirp from Lulu, who pressed his tum-tum and slid down the sand towards the colourful aliens.   A beat resonated through the stones. Loki's brows grew curious again- but only till they saw you. The camera focused on you, panning in to take a good of the swing of your shoulders to the beat. Other than the pep in your step, the lens could make out the flower crown was new; and so was the glitters that were strewn on your black shirt.  A sigh was all that Loki presented the crowd with before coming down the discreet stairs in the sand choosing to completely ignore you.

Am I being weird You're looking through me like You don't even hear (hello?)

The words were clearly meant for him but it wasn't him who joined in with you on the beat. And that did get his attention. First, it was Sky- the sky blue dude who twirled you around to let you fall into Red's arm.

'Bout to get on my Houdini shit and go and disappear Am I wasting my time tryna give a fuck But I don't really care

Red- with his piercing gaze set at Loki- matched your step to the heartbeat with one fierce smirk before you were nearly stepping on your own feet to walk into the dead centre of the place.

Fading all the signs that I keep on running through Making up excuses so they blame it on my youth

White joined you, happy to be by your side. He seemed different today. A bit more handsome. Maybe it was this starlight. Or maybe he was born with it.

I just wanna have fun, with jewels in the sun And ignore all the calls that I'm getting from my mom saying:

Every single one of the rainbow band had their arms and legs in sync with your steps as if you had rehearsed this part with them at least a hundred times.

Focus on, focus on, focus on, focus on you Focus on, focus on, focus on, focus on you

The twist and jerk of the hips was something new that raised Loki's brows. Nonetheless, no one from the audience complained about those moves. Least of all Lulu- who was shaking with beats while trying to mimic you as much as his bushy body allowed.

I'm trying hard, I'm trying really But I ain't got 20/20, I ain't seeing clearly I can't Focus on, focus on, focus on, focus on you

Loki tried to rub the worry mixed with frustration from his face while turning away from you. The camera caught the little flinch the God felt when you turned him around.

Face off, face off (Bang, bang, bang)

The finger gun motion brought down the rainbow colours one by one only to have them coming back up slowly, that too in perfect sync. They were so flawless that for a moment there, Javier had to catch his own emotion of impressed surprise in one of his devices.

Looking in the mirror You and me now (Yeah!)

You stepped closer to Loki with the words.

No one's around (Yeah!)

Winking suggestively at him while all his did was frown a little at that very suggestion

Time to get down (Down, down, down)

He took a step back in the name of caution only to find you catching Orange by his collar to bring him close and dancing your way down his body, leaving a little gap between the God's lips to let his lungs breathe in what he was witnessing. And whatever air he had left in his lungs was forced out when Orange looked at the God and gave him his version of a 'thumb's up'. Loki nearly broke into a run to get you away from him only to find himself grabbing thin air while you were standing on the broken pillar ten feet away from him. And relatively at quite the height.

Fading all the signs that I keep on running through Making up excuses so they blame it on my youth

Green and Purple joined you over the stone, swinging their arms and shaking their hips in languid harmony with you; going where your hands went, turning where your head did, enjoying themselves a lot.

I just wanna have fun, with jewels in the sun And ignore all the calls that I'm getting from my mom saying:

Whether or not you pretended to fall from that height, Loki felt the fear for a good second before Javier's camera recorded him inhaling in the fury of giving away his emotions as you appeared to dance right around his back. And these alien skittles made it even worse of an embarrassment.

Focus on, focus on, focus on, focus on you Focus on, focus on, focus on, focus on you I'm trying hard, I'm trying really But I ain't got 20/20, I ain't seeing clearly I can't Focus on, focus on, focus on, focus on you

When nothing else worked, the silent death glare from those smaragdine eyes towards the jolly ball of music player did the trick of shutting the party down. "Every time anything even close to dreadful happens in my vicinity, why is it always the pack of you prism puppies?" Those 'prism puppies' giggled at some inside joke before White licked his lips and turned towards Loki. "Because one of you loves us too much." Lulu, now resting on Loki's shoulder, turned to look at you and his camera caught the giddy swing in your steps as you skipped your way to Loki's side with a guiltless smile on your throbbing lips and those barely open yet content eyes looking at everyone around them. "Bullshit," Loki cussed without a hitch in his breath, leading you to gasp with a dramatic air. "He said bullshit," you whispered to Lulu, who tilted his head in response. "Shut your ears, babe." Green smirked. "No bullshit, your highness. We can only be called upon when someone thinks of us with no ill intentions in their heart." Loki had to raise a brow at that. "So you are saying one of-" he pointed at the four of them- "us took the time out of their life to think about you? Where is your pr-" "We can project the thoughts of the caller on the big screen if you want-" Your eyes opened wide at the idea and you nodded with quite the enthusiasm. "Okay," Loki announced with an amplitude loud enough to make you jump, "we all need to take a break after that hard routine!" He clapped his hands to conclude the meetup which bummed you out. "Let's go somewhere then. Drinks are on me." "Yes!" You jumped and skipped to Violet, taking his hand in yours to swing your arms with his as the two of you skipped forward. Orange and blue with yellow mimicked the two of you while green and red kept their hands in their pants and followed you guys with a strut fit for Gods. Javier made it a point to stay right at the front to catch everything. That left Lulu and his camera to record the two kings left alone to look at each with a knowing gaze. "It should not come as a surprise but I have to say it was quite the shock to hear you call out our name." White nudges the rock on the ground with his shoe, giving enough space and privacy to the God look at him with a piercing gaze till he had his fill. "You never speak of this," Loki commanded, "to anyone. Especially-" "I know," White acknowledged before he could finish. "I have seen your thoughts, remember?" He cannot help but smile he prefect-teeth smile at Loki. "How does it feel to be on the receiving end of a mind reader, Loki?" "Do not talk to me as if we are friends." Loki sounded tired and done for the day. "Aw," White swung his shoulders before letting his finger poke Loki in his arm, "you have quite the ego even without your powers. But I still like you." He lets his index fingers touch each word in a fluffy manner while making uwu eyes at the God. "I don't," his eyes glowered. "YOU DON'T?" White gasped out loud enough to catch the attention of the group that were a few meters ahead of them. "BUT YOU SAID IN YOUR THOUGHTS THAT YOU L-" Javier's camera caught all seven of you turning around to hear white shout something inaudible before Loki apparently hugged him to the point that they both fell down. "Wow!" you tilted your head with a content sigh. "It's so nice to see people get along with Loki." "Of course, they'll get along," Yellow mentioned, "they both like y-ow!" No one but the camera saw the quick smack delivered on Yellow's head by violet. "To lead!" Violet declared, not taking his eyes off Yellow. "They both like to lead. Well and with example." You smiled at them with confusion in your eyes and turned away and forward, with the same confusion, shaking it off, murmuring 'space spirits, space spirits' and continued skipping towards the destination that lay behind the last piece of the standing monastery.

Violet: *cutest accent* that was close Yellow: *bumping into Violet to come in the frame* *excitedly* this close. *grins ear to ear* Violet: *rolls his eyes*

A small crevice between the monastery's remains led down a stony path that looked right out of a fantasy movie, giving the feel of the European middle age street except for the moss and hanging boulders over the group that crossed the path.  Javier's camera caught you humming as you bobbed your head side to side, the boys mimicking your movement while moving with you. "Oooh!" you sang, "the air smells like candy!" "What's candy?" "Something sweet, something sour, and sometimes tangy!" Green tsked.  Orange looked at him in confusion and gave him a questioning nod. "She is on the second stage now." "What's that?" Green gave his companion a head-to-toe look before narrowing his eyes. "I don't know." Gasping with fake frustration, Orange begged with his soft jumps to know what it was. His baby voice was in vain till he came close to Green to whisper, "Is it something terrifying?" Green shook his head. "Something...ugly?"  Green sighed. Orange walked closer to Green. "Is it something horny?" The miss in Green's step confirmed everything for Orange, who tried his best to stifle the ecstatic butterflies his felt in his gut by biting down on his lips. Too bad he could not do the same for his flirty eyes. "Ori..no," Green cautioned him, but 'Ori' was already clasping his hands and almost his entire body to not let the joy escape as he swung around and skipped to your side. "Bad Ori," Green called out, but Orange was already wrapping his arm around yours, making you skip with him towards the opening, leaving the rest to catch up. Violet and Red joined Green as they watched the two of you disappear from their view. "He knows White will kill him if he does anything stupid, right?" Red stated with the killer smouldering look. Somewhere on earth fangirls screamed and two specific men started to question their orientation. Violet stretched his pretty pink lips and raised his perfectly done brow. "Do you think that'll stop him from doing something stupid?" With one thought-ridden pause, they let out a collective groan.

Facility Lawn "Oi! Sam!" The camera looked down from the lounge's balcony at Natasha standing in the bright afternoon sun with her hands cupped to call out Sam's name one more time if he did not show up this time. "'Sup!" The falcon greeted the Black Widow from the balcony, sipping on fresh coconut water right out of its natural juice box. "Throw me a sanitiser," Nat shouted. Sam turned where he stood, bending backwards just enough to get a peep inside. "Yo-" he grabbed a passing Bucky's attention- "pass the sanitiser." Bucky grabbed the bottle kept on the coffee table on his way to casually throw it in Sam's direction- who made it a point to look just as effortless while grabbing it. "Where you been?" Sam asked before readying his arm to do a precise throw in Nat's direction. The camera grabbed the roll of her eyes and a defeated sigh. "Had to drop off some documents." "Where?" "...at the White House." The throw came down from half the way as Sam let out a disgusted- and stretched- 'ew'. "You went over to Trump's place?!" Clearly, the assassin was to trying to hold down the guts wanting to come out of her. "I know. You don't have to remind me of the misery I just went through." "Woman, you need something bigger than this can," Sam stressed while raising the sanitiser in his hand. "Why are you standing in the lawn?" The camera in the lawn caughtTony in his workout clothes coming out from the garage while Nat tried her best not to grit her teeth. "She was at that wrinkly orange's place," Sam quipped before Nat could open her mouth to speak. "My feelings exactly," Sam agreed with the emotions reflecting on Tony's face right now. "Just hand me the sanitiser," she muttered at Sam through her eyelashes. "Oh, noooo-" Tony shook his head- "you need a whole bucket." A whistle-like cheer came from the front door as Scott came skipping outside. "What's happening?! What are we celebrating?" His bright eyes waited for an answer in excitement. "We're not-"  Nat's voice was drowned by Tony's 'she visited the orange tan bitch's office', making the assassin share a mum look with the camera before closing her eyes to contemplate. "Oh," Scott breathed through his teeth with a sorry face before taking a few steps back, "I'll get the hose," leaving Nat to look at the camera with a blank stare that was painting quite the picture of her thoughts.

Natasha: *expressionless* Someone's going to die tonight. *takes out a folded dagger* Sam: *pops his neck into the frame* *whispers* of too much cleanliness. *smiles wide for the camera* Natasha: *looks at the camera* *clicks the dagger open*

Monastery Grounds Lulu's camera caught the eerie vibrations these narrow path reflected from its walls as the huge metal door came into view. The intricate foreign drawings were understandable to the few who knew about the times of the monks. But to the innocent soul like Lulu, it only added to the unspoken horror that might be on the other side of this numbing silence where this little one could hear Loki's heartbeat loud and clear. Floofed up and cuddled into a ball, he hid in Loki's jacket right by his chest. Everyone except Violet, White and Loki had already gone through it. "It's all right," Loki hummed at the little one, stoking a few hairs on his shivering head, "there's nothing to worry about". The tsk of White's tongue was louder than he expected. "I wouldn't be so confident," he muttered under his breath. "And he needs to hear this because?" Loki was quick to question, facing the captain of the little group. White looked at the little floof curled up around Loki's chest before his eyes threw a curious glance at the God. "If he does not face his fear, he won't grow. I am sure an intellectual like you would know." "And why would I want him to 'grow'?" The null emotion brought a smile on White's face. "Are you really that protective of him or do you not want someone to find out what happens when he...'grows'." "Maybe he's both," Violet adds while looking at the sky from whatever the tall walls have left for the view. "Maybe you two should keep your business instead of thinking what others are thinking." "You know that is literally the basic part of our job, right?" A roll of eyes later, Loki sighed and turned towards the door. Lulu perked up from the jacket a little to hear something before clicking his stomach. "What exactly did I do in my life to be stuck with you?"  White knew he wanted him to hear that. "You think it's you we want to hang out with?" The door is dragged open and bass boosted tunes fill the musty alcohol-filled air that comes from the night on the other side.

Candles, glow sticks, fire lanterns- anything that can burn and glow lights up the building on the inside. 

Take a sip, take a sip, take a sip And a trip, and a trip, and a trip

Bottles, vessels and jugs of baroque shapes decorated the wall at the back up to the ceiling, creating an intricate mirage of figures dancing in the glass as lights reflected off them. 

And I'm like, when you bitch, when you bitch, when you bitch Counterfeit hypocrite holy shit

Bodies everywhere. Smoking, drinking, grinding, making out, trying new colours on their tongues. Bodies dancing to the music roaring through the neon stick-looking speakers. The shadows left by the light dance everywhere; even at places they are not supposed to. 

And amongst all the elated uproar, Javier's camera caught the three beings- and a furball- dispersing the crowd with just their existence, standing there with an aura that said the world revolved around them. And to some extent, they were not wrong.

Everybody gets high, why the hell can't I?

Eyes followed these boys; some filled with lust, some with a shade of curiosity, some with a hint of envy. But these three had eyes only for one thing. Looking for half the shades of a rainbow and a tipsy woman accompanying them. It wasn't long before all those eyes landed on the figure standing on top a table dancing like it was the end of the world. The jacket was gone and the maroon tank top with those familiar black jeans was the centre of attention. Hair down and flipping with all those jumpy moves. At one point the camera even caught you looking at it, winking and giving a shiver-inducing smirk.

Everybody gets high, why the hell can't I?

A closer look and Javier was standing in the mix of some very desperate and hungry creatures either dancing around the table either enjoying your company or doing their mating routine to attract you. As long as they maintained the distance, everything was fine. But as soon as one wrinkly faced rat tried to step on the table to touch you, a burst of roaring energy blew that alien back to where it belonged with the rest of the confused crowd. A few seconds late realisation came when five shadows with eyes gleaming like cats looked right into their souls, making them shrivel and curl up. The very next moment, five cutest boys were dancing with you on the table, increasing your happy high even more.

Everybody gets high, why the hell can't I?

Loki: *rubbing his face in his palms* never in the thousand years of my life did I think I would die of old age. *shakes head* And that too from worrying to much because of a measly human woman. *you go dancing past the camera screaming in delight* *Loki's eyes follow you before he stands up from the wall he's been leaning on and takes a step forward to come in the way of this one crocodile-man alien who is twerking his way to you. Crocodile-man jerks his way into Loki, who is standing there with his arms crossed, unwavering in every way, making the aquatic species lose their composure and walk back where they came from, letting their body tell the God to take it easy.* 

Fifteen minutes later Javier's camera focused on those big eyes of yours that were so devastatingly engrossed in Lulu as if they were seeing him for the first time. And that poor little furball was mimicking every move of your neck like a little one does with their mama. "Waaah!" you whispered with a tinge of positive shock. Javier's camera zoomed in on Loki who was looking at you with the judgment of an entire galaxy in his eyes. "You adopted him," his voice tried to cut through that trance but all it did was make your pupils wide in affection and let your throat give out a broken squeal before you petted your little one affectionately. A loud gasp followed, making Javier turn towards you and pan in on the drunken horror on your face. "What." "He is so fluffy-" you whispered while drawing the purring burrito close to your chest- "I wanna kill him in my arms!" For the first time in the history of fancams, the lens caught Loki's head fall all the way back in defeat while a groan left his throat, and before anyone witnessing could recover from it, the God was on his feet trying to take Lulu away from your arms. "Give me the baby." "Mm-mm." "You'll kill it." "..." "Give me Lulu before I pin you down and take him by force." It was quite visible that you were trying to imagine his words and it was also evident that there was that very slight smirk at the end of your lips before you licked it away. "I'll give him to you when you finish my beer." A confused frown was all you got. "Dammit, you look cute even when you frown," you whispered to yourself before turning to Loki, "I don't like the taste but I don't want it to go to waste. Finish that and then not only will I give you Lulu but you can also take me home."

Loki: The fact that she is ready to go home when we all know what happens when she gets drunk is both a boon and a bane. It's like an opportunity presenting itself and you look at it suspiciously, wondering what exactly is hidden underneath. *camera pans in* But for tonight I am willing to take that risk. *picks the beer mug* *drinks it without breaking eye contact with the camera*  *camera zooms out to pan in on White standing at the back frozen with a beer mug in his hand as his jaw drops to the floor* 

As soon as the mug hit the tabletop, you, Orange and Violet hooted and cheered and Lulu- who was sitting in your lap- imitated your hand gestures. "Come on-" Loki got and dragged the chair back- "let's go." Like a basic instinct, White immediately took Lulu from your lap before you stood up and jumped in excitement. "YES! LET'S GOOO!!" And ran to the dance floor, leaving the camera to capture the pure void that came over Loki's face.

Quarantined Avengers Facility The security cameras showed the time as two in the night when Scott could be seen walking through the lounge still half asleep as he made his way to the kitchenette for some water. "Take this," a husky voice boomed through the dark, making the man almost have a heart attack while he turned his fists towards the source of the voice, letting the bottle hit his face and fall down. "Sorry," Bucky apologised before going to one of the three bottles next to him and devouring every drop of that gifted liquid. Picking up the bottle and nursing his fresh wound that was definitely going to grow into a bump in the morning, Scott joined the assassin on the sofa. "Can't sleep?" "I can't stop thinking about those videos where that one woman is spilling all the stuff men do." "You gotta be more spe-oh! the woman who knows the secrets of the balls! Yeah, she does know a LOT!" Bucky stared in the infinite darkness and nodded. "Well, nothing to distract us from how we play with our ass hair like this," Scott groan mentioned as he got up to pick the remote and switch on the big screen. What played was the recording of you dancing under shimmering lights in a crowd of quite a variety of creatures. The beats were not familiar at all but that did not stop you from swinging your hips and jumping around having the time of your life. Without realising, Scott was also swinging his head with the sound while the camera panned in on you a bit more, unexpectedly catching an odd faced creature with sparkling blue eyes and grey skin getting close to you from the back. Unbeknown to you, the creature opened his mouth to let his snake-like slippering tongue slip out to come next to your ears. "What the f-" Before Scott was able to finish his emotion, a hand caught that tongue from behind, twisting that little sneaky shit and throwing it back somewhere out of the frame followed by a very audible yelp. Without missing a beat one of those very hands took yours and dragged you out of the frame too without any warning. The camera hastily followed to find you being dragged right to the dimmest lit corner in the back only to smack your back into the cold wall while a strong pair of familiar arms pinned your escape routes on either side of your shoulders. "What the he-" your giggles stopped right with the sentence when you realised the distance between your face and Loki's was less than your palm's. All the fun in your eyes seemed to suddenly evaporate when you felt those hands by your either side drag themselves closer to your shoulders; when those green eyes were staring right into your soul and that flawless acne-free face was getting close enough for you to smell the sweet alcohol in his one long exhale. His black tresses nearly covered both your faces while your mind evidently went blank and your body wanted to be swallowed by the wall for a second. "Loki," you managed to whisper through your croaky throat, wanting it to sound like a question desperately. In response, Loki let his left hand grab the few strands of stray hairs out of your face and gently tuck them behind your ear. That was all it took. And the lounge camera recorded Scott falling to the floor unconscious with a satisfying thump. Bucky sat there sipping his water and raised brows and a contented 'hm' leaving his throat.

Over the other side, Loki drew himself closer to you, making you look at his lips time and again before you finally closed your eyes. Loki's lips brought themselves closer before stopping right at a finger's length. The camera panned in to discover a little furrow in his brow that came and went before finally settling in and letting him draw himself back with a glower. "Why did that beer taste sweet?" The question came out of nowhere, making you open your eyes to a very confused God looking at his hands and his surroundings and finally you. And just when that scared grin came to settle on your lips, did his eyes blow up realisation. "Oh, fu-"

[opera-ghosts]

LUISA TETRAZZINI. THE COLORATURA VOICE

LUISA TETRAZZINI has been called the greatest exponent of coloratura singing that we have at the present time. Her phenomenal successes in various quarters of the globe, where she has been heard in both opera and concert, are well known, and form pages of musical history, full of interest. This remarkable voice, of exquisite quality and development, is another proof that we have as beautiful voices today, if we will but realize the fact, as were ever known or heard of in the days of famous Italian songsters.Portraits often belie the artist, by accentuating, unduly, some individuality of face or fig- ure, and Tetrazzini is no exception. From her pictures one would expect to find one of the imperious, dominating order of prima donnas of the old school. When I met the diva, I was at once struck by the simplicity of her appearance and attire. There was nothing pompous about her; she did not carry hersel with the air of one conscious of possessing something admired and sought after by all the world, something which set her on a high pedestal apart from other singers. Not at all. I saw a little lady of plump, comfortable figure, a face which beamed with kindliness and good humor, a mouth wreathed with smiles. Her manner and speech were equally simple and cordial, so that the visitor was put at ease at once, and felt she had known the great singer for years. Before the conference could begin a pretty episode happened, which showed the human side of the singer's character, and gave a glimpse into her every day life. M me. Tetrazzini was a little late for her appointment, as she had been out on a shopping expedition, an occupation which she greatly enjoys. Awaiting her return was a group of photographers, who had arranged their apparatus, mirrors and flashlight screen, even to the piano stool on which the singer was to be placed. She took in the situation at a glance, as she entered, and obediently gave herself into the hands of the picture makers. "Ah, you wish to make me beautiful," she exclaimed, with her pretty accent; "I am not beautiful, but you may try to make me look so." With patience she assumed the required poses, put her head on this side or that, drew her furs closer about her or allowed them to fall away from the white throat, with its single string of pearls. The onlooker suggested she be snapped with a little black "Pom," who had found his way into the room and was now an in- terested spectator, on his vantage ground, a big sofa. So little "Joy" was gathered up and held in affectionate, motherly arms, close against his mistress' face. It was all very human and natural, and gave another side to the singer's character from the side she shows to the public. At last the ordeal was over, and Madame was free to leave her post and sit in one of the arm chairs, where she could be a little more comfortable. The secretary was also near, to be appealed to when she could not make herself intelligible in English. "My English is very bad," she protested; "I have not the time now to learn it properly ; that is why I speak it so very bad. In the summer, or next year, I will really learn it. Now, what is it I can tell you? I am ready.

FOR THE DEBUTANTE To ask such a natural born singer how she studies and works, is like asking the fish swimming about in the ocean, to tell you where is the sea! She could not tell you how she does it. Singing is as the breath of life to Tetraz- zini as natural as the air she breathes. Real- izing this, I began at the other end. "What message have you, Madame, for the young singer, who desires to make a career?" "Ah, yes, the debutante. Tell her she must practice much very much ' and Madame spread out her hands to indicate it was a large subject; "she must practice several hours every day. I had to practice very much when I began my study when I was sixteen; but now I do not have to spend much time on scales and exercises; they pretty well go of themselves"; and she smiled sweetly. "You say," she continued, "the debutante the young singer does not know in America how much she needs the foreign languages. But she should learn them. She should study French, Italian and Spanish, and know how to speak them. Because, if she should travel to those countries, she must make herself understood, and she must be able to sing in those languages, too. "Besides the languages, it is very good for her to study piano also; she need not know it so well as if she would be a pianist, but she should know it a little ; yet it is better to know more of the piano it will make her a better musician." THE COLORATURA VOICE "You love the coloratura music, do you not, Madame?" "Ah, yes, I love the coloratura, it suits me ; I have always studied for that I know all the old Italian operas. For the coloratura music you must make the voice sound high and sweet like a bird singing and soaring. You think my voice sounds something like Patti's? Maybe. She said so herself. Ah, Patti was my dear friend my very dear friend I loved her dearly. She only sang the coloratura music, thought she loved Wagner and dramatic music. Not long before she died she said to me: 'Luisa, always keep to the coloratura music, and the beautiful bel canto singing; do nothing to strain your voice; preserve its velvety qualit) r .' Patti's voice went to C sharp, in later years; mine has several tones higher. In the great aria in Lucia, she used to substitute a trill at the end instead of the top notes ; but she said to me 'Luisa, you can sing the high notes !' "Then the breathing, Madame, what would you say of that?" "Ah, the breathing, that is -very important indeed. You must breathe from here, you know what you call it from the diaphragm, and from both sides ; it is like a bellows, going in and out," and she touched the portions re- ferred to. "One does not sing from the chest, that would make queer, harsh tones." She sang a few tones just to show how harsh they would be. "You have shown such wonderful breath control in the way you sustain high tones, be- ginning them softly, swelling then diminishing them." "Ah, yes, the coloratura voice must always be able to do those things," was the answer. "Should you ever care to become a dramatic singer?" she was asked. Tetrazzini grew thoughtful; "No, I do not think so," she said, after a pause; "I love my coloratura music, and I think my audience likes it too; it goes to the heart it is all melody, and that is what people like. I sing lyric music also I am fond of that." "Yes, and you sing songs in English, with uch good diction, that we can all understand you almost every word." Madame beamed. "I promise you I will learn English better next year ; for I shall come back to my friends in America next autumn. I shall be in Italy in the summer. I have two homes over there, one in Italy and one in Switzerland. "Do I prefer to sing in opera or concert, you ask? I believe I like concert much better, for many reasons. I get nearer to the audi- ence ; I am freer much freer, and can be my- self and not some other person. There is no change of costume, either; I wear one gown, so it is easier; yes, I like it much more. "In traveling over your big country you see I have just been out to California and back I find your people have advanced so

very much in appreciation of music; you know so much more than when I was here before; that was indeed a long time ago about twelve years, " and Madame made a pretty little gesture. "But in one way your great big country has scarcely advanced any if at all; you have not advanced in providing opera for your music lovers. You need permanent opera companies in all the larger cities. The opera companies of New York and Chicago are fine, oh yes, but they cannot give opera to the whole country. There are a few traveling companies too, which are good. But what are they in your big country? You should have opera stock companies all over, which would give opera for the people. Then your fine Ameri- can girls would have the chance to gain operatic experience in their own country, which they cannot get now. That is why the foreign singer has such a chance here, and that is why the native singer can hardly get a chance. All the American girls' eyes turn with longing to the Metropolitan Opera House; and with the best intentions in the world the Director can only engage a small number of those he would like to have, because he has no room for them. He can not help it. So I say, that while your people have grown so much in the liking and in the understanding of music, you do not grow on this side, because your young singers are obliged to travel to a foreign land to get the practice in opera they are unable to get at home. You need to do more for the perma- nent establishing of opera in the large and small cities of your country." Madame did not express her thoughts quite as consecutively as I have set them down, but I am sure she will approve, as these are her ideas of the musical situation in this country. As I listened to the words of this "second Patti," as she is called, and learned of her kindly deeds, I was as much impressed by her kindness of heart as I had been by her beauti- ful art of song. She does much to relieve pov- erty and suffering wherever she finds it. As a result of her "vocal mastery," she has been able to found a hospital in Italy for victims of tuberculosis, which accommodates between three and four hundred patients. The whole institution is maintained from her own private income. During the war she generously gave of her time and art to sing for the soldiers and aided the cause of the Allies and the Red Cross whenever possible. For her labors of love in this direction, she has the distinction of being decorated by a special gold medal of honor, by both the French and Italian Governments; a distinction only conferred on two others beside herself. After our conference, I thanked her for giv- ing me an hour from her crowded day. She took my hand and pressed it warmly in both hers."Please do not quite forget me, Madame,'' "Indeed not, will you forget me?" "No, I shall always remember this delightful hour." "Then, you see, I cannot forget you!" and she gave my hand a parting squeeze.

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Pokemon Johto Journeys, Episodes 4-7

Today I have seen Jessie in a flamenco dress and James in a ballet tutu, and everything is right with the world.

Detours

It always fascinates me what parts of the Pokemon anime I end up enjoying more than others. I mean, let’s be honest, this is a very, very, very simple show. Episodes usually wrap up all conflicts within their timeframe, there’s little in the way of character growth or story progression, and what little in the way of a greater narrative their is usually only pops up during specific episodes that decide to focus on it, otherwise remaining all but invisible. This is a show designed to spin its wheels with endless sidetracks and detours for as long as it can manage. Heck, when we first run into Gary Oak again in episode 5, it’s kind of a big deal because it isn’t treated like that much of a big deal. He just shows up, kills a few minutes, then leaves without affecting the rest of the episode, and yet he’s noticeably less insufferably smug than usual as a result of his previous interactions with Ash. In short, he’s acting like an actual character who’s undergone a bit of an arc without the show putting that growth in focus. That’s not the way this show usually works. I doubt that’s gonna be much of a trend, but the mere fact it stands out so much is evidence of how powerful the Endless Status Quo effect is in this franchise.

My point is, you’re not on this ride for where it’s going; you’re on this ride for the countless interesting pit stops it takes along the way. And your enjoyment mostly comes down to how interesting each individual pit stop is, with little connective tissue between them. It certainly doesn’t make this the easiest show to analyze, I tell you what. But there’s merit in considering what parts keep my attention and what parts lose it, and why. For example, the episode with the Donphan gold miners was pretty much Pokemon on cruise control, with no real unique hook beyond showing off the new Pokemon and almost no creativity in the dialogue or situations. I felt my attention slipping fast, and not even Team Rocket’s usual antics were on-point enough to salvage it. By contrast, the episode with the dancing Bellsprout team was solid all the way through, doing what this show does best and exploring what life looks like in the Pokemon world for the countless normal people who aren’t immortal ten-year-olds on an endless fetch quest. That kind of slice-of-life uniqueness is the shit that draws me to this show; there’s no other piece of Pokemon media that’s able to really showcase such a breadth of the world’s possibilities. Plus, it’s got Flamenco Jessie and Ballet James cross-dressing their way through a cavalcade of dancing puns (”Is this what they mean by a whirlwind tour?”), and if that doesn’t make you happy, I don’t want to know you.

Best of Team Rocket

-”The rolling stones missed us!” Okay, you deserve to fall for that pun.

-They don’t even get to finish the motto dkjhsdkf

-”What’s with the fan?” “It’s for all this hot air.”

-”Seems the only successful thing we do is nothing at all.”

-”How could you let yourself be lassoed by some twine merchant?”

-”Because I get very inhibited when I’m being exhibited!”

-”I thought I was the Team Rocket prima donna!”

-”Butterfree the low-fat Pokemon.” I am wheezing

-”I’m wearing tights instead of pants!”

-As they’re being blown away by a tornado: “This is a real twist ending!”

-”Will they elevate me to the top of this tower next time?” The things some people do for showmanship.

-I love how nobody even questions Team Rocket bungling their dramatic timing (”We fell asleep.”) That’s just how they roll.

Odds and Ends

-It bears repeating: this theme song is a fucking bop.

-”Why is it whenever something rotten happens, you three are always behind it?” Ash channeling big Professor McGonnegal energy today.

-”This is no time to stop for a snack!” “He’s never said that before.” pfft

-”We’re in the middle of nowhere!” “Everywhere’s somewhere.” Ash ffs

-”Look, have you ever seen anything this ugly in real life?” And countdown to regret in 3...2...1...

-”Guess who.” he’s so done aksdhaksdhaskld

-Okay but how do you even set up a tree gondola on such short notice

-I don’t like how much we’re leaning into Brock’s womanizing. A little of that goes a long way.

-”Because dancing and battling aren’t so different.” When suddenly, RWBY.

-Okay, the Pikachu catapult was a nice touch.

-Ooh, I didn’t know Spinarak could change the face on its backside. That’s cool!

-Lol, they’ve got a reputation among the Jennys? Nice.

-It’s good to know the Jenny cloning pool is a proud tradition dating back centuries. What a messed-up world.

-NOT HIS BOTTLE CAP COLLETION YOU CADS

-”I don’t have a bedtime!” Methinks he doth protest too much.

-”That’s very nice! The cart is on my hand!” sdkfjhsdkhf poor Brock

It’s a whole new world we live in. See you next time!

[mediocreskills]

OK SO I had all the Underwood codes decrypted in chronological order on a notepad doc, but my computer updated and I lost the document. I’ve gone and decoded them all again, and im putting them here in this post so I dont lose them again. 

Edit: Current as of episode 20

Edit 2: credit to @cinnamon-syrup​ for finding the one in the [redacted]!

Further edits: switched around the order of the backwards codes, credits to @absolxguardian​ for keeping up with the missing letters

MAJOR spoilers under the readmore

(the quote marks are where the tag begins and ends)

Underwood codes

ASCII HEX

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/188829363937/you-all-seem-awfully-invested-in-this-foundation

“Not yet, at least”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/188892488892/news-from-the-library

(release date)

“Are you still listening?”

“How can you, we haven’t even properly started…”

(reblog)

“Don’t forget…”

MORSE

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190223635362/und-00-season-1-trailer-the-underwood

(trailer)

“I HOPE YOU WILL STAY AWILE[sic]”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190486379242/tuccastlist

(short bios)

This one I lost with the document, but I think it went “THAT’S ODD, HE WASN’T THERE BEFORE”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190486408277/colleagues-and-students

(episode 1 release date)

“ARE YOU STILL LISTENING”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190498595732/und-01-prima-donna-the-underwood-collection

(episode 1 link)

“QUITE A FIERY PERFORMANCE”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190627591407/happy-monday-everyone-episode-2-of-the-underwood

(episode 2 link & transcript)

“SHORT AND SO VERY SWEET”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190755248027/happy-monday-dear-scholars-your-new-file-can-be

(episode 3)

“OF COURSE WE KNOW THEIR NAMES”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190778770637/apologies-for-any-confusion-from-the-past-hour-or

(accidental reblogs)

“MARS FUCKED UP”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190877403857/good-monday-morning-dearest-scholars-your-latest

(episode 4)

“A FAMILIAR SENSATION”

“I WONDER IF THE OLD MAN FELT IT TOO”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190902452482/regarding-recent-events

(leak)

“WE HOPE THAT IS THE ONLY THING MISPLACED”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190486379242/tuccastlist

(short bios updated)

“IT IS LIKELY THERE WILL BE A PERMANENT CHANG[sic]”

“SOON”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/190950622837/good-day-scholars-the-follow-up-files-to

(mid-season special)

“THE OBELISK PIERCES THE SACRED SKY”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/191002477647/its-monday-once-again-scholars-todays-file-is

(episode 5)

“THEY SAY THERES SOMEONE WHO CAN FIX THAT”

“AND SHES USUALLY WILLING TO BO[sic] IT”

“FOR FREE”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/611505625291243520/good-afternoon-scholars-you-may-have-noticed-the

(episode 6)

“ANTS ARE QUITE ADEPT AT INVADING HIVES”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/612135524148396032/apologies-for-the-late-upload-once-again-we

(episode 7)

“EMBALMING IS TO KEEP THE FLESH ALIVE”

“AND TO SPITE THE END”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/612758897181278208/good-morning-scholars-you-may-have-noticed-we

(episode 8)

“SO THEY HAVE BECOME MEALS”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/613134392527896576/hello-scholars-we-have-a-special-mid-season-bonus

(episode 8.5)

“ENJOY THIS WHILE YOU CAN”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/613410702820016128/its-monday-once-again-scholars-your-new-file-is

(episode 9)

“IT IS WHEN THE CANARY STOPS SINGING”

“THAT YOU SHOULD BE TRULY AFRAID”

“OF THE DEPTHS”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/614043566045642752/afternoon-scholars-our-final-statement-before

(episode 10)

“DO YOU THINK THEYVE NOTICED YET”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/616568470082093056/hi-everyone-quick-out-of-character-update-today

(q&a)

audible morse code is all 

“OOPS” “NO” “REDCTED”

credit to @cinnamon-syrup​, @lunaisooon​, and @absolxguardian​ for putting the q&a codes together

Message hidden in the html code!!! (lina found this one!)

[ID] “Hello... You Shouldn’t Be Looking Here. Send Jonah My Regards. -AB.”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/618472592182067200/hellooo-lovely-lovely-scholars-welcome-back-to

(season two trailer)

“SHE IS ONTO US. WE MUST CHANGE AGAIN.”

“.SU EVIGROF”

MORSE AND BACKWARDS TEXT

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/619099825997316096/scholars-its-a-new-day-and-with-it-a-new-file

(episode 11)

“AS ARACHNE PLAYS HER STRINGS”

“SLAUGHTER AND END BEGIN TO SING”

“UPON THE HILL THE WEDDING BELL SOUNDS”

“INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM FUNERAL ROUNDS”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/619566954885300224/welcome-to-the-underwood-collection-wont-you

(teaser trailer video thing)

“Y'RE CLOSE, BUT THEY CAN'T GET CAUGHT. “

“THEY CAN’T”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/619735478403530752/hello-scholars-we-hope-youre-practicing-good

(episode 12)

“HER SERVICES ARE STILL FREE”

“BUT SHE CAN’T MAKE YOU UNKNOWN”

“NOT THE WAY I DO”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/620379328802357248/good-afternoon-scholars-hope-youre-ready-weve

(episode 13)

“FOR EVERYONE ELSE.”

“TO BE A STRANGER”

“YOU MUST BE ONE TOO”

“WHAT IS YOUR MONSTER?”

“AND WHO ARE YOU A MONSTER TO?”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/621001132645515264/today-we-get-a-bit-personal-you-can-listen-to

(episode 14)

“THE CORRUPTION LOVES”

“TO DRAG OTHERS INTO ITS MESSES”

“DOESN’T IT. MADAME DIRECTOR?”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/621643481125896192/good-day-scholars-we-have-your-file-all-ready-for

(episode 15)

“REMEMBER: WHATEVER YOU DO”

“A MIRROR CAN ONLY SHOW WHAT IS TRUE”

“WHETHER WARPED OR SHATTERED”

“TARNISHED OR BLACK”

“IT SHOWS WHAT IT SEES”

“AND ALWAYS LOOKS BACK”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/622638230737682433/you-didnt-think-wed-just-leave-you-with-radio

(episode 15.5)

“AN APPALLING THIEF THEY MAKE. NO?”

“AND OUR POOR ARCHIVIST”

“TO CATALOGUE EVERY THOUGHT”

“LEST THEY SLIP AWAY”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/623549746907365376/this-week-this-week-how-different-things

(episode 16)

“SOME PITY FOR HER SWEET LOST LENORE”

“SHE LOOKS WITHIN AND THUSLY SEES”

“DARKNESS THERE AND NOTHING MORE”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/624194605170196480/good-afternoon-scholars-so-glad-youve-taken-the

(episode 17)

“SHIFTING HUES AND MADE UP FACES”

“MEANINGLESS COLORS AND CONFRONTATIONS”

“ANSWERS IN QUESTIONS”

“THAT MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN”

“AND YOU KNOW DEEP DOWN THAT YOU CANNOT WIN”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/624811317513142272/good-morning-scholars-todays-file-should-warm

(episode 18)

“THE WARMTH OF LOVE IS A HEALING FLAME”

“BUT BROKEN HEARTS LEAVE SMOULDERING BLAME”

“PAIN NEVER TO HEAL AND NEVER TO FLEE”

“PS. THE NOTE? IT WASNT ME”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/625172073815457792/a-little-treat-for-you-scholars-something-sweet

(episode 18.5)

“WE KNOW OBSESSION”

“YOU CAN LET IT CONSUME YOU”

“BUT SHES HERE FOR YOU”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/625440970729832448/might-be-nice-to-do-some-redecorating-today-while

(episode 19)

“OH COME NOW FOR A JUBILEE”

“THE THINGS THAT CALL YOU HOME SHALL SING”

“HURRAH HURRAH”

“DECAY AND FILTH FORM HUNGERS HEART”

“ITS THE LOYALTY OF YOUR NOBLEST PARTS”

“AND WE ALL FALL DOWN TO THE GROUND”

“TO RETURN TO THE DUST”

https://pitchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/626079190993731584/from-the-personal-files-of-uc-bamba-featuring

(episode 20)

“I MISS HIM SO.”

missing letters so far: HEDA and THE/OU credit to @absolxguardian​ for finding the missing letters

[themugshotofdoriangray]

Today I got to play through the penultimate episode of the second chapter and rip the mask off the man himself. I also recorded this prima donna freaking out over it.

I'd say a >>spoiler<< warning is in order, but Vimeo decided to make the unmasked sprite the thumbnail.

[marithlizard]

Reactions to RWBY v7c11 “Gravity”

Am I scared to look at my dashboard and find out what happens in c12?  Oh yes. Putting it off with this even though I already posted my houghts on the spoilers for c11 last week.  Seeing the full episode is different! 

And the duel begins.  General, you didn't bring any snipers or other support because you're operating on machismo and cool factor right now.   But it's not just yourself you're risking.  The Remnant Leadership Review Board gives this strategy a D for Dumbass.

I do like the way the writers keep coming up with different ways to handwave acrobatic aerial combat for each character.

Watts is way more formidable in combat than expected - surviving in a lethal 1:1 duel with James for this long, including melee, isn’t something you can do with tech tricks alone. Who did he spar with in the castle gym? 

Action choreography is not particularly a thing I care about in a show, but RWBY does it just so inventively and fluidly.  This time I'm replaying at half speed just to spot all the cool little bits.   And I still can't figure out what happened to Watts' rings that would make him have to rebuild them.   Did he use them up somehow to trap James' arm?

Mmm, no, not getting any kind of emotional relationship vibe here, just prima donna techbro vs  CEO.  Seen your type in a dozen Silicon Valley startups, Arthur.   "What made you bitter enough to join Salem and agree to destroy the entire world?"  "Passed over for grant funding."

I never noticed before that James' eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue.    No wait OW OW OW how many people could do that to their own limb to get out of a trap,  without the boosted adrenaline of imminent death?  James has endured pain and mastered it at a level the kids can't imagine.

"Where did they put them?"  Still don't think that's a throwaway line. Still worried about it.

....yeah, Watts isn't dead.    I would have killed him on the spot, and sniggering psycho tail boy too.  But James and Clover are solidly Lawful alignment.  And it's going to come back to bite (and sting) them.

Mm.  The Tyrian fight has a couple of nifty bits, but his duel with Qrow in v4 is much more to my artistic and dramatic taste.

James:  Can I PLEASE just be done with today now?   Chess piece:  Not even close.

I guess I shouldn't think of the Atlas students as sheep here, given that in v3 the regular Beacon students probably also did nothing but obediently mill around offscreen. But is team FNKI really the only one with any heroic initiative?  

Oh that shot of Winter running across the stained-glass reflection on the snow is beautiful.

"You don't have to  understand orders, kids. You just have to follow them."  And that is why I have never trusted the Ace Ops, and I don't think the writers ever meant us to.  They're not evil.  They're military.  

Watching James' reassuring-commander exterior disintegrate in fear in front of everyone is just painful.  With one perfectly-chosen symbol Cinder made his already-cracked mental armor crumble into powder.

SHOOT IT YOU ALL HAVE GUNS don't let it talk you're going to let it talk aren't you.  Fatal mistake.   It is a real weakness in the writing,  that the characters often just stand around or fail to follow up on things in order to allow Plot to happen.  :(

"Surrender the staff and the lamp to me,  and they needn't suffer any further."  "Because you'll kill them."  "Exactly.  The peace of death is something mortals always fail to appreciate."

The kids should know that Amity wasn't ready, shouldn't they? They've been heavily involved in the project for weeks.

I don’t have anything new to say about Salem or Summer here, but that was fantastically done all around.  And Salem’s voice actress is brilliant. 

(Also, while I’ve had problems with team RWBY’s choices in the past, none this episode. Good job kids.)

James, you know damned well RWBYJNRQ are a match for the Ace Ops, that no one else could possibly take them down, and that you desperately need every one of these elite fighters right now whether they're obeying your orders or not.  And then you walk out of the room to let them chew each other up?  Cinder and Salem will be delighted.   The musical overtones of a sad "Trust Love"  over the dramatic visuals are great, but RT that doesn't justify making the characters act like idiots to get them to the plot points you want.  This is dumb.  :(

And I think we still could have gotten to these plot points without sacrificing character consistency, with more skillful writing and direction.  Hopefully the new writers will learn from v7 and level up next season. Everyone else already knows what’s going on with Oscar by now, and I should go find out instead of speculating. AUGH. 

[chaniters]

REAPER

Episode 3 of @kruk-art‘s Awan Cormac second series!

Tried to explore the Fallen-Hero world itself this time! 

Hope you enjoy! 3.300 words.

*Trigger warning, Fire*

_______________________________________________

10 MONTHS AGO. 

Hauswald Foundation Hospital.

“I’m having second thoughts about this, Charge.”

This is a really bad idea. The worst. Whoever thought it would be a good plan to put you on camera? Even if it’s with the mask on, you’ve been trying to avoid the spotlight, not be the center of attention

“I don’t think I can do this, maybe you guys should go on without me”

“Not this again,” he says turning at you. “You’ve been going back and forth for weeks. What the heck is your problem?”

“I don’t... “ you start “...I don’t like talking to the media”

“Yeah, I get that. But we already discussed this. You just need to stand there for the damn cameras. Your mask stays on” he says exasperated “That’s literally it. Simple publicity. Is that so hard?”

“But I’ve never done this before!”

“Ok, you know what? I’ll take your spotlight. I do that for Steel already so one more can’t be too hard…  I’ll answer your media questions, I’ll write your whole interview if you want! Anathema can help answer too.  We’ll let Sentinel do his grandpa-hero act again and tell us all some story about the good ‘ol times and his first battles with Psychopathor to put everyone off your case. Is that ok?”

No. It’s not ok… They’ll still see you.

“I’m sorry. They’ll still see me and I just... I can’t… I need to go...”

“Ooooh no. No no no no. You’re not pulling prima-donna on me. Not today! There are kids counting on this!” he says blocking the door. “Come on! You’ve got this!” he says looking at you.

Shit.

“Now take in a deep breath Awan, hold it in, then exhale, and count to ten and THEN DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU HAVE TO DO , but I need you to calm down, because you’re not leaving here tonight without doing what you agreed to do!!”

You cover your face with your hands.

This is happening.

It’s happening and it’s your fault...

You agreed to take part in this stupid show and now everything’s going to fall apart...

You’re going to be in the media, your face is going to be sucked-in by those cameras, turned to radiowaves and fly all across the atmosphere to be picked up by satellites and TV sets.

And then the secret service and you’ll say something stupid, or they’ll figure your speech patterns and they’ll figure it all out. They’ll tell military and that’s when someone will decide to make the call to Nevada and they’ll all see you in live TV, and they’ll all be coming for you, to shut you up. 

No escape, they’ll shove you back into your cell and there’ll be no turning back and that will be it, the end of everything you. That’s how they’ll find out what you are and then…

“Sheesh Awan, are you ok?”

You open your eyes… Ortega’s standing next to you with both hands on your shoulders.

It’s hard to breathe or answer him. You’re just shivering uncontrollably… You want to talk, but the words won’t come, choked by the feeling of dread consuming your thoughts. “Breathe” he says. You try, but it’s too damn hot in the stupid studio. 

“Oh wow... just...come with me” he wraps an arm around your back steering you towards a chair. You simply let him, because if not you’re probably going to lose it.

“I’m sorry” you keep end up saying with a broken voice.

“It’s ok. I think you’re having a panic attack. Mierda. I think I put you under too much pressure... Didn’t realize this was such a big deal to you“ he says apologetically. “You know what? Stay here. We’ve got this. It’s ok. Just stay here, I’ll come back for you later and we drive you home. Just take it easy man” he goes up to a water dispenser bringing a plastic cup.

You instantly begin relaxing a little as you realize don’t have to do it after all. Your hands are still trembling though. He makes sure you’re ok before telling you he needs to go to get ready. The media will be here soon.

And then leaves you alone…

________a few minutes later______________

You’ll just finish your water and go. Call him later, tell him you couldn’t wait, that you didn’t feel well.  THat’s a good plan, and it’s the truth. The rangers can do this without you.

You breathe heavily as you try to cool down… until you hear a sudden noise to your left.

The door opens, and a tall man wearing a hoodie comes in. you can’t see his face from there…

He serves himself some water in a plastic cup and takes a seat next to you.

You look at him nervously…

His mind seems filled with some sort of determination that…

And then his skull turns to you.

His skull. Not face. Skull.

There’s a skull in the hoodie, with glowing red eyes, staring at you.

“Hello there. Sidestep, right?” says the skull-person.

You would probably be screaming right now, if not for the fact that you can feel his mind and you can tell Skull-man is trying to be friendly to you. It takes all of your force of will to make your brain start working again and figure this out…

The answer comes faster than you thought...This isn’t some apparition. You know who he is...

“Reaper?” you ask.

“Ha! What gave me away?” he says. You can’t see his invisible skin, but his mind tells you he’s grinning at you. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have approached you like this, I’m just off guard here because everyone knows me”

You manage a weak smile. “You are a legend. I think I actually saw one of the movies they made about you” Mask of the red death. You remember it… He got inside Black Kraken’s masquerade party and took off his mask saying his catch-phrase sending all the villains into a panic…  Truly epic on film and the best part is there are heroes confirming that it actually happened for real.

This guy is the definition of a bad-ass superhero. You should probably try to learn something here...

“Yeah, legend. THat’s what they say I am… I just paid my dues. And I still do that. Paying back our community.”

“Are you here for the promo?”

“Of course! I’m in the Hauswald promo every year. I just wish more heroes would show up for it,  It’s really important and not everyone realizes that. So glad you decided to join us!“

“I just agreed to some pictures...” you say defensively.  

“Well, maybe that’s a good start. It’s the least we can do after all… to make up for the mess we make”

“What mess? You’ve saved the city countless times…”

“The mess we make by just existing” he sighs “Did Charge not explain this?”

“Well, he said it’s really important for the kids and…”

“Typical… If Hood was alive, he’d smack him… It’s NOT just about the kids.”

“Wh.. then what is it about?”

“It’s about sending the right message. Mind if I smoke?” he asks instead of answering.

“You’re still smoking?!” you ask shocked “You just got out of…” you stop short of saying it.

“Lung cancer yeah.” he completes the sentence. “You can say it.  I got lung cancer, and I lived”

“And you’re smoking,” you say as he takes a cigar from a pocket, holding it with his bony fingers.  

“I’ll keep smoking even after I’m dead kid, I just haven’t figure out how yet” he chuckles. “Too late to change course now. “ he says “Too late for some things at least. ”

There is a hint of deep regret in his voice, then looks at his watch absently.

You really shouldn’t but… it’s not likely you’re going to meet Reaper again soon. You have to ask…

“Was it worth it?”

“What do you mean?” he asks, his red eyes focusing on you again.

“Was it worth it, being a hero I mean? You’re the oldest hero on record”

Laughter surprises you. Even reading his mind it’s hard to predict the emotions on a skeletal face.

“The nerve, calling me old to my face… And what kind of question is that? Don’t you want to ask me about Lady Airstrike instead? Or maybe some story about fighting against the Aqua-squad?”

“Nope. Those stories are all over the media already”

“True,” he says exhaling a trail of smoke, as his skull seems to be filled with it, inside and out.

He stays silent for a few moments...But you’re not letting go.

“So was it?”

“It’s not a fair question. I didn’t really have much of a choice, after what I did”

“What you did?”

“Being a bad boy, taking drugs. Becoming a boost”

“That’s not true… Lots of people got boosted, and didn’t become heroes”

His mind tells you he’s smiling again.

“I didn’t become a hero right away. It took me a while to realize saving the day was the only way we can make up for it, you know?”

“Make up for what? You keep talking about heroes as if we were something bad.”

“We can be. And we have to make up for the damage we cause. You’re new… the rangers are new… You don’t understand. Hood did… but he didn’t know how to handle it... “

He pauses as if looking for the right words.

“What do you know about hero-drug deaths?”

His mind lights up like a city at night… news articles… media stories… he’s a master on this subject.

“Not enough apparently” you admit.

“Smart kid… “ he sighs “Well … when the first hero drugs were discovered it all got wrapped up in a big secret government project. The feds took over the labs producing those cursed diet pills… And then instead of burying them, they called in the corporations… get a faster development process… Do you know what happened first?”

“The first heroes and villai…”

“No. What happened then was that within five years, people started dropping like flies on the streets and paranormal cults surged everywhere. No one knew what the heck was going until the truth was revealed… Companies trying them illegally on the homeless and poor, other companies stealing and analyzing the corpses and spreading the know-how… it was a god-damn mess. Within five years hero drugs were available to the general public and were selling faster than crack. The genie out of the bottle and people everywhere wanted to be super too.”

“Oh,” you say pondering on his words. You never studied that period much, it wasn’t part of your education mostly. “That’s where you came in”

“Yeah. I was rich. Powerful. Feared and respected… The drugs were very easy to acquire.”

“But why risk it all?”

Because I was still a regular man. I wanted to go to the next level. Gain real power. Something no one else could have” He says looking at the door. “Taking the hero drugs was the next step to having it all…”

“So I took them. And I didn’t die… got my death-touch… and my invisible skin. The media loves it. I did a LOT of stupid stuff, you wouldn’t believe…“

“You were amazing”

“I wasn’t. I was a butcher… I thought I was finally doing the right thing, and all I did was kill addicts and dealers, and ended up harming and killing more innocent people than any of the criminals I fought”

“What? You didn’t!”

He looks down as he answers. “Kid… the sad truth is… whenever one of us becomes famous… whenever we show off our wonderful powers to the world and end up in posters in every kid’s room…?  That’s when Hero-Drug sales spike. Each time I bragged about my powers, someone decided they rather take their chances and try to become super, try to be like me. And then most of those people died. It’s the same every time a new hero appears… Even you”

“W..wha..”

“You can believe me, or not. It’s not like the government is throwing the real statistics at us… But whenever one of us goes up, regular people go down, and I don’t mean the stairs. Both heroes and villains. Doesn’t matter. Adoring capes and masks only means death in the end.”

“But we protect the city!”

“Do we?  I was the most famous hero for decades. And I ended up being the poster-boy for hero-drugs... I just thought my name was cool when I chose it, but you know what? It’s become more and more appropriate with each passing year. I’ve killed more people just by existing than any villain. I retired after I understood that. Helping the foundation, helping them spread their message against hero-drugs… it’s the only way I can make up for what I did. Those companies used us… they still do… they spread their drugs over the streets pretending it’s just common theft, and study their victims openly once they're dead and reach the hospitals... They’re trafficking with death and running an experiment with everyone out there as a subject”

“Are you saying we should all quit?” you ask in shock.

“No” he laughs “Hell no… maybe that would have worked during the first years, but right now there’s no stopping the curve. There’s always going to be villains needing their asses kicked, All I’m saying is… we NEED to be responsible. Mind the public, and spread a conscious message. And the Foundation does that. Shows people what happens when hero-drugs go wrong. You can be a hero… if you mind all the aspects of the job and tell on those corporate bastards. You have a really big fanbase Sidestep. You can really make a difference”

He has a point on that. The foundation is one of the few institutions that will admit and care for boosts, pay their medical bills, fight against big pharma and seek to stop the spread of hero drugs. They even host this hospital the one Ortega’s trying to get a promo for with the Rangers. And they’ve managed to pass a few basic laws in Congress.

“You know, they care for at least 400 boosts here that don’t have anywhere else to go. Old men and women. Kids  People whose powers aren’t suited for life outside an enclosed facility. All trough donations and charity.”

You wonder why did no one really explain this to you before.

“Hey, want to have a tour of the facility while we wait for the media to get there?” he asks.

“You have access?” you ask

He flashes a security card. “Of course. I do voluntary service every Sunday” Of course he does.

“Come. You have to see what this place does” he says standing up “Otherwise you’ll only be getting half the story”

Your first impulse is to leave while you can… but sometime in Reaper … it makes you change your mind.

Reluctantly, you agree and introduces you to a whole new world. If there was ever a place that was the complete opposite of the farm, this would be it. The residents receive medical care by a team of professionals. There are psychiatrists and psychologists galore treating them. Even the ones with dangerous powers, they have special rooms where they can try to live their lives. Even a few who can’t leave, they’ve made arrangements so they can stay in touch with their families. Rehabilitation programs. Power training so their boosts don’t control them. Cheerful messages on the walls…

And you meet them. The patients. Many of them come to personally thank you for taking part on the promo. They’re counting on you, to help spread the word and tell their story, to help keep donations coming so they lights stay on...

Once the tour is over, you follow Reaper to the press conference.

Ortega is startled when you sit on your chair beside them all as the group interview starts…

You answer your questions, you pose for the pictures, you tell jokes and say the slogan “You don’t need drugs to be a hero” as you go through all the loops of this process. You’re still nervous, but if the farm is watching… At least you’ll give them a good show.

Because you have to make up for it.

 _________________________

PRESENT DAY

Hauswald foundation. 4:20 am.

You activate the gas mask accessory for your suit as you get in closer, the heath quite overwhelming even from this far.

You came as fast as you could when you saw it in the news. Sentinel is already on site, trying to stop the flames, with a focused cold wind.

With a nod to the firemen, you head inside. It’s an inferno in here… the smell of burning hair so intense it almost makes you throw up in your suit… People died in this fire. It doesn’t take long for you to figure that out.

Five minutes in, you find your first two patients, locked in a room. Help them get out… shield them as you can, and then back inside… endlessly. Drag an unconscious man… a woman with burns on her leg…

You can’t stop. Your mind can’t process this is happening, you keep going in until they stop you. Steel physically restrains you from entering again, and the firemen come to tell you it’s over… You struggle, but the burning hospital slams you with the heaviest dose of reality yet, as it crumbles on itself, falling apart, dust flying everywhere.  

You end up wandering around the disaster site, trying to help the paramedics where you can, but there’s not really a lot you can do in your suit.

You find reaper sitting next to an injured woman, holding her hand… You know her. She was a patient, with a boost that allowed her to create ice. There’s a large plasma burn on her chest, that’s already been bandaged. You don’t need to ask who did it...

Reaper turns weakly as he notices you.

“She tried to stop them, you know?”

“Psychopathor” you say the name. “But... why?”

“Yes. He and Void did this… The Pysco shot her when he realized she was going to try put off the fire if she survived.” He looks at her with his expressionless skull. “Doctors say she’ll live.” he turns to you, his red eyes glowing fiercely “They took them Sidestep… I fought them... But … I’m too old. Too old to and too weak…”

“Took them?”

“The patients”  *he coughs again* trying to stand with difficulty “They kidnapped the patients Sidestep. At least two dozen of them… then started the fire to stop us from following.. I… I just need to patch up… stretch some and get back in the game… I’ll get my suit... And…”

“You can’t… you’re in no condition to do this again” you complain

“That doesn’t matter! I’m Reaper… Those bastards can’t do this… I could have killed Psychopathor back in the seventies, you know? And now… now I will!”

He tries to walk over, but it’s just painful to see him. You don’t doubt for a second that he fought them both, given all the bruises and injuries. His skin and organs are invisible, but his blood isn’t once it’s spilled.

“they’ll know I'm coming… I’m coming for their souls“ he says his catchphrase before entering another coughing fit… the Paramedics end up taking him too, as you resume your walk.

Reaper is too old to go after them and Void is your own mess.

It’s on you to go after them… and you can’t fail.

You can’t fail those people they captured...

They’ll pay for what they did.

_____________________

My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

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Bound To Be Together - Ch. 8

McDanno, M, A03

A continuous story of Season 9 codas exploring the bond between Steve and Danny as they grow even closer.

Chapter 8: 9.08

Steve parks his truck and twists around for his bag of gear.  He’s a little early for the team’s annual Thanksgiving football game, but it’s a beautiful morning and he wants to enjoy it.  The game’s an important tradition, and he knows Danny will grill him on every detail when he gets back from New Jersey.

Just then his phone pings with a text.  Speak of the devil.

Thanks for the playlist.

Steve had swiped Danny’s phone a few days ago, adding a playlist with an assortment of songs from local Oahu bands.  He figured Danny would enjoy it, something to distract him on the long flight.  Maybe he’ll even want to go see one of the groups perform live, and Steve will casually offer to take him.  

Like a date, maybe, kinda.

Steve shakes his head at himself and writes back.

No problem. How was the flight?

Boring.  You getting ready for the game?

Already here.

Overachiever.

Steve snorts. At least I didn’t abandon my team.  He regrets it as soon as he hits send, the stark words on the screen looking harsher than he intended.

 Boo hoo. You’re just worried that the kids are going to trounce you.

 Danny is apparently in too good a mood to get upset about Steve’s slip.  The last thing Steve wants is to make Danny feel bad about going away to spend time with his family.  Family has to come first, and Steve knows how much it means to Danny to be with his parents and siblings today.

 Steve recovers and lobs a shot over the bow.  You must be into the holiday booze already if you think Tani and those lugs are going to win.

 Ha.  You’re right.  Bridget gave us some kind of cranberry champagne thing this morning, think there was vodka in it too.  She’s making pumpkin pie martinis with dinner.

 You didn’t eat yet?

 Not turkey. But  Charlie and I made cookies this morning.

Any left?

A few.

Don’t eat too much, you’ll spoil your appetite.

Ma says I’m too skinny anyway.

Steve thinks of Danny stretching as he got out of the truck at the airport, looking delicious in his slim fitting jeans and black t-shirt.  

 You’re perfect, Steve types back quickly.  There’s a pause, and Steve wishes he had just turned this into a phone conversation.  He wants to hear Danny’s voice.

Thanks. Danny doesn’t elaborate or hedge, and for some reason it makes Steve’s heart leap.

He jumps as there’s a knock on his window, Tani frowning at him and Junior standing behind her trying to stifle a grin.

Gotta go play some ball.  Talk later?

You bet.

 ******

 Steve doesn’t linger long after Thanksgiving dinner.  The restaurant isn’t his responsibility now, and he’s thankful for that -- he doesn’t need to stay to make sure everything’s clean and locked up.  If there’s a break-in, it won’t be Steve’s fault this time.

 Steve knows his newfound freedom from being a restaurant owner isn’t the only reason he’s anxious to leave.  He pushes that thought aside as he says good night to Lou and his family, who have somehow managed to act out the script of a bad sitcom episode over the course of the day.  At least no one got hurt, he thinks.  That’s another thing to be grateful for.

 When Steve gets home he changes out of his clothes into a soft pair of sweatpants and paces around for a few minutes before giving in and calling Danny.

 “Steve?  Hey,” Danny says, his voice scratchy.  “Give me a sec, hold on.”

 “I know it’s late, I shouldn’t have called, but…”

 “Nah, it’s not so late.”

 It’s almost 3 a.m.  on the east coast.  Steve would like to think that the fact that Danny isn’t complaining about that means that he doesn’t mind, but it’s also possible Danny is too asleep to realize what time it is.

 “Did I wake you?”

 “Yeah, I guess.  But it’s okay.  I like the sound of your voice.”

 Danny’s words stop Steve in his tracks as warmth spreads through his chest.  It’s such a similar sentiment to what Steve himself has been thinking all day, missing Danny’s shouts of glee on the football field, his mumblings when they mull over a case.  The sound of his voice at a table crowded with friends, carrying to Steve’s ears regardless of who he’s talking to.

 “Well, uh, here I am.”

 Danny laughs, low and rumbling.  “How was your Thanksgiving?”

 Lonely, Steve wants to say, but that’s not really true.  He had good people around, his team, their families.  He wasn’t really lonely.  But there was an empty space where Danny should have been, where he should always be.

 Might as well say it. “Missed you.  Especially since we were at the restaurant.  It looked good, though, you’d have been pleased.  Kamekona had it all decorated.”

 “Did he make that stuffing we talked about?  With the sausage?”

 “He did, and you were right, it was amazing.”

 “Of course it was amazing, it’s my mom’s recipe.  We had it too, although my sister made it yesterday and reheated it today, and it got a little dry.”

 “Did she use a low heat? That’s supposed to help.”

 Danny starts to answer, and then laughs again.  “You know what?  It doesn’t matter.  It’s not our problem anymore.  We are no longer responsible for conjuring up ways to serve food to the masses.”

 “It’s true.  I signed the papers tonight.”

 There’s a long beat. “It’s good timing, really,” Danny says. “I don’t want to spend another minute thinking about food.  I don’t want to debate whether the cranberry sauce in the can is evil, or whether marshmallows are more acceptable in sweet potatoes if they’re organic.  I’m done.  In fact, next year I’m making stuffing from a box.”

 “You’ll do no such thing,” Steve says, grinning.

 “I will. Watch me. And we’ll get gravy in a jar, and buy a pumpkin pie from the bakery section of Foodland.”

 Steve doesn’t miss the “we” dropped casually into Danny’s assertion.  “What’ll we do for the turkey?”

 “Pre-order from Kamekona.”

 “It’s a deal, Danny,” Steve says, his voice falling low.  “Next year we’re having a casual Thanksgiving.  On the lanai, with paper plates and bottles of beer.”  Steve holds his breath, expecting Danny to backtrack once he realizes that he and Steve can’t have Thanksgiving together, not if Danny’s in New Jersey for the holiday like usual.

 But Danny doesn’t backtrack. Quite the opposite.

 “If you’re in, I’m in,” Danny says.  There’s something in his voice that makes Steve suspect Danny is talking about more than just where to spend the holidays.  

 “I’m in, Danno,” Steve says, proud of himself for keeping his voice steady.  “One hundred percent.”  

 “Good, then,” Danny replies. “Good.”  Steve hears blankets rustling, figures Danny’s turning over in bed. But he’s not at all prepared for what he hears next.

 “Steve?”

 “Yeah?”

 “Do you, uh, want to mess around?”

 Steve blinks hard, feeling almost lightheaded, and leans against the arm of the couch.  His mind is spinning, but there’s really only one answer to that question.

 “Yeah?”

 Danny hums, amused, but it just goes straight to Steve’s dick.  He’s half hard already, and they haven’t even gotten started.

 “You in bed?”

 Steve turns to the stairs and goes up them two at a time.  “Almost.”  He flops down on his back, hand reaching for his waistband.  “You sure this is okay?  You’re not bunking with Grace and Charlie?”

 Danny stifles a groan. “Do you think I would do this with my kids in the room?  How are you thinking about them right now?  What are you, some kind of monster?”

 “Sorry, sorry.”  Steve takes a deep breath, hand shaking as he puts the phone down and sets it on speaker.  “I’m in bed.  I’ve got my sweats on-”

 “The dark gray ones with the pocket on the ass?”

  “You been looking at my ass, Danny?  Yes, those.”

 “’Course I’ve been looking at your ass, prima donna, what do you think,” Danny mumbles.  “Take the pants off, boxers too.”

 “All right, all right. What are you-”

 “Nothing.”

 Steve’s breath whooshes out of him, although his next thought is “Aren’t you cold?”

 “Steve, focus.  No, I am not cold.  I’m under a very thick, heavy comforter, keeping toasty warm while I waited for your call.”

 The thought of Danny lying naked in bed, waiting for Steve, while Steve went through the motions of finishing dinner and driving home is ridiculously arousing.  “Holy shit, Danny.”

 “You touching yourself yet?” Danny boldly asks.

 Steve isn’t -- in fact his hands are fluttering around his body like confused butterflies.  “Should I?”

 There’s that amused hum again, and Steve is struck by a longing to touch Danny so strong it would knock him over if he wasn’t already lying down.

 “Take pity on a guy, Danno, we haven’t exactly done this before,” Steve says.

 “Okay, okay, you’re right, I’m sorry.  This is what we’re gonna do – you ready?”

 “Yeah.”

 “You in bed, clothes off?”

 “Yes.”

 “You thinking about me?” Danny’s voice drops half an octave, and Steve shivers.

 “Yes.”

 “You imagining me next to you, kissing you?  Kissing your neck, your collarbone?”

 “Yeah, that’s good, Danny.”

 “Using a little teeth - you like that, right?”

 “Fuck, you know I do.”

 “Okay, Steve, touch your chest now.  Just lightly. I’m doing it too.  Run your fingers over your skin.”

 “Okay.”  Steve rubs at his nipples, pulls on them a little. Danny did that to him, over his shirt, the last time they were together, and it works almost as well this time.

 “How you doing?”

 “Good, Danny, real good.” Steve imagines it’s Danny’s hands on his chest, imagines sliding his hand down to Danny’s hip, stroking his hands over the curve of his ass.  Giving it a squeeze and making Danny squirm against him.

 “All right, let one hand drift down now.  Touch your cock.”

 Steve hears Danny suck in a breath and he knows Danny’s doing it too.  “Wish it was my hand on you.”  He imagines how it would feel to take Danny’s cock in his hand, hard and hot.

 “Wish I was there too,” Danny replies, and he’s definitely breathing faster now.  “Wish I could see you, fuck.”

 “Danny, I… I’m not gonna last long…”

 “Just a little more,” Danny rasps.  “Steve…”

 Steve’s on the edge, picturing Danny there too, muscles tight and aching for release.  “Wanna put my mouth on you, Danny, feel you come down my throat-”

 That’s apparently enough to do it for Danny, as Steve hears a grunt and stifled moan, just before his own orgasm takes him over, his hips bucking as he thrusts into his hand. When Steve recovers enough for lucid thought, he’s a little surprised at the words that Danny coaxed out of him.  

 “Danny… wow…”

 “Fuck, Steve, that was…”

 “Yeah.”  Steve shifts and reaches for a tissue, wipes his belly. “Hope your house doesn’t have thin walls.”

 “I think Bridget’s drinks knocked everyone out.  And Grace and Charlie are actually at my sister’s with their cousins, so we’re good.”

 “You couldn’t have told me that earlier?”

 “I was otherwise occupied, Steven.”

 Steve grins.  “Okay, I’ll accept that.”

 “Steve?”

 “Yeah?”

 “You’ll pick me and the kids up at the airport when we get home, right?”

 “’Course I will, Danny.”

 “Okay.  Good.”  There’s a pause, and that blanket shuffling sound, and when Danny speaks again his voice is muffled by his pillow.

 “Happy Thanksgiving, Steve.”

 Steve wishes Danny the same, and hangs up the phone.  Danny Williams is a sap, and a pain in ass.  And also a hell of a lot of fun to have phone sex with.   Steve lets himself drift off to sleep, the echo of Danny’s voice in his ears, back where it should be.  It’s a happy Thanksgiving indeed.