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#WHY did he decide to theme it after the 70s
corvidcorgi · 7 months
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Rereading Young Justice 1998 and I always forget that there's an arc where, in order to escape government agents trying to capture them, they use their magic sentient motorcycle to phase down into the earth's crust
and while they're down there they find a strange dark cavernous space filled with flames and lava and tiny demons that feed on suffering, and also there are disco balls and people wearing bellbottoms
and Robin recognizes everyone there as scumbags and murderers that he's investigated or heard of at one time or another
and it's all run by a guy named Dante, because this is his (disco) Inferno
and the joke is, of course, that Hell looks like the 70s (and/or the 70s are worse than hell)
EXCEPT
it's literally not hell
Dante is just SOME GUY who FOUND A CAVE filled with FLAMES AND LAVA and TINY DEMONS that FEED ON SUFFERING!!
literally just some guy! Who went "Man, y'know what would be neat? If I kidnapped CEOs and murderers, tricked them into thinking they died, and set up a 70s themed prison for them. And told them it was Hell! And fed their suffering to all these tiny demons!"
and then stole all the CEOs' assets in order to finance his underground 70s-themed fake-hell prison where he feeds the prisoners' suffering to his tiny demons
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ramp-it-up · 13 days
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Anatomy of a Kiss
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Summary: You and Logan agree on one thing: you both hate each other. So what happens when you kiss him?
Word count: 4.2 K
Pairing: Logan Howlett x Reader
Warnings: 18+ Only, Minors DNI. S MUT Not Beta’d. ONE DEADPOOL X WOLVERINE SPOILER AHEAD! Read at your own risk. S MUT! Enemies to lovers; snark to fluff, idiots in love; use of the words stupid, dumb, insipid as insults. Reader's father is either a mobster or a mutant villain, or both; (Reader may or may not be a mutant herself), a couple dark themes and mention of parent death; Reader has Daddy issues; Reader is a thicc girlie; Princess and Old Man as nicknames; there are two slaps; a tipsy kiss; povs switch thorughout the fic. pining; insinuations of masturbation, oral (f receiving), spitting, praise and degredation kink, size kink, creampie, cum play, explicit sex acts, raw p in v (wrap it up) voice kink, this Logan is Dom Logan.
A/N: This was in my soul for a couple of weeks, but I don't feel it's all that great. Here goes. Let me know if you like it by reblogging, liking and commenting please. Thank you. ☺️
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-----
The biggest mistake that Logan Howlett ever made in his life was kissing you back.
Because now he was never going to get you out of his system. 
—--
You were celebrating.
Being being voted best small business owner and philanthropist in the city was a big fucking deal. You decided to let your hair down and let go of your famous self-control and discipline for one night.
And now you were tooted on most of a bottle of Moet and Chandon as you walked back to your high rise apartment from the civic center.
It was a perfect night and you stopped and smiled at the moon, feeling sublime. 
Until you heard his voice.
“Keep moving before I throw you over my shoulder and get you inside myself, Princess.”
You rolled your eyes at your body guard, the only thing your father offered you that you didn’t reject.
Because you weren’t stupid. 
Other than sharing his dna, you were not like your father at all, and you divested yourself of everything that had to do with him.
“What about the penthouse? You kept that.”
Your body felt engulfed as if by flames. You were angry, both at the fact that you’d apparently said all that out loud, and at Logan’s audacity.
“Fuck you, Howlett. The apartment is my mother’s. But she died because of my dad and that’s why he wants to “protect” me.”
You wobbled as you did your air quotes, and you could sense Logan ready to spring to catch you if you fell. You recovered quickly, however, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
“But he can't seem to do the one thing that will protect me. Get out of the life. He’s an old man, for heaven’s sake!”
Logan chuckled and shook his head.
“He’s not so old.”
You were in full blown argument mode.
“He’s over 70.”
“Like I said, he’s not so old. And you don’t know so much, little girl. Life is not that simple.”
“I am 32 years old, Mr. Howlett. I am not one of those little girls that fawn all over you. I am a woman.”
You straightened up and you knew that your thick body in the black cocktail dress was banging.
Logan’s eyes reflected your body, although he was staring back into yours. He’d taken it all in earlier.
“You are a teeny, tiny little Princess.”
He was fucking infuriating as he smiled down at you like that. The alcohol made you step to him.
“Someone needs to kiss that insipid smirk off your face, Howlett.”
That stupid eyebrow shot up, and your belly flipped.
Slap. You meant slap, but Logan was quicker than your champagne brain.
“I dare you, Princess.”
—-----
After what happened happened, you hightailed it back to your building, the electricity zapping around the elevator as you stared each other down. As soon as the doors opened, you moved as quickly as your tipsy legs would take through your foyer and living room and down the hallway to your bedroom door.
Logan followed you.
“Princess–”
The door slammed in his face, and he stood there for a good five minutes, restraining himself from knocking it down, before he relented and made his way back to his own room. 
He’d confront you tomorrow (later today), when you were sober.
—-
On the other side of the door, you were thinking of packing your bags and moving to South America. You needed a continent between you and Logan. How in the world had you allowed yourself to give in to a drunken urge that manifested the late night thoughts that you’d had for months? 
You were slipping. Bad.
You absolutely could not face him the next day. You leaned against the door, relieved when you heard him leave, and touched your lips. They still felt as if they were swollen from the kiss. 
You were sobering up now, remembering it. But just a few minutes ago that dare was all you needed to immediately lock your lips onto his. 
You also remembered the way he’d pulled away in shock and stared at your mouth for a beat before he grabbed your hair, pulled you close again, and kissed you so good that your toes curled.
“Fuck! Fuck fuck FUCK! Fuck my life!”
You were losing control. And that was not good. Not good at all.
Logan couldn’t get you out of his mind. 
And that pissed him off.
He lay in bed, and thought about how, (if he could die) under penalty of death he would never admit just how often he thought about you.
He’d been glad for the room at your place that came with the job; bunking with Wade and Althea was getting real old, real fast. 
But suddenly this arrangement felt too close for comfort.
You didn’t need to know about the fact that the movie playing behind his closed eyelids during his little shower workouts every night was your sexy smile, or the way your ass filled out your jeans. Especially those black ones.
And when he thought about you wearing those jeans with that wrap around shirt that showcased your tits just right. Well, fuck. He’d have gallons of cum for the shower drain.
Nah, you knowing that would only stroke your ego. Somehow, his mind drifted to the other things of yours that needed stroking.
“Oh, Fuck all!”
He sat up and sat on the edge of his bed, reaching for a cigar, reason number 634 why you hated him. 
But if you hated him so much, then why did you kiss him tonight?
—---
Why did you do it? You didn’t even like Logan. In fact you hated him.
Right?
You loathed the way he called you Princess, an obvious reminder that you were a trust fund baby, although you were far from a child, and to spite the fact that you were trying to make your own way.
You hated him from the top of his ridiculous thick hair, to the soles of his huge shit-kicker boot clad feet. You hated how tall and how ripped he was, the way his arm veins threaded atop the muscles there and led the way to his thick, calloused fingers that felt so nice against your skin.
You hated the chest hair that poked out from the top of the tacky tank tops and flannel shirts he always wore underneath the ever present leather jacket, and the way his blue jeans showcased the muscles in his thighs. 
And you absolutely NEVER accidentally gazed at his crotch and ascertained that he was packing.
That would be asinine.
And his stupid face. That was the kicker. Logan’s face would be handsome if he didn’t wear that ridiculous smirk all the time on that mouth that might look nice if he was normal. 
The mouth that felt nice against yours. 
That might feel nice against your…
You groaned around your toothbrush and rolled your eyes at yourself, fully sober now after a quick cold shower. But somehow your body was still warm and buzzing.
What the fuck had you done?
— 
Logan didn’t even like you.
You were bossy, irritating, loud. 
Fuck, you were loud, always chattering away to your customers, always smiling and making them feel at home. 
He absolutely loathed the way you were trying to make your own living, despite the fact that your father was loaded. Running a food truck with the best tacos in town drew hundreds of people every day and giving away a portion of your food to the unhoused every night was what irritated Logan the most. 
More people to watch.
He was sure you did it to surround him with more people to hate. He just knew that you liked pushing his buttons. 
You just reveled in being the anti-Logan.
The more he glared, the more you glowed. 
On fucking purpose.
The kicker was you cranking up the karaoke machine on Thursday nights and belting it out to Journey or REO Speedwagon. It was so annoying. 
Especially the way you closed your eyes and swayed to the music during the bridge. The happy look on your face wasn’t beautiful at all, it was simple, and he didn’t memorize every curve of your face because it was a dumb one.
He couldn’t get away, because he had three months left on the security contract your father signed with him.
It was unfortunate, because you just wouldn’t shut up.
Except when his tongue was in your mouth.
No. 
Even then, you made noises. 
Those delicious little moans that vibrated down his spine and made his dick harder with every second. Moans that made him see visions of your mouth wrapped around his cock. Moans that gave him a waking dream of you giving him head, and…
Fuck, now Logan had a raging hard on and could not sleep for the life of him. 
He really did not like you.
—--
Kissing Logan had you in a tailspin. 
You punched your pillow as you tossed and turned in bed and conjured positive thoughts.
You could forget this.
Pretend it never happened.
Convince yourself that he didn’t taste like heaven and hell and the best fucking thing in a long time.
You could forget.
It was fine.
Everything was just fucking fine. 
All you had to do was completely forget the way he made you feel when he slid his tongue into your mouth. It was easy. 
Except you were wet as fuck. 
“Listen, bitch. You are not doing me any favors right now,” you mumbled to your cunt. 
She didn't care. 
Your pussy just continued to clench on air as if to say, “He’s right down the hall. Let’s just go finish what we started.”
You groaned and tried to smother yourself with your pillow.
It didn’t work.
—-
Logan just kept thinking of the way you stared at him between kisses. Lips parted on a gasp, plump and soft, right before he'd slipped his hand on your neck and kissed you again. Now your taste haunted him.
Logan huffed and put his head in his hands. Flashes of the kiss played like a movie in his head. Finally, he stood up and went to his door, ready to settle this once and for all.
When he opened it, there you were, in just a black camisole and panties, and god, did he want you.
But there was your mouth again.
“I fucking hate you.”
The problem with that was, he could smell you. You might be saying that you hated him, but your body was calling him right now. And Logan’s knees were weak at the power of his lust.
When you looked him in the eye, you licked your lips, your eyes dilated, your nipples tightened into stiff peaks, and your pussy weeping for him, Logan knew it was the end of the line of his self-restraint.
You smelled delicious, like your mandarin orange body wash and your wet-for-him cunt. 
He stepped toward you and you slapped his face, leaving him with a grin on his face.
Then you slapped him again.
“You got it out of your system now? That anger?”
He cocked that damned eyebrow at you and moved even closer. 
“Or is it frustration?”
——
You were in trouble now.
Not because you were scared Logan was going to hurt you.
Just the opposite.
Logan dipped his head to smell at your pulse point, body so close, but never touching you. Your arms went to grab his impossible shoulders and that's when his huge paws grabbed your hips, dragging you further into his room as he backed toward his bed.
He was full on nuzzling your neck now, and your eyes were rolling as the tension between you two was finally ebbing.
The words came tumbling out.
“I’m so fucking angry that you get me so frustrated, you ass..”
You were turning your head toward his, wanting his lips again, on his lap now, crotch sat on his unbuttoned jeans, and refusing to move to ignite the fire.
Logan grunted at you.
“I see that. You’re trying to stare me down even though you are leaking all over me.”
Your body clenched and got wetter at the naming of that fact. You were terrified of what might happen next.
Yet you wanted it so badly.
——
Logan couldn’t wait any more.
He removed one hand from gripping the flesh at your hips that he’d fantasized about for months, to trailing up your cheek to your hair to take off your scarf.
His fingers were in your hair again and your eyelids stuttered as you mouth dropped open for air.
That made him so fucking hard. And it made him want to kiss you again.
He had to know.
“What are you here for, Princess?”
——
His sexy whisper would do you in.
For good.
“I don’t know.”
Logan was staring at you like you were the treasure chest at the end of a quest as you tried to remain as still as possible on his lap. It was so hard.
Logan was so hard beneath you.
“Oh? Let’s run it back to earlier when you weren’t letting that big brain of yours get in the way.”
Frustration surged within you and your mouth got reckless.
“Stop yapping and just do it already.”
——-
“There’s my girl,” Logan growled at you as his dick responded to the challenge and his eyes flashed at your tone.
“Always busting my balls, aren’t you? Need to give that smart mouth something else to do.” 
Before you could reply, Logan’s lips covered yours so perfectly that it was like magnetic puzzle pieces. You fit together and locked. 
Logan’s tongue traced your lower lip and he drew it into his mouth, nibbling, gently at first and then nipping more harshly, causing a gasp and enabling entry. His tongue swiped at yours as he dominated you.
You were not going to win this round.
——
You could only whimper and grab his shoulders tighter as he kissed you. For all that was holy, why did his kisses have to be so damn good?
One of your hands ventured into the thick hair you’d dreamt of feeling between your fingertips and pulled as your desire peaked. Then your palms went to his face as he pulled away and you squirmed as you realized what was about to happen. 
“What are you here for, Princess?”
That question again.
That voice. It rumbled straight to your core and Logan wasn’t letting you off the hook. 
Logan wasn’t letting you up off of him. 
The hardness of his metal button and zipper, but mostly him (oh god he was huge) chaffed your thighs as he sealed his lips over yours again and his hand went from your scalp down your neck and back to your hip again, holding you down to feel him.
You finally moved, smearing your wetness all over your panties and his jeans and Jesus, it felt so good.
——
Logan’s eyes took in all of you in your scanty clothing, following your every movement and when his eyes moved down to your damp panties he swallowed audibly. He clenched his jaw with the strain of holding back.
Logan couldn’t deny that he wanted you. His 200 year old heart felt brand new.
“Mmmmph. Here for this feeling Logan.” 
Your voice was the greatest symphony. His stomach clenched when you looked him in the eye.
“I’m here for you.”
You leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek with your nose, then whispered a demand in his ear.
“Touch me, Logan.”
Without thinking, but instinctively careful of you, Logan’s claws extended, shredding the sides of your panties and rendering them in pieces. 
“Fuck!”
You gasped as he stood up with you in his retracted grip and threw you on the bed, the scraps of your underwear abandoning you.
He couldn’t stand it anymore, he was so weak for you. He was on his knees at the foot of the bed as he ran his rough hands up and down your legs.
——-
“I’m touching you, now what?”
He spoke to you, but he was looking at the juncture of your thighs, at the well-manicured hair there, all casual, as if he weren’t teasing the hell out of you.
You had something for him.
“If you don’t know what to do, then I’ll show you.”
You reached up and took off your camisole and Logan’s eyes raked upwards and widened at the sight of what you were holding, which was your breast in one hand, as you pinched and rolled your own nipple. Your other hand trailed down your body as your legs fell open to give yourself access to your clit, which you had the nerve to play with in front of Logan’s face. 
——
Now he was the one who was angry.
Logan snarled, then batted your hand away.
“Careful Princess. Don’t poke the Wolverine.”
His hands tightened on your thighs and pulled you to the edge of the bed where he was.
———
Logan leaned down, his hot breath ghosting your pussy as he looked up at you with those gorgeous brown eyes. 
You couldn’t let the moment get too tender.
“What if the Wolverine wants to poke–”
Logan’s hand covered your mouth, cutting you off at just the moment he licked a long, hot, wet stripe up the center of you and then pursed his lips around your clit to suck at you ruthlessly.
Your smart ass remark was forgotten as a moan bubbled up into your throat. Logan took his hand away once it was clear that you couldn’t talk anymore, or at least that your capacity for sass had diminished. 
You were leaning up on your elbow and watching him feast on you, convulsing with each swipe of his broad tongue and each pull on your clit.
As mesmerized as you were at his skill, you managed to brush his thick dark hair away from his eyes so that he could see properly. You didn’t want anything getting in the way of the best head you’d ever received.
——-
Logan’s hands were now palming the most delicious meal he’d ever eaten; you were practically sitting on his fingers. For him, you tasted even better than you smelled. He couldn’t believe it.
He looked up at you incredulously, watching your breasts moving with each heave of your lungs trying to capture air, and your mouth open to capture it. He met your eyes and frowned at you as he reached down and stroked his pulsing cock.
“What’s wrong?”
“The fucking Cuties you eat all day long. They got you tasting like a fucking orange. ‘S fucking impossible.”
He yanked you closer and buried his face between your legs. You made those cute little noises with every swipe of his tongue, and he licked and sucked until you convulsed in his hands, screaming.
You were still trying to catch your breath before he was on you, licking and suckling your hard and soft breasts.
“Damn,” you murmured as Logan swiped his thick, bulbous head into your entrance and meeting resistance, “You’re so fucking huge Logan.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that phrase, but coming from you it hit different. His chest puffed with pride.
Logn smiled into your neck, inhaling your scent and growling against your skin.
“Don’t be scared, Princess. I’ll make it feel good for you. I should be more worried than you are. I’m gonna split you open, but you are about to shatter me into a thousand pieces.”
He didn't mean to tell you the absolute truth. But he had.
Logan knew there was no coming back from this for him.
——
You shuddered at the words which were breathed over your skin.
Logan trailed the tip of his tongue up the side of your neck the looked you in the eye. It was too much.
You lowered your gaze and he chuckled, making you sigh when he tugged on your lobe with his teeth and started pushing inside you. It was slow, but sensual and somehow still desperate. 
With each increment of himself that he gave you, you felt destroyed, yet you wanted more. You clutched at his chest as you widened your legs for him, as if that would help.
“No one else has ever made me feel this way. Hurts so good, Logan. More. Please?”
The question was, were you just talking about his penis?
——-
You begging him made Logan want to cry as he slipped further inside of you. When he bottomed out, you both shuddered, you at the sensation of such fullness, and him at the way you were so snugly and warmly wrapped around him.
“Fuck! Princess. Should have known you would be hot and tight. But I wasn’t ready.”
Logan wasn’t ready for you at all.
—-
His pupils were completely blown and the look on Logan’s face made you clench down even tighter as he stroked deeper into you. 
“Y-yess, feels so good.” 
You felt like liquid in his arms. Your hands moved over his shoulders as you hitched your thigh around his hips. He ran his hand up your thigh and around to your leg, holding you in place as he began to pound into you harder.
You whispered a confession into his ear.
“I’ve dreamed about this so many times.” 
Logan lifted his head from watching his cock destroy you, his brow arched in surprise. 
“You’ve dreamt about me?” 
You bit your lip and nodded, all of a sudden feeling shy. 
“At night after a tense night between us, I’d go to my room and imagine that you’d follow me to…shut me up.”
Your lashes fanned your face as you smirked.
“Oh yeah?”
Logan swiveled his hips and you gasped. He was lighting you up from the inside.
“Sounds like a cool dream, Princess,” he said, leaning down to your ear.
“But you’re talking far too much in reality.”
And he began snapping his hips at a frenzied pace, causing your back to arch and your mouth to fall open, leaving you moaning until you screamed with your orgasm.
You couldn’t talk; hell you couldn’t even think when he was going like this.
——
At this point, there was no more finesse; Logan was stroking in and out of you, almost completely leaving you and reentering just to feel that sensation again. The way his fat cockhead breached you was like no other feeling in the world.
Your arched back was displaying your breasts to him at a perfect angle. It inspired something within him.
“Look at you Princess. All gorgeous and fucked out and taking this cock for me. All dumb now. Bet you like not having to think so much. Just take it like the good little slut you are for me, yeah?”
His filthy commentary made the coil in your belly snap, and you came like a freight train, squeezing him so much that he had pull out to keep from coming himself.
He kissed you as you could only whimper in protest. Logan felt a warmth blooming in his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time, if at all, as you lay melted in his arms.
He couldn’t wait to be back inside you.
“Can’t tell you how many times I dreamt about having you under me just… like… this….”
And he slid back home.
“Mmm… those lips down there suck my tip so well, how will these lips do?”
Logan’s thick thumb was in your mouth and you swirled your tongue around it to show him what your mouth could do. He groaned and pried your mouth open with his hand.
“Keep it open and do what I say.”
——-
The band was tightening in your belly again. You knew what was coming and nearly came again when Logan spit into your mouth. The orgasms were blending together now.
“Swallow.”
You did, and Logan thrust into you hard an deep while thrumming your clit. That was all it took for you to cum again and this time, you gushed around him, making a mess on his bed.
He looked down in disbelief and laughed with glee, handling you like a fuck doll to do with as he pleased.
That's when you realized that you loved being used by him.
“Bet ya didn’t dream you’d be such a dirty little slut for me, did ya, Princess?”
——
Logan realized that he was your slut, too. He was lost to your sounds, the sight of your beautiful lust drunk face, and the feeling of your cunt squeezing him with multiple orgasms now.
He started tracing urgent circles on your clit again.
“Look at me.”
That’s when you said the most beautiful words to him.
“So fucking good L-Logan. Cum inside me. Please. ‘M on the pill.”
“Music to… my fucking.. ears….”
——
Logan’s fingers moved to your shoulders, holding you captive as he stroked deeper and harder. His harsh breaths in your ear increased, the most erotic sound in the world.
You clamped down on him and he growled, his cock pulsing as he spilled inside you, the warm wave of fluid combing and causing a lovely, filthy mess.
It was so satisfying.
And you couldn’t let it lie.
——
He pulled out and stared at the ceiling in disbelief, before looking over at you to find you playing in his cum and licking your fingers, leaning over to give him a taste on your lips.
“What? You tired, Old Man?”
He shook his head and laughed as his cock came back to life.
Kissing you back had been the biggest mistake of his life.
He was never going to get you out of his system.
And he wasn't sure he wanted to.
-----
You shivered as Logan loomed over you, with that damned eyebrow cocked and that smirk on his face.
“Oh Princess. You have no idea what you’re in for.”
Then Logan grabbed you and kissed you again.
——
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random percy headcanons:
wants to be the photographer friend SO bad and he technically is but like 70% of the pics come out blurry or weird bc there was a monster attack in the middle of them. his instagram is truly so chaotic looking.
literally always has seashells on him someone will ask him for a pencil or spare change and he has to empty all his pockets of shells to find it. drops his backpack and a bunch of shells fall out. kicks his shoes off and sand and shells fly out and his mortal friends are like percy What the Fuck
his eyes glow underwater!! bioluminescent king. no one told him though and he didn't find out until he joined his school's swim team and terrified everyone (he managed to convince them his contacts were having a weird reaction to chlorine lmao)
he really likes art!! he doesn't just pretend to for rachel's sake he genuinely enjoys painting with her. he likes splatter paint, collages and pop art styles the best. one day after splitting some edibles they realized percy could manipulate water colors and went CRAZY with it
will ask to be excused during class and comes back like an hour later with scorch marks all over his face bleeding from one of his ears covered in dust missing three fingernails rips in his jeans and a fat lip and the teacher is like percy what the actual hell were you doing in the bathroom all this time and he's just like uhhhhhh I have ibs
the brand from camp jupiter did unfortunately (for sally) Unlock something in him lmfao he keeps getting shitty little tattoos. usually stick-n-poke but someone's friends cousin's girlfriend's brother has a gun that gets brought to parties every now and then. most of them are sloppy but you can tell what they are HOWEVER he has one that was supposed to be a seal that came out looking like one of those shitty ms paint crying memes. annabeth laughed at him for ten minutes straight when she saw it.
he wanted to dye his hair blue but he was too chicken to bleach his entire head so he just did the tips. his hair is curly though so it looks absolutely ridiculous but he loves it
percy and annabeth get a crusty little yappy white dog in college and he carries it around like a baby lmao
back to his chaotic instagram, he's got so many pics of him like, relaxing at the bottom of the mariana trench or hugging a giant squid or riding on a whale shark and his mortal friends all think he's just really good at photoshop and this is a very specific bit he decided to commit to. they're always like lol percy where do you even FIND these pictures are you subscribed to like scientific journals for the laughs? but no he just took them all on his shell phone
has an ongoing prank war with annabeth's little brothers bobby and matthew but like it's Unhinged. they're playing 5D chess and she has no idea whats going on
weird tshirts!!! he loves them! like
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shit like this or those 'women want me fish fear me' shirts, anything with a funny or incomprehensible slogan is going in his closet right along with his band tees lmfao
bought estelle a panda pillow pet when she was born 🥺
can NOT bring himself to eat seafood no matter how many times poseidon has told him its fine. he's like NO these are my FRIENDS JONATHAN WAS TELLING ME ABOUT HIS GRANDDAUGHTERS WEDDING LITERALLY YESTERDAY WHY IS HE ON A PLATTER DAD. they had to give up and just start eating normal land food at the palace every time he comes to visit lmfao
gets into horsegirl antics with hazel she NEEDS to know everything the horses have to say. they spend hours gossiping in the stables.
movie nights in the poseidon cabin were 10000% a thing and when he was missing annabeth and thalia and grover (and a few others) would still sleep in there every now and then and talk about how much they miss him :(
percy and beckendorf had the worlds most elaborate handshake
he DOES impulse buy stuff just because they're ocean-themed. stuffed animals, home decor, school supplies, clothes, you name it he bought it if theres like a fish on it
has more scars from crashing off his skateboard than he does from monster attacks
grover is somehow the only person who's ever noticed percy is severely claustrophobic
has a deep passion for adele. I can't explain this one I just feel and know it to be true.
he and annabeth both proposed to each other at the same time and they were SO mad about it they kept yelling over each other's speeches lmao
he can SING but he doesn't know it. sally keeps trying to record him singing to himself but something always happens to the camera and she loses the evidence
called chiron a brony one time and mr d thought it was so funny he was nice to percy for an entire week
the camp keeps trying to convince him to teach sword fighting lessons to the younger kids but he can NOT bring himself to swing a sword at a 9 year old so he keeps getting injured
has the most complicated iced coffee order in the world his go-to local coffee shop finally just put the damn drink on the menu and named it after him
he IS the quiet kid in the back of your math class that always has his hood up to try and hide his headphones and eats increasingly elaborate meals out of his backpack when the teacher isn't looking. one time someone caught him with a rotisserie chicken in the middle of a geometry final.
he argued that he DID have enough to share with the class
currently obsessed with the image of him knocking back a container of sea salt as if it was a shot and his mortal friends being like hey! what the actual fuck! and he's just like uhhhhh anemia kills!
its his birthday<3
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secondratefiction · 5 months
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That 70's Show Drabble request: It's your and your twin brother Eric's 16th birthday, kitty and red usually remember but they forget yours this year, your boyfriend Hyde notices and gives you one of the best birthdays ever, including you two both having sex for the first time. Hyde also does a little cussing at red And kitty for forgetting their youngest daughter's special day.
'ello my love, always nice to see you around 😁
Afraid I might have gone a little off the brief for this one, but hopefully it still hits at least most of what you wanted 💜
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(Ok, yes, timeline wise, Hyde was living with the Foreman's before he got the car, but this is basically the fandom versions of "...who's like is it anyway?" where the stories are made up and canon events don't matter, so... just roll with it)
You're blaming Eric for this.
He was the one who decided he didn't want to share a birthday party with you any more
Now, granted, you had agreed, mostly out of anger and annoyance with him in the moment - "Fine! Why would I want another stupid Star Wars themed party anyway!" - But you hadn't thought it would end up here...
The decision had been made after the disastrous aftermath of your last combined party, and it was something that had slipped your mind over the last year.
Of course in the month before, Eric was sure to bring it up, and remind your parents that you were doing separate celebrations... although, you weren't expecting exactly how that ended up working out.
Your mother had seemed to pull out all the stops for this year "Sixteen is such a special age after all..."
There were pancakes and all of Eric's favorites at breakfast... only Eric's though
And you tried not to let that get to you, but you didn't even get so much as a happy birthday out of any of them... not even your Dad which stung quite a bit considering that it was no secret that he had a tendency to favor you over Eric and even Lori.
But you sucked it up, put on a brave face, and tried to act like it wasn't a big deal... which you were actually pretty good at -
At least until you got sent down to the basement to collect a few things for your mom. That's when Hyde spotted you...
He sat up from the couch looking like he was struggling to wake up. Which, in all fairness, he was, "Hey, little Foreman." You rolled your eyes at him, leaning on the ack of the couch, "Did you sleep here again?" "Yeah." He nodded, leaning into kiss you. "You're gonna get caught..." He only smirked up at you with a shrug, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Standing up, he vaulted over the back of the couch to pull you into a proper kiss that honestly made you a little weak in the knees, leaning into him more as he pulled away, "Happy Birthday baby."
And just like that the damn broke...
You let out a strangled, broken laugh, quickly burying your face in his chest to try and hide the fact tears had immediately sprung up, and that you were losing the fight to keep them contained.
To say Hyde was caught off guard would be the under statement of the century. He almost panicked as he scrambled trying to figure out what was wrong, what he'd said to set you off.
All of this despite your poor attempts to assure him it was nothing. "Hey, no. Look at me," He pulled you back from him so you couldn't keep hiding, and waiting until you actually looked up to meet his eyes, "If you are this upset, it is not 'nothing'. Now, tell me what happened."
You tried to fight it, keep your mouth shut, but there was an intensity in his gaze that left no room for argument... he wasn't going to let this go until you told him, so you did, laying out all the events of the morning, "... I can't believe they fucking forgot my birthday."
For a moment Hyde's expression was unreadable and you had just started to ask what he was thinking when he grabbed you by your elbow and started walking you towards the door "Wait! Steven, what are you - I'm supposed to be grabbing a box for my mom." "Don't worry about it, I'll get it."
He walked you straight out of the garage, putting you in the Camino, still very confused before he turned around a disappeared back down the basement steps.
He grabbed the box you had indicated and made his way up to the kitchen. Smiling tightly and nodding in greeting when Kitty noticed him. "I didn't realize you were here Steven." "I just came by to pick up Y/N... plans for her birthday, you know."
He took the moment of realization and shock on her face as a chance to drop the box on the table and make a quick exit out the sliding glass door.
He was sliding into the driver's seat by the time Kitty could be heard shouting for Red inside the house, throwing his arm behind your head as he looked to back the car out of the drive
"Ok..." You said slowly as he turned around to put the car in drive, pulling away from your house, "So what are we doing?"
"Don't know yet, that's up to you," He said, smirking at you, letting his hand come to rest on your knee, "Tell me what you want to do, and I'll make it happen."
You couldn't help but laugh a little bit, almost beaming at him as you put your own hand over his, "Anything I want?" "Anything."
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romanarose · 8 months
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If You Wanna Be Wild: Chapter 6
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Co-written with @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction my beloved Fen, who I could not do this without. Thank you for being my emotional sounding board, my dear friend, my wonderful cowriter and helpful beta reader. I adore you.
Javier Peña x Latina!sex worker!informant!Reader x Santiago Garcia
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Summary: Santi takes Candy out, and Javier gets jealous, but still he defends them both. Drama erupts, and Santi finds something out about himself.
Content and warnings for whole fic, not chapter by chapter unless something is added: Sex work, drug trade, some drug use/pressured used, sex workers and the mistreatment/stigma surrounding them specifically in the 70’s (my blog is sex worker positive) but ima put potential dub con depending how you look at it as a sex worker who works with dangerous men, some action surrounding reader and the guys and the drug trade, SMUT HEAVY, corruption kink (were corrupting santi here, he’s young, 25), no loss of virginity tho, threesomes, some slight m/m smut but that’s not the focus here, but as you know this blog is an lgbt blog so I’m always open to gay shit. Talk of war and some PTSD but I won't be going a whole lot into it. Covert/emotional incest in the past, Santi's mommy issues, m/m dynamics, internalized bi/homophobia
For the record, this is a fic that takes place in the drug trade and deals with the darker side of humanity, so anything from Narco's and Triple Frontier is liable to be discussed or mentioned here. This is your warning. This is not a dark fic nor is it centered around dark themes like Leather and Lace or Sunshine Starlight Sweetheart Brightside, but they are open to be talked about.
Reader has a nick name: Candy. Not her real name just what she goes by on her profession. Much of the inspo for this and for the title came from the Bruce Springsteen song “Candy’s room” so check it out for the vibes.
Reader speaks Spanish and has hair. I've decided Candy is just latina bc she's a sex worker in Colombia so this is what I'm doing. Reader also has curly hair and dark skin.
ADDITIONAL WARNINGS!: Santi's panicy trauma response. Santi's mommy issues in full swing. Javier is jealous, lots of arguments. Cumming untouched, titty sucking. We're in for it boys!
THE SMUT WAS 100% WRITTEN BY THE AMAZING @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction i knew i needed mommy kink and he was the one to go to. If you like subby men, Fen, my dearest cowritter, writes great fics esp with Steven Grant <3 What Fen said when they wrote it "Yoooooo, what am I writing Romana? Madness? I think so."
6.7 words (I'm so fucking sorry okay A LOT WAS HAPPENING)
A/N Since I am apparently an incomprehensible writer, please know that the smut scene in the last chapter was not a threesome, it's Javi fingering Candy and Candy flashing back to her giving Santi a reach around handjob. I wanted to compare and contrast the way the two pairs care for and pleasure each other. but it came across as a threesome :(
Support writers! Reblog and comment!
***************
Santiago didn’t know why he was so nervous.
“What we need is to get out into the actual field!” Javier exclaimed, setting his mug down loud enough to make Santi jump. “Sorry, Garcia.” He muttered, wiping a bit of spilled coffee with his sleeve.
Santiago rolled his shoulders, reaching back to rub his spine over the scar. The surgery saved his life, but damn did it hurt. “S’alright. Listen, I had an idea, but I don’t know if it’s going to be anything. It does get us out of the office next week.”
“I’ll take it, what do you have, Pope.”
Santi smiled. “Well, the nickname is fitting. It’s a rally for the beatification of Laura Montoya.”
A smile quirked up on Javier’s grumpy face. Unbuckling his belt after a second round of stress donuts, Javi kicked his legs up on his desk. “Of course you would know that.”
“My tia invited me.” He shoved Javi’s boots off, then wiped his hands on his pants. “We know what his family looks like now, maybe they will be there? It’s something.”
Javier agreed, it was something. Tracking Lorea had not gone as well as Escabar had. Not that that was a flawless mission itself, but at least it had traction. Martin Lorea was far less public.
The pair settled into an easy rhythm of planning the event. Santiago would have to avoid his tia’s, he thought. That may be hard, considering he had 4 and several cousins who will likely be attending the event. Colombia doesn’t have a canonized saint yet, and she was recognized as venerable so her potential beautification was a big deal for Colombia. Still, he couldn’t be recognized at the rally, his family would want to talk and talk and talk and ask why he didn’t have girlfriend and talk and ask who Javier was, and Tia Lupe would ask him if he had a ‘modern arrangement’ with Javier which would make Santi sick to his stomach with anxiety and- fuck he felt like the donut he stole from Javi was coming back up.
“Gotta go, be right back.”
“I’ll be timing you.” Javier kicked his legs back up on his desk and closed his eyes.
Over the toilet, Santi dry heaved, unsure if he was really going to puke or just felt like it. What the hell was it with Javier these days that made him so anxious? Things had been going well, their friendship repaired in the months since Javier caught him and Candy together. Other than Frankie, who would always be his number one, Javi was his best friend. He’d die for him the way he’d have died for Will, Frank or Ben… but there was something more. Since the day they met, Santiago wanted nothing more than Javier’s approval, he strived for it… maybe it was that he saw Javi as a father figure, almost 15 years older than him… that wasn’t right either. He couldn’t place it until earlier this week.
The DEA ball was coming up, Javier had asked Santi if he wanted to carpool since they both didn’t have dates and lived near-by… to which Santi said he actually had a date. She was a surprise. So was the fact Javier wanted to go.
The “Oh” that had fallen out of his mouth though Santiago off. It sounded disappointed. Santi couldn’t stand Javier disappointed in him. That’s when the thought happened. ‘I wish we could just go together’ Not arrive together. Go together. As a couple. His first thought was no, that’s illegal. His second thought was no, he’d go to hell. His third was him mami, god rest her soul, would roll over in her grave.
He shook the thoughts away, but ever since then he began noticing the way he stared at Javi, the way his body buzzed with any incidental touch… He had to shove it down.
Certainly, Javier was open-minded, but he would to spend as much time as he did with him if he was gay, right? He wouldn’t incite Santi over for futball games on the tv, he wouldn’t take him with him to get lunch… he wouldn’t even want to work with him. It would all be over.
That’s what made Santi sick.
That, and the anxiety over who his secret date was.
*
You didn’t know why you were so goddamn nervous.
You had to admit, you were very surprised when Santiago showed up for his regularly scheduled appointment, flowers in hand, asking you to join him at the ball.
“Santi… sweetie… I don’t know…”
His large eyes looked nervous. “It’s a job! I’ll pay you, I’m not expecting anything free! And I I know what you’re gonna say, I don’t care about Javi freaking out. Imean, if you care I don’t wanna pressure you of course! I’m not trying to come between you guys, but I doubt he’ll even show. He hates these things.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about…” You take the flowers, thanking him genuinely, and walking to your kitchen. Santiago anxiously paced your walls, trailing his hands over your posters. “Sweetheart, I know we have a good time, but I am a prostitute, you know this.”
“I swear, I don’t have any notions about us being in love… I just want you there.”
Placing the flowers in the vase, you turn to look at him. “I just… well…” You hesitate, unsure how to not freak the poor kid out. “oh my god, there's no polite way to say this, but, Javier is far from the only DEA agent I’ve slept with. Hell, I slept with the janitor once.”
“Mario’s a cool guy, I don’t blame you.”
“What I’m saying is,” She sighed out her words. “You’re a sweet young man, and I know you’re a lot younger than most of the guys there. I don’t want to cause you any trouble-”
“Candy-”
“And I know I’ll cause you trouble if I’m there. They are going to make fun of you for bringing a hooker to a ball.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care. There’s no one else I want there with me but you, and I don’t care what Javier says, or any of them for that matter.”
You smile softly at the young man. He was earnest, but although you believed he didn’t care about the other guys at the precinct, you didn’t believe him for one second about Javi. Santiago worshiped the ground Javier walked on, it was clear by the way he talked about his partner.
“If you really don’t care, then yes, I’d love to go.”
His youthful face lit up. “Really?!”
“Yes” You giggle. “It sounds like a great night.”
Santiago ran to you, making you squeal as he threw you over his shoulder. “I’m gonna make you cum so many fucking times on my face, Candy, you don’t even know.”
You had to admit you were a little nervous. A lot nervous. He said he didn't think Javier would be there, but you weren’t sure, and hadn’t had a chance to try and prod him for information. You’d asked around, and Javi had been spending several nights with Gabby. This was not unusual, he was known to bounce around women, but he always came back to you. Today, though, it made you jealous as all hell. Santiago made you nervous too.
You wanted to at least make a good impression for him, so you went out and bought a brand new evening gown for the occasion, something classy, showing the curves but not your tits. Your big Farrah Faucet curls that usually accompanied a night with Lorea and his men were dialed down more to a simple look, your make-up more natural that a night on the town with high rollers would see. Still you were beautiful and you knew it. Just less like a hooker.
*
Javier didn’t know why he was so fucking nervous. He never went to these stupid things, much preferring to spend a night undressed with his cock buried between a pretty woman’s legs than stuff himself into a suit that had only gotten tighter in recent years. But, Pope was gonna be there, he was gonna be dressed up in some overdone suite, Javi just knew it. And his stupid curls would be slicked back and inevitably a few would pop out and he’d spend the night trying to keep them back but they would want to be wild and he’d eventually mess with his hair too much and it’d be all every-which-way and, and, and…
So maybe he was late. So maybe he was a little tipsy. Maybe he had been taking pulls of a flask in the back of a taxi but there was coke baggie and a cum stain on the seat so was it really the worst the car had seen? He pulled up to the dance in his too-tight suit, stumbling out a bit, and attempted to find his way inside. He didn’t really want to see Santi dancing with a girl, but if he didn’t show, Santi would worry, and Javi didn’t like Santi worrying.
Javier hoped she was nice. A nice girl because he was a nice young man. Someone to take care of him in some ways, to let him care for her in others… Javi knew he could take care of Sant. He had when he was sick, hadn’t he? Therein lied the reason Javi was drunk. The burn of the liquor was to press down the feeling he couldn’t ignore sober. He wanted Santiago.
“Buenas noche, amigos. ¿Has visto Santiago?”
Javi asked as he stumbled on a few men from the DEA chattering in a corner
One of the men, Freddy, chuckled, taking a sip of his beer. “Oh, you haven't seen him yet?”
This caused all the men to laugh, but Javier didn’t get the joke. He got the feeling whatever it was, they were laughing at Santi. Javier knew Santi hadn’t really clicked with the men. He was too straight laced, too honest… too good.
“The fuck does that mean?” Javier asked with an obvious bit of bite. Santiago was his to protect.
“Young Garcia came here with a whore on his arm.” Another man, Josue, with a patchy mustache he should just call it quits on attempting to grow replies. “Wonder if he knows what she is, or if he’s going to wake up to a nasty bill in the morning.”
The group laughs, and Javier feels panic rising inside him. No. No way. Santiago couldn’t possibly be that stupid, could he? He was the smartest man Javier knew. He’d never risk her like this… 
Freddy continued when he saw Javi’s confused look. “Yeah, Pena, thats what I thought too!” He said with a laugh that Javier knew was not the good natured ribbing he gave Santi. “You know Candy?”
“Uh, yeah, sounds familiar.” The room was spinning, lights and smoke and colors starting to blur.
“The whore on 7th that lets you play rough? Yeah, her.”
Javier snapped to attention again. “What did you just say?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe it either!” He turns to another man Javier doesn’t have it in him to focus on. “I bet Virgin Maria thinks he’s in love.”
Grabbing him by the shoulder, Javier turned Freddy to him. “What the fuck did you say about Garcia?”
“Relaje, Pena. You call him Pope, different name, same meaning.”
But it wasn’t. Santi was Javi’s friend, Javier cared about him. Javier called him Pope to his face and if he thought it upset him, Javi wouldn’t do it. Freddy and the guys were calling him Virgin Maria behind his back, intending on being assholes. It was meant to hurt, it wasn’t true (Santi wasn’t a virgin even before Candy), it was meant to make a mockery of his good nature, his religion, and his morals. The effeminate name was meant to mock his slight build and stature as well as his passive nature. None of them knew the Santiago that Javier knew. They didn’t know the intelligent, compassionate, incredibly capable young former special opes agent who had saved his life multiple times and had given more break throughs on Lorea than he could could.
“Tell me again what you said about Candy.”
*
Despite the fact everyone was staring at them, you had never seen Santi so happy, so relaxed. He had a few drinks and for his small body it probably left him feeling warm and content. You had opted to stay mostly sober, only drinking one glass of white wine from the open bar; Santiago’s generous and soft smile to the bartender only endeared him to you more. 
He was so much fun like this. You loved the time you spent with him in bed, that was fun too, but you’d also come to genuinely enjoy the moments where he wasn’t making you orgasm on his lips again and again. You genuinely cared when you asked him about his day, and had made a mental note of all the names he mentioned at the precinct that were causing him problems that you recognized. You weren’t sure how without outting him, but you’d figure out some way to fuck with them. One who was a massive dick to him, Freddy, was also a massive dick to you too.
Santi was indulging in a cupcake, telling a story of his friend Benny hitting on a woman only to realize her husband was standing next to her.
“It took me, his brother Will, Fish and Redfly to break the fight up. He still won’t go in that neighborhood anymore!” Santi giggles, taking a bite of the vanilla.
You laugh along; he’s an entertaining story teller. “Did he learn his lesson?”
“No! No! That’s the best part!” Santi said as he waved his hands excitedly. “He immediately, and I mean as soon as we cleaned the blood off his face, went and hit on another girl! And you wanna know the worst part?”
“It worked?”
“It work- how did you know that?”
“Women are easy, Santi.” Swaying to the music, you set his cupcake down. He has frosting on his upper lip, just under where his mustache sat.. “We love our men bloodied.” You pull him in close, eyeing his upper lip for the frosting, but he looks like he’s going for a kiss, and who are you to deny such a handsome man?
“Even when they lose?” He speaks, voice soft and sultry. Santi’s eye flick to your lips, his own push pillows parting to receive you.
“Especially when they lose.” You close the gap, taking his lips in yours and licking your tongue over his sugar-covered upper lip, brushing over his mustache. Sweet, just like him. Your sweet man. 
For a moment, you are lost in him, the sounds of the Jim Croce floating in the air.
'Cause every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song’
*
CRASH!
Immediately, at the sound of excitement, Santiago is in front of you, guarding your body with his. He doesn’t move, thinking clearly and assessing the situation; looking for where the danger is at and where the best exit points may be. Keep Candy safe. Keep Candy safe. His only goal was her, keep her away from any narcos, terrorists, freedom fighters or drunken men that might be causing a stir. When the center of the commotion was coming from the north, Santiago took Candy’s hand and began to take her to one of the south exits, a lesser used one with less potential for a second assailant, when he felt her tug away.
“JAVI!” She shouts, running towards the danger in high heels, rust colored skirt fluttering just as her flowy sleeves did.
“CANDY!” Running after her, he catches up with ease without the hindrance of heels. Santi tries to stop her, not wanting her near the drunken brawl, but she is on a single minded mission. Javier was under Freddy, who Santiago did not like, and getting the shit beat out of him. If he had a second more, if his focus wasn’t so on Candy, he would have beat her too it… but Candy was quicker
Santiago watches in surprise as she lifts her skirt, pulling a knife out of her garter, getting behind Freddy and gripping his hair hard, knife to his throat.
Everything was a deadly calm, everyone saying so, so still to not disturb the crazy woman with a knife. When Santi looked to Javier to check if he was okay, he saw Javi looking up at her with his big brown eyes, clearly fucking enamored.
“Freddy, get off of him before I tell everyone the weird shit you’re into.”
The next few minuets were a blur. As soon as Freddy was off Javier and Candy’s knife was off him, he was a big man again and the group began arguing. Santiago couldn’t quite pick up what it was about except “KEEP HIS NAME OUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!” From Javi.
They were all three escorted out by security; weapons weren’t allowed at the ball.
Outside the doors, a second argument erupted.
Candy tried to approach Javier. “Javi, baby, are you-” But as her hands reached for his swollen face, the older agent stepped back and turned his attention to his mentee. “Are you fucking stupid, Garcia?!”
Santi and Candy both are taken aback by this, but it’s Candy that speaks first. “Don’t talk to him like that!” 
Javier’s anger is turned back to her. “And you! You should know better than this! Than coming here!”
She rolls her eyes. “Javi. It’s literally a part of my job, I’m an escort.”
“FOR DRUG DEALERS!” Javier shouts, throwing his hands in the air and stumbling back. “Not for YOU!”
“So what, he’s too good for me to take out? Dirty whore like me belongs in dirty nightclubs and dirty crackhouses?”
“Oh for fucks sake THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT!”
Instinctively, Santi places himself slightly in front of Candy. “Tone it down, Pena.”
His icy glare turns condescending as a short, drunk, sardonic laugh escapes him. “HA! Do you think you’re in love, Santiago? Do you think you’ll be the magical man that can ‘save her’? That’s not how this works! You aren’t supposed to be bringing prostitutes to government functions, you absolute IDIOT! And you’re especially not supposed to bring HER!”
“ENOUGH!” Candy shouts at him, eyes flashing in anger. “You don’t get to tell him what he can and can’t do, Javi! And you certainly do not have possession over me! I am not yours! Just because we fuck does not mean you own me, and you don’t get to decide who I sleep with. Like you said, I am a prostitute, one of SEVERAL you frequent, so I wouldn’t be getting too high and mighty about being careful when everyone knows Helena nearly died working for you! I am not yours!”
Javier scoffs. “Oh, and he is? You think he’s your little lover boy, someone to play pretend that you are having a normal relationship with? He’s a scared child, he’s terrified of intimacy and thinks a finger in the ass will send him to hell!”
“Javier, fucking stop it right now.”
“He can’t protect you! He can’t take care of you!”
“Oh, and you can?”
“YES!”
Javier’s shouted words hung in the air, dripping with anger and venom. Santi simply watches, watches them like a scared child watching his parents fight, wishing it would just fucking stop, but it won’t. Not between them. Javier doesn’t back down and Candy isn’t scared of him.
Then, Candy starts to laugh. It’s short little laughs at first but grows louder. “Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME JAVI!” She laughs once more before shaking her head, tugging a bit at her hair as she walks a short circle. Candy shook her head, suddenly calm. “Thunder only happens when it’s raining, players only love you when they’re playing.”
Javi blinked, his voice now noticeably slurred. “What the actual fuck was that.”
Santi stepped up, sliding an arm around Candy’s waist. If she said what she wanted to say, he wanted to guide her away from Javier before he could be more hurtful to her. “It’s from Fleetwood Mac, Javi. You’d know that if you cared enough about her to look into her interests.”
Candy turned to him then, surprised, her soft eyes looking towards him; the hint of a smile on her face.
Javier, however, looked bewildered. “Her interests?You. Are not. DATING HER!”
“I still care about her!” Santiago defended himself. “Just because I’m not a sad slut who can’t emotionally attach to anyone anymore doesn’t mean I treat her like she’s not a person!”
Javier looked like he was about to speak, then shook his head. “This is fucking insane. This is not a Hollywood movie, there is no happy ending here, FUCK YOU GUYS and FUCK THE GODDAMN PRESINCT”
With that, Javier stormed off, angrily mumbling about one thing or another and his broad form shrunk down the street.
It was then Santi felt her begin to shake. Thinking quick, he took off his sports coat and wrapped it around her. “Hey, hey bebita,¿Estás bien?”
“Si” She shook her head a bit, then turned to him with an irritated look “He just really pisses me off sometimes, you know?”
Santi chuckled. “I know. He’s an asshole, let’s not worry about him, okay?” He wrapped his arms around her, and Candy allowed herself to sink into him. Santiago felt her relax, laying her head on him. He was angry, so fucking angry at Javier for the things he said to Candy, the way he spoke to her, it was hurting with jaw with how much he was clenching it… but it was clear Candy was upset too. His feelings didn’t matter, her’s did. He needed to be her man, be her strength, so he pushed his feelings aside.
Through the doors of the ballroom they could still here the live music playing, and he felt Candy gasp as The Eagle’s hit song, Peaceful Easy Feeling, began.
“I love this song…” She whispered, beginning to sway to the music. The stars were out, shining on her. It felt like they shined for her alone.
‘I like the way your sparkling earrings lay
Against your skin, it's so brown’
“I know.” Santi whispered against her skin. “I asked them to play it.” He sang the next line into her skin.
‘Y quiero dormir contigo en el desierto esta noche
Con mil millones de estrellas alrededor’
Candy took her head off him to look into his eyes. Fuck, she was pretty. So so pretty. He wanted her with him all the time, even though he knew it wasn’t possible. He wasn’t in love. Santi wasn’t sure he was capable of romantic love, honestly. He wasn’t sure he was capable of a love that was safe. But whatever he had with Candy right now it was good.
“You requested this song for me?”
‘'Cause I gotta peaceful easy feeling
And I know you won't let me down
'Cause I'm already standing
On the ground’
“Of course I did… wanted to make sure there was music you liked.” Santiago stroked her hair, careful to not mess it up, just enough to feel her. He began to dance with her in earnest.
“You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met, you know that?”
“And I found out a long time ago
What a woman can do to your soul
Ah, but she can't take you anyway
You don't already know how to go”
Santiago twirled her, making Candy giggle. 
“You listen to Fleetwood Mac?” She asked him through her laughs.
‘And I gotta peaceful easy feeling
And I know you won't let me down
'Cause I'm already standing
On the ground’
He shrugged. “I didn’t until I saw you had three albums, a Fleetwood Mac poster AND a Stevie Nicks poster.”
“So you… just decided to listen?”
“They're clearly important to you.”
He sings to her once again in Spanish
‘Tengo este presentimiento de que te conozco
Como amante y como amiga’
Candy whispers in his ear. “I enjoy our time together. I hope you know that. I do consider you a lover and a friend, Santiago.”
‘But this voice keeps whispering
In my other ear, tells me
I may never see you again’
Santiago believed her, but the ever-presant anxiety inside him told him this was temperary. Don’t feel safe, don’t feel comfortable. You are expendable. You are only loved as long as you are useful. You are only loved as long as you are perfect and good and right all the time. You can never mess up. If you do, WHEN you do, she’ll walk away just like Javi did. Still, he shakes these thoughts off and tries to focus on her. Focus on Candy. 
‘Porque tengo un sentimiento tranquilo y pacifico
Y se que decepcionarás
Porque ya estoy parado
En el suelo’
As the song ended, Santi dipped a giggling Candy down low, admiring the way the dress flowed over her beautiful body.
“Hey Candy, they aren’t gonna let us back in there, wanna hop some shitty bars?”
“I’d like nothing more, Santiago.”
*
Back at his apartment, Candy and Santi giggled their way into his bedroom. A slightly tipsy Santi flopped down on his bed, sighing out a declaration that this was the best night of his life. When he opens his eyes again, he sees you smiling at him. He thinks that he wants to see you in his home more often.
“You look really pretty in that dress, you know that?” Santi says with a love-sick smile plastered all over his face. 
You can’t help but smile back, unable to hamper the little laugh that lightens your chest. He was a bit more tipsy than you’d thought. 
He pouts a little, being overly dramatic on purpose as he leans up on his elbows, his left leg half hanging off the bed as you stand watching him. 
“Don’t laugh.” He pulls a face that has the opposite effect. 
You don’t give him the chance to retort again and poke his foot with your index finger, while you school your face into a mock disapproving scowl. “Shoes on in bed?” You tut, expecting another pout and tease back from him, a shrug and a chorus of ‘Well it’s my bed, I can do whatever I want.’ 
But instead, his eyes widened a little, a small dusting of light pink blossoming over his brown cheeks and nose and highlighting his faint freckles. “S-sorry.” He mumbles quickly, scrabbling up into a sitting position to undo his laces. He’s pulled off one shoe and dropped it carefully to the floor before you even have a chance to register what he’s doing. 
“Hey, hey,” you sit down next to him, your thigh touching his, and stroke your left hand through his curls. They’re a little stiffer than usual from the product he used for the occasion; it hasn’t stopped more than a few rough strands from breaking free though. 
Santi leans into your touch instantly, instinctively closing his eyes and sighing, a weight lifting from his ribs. You wouldn’t be surprised if he started purring. 
“You okay?” You whisper, continuing to run your fingers softly through his hair. 
He nods and hums an affirmative. 
You’re about to ask again, unable to stop yourself from double-checking his well-being. That seed of affection for Santi that first settled in your heart weeks ago has now grown and rooted into your chest, its vines and leaves twisted around your rib cage, seeking out your love like sunlight. 
Just as the words form on your tongue you notice the not-so-subtle bulge in his trousers and bite back a smile. 
Ah.
Not distress. Not panic. Nothing like that at all. Not right now, anyway.
Santi can’t see your expression with his eyes closed. He’s shifted closer, his temple gently against your shoulder as you stroke his hair. He sighs happily, almost dreamily. 
It’s nice to see him like this, relaxed into your touch. He too often seems anxious, worried, worrying about his military friends, worried about Javi, worried about his family although those details remain vague. He’s mentioned his sisters lives in the US, Atlanta she thought, his tia’s he saw so often here, and every now and then a brief mention of his mom but only in passing. You place a soft kiss on his forehead, leaving a faint lipstick stain on his skin and he presses closer to you, nuzzling into the nape of your neck. 
Languidly you run your free hand up his thigh, just tracing your fingers over his crotch before you squeeze. 
The sharp, low moan that escapes his lips is more than worth it, though the gasped word that tumbles out is a bit of a surprise. 
“Mommy,” 
He freezes instantly, his eyes going wide and teeth audibly snapping shut. In less than a second he’s racking his brain, trying to work out how, why, where did that word come from? What deep, dark recess of his mind forced that word to the surface? Something was wrong with him. Something fundamentally wrong with him, deep down in the recesses of his brain. He was fucked up. He was going to hell.
Maybe you hadn’t heard it. Maybe you wouldn’t notice it. But already Santi knew those hopes were a lost cause. The way your hand had tightened momentarily in his hair the second it slipped past his tongue. He’d had a drink, a few drinks- although they’d mostly worn off throughout the night- that was a good enough excuse right? Oh god. What must you think? What would you-
“You’re my good boy, aren’t you?” Your voice was low and sweet, a caress to his very soul and he shivered in spite of himself, moaning again and squeezing his eyes shut as you stroked his painfully hard cock. 
He nodded his head rapidly, not wanting to disappoint you. He’d be good, he’d be so fucking good for you. His breath hot on your neck as he pressed closer, angling his body completely towards you with a soft whimper. 
You continued stroking him for a moment longer, pressing the heel of your palm firmly against his thick base before you unzipped his fly and flicked open his trouser buttons. You always loved this, loved how needy he got, how desperate for you.
Santi groaned loudly, his lips against your neck, half muffling his words against your skin as he squirmed into your touch. 
“Hmm?” You halted your actions teasingly, waiting for him to repeat himself. 
The small sob and bob of his throat nearly broke your resolve, but he pulled his face away from you a fraction to speak. 
“Mommy, please,” he whispered. 
You couldn’t help yourself, it wasn’t like it was the first man to call you ‘mommy’ in bed, but there was something about sweet, innocent Santi who had blushed his way through your first encounter not that long ago speaking that world that set your blood ablaze. 
“Please what?” You teased. 
He squirmed again, bucking helplessly against your hand. “Please?”
“You’re gonna have to use a few more words than that pretty boy, or I won’t be able to help you.”
Santi let out an anguished sigh, pressing his face into your neck once more.
Quickly, you moved your hand away from his weeping cock and firmly pinched his chin between your fingers, pulling him back ever so slightly so that you could look into his dark brown eyes as you title his face up. 
“If you don’t speak, Mommy won’t be able to help you.” 
Santi audibly moaned, his eyes rolling back for a split second before he shut them tight. His dick twitched uncontrollably. 
“Yes, please, sorry, I’ll be good, I’ll be a good boy.” His words were all rushed together and there was a hazy look to his gaze when he opened his eyes again, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. 
You petted his hair gently. “I know you will be, Mommy’s got you, sweetheart.”
He whimpered, rubbing his thighs together with every word. 
“Now, tell me what you want.” 
“Can I,” he swallowed again, placing his hand on the zip of your dress, “can I undo this?” 
That wasn’t what you expected him to say, and you raised an eyebrow at him lazily as you smiled and nodded. 
Santi let out a little nervous breath before hastily undoing the dress and carefully slipping it off your shoulders and down to your waist. You weren’t wearing a bra.
He held his breath as he gazed at your chest, his left hand hovering just above your skin as he stared with reverence. As if he hadn’t seen you semi-naked many, many times before. 
You stroked his hair again. “You’re such a good buy, aren’t you? Asking for what you need?” You say softly, just to gently break him out of his trance. You did enjoy teasing him, but never for very long. He always listened, always did as he was told, and you were happy to reward him
He nods quickly, never taking his eyes off your breasts. The tip of his tongue pokes out and wets his bottom lip. 
Ever so slowly he leans forward, placing a light, sweet kiss to your lips, the corner of your mouth, your cheek, before trailing down to your neck and collarbone. His kisses get messier, wetter, more urgent the further down he goes and you don’t expect him to pause, panting against your skin. 
He looks up at you with large eyes that send a shudder of heat through your core. “Can I kiss your breasts… mommy?” He adds the name shyly, looking down momentarily so that his eyelashes flutter against his cheeks. 
You keep stroking his hair as you nod, hooking your fingers around the nape of his neck and guiding him towards your chest. He takes the small movement and runs with it instantly, surging forward and covering your breasts in desperate, wet kisses. Switching back and forth between them constantly as if he simply had to lavish each with the exact same amount of attention. He moans as he lightly bites and sucks, his hands digging into your skin as he holds onto you for dear life. 
You press him closer, urging him on by digging your fingers into his curls and scratching your nails along his scalp. He rewards you with another muffled groan, the vibrations reverberating along your skin and sending a shiver of pleasure down your spine. 
Santi pushes closer, the force nearly knocking you onto your back as he latches onto your left nipple. You brace your right hand on the bed behind you so that you can keep your balance. 
“Such a good boy Santi.” You whisper and he whines, looking up at you once with lazy, lust-blown eyes as he keeps his mouth against you. He sucks demandingly, the sensation almost bordering on too much, but still somehow not enough, and swirls his tongue around your nipple before lapping at it and starting the process all over again. His hips are bucking desperately, but he doesn’t dare ask for attention. He knows you’ll take care of him. You always will.
He sighs, shifting, simultaneously trying to get something and not knowing what he wants at the same time. 
You know what he needs though. 
You coo at him, soothing and sweet as you pull in closer into your arms, cradling his head as you gently ease him into your lap. He moans so loudly, the sound quickly becoming a whine in his throat as you embrace him.
For a few seconds, he seems to relax into you, all the stress of the day and previous weeks and months draining from his soul and bones as he gently sucks. But then he starts to squirm, his thighs shaking and stomach muscles tensing. He pulls his mouth off of you with a pop and low, desperate groan. His eyes shut tight and eyebrows knitted together as he whines and presses his forehead against your skin.
“Gonna cum.” At the very back of his mind he has a sense that he should be embarrassed, embarrassed that he’s this far gone and going to cum practically untouched. But he can’t fight the pleasure as it bubbles up his spine, doesn’t want to. 
“You can cum Santi,” you whisper in his ear. “You’re such a good boy, cum for Mommy.” 
He shakes his head, unsure why, tears at the very corners of his eyes, “please.”
“It’s okay,” you soothe, holding him tight and kissing his temple. “I’m here.” 
He moans loudly, latching back onto your breast and sucking for all he’s worth.
“Mommy’s here.” 
He groans again, pulling away a fraction to get his words out. His voice is breath and high. “Want Mommy to cum.” 
The pleading in his voice spikes at the throbbing arousal in your core. “Santi, it’s okay-”
His whine is muffled against your chest as he reaches down, sliding his hands between your legs to caress your body the way he knows you like. You’d taught him exactly how you want to be touched, exactly how you touch yourself. He was an eager learner.
“Santi,” you manage to breathe out through his messy desperate kisses. 
“Mommy needs to cum now please,” he murmurs, his speech slurred against your tongue, 
Your breath catches, thighs squirming as he strokes you, the movements soft but sure. It only takes an embarrassingly short time before you’re moaning into his mouth and tensing as your release overtakes you in a rush. 
When it’s clear you’ve cum, he tenses, his orgasm following through him and bursting behind his eyes. His cock throbs as he empties himself into his pants. You smile softly at his face as his forehead pinches in bliss, your hand still stroking his hair. 
There’s a pause, a small moment of quiet just before he sighs deeply, feeling weak and boneless. And then he looks up at you with his dark, dark eyes. The softness, the relief, the adoration… the sleepiness. 
“So good, Santiago… you’re so good. My perfect boy…”
Santi sighs against your skin, relishing in the tender moment as you play with his hair. “Was that weird?” He mumbles into your skin.
“Noooo, no not at all. It’s very common, actually.”
He looks up at you through heavy lids and suspicious eyes. “Really?”
“Oooooh yeah.” You chuckle. “More often than you think. I’m not here to judge anyone.”
He doesn’t seem convinced, but he seems to relax. “Okay. Yeah. Okay.”
You opt to not talk about it anymore, at least for the time being. He’s so tired right now, coming hard and untouched, and you decide it’s time to put him to bed. By the time you lay him from your lap to his pillow, he’s half asleep, so you opt with minimal dress. Gentle, you unbutton his shirt and slowly, carefully slide his shirt off. When you take off his trousers and underwear fully, you replace them with sweats. You think he’s asleep, breathing slowly and eyes closed. He looks positively angelic. When your getting ready to zip up your dress again, and make your exit, you hear his voice once more.
“Stay the night?”
You sigh. “Santi, I dunno if that’s a good idea…”
His eyes open slightly, just enough so you can see him. “Please, I’ll pay you whatever you want, I just don’t want tonight to end…”
He looks so vulnerable in this moment… and you don’t want this night to end either. Rules be damned. Santi was different. Santi was better. Santi was good. And you?  You deserved some damn good.
“Don’t pay me, I’ll stay.”
Santiago sits up ever so slightly. “No, no Candy this is your job. I don’t expect free-”
“It’s not free, honey.” You begin to strip down, Santi’s sleepy eyes drifting down your naked body, staring at the knife at your garter. “We’re going to sleep, just like I would at home. And tomorrow, you’ll make me breakfast. Sound like a fair trade?” The truth was, sleeping with Santi, actually sleeping with Santi, sounded wonderful. You didn’t want it to feel like a transaction. 
So, you slip into his clothes. You wear a tee shirt and sweats and climb into his bed where you think he’s actually asleep this time. He snores lightly. He sleeps on his stomach, so you rub his back. He feels nice. 
You want better for him. You want him to have a stable life, a loving wife who wasn’t a whore, kids if he wanted them, his family and friends surrounding him. He should have to live in danger, work a dangerous job. He should be allowed to be happy. It wasn’t a life you could give him, you knew… but you could imagine.
You kiss the scar on his spine.
******************
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for reading!!!!
If you're still hear, please drop a lil HI! It's 12 pm here, inching towards 1 but i promised to put this out so i will!!!
Everyone PLEASE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLOUSE FOR FEN FOR THE SMUT IN THE COMMENTS AND REBLOGS SO I CAN MAKE SURE THEY SEE ALL THE LOVE
I hope everyone is saying as safe as they can be in these temps, my heart goes out to all those struggling but especially those in war zones, poverty, homelessness, or in areas that were previously never this cold and thus unprepared for a harsh winter. I know us northerners joke about how cold we get, but I know its different when your infrastructure isnt equipped to take this on.
So tell me friends
Did Javier have a reason to be mad at Santi?
Or was he overreacting?
TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ARGUEMENT AND YOUR THOTS ON OUR DEAR SANTI
@runa-falls @lunar-ghoulie @campingwiththecharmings @whatthefishh @persephone-girl @criticalarchitecture @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @beelzebeth87 @pimosworld @millerscoffee @heareball @thatwonderouswoman @poolb @meveispunk @lovable-liar @millllenniawrites @read-and-wip @missdictatorme @the-fox-den @milkymoon2483 @k-ra @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @rosellacwrites @legendary-pink-dot @dreamingofbucky @englandsgray @starsthatwatch @fairlyang @alwaysmicado @theywhowriteandknowthings @casa-boiardi @lostfleurs @ninebluehearts @puglover12 @sub-aro @laiisleiite @itspdameronthings @heareball @comfortlessjoy @csarab615 @calaveramangonda @bit-dodgy-innit @stevngrant @kirsteng42 @mrsjavierp @nanfafnan @lovable-liar @axshadows @cookielovesbook-akie @reallyrallyauthor @solar-fics @criticalarchitecture
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mercair · 1 year
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SAY HELLO TO... SHERIFF WOOSTERN !!
It was about time for this post to get an upgrade. Now, i don't think there's many of you, but for those who don't know her, allow me to re-tell you the story of Sheriff Woostern; My Deltarune Chapter 3 Secret Boss OC...
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███████ ████ ███ was a former child actress on Starry Lands, known for her role as "Sheriff Woostern" on the show "Woostern & Friends". It was quite the popular show among the darkners, but most improtantly, among the lightners; the main reason the show existed to begin with.
She was a very talented actress for such a young darkner, almost as if she truly believed that she was a Sheriff and a "true hero", and that everything that happened at the show was... Real.
Nonetheless, things were going great for her. Everyone on the studio loved her, she became close friends with Ms. Mari, another actress who worked on the show, and overall, it seems that life could only get better for her...
But... One day, something strange happened. "Woostern" was alone in her green room that day, just drawing things as she usually did, waiting for The Director or Ms. Mari to call her to record a new episode. She heard a knock on her door, excited, she ran over almost immediately to open it to whoever it was. She has always been a bit air headed, perhaps that's why she didn't notice the strange darkness growing from under the door...
And when she opened the door, she was met by... Him. The man introduced himself as a big fan of her show, so much that he came over to the studio, only to meet her. "Woostern" was excited and cheerful to meet the man, she didn't know any better. Suddenly, the man offered the young actress a present. A little gift inside a box. "Woostern" happily accepted the gift and opened the box.
Inside the box was... A large piece of cloth, and a strange crystal. She looked up and the man had dissapeared. She looked at the piece of cloth, and it ocurred to her that it was meant to be some kind of clothing, so she decided to try to put it on. And when she did, the strange cloth transformed, into a very fiiting poncho, with a big smile on it. She loved it. Little did she know, that that "poncho" had more secrets inside of it than what it seemed.
Not long after that, people started to notice strange behavior coming from the little actress, she started to whisper things to herself quite often, and sometimes even suddenly disappeared with no excuses or explanations other than she was doing it for a "friend". And all of that, without ever taking her new poncho off.
Not long after that, the lightners stopped enjoying, caring, and watching the show. The ratings were low, and there was no way the show could keep up like this. So, The Director took the decision of cancelling "Woostern & Friends". When the young actress heard the news... Something changed. Something horrible. Something inside of her... SNAPPED. The recording set of the show was destroyed, in what seemed to be a fit of anger and desperation, by what people thought was "Woostern" herself. When she was finished, the young actress seemed like she couldn't remember anything of what just happened. She was the sheriff, why was everyone blaming her for this? Why was everyone talking to her like she was some sort of criminal? With tears in her eyes, she ran away from the studio before anyone could stop her.
Nowadays people have forgotten about the show, and The Director stopped searching for her assuming that she was taken by the young lightner when he went to college. In reality, she's hiding, waiting, for someone to help her out of this dilemma she has found herself in. But the poncho she's wearing... Her "friend"... Seems happier than ever.
Now, enough sad backstories.
As said in the image, she's strongly based on the Woody Theory, so her whole western theme, along with some other points, are not really that original.
She's a sweety pie the 70% of the time, helping Kris and becoming friends with them , the other 30% she's busy being the secret boss.
Her lightworld counterpart is a random doll Asriel used to play with, then forgot about it when he got older, and then abandoned it when he went to college. Pretty much like Toy Story 3, yeah!
About her design, i tried to go for a more cartoonish/doll? styled, making her whole torso being cover by the oversized poncho, the little hands, rosy cheeks and eyes way too big to be a human. And as for the poncho, well, you can already tell where her "friend" is, right?
WOOSTERN & FRIEND !!:
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And laslty, her soundtrack! composed by myself, if you wanna listen to the rest, consider checking my soundcloud!
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sithbvcky · 10 months
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Gimme Shelter: Part Four
70s gangster bucky barnes x fem!reader au. Mature themes, drug use, alcohol, gun, blood, and violence. Synopsis: James "Bucky" Barnes, better known by his fearsome moniker, The Winter Soldier. It's Los Angeles in 1977 and only one man owns the city. Until someone decides to challenge the king for his throne.
Masterlist
Note: I do not give permission for my work to be copied or translated anywhere else but this blog.
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Bucky was pacing the floor of your bedroom. You were sat on the bed, knees clutched to your chest watching him. It was 4am and Bucky hadn't sat down since Steve came by to tell him the news. After you had left The Roxy, Steve and the others were going to follow but got held up some over enthusiastic party goers. In the mess of people, Natasha disappeared and never checked back in. 
You were doing your best to keep yourself together. Natasha was a smart woman and she no doubt could handle herself but you couldn't stop your mind from going to the worst outcome. Bucky slamming his fists against the granite countertop in the bathroom brought you back from your thoughts. 
"Fuck!" He shouted, startling you. 
"Babe." You called softly, him breaking the sink wouldn't do Natasha any good. He ignored you, but you could see his broad back rising and falling as he breathed. You stood up and slipped your robe on before walking over to him. 
"Babe." You said again, placing your hands gently upon his shoulders. He softened at your touch and loosened his grip on the countertop. 
"It's my fault." He sighed. You shook your head,
"No. No, it's not your fault." You denied. He turned to look at you, his face riddled with worry. 
"Yes, it is. Somehow, he caught on to my plan or he knew what Natasha was to me and-" 
"James, stop." You held his face in your hands. "It is not your fault. We'll find her." You stated. He brought his hand up to rest on yours as you continued to hold his face. He kissed your palm and moved to rest his forehead against yours. 
"You should go back to bed." He sighed. 
"Not without you. Losing sleep isn't going to help find her either." Bucky nodded reluctantly and followed you back to the mattress. Neither of you got much sleep and when you awoke you found Bucky in the living room pouring over a table full of files and papers. Steve and Sam were there as well, Logan and Clint were on their way. 
"This was everything Tasha had on Stark. He must've known she was a threat and that's why she-" Steve stopped himself. Bucky sat down on the off white couch, he was still in his bathrobe from this morning. Elbows on his knees he placed his head in his hands. You hurried yourself to get out of bed and get decent before you joined the others. Had no one else been here you would’ve flung yourself onto him and hoped the closeness would help take some of the burden away. But Nat needed you just as much as Bucky did and you were going to find her whatever it took. 
“She found his rabbit hole and his right hand man Rhodey.” Sam spoke up. “That should be enough for us to go on. I can get Logan and Clint to help get this man to talk.” 
You walked in the room and Sam and Steve both turned to you, somber smiles on their faces as you went to sit beside Bucky. He looked up, taking his hands from his face as you rubbed comforting circles on his back. 
“Heres what were gonna do.” He started, scooting forward on the couch so he could be closer to the pool on info Nat had acquired. “Sam, you take Clint to track down this Rhodey, guy. Whatever you gotta do to do it, do it. Just try to keep it discreet.” Bucky looked over to Steve, 
“You are gonna meet me at the warehouse with everything we need to get this pig to squeal. And I mean everything.” 
You realized that really only left Logan and you without something to do and your stomach dropped as Bucky turned to you, 
“No.” You shook your head. “No!” 
“Babe, I need you safe and Logan is-
“No! You promised me you wouldn’t leave my side!” You shouted, Steve and Sam averted their gazes. 
“I know but I can’t have you go missing too, alright? Logan can keep you safe I trust that man with my own life.” Bucky cupped your face in his hands. 
“I don’t care about that, I wanna help find Nat! She’s my friend too and you swore you wouldn’t do this to me!” You stood up, hovering over him. 
“Y/N, please. I’m trying my best here, alright. I can’t lose you too!” 
“What about you, huh? I can’t lose you either.” You retorted and Bucky let out a sigh. 
“Fine, we’ll figure something out.” He conceded and you sat back down. He placed a kiss on the top of your head and focused back on Steve and Sam and how they intended to find Rhodey. 
FOUR HOURS LATER
Logan and Clint had arrived and Bucky sent Sam and Clint out to find Rhodey. Steve left before they arrived to set up the warehouse as Bucky requested. Bucky had since changed from his bathrobe into a maroon suit. It was just Logan, Bucky and yourself in the penthouse. He was much larger than you had last remembered, then again the last time you saw him was so brief you hadn’t really gotten a good look. Bucky and Logan went out on the balcony to talk while you stayed inside, thinking about nothing but how Natasha was doing. Was she ok? Was she alive? Part of you wished you hadn’t convinced Bucky to leave early that night. If you hadn’t than maybe she wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped. 
There was a knock at the door and you stood up from the couch, waiting for Bucky to come back in to open it. A moment passed and a note slipped underneath the door, fear started creeping up your spine as you walked towards it. Bucky was still on the balcony, he must not have heard the knock. Carefully you picked it up, looking up at Bucky once before deciding to open it yourself. 
Dear Mr. Barnes, 
I know what you were planning to do with Rhodey, your men were intercepted. Don’t worry, everyone remains unharmed including that lovely red head. I’d love to keep it that way unless you prove difficult. Meet me at the old abandoned disco at 9:00 and lets talk. And bring that gorgeous girl of yours too, man she is quite the beauty. Till then, 
T. Stark 
“Whats that?” Bucky’s voice startled you and with a shaking hand you handed the note to him. Logan came to stand beside him watching intently. Bucky crumpled the note without a sound. 
“We’ve been compromised.” Logan said it more as a knowing statement than a question. 
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“He intercepted Sam and Clint.” Bucky’s voice was low and you knew he was doing his best to keep his anger in check. Logan took in a breath, his hands on his thick leather belt. Bucky ran a hand through his hair and gave Logan a subtle nod. You looked between the two men for a moment before you were swept up by Logan. Throwing you over his shoulder as you squirmed and writhed, you watched Bucky holster his pistol on his hip. Logan was leading you towards the bedroom where he tossed you onto the bed, 
“Bucky you bastard! You bastard!” You shouted as Logan locked you inside. You slammed your hands on the doors, still shouting at him. 
“I’m sorry, doll. I love you.” Bucky whispered through the crack of the door to you and you let out a whimper, 
“Bastard.” 
You let your body slide against the door till you landed on the floor, bringing your knees to your chest as you cried. 
“Keep her safe, no matter what.” You heard him tell Logan before he left and you filled with anger again. Through teary eyes you looked over to the left at the window. Wiping your face on your arm, you stood and walked towards it. Looking down at the city below and the drain pipe that so conveniently led all the way down. 
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popculturebuffet · 2 months
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Christmas in July: Bob the Builder: Christmas To Remember: the Movie: A Rope of Sand (Comission by LacheyV)
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... i'm probably going to hell for that gag. Also Merry Christmas in July all you happy people. Christmas in July snowballs on with Lachey once again having me look at a show for young children. In the absence of Thomas, he'll be back later this year, we're instead looking at Bob the Builder.
Bob the Builder.. is not a franchise I had a ton of experince with but unlike thomas at least knew the theme song, as it was around a lot and I'd ocasinally see maybe a minute while flicking channels but never really stopped to watch it like I would with say Backyardigans or Lazytown. Granted Lazytown is just plain dope while also being insane so that helps it a bit. Point is I knew it existed, had good character design, got a reboot with character design that looks...
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Yeah i'm staying far far away from that. After american carol i've had enough deep seated trauma for one year.
No we're looking at the OG which I was shocked to learn was british.. which in hindsight the term "builder" shoudl've given it away but unlike wanker or bloody it's not a term really used in the us. It still sounds neat enough to get a past.
Bob the Builder follows Bob, his common law wife Wendy and his variety of construction equipment/childrne that are alive because he and his brother discovered a fallen star as a kid and each took a piece. He also gave a piece to a local farmer, who tore it in half to use a bit on his tractor and the other bit to turn a scarecrow into his fully living son.
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Look you have your bob the builder head canons and I have mine okay?
Point is it was a roaring sucess here and overseas and i'm covering it because about 70% of Lachey's hyperfixations are on old childrne's show. The man narrates the mr men books to me in his spare time and it is delgihtful, i'm not knocking any of this. Unlike my first attempt at doing a preschool show with mickey mouse's clubhouse, he tends to find ones that still have some charm.. or are batshit insane. usually both.
So we've come to the Bob the Builder Christmas special which involves child abandonment, cougars, manequin murder, non sentient jet planes and of course the secret origin of Sir Elton John. Join me under the cut for all of this and Mambo No 5.
The special follows the residents of ... (checks wikipedia) bobsville.. .did.. did he buy the town? It has a mayor... but then again so does Schitt's Creek so i'm saying he bought the town. The town gets ready for christmas in this small english town.. or american presumibly in both the US series an the upcoming film I completely forgot about but given who it's starring
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The special is an hour long and has a tangle of plots that all intersect fairly well for the most part. The main throughline is bob getting a message from his brother tom. Tom looks exactly like him, which isn't unusual as A) it was easy to reuse the bob sculpt and they also do so for one of the rockstars in local band Lennie and the Lasers and B) there were five of him int he music video Bob did for his version of Mambo No 5
Now you may think that's a joke I told but no, this.. this is real. You can find it here. Now you may be asking why a children's show decided to put a song about Lou Bega banging as many women as possible on their children's album and making it about building instead, while having 5 bobs in the video and having his child/cememnt mixer Dizzy wear a boa and eye lashes and take the place of the women in the video despite being a children
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Also wendy's right there. Use the actual adult for the video girl if you have to do that bit. There's also a video where bob sings the theme song while dressed up like ali g at one point
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Point is tom's a coming with his dog whose name I forgot. But whose not coming with him is his Scooter Scoot, who also sounds like a children but is being left in the wilderness because Tom is a terrible father. Seriously Tom is kind to his machines, and his main conflict is the mayor , who we'll get to, keeps piling jobs on him but he's just too nice to tell her "The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit You Old Hag!", so he can't get around to getting his live in girlfriend and various childrne presents. The most Sir Toppham Hat gave his trains is some pretty lights and not putting Henry in the tunnel ever again. Tom has just ONE and abandons her to do his job while he's gone. I get it at FIRST, as you really can't take a sled/scooter on a boat, but he later gets a private plane, we'll get to that, with another power machine on board and can't bother to bring his child along. #JUSTICE4SCOOTS
As I mentioned there's a new mayor in town the er.. mayor. Look if Powerpuff Girls can get away with it, I think Bob the Builder also gets a pass. It's just science. Point is there's a new mayor. The old mayor was in the classic episode
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She shows up in a few episodes after this and then never again, being replaced as mayor, looking at wikipedia by her sidekick for the episode and actual recurring character Mr. Bently. His job is to mostly go THIS IS MOST UNORTHADOX at Banger, a long haired unwashed young man who is roadie for Lennie and the Lasers, a local rock group with worldwide acclaim and a certain Rocket Man on the key boards. Banger is the best just having a jolly rocking attidue. Also the mayor wants a banger if you get my meaning...
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Seriously it's a runner the Mayor is really into banger despite being a decade or two younger.. and i'm here for it. Let the mayor get it.
What she won't get.. is that bob needs a break, making a playful joke about him taking a tea break and piling more shit on constantly. I was forgiving a little as I figured we'd have her realize she was overworking him.. but nope. She gets to overworking Banger instead and just.. never cottons on while Bob's workaholic tendenices will have to be handled with an intervention down the road. The bulk of bob in this special is just him being too polite to say
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While nothing gets resolved and it's easily the weakest part of it
Thankfully the other subplots fair better, as Spud, who came to life from that metorite I mentioned.. because not even wikipedia knows how he came to life in canon
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He's as human as any of us though... in that he fucks up a lot. Judging from this that's just his lot in life.. showing up, fucking up the day and feeling bad about it, in this case because santa's coming. So he first fucks up the clocktower, then murders a manequin in the basement and dresses up to replace it. Good on his dad whose also a farmer for not carring he's in a dress though. I mean it's the basic decent thing to do, but I get it wasn't that common a thing in 2003. Also yes murders: he dances with the manequin but before he can do a sex to it in a reverse pearl situation, he accidentlyt akes an arm off and hides her body in the closet. How many have you killed Spud? HOW MANY.. HOW MA...
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Meanwhile Lennie and the Lasers are preparing but OH NO LENNIE HAS A COLD. Luckily while his band prepares, their keyboardest colabs with Rollie, Bob's steamroller who he gave permission to go see the band and then got to see them recording because Lennie is a peach and also possibly Rivers Cumo. Their Keyboardest? Elton John. I must've gone to the bathrom when the sentient steam roller showed up in rocket man, curse my active bladder.
You can probably see where this is going: Elton John is unsure of himself, Rollie encourages him and when Lennie goes down right before the show, and he performs Crocodile Rock... suprisingly not cleaned up like Mambo No 5 for kids. It dosen't really need much but it is fun to hear it all.
So yeah the special has a lot going on.. but it works. It's an hour long, we still get plenty of bob doing builder things, and all the plots have room to breathe.
They also come together nicely in the climax: Lennie lends Wendy his plane and they go get Tom when he can't come because reindeer got stuck in a hole. yes really. It's a great sequenc eand all and the arctic bits are beauitfully animated, especially sicne they had to make an entire winter wonder land just for this one special. Tom never shows up again as does scoots. MAYBE CHILD SERVICE CAME FOR YOUR NEGLIGENT ASS TOM. Also dizzy sees santa on the way home.
So at the concert, Elton John performs, Banger prepares to bang her.. honor, and tom shows up as santa because bob does that every year. it's a sweet ending.. if a bit aburbt as we just get a bunch of photos afterwords of the party.
As a whole.. I really enjoyed this special. It sounds kind of insane when I retell it because it is. Murders were had, banging was done off screen, planes that are not sentient because they don't hav ea metor chunk won't take children, it's great. But ther'es also a lot of charm to it too: the series is warm, earnest and looks gorgeous, using plastic stop motion that looks like clay... I coudln't figure out quite what they used, may be something similar to aardman but it looks spiffy.
This special is nuts.. but damn if it isn't cute. It's charming, has a lot going on and dosen't wear out it's welcome despite being an hour long, quadruple the length of a normal episode from the looks of it. It's fun, breezy and very british. While I do think Scoots needs a new home, I also think this special needs a look as on it's own merit it's warm and charming, and on the merit of being hilarous. .it succeds. Mostly by being kind of nuts, but in a fun way. Check this one out soon as you can and thanks for reading about bob the builder man.
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lilover131 · 2 years
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Chapter 70 Analysis
I’ll be frank right now. This analysis was hard to write. It’s hard to write not just because of how absolutely wrong all my theories were (lord, were they wrrrrrrrrrrrrooonnng), but because this chapter made me unexpectedly very emotional. I’m just speechless and cannot believe that CLAMP got me again like this. I just find it absolutely amazing how Ohkawa’s writing can steer you in a direction and make you think you know what is going to happen, and every single time, she turns you on your head. Fucking incredible. I honestly don’t know how she manages to do it. Just…everything clicks now and I see the puzzle in front of me showing its picture, and it’s beautiful and also so so heartbreaking at the same time.
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 I’m not going to post a gif or image of the month this time, simply because I don’t feel like there is one that really is suitable.
Also, I apologize in advance for the crappy quality images in red of the screenshots I took. The English chapter has yet to come out in good quality and is currently only available on Youtube, so I had to make do with the red colored pages for now. 
 With that said, I’ll get started on my thoughts.
The color page this month is so stunningly gorgeous and it fits the theme of this chapter so well. It is beautiful and warm but also has a melancholy feeling that can’t be shaken. Sakura has a face that looks as if there is something missing, and by the end of this chapter, we know why.
 Admittedly, when the chapter first started, I was very confused. It seemed to jump straight to Kaito using the EXCHANGE card without time for anyone to stop it, thus making my theory that Syaoran would fight to keep it from happening completely wrong. Lol. But I’m not upset about this. Not seeing a Syaoran sacrifice made me relieved, at least for the moment…(I’m still not ruling that shit out for the future. Haha)
 But I wondered what it meant to see Sakura now as the Red Queen and Akiho as Alice. Did this mean Kaito had switched their lives after all? It certainly seemed to be the way things were going, and I was worried that he had been successful and wondered what the repercussions of this would be. It’s been well described in other CLAMP series (-cough- Tsubasa -cough-) that changing the fate’s design like this ultimately creates huge ripples and damages in the world around it. There is a reason it is considered forbidden magic after all, because of course if one could simply undo things or swap lives with people, why wouldn’t it happen all the time?
 The first thing noticed though in particular was that it wasn’t just Sakura and Akiho that seemed to swap in roles. The very outfits themselves were changed. Some of you might recognize them as the first versions of the outfits that Tomoyo had made and decided to start over on as they did not feel right to her. It seems now that this is because these outfits were originally designed for them to be in swapped roles, so Tomoyo’s intuition here seems to reign supreme again but also makes me wonder for the millionth time how she doesn’t have magic (lol). Another difference seems to be that Syaoran has taken on the role of cat in the originally intended method of just voicing rather than acting on stage. Initially, this also worried me as the reason he had done the role on stage physically was to be by Sakura’s side in case something happened, so by seeing him not do this, it made me curious as to whether his relationship with Sakura was still the same.
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Moreover, we must keep in mind that the title of the story had also changed from what was originally written. Before, the story of the play was called “The Two Alices” (which now I realize is super sneaky Ohkawa!) before Naoko made a last minute change and titled the play “Alice in Clockland”. Even the story itself seems to have deviated from what we saw before in the previous chapters. Alice Akiho mentions that her family had a fourth chair at the table always open, but she never understood why. And Red Queen Sakura mentions how she doesn’t remember how she became Queen and only ever remembered being in Clockland. The story soon seems to develop to reveal that the Red Queen is actually Alice’s twin sister who was lost long ago. It seems to also have a happy ending with the Red Queen returning home to her family.
 Back on the rooftop of the school, Kaito and Momo are speaking. She asks him how he feels now that he has gotten what he wanted, which is still unclear to us at this point in the chapter.  He claims to be relieved that Sakura finally created the card he needed before Momo goes on to explain to us readers (bless her) on what has occurred. And boy, is it a doozy.
 The first thing was Sakura’s wish, which was simply to switch roles with Akiho and be the Red Queen instead. That seems fairly harmless in nature, but the second wish was for the artifact inside of Akiho to be exchanged to Kaito for his broken pocket watch. Naturally, taking on the artifact is absolutely huge because it was this very thing that the Squid Clan and the Association wanted to keep to themselves desperately. It was their grasp at power, which was all they cared about in this world. Additionally, Kaito had explained before that this artifact had already absorbed so much magic that if it took on anymore that it would crush Akiho’s soul, so what are the implications of that now in Kaito’s body, which undoubtedly already has a ridiculous amount of magic in it? We know already that he has shown no care for his own well being, so this seems to be more dire a situation than he was in before.
 Akiho now has Kaito’s broken watch, but she still has no magic in her body, so she could not use it even if she wants to, so this will not impact Akiho in any way. She seems to be completely free of the binds that tied her to her awful family who wished only to use her as a tool and did not acknowledge her as a person.
 But Kaito took it one step further…
 The scene changes to the end of the play where the girls are being applauded for their performance. Naoko tells them that she knew they were perfect for the role of Alice and Red Queen. And I’ll tell you right now that when I was initially reading this chapter, it was in French (because the English chapter wasn’t quite out yet), and I had to use Google Translate. Upon translating the next speech bubble, I found myself absolutely fucking speechless and wondering if I had typed something in wrong or if Google messed up the translation.
 Not only did Kaito take the artifact away from Akiho, but he also rewrote the past so that Akiho was born as Sakura’s twin sister. I think I can safely say that a majority of us had thought that Kaito was intending to swap Akiho and Sakura’s lives so that Akiho could have a happy life and Sakura would take on the misery Akiho endured. And I feel terrible now thinking he would actually do something so cruel, seeing as he honestly hasn’t really done anything to deserve that opinion. When you think about it, he never actually harmed anyone at any time, and even the trouble he caused was still much less dangerous than even what Eriol put them through (think about it, Eriol nearly had Syaoran cut Sakura in half when he controlled him with threads!). And additionally, most of the trouble was actually caused by Sakura herself with her out of control magic.
 Was Kaito shady? Absolutely. Was he secretive and somewhat manipulative? Of course. But does that inherently make him a bad person? After this, I just can’t see it. What I’ve always enjoyed about Kaito particularly is that he always keeps you guessing. You never know exactly who’s side he’s actually on, and I’ve rather enjoyed learning more about him because of that. But one thing that always remained unfettered was that he cared about Akiho. In fact, Akiho seemed to be the only thing he ever showed any care towards (other than maybe her mother, but we still don’t know exactly how that story ended, and I’m sure we will learn more soon).
 And now that we know what his intentions were, I cannot help but see the clues written all over the wall absolutely EVERYWHERE. CLAMP has literally been dropping hints for years, and I can’t help but be angry for missing it all! Granted, that was the point, but fuck I can’t help but be impressed by the writing just for that alone. Every single mention of how similar Sakura and Akiho were, the mention of them ‘synchronizing’, even Akiho’s fucking name! I have always had a feeling that Akiho’s name wasn’t always Akiho because it felt odd that she had a Japanese name despite being born to English parents in England, but now I can’t help but think that Kaito had her change her name so she could fit neatly into her new life. And still in my head I cannot forget that one scene in the anime (episode 10) with the SNOOZE card where he came to pick up Akiho, and Sakura and Akiho said something with the same reaction at the same time, and Kaito just laughed. I always wondered why he laughed like that, and now it makes complete sense. He was laughing because he had always intended to make Akiho Sakura’s twin sister, and it was funny to him because the two of them were already acting like twins.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlT4JhTNgVg&ab_channel=AnimeCat
Not to mention the many many scenes of Kaito seemingly investigating all aspects of Sakura’s life, like her father, Touya, the house she lived in, her mother, Syaoran, etc. He did all of this because he wanted to make sure Akiho would have a good life with Sakura’s family, and that she would be surrounded by those that would protect her. And like…I know many of us noticed this and theorized he was doing this because he wanted to swap Akiho with Sakura, but I feel awful that I never considered them being twins as an option and assumed the worst. What he proved here by making them twins was that he wanted to save Akiho, give her a better life, but without taking away from others in the process.
 But there is one major problem with this wish… or rather two.
 Momo looks to Kaito and tells him that even with his magic, he cannot contain the power of the artifact. It is at this very moment that the pages of the book artifact appear beneath his feet, and some of his memories begin to show in the pages. It was when he was younger and had volunteered to go with Akiho on her journey to absorb more magic. Both the Clan and Association did not like this idea and showed distrust towards him, worried that he’d try to use the artifact for himself. But they decided to make a ‘compromise’ (assholes) by stating that he could take Akiho on her journey if he accepted the ‘Seal of D’. This seal is actually a curse that is intended to keep him in check and will activate if he tampers with the artifact in any way.
 Kaito seems to agree to this without hesitation and is warned that he can never break this seal, and if he does anything to ‘the artifact’ (god I wish they would talk about Akiho like the human being she is), he “can never return”. Do those words sound familiar? CUZ’ THEY FUCKIN’ DO TO ME.
 It turns out that the voice we have seen and heard in the manga and anime several times saying “You can never return” was directed at Kaito. The strange disembodied voice in Sakura and Akiho’s dreams was that of one of the Clan/Association members telling Kaito he could never go back if he broke this vow. And this also explains why Kaito had such a grim reaction when Akiho brought up those words before from her dream. It’s because he knew exactly what those words meant, but he still decided to go through with this anyways. From the very beginning, he knew he was going to sacrifice himself, and although we had our theories about this for quite some time, it is absolutely confirmed now.
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A magical seal appears over his chest, almost undoubtedly at this point the ‘Seal of D’, and in my initial read, I again was using Google Translate on the French pages before I saw this text, and it fucking broke me.
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I started crying almost instantly. To know that he was a boy that grew up caring for nothing, wanting nothing, liking nothing…to say that the very spell that will undo him is the first spell he ever wanted to use. It’s fucking heartbreaking, and for the first time other than when he laughed, I could see a smile on his face that I knew was 100% genuine in every way. He’s not hiding anymore. It is the smile of someone who feels he has just fulfilled his purpose in life and is ready for the end.
 Momo emulates me and most of the fandom by shouting and crying that he’s an idiot before he completely vanishes within the pages of the book. Sakura halts briefly, having felt something, but appears to brush it off, and lord I wish she wouldn’t have. The rooftop is now empty with neither Kaito or Momo, and the chapter ends there (because of course it does).
 -Wipes tears and blows nose-
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 Okay, so this chapter messed me up emotionally, but I honestly loved it. It’s so beautiful and devastating at the same time, but I think I finally have an idea of where the story will go from here. Sakura still should have her magic and she has already developed the ability to remember things despite rewinding of time etc. But I think RECORD will also play a part. The card has been extremely useful in showing things that didn’t even happen in the real world, such as her dreams, but it has also been shown in the anime to show records of past events that happened prior to Sakura even being born and never experienced. I also think the watch will play a part. We know now that Akiho has a broken pocket watch and will likely not be able to remember where it came from but have melancholy feelings when looking at it or some sort of heart ache. I think this watch will assist in bringing Akiho and Kaito back together.
 The ‘Seal of D’ also appears to have the same kind of appearance as the dragon from Sakura’s dreams, so I believe that the curse the Association and Clan put on him will have turned him into this dragon, and that he is currently roaming the world of the book. Because Sakura’s dreams showed the dragon in Tomoeda, I think that he will somehow break through the book in this form at some point, but there is still definitely the question about the Cloaked Figure, and it is still debatable who that will end up being. We know that part is still to come as Sakura has yet to wear the ‘sleeve’ she mentioned before that she would have on when she finally meets the Cloaked Figure for real. 
 God, just when you thought the climax was finally here, it seems we haven’t even reached the tip of the iceberg. This is most definitely why CLAMP needed another full volume to finish it, and I’m all for it.
  I am so fascinated to see the next chapter and what this new timeline is like. Does Akiho know about Kero and Suppi etc.? What has gone on exactly in regards to the Clear Cards? And what about Syaoran? Does he still have the Sakura cards? What are the actual ramifications of this massive timeline change? And Lillie? What happened to her if Akiho was never born her child, and how did this affect Nadeshiko?
 SO MANY QUESTIONS!!
 But we’ll get answers here real soon, and I look forward to talking about them all with you! See you next month!
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sizebrained · 2 months
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Movie Night of Big Feels, Part 1
Ben and Hazel do Netflix and Chill (warning it's long).
This happens *just before* the first part of the Rat chapter. Y'know for max level suffering.
CW: Adult themes, language, feelings, and gazing. ANGST AND FLUFF!
***
Ben's final paper assignment was to pick a single movie about King Arthur from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. He had to trace what each movie decided to highlight from the original myth and how different each was, what he thought of it, and a bunch of other stuff proving his brain worked. It made him doubt the point of college, especially since he didn't have to really worry about finding a job for money. He could have watched movies and talk about the differences without sitting in a class. But Hazel seemed to disagree with him. Strenuously.
Hazel had to drag Ben across the finish line to get a passing grade in his Medieval Literature class, at least figuratively. Hazel would, literally, struggle to move one of his fingers at their respective sizes. His whole body would have been ridiculously impossible for her to move, unless she snuck up and scared him to make him jump.
The readings were all dense and hard to follow. Ben insisted that they didn't seem to be in English, despite both the teacher and Hazel's insistence that Beowulf, Chaucer and the other readings were founding pillars for the English language. Just as Dante's Divine Comedy was for contemporary Italian as Hazel pointed out one day when he had objected. It seemed like Italian stuff came up a lot since he had met Hazel even though she was British. Ben's other major challenge with his Medieval Literature course was that it was an in-person class.
Ben hated those if he could avoid them.
Ben hated in-person classes because the other people in those classes whispered or gawked at him all semester. You couldn't really tell how tall someone was on a video call. It got better over time as they got used to him, but it was still something he noticed. He saw in the way most of his classmates looked at him or spoke to him. Or, god forbid, when he had to speak up.
But Hazel and Sam would only let him do one all virtual class a semester. They both said he needed to get out more. He had bought this condo fully intending to avoid that after his accident.
He really enjoyed having Hazel in his life. But he wasn't as happy about it when she agreed with Sam and it forced him to do something. Like going to in-person classes with other people.
He knew it was for his own good, but he still protested. He did feel better after he spent time around people, despite the gawking and whispers. For his Medieval Literature class's final paper, Ben was also disappointed that his attempts to coax Hazel into helping him write it failed. She said that was cheating, and stood firm in refusal. "My tutoring because of some shortcoming on your professor's part in a lecture is one thing," Hazel said explaining her objections, "But I am absolutely not going to do your work for you. I have had my education. This is your responsibility." To make really sure, Hazel disappeared for long periods while he was working on it under the deadline. Ben didn't like when she was gone. It made his big modern condo feel empty. He liked that when he first moved in, in fact that's why he bought it.
But without catching glimpses of Hazel on the countertop, or her bookcase, and it was truly hers at this point not his, or best of all on his shoulder or pocket...everything in the place seemed hard and sharp. In a bad way, like it was hostile and needed her to soften it up.
For someone so small, he always felt like she filled it. It was enough of a difference that Ben resolved to not even joke about asking her to cheat on a paper or exam. He also had no idea where she would go. When he asked, Hazel only offered that she was "Around."
She had spent most of the time Ben was working on his final paper traveling back and forth outside to the old shed. She was taking fresh, human food out to her father and checking in on him.
Even though most of that time was spent in silence or lost in her memories during the trek from the building and back. But she hadn't told Ben about her father still living out in the shed. Her father asked her not to and she wanted to honor his request. So it remained a mystery to him about where she had gone. But with a new semester, Hazel did help him select courses rather than go by the rumors of what class was easiest.
When they were going through the course options on his computer, Hazel had suggested he take one for an elective that was titled Myth, Media, and the Staying Power of King Arthur and the Camelot Legend.
He had read parts of Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur in Medieval Literature. Ben was surprised that it seemed familiar but also really different, which was the point of this course. How something changed over time. She thought this could build upon what he had learned from his Medieval Literature class so it didn't seem like a total waste.
Plus, he got to watch a lot of movies for this class. Some even in class. Although he did have to write short papers after each one, but that wasn't so bad.
It was even the same professor from his Medieval Literature class. She was hard but fair. Ben was still amazed he had passed and the professor seemed pleased to notice him again in one of her classes. Although, at his size, it was impossible not to notice him. It definitely had a lot of knights, but there wouldn't be many dragons.
"Unless you count Uther," Hazel said laughing. Ben didn't think it was a good joke. Her jokes were usually terrible. But he still felt his lips tug upwards at the corner of his mouth a bit.
They sat together now on his large couch as he started the first movie he was going to write about in his final paper. "If you had the 1960's I would have suggested Camelot. They made a film of the broadway show. I actually got to see the show with Mary in New York once..." Hazel said feeling the memory inside. It wasn't pleasant now like it had been once. It felt like it had claws and the sharp points scraped the edges of her heart now. Ben hated musicals. He couldn't get over someone just breaking out into song in the middle of doing something else. He imagined if he was guarding someone during a game only for both teams to stop playing and break into a coordinated song and dance about how important it was to not miss the shot. "I'm uh not a fan of musicals. I bet it's in black and white like all the other movies you like." Ben added with some sarcasm woven into his words. "The film version is in color actually...if I remember correctly. The songs are not really proper really songs though, at least not like a good Gilbert and Sullivan. There is one song in it though I am quite fond of..." Hazel said a little defensively. "Oh what's the song?" Ben asked. He had put an elbow down on the couch arm where she stood, resting his face on his upturned palm. He was actually curious. But he was curious whenever she told him something he didn't know. "If Ever Would I Leave You..." Hazel said flatly. She wasn't looking at Ben when she said it. It was like she saw something else in the distance that had caught her attention. It was her memory of that show and night again. She felt the sharp claws again. "How does it go?" Ben asked wondering if she was going to break into song too. But he had never heard her sing. He only sang when he was in the shower sometimes. Hazel had heard him once and asked what had song had so inspired him. He turned bright red and didn't sing in the shower afterwards. "I cannot recall..." Hazel replied still staring in the distance. She was lying. She knew every word. "I can look it up real quick." Ben said pulling out his phone from his shorts to search. She wished he wouldn't, it just made her think of Mary. Hazel was remembering the feel of Mary's lips on her body that night. Ben found a video and lyrics and started reading out loud, "You were right the movie was in color...If ever would I leave you, it wouldn't be in summer. Seeing you in summer I would never go..." Ben stopped feeling awkward. It was a love song. It felt weird to read it to Hazel. "Well anyway, let's watch our movie." Ben said putting away his phone. Hazel turned towards the television and wiped her eyes swiftly.
For the 70's, Ben decided on Monty Python's Holy Grail.
He had already seen it when the class had watched it together. Ben was surprised how funny it was even though it was so old. Hazel had never seen it, which was the main reason he picked it. He wanted to watch it with her. He wanted to do everything with her.
At the start of the movie, Ben had set his big popcorn bowl on the edge of the wide couch arm. But then he quickly realized Hazel wouldn't be able to see over it. He didn't want to move it backwards, closer to him, because then he wouldn't be able to see her over it. Ultimately, Ben decided to just put the big bowl in his lap and hand a piece to her when she wanted one.
About a quarter through the movie, he was handing her a kernel nonstop in a loop. He switched to putting small handfuls on the edge of the couch arm in front of her. Hazel thought the movie was hilarious. Maybe it was funnier for her because there was something British about it that he didn't notice.
It was so funny that she actually snorted several times. That made Ben laugh more than the movie. Because he spent most of the movie...watching her watch it. Ben had noticed the way he had started looking at Hazel about midway through his last semester. But it wasn't really the way he was looking. His eyes were doing the same thing they had always done.
He realized it was the way he was seeing her. Like it didn't matter that she wasn't even four inches tall, though that was still pretty difficult to ignore. And the tail.
It was easier to ignore her height when he got closer. But that made the feeling he had seeing her get worse. It felt like the start of a panic attack in his lungs that never came.
He felt like he would break out in a sweat if he did it for too long. But, usually, she would back away or find a way to create distance between them. He didn't like when she did it, but he also didn't want to be a jerk. He tried to remind himself how he would feel if their situation was reversed. How would Ben feel if was only 4 inches tall, and she was his size. He would have wanted her closer. And he wouldn't have pulled away.
Thinking of it now made Ben adjust himself discretely in his spot on the couch. Ben was pretty sure Sam suspected that he was...well that he was looking at her the way he was looking at Hazel. Recently, he looked over at his sister after he had been staring at Hazel. They had just exchanged a few briefs words very close to one another, the way he liked. Sam had noticed. She gave her younger brother a knowing look with one suspiciously raised eyebrow. "I see you babe," was all Sam said smiling at her big little brother.
But it was enough for to Ben feel a creeping embarassment make its way up his spine using each vertebrae like the step on a ladder. After a while Monty Python's ending credits started rolling up the screen, Hazel wiped her eyes still laughing and was fanning her face. "Dear lord, I cannot believe I have been missing out on that film for half a century." She said between laughs. Ben didn't like when Hazel said that kind of thing. He knew she wasn't trying to, but it reminded him of just how much older she was than him. It didn't make any sense.
She looked like she was his age up close. But she talked and acted like she was from a different century. And she was, but it made him feel weird.
She had explained that their lifespans were far far longer than humans. He did begrudgingly did the math. If they lived to be 1000 instead of 100 like a human, if you were lucky, then Hazel would only be two years older. But when she mentioned the math somehow it didn't seem like comparatively mattered.
It made him feel more distant from her. He hated that feeling. "I hate when you do that..." Ben said out loud not realizing it. "Hate what?" Hazel said. She had stopped her residual laughter now. She was staring up at him with a concerned look.
Shit...Ben thought to himself. *** End Part 1
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asterhaze · 1 year
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Author Ask Tag Game
Thank you @doublegoblin for the tag here! And also @gummybugg for tagging me here!
(1) What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?
That we are what we make of ourselves, despite our traumas, despite our gifts, and despite our faults. That there are things that people do that are unforgivable, even if they are forced. Also, that true love is patient, kind, and understanding despite its awesome fragility.
I chose these themes because I think they're realistic, they're lessons that are easy to swallow, and that don't need to be pushed in people's faces to be understood. I don't want to spell things out but I also just want to tell a story, so if this ends up not being the real main lesson then I hope you all still like it.
(2) What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?
I studied Romanian and European fashion from the 1850's to the 1870's. Then I studied American (United States) fashion from then on until I was familiar. I studied history, slang, folklore, LGBT history, etc. As far as what my world looks like, its a cross between where I grew up in a state somewhere along the Missipiipii-fuck Mississippi river and living in Florida but make it gloomy.
(3) What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?
Glen is trying to become himself again after visiting the horrific and disgusting Tiletsu Clan. There he is confronted with a question that someone asked him long ago: If vampires are just more powerful humans, aren't they more dangerous? And conversely, if humans are just weak vampires, are they worth keeping safe?
As a writer, I want to tell a good story where all of the characters (except the Tiletsu and friends) are morally grey, make bad decisions that they thought were good ones, and have to grow up despite having plenty of time to do so. While trauma causes many reactions, I read a lot where the reaction is to forget everything. My experience is that I can't forget anything at all and I wanted to explore that in my writing.
(4) How many chapters is your story going to have?
About thirty chapters. The outline of Masterpiece is 70 pages long, granted it is an okay-detailed outline, with 33 parts currently. So please expect 33-40 chapters.
(5) Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?
Original Content 100%. There isn't anything wrong with fanfiction at all, but I love my original characters and the worlds I build, and I'm not a big enough or cool enough fan of anything to write fanfiction.
I plan to post the first 5 chapters of Masterpiece here on Tumblr, over at Wattpad, and Ao3. Smaller novellas and the entire story will be published with a limited print run at first and the eBook somewhere that I haven't decided yet for purchasing. Starry Skies and Like Minds will follow this same process, but Henrietta and Apocalyptic Cat Lady (Working Title) are web series!
You'll be able to find more information after my website is up and running!
(6) When and why did you start writing?
I started writing when I was 11 and did collaborative writing roleplays with other people my age. Eventually, I became a big enough fan of Star Trek (Kelvin Universe) that I did a massive fanfiction with my friend that lasted years. I made many OCs, had whole stories, had lots of adventures, and then when I went to college it died. One of those OCs will be reborn into Starry Skies and Like Minds whenever I decide to write it and share it here!
(7) Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?
My blog is under a year old and I have less than 100 followers, it's just the name of the game. When I posted my first piece of writing, absolutely no one found it for a while despite ABCDEFG. What helped me the most when it comes to finding mutuals that actually interact with you is to find "Looking for Writeblr" posts and go through the replies. Check every blog. Start interacting, that's why my intro post has a "Please, I promise I'm just an idiot and really like you blog" disclaimer because I do, genuinely, like a lot of stuff on other people's blogs. That is how I found the great and powerful @doublegoblin @mthollowell-writes @pinkchaosstories and @gummybugg who tag me and make my life great.
Thank you all for tagging me in everything, you make my life a joy.
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jaffre · 5 months
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catdad backstory rambles
so lonzo's dad, i'll just call him moroko, thats his original name and i haven't found anything better so far
born and raised in the weird ass welcome to my twisted mind cat themed blood cult or some shit that is the kuroda family. still unsure on the details, but what i do know is that the name kuroda is (for obvious reasons) infamous among magic knowers (takes place in a world where knowledge of magic is regulated)
he was born with natural magical abilities as anyone from the kuroda family does, but i imagine they're not at full power unless you actively nurture them (thus, the blood cult vibes mentioned above) so while he does have a long lifespan and ages slower (which is going to be weird for his wife) he's not quasi immortal like the rest of his family
which also explains why his own kids barely display any magical abilities and didn't get the cat genes (altho im considering one of the siblings did get it, just for fun) because he hasnt been taking care of his magical side at all
so between the 60s-70s, moroko leaves his family after stealing a considerable amount of money and flees japan. i imagine he just wants to get as far away as possible from there, so that's why he lands in europe. im too brain dead to do research on the geopolitical environment for japanese immigrants in europe in the 70s for my silly cat oc that takes place in a world that's basically just ours but magic is real, so idk how and when he finds his italian wife.
likely, he was traveling across europe and met her in italy. they fell in love and he was probably going to settle there, but then they decided to move to france instead
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deepautumncolors · 7 months
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My First Day of Subbing
The dance fitness instructor is starting her maternity leave, so today was my first day of subbing for her class. Normally my work hours are from 8-5 but the class is at 4:30, so I got up early and worked from 7-4 so I wouldn’t have to use any personal time. I’ll be doing that for the next several months until she’s ready to come back.
There’s going to be a solar eclipse in my area on April 8th which is a Monday, so the other day I had an idea to choreograph routines to some songs about the sun and have a sun-themed class that day. But then I thought, why go through all the trouble to choreograph a bunch of songs that I’ll only use once? And I knew it would be going up to 70 degrees today (!), so I decided to use them throughout the entire springtime. Over the weekend, I choreographed a warmup to Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles (one of my all-time favorite songs). Then I threw together one for another Beatles song called Good Day Sunshine and one for Brighter Than the Sun by Colbie Caillat. I’ve gotten much faster and better at coming up with choreography than I was when I first started last year!
Only six women came to my class today, but that’s probably because it was so nice outside and hopefully not because they knew I would be subbing. lol. I think there will probably be more people next week. I hadn’t subbed since right before Christmas, so yesterday I practiced all my routines in order to refresh my memory. Everything went smoothly in class, and I didn’t blank out on any steps or make any major mistakes. But for some reason I only had a cup of tea this morning and I didn’t drink any water after that, so I got pretty thirsty while we were dancing. I chugged most of my water in between songs, and I knew I wouldn’t have enough left for the last 20 minutes. So for the first time ever, I excused myself to go refill my bottle at the fountain down the hallway during class. But they didn’t mind, and there was no reason to make myself suffer through the rest of class without it. It really did help and I felt a lot better after I drank some more. From now on, I’ll make sure to hydrate all morning and afternoon before class!
I decided to use different songs for the warmups and cooldowns based on whatever’s going on in real life, like whichever season/holiday/month it is. Today I used a song called Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder, and I’ll use that one again on the day of the eclipse. Next week I’ll use Daylight by Taylor Swift because of daylight savings and the week after that, I’ll use St. Patrick’s Day by John Mayer (even though he’s her nemesis). And this morning I was pleased to discover that April 29th falls on a Monday this year, so I’ll use High Infidelity by Taylor Swift that day (it mentions that specific date in the lyrics).
Luckily I took this picture before class and not afterwards when my face was red and I was dripping with sweat! 😅
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Inuyasha - Chapter 1 of 559...
Fuck it. I'm liveblogging this reread.
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If you want to read the Inuyasha manga along with me, you can find it here:
(If you're reading this site on your phone, the pop up ads are lame and keep regenerating. If you switch to the "desktop" version of the site, the ads are less obtrusive.)
Alright. I've been liveblogging at my sister for a few weeks and decided that no one person needs to deal with one of my hyperfixations to THAT degree... 😅
What spawned this reread was the fact that I started reading Mao and I dunno how to describe it. I like the characters NOW, but the entire story just feels mushy and directionless until around chapter 70. CHAPTER SEVENTY. Now things are moving along at a pretty good clip and the characters make more sense. But it's still a strange amalgamation of Inuyasha themes, characters, events, and even weapons. The reason I kept reading the story in the beginning was because Takahashi's ghost stories are fun and creepy on their own, and you got a new one every couple of chapters, but I was like...why don't I just reread Inuyasha again?
The first time I read it, I was reading scanlations as they were released and I remembered feeling let down by the ending, but I'm wondering if that was just a symptom of the waiting...but it's also possible the story goes aimless as well. I guess we'll find out... My dad read the manga after it was completed and he did not have the same reaction. He was like, what? The ending is cute!
I will tell you, though... Inuyasha hits different when you're 40 vs when you're 20.
Aight let's get this show on the road.
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Chapter 1. This story starts out with a bang. In 32 pages, we get THROWN into the story already in progress, meet four of our main players (Inuyasha, Kikyo, Kagome, and Kaede), we're introduced to the whole time travel element, and we find out that Kagome might be Kikyo's reincarnation. And that Kagome's proximity to Inuyasha and her being in danger is what awakens Inuyasha. Aaaaaaaaaaaaand we end on a big cliff hanger.
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I mean, what more could you want in a first chapter? You are introduced to so many questions. Who is Inuyasha? Why does he want to be a full demon? Who is Kikyo? Why did she pin Inuyasha to the tree? Is Kagome really the reincarnation of Kikyo? Will Inuyasha save the day or will he attack Kagome? If you don't know the story already, you're like, what is going into my eye holes??! And if you DO know the story already, that first bit of backstory hits pretty hard.
Okay. Goals going forward. I'm going to be reading this with an eye for Kikyo's motivations and Sango's storyline. I want to understand Kikyo and I don't know if her storyline is just poorly written or if her motivation just isn't clear because we're not directly following along with her story and instead, her appearances are interspersed along the main plot. Also, I just love Sango. Like, if you need a template for "Strong Female Character" that is actually fleshed out, with strengths and weaknesses and ideals and flaws, Sango is your girl.
Alright. That's all I got for Chapter 1. On to the next!
Chapter Index
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cumbunnywitch · 2 years
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It made me cry kind of recently so I'm gonna post it on tumblr now that I've had some time to process it (for the umpteenth time).
When I was young, around 14 or so, I was just kind of figuring out my life. Finding out I was trans, or even egged, or even kinky, was going to be another few years away (btw shoutout to @adamwitt for your help there, fucking nerd.)
Well, I decided a few things about my bodily autonomy and started growing my hair out, grooming myself a bit better, just generally trying to feel good about my body. I was developing some other stuff, and the way I looked didn't fit the way I wanted to look, and I wasn't really quite sure why. I did know, however, that I wanted longer hair. Nothing extreme, should length was fine enough for me.
Well, my dad made fun of me for it. A lot. Not just like "oh lookin' shaggy there kiddo" but full on "You're starting to look like a fag, get your hair cut or I'll shave it off." kind of shit. It was intense. This went on for a few months at first, and then I joined the swim team in high school.
As a 14 year old boy in high school, I got bullied a bit, as I'm sure we all did. But my hair really wasn't much of a concern for anyone. The worst I got was being called Eric Foreman (from That 70's Show). No one called me a fag or queer or a homo because of my hair.
Not until my dad did. At a swimming meet. In front of my team. After I won. His congratulations turned sour immediately after he said "well now that you're winning, you gonna cut some time by shaving your head? I'm telling you, it makes you look like a sissy."
This was not the end. Now my team was doing it. They'd bring in their dad's clippers and offer to shave my head, or they'd make comments in the showers, and it was pretty terrible. I eventually quit the team when it didn't stop in the middle of my second season.
That first year though, right before some big tournament, my dad picked me up from school. This didn't happen very often, and he said we were going to McDonald's or Coldstone or some such place, as a treat. We weren't. We went to one of those sports-themed barbershops, the ones where they hire attractive women like they were the hooters of hair cuttery.
Luckily for me, the lady who ended up cutting my hair either knew what was up when she saw my sobbing quietly in her chair, or had read the FUCKING GENEVA CONVENTION (seriously, cutting the hair of prisoners is an actual war crime, look it up), and decided to help me pull one over on my old man.
She asked if she could even out my hair, make it look a bit more presentable, and even help me figure out how to style it a bit better. Now this is mid-aughties money, but it was still like a $30 wash, trim, style. Then, just to add a pickle on top of his shit sundae of a comeback, she convinced my dad to buy me some nice Tea Tree oil shampoo and conditioner. The really nice shit, I think it was Paul Mitchell brand? Shit was like $25 per bottle, and she suckered his ass into one each because it would help get rid of the chlorine from all the pool water.
This lady was my hero for an hour. I was still sad, still unhappy with what my dad tried to do to me. Maybe it's not as bad as getting beaten or having him pull out the clippers and hold me down, but it was still a betrayal of trust, not 2 years after my parents had divorced and sent me and my sister down diverging paths of emotional hell and mental anguish.
He doesn't remember anymore. Maybe he remembers that he tried and we pulled one over on him, but he doesn't remember how angry he was when we got in the car. He doesn't remember how hurt I was when he dragged me in. He doesn't remember trying to bribe the hair stylist with $40 to make sure I walked out with a "respectable hair cut." But it's been 15 or 16 years now. He's old.
He's softer too now. He treats me like a daughter. Sometimes the meds he's on make him seem not all there and he forgets, but I've seen him shake the fog away and remind himself, and call me Ashley like I want. We still talk about cars and planes and guns and the cool shit I liked back then that I still like now.
I haven't asked him to apologize about how he acted back then. He did that by being less of a piece of shit in his old age. But at the same time, I won't forgive him his past, because it was a defining traumatic moment in my life. I'll never forget it. And when he finally kicks the bucket, I'll let that memory fade into obscurity, remembered only by me as something that hurt and shaped me into who I am today. It's weird to say it made me a better person, but it did.
So I guess.. Thanks dad, you fucking asshole. I still love you.
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basedkikuenjoyer · 1 year
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Moe Violence: or How I Struck the Jidaigeki Goldmine
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I lost a close friend recently. A really close one and it was the kind of sudden bolt from the blue that’s really just fate waking up and deciding to kick you in the teeth. He liked old Western movies and was enough of a film buff to know how much back-and-forth there was with samurai cinema. So we had a lot of fun talking about movies. Made me want to finally get through a stack of films I’ve dug up on archive.org. Liking what I like, I think this binge has helped get a lot of clarity on where we started with looking at Lady Snowblood & Red Swallow Oyuki. (Oh...by the way. I plum forgot Snowblood’s auntie/confidant type figure was named Okiku. Always has a basket of yellow mums outside her door)
Started with checking out a trio of films the absolutely wonderful Junko Miyazono did after Red Swallow. Series is called Tales of the Poison Seductress; Hannya Ohyaku, Quick-Draw Okatsu, & Okatsu the Fugitive. They’re all standalone, caution though they’re very violent. SA is a factor too but from what I’ve seen most of the scenes may drag but try to keep it not too graphic. I say that as someone pretty turned off but “losing her virtue” is a threat hanging around frequently in these and there’s a torture element. This is 60s/70s Japanese Grindhouse cinema, the type of thing that inspired gory directors like Quentin Tarantino. It ain’t for everyone and that’s why I wanna gush about it here. What I’m getting more and more though is that pinning our beloved Okiku to one jidaigeki reference is a fool’s errand. My dears, she’s an ode to an entire subgenre!
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Let’s not split hairs over the specific category of Toei films and slightly different ones with a female lead. The term I see used is “Pinky Violence.” Pinky coming from having female leads and being very sexually charged affairs. Toei needed to do something to compete with more Western movies making it over, so they opted for shock value and the way they went for it ended up giving us a pretty feminist genre. Not to say these were all jidaigeki which means “period drama.” There were a lot of modern ones I have yet to dive into heavily. Before Lady Snowblood Meiko Kaji gave us a really fun looking 6-part series called Stray Cat Rock for a great example. Machine guns, motorcycles, and LSD. They look awesome and check this aesthetic! I’m in love.
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That knowledge does make me think of Nami and the early design with a missing arm. Jojo’s Stone Ocean as well while we’re at it. There’s also a fair number of Yakuza movies that fall sorta in between like the Red Peony Gambler (Hibotan Bakuto) series. It’s all a little nebulous if you want to get into the weeds. There’s a few different styles from a few different studios but make no mistake. These were popular movies in Japan. Big studios like Toei were churning them out as B movies to maintain relevance. Compete with television and Hollywood’s resources.  
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Know what isn’t nebulous? Yeah...the hallmarks of the genre are big things we see out of Okiku’s role in Wano. The otherwise perfect lady with some little hook that means she isn’t “marriage material.” The whole arc of showing she can kick as much ass as any man but always reminding you of the lady playing the part. A big, big shared element is this core theme of taking down corrupt officials who abuse their power. Urashima the Yokozuna is exactly the type of guy who’d end up a villain in these. Sticking up for humble villagers, looking out for other women and children. Being the collateral damage of “great” men’s ambitions is what we tend to see over traditional fare like say, reinstalling a dynasty. I love the running theme of these being so much more local in scope. And Kiku gets that modern twist of her being trans for the “excuse.” I adore that in contrast to anime trends of needing to make an excuse for the deviance. My dead sister was the favorite, I went silly due to trauma, etc. This trope and trend of subversion is a big reason I love the mistaken bride idea. 
The more of these I see, and I’m friggin hooked these days, the more I see little bits and bobs that feel like they may have shaped our beautiful flower of Wano. And others! She’s a little more than a simple homage though. We do see the violence part pretty well for One Piece. Kiku gets the shit beaten out of her on Onigashima and it is gory by this manga’s standards. That’s where the modernization seems to be though. We tone down the sexuality for cute. Which isn’t that off base, the archetype in historical settings typically does have that innocent and sweet side. One Piece just isn’t the type of series you’re going to actually see things like making good on Tama’s intro of fleeing from being sold to the red light district. Even if it didn’t make it in the proper story, Kiku & Izo’s origin does flirt with that kind of content more than the series usually would. Hell, we do get Holdem torturing Tama and the series just fades to black on a similar spot for Tsuru. 
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Wano made this genre feel familiar already. Snowblood loves it some anachronic storytelling, Red Peony sets up and ends films with a non-diagetic theatrical framing. Ohyaku uses a big simpleton to bust out of a prison camp. Speaking of, can I please get someone whipping a hair stick like a dart? That’s my favorite little signature from the Red Peony. Oryu in those is a fun protagonist played by Junko Fuji. That’s one of the more accessible series, less graphic than One Piece so far, and she plays with gender as a theme more. Proclaims to be a man but we always see deep down she’s still a lady that wishes she could have married the honest merchant’s son. Oh...and almost all of these ladies are total daddy’s girls like Kiku acts towards Kin. That whole series gets its own because there’s eight of them and they’re soooo good. 
Eiichiro Oda is a great writer and worldbuilder...but he’s actually pretty derivative. One Piece doesn’t break ground as much as refine the dominant genre when it started, even Rurouni Kenshin was more subversive for shonen. The more I see of these though, the more I see Oda just being this big kid who thought these old movies were so cool and couldn’t wait to rip into his samurai gang. Of course one of em if gonna be a little Junko Miyazono/Meiko Kaji being a fierce strong-willed lady of war. These movies are classic cool!
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