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team-mythic-beasts · 8 months ago

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Team Mythic Beasts: Let’s Talk Designs!

Also Included: (Updated) Birthdays, Ages, MBTI, Heights

(Note: Special thanks to @levijonescc, creator of the Aveyond 4 x Hetalia mod, for inspiring this project; without you we may not be here today. Btw I suck at drawing humanoid characters so I used this base)

It took me almost seven years to finalize the boys’ designs, but here they are!

Besides the pictures, I’ve also invited them here to explain the thought process behind their outfits. They will go in order of color, so this time we’re starting off with… Jones!

❤️ The Wolf- Jones Fitzgerald

(Apr 25 ♉️ | 29 y/o | INTJ | 177cm / 5’9”)

It’s only fair that the best-looking guy in the bunch gets the first word… so why does Luke keep getting all the spotlight? I’m supposed to be the main character!

Anyways, hope you aren’t too scared from all the spikes and flame patterns that I wear. Intimidation is a huge factor in designing a villain outfit, and I take great pride in being called scary. The flames are for another reason too— I’m a fire mage, and those who cross me shall beware the heat.

The cape was a reward from a quest I took up long ago. I saved a village from a demonic wolf, and they gave me some of her fur to wear as a trophy. In a way, it’s a reminder not to let my beloved Hiro go down the same path as his mother… but I do look quite big with the cape, don’t you think?

Even without my armor, cape, and giant coat, I still look like I’m onto some villain-y business, with the vest and jewel… Wait, what do you mean “yeehaw,” Makoto?! I’m not a cowboy!

🧡 The Dragon- Ludovic Brant

(He forgot 😢 | 70+ y/o (physically 25) | ISTJ | 200cm / 6’6”)

… Hello there. I did not expect such a quick debut.

As you can likely tell from my hardened look, my story is about battling demons. I was promised greater progress by the others in Team Mythic Beasts, and they have been of great help in my quest.

I made my armor from various monsters that I have slain in battle, but the helmet, specifically, is from an a assassin sent by my former captor. It put up a tough fight, that’s for sure, but nothing beats the fury of a dragon.

Underneath my armor is a simple outfit I put together in Moriad, where I have lived as a refugee for quite a few decades now. I asked my dwarf neighbors if they could make me custom wear, but it was too much for them. Therefore, every piece is made by hand, by myself.

… Yes. That is all.

💛 The Lion- Mikkel Anderson

(Dec 5 ♐️ | 19 y/o | ISFJ | 183cm / 6’0”)

Evil beware, the Lion of Team Mythic Beasts is here!

When I was a young lad, I’d be carrying heavy stuff everywhere to build up strength for all this armor that I wear now. That means I have to eat a lot of food every day, too! But underneath all this steel, I’m just a humble little guy from the city outskirts.

Oh, this medal? I got it from Lord Kristan! He’s the legendary founder of my hometown, Alphica, and he’s been watching over me and my nan since I was born.

So… that should cover everything about my outfit. You can probably tell I’m not as flashy as my friends; they’ll have a lot more to talk about than I do, I’m sure!

💚 The Weasel- Arthur Blackwood

(Oct 23 ♏️ | 36 y/o | ESTJ | 175cm / 5’8”)

Ha ha ha ha ha!!! If trouble is what you’d expect at the sight of a witch like me, then you’d be right— but you’ve got to be a total numbskull to get on my bad side. My long, sharp nails aren’t the only things you should worry about.

Not a fan of heavy clothes, since potions is my specialty; a simple coat, protective armwear, and a ragged cape does the job for me. As for the bird skull on my shoulder, one of the Raven Lord’s “beloved children” decided it was a good idea to get in the way of my curses— (MAKOTO’S NOTE: THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.)

Purple and cyan? Meh. Black, green, and silver? Classic. No idea what the witchcraft school I went to was thinking when they designed our uniforms, but I’ve done a better job than they ever will. It’s a shame my brothers don’t think the same.

That’s all you need to hear from me. Now get lost before I turn you into a frog!

🩵 The Eagle- Finn Dentrad (né Teryekol)

(Aug 28 ♍️ | 24 y/o | INTP | 162cm / 5’3”)

Looks like my days as an adventurer are not over yet!

My outfit used to be a lot lighter. Shorts, summer jacket, loafers… they’re comfy, no doubt, but I needed something to reflect the things I’m actually good at— engineering and mechanics. So I decided to switch them out for some heavy duty wear.

Now, I’m fully covered up from the neck down, because building stuff, especially gadgets, isn’t really a safe activity. My coat is long enough for protection, but not too long as to get caught in the middle of moving gears. Yikes! Just thinking about that frightens me.

My eyes are just as important for my talent, so I’ve switched out my hat for a pair of goggles. Combine that with my new coat and waist pockets… don’t I look a lot more reliable now?

Oh, one more thing… I’ve had so many people tell me how heavy my backpack is. Is it really? The only stuff in there are bigger mechanical parts and my robot dog Hanatamago, that’s all…

💙 The Bear- Fra’ser Du’randt

(Jun 26 ♋️ | 39 y/o | ENFJ | 175cm / 5’8”)

*yawns* … Oh, hey there. Sorry, I was busy… looking into other people’s dreams.

How is that possible? Well, not long after I came to this world, the Lord of Dreams made me his assistant. He gave me the power to access the dreams of other individuals at any given time, whether I’m awake or in the process of dreaming. Dispelling nightmares is my job, as well as my specialty.

My Lord designed and created my entire outfit. Blue and purple are the colors of dreams in this world, so it’s only natural that he would choose such hues. The sleeves of my coat are styled just like his, and my base wear resembles the uniform I had at my last job. I do miss my friends back there, but I’m happy to be able to serve my Lord. He is truly a kind deity.

Of course, fighting night terrors is a dangerous job, so the cape and armbands serve as protection. My downwards moon earring also acts as a talisman. All in all, it warms my heart that my Lord had considered so much when he made me this costume.

💜 The Fox- Lucas Reynard

(May 6 ♉️ | 110 y/o (physically 20) | INFP | 178cm / 5’10”)

Oh wow, I’m finally last for once. You probably know me well enough by now, as I’m all over this blog as well as Makoto’s Instagram page, if that’s how you found us here.

Every single item you see on me is a gift. Most are from my sisters, but gods have asked of my favor as well. I have no idea what they saw in me, but… alright. Pretty cool, I guess. If you want to know from whom is which, do let me know. By the way, if you look very closely at my choker, it has my initials on it.

Somehow, training with my family had helped me grow a pair of wings, fox ears, and a tail. No, this doesn’t make my hearing any better, nor can I fly... These parts are made of mist, and depending on my mood or energy level, can sometimes appear translucent or not show up at all.

The face markings... I got them while learning how to shapeshift under the God of Colors. He told me that every shapeshifter, whether born with the talent or learned it later in life, has a unique mark, or a combination of them. It’s not evident in my main form, but when I turn into a fox, the canine facial structure reveals the full shape of my marks— four diamonds.

Oh, sorry, I spoke too much… Well, if you want to know more about our outfits, feel free to ask. For now, have this— our very own mascot collection, Team MiniB. It was my idea, by the way.

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theshotsheardacrossworlds · 2 years ago

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Day 3: Temper

Long ago, Brant Longsong, Second Mate of the Reavin’ Rascals, is awoken to face an unimaginable threat.

“Brant, get up! Cap’n says ol’ Leviathan’s come back!”

Brant Longsong, second mate of the Reavin’ Rascals, sat up in his bunk and stared at the cabin boy who woke him. “We headin’ to ‘im then?”

The boy, not much older than eleven summers, nodded vigorously. “Aye, aye. He’s ‘spectin’ all ‘ands on deck!”

Brant grunted as he reached for his trousers. I’ll ‘ave to ‘ave Kay mend these when we’re back in Limsa. Gettin’ too tight in the belly again… “I’ll be on deck in a few.”

The boy nodded again and scurried away.

I wasn’t much older than the boy when I began dreamin’ of the world. Wantin’ to see all the wonders. Wasn’t gonna do that on our little island…

Brant and his sweetheart Kay Aldis grew up on a small island north of Limsa Lominsa where people fished and grew crops. Simple folk. Nothin’ wrong with that, but it wasn’t for us. He and Kay would dream about traveling the world and seeing everything. We only got as far as Limsa…but soon I’ll have enough gil to buy Kay a ring, so we’ll be married. Nothin’ too fancy. Kay’s not that kind of woman. Besides, she’d want me to use the money for our babe. He smiled to himself as he tied his boots. What a surprise that was! The timin’ isn’t the best, but we love our babe all the same. He…or she…will have a good, happy life. We can see the world together! Told Kay if it’s a girl she’ll be named Agnes after my Gran. Gran raised me, so it’s the least I can do to make her proud. She’ll be lookin’ down on her wee great-granddaughter and smile I know. Kay wants to name him Brant if it’s a boy. There’s more than enough Brant Longsong in this world! Surely another name would be better? Brant heaved all six and a half fulms and over four hundred ponze of himself up and grabbed his axe. Ol’ Leviathan won’t know what hit him!

When Brant arrived on deck, he strode quickly to the Captain and First Mate. “Any sightin’, ser?”

Graceful Rock, Captain of the Reavin’ Reavers, shook his head. “Not yet, though the fishmen are yonder.” He pointed with his spyglass to a small cove. “They be takin’ women and children to their lair.”

“To turn them.” Ramona Sill, the Midlander First Mate muttered. “Fuckin’ dicks.”

Brant seethed. Not on my bloody watch they won’t! “I can lead a party to free any prisoners, Cap’n. Jus’ say the word.” My axe will drink deep of the fishmen and their “god.” Ye won’t harm anyone else!

The Captain turned to look at Brant, raising an eyebrow. “Not a bad idea, Second Mate. Take a small party and go. We’ll distract ‘em from ‘ere.”

With a nod, Brant ran to gather a few trusted fighters and healers, and within fifteen minutes, he and the landing party took a small boat and headed toward the cove.

Hopefully they’re not already turned…oh wait, no tempered. That’s it. The term is tempered. We might still save them!

Unfortunately for Brant and the landing party, the prisoners, consisting of mainly women and children from Limsa, were already tempered. Even more unfortunate was that Leviathan wasn’t out at sea as expected. The cove was much deeper than anyone thought.

Brant, axe in hand, glanced at the landing party and screamed, “Run! I’ll ‘old ‘em off! RUN!”

“BRANT!” Uhu Cehu, a lalafellan machinist and one of Brant’s first friends in the Rascals, yelled. “BRANT!”

For my crewmates.

For Kay.

For our babe.

Brant Longsong charged at Leviathan.

As the landing party rowed back to the ship, Uhu could hear Brant yowling in terror.

The next time Uhu saw Brant Longsong, “the Gentle Giant of the Rascals” had been transformed into a half-fish monster, raving about “Lord Leviathan.” It was Uhu who insisted on firing the shot into Brant’s heart. It was Uhu who told Kay Aldis, a bartender at the Drowning Wench, that her childhood sweetheart and father of her child was gone.

***

Years later, it was Uhu Cehu, who now worked loading and offloading cargo in Aleport, who swore he saw his old friend Brant walk amongst the living once more. A young woman in her early twenties and wearing healing garb was chatting with a few friends.

“It cannot be.” Uhu muttered, not able to take his eyes off the woman. “Can it?” Uhu and the other Rascals lost track of Kay soon after she was told about Brant and never knew what became of her or their child. She’s got Brant’s build for sure and his round face. Glasses? It cannot be…

“Hello.” A soft voice said happily. The woman he was staring at was now in front of him. “Is there ought I can assist you with? I’m a healer from the Conjurers Guild.”

Uhu coughed discreetly. “Forgive me, miss. You jus’ look like an ol’ friend is all.”

The young woman smiled gently. That’s Brant’s smile. “Oh? My name’s Agnes Currai if that helps.”

Uhu’s eyes widened. Agnes. After Brant’s Gran. No, it can’t…it surely cannot… He could feel pricking his eyes. “Y-ye said yer name is Agnes? ‘ave ye ever ‘eard the name Brant Longsong?”

“Hmm. Can’t say that I have, but I’d like to hear more about him. Maybe I can help you find him? Just let me tell my friends I’ll meet up with them later in Limsa.” Oh gods, she thinks he’s missing. Fucking damn it all. As she turned, Uhu began to sob. Agnes bent over and tried to comfort him. “O-oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset. Is he dead? Your friend Brant?”

Uhu nodded. Fuck. I haven’t cried about Brant in so long. Now my heart’s breakin’ again. She’s got to be…she has to be…

“Would you like a hug? Come, let’s sit down somewhere.” She straightened and motioned to her friends. “I’ll see you lot at the Wench later! This man needs some help.” Her friends waved and left Aleport. Agnes guided him to a bench by the port and took out a small handkerchief. “Here you go. I really am sorry.” She wrapped a long arm around his shoulders and rubbed his upper arm as he slowly began to stop crying. “There, there.”

Sniffling, Uhu wiped his eyes. “Sorry, miss. Brant’s been gone a long time. ‘e got tempered by ol’ Leviathan, leavin’ behind ‘is sweetheart and unborn babe. We…’is friends and crew…couldn’t find ‘em after a while.” And here you are. You have to be Brant’s daughter. “He said he wanted to name the babe Agnes, and ye look so much like ‘im.”

Agnes’s eyes widened. “Well, I am adopted. The only thing I know is that my original name on my birth certificate was Agnes Aldis.”

Navigator take me! It IS her! “Brant’s girl’s name was Kay Aldis!” Uhu, despite his aching joints, leapt up, surprising Agnes. “Do ye know that name?!”

Agnes shook her head but smiled. “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t go to the orphanage where I was born and ask. I’d hate to take you away from your work—”

Uhu grabbed her hand. “Doesn’t matter! Let’s go!”

And go they did.

That day Agnes Currai learned her birth mother’s name was Kay Aldis. Kay died not long after Agnes’s birth, living long enough to honor her deceased lover’s wish that their daughter be named for his Gran.

That day Agnes Currai learned her birth father was Brant Longsong, a man who died tempered but lived for his friends, his beloved Kay, and their child.

That day Uhu Cehu wept at finally finding Brant’s child. He wept more knowing that Agnes Currai, not Longsong, was traveling the world like he had wanted. He smiled at hearing that Agnes (Agi…she’s insistin’ on that) was adopted by a happy couple and grew up in Costa del Sol. He told Agnes stories about Brant and Kay and how the couple hoped to see the world with their babe.

As night settled on Limsa, Agnes told Uhu she had to go but gave him the name of her parents (Corrai and Luci Littlefoot Currai) in case he ever wanted to write her or them. She gave him one last hug (she really likes hugs) and waved goodbye. Later that night, Uhu walked along the dock where the Rascals’ ship once moored and poured some whiskey into the water.

“She’s a good lass, yer girl. She’s gonna do great things!”

#brant longsong #kay aldis #agnes currai #luci littlefoot currai #corrai currai #uhu cehu #reavin rascals #ffxiv write 2022 #ffxiv write #day 3 temper #brant and kay are agi's birth parents #cw adoption #cw death in childbirth mentioned #also brant was like a huge guy #and kay was tiny #uhu is still alive and writes to agi #agi finds it incredibly ironic that her birth father was tempered by leviathan but she cannot be

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bookwyrminspiration · 3 years ago

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juline and dex were cousins by blood, so they have probably interacted before, and he may have even met Brant. there is probably something in the books that contradicts this, but how do you think he would have felt that his kidnapper was his cousin's fiance? and that was the same guy that killed his cousin

As interesting as it would be to see Dex's reaction to something like there, you're right: there is something in the books that contradicts this. In book one Alden explains that "Grady and Edaline lost their only daughter about fifteen years ago" (pg 128, paperback). And since in book one Dex is a level 2, that makes him about 12-ish at the time. Jolie died a few years before he was even born, so they wouldn't have ever had a chance to meet or for him to meet Brant through her.

We could instead look at how it might've felt for Dex to know that he does have some relation to Brant, that if things had worked out differently they would've been family! That a cousin he never got to meet was killed by her fiance, someone he would've come to know. Someone who might've been a role model to him. I mean, Jolie and Brant were a bad match and so are Dex's parents, so that's a significant shared experience the two of them have that they could've bonded over.

Brant was (from what i can remember) really upset with how the system worked, and Dex also held/holds a grudge against it. And yet they somehow ended up on entirely different sides of the battle.

So I think a lot of the shock from the situation would come from him overthinking all the what ifs? What if Brant hadn't accidentally started that fire? Would Jolie have been able to turn him from the Neverseen? Would he have gotten to meet both of them? Would he have been related to Brant through marriage? Would they have spent time together? Would they have shared ideas? If Brant was still in the Neverseen would he have tried to recruit him? What if he'd accepted?

It's a really huge vague possibility, because there are so many things that could've happened but didn't and he'll never know what it would've been. But he and Brant were potentially a lot closer to each other than they ever realized. And now this person who helped in his and Sophie's kidnapping, permanently scarred them, and attacks the people he cares about has a relation to him. A kinda "what could have been" situation. because in a different world they would've been family, they might've even been close, and they're aware that it could've happened but didn't come to fruition, so they have this history that isn't there. Let me see if I can think of a comparison. You know when something happens like you break a glass and shards fly everywhere and you're like "...a piece of that could've gone in my eye," but it didn't yet you still know it could've happened. It didn't happen, but you still know. That kinda vibe mixed with a whole bunch of anger over what Brant's done to them.

While Dex might not have felt the exact things you were describing, it's possible that Juline and Kesler could've, as they were also related by blood to Jolie and could've met Brant. For Dex it's a what could have been situation, but still fascinating to look at so thanks for bringing it up!

#the timeline was also brought up when sophie was wondering is jolie could've been her mother #cause she was like 'but she died before I was born!!!...but embryos can be frozen....*drama*'#wonder how dex would think about it now that brant's dead #because all he can do about it is think. it didn't happen and he's dead but there is a whole relationship the two of them could've had #that he could've had with jolie #you know?#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #quil's queries #bluecookiesarebetter #dex dizznee #kotlc character analysis

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daisylincs · 4 years ago

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Shut up, I'm really proud of that portmanteau.

Anyway, as I got nostalgic about over here, today marks one year that I've had this blog. One year, I just... freaking wow, every time I say it, I'm blown away all over again! It simultaneously feels like so much longer - forever, really - that I've had this blog and these friends, but at the same time, it feels like only last month that it was May of 2020. Confusing much, I know, but the real point here is that, fandom friends, mutuals, I freaking LOVE you all, and this hellsite/app has brightened my months in so many more ways than I could ever have imagined.

And a full year of being here - that calls for some kind of a celebration, don't you think? Well I think so, and I'm totally doing it :D

Now, I know that the "traditional" celebration thingy for a Tumblr writer to do is to open prompts and give back to their followers - and, yeah, I want to do that, but I do unfortunately have pretty limited time thanks to work, ugh. And also - an anniversary (or a Lilyversary, whatever the case may be :P) goes both ways, and I want to celebrate me as well as you guys for a little bit.

So my celebration proposition is a compromise: I will respond with a drabble for the pairing of your choice... after you send me an ask with something I did during the past year that made you smile. It doesn't have to be anything huge or special, and we don't even have to know each other very well - it can literally just be, "you liked my post and it made me happy." I'll be like, sweet, what would you like me to write for you? Because yes, fine, I am a sucker for flattery.

As for the actual writing - when I say drabble, I mean drabble, as in, 100 words exactly. Hopefully. How it works is that after you've typed up your lovely thing to make me smile, you hit Enter and add on a new line, [pairing] + your choice of fluffy, angsty or friendshippy. I'll answer this with plenty of pleading-faces for your compliment, probably, as well as one hundred words of fluff, angst or friendship for the pairing you picked.

Pairings and fandoms I'm willing to write for are:

Any pairing, romantic or platonic, from Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, except for romantic Coulson/Daisy or anything including the characters Ward, Hive, Malick or Sousa

Any pairing, romantic or platonic, from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, except for Joan/Leif or Zoey/Joan

Anything at all involving Spideychelle (Peter Parker/Michelle Jones) and Ned Leeds, Betty Brant, and other characters from the MCU Spider-Man films

Star Trek: Discovery - I have watched up until season 2, episode 2, and am willing to write Michael/Philippa, Michael & Tilly, Michael & Saru, Paul Stamets/Hugh Culber, Stamets & Tilly as long as it's pre-2x03. I might be willing to try Joann/Keyla too, but, uh, no promises.

Now, some of you evil-mastermind type of souls might be wondering, hey, what if I send her like ten compliments? Do I get ten mini-fics? And the answer is, um, askldjfksaskldjfksakls, yes, you probably would, because my self-control is... terrible, to say the least. However, I'm going to ask you very nicely to please take some mercy on my sleep schedule, and only send in a maximum of three compliments/drabble requests per person. Thanks for understanding!

Regarding length, hm, well, depending on how many virtual hugs I get, I'm probably going to keep this going for the entire month of May, so... let's celebrate, my loves!!

#lilyversary #lilyversary celebration #💜💜💜#you guys - my friends and mutuals - really mean SO MUCH to me #and I'm so very happy to be here 💜

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werealljustwinginit · 4 years ago

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Tell us about what skincare ingredients and products you love!

Okay, so I LOVE TALKING SKINCARE. This is a huge topic for me and I often write up a blog post once a year where i recommend skin care products. So here is this year’s recommendation! An insanelyyyyy long and detailed post nobody asked for!! HERE WE GO:

I am a long time skincare advocate...before it really blew up and people started really getting to know more about their products and ingredients. I’ve just always had very acne-prone skin so I’ve had to pay attention to what products and ingredients I was using and how their formulas worked for me. As a result, over the years I tried A SHIT TON of products. Many expensive, fancy, high end, etc. But now I have my skincare routine down to a much more manageable and quality ingredient list. Obviously everyone’s skin is different...but this is what I use on a regular basis these days:

Serums:

- Krave Beauty’s Great Barrier Relief Serum: Honestly, this is THE SHIT. My favorite moisturizing serum to really help balance your skins hydration barrier and stay hydrated. It’s thicker and almost feels like a moisturizer. It’s so great. - The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Drops: Niacinamide is an amazing ingredient for your skin and can help a tremendous amount with clearing the skin, resurfacing, fading scars, and more. This really does a good job helping with my acne, so i really recommend to anyone. And I am pretty sure it’s like $5 cause it’s from the ordinary.

Moisturizers:

- CeraVe Moisturizing Cream: It’s a very cheap drug store moisturizer that has good, clean ingredients. After using fancy moisturizers for years, I finally gave into my dermatologist’s recommended lotion. LOL. They do have a lotion that is lighter, but my skin tends to be dryer, especially in the winter so I use the cream not the lotion. It’s thicker. (For high end junkies--it’s like comparing Drunk Elephant’s LaLa Retro to their Protini cream). I also sometimes throw in drops of a marula oil into this cream if I am really dry. Make myself a little face smoothie.

Eye/Lip Creams:

- Mario Badescu Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream: Now honestly, I still haven’t found my perfect eye cream yet...but I have used this one for a few years now. It moisturizes well and is cheap to buy. It’s probs not the most effective but at least I am moisturizing my eye area. One day I will take on more eye creams that target certain things, but that is one day when I have money to spend lmao. -Glossier Bubblewrap Lip/Eye Cream: This is a very unique moisturizing product that is meant for sensitive skin like your eye area and lips. It does say it plumps a bit, which I don’t ever feel a plumping effect, but I do love to use it on my lips. It’s so moisturizing and is kind of like using a primer before you apply chapstick or lipstick.

Exfoliators:

- Glossier Solution: The OG chemical exfoliant I tried and loved. These types of products aren’t great for everyone, and may have to be used less or more depending on skin type, but as an acne-prone human, I love a chemical exfoliant. This works and lasts a long while.

- Krave Beauty’s Kale-Lalu_AHA: Another chemical exfoliant. I recently tried this one because I do believe Krave Beauty uses better ingredients than Glossier Skin typically does (no shade tho). They were close in price, so I made the switch and have enjoyed the results so far. The packaging is also beautiful.

- Dr. Brant Microdermabrasion Exfoliant: This is NOT a chemical peel, this has aluminum oxyde crystals in it to polish the skin like a normal exfoliant would. It also has a lot of ingredients that help renew and refresh the skin while exfoliating. Now this product is HELLA expensive...I only have it because I once bought it for way cheaper when I had a subscription box. I don’t know if I would spend the full $80 bucks on it, but your skin does feel smooth.

- Tatcha The Deep Polish: This is an enzyme powder that you mix with water and exfoliate fro there. It is from when I used to buy the highest end products in hopes it would help my skin. It is pricey, but again does leave your skin feeling soft. So I rotate it in from time to time.

Masks:

- The Ordinary’s AHA 30% BHA 2% Peeling Solution: AKA THE BLOOD MASK. Now hugely popular on social media, the “blood mask” is a chemical mask that peels off dead skin and essentially works to eliminate the top layers of your skin and begin rejuvenating a fresher layer for softer, healthier, plumper skin. I do this once a week and it is way cheap. I can compare it to Drunk Elephant’s Sukari Babyfacial and it definitely beats that expensive version.

- Glow Recipe’s Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask: This is an overnight moisturizing mask that you simply wash off in the morning. It really helps lock in moisture and feels nice on the skin. I use this when I am feeling really dry.

- Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask: This one you have to mix the dry clay mixture with water and apple cider vinegar to create a goo that you can then let dry on your face. It may be intense for some, but I find it really helps dry out my acne spots and reduce redness in my skin. It’s always a fun one to do with other people too because you do have to prepare it. Good sleepover activity.

- GlamGlow Bubble Sheet Mask: This one is honestly more so used for when I am traveling and want to keep a mask on hand or when I am having a fun girls night or something. It’s a bubble mask--so to me that just means fun. I typically avoid sheet masks (unless I am traveling) because I think you end up throwing a way a lot of product you are paying for. But this one is fun, it’s cute, it’s different. I don’t notice a huge change in my skin tbh, but it is a fun activity for girls night.

Honorable Mention/Random Products:

- Youth to the People’s Kale and Green Tea Superfood Cleanser: I stayed away from this one for a long time because it’s expensive and I could rationalize buying such an expensive cleanser, but I got a gift card to Sephora and finally decided to try it. And ya know what?? I guess I am fancy now because I really love it. It does not overly strip your skin at all, and for the first time in my life I really know what that means. It’s so great, it smells so good. Ugh. Can’t get enough of this bougie bitch of a face wash.

- The Inkey List Retinol Cream: A recent purchase, but I have enjoyed seeing the results. Everyone imo should be using an eye cream and a retinol. This is a nice introduction to retinol, so I recommend to those looking for one.

- Glossier Mint Balm Dot Com Chapstick: THIS AGAIN--IS THE SHIT. Many will say they would never spend more than two bucks but one tube of their’s is seven bucks and it is WORTH IT. I buy the three pack once a year and i’m good. This is the best chapstick you will literally ever use. Fucking buy it. If I could tell you only three products that are a must from this list this would be one of them. (the other two would be great barrier relief and the kale cleanser)

- Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: I like this lip mask, it’s not needed everynight, but I do like to use a lip exfoliant (made or buy one, whatever) and then use this to really retextures my lips.

- Bag Balm: Now this is a very unusual product to recommend lmaooo. Originally, bag balm is used for chapped cow udders on farms--which is how I discovered it. Farmers eventually noticed that it helped your skin retain moisture and repair cracked skin in their hands. So now it is known as a good thick ass cream for hands and feet. Now this shit is again--used on cows originally, so the formula feels thick and greasy. I like putting it on at night and letting it soak in for a while as I lay on my phone. It really works--I swear to you.

- Sagely CBD Cream: I use their relief and recovery crea which smells like lavender and has a cooling effect when applied to the skin (kinda like biofreeze or icyhot would). This is only a 50mg CBD lotion, but I do like it.

- Mad Ritual CBD Muscle Recovery Balm: Now this is thick and definitely a balm, not a cream. It is much higher strength though, so I break it out when needed and a little goes a long way. This one is 200mg of CBD.

- Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: This drying lotion is now so popular but has been a staple of mine for at least a decade now. You leave it on over night and it really does dry up and reduce zit size. Helps a lot. There must be a reason why super models are told to use this shit before a runway show.

- Tatcha The Essence: Essences are a new and kind of weird thing, kinda like priming the skin to allow for better absorption of a product. Now this product I received as a Christmas gift one year, but I am pretty sure it’s like $100...breaking the bank as always, tatcha. Anyway, it does allow for better absorption of products and feels light and refreshing on the skin. One bottle has lasted me two years now. I don’t know if I would recommend it, but I do use it somewhat regularly and it does make you feel like a bougie bitch.

AND THAT IS THE END. Sorry that was soooo long. But like I said, I do a write up once a year of my skincare products anyway. So there you guys have it!! If you have any questions at all about your skin or skincare routine , honestly hit me up. Over the years I have slowly has friends come to me. Once I collect all of the I will have all of the infinity stones lmao.

#asks #skin care #mary's 2021 recommendations #personal #life of mary #honestly if this doesn’t get noted I swear to fucking god #lmao

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meredithstanien · 4 years ago

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me and my thoughts ab homecoming

feel free to ignore i'm just rambling about how much i love everyone in starkid (please dont reblog this haha)

- jaAIME thank you maam for your service

- is jeff blim wearing eyeliner? thank you king

- sometimes i understand why all of you are simping for white boy manion and show stopping number is one of them. hips!

- personally i will simp for mariah though i hope you dont mind

- LAUREN WALKER I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU THAT SHIRT

- IM SO HYPED FOR FIREBRINGER I'M GONNA LOSE IT

- i want bhol's shirt. honestly i would wear his whole outfit

- brb simping for meredith.... leather jacket.....

- also lauren that fit is beautiful

- rachael soglin i love you also she has such a wonderful voice

- TOGETHER!!!!! i love everyone looking at meredith and lauren Like That

- "we are womankind" *meredith thumbs up and :)

- lowkey wish we had more lauren walker during this

- okay. tto songs slap so hard and i'm also bopping

- wISSSCONSSIIIIIINNNN i love corey

- wait how have i not said anything about jeff's outfit yet??? i love the vest so much

- okay they kept the audience participation for tto in this and i love it so much

- MS LOPEZ THE BOOTS???

- SPEEDRUN thank you for letting rachael bless us, i thought they were just gonna do tto and naked in a lake and i was gonna be so sad

-i'm crying over jeff's bowlegged step in place

- i love this four person crew for ani, i was wondering what they were gonna do for this since it was a traditional musical

- why dont people simp for clark? look at this man he's so fine

- HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT CHRIS ALLEN ALSO PLAYED DUDER IN LITTLE WHITE LIE? i never made that made that connection because i only watched lwl once

- jim povolo makes an appearance i love xem

- the cheers during no one remembers achmed... me too.

- denise and meredith sharing a mic and having the time of their lives doing it brings me joy

- lowkey was stoked for a meredith-dylan duet for 1001 nights but britney and carlos gave us so much more than we deserved

- okay as a meredith stan i am very sad about the lack of a meredith solo in the twisted medley i will not lie to you guys

- the hmb lighting.... thank you to the lightning designer i will have to check the credits.... AND THE SOUND DESIGNER the echoes are so cool

- gotta say i am so happy about the variety of funky outfits onstage today

- ROGUES jaime kills that one part. yall know the part

- literally any part with denise singing makes me so happy i cant wait for starship

- the audience clapping made me so nervous at the end of super friends bc for a second it sounded like it was throwing off the orchestra and making them speed up without realizing

- craving some commissioner gordon right about now

- STARSHIP I'M GONNA PEE

- ms donovan knows what she's talking about, thank you denise's mom we are dreamers

- i love that theyre giving solos to people who didn't get them in other medleys because i needed this. starkid women are so talented

- i feel so bad for not knowing everyone's names. theyre so amazing and i cant even name them

- JUNIOR STARSHIP i simp for bhol specifically as junior

- BRANT COX THE BUG MAN I LOVE YOU i love starship and i love him, i wish he had been in more shows

- joey your cue!!!!

- where is the way i do? i pass away

- "please enjoy some songs from 'me and my- ...." goodbye brian

- mamd is highkey problematic but that doesnt stop ready to go from being a bop

- brian and meredith standing together 🥺

- i love brian and nick lang awkwardly asking if everyone is having fun

- nick is so wonderful i love him

- the strings sound SO cool with comin back to hogwarts i love cellos

- the screams over the glasses, i love this audience

- i love the audience singing along and saying the lines along with the music, i bet the energy in that theatre was fucking amazing

- joey and darren just going "whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa" over bonnie!

- ms. lopez... the BOOTS again. lauren lopez as draco malfoy does things to me

- DYLAN COMING FROM THE AUDIENCE that is my favorite gag

- the people in the audience as dylan is coming through look so excited

- HUFFLEPUFFS ARE PARTICULARLY GOOD FINDERS!!!!!!

- meredith dances like a cartoon character it's so cute i love her

- tbh the whole second act has me smiling constantly i dont have much to say bc it just makes me so happy

- IMAGINE BEING THAT SAX PLAYER thank you king

- not even gonna lie ive never been a huge fan of avps or avpsy but the energy here makes up for it

- darren where is your fit you are harry freakin potter all the other men here are showing you up, you are wearing a black t shirt

-[yeah at thsi point a bunch of my thoughts ab the second act got deleted bc tumblr sucks and didnt save this draft but whatever i loved it]

- i'm gonna cry, the way the orchestra the end of days of summer became a slow version of back to hogwarts

- this is so sad. this is so happy but so sad.

- darren this is the sweetest thing

- "enthusiastic, but sometimes questionable fan art" i'd like to formally apologize to starkid for whatever they may have seen.

- joey in the background making faces as darren talks about loving your friends

- yo i didnt expect to get so emo over this but them finishing out with back to hogwarts really did me in, plus everyone onstage wiping away tears

- ITS AN ENCORE THANK YOU BROSENTHAL AND SANGO

- what a stupidly wonderful way to finish this show

- joey carrying out walker and brosenthals jackets

- oh the classic disconnected and off timing theatre kid bow to end the show

- IM LOOKING AT THE CREDITS AND OFC THEY HAD COREY LUBOWICH, SARAH PETTY, JUNE SAITO, AND MARK SWIDERSKI DOING TECH WHO ELSE WOULD THEY POSSIBLY ASK TO DO IT?

#m speaks #dont rb

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traincat · 4 years ago

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I don’t get why Peter Spider-man books keep on pushing women to the side. I don’t mind character death in Spider-man but that whole Norah Winters business in ASM #47 did not sit well with me at all. There has to be a way to make the supporting women in Peter Spider-Man important without killing them or putting them on the shelf. Just because they aren’t fucking Peter doesn’t mean they aren’t important.

This is a tough one for me because I think a big problem with Sin Eater and something that would have to be addressed in a current Sin Eater storyline but that I don’t trust current Spider-Man (or current Marvel in general) to address well right now is that Stanley Carter is a misogynist. The original Sin Eater storyline makes it pretty clear this is the sole reasoning behind his murder of Jean DeWolff and his attempted murder of Betty Brant.

(Spectacular Spider-Man #110) Like I think it’s very purposeful that as soon as Betty stabs him in self-defense his entire tone towards her changes and becomes very demeaning and I think it’s pretty important that he killed Jean after he slept with her.

So it’s all very well and good for Spencer to invent cool Sin Eater backstory, but the heart of the matter is that Stanley Carter doesn’t do these things because he saw a weird ritual in the woods when he was a kid, Stanley Carter does these things because he’s a misogynist. And I think in showing people any backstory for Sin Eater that’s going to get lost, that what makes Sin Eater an effective villain is quite simply because he’s not that deep. Sin Eater’s not “complicated.” He’s scary because of a combination of being utterly ordinary and a seemingly “good guy” on the outside and because of the loss of control he invokes in Peter, not because there’s anything particularly interesting about Stanley Carter as an individual person.

So I think the question is can this run show a character’s misogynistic actions without letting that misogyny bleed into the story itself? And I don’t know if it can, because it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s following off of a rough couple years of comics for the women of Spider-Man. Slott’s run in particular had a big problem with killing off professional women, namely Marla Madison and Ashley Kafka. (I mean, one of them is back as a clone now, but nothing about the aftermath of Clone Conspiracy lines up well with Spider-Man’s established clone rule which is that clones are different people.) A huge amount of female characters who worked at the Bugle have also disappeared or faded into the background over the years: Kate Cushing, Joy Mercado, Angela Yin, Kat Farrell. Betty and Glory get shuffled around, but they’re definitely not as prominent as they used to be, either. So I’m torn between thinking you have to show Stanley Carter committing acts of violence against women because that’s who he is as a villain and that’s what makes him scary (although again -- not interesting) and being uncomfortable with sensationalizing those acts as part of whatever undead greater storyline is going on here. It goes hand in hand with the fact that I don’t think you can tell a modern day Sin Eater storyline without addressing the fact that Stanley Carter is a cop and that his being a cop is what enabled him to commit a large portion of his specific crimes, and that I just don’t see the Peter Parker Spider-Man books of right now handling that story in a sensitive or powerful way. (Basically I guess I just really think they shouldn’t be doing a Sin Eater storyline right now because I don’t trust them to commit.)

Then, to deepen the issue, there’s the fact that I don’t think Norah Winters is a particularly well-written character, in the sense that I think a lot of the writing surrounding her is fairly misogynistic in and of itself. (There’s a lot of manic pixie-esque depictions of Norah. I think the only time I’ve unreservedly enjoyed the writing of her as a character is in Kelly Sue’s DeConnick’s Osborn miniseries.) Which doesn’t make me feel better about Spider-Man as a series potentially fridging her, and like you said modern Spider-Man does have a problem sidelining women who are not Peter’s love interests, which is fucking ironic considering how good older Spider-Man comics are at letting Peter actually be friends with women. Like you said, none of this means she isn’t important, and that she doesn’t deserve to have well-written stories and a bigger role in the overall Spider-Man mythos. I agree with you in that I generally don’t mind character death in Spider-Man -- I think it’s a series with some really great death scenes. But I don’t like pointless character death, and a lot of the recent deaths feel really, spectacularly pointless. (Possibly I’m still mad about ASM #800.)

Looking at the issue, I think I’d be surprised if they killed off Norah -- the issue is a cliffhanger, so she could still survive. I think it’s actually meant to echo the ending of Spectacular Spider-Man #109, where Sin Eater seemingly shoots Betty Brant. I could be wrong, though. Overall I’m just not very taken with what Spencer’s run is doing on the whole, repeating classic stories but not actually doing anything of note with any of them as of yet.

#ubernegro #*replies #traincat talks comics

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laniidae-passerine · 5 years ago

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Okay it’s unnecessary but I want to explain my alignment chart for Spectrum so here it goes

Gay:

- Distinguished: Sam Colt has never been caught tripping when it comes to romantic interests. He had a great long term relationship with this one guy, but they broke it off when their careers went in really different paths. Since then, he’s been happily single, although he’s dated occasionally.

- Functional: Blacker may be a mess when it comes to clothes, keeping tidy or eating doughnuts, but he’s actually pretty functional when it comes to dating. He’s completely oblivious when people like him, and you kinda have to spell it out for the poor guy, but he’s open to being in a relationship. He’s also a surprisingly good cook, so husband material right there, guys.

- Disaster: Miles Froghorn has the world’s biggest crush on his supervisor, Blacker, and everyone knows except Blacker. He has had reoccurring nightmares of accidentally calling Blacker ‘honey’ and has had to destroy notes when he realised he’s started doodling hearts in the margin while Blackers talking. The boy is a gay mess and LB is thinking of threatening to fire him unless he confesses to Blacker because she’s ‘sick of all the pining in this office, Miles.’

- Distinguished: LB has had a few girlfriends before she got together with Bradley, and is completely open about her past with him. She’s a pretty good judge of character so she’s never had a crazy ex and she was known for keeping a little bi flag on her desk when she wore colour. Ruby refuses to believe this and wants photographic proof, which she never gets, but she does receive the shock of her life when she sees LB wearing a bi flag as a cape during Spectrum’s annual pride week.

- Functional: Bradley’s had his share of bi freak outs but he’s generally good at getting himself back on track afterwards. However, he did have an embarrassing crush on Sam Colt after he was resuscitated by him, and sometimes gets teased about it. He and LB were very comfortable with each other’s bi-ness so they often liked to point out people on tv the other would find attractive.

- Disaster: Everyone thinks Hitch knows what he’s doing, but quite frankly the man is a catastrophe. He’s perfectly fine if he’s only casually into a person or not actually into them, but when he likes them he falls to pieces. Unfortunately, he also chooses people who don’t like him back. He’s also a mess in general, like when he cried for 7 hours when he found out Zuko had a girlfriend, or how he continually refuses to admit to LB that he blushed when he first saw Valerie Capaldi with dyed hair when they were 25 and she hadn’t yet committed homicide.

Lesbian

- Distinguished: Buzz is actually very smooth when she’s not wearing beige. She knocks it out the park in a blue dress and she’s known for stealing the hearts of Twinford’s wlw, although none of her colleagues know that at all. She is also unfortunately fending off a few male suitors but they’ll get the hint, one way or another.

- Functional: SJ is lowest brand of functional there is. She’s not the disaster lesbian because Ruby exists, but she’s one for dorky science based gifts to people she has crushes on, and cried because she thought that Margo Bardem was just that beautiful. She has a huge crush on a pretty single mother who visits her local grocery store, who is unbeknownst to her, Sadie Monroe.

- Disaster: Clancy cannot count on two hands and feet the amount of times Ruby talked about how she’s so gay. He’s had many conversations about Ruby’s crush on Del Lascoe and she won’t admit it, but she often watches terrible horror films because she’s into the final girl. She’s sometimes found herself minorly into guys, but it’s basically negligible and she now openly identifies as ‘most definitely’ a lesbian ever since meeting Bailey Roach. Sabina will not stop asking if she’s found a girlfriend yet, honey, you’d look so cute with Del! while Brant just casually mentions how proud he is of his lesbian daughter at work, and ignores the stares. She’s a lucky kid.

#rr #ruby redfort #sadie monroe is sj’s girlfriend & they’re in love sj helps her with making prothestics + teaches her new skills and red and jem call sj mom #sadie monroe #sam colt #hitch #blacker #miles froghorn #lb #bradley baker #buzz #sj #rr headcanons #ruby redfort hc #zuko #valerie nine lives capaldi

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wellhellotragic · 5 years ago

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Dead in the Water (2/2)

Here is its guys, the epic conclusion to this fic, all inspired by @clockadile’s amazing work (just wait until you see her second piece!!!!). I hope you all enjoy it. I’ve had a lot of fun plotting this out with Clock, even if writing it was like pulling teeth at times. My own fault to be certain. It’s a bit strange to know this is the end of my fic writing, but I couldn’t have asked for a better event to go out on. Thank you again to @csrolereversal for putting this all together.

Summary:

Killian Jones may have just had the worst year of his life. The loss of his hand, of his career, and of his pride were almost more than he could take. In a bid to reclaim his life, Killian decided it was time to face his fears, and get back on the metaphorical horse, or in his case, back on the water. Only, the purchase of a haunted second-hand boat may just come at the cost of his sanity.

“The sea is like a cruel mistress. You can love her, you can hate her, but you can never trust her.” - author unknown

A/N: Just to warn readers, this is were the fic earns it’s mature rating for violence. It’s not discussed in extreme detail, but some people may find it upsetting.

Rating: M (foul language sprinkled in and some adult themes)

Also on AO3

Fall turned to winter and winter to spring. The leaves fell, littering the streets, only to be replaced by mountains of snow, which eventually melted off leaving a mess of sludge behind. The city kept going somehow. But The Jolly remained untouched for months, still left barely tied to the dock.

Killian hadn’t actually been out to check on her since his frightening encounter. Wasn’t even rightfully sure if she was still there. He’d been too spooked at first. Then too busy with work.

But by the time March came around, things at work had slowed a bit, and Killian began to wonder about that day. Months had passed and his memory just a little foggy. Had he really seen anything at all? Or had his mind just twisted something up? Like awakening from a dream and not knowing what was real or not. He’d been through so much in the year and a half before. It hardly would have been the first time he’d imagined seeing things.

By April he was all but convinced that the entire thing had been one huge figment of his imagination and was ready to give sailing another go. Starting with just a small trip out to build his courage, Killian waited until well after sunrise, hoping the extra hours of daylight would provide a slight respite from the chill still in the air. He didn’t even bother packing food as his plan was to not go so far out that he couldn’t see the marina.

The Jolly was still there, something he found slightly surprising as the winter waves had been known to blow sailboats clear down the shoreline and he’d barely tossed the rope around the deck cleat. She was also a little worse for the wear. Her sails a bit dirty and tattered around the edges. Soot from the melted snow covered her decks. But she was still afloat, and really, that was the best he could have hoped for.

He did his routine checks, making sure that she was sailable before pushing off, letting the gentle breeze guide her out to sea. He made it about a mile out, just able to still make out the apexes of the ships moored near his spot, and waited. For what exactly he wasn’t sure, but still, he waited for nearly an hour.

The time that passed could only be described as unremarkable. No oddities happening around the boat, no spooky sounds, and no ethereal visions. She was just a boat like any other and just as before, he’d imagined the whole thing.

After bringing her in and properly tying her up, he went to work on setting her to rights. Scrubbing the decks, replacing the frayed ropes, and tending to the sails. The headsail was easily salvageable, but the mainsail needed replacing after leaving it half rolled up. Water and dirt settling in the loose packing, icing over and weighing against it. He knew better, but he’d been in such a state that he hadn’t cared at the time.. He’d have to order a new one before he set out again.

Having eased his mind a bit, the next week went by for Killian in a blur. He’d ordered the new sail as soon as he’d arrived home, and luckily the company he’d purchased from was local to Boston and agreed to let him pick it up directly from their store rather than having it shipped.

Liam seemed a bit shocked at Killian’s previous reluctance to sail, but seemed even more surprised by his sudden determination to start up again. While he didn’t offer to go sailing with Killian again, he did insist that Killian call him before setting sail and after returning just to know that everything was ok.

For his part, Killian agreed, still not having told his brother of his previous difficulties with the lack of wind, nor of the ghoul he’d seen onboard. Not that it mattered much as it had all been a figment of his imagination. A haunted nightmare caused by the trauma of his past.

As Saturday approached, Killian found himself excited for the first time in months. He’d planned a trip to Nantucket Island. He’d never been there but by all accounts it was a lovely little place. It was the Brant Point Lighthouse that had really caught his attention though. Online, it was the quintessential image of New England, and he wanted to see it in person.

By his estimations, it was roughly a three hour trip, a tidbit that only caused him to second guess his plan for a few minutes as the theme song to Giligan’s Island played in his head.

A three hour tour…

Once he’d reclaimed a better hold over his sanity though, he finished planning his exact route, making sure to send a copy of his plans off to Liam, just in case.

He woke up early that morning, ready to replace the mainsail himself before setting off. There was still a bite in the air that left him searching for a sweater and his trusty leather jacket. The one Liam had gifted him just before his first assignment. He even grabbed the gold compass locket from the drawer he’d hid it in after his scare, not having wanted anything around at the time to remind him of that event. Now though, knowing that he’d imagined it all, he felt it only proper to wear it for his first true journey on The Jolly.

It was dark when he arrived to the marina, only the very first hint of light breaking over the horizon. It took longer than expected to get the old sail off, the fabric having fused to the lines over the past months. He’d had to cut some parts off, letting his hook do most of the work while his other hand just followed behind, pulling at the tattered scraps. Eventually the sun rose, the morning light turning from red to orange to yellow.

The sky filled with the lightest shades of blue as he worked on installing the new sail. He was just about finished tying off the last of it when he felt something, a shadow pass over him. Checking the sky above him, he found no clouds. Just an empty blue sky. He closed his eyes, willing his mind not to fail him again, to seize control over himself. But when he opened them again, the shadow was still there. A woman’s silhouette framed in the mainsail he’d just attached. Her hand pressed against it as if she was reaching out to him.

He swallowed thickly, willing the figure to go away, but it didn’t. He froze once again, waiting for it to pass, mentally repeating the mantra his therapist had given him for just such occasions, but no matter how long he waited, the shadow remained.

“Who..who’s there?”

He waited for what seemed like an eternity before he heard it again. The anguished cries, this time less distorted, but just as upsetting.

“Get out!”

That time he didn’t freeze; He didn’t wait for it to disappear. No. That time he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, despite cries from other people milling around yelling at him to slow down. He got in his truck and drove home just as quickly as he could, locking the door behind him and grabbing a bottle of rum he’d stashed in the cabinet above his freezer.

Everything after that was a bit hazy. The next morning he woke to find he’d texted Liam, telling him he was sick and would be out the whole next week. Something he didn’t remember having done.

He spent the entirety of Sunday held up in his apartment, watching bad cable tv programming, hiding from the world. Eight binge hours later, somewhere between Snapped and Homicide Hunter, Killian had a realization. If the spooks only ever happened on the boat, naturally, it stood that it must have been related to whatever happened before he bought The Jolly. It likely happened to the previous owner and that’s why he got such a deal on her.

He had to wait until the next day to contact Ariel’s Antiquities. They were insistent that the info they’d given him before was accurate. That the ship was repossessed from the previous owner for non-payment, but when pressed for details on the who the previous owner, they dodged his questions. Something just didn’t feel right. More determined than ever to uncover the truth, Killian turned to the internet, hoping that perhaps the original owner had registered the ship somewhere. His search of Boston and greater Massachusetts provided nothing. Eventually he stumbled on a national website that guaranteed to prove a comprehensive history report for only twenty dollars. Fortyfive dollars if he wanted addresses as well.

And that was how Killian found himself spending an indecent amount of money on a website called The Hulltruth. It took about thirty minutes before the report was emailed to him, but when it came in, he found that the boat was registered in Storybrooke, Maine and reported missing. The rest of the report was limited, just telling him that the boat hadn’t been in any previous accidents. No address, no name. Just that she was missing.

Of course he’d allowed himself into being swindled. Who else was lucky enough to purchase a stolen boat but him? With his full wrath backing him, Killian found the auction house’s office address and stormed there, ready to raise hell over his stolen second hand haunted boat. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the only person there airing a grievance.

A woman was there, arguing with one of the auction curators. As it turned out, the first edition one of a kind copy of Her Handsome Hero was not the two hundred year old book the house had promised. It was actually a well crafted replica. Despite the letter from an expert that the young woman had brought with her, the staff declared that all sales were final and sent her on her way. Killian wasn’t discouraged though, knowing he had the law on his side.

It took time, and there were threats made, but Killian finally discovered that the Jewel of the Realm had been found off the remote coast of Kittery Point, Maine by one of the auction house’s salvagers. Apparently a number of the items sold there under than label of authentic antiques were actually salvaged on abandoned beaches. Items lost or washed to shore.

The auction house brought the boat back to Boston and sold it as soon as possible rather than report it as found. They tried to claim that since the boat had been abandoned, that it wasn’t technically theft. When pressed about the damage to the boat, they conceded that while the hole had been there when they found it, they were the ones that removed the guts of the boat to make it a more appealing purchase. They told him that the wood was badly stained and they didn’t want buyers poking around trying to figure out what happened. A pointed remark towards him to be sure.

He left with no more answers, aside from the knowledge that The Jolly wasn’t stolen in the middle of the night from a different marina. Or at least so they said. Killian prided himself of behind able to read people, and while the man, Sebastian, had shown a range of emotions, he never appeared to be lying.

The next morning he was still unsettled, not really knowing what happened. Especially given that in her current state, the boat was unusable. He wasn’t going on it just to be frightened within an inch of his life again. The human heart could only take so much. Plus there was the added thrill of the mystery, not that he’d call what was happening a thrill in anyway.

But he needed to know. He needed to find the previous owner, to ask them if they’d had problems too.

That morning Killian packed up his car and headed up interstate ninety five, ready to get his answers. The report he’d bought didn’t have an address, but considering that there was a missing boat report, the local sheriff's station seemed like a good place to start. He’d spent the three hour drive coming up with a cover story. Telling them he’d bought the missing boat wouldn’t accomplish anything. They would simply seize it from him and then cut him out.

So instead he decided it would be best if he claimed to be a reporter, working on a story about a string of boat thefts along the northern coastline. That he was trying to see if they were connected. He’d even gone so far as to look for missing boats online while he stopped for gas. He thought of everything, was prepared for every eventuality, except for the one he got.

Storybrooke was a small quaint town. There were a few people milling about, but as he pulled up to the station, he found himself to be the only car in the parking lot. Slightly worried that he’d find the station locked up, he was surprised that the door was in fact unlocked. The building was small, just a short hallway separating the outside from a large room housing three empty desks. Along the back wall there were two holding cells, also empty. The place seemed to be deserted until he heard a shuffle coming from around the corner.

“Hello?”

“Just a sec!”

I took a moment, but eventually a tall blonde man in jeans and a button down appeared, offering him a handshake. He introduced himself as David Nolan, town sheriff. Killian gave him the reporter backstory and asked if he had some time to talk. He noticed the way the man stiffened a bit as they walked to his office, but the man made no comment. Just led him into another room where he offered him a seat across the desk from his own.

Killian started out vague, just talking about how he was an investigative reporter out of Boston, where they’d experienced a string of boat thefts recently, and he wanted to see if they were in any way related to an uptick of reports stretching through Maine. When he was done, there was nothing but silence as Sheriff Nolan simply looked down at his desk, his hand grabbing a photo frame and clutching it closer to his chest.

In time, with a wrecked voice, the man finally spoke.

“The report you’re asking about. It wasn’t a boat theft.”

“Come again? The report listed it as missing.”

“There’s more than one way a boat can disappear Mr. Jones.” The sheriff gave him a sad smile, passing over the photo. It was a picture of him with another woman. “Her name is Emma. Was Emma.”

Over the next twenty minutes Sheriff Nolan explained to Killian that Emma, a beautiful woman, was his sister. His adopted sister, but family none-the-less. She was a family lawyer in Boston, specializing in divorces and custody issues.

Emma’s job was extremely stressful, angry parents, threatening phone calls, so on the weekends she’d sail up the coast to Storybrooke to visit family. The alone time allowed her to decompress. To let the weight of the world fall from her shoulders.

About a year and a half earlier, just around the same time Killian found himself waking up in the hospital, Emma disappeared. It was a holiday weekend and she’d come up to visit her brother and sister in law. She’d stayed with them for a few days before packing up and heading back. The sheriff explained how he’d begged her to stay for one more day, that there was a storm coming, but Emma had insisted that she’d be ahead of it. That nothing would happen.

And no one ever saw her again. The ship had disappeared too and the assumption was that she’d been caught in the storm and been lost to the sea. They’d searched for weeks, David calling in every favor he could think of, but for all of the searching they never found Emma or The Jewel. The case still remained open, but only as a technicality.

The drive home, all Killian could think about was David, and how much pain he was in. He’d wanted to comfort the man, to tell him that his sister’s boat had been found just down the shoreline, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk losing The Jolly before he’d figured out what happened, and more than that, he couldn’t risk giving David false hope. Not after he’d seen the photograph. The flowing blonde hair, emerald eyes. Not when he knew that the woman in that photograph was the same thing that kept appearing to him.

When he got home, the first thing he did was look up Emma on the internet. She was in fact a family lawyer at Goldman and Mills, a prestigious firm based in Boston. By all accounts she was sharp, with a high success rate. Most of the hits he found were news reports from some of her higher profile cases.

Finally, on page three of his search, he found an article from the Storybrooke Mirror about her disappearance. It was just as the sheriff had said. The working theory was that something had gone horribly wrong and she’d most likely tipped and sank during the storm, too far off the coast, it was assumed that Emma sunk with the ship. All of which would explain why she was now haunting the Jolly.

He wasn’t crazy. His mind wasn’t playing tricks on him.

But he did have a haunted ship to deal with.

He waited until Thursday to return to The Jolly, giving himself two full days to build his courage. The plan was to stay ashore, unsure of what might happen. He was ready to confront Emma, or whatever it was that looked like her, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get through to her, or if she was just a demonic apparition, tied to the boat forever. He really shouldn’t have researched spirits.

The marina was empty when he arrived. Most people were at work or already gone for the day. He supposed that may have been for the best. Killian’s ego was bruised enough without a large portion of Boston watching him scream like a young girl.

The Jolly seemed just as empty as it had when he’d bought her, but by now he knew better. She was there, somewhere, lurking. He just wasn’t sure how to reach her. There’d never been one thing that seemed to spark her arrival. The first time he’d been stuck at sea, and the second, he’d been docked simply replacing the mainsail.

“Emma?” Nothing “Emma Swan?”

Still, nothing happened, so he waited, taking a seat on the deck. He waited, and waited, her ghostly form never appearing. Not until the moment the locket slipped out from behind his button up shirt.

“That’s mine!”

He looked up to find her, Emma, before him, hovering above a wooden plank, a small puddle of water filling the deck below her.

“Get out!”

She said the same words just as before, but this time it was different. Gone where the unearthly voices he’d heard echoing around him. Instead, it was just one voice. Just her.

“Are you Emma Swan?”

He watched as her head tilted to the side, a glimmer of recognition at the name filling her wide eyes. Then fear. Unabating fear.

“Help me!”

That was all she said before she collapsed onto the deck, her form turned into a cloud of smoke, blowing away into the wind leaving behind only the puddle of water. He waited for hours after that, but she never appeared again.

He went home, discouraged. He had no idea how to summon her. Not that he necessarily had any idea of what he was trying to accomplish. Did he want to help her move on? Did he just need to find out what happened so he could give David Nolan some closure. Did he just want his ship back?

That night he tried to answer those questions. While it would be nice to have The Jolly ghost free, it was something more than that. He felt drawn to it, to her in a way. Finally, as he tossed and turned in bed, he realized what it was. She was in pain, just as he so often was, and while he couldn’t fully mend himself, he might be able to help her. To ease her burden in a way.

The next morning, he went down to the docks first thing, calling for her just as he had before. Met with silence once more, he sat, trying to mull over what could possibly help him. Thinking back on his research, some people claimed that spirits were attracted to objects, but the only object he could see Emma being attached to was the boat herself. There was nothing else left on the ship that belonged to her.

Nothing except the locket.

It was the first thing she’d mentioned the day before, claiming it was hers. He reached below the collar of his shirt, feeling for the chain and slowly pulling until the gold locket was fully exposed. But still, she did not appear. Desperate, he clutched the charm in his hand and chanted her name.

“I told you, that’s mine!”

She sounded less angry that time. Less confused as well as her feet seemed to actually touch the deck.

“Aye. I found it while I was repairing the boat.”

He did his best to keep his voice low and calm, not wishing to frighten her away.

“Repairs?”

“Yes. I had to replace the mast.” He watched as she scrunched her nose. “Do you remember what broke it?”

Her entire form stiffened, her chest heaving. “No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.”

“Emma, it’s alright. You’re safe here.”

“Please” She just looked at him with desperation as her hand moved to her stomach. “It hurts so bad. Make it stop.”

Drip. Drip. Drip. He heard it before he saw it, but blood began to flow down her ivory sundress, covering the deck of The Jolly. Killian leapt to his feet, trying to help her staunch the bleeding but before he could get there, she was gone, and the wood planks were dry, as if nothing had happened.

He went out every day for the rest of the week, never taking the boat to sea, but always waiting for Emma, summoning her with the necklace. She only ever stayed for seconds to minutes, but each time she became a little more aware that something was wrong.

As Monday came though, he found himself stuck at work late, night after night. Dinner parties with potential clients. Drinks to celebrate newly signed clients. Liam’s company and his position kept him too busy to go down to the docks at all that week.

It wasn’t until Saturday that he was able to see her again. This time he took the boat out to sea, hoping that maybe a change of scenery might help to bridge the gap between wherever Emma was and the here and now. Once he was about two miles out he held the compass in the palm of his hand, calling to her once more. She came to him immediately, with more solidity than ever before. He spoke with her for a while, telling her who he was. When she vanished that time it was calmly. No screams of pain, no violence, no fright. Just peacefully.

He took the boat back to shore, tying her up properly. He’d promised Liam and Elsa he’d spend the day with them Sunday. Liam had started to worry about him after he took the week off of work, and he knew that if he didn’t concede to family time, Liam would start poking around. He wasn’t ready to explain it to his brother yet.

Yes, Liam. I’ve been spending all of my free time trying to talk to the ghost that lives on my boat.

That would have gone over marvelously.

So another week passed in full before he was able to see Emma again. Every time he saw her she was able to stay a little longer. To talk a little more. They hadn’t addressed the elephant in the room, sticking to safe topics instead. Her job. His job. She told him about some of her more eclectic clients, always using the present tense. He told her about the cougar he’d had to wine and dine the weekend before. He wasn’t sure how much control she had over herself and he didn’t want to risk upsetting her again.

Months passed, each weekend spent as sea. It was nice, just being able to talk to someone so openly. She never seemed to judge him. In time, he found himself rather vexed by her. She had witt and spunk. Just a little bit prickly but in a good way. A kindred soul.

It was a warm July morning when it happened.

“Killian?”

“Yes, love?”

He wasn’t sure when he’d started using the term of endearment around her, but she’d never objected to it.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?”

He nearly choked on his coffee, not expecting it in the slightest. She’d been so upbeat for the past few weeks, as if she’d had no cares in the world. He never would have guessed that she’d been considering her mortality.

“How long have you known?”

“Since the beginning maybe? I don’t know. I can just feel it, like I don’t belong here.”

His heart broke for her. He couldn’t imagine the feeling of knowing that her life was over. That everything was finished in a way, but that she was still stuck.

They didn’t speak. Just stood together in silence watching the horizon. His hand slid closer to hers, his pinky reaching out to caress her hand, but instead he just moved right through her. If she didn’t know before, there was no way she didn’t now.

Emma didn’t come to him the next day. Somehow he knew that she was in mourning, that she needed time for herself. It made his heart break all over. He felt for her in a way he hadn’t felt for someone in a long time. Not since Milah.

It was a week before he went out again, this time bringing flowers with him. She couldn’t keep them, but he hoped it would be nice for her just to see them. To know they were for her. She was solemn when she appeared. Not surprising given the state of things.

The two of them exchanged pleasantries and spent the day just soaking each other in, not speaking more than a few words here and there. It was nice in a way, but he craved more.

She enchanted him.

“Killian?”

“Yes?”

“May I ask what happened to your hand?”

It was another question he wasn’t prepared for. It was somehow easier and harder to answer. Something he never talked about with anyone, but something he found himself willing to share with her. So she could know him better in a way.

So he told her. He told her how he was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. How he’d risen through the ranks, dedicated his entire life to the service of his country. Of how he’d been on a routine training mission that went horribly wrong. The mine field they were doing maneuvers through was supposed to be dead, all a simulation. But one of the mines was live, and the ship exploded. He woke up in the hospital after spending an entire night clinging for dear life to a barrel. His hand was gone and so was his career. That he had night terrors and had to see a therapist because he’d lost his hold on reality.

He left out the part about his girlfriend being so disgusted by the stump that she left him, that she took a transfer just to get away from him.

When he looked at Emma again, he expected to see pity in her eyes, but there was none. She just gave him a nod of understanding.

They watched birds fly by. The sun moved from one side of the sky to the other. Just a peaceful silence, until she spoke again.

“I think I was murdered.”

“That’s not what everyone said happened. The newspapers, they said it was the storm.”

“There was a storm, but I remember a man too. It’s hazy, like an old dream. But he was there, below deck, hiding I think. I- I went down below and he was there. I remember screaming at him to get out, but he didn’t.”

She continued to recount the details she could remember, or that she thought she remembered. Her memories of that night where muddled and she didn’t know how much of it was true.

The man below deck was familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember what his face looked like. He smelled of wood, or maybe it was just the boat that did. She remembered being attacked, thrown against the hull, hearing a crack. There was a fight, she tried her best to fend him off, but it wasn’t enough. She remembered being thrown against the fiberglass again and again, hearing the hull fail. Glass from a mirror slicing through her stomach. The rest was a blur for her. The man was gone, and she tried to climb to the deck but her body was broken. She made it to the radio, but there was only static. Water began to fill the cabin, and it took everything she had to force herself up, to pull herself above deck as the storm raged on. Each droplet of water that fell feeling like acid against her battered skin. She told him how she held on as long as she could, and that was it. That was all she remembered.

She’d been murdered, just like she said. It explained the damage to the hull, why the mast had snapped, the stains on the wood the auction house had removed.

He had nothing to say. No words to offer her. His problems were nothing in comparison. Someone had taken her life, with purpose and malice. And now she was trapped in two worlds, belonging in neither, unable to move on.

He wished nothing more in that moment than to hold her. To be able to wrap his arms around her and block out all of the pain. To take away her sorrow and to give her hope. To let her know she didn’t deserve to die that way. That she didn’t deserve any of it.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t do any of that. She wasn’t really there. She wasn’t solid. He’d never be able to so much as hold her hand.

A knife through his heart.

And that’s when he realized the true depths of his feelings for Emma. He was in love with her. He was in love with a ghost.

And all he could do was to be her friend. Her confidant.

“Where do you go when you aren’t here?”

It was a question that had plagued him since the beginning of their friendship, and while he was afraid to hear the answer, he needed to know that she was safe when he wasn’t there.

“Nowhere?” She turned her head up towards the top of the mast. “I think I just stop existing.”

That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. He was glad that she wasn’t in some realm being tortured but the idea of her just being gone? That was almost as bad. He went home that night thinking of her. Of what it would be like.

He knew. He didn’t want to admit it, not when his feelings for her had grown so strong, but he was being selfish, calling her back to a world where she was nothing more than an apparition over and over. He needed to let her go. To help her find a way to move on. He just didn’t know how, short of finding her killer.

She remembered nothing about the man though, only that he was a man. And Killian had no experience in investigating murders. It was a dead end.

He continued to think on it all week at work, even through the weekend. He didn’t go out on The Jolly that weekend, or even the next, still debating if it was more cruel to leave Emma alone, or to force her to face her death again and again.

August passed, and into September. Still he stayed away, unable to torture Emma any more than he already had. It wasn’t until someone at work had brought up the fight she’d had with her boyfriend, how he always made the decisions for her, that he realized that was exactly what he’d done. He’d never bothered to ask Emma what she wanted. He just assumed that it was worse for her when she was with him.

That was enough to ignite a flame under him. He left work early, driving out to the docks. The sky was scattered with clouds but there was still enough light out for a quick trip to sea.

He didn’t bother with his usually checklist or sending Liam a text on where he was going, too eager to see her face again. To talk to her and find out just what she wanted. To ask how he could help her, if she even wanted help.

The wind had picked up significantly from the time he’d left, sending him out farther than he’d planned, but he didn’t care. Not when all he could think of was Emma. The sky a bit more grey now, a slight shower starting.

“Emma? Are you here?”

He waited, clutching the compass so hard the metal around his neck snapped. He’d ripped the chain.

“You broke it.”

She was annoyed, but he honestly couldn’t tell if it was from the jewelry or from him having abandoned her.

��I, I’m sorry. I’ll replace it as soon as I get back to land.”

He wanted to talk to her, but she was too focused.

“My brother gave me that when I started at my firm. He was worried I’d become a corporate stooge. He gave it to me so that I’d never get lost.”

So you always find your way.

“I’m so sorry, Emma.”

“You can’t replace it.”

Killian wanted to cry, to scream, to go back in time and meet her before any of this started. But he’d never been a lucky man that way.

He held his hand out, watching as small drops of water fell into the gold face. Emma walked over, letting her fingers graze over the metal. It was different that time, he could feel the weight of her hand. She didn’t simply pass through him. He watched as she took the compass in her hand, solid as could be.

“Swan?”

Her head snapped up at him, completely unaware that she was real enough to hold an object.

He reached out, letting his knuckles caress her face. He could feel the warmth of her skin. She was real. He didn’t know how, but she was real.

“Killian? How? How is this possible?”

He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He nuzzled his forehead against her own, their lips only a hair’s width apart. When she didn’t pull back, he leaned in, softly pressing his mouth to hers. Just a peck. Her lips were soft. He tried to pull back but her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly.

They may as well have kissed for an eternity. He loved the feeling of being lost in her, not caring that the light sprinkle had turned into a full on downpour. That his clothes were soaking wet. Lighting flashed, illuminating the sky, and thunder crackled above them.

But he didn’t care. Not with Emma in his arms.

They broke apart finally, Emma’s laugh filling the air.

“Emma Swan. I’m in love with you.”

He hadn’t meant to just blurt the words out. Hadn’t meant to say them at all, but his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. Forever passed as he waited for her to say something. Anything.

“Killian,” there was sorrow, and he knew she wasn’t going to return his feelings. “It’s not fair to you. I’m a ghost, and I can’t control anything. You, you deserve so much more than I can give you!”

“But you’re here. I can feel you clear as I can feel my heart beating in my chest.”

She wasn’t there though. She could sense it even if he couldn't. There was a pull on her still, from whatever place she’d come from. Even in solid form, she didn’t belong there.

Lightening and thunder filled the sky once more, darkness all around them.

“Killian, it’s not safe out here, you need to go.”

He looked around, realizing for the first time just how far out the wind had blown him, would continue to blow him if he didn’t stow the sails. Emma helped his as best she could, but with the waves now throwing the boat back and forth, they had trouble controlling their movements.

The Jolly was still heading in the wrong direction though. Killian felt fairly confident that he could weather the storm below deck, waiting for it to pass, but the growing waves continued to batter the boat and Emma pleaded with him not to stay. Begging him to return to land. He caved, heading to the back of the boat to start up SMEE, but no matter how hard he tried, the motor wouldn’t budge.

Unable to do anything else, Killian headed back to the cabin, trying to call for help, but the radio wouldn't work either. It was just static on every channel. As he hit the main box, sparks flew into the air. The Jolly swayed from side to side, getting closer and closer to tipping each time.

They both went back above deck to see just how bad the storm was. There was only darkness as far as the eye could see. They were trapped. He was trapped.

Dead in the water.

“Emma, love, I have some life vests stowed in one of the front compartments. Go grab them and I’ll try the radio again.”

“No.”

“What?”

She stood at the rail, closing her eyes and breathing it all in, calm for the first time since the storm had started.

“It’s me.”

“I don’t understand. Just go get the life vests. We’re going to be okay.”

“No, Killian. It’s me. All of this. The faulty electronics, The storm. I don’t understand it, but I can just feel it. It’s, I feel it in my bones.”

“No. No. Emma-”

“Killian, you have to let me go. It’s the only way.”

“But I just got you. I don’t know how to let you go.”

She smiled at him, a sad heart wrenching smile and gave him a light kiss.

“It’s ok.” She held out the compass. “I think I can find my way now.”

It was the locket.

The thing that she was tethered to. It had never been The Jolly. The boat had simply been a means for her to stay and find it.

“I don’t know how to do this without you.”

“You’ll find a way.” She gave him one last kiss. “I love you too.”

And with that, she turned back into a vision, a veil between them. One last flash of light and she was gone.

Just as she’d said, as soon as she left the boat sprung back to life. The motor revving behind him. The waves continued to beat against the hull of the ship. He was frozen, his heart torn to shreds. But he couldn’t let that be the end. He couldn’t let her have died, again, in vain, so he pulled himself together. He used the motor to push him through, steering himself back towards land, any land.

He was lost after that. Spending days in bed, unable to get up, to do anything but cry. Her absence haunted him in a way she never had. Loneliness followed him. Emptiness filled him. Weeks went by. Liam did his best to get Killian out of the house, to bring him back to life. He knew his brother was worried, but he just didn’t have it in him to care anymore.

With time though the sting, still there became just a little less. The pain in his heart became a little more manageable. Everything just became less in a way, less and more. He made it out of bed. He had dinner with Liam. He even was able to go back to work.

He still felt her loss, but it got easier. However something still tugged at him. An inkling that something wasn’t quite finished. He was in pain, but at least he had closure. Emma did too, but her family didn’t. They still didn’t know what happened to her.

He debated on the best way to tell them, how to give David the details without including the part where he fell in love with the man’s sister’s ghost. Eventually, he decided that it would be best to do it over the phone. That way he could control the conversation.

He waited until just after noon on a Monday, calling the Sheriff’s station in Storybrooke, hearing the familiar voice of David Nolan pick up. He didn’t give David his name, just that he had information of the disappearance of Emma Swan. That her boat had been found by a company named Ariel’s Antiquities. That the auction house had destroyed all of the evidence on the boat so they could sell it.

David tried interrupting him, asking how he knew any of it, but Killian pushed through, finally giving the man the most important part, telling David that he was sorry, but that Emma had been murdered by a man familiar to her. He apologized for not being able to give him more information and then he hung up.

He could only hope that it was enough to give David some form of peace. That maybe it would be easier to know for sure that she was gone. Because sometimes the cruelest thing in the world was hope.

Time continued to pass. The pain in his heart turned to an ache. He still missed her deeply and thought of her often, but she’d given him something. She’d healed him, and nothing could take that away. It had taken him a while to realize it, to accept her loss. But her death didn’t negate the fact that she’d brought him back to life, and everyday he thanked her for that. Choosing to focus on the good rather than the bad.

A year had passed. Exactly three hundred and sixty five days without her. His plan was to head to Robin’s and have one drink in Emma’s memory before heading to the docks to take the Jolly out. She was still there, a part of her in those old wood planks. He could feel her warmth in every inch of that old boat.

Robin’s was overcrowded though, so he skipped the drink. Emma didn’t need an alcoholic toast. So he headed straight to the Jolly instead, stepping out of the pub’s doors just before the headlines changed, the little ticker tape running across the screen blocking the bottom of the Man United pitch.

Woman found alive on Kittery Beach after missing for over three years.

He missed the headlines again when he decided to stay out just a little longer, wanting to watch the sun sink below the horizon. He missed it one more time too when his phone rang. An unknown number from Storybrooke, Maine.

He’d almost let it go to voicemail, worrying that it was David Nolan, having discovered it was him that called all of those months before. But something in his gut pushed him to answer.

It took a second for a voice to sound on the other line after he answered, but when it did, he nearly dropped the phone.

“Killian?”

#csrolereveral #based on Clockadile's art #cs fanfiction

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mondoholic · 4 years ago

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Josh Homme spoke to Kyuss World Radio about the 25th anniversary of KYUSS's final album, "…And The Circus Leaves Town". The Californian four-piece split three months following the LP's release, resulting in it being less critically and commercially successful when compared to the two KYUSS albums which helped birth the stoner rock movement — 1992's "Blues For The Red Sun" and 1994's "Welcome To Sky Valley".

"I'm not good at keeping memorabilia and I'm not too nostalgic because I guess it makes me feel a little sad sometimes," Josh said. "And I feel like there's such a huge pile of things to do. And sometimes I feel like when I look at a picture or something, I go, 'Man, it'll never be that. That's only where it was.' So I tend to focus forward.

"Hearing that [the album] is 25 years old, that makes me happy. It makes me a little bit proud that I got to do something that long ago, and I'm not dead yet. [Laughs]"

Asked if he had an inkling that "…And The Circus Leaves Town" would turn out to be KYUSS's swansong when he chose the LP title, Homme said: "I think the way Brant [Bjork, drums] left [after] 'Sky Valley' was a real shock, and it was very much like the rug being pulled out from under you. Because I didn't really understand [why he was leaving], and he was never able to make it really clear. Because I think it's difficult, too — when you're young like that, it's difficult to say, 'I need to go this direction.' When he left, he had our manager tell us that he was leaving, so we didn't really get to speak to Brant. And one of the things that he had said was, 'I think the band should be over.' And I really loved Brant. And I think that was a difficult moment to hear your friend was gone and he wasn't explaining why and that he thought it should be over.

"One aspect that I always agreed with is that bands, especially at that time, I was adamant that bands shouldn't go on too long," he continued. "At the time, I really felt like you do your best work, and when you realize you've done your best work, that's when you should explode the band — to preserve it is to destroy it; that you end [the band] at the absolute apex of your creativity as a group of people. And for me, personally, and I probably should have shared this, but in my gut, I was, like, 'We'll do one more record, and it'll be everything we have.' And so when I suggested that title, I think I knew that that was it, or I felt that it was coming to a close. It just felt very sort of Edgar Allan Poe, or it felt like 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', which is one of the [most] beautiful I've ever seen for a book. It's just got this beautiful ominous darkness to it. And so '…And The Circus Leaves Town' just felt timeless, and it's over, and you watch the exit on the horizon."

In March 2012, Homme and ex-KYUSS bassist Scott Reeder filed a federal lawsuit against Bjork and ex-KYUSS singer John Garcia over their involvement in the band KYUSS LIVES!, alleging "trademark infringement and consumer fraud." Five months later, a judge ruled that Garcia and Bjork could not release any recordings under the name KYUSS LIVES! and warned them that future concerts under the KYUSS LIVES! mark "might continue to subject them to liability for trademark infringement."

Asked if there is any scenario under which he would consider taking part in a KYUSS reunion of some kind, Homme told Kyuss World Radio: "My philosophy has always been, never do a reunion, never do a sequel. It's not what it was; it's what it is. And that's kind of how I've felt. A legacy that involves having been at the epicenter of a scene that got created, it's so fragile; it's like an ice sculpture. And I don't wanna be a blow dryer on that thing. That being said, I was in full support of KYUSS LIVES! and I would go to the shows and I told them as much, until what Brant and, unfortunately, what John tried to do. And that was terrible."

Elaborating on the breakdown of his relationship with Bjork and Garcia, Homme said: "All you have to do is show each other respect and say, 'Hey, we wanna do this, and we wanna talk about it.' Once Scott Reeder told me they were wanting to put out an album, I said, 'Let's sit down and talk.' So Scott and I went and talked to John and Brant. Sorry, it wasn't Brant — it was just John, because the band as it is, Brant had quit, so he wasn't part of that, what it was when it stopped, [which was] me and Scott and John. So I said, 'This is a discussion for me and you and John.' So I went and talked. And I said, 'We should find out a way for you guys to continue that's respectful.' You don't trample on what the legacy is and that you kind of let everyone understand what's going on moving forward. And the name they chose was a little unfortunate, 'cause it's actually literally saying KYUSS is alive again, which wasn't my favorite thing, but I was, like, 'Who cares?' But unbeknownst to me and Scott during that meeting, they'd already applied for a trademark to steal the name away. So I'm sitting there talking to these guys in good faith, and their managers, and they'd already applied, and you have, like, 20 days to object to the application. So the notion that I'm sitting there talking in good faith about how they could continue, and meanwhile, at that exact moment, in another room somewhere, they're applying to take the trademark for the name KYUSS so we wouldn't own it anymore, so John and Brant would own it. And so John had felt like he was robbing himself for something, and that's just not right — I don't play that way. And it also meant that they couldn't be trusted to be honest. 'Cause I'm sitting in a room, and instead of telling you that, it's like being stabbed in the back, essentially. There was no choice but to actually take action, because you can't sit down and say, 'Let's talk about this,' because now you told me that I may say something to you with my right hand, but my left hand might be stabbing you in the back. It's made it impossible to trust what was going on. And Scott and I both were, like, 'Jesus.' And it was only three people — me and John and Scott. It was, like, 'John, what are you doing? You are allowing you and Brant to take the name from you and me and Scott.'"

Homme continued: "I suppose at the end of the day, they didn't need a blessing [to play KYUSS music], but I was giving it to 'em. I want those guys to do well. And they were playing KYUSS music for a generation that had only heard of it and never heard it. I didn't see the harm in that. But trying to usurp it and take it away was just like dirty pool. The problem with all that stuff is that in a lawsuit or something like that, everyone loses; everyone looks bad. People that have loved KYUSS for so long go, 'Fuck these guys.' And that's terrible. That's why I say it's so fragile. That's why I say I've always wanted to err on the side of don't finger bang the ice sculpture; it's gonna break. If you don't touch it, it's just classic. But you don't punctuate the end of a band with a lawsuit. Those things are tragic, and they're awful. And then they lost, because, of course, you lose when you do things like that. But that damage is awful.

"But to be honest with you, and to answer your question, there have been times I thought it cannot end that way, and the only real way to end it correctly now would be to play," he explained. "And because they sort of perverted the punctuation and they knocked the wing off this beautiful dragon that's an ice sculpture, and the only way to put the motherfucking wing back on would be to [play again].

"I have thought about this, especially in the last few years, to do something special, and even to make up for that mistake of Brant and, unfortunately, John, to make up for it. [I thought we should] play and give all the money away. Like, play for the fans — cover your costs and make it five bucks. Figure out a way to be, like, this is how the punctuation will end the sentence of this band. Because it was never about money — it never was about money. It never was about fame, and when it felt like that was the move they were making, I was so sad."

After KYUSS split in 1995, Homme went on to form QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.

In a May 2012 interview with RolllingStone.com, Bjork stated about Homme and Reeder's lawsuit, "They don't want to mention that they trademarked the name KYUSS after I left the band, assuring that I had no rights in KYUSS's future. They're both accusing John and I of doing something that they actually did themselves. Their inner conflict is this: both Josh and Scott want control and money from KYUSS LIVES!, but they don't want to participate and they ultimately don't want us to exist. The double standard is unbelievable."

He added, "Josh and I were the creative force within the band and after the completion of our second record, 'Blues For The Red Sun', we developed an opposing view on how the band should exist and operate. In 1992, Josh discovered publishing, which is the financial revenue stream for songwriting. After that, he wanted to write all the songs. As a drummer, I couldn't make him play my songs. I wasn't going to compromise my heart and soul and play drums for Josh to make money in a band I started. So I left the band. I was a confused, angry and sad 19-year-old idealist who sacrificed my love of my band for what I believed in. Two and a half years later, Josh would break up the band after John confronted him about the same thing; his need to control the band for personal gain."

#Josh Homme #Kyuss #QOTSA #Queens Of The Stone Age

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cannibal-wings · 5 years ago

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What's your favorite version of spiderman outside the comic? Also why mcu is your least favorite. Just curious, not looking to stir hate or drama

Oh gosh, anon you’re fine.It’s almost midnight and I get to talk about Spider-Man opinions, lets go.So first off, I know you didn’t ask, but for the record my favorite version of 616 comics Peter is the JMS run of Amazing Spider-Man. It starts on issue #30 legacy number is issue #471. Sorry I don’t know how the “volumes” are divided out in Spider-Man books. If you’re reading online its issue 30 of the 1999 section. The run lasts until the infamous One More Day story line (which is a rant for another day.) It has some of my favorite Spider-Man stories in it, the first appearance of Morlun, the whole “The Other” story line and Back in Black which are personal favorites. I really enjoyed how he wrote Peter and MJ, how clearly passionate they are for each other, I liked how angry and full of emotion Peter is, that he gets wine drunk and talks with spiders. I loved the extra powers he got and how they talk about and deal with the relationship he has with his powers. Its a great run and everyone should read it. For my favorite movie Peter well... the original trilogy holds a special place in my heart, Spider-Man 2 is my all time favorite Spider-Man movie. Nothing has ever beaten it in my eyes. That Doc Ock is perfect. I will drop anything if someone says “hey wanna watch Spider-Man 2?”. However, my all time favorite rendition of Peter and his friends is the Amazing Spider-Man movies. They did such a good job with how Peter, Gwen, and Flash interact. The best by far. There were so many little things that just showed that they get it. I’m really fond of how Peter was played, and how Aunt May was played. There are scenes in those two movies where everything is just perfect. Another version of Spider-Man that was done really fucking well was the recent PS4 game Marvel’s Spider-Man. Without spoiling the plot, since it’s still a fairly recent game... just, everyone was written beautifully and gut-wrenchingly well. The MJ was great, May was fantastic (wow what a good depiction of FEAST), Peter was written and performed so well I cried, again another stellar Octavius. Everything felt great from the social media to the quips. So, why don’t I like MCU Peter? Or MCU Spider-Man as a whole.My number one complaint is how everyone is depicted. None of the side characters feel like the characters they are named after. I get what they were trying to do, but boy does it just not work with me. I think the only character I sorta like was MJ out of the whole bunch. The character that upsets me the most is Ned. You have to understand, coming from the comics, Ned Leeds is an awful person. He canonically abuses his wife Betty Brant, he’s the villain Hobgoblin, he’s just, not a great dude. And to name Peter’s best friend fucking Ned Leeds is just... I can’t ignore it. And in Far From Home, when they had him and that version of Betty date, it was just, upsetting and pulled me right out of the movie. And I know many people don’t read the comics. They have no idea. But I just... I see people talking about how great Ned Leeds is and how cute Ned/Betty is and I just cringe. I understand they’re talking MCU but god what whiplash they must feel if they ever try to look up the character they love in the comics because boy they’re in for a shock.

Flash Thompson is my favorite Spider-Man character next to MJ and I really, really, really do not like the MCU Flash. It’s not the actor, he’s fine, it’s the personality and way they wrote him that just... bothers me. In the comics he has a huge problem with alcoholism, even as early as high school, so to see them make a drinking joke with that character just... can we not?Other people have talked at length about this version of Peter, and I understand that the MCU is tied to Tony Stark in a way that can’t be diminished. But it bothers me to no end that Peter’s character revolves around Tony Stark. His suit was given to him by Stark, the tech is all Stark, his motivation is Stark, everything is Tony and I don’t like it. It honestly feels like he’s just Tony Stark Jr. and not Peter Parker. I know in Far From Home they make a point to have Happy say he’ll never be Tony, but the writing sure as shit seems to say otherwise. I have huge issues with how often MCU Peter unmasks. To like, everyone. In the comics he doesn’t even unmask when he’s on the official Avengers Team, and publicly unmasking (at Tony’s request/demand I might add) is what ruins his life to the point where OMD happens, (again a rant for another day). So to see him unmask all the damn time just bugs the absolute shit out of me.

He’s not shown making his own tech, (yes I know there’s a shot of him dumpster diving in Civil War but come on, I’m supposed to be happy with scraps?) he’s handed most of his tech from Stark, we don’t see him directly making things and I won’t count the little bit where he’s being mini Iron Man in FFH. I guess we can sorta count when he took apart that drone in FFH at the very end but again, scraps. I really enjoy scenes were Peter is shown building his own stuff and testing it.

I don’t like his stupid SHIELD outfit from Far From Home, I think it looks too much like a military/police outfit, which makes sense it was made by a military group. This is a minor complaint, I just don’t like the suit. lmao.I don’t like that Peter was given access to drones with a kill mode, I don’t like that his suit has a kill mode. His whole character is supposed to be centered around not killing. And these things just... they just add up? You know?

I don’t like that Uncle Ben is not mentioned ONCE in either of his two solo films. Ben is such an integral part to who Peter is and why he does what he does that to have him absent is just... It should have been Uncle Ben climbing out of that grave in Far From Home. The whole “father” dynamic with Stark is just... Peter Parker has a father and his name is Ben Parker!

All the villains he fights in his solo films are just people scorned by Stark. He’s fighting Stark’s battles for him and they don’t feel like Peter’s bad guys. It’s a lot of little things that just add up with me. From the way his friends are portrayed to the way that they gave a kid whose family is a victim of gun violence access to weapons is just..... Overall these things make the MCU take on Spider-Man my least favorite. Ok, I should stop talking, I’ve written too much.......

#Anonymous

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 5 years ago

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Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk #1

...um...

So I don’t know how to feel about this issue.

I’ll start with the clearest cut thing, the art was often not that great. Very sketchy you know.

At times it did work well, especially inside Bruce’s head but the rendition of Spidey wasn’t good, the rendition of Venom and Carnage were meh and so on.

As for the rest of the issue...okay here is the thing.

I’m not reading Immortal Hulk.

I read the scene where Ewing tried to make Bruce’s anger an issue connected to racism which disgusted me because Bruce is a mentally ill abuse victim and deserving of sympathy, but beyond that I know nothing about this run.

I have HEARD it’s supposed to be really, really good.

And I can maybe sort of see why based on this issue. It seems to be taking an introspective look at the character and in a sense allowing for multiple incarnations of the Hulk to be canon simultaneously and work together.

I’m not a huge Hulk fan. In fact in 2003 when I was reading reprints of Roy Thomas’ run and saw the 2003 movie I downright hated the character and dismissed him as boring and repetitive. I’ve changed my mind on that and grown an appreciation of the character, though I’m still not all that well read on his history. That is a real detriment to this issue as I can tell, even without knowing that history, that this story (and I hear Ewing’s run in general) draws upon it quite a bit. I don’t know the references, I don’t know the nuances, but when you’ve been around the block enough you can ‘sense’ when continuity is being probably invoked.

But I am mostly in the dark on this one. So as a Hulk story and as a part of Ewing’s run, I dunno this seemed pretty good.

But as a story unto itself the fact that this is a #1 and marketed as part of a Spider-Man/Venom centric event the issue’s major unforgivable sin is that it didn’t make itself accessible to new readers like me who’re not reading this run and/or are unfamiliar with the Hulk’s history.

I mean I know a little bit and so I know who Joe Fixit is, but I don’t know why he looks human. I don’t know who that big yellow monstrous guy is, I don’t know why Betty Brant looks like a monster since last I checked she was Red she Hulk, why is Rick Jones seemingly dead but apparently not really dead.

And what the flying fuck was up with Bruce suggesting he be murdered and mutilated so as travel was more convenient! That was a hard swerve into darkness I didn’t see coming, even in this crossover!

How did he survive that????

All these things I presume are answered in Ewing’s run...but a lot of people will pick this up JUST because it’s part of Absolute Carnage not because they want to follow Hulk so that presumption of knowledge is not okay, especially in a #1 issue. It doesn’t even matter if it’s very rewarding as a tie-in for the readers of Ewing’s Hulk run, it needed to serve both parties.

As a tie-in to Absolute Carnage itself it’s honestly mostly pointless.

It makes the reveal that the Hulk was the one who contacted the news and thus responsible for the report we saw back in Absolute Carnage #1. That was a cool bit of continuity but not really worth a whole issue unto itself. We also see specifically how Bruce linked up with Spider-Man and the heroes in general. From the POV of a Spider-Man/Venom reader that’s kind of pointless information but I suppose if you were reading Hulk/Hulk and Absolute Carnage it’s a question that might warrant an answer.

But again it’s just not really a justification for a whole issue. It might’ve been if it propelled the plot along more but it really doesn’t. By the issue’s end we end exactly where Absolute Carnage #3 ended.

Over all...the actual storytelling craftsmanship on display is not BAD...but it’s alienating if you aren’t already a Hulk reader/Ewing Hulk run reader and it doesn’t serve the over all crossover story. So if you just want to follow the events of the crossover skip this.

P.S. it was kind of cool of Ewing to establish Peter has clothes stashed throughout the city. I like that preparedness of his and it ties in sort of to Back in Black.

Also the subtle reference to Gray Hulk disliking Spider-Man. Famously back in Acts of Vengeance/the Michelinie/McFarlane run when Spider-Man was bonded by the Enigma Force he punched the Hulk into orbit.

#Immortal Hulk #hulk #the hulk #The Incredible Hulk #incredible hulk #Absolute Carnage #Carnage symbiote #venom #venom symbiote #Spider-Man #al ewing #david michelinie #Todd McFarlane #Betty Ross #Betty Banner #rick jones #Peter Parker #Thunderbolt Ross

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holbrookwrites · 5 years ago

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NAME/ALIAS: Bethany.

TIMEZONE: EST

RANDOM FACT: I am a huge movie buff (like legit no joke, I own close to 1000 dvds. And yes I have counted lmao).

CHARACTER

NAME: Lawson Marlowe

FACECLAIM: Brant Daugherty

BACKGROUND: ––– brant daugherty, 33, male, he/him // in DOWNTOWN, you’ll find LAWSON MARLOWE who’s lived there for 33 YEARS and they spend their days working as DOCK HAND. They’ve been described as BLACK TEE, MARLBORO CIGARETTES, LIFTED 1983 FORD BRONCO by the people that know them. Which makes sense when you consider that they can be PRECISE + WELL ROUNDED but also DESTRUCTIVE + TEMPERAMENTAL.

HEADCANONS:

In Elementary school, Lawson thought it was totally normal to take things that didn’t belong to you given his exposure to certain things that his Father was guilty of. So, he often stole other’s lunches and even took a few bucks from his Teacher.

Is known as the impulsive one, like he is the type that only asks questions later. Obviously, this can get him into trouble. He really has no censor with most things which is essentially a love or hate it kind of thing. Except with talking about his own inner demons of course. That’s a strict NO and NEVER.

The dude’s a sucker for pain. Strength to him builds character and he is always trying to impress his Father by showing he is no pussy. When he’s at the gym, honestly he starts beef with the biggest guy there and somehow either in the ring or outside, he just lets the other basically use him as a human punching bag to see how much he can withstand. Pain is simply only temporary.

Random but somehow surprising is even though Lawson doesn’t watch too much TV (He enjoys doing stuff outside way more), the man is a sucker for The Office. And even though he’ll never admit to it, he may or may have not had a crush on Pam. Which is quite the opposite of the women he goes for. The man can legitimately quote line by line on most episodes.

Even though he’s lived in Miami all his life, one wish he does have is to see snow. He saw it once years ago and it was a life changing moment for him.

Has some anger issues. Jealousy issues as well which mostly revolve around his Brother Nate’s relationship with his Father. To him, he was deemed the favorite and it is unsettling for Lawson as he believes that no matter how great he can be in turns of jobs and trying to impress their Father, Nate will always take the cake with that. He’s always first. Regardless, Lawson would do anything for his Family but a part of him wishes that he would have someone in his life that would put him in first for once.

WANTED CONNECTIONS: Drinking buddies, chaos partners since Lawson lives life on the edge, enemies/other people to bicker with, flings, etc.

CHARACTER

NAME: Damian Saldivar

FACECLAIM: Ryan Guzman

BACKGROUND: ––– ryan guzman, 28, male, he/him // in COCONUT GROVE, you’ll find DAMIAN SALDIVAR who’s lived there for 28 YEARS and they spend their days working as WELDER. They’ve been described as ROSARY BRACELET LOCATED ON HIS LEFT WRIST, ALWAYS A MASON JAR OF GUACAMOLE, AN ANCHOR TATTOO ON HIS RIGHT FOREARM by the people that know them. Which makes sense when you consider that they can be OBSEQUIOUS + RESOURCEFUL but also DEFENSIVE + IMPATIENT.

HEADCANONS:

In middle school and high school he was the rich kid. His parents originated from Mexico. They built an empire of becoming one of the most prominent of luxury yacht dealers on the East Coast.

With that lifestyle, he partied way too hard, was kind of a man whore and did too many drugs as well. Damian was not a good guy let’s just say that. He was cocky and way too into himself. That was until he overdosed at 18 from Cocaine and woke up in the hospital due to having a seizure and was foaming at the mouth.

Since then he has turned his life around, did a 180 and is down to earth and refuses to take any money from his parents from the lifestyle that they live.

Lives on a houseboat and he absolutely loves it. He loves the water so that part of him didn’t disappear like most of his chaotic qualities. However, he is a thrill seeker in some sense. He loves to race jet skis, wakeboards and surfs on the daily.

Growing up he loved dinosaurs. And to this day, if you happen to ask him what his favorite animal is : he will most likely say a Raptor.

He likes weird food combinations. For example: he loves fries and ice cream or fries and honey. He also loves chili with mango, bacon with peanut butter and a peanut butter and sriracha sandwich.

Knows every line to Christina Aguilera’s Genie in a bottle. It’s his guilty pleasure.

WANTED CONNECTIONS: Friends, enemies from his past that were friends but he cut off due to Damian not want to be associated with them anymore, close confidants, flings and a high school relationship that ended badly.

#miamiintro

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beermanoftana · 5 years ago

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accio date! [bucky barnes x oc, peter parker x oc]

relationship: bucky barnes x jacqui pryde (oc), peter parker x rosie pryde (oc), slight duke pontmercy (oc) x betty brant

warnings: swearing; cheesy and annoying title, mistakes here and there

notes: just a random hogwarts au, i’ve always wanted to do one

summary: the yule ball is coming up and both bucky and peter don’t have dates

“Okay, so here’s the deal.”

The courtyard was filled with students and professors, some of them admiring the snowfall. Scarves with the colors of their respective Houses were wrapped around each of the students’ necks. Most of them were just waiting out the time, ready for the trip to Hogsmeade in a few hours.

Bucky Barnes groaned while Peter Parker looked up at Duke Pontmercy with a blank expression. Duke simply grinned at them as an idea that had formed in his head was waiting to burst, and he was glad he found his friends just when he was ready to spit it out.

“What?” Bucky asked.

Duke cleared his throat. “Okay, so Peter, when we get to Hogsmeade, bring Rosie to Honeydukes. You know she loves sweets, right?” Peter simply nodded; of course he knew. “I’m gonna pay for this huge bag of licorice wands, but as usual, you can’t say that it’s from me. When you get there, just ask Mr. Ambrosius for the package for Rosie from her friend. Then you give it to her.”

“And what happens if she asks who it’s from again?” Peter wondered, seeing the usual hole in Duke’s plan. “You know she’s always asking who’s been giving her all those love letters. The past few…weeks.”

Duke chuckled. “That, my friend, is up to you. Just never mention that it’s from me. Never mention that they’re from me.”

“You’re her best friend, she wouldn’t run away from you,” Peter said.

“Maybe. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you get her those licorice wands. Now,” Duke turned to Bucky, “about Jacqui…”

“Duke, I’ve told you countless times, I can ask Jacqui out myself.”

“Don’t you want any help?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “It’s a simple question. If she says yes, then yes, if she says no, then no. Just that.”

“If she says yes, then yes,” Duke repeated. “If she says no, then I’m going to wallow in the darkness because the only person I’ve ever liked rejected me. Uh-huh, that’ll turn out quite well. Very simple.”

Bucky glared at him.

Duke raised his arms and said, “Okay, okay. If you don’t want my help then I won’t give it But my offer will stand until the very last minute.” He then turned to Peter. “You, however, I need you. You’re my wingman. My pal. My best friend. The one who will make all things possible. Are you still willing, Peter?”

Although what he’s been doing for Duke to get to Rosie has been hurting him, he didn’t hesitate to nod. If this means he gets to spend time with Rosie, then so be it. Not that he doesn’t spend enough time with her, but every moment counts.

When he told Jacqui about Duke’s plan and his response to it, the girl pointed out that Rosie liked him, which is why all he had to do was ask her behind Duke’s back. But Peter brushed it off and said that Duke was a better fit for her. And also, he would never go behind Duke’s back, what was Jacqui thinking?

“Good.” Duke grinned.

Bucky had noticed that Duke wasn’t wearing his scarf. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Hm? Not that much. It’s a pretty cool weather.” He shrugged. “But then again, I’ve always been thick-skinned.”

Bucky snorted at that.

“It’ll be cold in Hogsmeade,” Peter said.

“Hmm, you’re right.” Duke nodded. “Alright, I’m heading back. I’ll see you later. Peter, we’ll coordinate our time check before we get on the train, okay?”

“Sure.”

Once he had gone, Bucky grunted. “How do you stand that guy?”

“He’s Rosie’s best friend, and he isn’t that bad.”

“Of course he isn’t. Because he’s Rosie’s best friend.”

Peter ignored that. “I know you’re not too fond of him but he really is trying to help you with Jacqui. At least, those are his intentions.”

“I can handle Jacqui myself.”

“Oh sure you can,” Peter mocked. “Bucky, you’re the most feared student in all of Hogwarts. But you’re not a very…sociable and intimate person.”

“How would you know?” Bucky glared. “I happen to be friends with you and Duke,“ he paused, noticing Peter’s smirk and he realized what he had just said, "and Rosie,” he continued, “and even Jacqui. I think that’s considered sociable. And I’ve been…intimate.” Peter scrunched his nose. “I’m just…Jacqui is different. She’s smart, she’s beautiful, and she doesn’t fear me. She likes me not because I’m a challenge but because…”

“Because you’re a good friend.”

“Exactly. A good friend.”

Peter had no idea how Jacqui truly felt for Bucky. But what he did know was that she wasn’t interested in anyone at the moment. She’s had many suitors but none that fit her standards…some did, but they didn’t fit her sister’s standards. Sometimes Peter would think that maybe Rosie shipped her sister with Bucky, that’s not too surprising.

“You’ll never know until you try,” Peter said with a nervous laugh.

Later that day, as the Hogwarts students boarded the train to Hogsmeade, Bucky and Peter joined the Pryde sisters in their compartment. Rosie immediately asked where Duke was, knowing fully well that her best friend was spending much more time with the two men. Bucky shrugged and Peter guessed that he was with his Hufflepuff friends.

Some Slytherin girls passed by their compartment and, when they saw Bucky sitting inside, began giggling. Bucky ignored them despite them trying to get his attention. Jacqui looked up and shook her head. After a minute, they finally left.

“Don’t you guys see each other in your common room?” Jacqui confirmed. “They’re acting like you’re not in the same House.”

“They’re years below me. And I don’t stay in the common room that much. Too many people, too distracting.”

“I hope they’re not old enough for the Yule Ball,” Jacqui muttered.

There was a Yule Ball this year. The event isn’t done annually but Professor McGonagall decided to give the students a break. Only Fourth Years and above were allowed to participate. Peter, Duke and Rosie were lucky enough to be in their Fifth Years, while Jacqui was in her Sixth and Bucky in his Seventh.

“Speaking of,” Rosie started, “I heard Lorcan Scamander wants to ask you.”

Jacqui looked at her.

Lorcan and his twin brother Lyssander were her fellow Sixth Years. Lorcan was a Hufflepuff, and Rosie probably got that news from Duke. But what Rosie didn’t know was that Lyssander, Jacqui’s fellow Ravenclaw, wanted to ask the young Gryffindor to the ball.

“Did you or Duke hear that personally?” When Rosie shook her head, Jacqui told her the news about Lyssander.

“Are you serious?” Rosie gasped. “He’s cute and all, but I don’t want to go to the ball with him.”

Jacqui laughed. “Why not? He’s smart and, you said so yourself, cute. He’s a good classmate.”

Rosie stuck out her tongue. “He put a frog in my bag during my first year. Someone must have told him I don’t like frogs.”

“Well, it might have been a wild guess because it certainly wasn’t me.” Jacqui smiled.

After a moment of silence, Peter decided to talk about Honeydukes. “I heard they have this sale on licorice wands. Do you want to go, Rosie?”

“Yes!” Rosie answered without thinking. “I need those wands!”

“Jacqui and I can just wait for you in The Three Broomsticks,” Bucky said. “Unless you want to go, too?”

“I’m fine. I’m really craving some Butterbeer now.” She laughed. “Last one to sit on our spot buys?”

Bucky smirked. “Fine.”

They reached the village. As soon as Jacqui stepped down from the train, she took off to The Three Broomsticks. Bucky made no move to race her. Peter and Rosie knew that he’d always let her win.

“See ya in a bit,” Bucky said, and he brisk walked to where Jacqui was heading.

Peter and Rosie fell in step as they walked to Honeydukes which was on the other side. He checked his watch and nodded. Rosie shifted the position of her scarf. Peter noticed and offered her his matching scarlet and gold scarf. She shook her head.

“I’m so excited! I’ve been counting my money since you told me about sale,” she told him with a huge grin. “I’m going to save some for Butterbeers but–”

“Rosie,” Peter stopped her, “I don’t think it’s wise to spend a lot on licorice wands.” He frowned.

“Peter, they’re on sale. Of course it’s wise.” She smiled.

Peter smiled at the sight of that.

He then looked straight ahead and realized that Duke was just heading out of the store. He stopped in his tracks, holding onto Rosie’s hand as he did. She turned to face him and asked what was wrong. He stuttered, “I-I-I uh…I just…see…” He looked forward again and sighed in relief when Duke was far enough. “Nevermind,” he said and then began walking again.

Rosie raised an eyebrow. “Strange.”

When they arrived in Honeydukes, Peter brought her to the side and told her to wait for him. She tried to argue, saying that she wanted to buy the wands before they ran out but he instructed her to stay put. He went upfront and conversed with Mr. Ambrosius. The owner nodded and produced three bags. Peter smiled and nodded. He returned to her spot and handed it over to her.

“For you,” he said.

Rosie tilted her head. “Oh? What’s this?” She reached for one bag and opened it. “Licorice wands! And so many of them!”

“Two more bags.” Peter raised them.

“Did you buy them for me?” she asked.

“Ehrm…your secret admirer did.” He shifted his weight to his other leg.

“And who might that be?” Rosie grinned.

He shrugged. “Beats me. I’m just the liaison. I heard though,” he swallowed, “that he wants to ask you to the Yule Ball.”

“Oh. Is that so?” Rosie looked anywhere but at him. “Have you asked anyone to the Yule Ball yet, Peter? Or have an idea on who to ask?” she pried. There was a smile on her face even as she took bites of her licorice.

Peter shook his head. “I haven’t asked anyone yet. But I do want to ask this girl, but…” he trailed off. Rosie looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “I think she’s going to go with someone else.”

“You only think, Peter. You don’t know yet. You won’t know until you ask.”

Peter thought about that, his gears spinning. He wanted so bad to take her advice, to ask her to the Yule Ball while Duke hasn’t made his official move. But he couldn’t do that to Duke, not to Rosie’s best friend. Not to Rosie. “It’s fine, really. Don’t mind it. I’ll still go to the ball, but if I end up going alone, well…at least I’ll be able to dance with whomever I want.” He chuckled, not seeing the slight frown on his friends’ face.

"You mean, you can’t choose between Liz and MJ.” She was only half-teasing, the other half was disappointed.

Peter shrugged and laughed softly. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

Rosie took a bite of her licorice and snapped it angrily. Peter noticed, but before he could say anything, she covered it up. “That was kind of a hard one.”

Meanwhile, Bucky and Jacqui were having a good time chatting and reminiscing, with some laughter here and there as they thought about past shenanigans.

“Remember when you found out that I was a Muggle Born?” Jacqui started, a giggle escaping from her lips. “You said you wanted nothing to do with me. Yet…” she smirked, an eyebrow raised.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Okay, I get it. I made a mistake.” A very stupid mistake he might add. “I was only twelve. Mom and Dad still thought that Purebloods were superior. They still do,” he raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice softer. “I’ve seen…the error…of my ways.”

“How about the time you met Peter and Duke?” This time, a laugh. “You didn’t mind Rosie because she was my sister, but that face you made when the two boys thought you were their instant friend as well!”

“I regret getting out of bed that day,” Bucky huffed. But a small smile appeared on his face. Peter and Duke were good friends. They, including Rosie, didn’t care about what people thought about him. To them, Bucky was cool and a good friend as well.

“You love them. You love us.”

Bucky was the only Pureblood in the group. His parents came from a line of silent Voldemort supporters. And having Muggle Born friends like the sisters, and Half-Blood ones like Peter and Duke, he was considered a shame.

But Jacqui was right, that didn’t stop him from loving his friends. At some point in his life, despite his constant irritation with Duke, the rambles of Peter, the spoiled and bratty antics of Rosie, and the endless chatter of Jacqui, he knew he had found his true friends.

Whatever was thought about him, it didn’t stop him from loving the Muggle Born Jacqui Pryde.

“Uh, Jacqui, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he started. She looked at him attentively and he was just about to ask her to the ball when Peter and Rosie showed up.

“I’m gonna kill you, Parker,” he muttered. Merlin knows that if he ever cursed on Rosie, Jacqui would have his head.

“What was that?” Peter looked at him as he slid beside him.

“Nothing,” Bucky said with gritted teeth.

Rosie had shown her sister the goodie bags she received. “From my secret admirer,” she said.

Jacqui looked up at Peter as Rosie continued to ramble about the candy. “Wonder who that could be,” she said thoughtfully. When Rosie had finished talking, Jacqui turned back to Bucky and asked what he had wanted to say.

Peter seemed to realize what they had interrupted as his lips formed an ‘O’. “Shoot,” he murmured. “Sorry.”

Bucky pursed his lips. “It’s nothing, nevermind.”

“It sounded important,” Jacqui said.

“No, no.” He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” And he lazily placed his elbow on the table and let his head fall on his palm.

It’s been two days since their trip to Hogsmeade. Christmas vacation had officially started. Which means the days are getting closer and closer to the date of the ball.

Peter had been flying around with his broom in the field. Usually, he’d ask Rosie to come with since they would practice chasing each other around; they were, after all, Chasers on the Quidditch team. Sometimes Duke would join them as well, as he, too, was a Chaser on his team.

There were some other Quidditch members around him, mostly sticking to themselves as they tried out new strategies for future games. Peter had asked for permission to fly in the field, with his excuse that he wanted to keep his physique good. Although it was obviously a lie they let him be.

He wasn’t really thinking about anything. It was more like he was in a trance, but not spaced out enough to not see where he was going. But from time to time he would ask himself why he’s helping Duke when he wanted Rosie for himself. At some point, he sighed and would go back to flying around aimlessly.

Suddenly, he saw Duke waving at him from the bleachers. He flew to him and wondered what he was doing there.

“Here are some gerberas,” Duke handed the bouquet to him, “they’re her favorite.” Yes, he knew. “Don’t tell her they’re from me. She’s coming around soon. Thanks, Peter!” And with that, he left the Chaser flying with the flowers.

“Hey! Peter!”

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down. Rosie was floating up towards him, a huge smile on her face. He lowered his hands.

“Rosie.”

“You didn’t bother asking me to join you?”

“You told me yesterday that there was a good book you were reading.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, well, it can wait. It isn’t due for awhile. So what were you thinking about?”

He blushed. “Nothing. What brings you here?” He tried to change the subject.

“Duke said to meet him out here.” She looked around for him. “Maybe I’m too early.” It was only then that she noticed the flowers. “Oh. Who for?”

Peter swallowed. “For you." He gave them to her and she received it eagerly.

"Gerberas! How’d you know, Peter?”

“Oh, um…they’re from your secret admirer.”

“Again?” Rosie grinned. “That’s so sweet.” She brought it to her nose and sniffed. “They’re beautiful. Ooh, the girls will be so jealous!”

Peter smiled.

“Hey, Pete. Do you think this secret admirer will finally ask me to go to the Yule Ball with them soon?”

Peter frowned. “Yeah, he…just told me so.”

“Will you please tell me who he is,” she pleaded. “I’ll pretend to be surprised!”

Although Peter wanted to expose Duke so that they can finally get it over with, he still didn’t. Duke will say when it’s time to reveal himself. “Sorry, Ro. A secret admirer is a secret admirer.”

Rosie frowned. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

And oh Peter really didn’t.

While Peter and Rosie were chatting in the field, Bucky had found Duke walking by the halls. He quickened his pace and fell in step with the Hufflepuff student.

“Greetings.” Duke turned his head to Bucky. “What can I do for you?”

Bucky pursed his lips and didn’t answer for a moment. Finally, he said, “I need your help with Jacqui.”

Duke smirked. “Finally decided to ask for my–”

“Don’t push it, Pontmercy.”

Duke snickered. “Okay, so tell me what your initial plans were.”

“It was simple. Get her alone, talk about random things and just ask her to go with me.”

Duke sighed. “Okay, we can go with that. You’re a simple guy, we can do it. We’ll go with that.” A sly smile appeared on his face. “Or…”

“Or…?” Bucky pressed on.

He shook his head. “No, nothing. Nevermind. Just an idea. Now, let’s look for her. She could be in the library. While her sister is out on the field, she’s indoors.”

Three days have passed. Bucky hasn’t succeeded in asking Jacqui, while Peter continued to help Duke with his plans. Duke, however, has been in good spirits.

“Everything will work out, I promise.” He would say to both of them when they would question him. To him, they pretty much had no faith. He was trying to help them, results will come. All in due time.

One day, both Bucky and Duke were walking along the hallway. Although both hadn’t had dates yet, Duke insisted that Bucky wear a Muggle suit.

“Jacqui would wear something a Muggle would wear.”

“We’re in an age where we can wear whatever we want. I’m wearing my father’s dress coat.”

“You won’t look good wearing something like that with the smartest girl in Hogwarts who also happens to be very beautiful.” Duke shrugged. “But Lorcan will probably wear something that’ll match her.”

Then Duke stopped in his tracks. He smirked. Showtime.

“Oh look, there’s Lorcan and Jacqui now,” he whispered and pointed to the said two who were in the middle of the hallway. Bucky looked up to see them talking. “Based on his body movements, he’s about to ask her to be his date to the–”

“Jacqui.” Bucky whispered. But everyone had turned to look at him. Including Lorcan and Jacqui. He realized then that he might have, could have…maybe he actually did yell her name instead.

Duke looked at him expectantly.

Well, no turning back now.

“Jacqui,” he repeated, his voice a little louder than earlier. Or at least, what he thought was louder than earlier. Maybe he was whispering this time.

Everyone was looking at him now, waiting for what he was about to say.

He swallowed. “Do you want to go to the ball with me?”

“I’m sorry what was that?” Duke asked. Tilting his head, allowing his ears to go closer. “I don’t think I caught that.”

So he was whispering. Or maybe Duke was just playing with him. Yeah, probably it.

“Do you want to go to the ball with me?” Bucky’s voice boomed. Duke did the same gesture but he just hit him lightly. “Do you want to go to the ball with me?”

Jacqui’s eyes crinkled as she grinned. “Yes!” She passed the confused Lorcan out of the way and skipped to Bucky and Duke. “Yes, Bucky, I’d love to go with you!”

Bucky sighed in relief.

“So much for simple,” Duke said with a smirk. He walked away with a smile on his face as the two talked. He heard whispers around him but he simply shushed those he could.

Who knew the most feared student in school would ask out the girl he likes in the fucking hallway?

Meanwhile, Peter was walking along just two halls down. That’s when he saw Duke. He was just about to call out to him, ask what the next plan was (because he might as well get things over with) when he noticed he was talking to a girl.

He knew her, a Ravenclaw girl a year below them.

He walked over to them, not even bothering to be discreet. He put his hands in his pocket and positioned himself behind Duke.

“Well, what do you say, Betty?” Duke asked the girl.

Ah. Betty Brant. That was her name.

She smiled. "Thank you, Duke. I’d love to go with you.”

“Great!” he exclaimed. “Sorry for holding you up. My friend just asked our other friend to the ball and I felt a surge of courage. It was all thanks to me, of course.”

Betty giggled. “You have to tell me all your stories, Duke. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She paused. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Ned will lecture me if I’m late again.”

“Right, of course.” Duke nodded. Betty bid another farewell and left. He watched her go before spinning around and came face to face with Peter.

“Thought you wanted to ask Rosie to the ball.”

“Oh, Parker, you just don’t get it do you.” Duke sighed.

Peter blinked. “What?” Now where did he hear that before.

Duke shrugged. “Go tell her then.”

“Tell her what?”

His companion smirked. “Everything.”

Peter nodded. “You’re right, I think I will.” And he ran off to find Rosie.

As usual, he didn’t see the grin on Duke’s face. “Go get her, Parker.”

Finally, Peter found her in the Great Hall eating a slice of cake. He walked over to her and sat across. “They’re from Duke,” he admitted. “They’re all from Duke. The love letters, the licorice wands, those gerberas. Duke. All Duke.”

“What?” Rosie asked, the fork still in between her lips.

“All those secret admirer stuff. They were all Duke’s. But I saw him ask Betty Brant to the ball. I don’t know what he’s playing at but obviously, you’ll both know if he’s two-timing. I’m just saying, that when he makes his move, even if he is your best friend, I think you should say no, Rosie.”

Rosie tilted her head. “I’ve always known that Duke wanted to ask Betty, Peter. He’s liked her for so long.”

Peter blinked. “But…but he said he wanted to ask you. That’s why I went through all that trouble for him!”

Rosie rolled her eyes. “For a smart guy, you can be really dumb, you know that, Parker.”

“What?”

“Duke’s been helping you to ask me out. He’s been doing all those gestures so that you can feel threatened and ask me to the Yule Ball. Don’t you see why he’s been so secretive about being my supposed secret admirer, as you called him. He has no plans on asking me, Peter. And even if he did, I wouldn’t accept it.”

“But why?” Peter wondered. “You two are perfect for each other.”

“Oh please, we’re like siblings.” Rosie shook her head. “And he’s not…he’s not the one I have a crush on anyway.” She blushed and looked away. “He’s not you.”

“Me?” he gasped.

Rosie pouted, her eyes furrowed, and hit him gently. “Yes you. Merlin’s beard, Parker, why do you have to be so dense.”

"I’m not…I’m not dense,” he defended. “And…” he began to blush, “I have a crush on you, too.”

“I guess that means that–”

“We’re boyfriend and girlfriend now?” he intervened.

Rosie wanted to tease him, to tell him that she was gonna say something else. But the look on his face was hopeful, she didn’t want to crush him. She smiled. “I guess so.”

The ball was tonight. With all five friends being in different Houses, except for Peter and Rosie (but obviously…), they couldn’t help one another prepare.

But as soon as the sister saw each other in the hall, they squealed and ran to one another.

“Gorgeous!”

“Beautiful as ever!”

Peter had come out later than Rosie. When some of his fellow Gryffindors told him that his date already ran out, he frowned and was slightly hurt. Rosie didn’t wait for him.

“She’s playing hard to get,” someone said jokingly. “Go get her!”

Peter stumbled out of the common room and asked around if they had seen his girlfriend.

Finally, he saw her by the stairs of the Great Hall. He moved closer and was immediately speechless. She’s always been beautiful, this was just…well, what was it, actually?

When he finally found the courage to walk closer, he tapped her on the shoulder. As soon as he did, she turned around and grinned at him. “Hey,” she said.

“You…uh…didn’t wait for m-me,” he stammered, looking down at the ground.

She smirked. “I’m not supposed to wait for my date.”

He smiled sheepishly, a blush forming in his cheeks. “Sorry, May n-never tau-taught me h-how to tie my tie.”

She giggled. She took a step back and twirled around. “Well? What do you think?”

Jacqui chuckled. “I think his way of talking to you kind of gives it away. Don’t you think?”

He grinned and reached for Rosie’s hand. “You’re beautiful. Just like always.”

Rosie pouted. “Not even the slightest bit more beautiful?”

Peter leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “You are always going to be the most beautiful person in the world for me.”

Jacqui cleared her throat. “That might be something you could say and do when the girl’s older sister isn’t around. And this is your first date, so…”

Peter and Rosie turned to look at her but she just had a cheeky grin on her face. “Wanna go ahead? I’m just waiting for Bucky.”

Another person cleared their throat. It was deeper this time. It sent shivers up Jacqui’s spine. “I heard my name.”

Bucky appeared from behind them wearing a Muggle’s tux. “Hey.”

“Thought you weren’t gonna wear a tux,” Jacqui said, a smile on her lips.

He gave a small smile. “I wanna match with my date. Or she could be running to someone who does.”

Rosie grinned. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Bucky.”

“Let’s just all go to the ball. Come on,” Bucky urged, “let’s have some fun.”

The rest agreed and they walked inside the Great Hall in pairs.

Unbeknownst to them, Duke had been hiding behind and was grinning from ear to ear. “You go, guys.”

“Duke?”

He looked up and saw Betty smiling at him. “Hey.”

“Your friends are really doing well, aren’t they?”

He slipped out from his hiding place and saw the four by the dessert table. Typical Rosie. “Yeah, they are, and I’m proud of them.” He smiled at her. “Shall we join them?”

She nodded. “I’d like that.”

They headed inside to join the rest.

And all was well.

#peter parker x oc #bucky barnes x oc #betty brant x oc #peter parker fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfiction #betty brant fanfiction #misc: cherish writes

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