#also i noticed i accidentally repeated 2 lines | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

saphhhiree · 1 year ago

Text

introduction to art part 2

abed nadir x reader

part 2 of a req from @vampireluck read part one here!

warnings: nsfw!!! 18+, jeff’s ego, oral m!receiving, fingering, slightly ooc maybe, hickeys!!!, troys jealous

also can we talk ab abed hands for a sec..

“wait. what’s happening? are you flirting?” he looks up at you, noticing that you’re a little too close than he remembers you being. “do you want me to be?” you ask looking down at your feet. he stands up, cocking his head to the side, looking down at you, “yes” he says.

he bends down and kisses you; you stiffen, not processing what happened until you feel the absence of his lips. “wait, y/n, i’m sorry if i read that wrong i thought-“ you cut him off smashing your lips against his again, he adapted to your speed and force immediately, matching your pace as you grazed your hands up his nape, weaving your hands in his hair. he groans softly into the kiss, placing his hands on your hips, pulling them closer to his. he squeezed them softly, you smile into the kiss, moving your hands from his hair to trail one hand down his adams apple, earning another soft groan from him, while your other hand continued down his chest, stopping at the hem of his pants. “can i?” breaking the kiss to whisper in his ear while playing with the hem of his pants, “only if you want to, y/n” he kisses your neck, as you bite softly on his. you tilt your head back, giving him a brief kiss before getting down on your knees, pulling his boxers and pants down in one go. he hisses due to the cold air against him, mixed with the sight of you on your knees for him. you spit in your hand and wrap it around his base while kissing the tip softly; you open your mouth, licking a line on the bottom of his base before taking him in your mouth. he groaned softly, eyebrows furrowed, accidentally bucking his hips forward, causing you to gag slightly. you move slowly, swirling your tongue around the tip before going down again, repeating this grueling process until he moans out, “faster, please, y/n” you hummed in response, earning another pretty sound from him. you trailed your hands up his inner thighs, using them for balance. tears pricked your eyes before his hips buck again, “i think im close” you release him from your mouth to jerk him off, out of breath and your mouth needing a break “cum for me” you whispered softly and with that, he softly whined as he came, painting your face with his seed, you licked off what landed on your lips before using your shirt to wipe the rest off. he pulled his pants back up as you stood up getting ready to put your clothes on, “wait, what about you?” he held your wrist, stopping you from picking up your pants, “oh, abed, it’s okay. i don’t wanna push you.” you said with a soft smile, you knew it was tough for him to show physical affection towards others, but he stopped your thoughts saying, “ but i want to make you feel good too,” he looked at you, a genuine, real, kindhearted expression laid out on his face. he wasn’t putting on a front, pretending to be someone else, or using movies or shows to connect. you could see that he wanted, no, needed, to make you feel good. “please, (y/n).” you studied his gaze a second longer before kissing him, walking back so you were against the study room table, “okay” you parted, connecting your forehead with his.

he leaned down and started softly kissing your neck before finding the exact spot that made your pulse quicken ever so slightly; he bit down, lightly sucking as he trailed his hands down your waist, hesitating on the hem of your underwear, “it’s okay, abed, i would tell you if i didn’t like this.” he responded with a soft “yea” before dipping down into your underwear, he felt your arousal immediately, smirking as he teased around your hole, he dipped one finger in, slowly, payback for your teasing earlier, you softly moan as he enters a second finger, still biting on your neck every so often, “fuck, abed” you pleaded, practically begging him to stop teasing. almost immediately, he curls his slim digits inside you, coaxing a whine from your pretty mouth; he whispers in your ear, “you’re the most captivating thing i’ve seen in my life.” he bites your earlobe before picking up his pace, fingers moving in and out while still curling. you squeeze your eyes shut as your mouth fell open, an array of whines and gasps falling past your lips. "dont stop, fuck" you moan into his ear, "i wont." he whispers in your neck. you feel so good, you bite down hard on his shoulder, earning a hiss from him. you were so close, eyes blurry as you reached your limit. "abed, im close.." with that, he entered another finger, stretching you out with his slender fingers; you snap before you can even process the change, "fuck" you draw out every letter, squeezing around him as you cum, a mix of pleasure, happiness, and pure bliss. he slows down and takes his fingers out carefully. you catch your breath, grabbing onto his hoodie for balance. "are you okay?" he asks; you nod and hum softly. he walks across the room, bending down and picking up your pants and stained shirt. walking back over to you, he hands you your pants but keeps your shirt. "i don't think you should wear this" he says before unzipping his hoodie, "here" placing it around your shoulders. you start putting on your pants before zipping the hoodie up, "thanks abed." you look at him before embracing him in a hug. "thank you, y/n" he says before wrapping his arms around you. "we should really finish that project..." you release him, now worried about the assignment that got you into this in the first place. "it's already done." he hands you his notepad, and sure as hell, the sketch perfectly summed up what needed to be done for a passing grade. "holy shit abed, this is really good." you look at him in awe, handing the notebook back before slinging your bag over your shoulder. "thanks" his gaze meets yours, "i really like you y/n, i really do, and i dont want this to end here." you take his hand in yours, "i dont want it to either." you lean in for a kiss before giggling. "we need to head back to the study room, cmon." you tug softly on his shirt before turning of your heels making your way to the rest of the study group, him following quickly beind.

"somethings different." troy mumbles as you both take your respective seats. you make quick eye contact with abed. "*GASP* YOU DIDN'T!" troy shoots up from his seat, pointing to you, noticing the marks across your neck. the study group turns to you as you try to cover your neck nonchalantly. "oh no... i need to go home... you ruined the only pure thing in this group! shame on you! mhm mhm" shirley says, shaking her head and rushing out of the study room, mumbling something about sinners and hell (of course), "wow! i can't believe abed got some before i did." jeff leans back in his chair. "OW!" he recoils from a sharp jab from britta, "abed is becoming a man now, and we need to support him. abed, it's normal to feel-" before britta could even start one of her "therapy" rants, jeff interrupts her saying "britta, no, troy, sit down, your boyfriend is fine, don't worry. as for me, im going home." jeff stands up getting ready to walk out of the room. "we need to finish studying!" annie pouts to jeff, crossing her arms. "im going home." jeff says walking out. "yea, same." britta gets her things ready and leaves. "ugh! fine! you guys are going to fail, and i will laugh in your face!" annie yells at them, but they're too far away to hear. you stand up, also getting ready to leave, you walk over to abed, planting a kiss on his cheek, "ill see you guys tomorrow, goodnight." you walk out, still close enough to hear troy say, "tell me everything. right now." to abed and annie whine "guys!! thats gross!! come on...." you chuckle to yourself and get in your car.

i hope everyone liked it!! im still kinda new to writing so be nice pls!

#abed smut #abed nadir x reader #abed x reader #community x reader #community smut #abed community #abed nadir #abed nadir smut #six seasons and a movie

214 notes · View notes

ruvviks · 8 months ago

Text

// oc in 15.

tagged by; @devilbrakers, thank you so much!! tagging; @reaperkiller, @vvanessaives, @hibernationsuit, @katsigian, @adelaidedrubman, @dickytwister, @rindemption, @noirapocalypto and YOU!

rules: share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an oc, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the oc. bonus points for just using dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

decided to do this for vincent since he is the main character of my cyberpunk universe and it's been a hot sec since i talked about him! these bits are all from various fics including the broker which is a long fic that i'll never shut up about. sorry. i've included more than just the dialogue since a lot of vincent's manner of speech is also in his body language and internal monologue :^) his voice claim is basically masc v from in-game but with very distinct southern flair

from chapter 7 of the broker:

‘Here we are,’ Vincent repeated, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket and flinching lightly when he heard an explosion in the distance. ‘Just another fuckin’ day in Night City.’

from an unreleased fic i still need to finish and post:

‘The Deckhead?' Vincent asked. 'Fried to a crisp. Found ‘im hooked up to the Net high off his tits- he had an intruder alarm set up but it caused him to panic, ‘n he disconnected himself too soon. Lights went out before I could do anything.’

paraphrased from this fic, showing that vincent can and will talk to johnny out loud whenever he wants:

‘What the fuck,’ Vincent blurted out, voice shaky as he took another step back. […] Johnny raised a hand and gestured vaguely at Vincent, and himself, and the space between them. ‘You don’t have to speak out loud when you- I feel like I’ve said this before.’

from an unreleased fic:

‘Maelstrom wasn’t too happy I was running off with their toys,’ Vincent answered, eyes lingering on the bruise on Vitali’s face. ‘Had to flatline half of ‘em before I could get out.’

from chapter 11 of the broker:

‘Peachy,’ Vincent said and gave him a thumbs up. His mantis blade was still deployed and he nearly cut himself with it.

from chapter 16 of the broker:

‘Right.’ He stepped back, visibly biting the inside of his cheek as his eyes wandered off into the rest of the living room and he did a mocking salute in Vitali’s direction. ‘Yessir.’

from chapter 2 of the broker:

‘Pleased to make your acquaintance?’ Vincent said, the sentence more a question than a statement, and he frowned slightly as he watched Dupoint walk around the desk and sit down opposite of him while unbuttoning the jacket of his slightly too big suit.

from an unreleased fic:

‘Yep, that was me,’ Vincent said in response, his voice suddenly a couple of octaves higher. Smooth talkin’, you fucking airhead. You sound like a damn high schooler.

from this fic, talking to johnny out loud again:

‘Right, ‘cuz apologizing means everything is instantly forgiven and forgotten,’ Vincent snapped, accidentally startling an old lady he passed by; he quickly raised his hand to her as an apology and fastened his pace.

from an unreleased fic:

‘Born ‘n raised in the Glen, yeah,’ Vincent answered, flinching when he noticed the edge of someone’s umbrella get dangerously close to his face. ‘Won’t find the nicest people there but at least they generally know they’re not the only gonk on the fucking road.’

from this fic:

‘Headache that comes and goes-’ Vincent paused and glared at Johnny. ‘- but yeah, peachy. And you’re right. Worrying doesn’t help anyone.’

from chapter 2 of the broker:

‘V has had a lot of things on his mind, as of late,’ Vincent dryly said. ‘Please do enlighten me.’

from this fic, talking to johnny out loud again:

‘Alright, speaking rights fucking revoked,’ Vincent cut him off, visibly startling Vitali who had just slightly leaned in to Vincent’s touch. ‘Piss off, Johnny. Jesus.’

from chapter 15 of the broker:

Grant Armitage. Some seemingly random Arasaka exec with “his greasy little fingers stuck right up Yorinobu’s golden ass”, as Vincent had described him a few days prior.

from chapter 2 of the broker:

‘A fully opened center.’ Dupoint paused, raised an eyebrow, and glanced back at Vincent. ‘Do you know what that move is called, V?’ Vincent shrugged, and swallowed his laughter. ‘Dunno. The American Nutcracker?’

#tag games #ask:vincent #yes i keep mentioning that he talks to johnny out loud most of the time but it's important for his character i need you to understand #it's funny to watch him startle everyone around him by suddenly starting to speak to johnny out loud. boy you could pretend you're on a cal #also i didn't really know who to tag for this because i'm out of the loop with who writes etc etc so i just grabbed some regulars #but as always feel free to kill me with hammers for whatever reason honestly i won't take it personally

18 notes · View notes

fandomcentralsposts · 2 years ago

Text

An actual explanation as to why I think Jonah Beck from Andi Mack is autistic (by an autistic person)

Disclaimer every autistic person is different. This has become a popular hc in the fandom, and I am explaining why, based on my own traits and common signs and symptoms I've noticed in the character.

Hyperfixations:

Lots of autistic people have hobbies or special interests that they take really seriously they like to talk about it with other people even if they don't seem as interested or if its annoying them. Jonah's special interests were ultimate frisbee and guitar he would get so defensive if anyone said ultimate wasn't a sport, and he carried his frisbees with him a lot apparently even after he had stopped playing as much and when he took up guitar, he literally started wearing shirts with guitars on them bro found a new special interest and never looked back (its especially important bc it helps him cope with anxiety).

Social queues (lack of awareness)

Ik Jonah is sometimes comic relief and portrayed as oblivious, but he fr doesn't understand things like flirting like that scene from unloading zone when those girls were flirting with him and he just "Yeah uh... its free 🧍‍♂️😁". He also sometimes doesn't understand when something is really important to someone else, especially if he's concentrated on a special interest (when andi protested her school dress code in s1, for example). Also, just amber saying at some point, "If you want Jonah to not say anything, you have to be very explicit," and the fact that he accidentally got himself and the ghc in trouble in unloading zone.

Anxiety/meltdowns/sensory aversions

ofc anyone can experience anxiety, and it's not a part of the diagnostic criteria, but lots of autistic people experience high levels of anxiety in later life. Jonah canonically has panic attacks and struggles with anxiety, which (in my opinion, anywho) can be taken for a meltdown, but like I said, everyone's different not all meltdowns are out of sadness sometimes they can be angry like when Jonah flipped that board game and said "now its over". I noticed he gets them in uncomfortable social situations that are overwhelming he also said on a few occasions that he doesn't like confrontations, which could be seen as too much sensory input, which causes meltdowns

And he has food aversions from again too much sensory input when at Cyrus' grandmothers shiva he says he couldn't recognise anything on the food table even tho there was literally a bagel in front of him and he ate the fish Cyrus told him not too eat. He also says he's embarrassed of his panic attacks. I'm embarrassed of meltdowns he's so me. Also, this whole discourse of people saying Jonah doesn't have feelings he does he just struggles expressing or processing them.

Face blindness/masking

Many autistic teens and children have face blindness or facial-agnosia, meaning they don't always recognise faces they've already seen or just identify people in different ways Jonah's little line in s1 "some people never forget a face, I never forget a foot" was enough proof for me. Also, masking is when an autistic person basically hides that they're autistic by suppressing certain behaviours around certain people, and I think Jonah does this a lot in s1 to keep up this mr. popular image when Buffy said he only had 2 facial expressions could be taken as a sign of masking. I noticed it seemed like he didn't have any other friends after s1 accept from the ghc this could be because he felt he didn't have to mask in front of them (as an autistic person masking is exhausting I don't blame him) he definitely feels least judged around Cyrus and Buffy.

Stimming/repetition

Once again, it was likely for comedic purposes, but Jonah sometimes repeats things that have already been said, which is how some autistic people like to communicate whether it be repeating their words or echoing others (echolalia) I noticed Jonah do this in s3 when Buffy's talking about why she rejected Walker and he just says "I feel bad for the guy" like twice and I've noticed subtle stims when he's both nervous and happy Jonah is very expressive with his hands when he talks plus that trampoline park date must of been one fun sensory experience.

In conclusion:

#andi mack #disney channel #jonah beck #autistic jonah beck #autistic characters #autism #actually autistic #cyrus goodman #buffy driscoll #good hair crew #character analysis #panic attack #hyperfixation #endless list of favourite tv shows queue

136 notes · View notes

mrcformoso · 1 year ago

Text

Parallels and Details (part 2) for Paper Flowers for the God of Gods

This focuses mostly on Chapters 4-7. For Chapters 1-3, you can find it in Part 1

If you haven’t read the fic yet, this is in reference to my HuaLian fic Paper Flowers for the God of Gods! It’s a FlowerGod!XL AU in canonverse with Rapunzel vibes and Persephone & Hades vibes and an ungodly amount of flower language.

Again, OMG the response to this fic is UNREAL. Like I had to refresh it over and over because I couldn’t believe how much love it was receiving. This fic was both an emotional and mental ride hahaha because I really wanted to channel MXTX as much as possible.

If I was going to revamp the universe, I wanted to make sure that it was as detailed as possible, and so here’s another roundup of the details in this fic because The Brain Hurts But We Are Doing Our Best.

THIS IS ASSUMING YOU HAVE READ UNTIL CHAPTER 7. Please don’t accidentally spoil yourselves. It will be worth it, I promise hahaha this is mostly for me to show off point out details because these chapters got a bit emotional and just to show how much work I put in this hahaha

SMALL DETAILS - I’m a big fan of inputting tiny little details in this fic, whether it be a repeating phrase or calling out certain things that are for foreshadowing or for mood purposes

“He looked up, and up, and – oh”

The first instance of this line was in Chapter 3, during HC’s flashback:

Hong-er, raising his arms in defense against the intruder as he looked up – and up – and – oh.

This was then repeated in Chapter 4, when Xie Lian rolled the dice and was waiting for San Lang.

Before he could even see the result, he heard the soft landing of footsteps beside him.

He looked up, and up, and – oh.

And finally, repeated one more time in Chapter 7, after HC’s confession, right before seeing the flowers on Xie Lian’s hair

1.He looked up, and up, and – oh.

Basically, it’s all instances when they were feeling extremely anxious and they look up and it’s like saying oh, there you are.

Foreshadowing phrases from flashbacks

So the first instance for example is Chapter 4 during XL’s flashback where it talks a bit about his eventual punishment and HC’s death. Those are direct quotes lifted from the actual flashback on Chapter 7. There’s also repeating ones in Chapter 6.

Capitalization and how important Xie Lian is to Hua Cheng using the power of Capital Letters.

Another thing people don’t really notice, but in Hua Cheng’s POV, he always refers to Xie Lian as his God with a capital G, but all other gods are with a small letter g, indicating the difference in how he regards them.

CALLBACKS AND REFERENCES - I love cyclical poetry and calling back events within the fic. Also, when I write canonverse AUs I love calling back to the canon, or referencing the canon in a way that makes sense in the new universe I made. I also try sometimes to add little references to other things I love.

The two deputy gods - and how important this scene actually was

In the Prologue, there was a super, super short scene where two deputy gods were walking around and one explained Xie Lian’s Gardens to the other, before they’re interrupted by HC. More than just a “haha, HC is gonna kill them” kind of thing, in this chapter it was used as a mode of world building, to establish what Heaven thinks of XL and of minor gods in general, as well as establish that HC made his way to heaven.

However, this is referenced again in Chapter 4. Because HC takes out those two gods, and it causes trouble for Qi Rong, SQX was given the opening to talk to XL about HC. This reveals to XL that San Lang’s real identity was HC (he knew there was a ghost king, and he knew the ghost king was San lang, but he didn’t know his real name)

This leads to Chapter 5 where, because he knows HC is SL, XL brings him to his territory to hide him when he couldn’t teleport out of the festival, which led to the morning reveal of Puqi temple.

Basically, the two deputies were the reason for The Confession in Chapter 7. Thank you, random characters.

Butterfly Weeds - I also think I may have traumatized all my readers from this flower.

Xie Lian’s hair has two indicators of his mood. The first is what flowers grow on his hair, and the second is the state of the flowers (the droop when he’s sad for instance).

So the Butterfly Weed Reveal™ was foreshadowed as early as the prologue. I deliberately didn’t explain what Butterfly Weeds meant because it was a setup for Chapter 6. But if you recall the prologue, XL was waiting on the bridge while looking at his reflection and this was the description I used:

He tucked his hair back behind his ear. It was Butterfly Weeds today, their small, orange buds littered the top of his head, down the length of his hair. He plucked a dead leaf from his hair, letting it fall on the river water, distorting his own reflection.

You learn in Chapter 3 from HC’s POV that Xie Lian’s hair flowers die when he’s really sad, so if you go back, it’s the first indication that XL in the prologue was Not Okay. The river distorting his own reflection was also a metaphor for his mental state and how he was not showing his Real Self.

The Blue Hydrangea

Sooo it was super quickly mentioned but the bookmark in Chapter 6:

He lifted up an old book, one with a bookmark made of a pressed blue hydrangea.

This is the blue hydrangea that XL grew in his hair and gifted to Hua Cheng in Chapter 2:

…and in an act that surprised Xie Lian, [San Lang] tucked the Hydrangea behind his ear with a cute little “now we match, Gege!”

Which means the book came from Hua Cheng’s collection and not heaven. He literally gave the book to He Xuan to deliver to XL, and also kept the flower that XL gave him hahaha

The Page™

Chapter 6, the section of XL’s thoughts as he descends into the Bad Place in his mind was deliberately written in those short lines to sort of emulate the It Hurts page of the novel. I couldn’t really do that in fanfiction because this is not a physical book but I hoped it gave the same vibes.

Chapter 190™

There was really no reason for the human face disease and the stabby stabby but I kept the spirit of the torture XL experienced but through the shackles attached to him.

I also kept the spirit of Ghost Flame Hua Cheng unable to do anything until he burned everyone in teenager Hong-er unable to help until he started starving himself in XL’s temple while praying.

The formation of XL’s Habits

After the reveal of how Hong-er dies to save XL in Chapter 7, we see that XL starts showing the habits that we see him have in Chapter 2. That includes pacing around the perimeter, around and around until the sun sets, him looking at his own reflection in the river to see the flowers in his hair, and of course, the next point:

“It was a nice day. All days are nice.”

THE MOST PAINFUL ONE. IT HURT ME TO DO THIS.

This was actually first implied in the Prologue, but it was a more obvious repetition in Chapter 2 where each section started with “It was a nice day. All days are nice.” Initially, the implication is that it’s what he’s trying to convince himself is true (that all days are nice in heaven, therefore he is okay) But in Chapter 7 it is revealed that he started saying this after Hong-er dies. This shows that he started waiting since back then, and continued waiting the same way until he meets HC.

IT IS ALSO A REFERENCE TO THE NOVEL. It is supposed to emulate the year where XL was waiting for Hua Cheng to return. Because in this fic, XL is waiting for his devotee from his final request, and that’s why it’s the same vibe.

Princess Bride reference!

A cheeky little one. “Your wish is my command” which was first uttered by Hua Cheng in Chapter 5, brought back with more significance in Chapter 7 after XL asks him to be saved. In reference of course to the famous “As you wish” quote from the movie.

HUALIAN’S BACKSTORY - symbolisms, parallels, and running towards one another. I AM SO PROUD OF THIS. This was literally the first thing I had to flesh out of when I made this AU because the rest of the story had to be written around this and WHEN I TELL YOU the amount of time I spent making this omg –

Hua Cheng’s red string

In Chapter 3, we see that Xie Lian wrapped a vine with a lotus flower around Hong-er’s finger and he declared Hong-er as one of his flowers. Hua Cheng wears a red string now on the same spot.

Hua Cheng’s umbrella

The umbrella will make an appearance again soon! But yes, the red umbrella that Hua Cheng closes at the Prologue was the same umbrella Xie Lian hovers over Hua Cheng in chapter 3.

Hua Cheng’s name + Crimson Rain Sought Flower

THE INSPO FOR THIS FIC! Hua Cheng, literally meaning ‘Flower City’. After he dies, he changes his name to this to honor his Flower God, and tbh it holds a lot more significance in this fic.

Also, it changed the meaning of Hua Cheng’s title. Instead of Hua Cheng protecting the flower from the bloody rain, I made it so that HC deliberately protects any flower since they are considered his ‘siblings’.

“I want to be one of your flowers”

In Chapter 3, in HC’s flashback we see that Hong-er wanted to be XL’s flower when reincarnated because he wants to always be with XL. XL acknowledges this.

And although XL doesn’t put it together that Hong-er and “the teenage boy” were the same person, XL subconsciously considers him as his flower because of how loyal he was, and so XL took care of him like how he takes care of all his flowers.

And remember in Chapter 5, how XL reacted to seeing his flowers die?

Yeah. He felt that way, and mayhaps even worse, when HC died. The flowers in his hair rotted in just the same way.

“Wu Ming”

Not really done by name. But. If you notice, Hong-er never introduces himself, and Xie Lian never knew the name of his favorite devotee. I couldn’t do the “Wu Ming” thing because that was XL being deliberately cruel in the canon, and in this they have a much softer relationship.

But technically HC still becomes Wu Ming in a sense that he is endlessly devoted to XL and he sacrifices himself to save XL, so the spirit of Wu Ming is still in this fic.

San Lang (or, the three lives)

So the whole “San Lang” name in canon was a) a cheeky affectionate name (Lang is usually a term of endearment), and b) the “San” or 3 or third references the 3 lives San Lang lived (Hong-er, Wu Ming, Hua Cheng)

Now, in this fic, it means the same thing but in different contexts:

Hong-er is “reborn” as one of XL’s flowers in Chapter 3 - remember right before this, Hong-er mentions he wants to die and be reincarnated, to which XL asks “what would you like to reincarnate as” and gives him a lotus petal which means Renew, or Rebirth. This was the “end” of his first life.

Hong-er (or “the boy”) physically dies praying to XL for seven days straight without eating or sleeping. This is the end of his second life.

Hua Cheng is his third life, thus, San Lang.

Roses, Tulips, Gardenias, Daisies, Chrysanthemums

These were first mentioned actually in Chapter 3, but not by name because Hong-er didn’t recognize these flowers, but these were the flowers Xie Lian grew for him that ‘look like his red eye’.

In Chapter 4, they were revealed to be the red flowers in Hua Cheng’s garden. Xie Lian comments that, if red, they all mean Love. And Hua Cheng says he grew it for a wonderful memory (his first meeting with XL)

Also in Chapter 3, He Xuan mentions that Hua Cheng’s communication array password is “five flowers, but he can’t remember the order”. In Chapter 4, it is revealed that these five flowers are his communication array password (BECAUSE HC IS A SAP AND WE LOVE HIM)

Chapter 6, He Xuan mentions these five flowers to basically tell Xie Lian that he’s working for Hua Cheng and to trust him when he gave The Book.

And of course, Chapter 7, where Xie Lian grew these flowers in his hair as his declaration of love to Hua Cheng. These are Their Flowers.

Paper Flowers

Of course, ½ of the title of this fic. Paper Flowers.

So this one doesn’t need much explanation. They are XL’s favorite offering because it’s not picked flowers, but it is mentioned explicitly in Chapter 3 that XL tells Hong-er not to pick flowers because they will die. So Hong-er dedicated himself to learn how to fold paper flowers.

This is also mentioned again in the end of chapter 3 that Hua Cheng STILL folds paper flowers every day and offers it to XL’s temple in Ghost City (at the end of the chapter).

And during The Confession in chapter 7, Hua Cheng makes XL hold onto E-ming to free his hand as he sits and folds a paper flower to 1) show XL that he was the devotee, 2) fold a paper rose to confess his love and show his feelings and 3) you can say this is him praying to XL. The setting was with XL sitting on the bed and HC sitting in front of him. It’s kind of like he’s praying at an altar while making his offering.

E-ming - and the healthier relationship with Hua Cheng

So because Xie Lian saw HC’s red eye and declared it as beautiful, I made it so that HC and E-ming had a healthier relationship, and it’s shown in how HC takes better care of E-ming and treats him like a puppy.

In Chapter 5 he summarized his relationship that it started off as a curse (before XL), then it became his source of strength (After XL), and then his weapon. Chapter 7 shows that E-ming became his weapon because he wanted to forge something to protect XL in line with what he promised. His “wait for me, and I’ll come back to protect you” promise.

Role reversal

A theme I absolutely love with this universe! It’s very subtle, but it makes me soft.

In the flashbacks, it’s shown that XL is the one who took care of HC, from giving him a reason to live until he took care of him in his teens and made sure he was fed and sheltered and loved.

In the present time, HC becomes that person for XL, where XL is so sad and tired, HC became that person who brought him food, and validated him, and took care of him through their interactions.

“Tell me what you want”

Another theme I really wanted to incorporate in this universe. Related to the role reversal is the theme of asking for something that you want, and being able to give it to that person.

In Chapter 2, we have many instances of San Lang telling Xie Lian to just ask for what he wants, and we also have many instances of San Lang acknowledging any sort of request XL asks of him, even going away if XL says so (“You should go”)

Chapter 3, in HC’s flashback, we see that this came from XL doing the same for HC. Asking him what he wants. If you notice, XL didn’t tell HC to not kill himself when HC says he wants to die and reincarnate, but rather asked what he wanted to reincarnate as and then provide it.

Chapter 4, we see how XL’s wants are mostly ignored by other people (except SQX), until San Lang comes along, where he reassures XL that his wants are valid. Also, we see how XL

Chapter 7, the big reveal that the entire time XL was doing what HC wanted before he died (“what do you want, I’ll do anything” “Wait for me”), and so HC goes back and asks XL again what he wants.

References to their canon themes

“Just one person is enough” - except here, it was one devotee praying for Xie Lian to overcome the shackles

“They’ve been running towards each other for 800 years” - in the sense that they’ve been doing things for each other and waiting and looking for each other for 800 years.

HuaLian back and forth - living for one another and meeting in the middle

MY DREAM with this fic was that I wanted to do in this fic was the constant back and forth between HuaLian. I revealed little by little their backstory over the course of several chapters in their POVs to showcase how important they were to each other, even when they didn’t really get to know each other that well.

Xie Lian gave Hong-er a reason to live by being ‘reborn’ as one of his flowers.

Hong-er becomes Xie Lian’s most dedicated believer, praying everyday and . Note, for a minor god this is a Big Deal because he has so few believers and temples to begin with.

Xie Lian takes care of Hong-er by feeding him, giving him company through flowers, and leading him to shelter, which was a Big Deal to homeless, abandoned Hong-er.

Xie Lian chose isolation over exile so that he could still take care of Hong-er.

Hong-er sacrificed himself by starving and not sleeping to pray non-stop to save Xie Lian from the shackles.

Hong-er asked Xie Lian to wait for him, because he was already dead set on becoming a ghost/not resting in peace in order to protect Xie Lian due to his own disappointment in himself.

Xie Lian, despite his grief, continued to live and wait in acknowledgement of Hong-er’s wish. He endured 800 years of imprisonment and mental torture in honor of Hong-er’s last wish.

Hong-er becomes HC and spends 800 years becoming a Ghost King and looking for XL so that he could fulfill his end of the wish.

And finally, they meet in the middle.

WAAAAAAA it’s so much but I super enjoyed writing this fic! Did you guys catch all of this in your read through? Are there other things you noticed? I have more, but they’ll be more fleshed out in the last 3 chapters!

#fanfic #tgcf #tgcf fanfic #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #hualian #hua cheng #xie lian #san lang #he xuan #wip #parallels #meta post #meta analysis #paper flowers for the god of gods #i am so proud of myself #flower language

19 notes · View notes

kingbaguette · 2 years ago

Text

¡Rise Raph headcannon time!

Raph often gets hit with intense body dysphoria because of his size.

I have this Headcannon for a few reasons.

1, It’s angsty.

2, Most of the time people just refer to him as “big” or “heavy” or something along those line’s, and after a few years it starts to take its toll on him.

3, It’s not just about his weight here. It is also about his spike’s. Both on his shell and all around his body. (If you’ve seen my design for Raph you know what I mean).

I’d assume this reason would arise from when he was little and maybe he accidentally poked one of his little brothers with his many, many spikes. So in the mind of a child, you’d want to get rid of the thing hurting your family, so he’d find like a nail file in the bathroom and started filing them down. It hurt like hell but it’s not like he could stop, he couldn’t let himself hurt his family again, no, he wouldn’t! Thankfully one of his brother’s, let’s say Leo, got concerned on why he was in there for so long, saw what he was doing and ran to go get Splinter. When Splinter does show up, it’s not like Raph would just stop filing them down, no way! He needs to protect his family, not hurt them! He is the big brother, the one that is the biggest, he wouldn’t ever hurt them again! Splinter has to literally pry the file out of his hands in order for him to stop. His shoulder’s, elbow’s, knee’s, and a bit of his thighs are bleeding from the damage, many spike’s are now a lot smaller and dulled than they’re meant to be, and the spike’s on his shell have a few chips and scratches on them. Splinter doesn’t bother to ask why right now since Raphael is crying to much to answer, all he can do right now as his father is comfort him and wrap his injuries before they get infected.

Later when he asked Raph why he would ever do something like that, he answer’s with a hiccup, tears returning to his eyes, and a sorrowful smile and say’s;

“I-I don’t want to hurt you guys anymore. My spikes hurt you guy’s, I don’t wanna anymore! Don’t want them anymore! I keep doin this an-and I don’t want to!” Splinter felt horrible, down right horrified at the thought that he hadn’t even noticed his eldest son’s— Who is only seven mind you!— greatest fears and insecurities get even worse to the point that it would get this bad, in fact, he’d been neglecting them for so long that- Wait, did he even know what his biggest fear is? What’s his favourite food? Colour? He’d just gotten so used to red looking out for his brothers when he was out looking for food that he’d begun to neglecting them completely. Oh god, he didn’t even name them, they named themselves. How horrible of a father was he? As these thoughts began to plague and infect his mind like a virus, he could do nothing but helplessly cling his bandage covered child in a fit of sorrow before another depression episode kicked in, and the cycle would just repeat.

HAHA! Surprise Splinter angst at the end there! Anyways, if you guys like it, you can adopt it, but please credit me.

Now, have a lovely day/night/whatever your time zone is, g’bye my bakery subject’s!

58 notes · View notes

wit4writ · 11 months ago

Text

PJO Episode 2 Detailed Review (Part 2/2)

Part 2 of my Episode 2 Review. Part 1 can be read here.

Three seconds of darkness, and we’re in another creepy nightmare, which quickly cuts to Percy in the cabin with Luke being the best exposition robot he can be, between talking about nightmares, explaining who his dad is, and GLORY.

We also meet Clarisse, who is amazing. She’s confident and terrifying, knocking over Percy like he’s nothing. This is great characterization in a few seconds, establishing her strength, her attitude, and her messing with Percy.

Then we’re back to exposition robots, as Luke’s friend (Chris?) tells Percy that Luke’s the best swordsman in camp. It would’ve been more effective if we had a demonstration of that. For that reason, I would’ve had the scene with Clarisse happen later at the training grounds. Percy’s rationale of getting his dad to notice him was sadly realistic, but it would’ve tied in with Luke’s whole GLORY bit without Clarisse being there, which is another reason I’d move Clarisse’s introduction.

I enjoyed the archery scene, but I would’ve cut the beginning with Luke talking. The blacksmithing scene was also good, but I would’ve added both scenes to a longer montage of Percy trying various activities and failing at them: losing footraces, accidentally pulling out strawberry plants instead of weeds, losing chess games (possibly with Annabeth, but any Athena kid would do), and getting trounced by Luke in a duel (with the Ares kids watching and Clarisse being introduced here).

I’d also want to show Percy excelling at canoeing but I’m not sure where I’d put it. (Maybe right before Luke and Percy duelling.) That way in the next scene where Percy’s having lunch, they can encourage him, “At least you didn’t suck at canoeing too,” or something along those lines.

The burnt offerings thing was more conversational, so it felt like a more natural way of sharing info compared to earlier.

The scene of Percy burning candy in the woods to talk to his mom was so sweet and gave us insight to his inner thoughts. However, I think it would’ve made more sense if Percy said, “I think I’m making friends here,” because at this point, he’s known Luke and Chris for a day and a half, so to assert they’re friends already seems fast.

Three seconds of darkness which we didn’t need later, Percy is being accosted by Clarisse. His line and the transition to the bathroom were good. The scene itself was slightly strange. We don’t know why Clarisse is so annoyed by Percy killing the Minotaur and why she’s so fixated on him admitting he’s lying. In the book, her motivation is “initiation”—she’s a bully and he’s fresh meat. We aren’t giving enough info on Clarisse here to understand where she’s coming from. I also didn’t like the scene happened at night with no one around, which I’ll touch on once we get to capture the flag.

The scene where he soaks Clarisse and the others is great, but it would’ve been more impactful if it was just a little longer, maybe with them trading insults.

Annabeth’s official introduction is next. The conversation with Percy asking if she’s stalking him and her admitting to watching him would’ve made more sense if Annabeth was sneakily in the background of previous scenes, or they cut to a shot of her observing him, him noticing, then the scene moving on. Her being in the infirmary that night makes her creepy, but not a stalker, as stalking is most often used to refer to a repeated pattern of behaviour.

Three second darkness transition (sigh) and Luke the exposition robot is introducing capture the flag and Annabeth as the head counselor of the Athena cabin. Sorry, but no. In a cabin full of high intellect, even if Annabeth is the best and most experienced among them, she is still twelve. Kids tend to create their own hierarchy based on age. I don’t see prideful, eighteen-year-old Athena kids being able to let her be in charge, no matter how good she is. Also, they should emphasize that Hermes and Athena cabins are allies, not a team, because “team” implies they’re always working together, which they very well may be, but that brings up questions of why.

Luke explaining the backstory was, again, exposition we could either cut or reframe. Also, we are told they have a relationship while having no evidence of that, which makes it seem less authentic. If we threaded small interactions of them throughout this, it would characterize them and their relationship.

We also get the “forbidden kid” exposition, which, again, would’ve benefited from being more concise. We could have also dropped hints about Thalia earlier on (referring to Thalia’s pine, etc.), so it didn’t come out of left field.

While it makes sense that Percy asks Luke about Annabeth’s motivations, it takes away agency from Annabeth, and makes her a passive part of her own story. It would’ve been interesting if Luke had stepped back, assuring him that Annabeth had her reasons, and allow her to tell him herself later.

The capture the flag beginning was amazing. It was good to see Luke and Percy talk and skip some of Chiron’s instructions, because we didn’t need to hear it. Annabeth and Luke interacting was great, so why didn’t we have more of it?

Annabeth leading Percy to the lookout point felt like an actual character interaction, even with Percy rambling on how much he needs to impress his dad and Annabeth showing off her invisibility cap. A bit rough, but I’ll take it.

Three seconds of darkness (I DON’T LIKE THIS TRANSITION, IT FEELS SO CHOPPY) that we didn’t need later, Luke and his team have an incredible fight scene (it would’ve been great if his skills were shown at earlier, like I previously outlined) and after he says Percy will be ready, we get a great cut to Percy goofing off. This made me laugh, because this felt very in character, especially for a kid with ADHD. He’s alone and away from the action, he would get distracted.

Then Clarisse arrives, and her spear looks fantastic (Props to the prop master). This fight scene was good, but again, Clarisse’s motivation isn’t. In the book, she’s getting revenge here after being publicly humiliated during the bathroom incident, because everyone saw it happen and made fun of her for it. Here, it happens in the middle of the night, with no one around except Annabeth. Her revenge line makes much more sense if she got humiliated and wants payback, and is a stronger motivation then him admitting he’s a fake because she’s…jealous? Again, we’re not given enough insight to her motivation.

Percy also getting better at fighting once they were near the lake was hard to explain. In the book, it’s because he got in the water, which is hinted at earlier on. Now, he just so happens to be near the water and got better, so the reasoning behind his sudden athleticism becomes more confusing.

I’d also have Clarisse give him a parting line before just letting him go. Something like, “You get lucky this time.”

Annabeth interacting with Percy after this would’ve been served by more dialogue to give her more characterization, like so:

// Percy: “You were here the whole time, and you didn’t help me?”

Annabeth: “I was going to, but honestly? You didn’t need it.”

She helps Percy up.

Percy: “Didn’t need it? I almost got sliced up!”

Annabeth: “But you didn’t.”

Percy: “No thanks to you.”

Annabeth stares at him, not saying anything.

Annabeth: “I’m sorry.”

Percy: “Really?”

Annabeth: “For this.”

She pushes him in the water. //

Percy getting claimed by Poseidon was the perfect, climatic moment for the episode to end on. The quest giving should have been pushed to the next episode, that way the episode literally starts with the fact that the quest is also starting. The quest giving bit also gave us more exposition robots in Chiron and Mr. D, where they talked at him instead of with him.

Percy initially refusing the quest made sense in character, but I didn’t understand why Chiron and Mr. D didn’t reveal the truth about his mom then. It seems strangely shortsighted of them to not realize this was the perfect motivation to get Percy to go on the quest. Also, I would’ve had a shot of Grover eavesdropping on Percy’s briefing beforehand to explain his sudden appearance.

Then, the fact his mom was alive, while being a great bombshell drop, took away from the moment of him getting claimed, which is another reason I’d push this to the next episode. Finally, if we’d only hinted at his mom being alive previously (as I outlined), the moment Percy finding out would have hit much harder.

We sacrificed more characters for the sake of info drops, this time Luke suffering the worse. As exposition robots, they felt one-dimensional, and the whole episode felt bloated and messy. There were good moments, but they were few and far between, and not enough to redeem the episode.

I don’t mind Annabeth figured out Percy’s parentage, but it would’ve been good to build to that, characterizing her through actions: have her observing his failures, etc., while also showing her relationship with Luke. Instead, she popped up at the beginning and the end, which was a weird choice since she’s one of the main characters.

No one explained all the heroes have ADHD and dyslexia. Is that not a thing in this world? It was a large part of the books, so I found it odd they skipped over that.

Overall, I liked episode two a lot less than episode one.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Should I keep writing these? Is one long post better or split into two?

#pjo tv show #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olumpians #pjo #tv review #disney plus #grover underwood #annabeth chase #disney percy jackson #pjo tv series

13 notes · View notes

endcant · 2 years ago

Text

spent the past week in connecticut

asked where the side door out of the building we were staying at was and the security guard couldnt remember but tried to take us there and instead accidentally led us to a spiral staircase that extended down below the building so deep that i couldnt see the bottom and it exuded a strong dead animal smell and we all peered down at the staircase’s dizzying descent into darkness and the guard was like lol we are NOT going to go down there. lets just go ask the person working late in the office where the door is

on day 1 of actually working we went to take photos for a bar and found out that they had people living inside the bar. like 4 tenants. there was just a door next to the staircase from the 2nd story bar area to the 3rd story rooftop lounge and the owner of the bar was like yeah you can go wherever just dont go in that door there people live in there. apparently the current 4 tenants are chill but the previous tenant would call the cops on the bar she lived in for being too loud and throwing parties late at night

i got some kind of horrible sore throat sickness or allergy that irritated my asthma the next day and tried to get a telehealth appointment and the doctor straight up just didnt call until like an hour after my appointment was supposed to be so i didnt have time to get my inhaler after bc the walgreens my tele-doctor sent the perscription to had their pharmacy closed Most Of The Time

the day after that (or maybe the day after the day after that) when we went to go finally get my inhaler, a person followed us for like 6 blocks and we couldnt actually walk back to the airbnb or our workplace for the week while they were obviously following us. they did stop us and engage us in a conversation too uncomfortable for me to repeat here

at some point after that we had to go take photos in the kitchen of a restaurant thats like if cracker barrel were italian and had no decorations. and the kitchen was so full of aerosolized onion and garlic stank that i felt it burning my lungs (thanks alliums allergy) but i stuck it out for as long as possible bc i like photography and the kitchen staff were fun. after that point i sounded and felt like i had some kind of horrible respitatory infection between my already sore throat and the horrible burning in my lungs and the phlegm my body produced as a result

almost every night we tried to go eat after work and people were like “everything here is open late!” but then when we went to a restaurant that every human person we spoke to and also google swore would be open it would either be the one day they werent open at that time or just closed for no known reason

while we were at the air bnb the a state police marshal or something came to the door and served us an eviction notice because our air bnb host wasnt paying her rent to the building owners. this surprised us because we were being charged an arm and a leg for a barren millennial landlord grey cell with a couch, a bed consisting of 2 tempur pedics stacked one upon the other, a roll of less-than-one-ply toilet paper, a keurig with mostly decaf kcups, and a mustard packet

we ended up moving to a hotel (unrelated to the eviction) and the lady who checked us in gave us a much shittier room than what was paid for and thought we werent gonna notice and when one of us went down to ask about it she was like “oh its an upgrade because you have a view now” and when i heard that she had said that and looked out the window at our view of 2 different concrete highway overpasses i was like this is fishy and went down and asked the other front desk attendant and he put us in the room we got and there was actually like room for us to stand and to have our belongings and there was a fridge and we were like ok so that one front desk attendant was just fucking with us. like it didnt even take any time whatsoever for the other guy to change our rooms and there was no one in line either time we asked. she just did that bc she saw us and was like no i dont think so

staying in the city we stayed in was interesting bc it was a bustling downtown area but had an incredibly small town vibe. we found out a bunch of lore about everybody and every place in the local restaurant/bar industry including how people climb the ranks in the industry there, why people with prestigious degrees in cool areas of study were likely to stick around as a bartender or cook for like a decade and a half, which places were ripping other places off, and which restaurants were mostly venues for cocaine consumption (bc they serve mostly cops i guess?) and a bunch of shit like that.

we also learned non-restaurant lore about the city we stayed in like how the streets were incredibly powerfully windy by design bc the people who planned the downtown district designed it as a funnel to suck the sewage stink from the city out to sea??? and also that theres underground tunnels and that most buildings extend underground farther than we expected

we learned that connecticut is very proud of its seafood and town-sized casinos and its special pizza style that is flat like new york pizza but slightly different in some ways. we also learned that the driving is allegedly the worst in the country and that they cant get waves on their beaches because long island is in the way. we also also learned that some places are still separated into “xtown” and “xville” in the same way places were separated into town and village during the colonial period. they just never merged the names i guess.

when we tried to leave the city, the flight we were supposed to be on was overbooked and like 20 different people who were trying to go to tennessee were left to fend for themselves. we arrived later than most of the rest but the flight did still take off before its scheduled time and when we went to check our bags the lady at the desk was like “oh honey that plane is gone” so all us tennesseegoers heading out of connecticut there ended up independently finding our way on to the same flight out of the hartford airport, where we all met up again at the gate like “wow glad thats over and we’re going to get on this flight to a luxuriant DC layover and then the connecting flight to nashville all together (: we did it!” and then the president decided to land in DC unexpectedly so our flight was delayed by an hour and a half so us and the other flyers-to-tennessee had to pathetically jog from one end of the DC airport to the other as a large huffing and puffing gaggle of randomized but average and not particularly athletic citizens encumbered by our comical amount of barely-cutting-it carry on baggage and heavy “personal item” backpacks. we got on our flight barely on time and then that flight was late to take off anyway and we probably couldve walked and been fine

final note about CT: i have never seen a TSA line so jam-packed with homeland security and pro army propaganda. like the whole thing was packed into a relatively small space with a billboard sized ad about how the army is about love or something, a huge banner across the ceiling of the whole hall about how dope and patriotic the TSA and DHS are, a triangle folded american flag over a black and white memorial photo of some army person on a wall, and several TVs showing us an official looking guy in front of an american flag giving an ever looping speech on the importance of the TSA security check. modt places are just like. follow the rules and dont do anything stupid so we can all get on with our day. and hartford is like in GOD and HOMELAND SECURITY we trust if you SEE SOMETHING then SAY SOMETHING we rely on CITIZENS LIKE YOU to SUPPORT OUR TROOPS by PROTECTING AMERICA from THE ENEMY

connecticut was kinda like a normcore cliche-american-but-not-in-a-texas-way fever dream. some of my strange or bad experiences were not the fault of the state of connecticut nor its citizens but the whole trip had the same vibe

5/10

thats my review of my connecticut trip

#mine #friends #connecticut #poison #food #🎤

17 notes · View notes

tiggymalvern · 2 years ago

Text

Eight shows to get to know me, tagged by @dreamerinsilico. Only the first couple are in any sort of rational order. 1. Blake's 7. The original disaster crew, in which Blake the idealist wants to take down the fascist dictatorship. Unfortunately he's stuck on a spaceship with a bunch of accidental randos, only some of whom are idealists. The rest of them just want enough money to go and live somewhere the government won't bug them. I was a few weeks short of seven when I started watching it (yes, that was too young) and eleven when it ended. It was the first TV I saw where bad things happened to the protagonists, where they died and it made one hell of an impression. (Also, Servalan gave me the first inklings I was bi.) Since the BBC didn't broadcast a repeat, I didn't see it again until I was nineteen and it got a release on video tape. And it was SO MUCH BETTER even than I'd remembered. All the nuances, all the moral quandries had completely passed me by as a kid. What might you have to do to take down a fascist dictatorship? Where do you draw the line on justifying collateral damage? Then I discovered that there was a fandom for this show, that people wrote fanfics and published them in zines, and the university intranet (there was no internet) had message boards where people TALKED about it. It's not an overstatement to say that it changed the course of my entire life. This show is also probably responsible for my lifelong love of morally grey protagonists who snark at each other. So, that one got long, it always does. Shorter from now on, I promise! (Okay, maybe not that much shorter. How everyone else managed to do this meme without going off about their obsessions, I have no idea.) 2. Due South. My first slash fandom, illustrating my other recurrent fannish addiction, besides the snarky disaster crew - the two people who are odd, who are loners (or who socialise, but have acquaintances, not friends) and then they meet each other and they just fit 💗💗💗 And let's be honest, those two people were usually two men, because of the misogynistic writing for TV shows. 3. Burn Notice. My current snarky disaster crew obsession :-))) 4. Hannibal. Trope number two, the loners who fit, put together in one of the best, most complex TV shows ever written. It doesn't just happen to push my buttons, it's also objectively, amazingly good. The first time you watch it, you love Will Graham and want to squish him and protect him, and then slowly you find out more and more. And then you go back for the first rewatch and you realise that it was there, all the time, so many hints, but it was so carefully done that you just didn't see it. (I have stated before and will again that season two of Hannibal is probably the best single season of any TV show I have ever seen.) 5. Black Sails. Another snarky disaster crew, in which practically everyone is queer (SO many bisexuals, yay!). The first season is not what it became, because the writers started carefully with an action show about pirates chasing gold. And with that success, from season two, they were free to write the show they wanted. A show about idealism and love and rage at the world, in which every character is so well written that each time alliances shift and enemies become friends or friends betray each other, it's justified and it makes sense in terms of their motivations and who they are. 6. Deep Space Nine. The Trek series that changed the franchise. Arc plot! Morally grey characters, hello Garak! A Federation captain who says to hell with the rules, I'm doing what seems right at the time :-) 7. Trigun. I wondered whether to put this one in because I prefer the manga to the anime (the manga's longer, with more complexity, especially in Vash). But it's weird loners who instantly click perfection, with the added twist that one of them was put there to betray the other from the start, and then he can't and the angst is off the scale. 8. Farscape. A snarky disaster crew with the amazing bonus of Aeryn Sun, one of those rare at the time female characters who was as amazing and well written as any of the males. (I haven't watched Farscape in many years. I probably should, I wonder how it's held up?)

As usual, tag yourself if you wish to play :-)

#meme #tv

4 notes · View notes

allthemusic · 24 days ago

Text

Week ending: 7th May

Well, we've got two very different moods, this week. Both of them pretty fun, but definitely an exercise in contrasts - from panicked but surprisingly hard-rocking clock-watching to a sweet and gently romantic tune that's so laid back it's horizontal.

It's Late - Ricky Nelson (peaked at Number 3)

A fresh-faced teenage boy accidentally stays out way too long with his date, and worries about getting her home, and how angry her parents are going to be, all the while clock-watching like a pro. Haven't we already heard this song?

I joke, but this song is stunningly similar to Wake Up Little Susie. Except this time, we're not falling asleep at the cinema, we've just lost track of time on a date, as Ricky bemoans the fact that they can't phone, can't phone / We done spent every dime. Even worse, they're about to run out of gas for their car, and even once they get gas, can't speed, can't speed / We're in a slow-down zone. So at least he's a responsible driver, I guess? And to be fair, I actually really like the relatability of all this, as Ricky complains that If we coulda left home at a quarter to nine / Woulda had fun and plenty of time. I, too, struggle to plan my time out. Peak teenage struggle, right there.

The sound it's also pretty great - I think even without the relatability factor I'd like it more than Wake Up Little Susie, purely for the tight guitar solo that pops up at about the minute mark, for example. And the backing singers repeating the final two words of each line are also a nice touch, as are the wild piano glissandos (glissandi?) and tremolos that you get in the background, really selling that sense of urgency and panic as Ricky worries about his date's dad being mad.

Hmmm, the more I listen, the more I realise that this is a very, very repetitive song. It took a few listens to actually clock just how repetitive it was, but it really doesn't have much going on, does it? Heck, it's not got time to have much going on - we're clocking in at 1:59, right under the 2 minute mark, a real breeze of a song. I've noticed that, recently - there have been some real short tracks on my playlist. Not sure when it started, and it doesn't seem like a universal thing, quite, but it's something to maybe start tracking. Are songs getting shorter? And if so, why?

Come Softly To Me - The Fleetwoods (6)

Oh, I think I've heard this before, or something very similar!

To be fair, I'd be absolutely shocked if the opening line - a repeated dum dum, dum dooo dum, mm dooby doo, sung a cappella and very gently by a male voice, with this rattling sound in the background that was apparently made by one of the Fleetwoods rattling their car keys - hasn't been sampled half to death. If not, it should have been, because it's immediately distinctive, with a sound that's half pop, half folksy, a sort of artsy, laid back lo-fi sound (well) avant la lettre.

The mm dooby doo bits continue throughout the song, with the male singer - one Gary Troxel - occasionally breaking from it to muse on how I've waited, waited so long / For your kisses, and your love, as his female bandmates add these beautifully harmonised come softly, darling lines. And that's basically it, that's the song. There's a real simplicity to it, a delicacy that's only enhanced by the sparse, simple arrangement, which foregrounds the voices, but also has this beautiful acoustic guitar backing, which was apparently added after the fact in the studio by country singer and businesswoman Bonnie Guitar (not her birth name, alas) who was the co-owner of the record label that signed the Fleetwoods. So yeah, a team effort. And really a very lovely one.

It sounds like absolutely nothing else we've heard so far. Like, literally nothing, and it's so refreshing and pleasant. The closest I've got is maybe Vaya Con Dios, all the way back in 1953. But even then, there was a sort of formality to that. This is informal - it was recorded at home by the band themselves, as their first ever hit, and it sounds like it - and it's even more minimal, and the end result sounds almost intimate, like Gary and the girls are singing directly to you, almost under their breath. It makes me think of the delivery of bossa nova songs like The Girl from Ipanema, it's the same kind of quiet, dreamy sound. And I really like it!

Well, those were both pretty good, but one of them blew my socks off. And I don't think it's a secret which it was. I love a fresh new sound, especially one as pretty as the Fleetwoods'.

Favourite song of the bunch: Come Softly To Me

#uk charts #1959 #ricky nelson #the fleetwoods

0 notes

mcybree · 1 year ago

Text

Hey guess who’s back. For the record I dont actually think a single person read this but the more I think about it the more I think that it’s worth it anyways I can’t get enough of these guys

VERSE 2

I personally see this as said from Jimmy’s perspective, but while he was still alive.

“Take my word but keep the upper hand” is a banger line in general, but here it is from the perspective of a husband who doesn’t stand with his partner on equal footing. There is a pattern through Third Life in the Flower Husbands POVs: Scott pushes Jimmy around a lot (there’s a lotta timestamps with this one so I’m just gonna link the compilation, but if you want any specific ones shoot a DM), Jimmy even considers leaving Scott and living with Martyn once he’s offered (also in compilation, but the full conversation is in Jimmy POV Ep.1, timestamp 24:42). In any one of their interactions (barring one specific one in the desert because Scott doesn’t humor desert duo like Jimmy does), Scott keeps the upper hand. Jimmy can talk all he’d like, and Scott can listen all he’d like: their issues? Never resolved.

“So let my hope grow cold and atrophy / ‘Cause there is no more room in your heart for me.” I would like to think that Jimmy notices when Scott brushes off his concerns, and he is hurt by it, right? Or else he wouldn’t have considered leaving. But, contrary to the line I’ve focused in on here, there is more evidence towards Jimmy making up excuses for Scott and trying not to think about it too hard, rather than Jimmy giving up hope in response to this hurt. However! When Jimmy accidentally sets off Grian’s trap, killing himself, Ren, and Skizz in the process, Jimmy is newly red, guilty and terrified. He comments on how he’s too afraid to even leave his house, and always thinks he’s about to die. Additionally, he fully believes that what happened to Ren and Skizz was his fault, even though most of the blame was put onto Grian, and stresses that he feels terrible about it over and over. But when Scott goes to check on him, he brings Grian and Scar, and then mocks him for being red and not having armor (also in the compilation, but also Scott POV Episode 4 25:33). Scott is not helpful or sympathetic towards Jimmy for the entirety of the conversation, and even emphasizes that Jimmy killed two people when Jimmy says he feels bad. Scott lets Jimmy’s hope grow cold and atrophy. And maybe it would be different without the backdrop of war, in a place where preparation for the inevitable battle didn’t take up so much space in Scott’s thoughts. But Scott has other shit to worry about without the husband he thinks he doesn’t care about. (“ ‘Cause there is no more room in your heart for me.”)

These verses, as well as the next one, are connected with the words “Oh my love,” repeated. We will revisit this.

[11/75] Jimmy Solidaritygaming and Scott Smajor - October

“Come, my dear, and be a part of my home.”

Credit to @ccynosaur on Twitter for making this cover

#deranged.fh.posting

4K notes · View notes

lessthanpure · 2 years ago

Text

Evandria and Certak Chapter 2

Summary: Getting to know each other.

Tags: modern royalty, werewolves, A/B/O dynamics, forced marriage, slow burn (as slow as i’m capable of writing anyway)

No warnings in this chapter but they will come.

Wordcount: 3203

18+ only

Rating: Explicit (well, not really, but the fic will be porny so that's why)

ao3 link

The two weeks are boring . But Skylar learns some small things about Kyle, almost accidentally. She learns that he loves to read, especially mysteries, and can get engrossed in a book for hours and forget to do anything else. So she puts food in front of him when it comes and he barely takes his eyes off the page to eat.

Kyle also likes to watch her play Minecraft because he sucks at it. He watches her kill enemies with ease and build complicated redstone contraptions, asking question after question. She answers them all patiently and shows him tutorials that she learned from and gives him tips and tricks she’s picked up over the years.

Then Skylar sees him pick up a paper and pencil and ‘doodle.’ It turns out gorgeous, swirling patterns that fill up the page in the outline of a person. She compliments it and he turns bright red. But he does draw more for her, showing her the ‘good’ drawings he saved on his phone. He always finds some fault or other in them. “Kyle, no one is ever harder on you than you,” Skylar says when he’s ripping apart his own piece. “No one can see your vision in your head, and so when they see it they don’t know where it exactly lines up,” she points out.

Skylar is nervous but reads him some of her poetry. Kyle listens, enraptured. He compliments the way she can ‘weave words’ and make him think about things from a different angle. Her own face must be bright red when he finishes. She also reads him some of her short stories and he laughs at the right parts and gasps at others.

“You could publish,” Kyle exclaims. “People would go nuts for it.”

“If I ever did, I would use a pen name,” Skylar shrugs. “I don’t want someone to pick it up just because a high lord’s daughter wrote it.”

“Your work would stand on its own,” he promises. She smiles.

At the end of the two weeks, they leave the room. They go to the informal dining room and have breakfast together. Royal Advisor Raymond walks in and smirks at them. He inhales deeply and his smirk gets even more predatory.

“Hi, Kyle,” Royal Advisor Raymond says, sitting across from his cousin. “How was your honeymoon,” he asks, folding his hands on the table. Skylar feels her face heat up.

“Fine, Ray,” Kyle says, glaring at him.

“I’m glad.” The Royal Advisor looks at Skylar. “And how did you like the two weeks you were alone with your husband,” he asks.

“Very much, Royal Advisor Raymond.”

“Call me Ray. After all, we’re family now.”

“Ray,” she repeats.

“I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves,” Ray smiles and stands. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” he says. He walks away.

Kyle watches Ray leave, gut tightening. Skylar doesn’t notice and keeps eating.

Ray is smug as he walks. Kyle hadn’t claimed Skylar. This should be fun. He secures an audience with his King and approaches him. Ray stands with his hands behind his back and spine straight. “What is it, Ray,” King Rowland asks.

“I just came back from breakfast with Crown Prince Kyle and his new bride, Your Majesty.”

“And that is of interest to me why?”

“Because she hasn’t been claimed.”

King Rowland stills and Ray watches, barely suppressing his smirk, as his eyes grow thunderous. “Are you sure?”

“Quite, Your Highness.”

“I’ll summon them at once. Thank you for the information, Ray.” Ray bows his head. He waits to be dismissed. “Ray,” his King says, pensive.

“Yes, sire?”

“I don’t think that Lady Skylar and my son are the best match,” he admits. Ray’s mind starts to work.

“Of course they aren’t, Your Highness. A Crown Prince and the youngest daughter of a high lord are hardly equal.”

“My thinking exactly, Ray.” King Rowland steeples his fingers and thinks. “But this alliance is important,” he muses. “And I hardly want Lady Skylar to be wed to a Second Prince- she isn’t a match even for him.” King Rowland sighs deeply.

“Permission to speak freely, sire,” Ray asks.

“Permission granted.”

“What if I were to wed her,” Ray asks. King Rowland looks at him, thinking.

“Go on.”

“The Royal Advisor is a suitable choice,” Ray continues, keeping his expression and voice earnest and helpful instead of lustful. “High enough not to be seen as an insult, but not directly connected to the royal family. That would free both Princes to wed people more…appropriate,�� he offers.

King Rowland tilts his chin up slightly, examining Ray. “Do you have any ideas on how to get Lady Skylar away from my son?”

“Not currently,” Ray says. “But there are ways to do it, if she remains unclaimed.”

“You think my son would willingly hand her over,” King Rowland asks, eyebrow raised.

“There must be some reason he didn’t claim her. Perhaps if you discovered why, it would make it easier.”

King Rowland hums. “You’ve given me a great deal to think about, Ray. You may go.”

Ray bows and turns on his heel, leaving the room. Ray smirks as soon as he’s out.

King Rowland takes some time alone to think. Ray makes excellent points- he’s the Royal Advisor for a reason, after all. He’s counseled his King well over the years. And King Rowland trusts him to provide the same sound advice to his son once he is gone.

King Rowland rubs his chin. Lady Skylar wedded to Ray? That’s an interesting idea. If they can manage it, it would be a fine choice. As Ray pointed out, he’s high-ranking yet not directly royalty. If he’s right and Kyle hasn’t claimed Lady Skylar yet, it would make it easier. Perhaps his son isn’t interested in her. And why would he be? She’s the youngest daughter of a mere high lord. She hasn’t had the proper upbringing to be able to match him in the slightest. Kyle is most likely bored, especially after two weeks. After all, if he hasn’t claimed her yet there’s a slim chance he will in the future. And King Rowland isn’t blind- he can see the girl is beautiful. Long brown hair, lightly tanned skin, warm almost-honey colored eyes, a full figure. He sends a guard to fetch the hopefully-not-happily wedded couple.

“Crown Prince Kyle,” a guard says.

“Yes,” Kyle turns. He and Skylar had finished eating and were just talking.

“King Rowland desires to speak with you and your wife.”

“Of course,” Kyle nods. He stands and Skylar follows him. She’s nervous. Why would Kyle’s father want to see her?

They’re led to the visiting council room. The guard posted outside knocks. The door is opened and Kyle and Skylar walk through. The door is shut behind them.

“Father,” Kyle says, approaching where his father is seated at one of the chairs at the round table. Skylar follows him.

“Kyle. I trust that you enjoyed these past couple weeks with your new bride,” King Rowland says. Skylar’s face heats up even more than when Ray had said it.

“I have.”

“Good. Lady Skylar? Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Excellent. Lady Skylar, you may go. Kyle, a private word,” King Rowland says. Kyle nods and Skylar bows- she isn’t wearing a skirt- before she leaves.

Skylar checks the time and goes to where Kim likes to go between her duties- the garden. She finds her friend sitting on the grass under an oak, face turned towards the sun. “Kim,” Skylar calls.

“Hey, Sky,” Kim grins. Skylar sits next to her and sighs. “What’s up?”

“Kyle’s with his dad,” Skylar explains. “And I needed someone to talk to.”

“What’s wrong,” Kim asks gently.

“I don’t know,” Skylar sighs. “Everyone that isn’t a Beta we’ve spoken to seems to want to know what Kyle and I did the past couple weeks,” she blushes.

“Ugh. I’m glad I’m a Beta. From what you’ve told me, there’s too much knowing going on. Being able to smell when my parents bone? No thanks,” Kim snorts.

Skylar laughs. “Yeah, that takes some getting used to. Smelling emotions is weird,” she shrugs. “Knowing when someone’s angry or turned on sucks. Useful at times, but still sucks.”

Kyle looks at his father, who looks pensive. “Kyle,” King Rowland says. “Is there a reason you haven’t claimed Lady Skylar?”

“Father,” Kyle protests. “That’s personal.”

“If there’s an issue, I can help.”

“There’s no issue. Thank you for your concern.”

“But you haven’t claimed her, correct?”

“Correct,” Kyle says. It’s no use lying- the nose knows.

“Why not? Is it because she’s beneath your station?”

“No,” Kyle says. “Father, I don’t want to talk about this,” he admits.

“Kyle, you know how important this alliance is for us,” King Rowland says. “If you don’t claim her soon, King Windham might get offended.”

“There’s no offense intended.”

“I understand that. But King Windham might not.”

Kyle sighs. “I never wanted this,” Kyle says quietly.

“The marriage?”

“Yes.”

“There’s still time. I can figure something out,” King Rowland assures him.

“No thank you, Father. I’ll stay with Skylar. I’ll get used to it.”

“Alright. But if there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m here.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“You may go.”

Kyle bows and leaves. As he walks back to the informal dining room, he thinks. It’s true- he never wanted this marriage. And neither did Skylar. But if this is what peace means, he’ll do it. After all, his parents have an arranged marriage and they seem happy. Skylar seems kind and he’s sure he’ll grow comfortable with her soon. He takes his phone out of his pocket and sends Skylar a text asking where she is. She replies within five minutes.

He gets a servant to bring him to the gardens. He soon hears women laughing and follows it. Skylar is sitting with Kim and they’re both happy, talking with their hands and nudging each other. He watches for a few seconds. Skylar’s face is relaxed and she has a nice laugh- it’s loud and unapologetic, just like her. It’s not the controlled, polite laughter of the women of other royal families he’s met.

“Oh my God, have you ever gently pushed over a big dog,” Kim asks.

“Of course,” Skylar giggles. “They act so surprised.”

“They seem like they’re thinking ‘whatever has happened to me,’” Kim says in a falsely posh voice. “‘But nay! Perhaps I shall make the best of it.’” Skylar rolls onto her back and clutches her stomach, laughing. “‘I might take a nap. Perhaps I may even get lovely belly scratches! The possibilities are endless!’” Skylar’s laughter turns silent and she smacks at Kim. “Meanwhile little dogs are like ‘Vengeance! Death before dishonor! I shall slay whoever has the audacity to push Muffins, the first of his name!’”

“Oh my God, Kim,” Skylar chokes out before dissolving back into laughter. Kyle smiles. Kim starts to chuckle.

Skylar’s laugh starts to fade and then Kim lunges, getting on top of Skylar and tickling her. Skylar’s laugh comes back full-force as she squirms. “Kim!”

Kyle approaches. “Am I interrupting something,” he asks.

Kim looks over her shoulder and grins at him. She rolls off of Skylar and they’re both now propped up on their elbows, laying back. Skylar is still giggling. Skylar reaches out and taps the grass next to her. “Come sit with us,” she offers, smiling.

“I’ll get grass stains.”

“They wash out. Come on, Kyle!”

Kyle pauses but sits cross-legged in front of Skylar. “You seem like you’re having fun,” he says gently.

“I am,” Skylar smiles. “Kim is hilarious,” she nudges her.

“Oh, stop, you’ll make me blush,” Kim bats her eyelashes.

“How did you two become friends,” Kyle asks. “I mean, a servant and a daughter of a high lord make strange company.”

“Kim and I just grew up with each other. We saw each other for six months straight since we were kids,” Skylar smiles. “We made fast friends.”

“And your parents let you be friends with her,” Kyle asks.

“Why wouldn’t they,” Skylar asks, clearly confused.

“Don’t they think she’s below your station? No offense,” he directs to Kim.

“No,” Skylar shrugs. “They don’t think anyone is ‘below’ us. There’s just people who are different. With different circumstances and lives. I was always told how if I had been born somewhere else, I might have turned out just like them. It doesn’t matter where or to who you’re born,” Skylar says. “What matters is what you do with yourself. And to prioritize kindness above all else.”

“Huh,” Kyle says quietly. “I never thought of it like that.”

“You’re thinking of it like that now,” Skylar smiles. “And me being friends with the staff was never seen as odd. And Kim decided to come work for us at our estate when she was old enough. We got even closer after that.”

“Is she your personal maidservant,” Kyle asks.

“I never use the word ‘servant,’” Skylar shrugs. “It sounds so…demeaning. Like they’re only there to do your bidding,” she rolls her eyes. “‘Staff’ is a lot better.”

“Sorry. Is she your personal, uh, staff member?”

“I guess so,” Skylar says, looking at Kim and thinking. “We spend the most time together, and she helps me with almost everything. She has the room next to mine in our estate.”

“Wait, there’s no separate serv- staff quarters?”

“No. Here in the castle, yes, but the staff at our estate can take any room they want.”

“Wow,” Kyle says, surprised.

“Apparently the staff who come to work for us from other families think it’s a big adjustment,” Skylar laughs.

“I can understand why.”

“But my family and I never believed in separating anyone. It feels like the old segregation shit- ‘separate but equal.’ If it’s separate, it’s certainly not equal.”

Kyle shifts uncomfortably. That makes sense, and the thought that most people who can afford to have servants normally make them live together in a separate part of the home now bothers him.

A phone alarm goes off. “I gotta go back,” Kim says as she turns it off. “Great seeing you, Sky,” she says as she stands, brushing herself off. Skylar stands and helps her with her back.

“Always good,” Skylar says with a smile. The young women hug.

“And it was nice talking to you, too,” Kim smiles at Kyle.

“You too, Kim.”

Kim walks off and Skylar sits back down. Kyle looks at her as she stretches out. He shifts to lay next to her and props himself up on his elbows next to her, on the opposite side Kim was lying on. “So, what did your dad want to talk about,” Skylar asks, looking at him.

“Politics stuff.”

Skylar rolls her eyes and nods. “God, that’s always so boring. I never had to do much of it, but my dad has to. High lords in Evandria are kind of like unofficial Royal Advisors,” she explains. “And King Windham trusts my dad a lot,” she smiles. “So he kind of gets more sway.”

“Maybe that’s why King Windham asked him to let you marry me,” Kyle says.

“Probably,” she shrugs. Her phone makes a soft noise and she rolls slightly towards Kyle to get it out of her back pocket. She hums as she checks it. “Ugh. Politics,” she says, sitting up. Kyle follows her as she stands. “Sorry, I gotta go,” she says.

“Ok.”

“I’ll text you later, give you more of a tour,” Skylar offers.

“That’d be nice,” he smiles.

“Later.”

Skylar walks away. Kyle wanders the gardens. It’s small, probably only about a hundred acres, so it doesn’t take long. He sets off in search of something to do.

Skylar goes to her parents. “What’s up,” she asks.

“Are you alright,” her dad asks.

“With what?”

“Crown Prince Kyle,” her mom clarifies.

“We’re fine. Getting to know each other a bit,” she shrugs. Her mom casts a glance at her dad.

“Did he, uh,” she starts. She leans in. “Claim you,” she whispers.

Skylar’s face burns and she groans. “First Ray, then King Rowland, now you two,” she complains. “I thought I’d avoid it with Betas.”

“Did he force you,” her dad says. His voice sounds calm, but she can hear the anger under it.

“We didn’t have sex at all.”

Her parents stare at her, shocked. “Really,” her mom asks. “Because you can tell us anything, sweetheart.”

“I know, mom. And really. It’s an arranged marriage, it’s not like we know each other,” Skylar shrugs. “Kyle doesn’t seem to want this any more than I do.”

“I’m sorry this happened,” her dad says. She hugs him.

“Not your fault. And it isn’t King Windham’s, either. His daughters are too young. I was the next best thing.” She pulls away and smiles gently at him. “Kyle seems nice,” she says as she steps back. “We’ve been talking a lot. I think I can learn to become friends with him.”

“Honey,” her mom says reluctantly. “You have to be more than friends, otherwise you’ll insult King Rowland.”

“He didn’t seem to mind,” she shrugs. “He asked to talk to us, and he didn’t smell angry or seem offended.”

“That’s good,” her dad’s shoulders relax.

“I haven’t spoken to Queen Rowland yet, but if King Rowland isn’t offended, I’m sure she isn’t either. And if she is, King Rowland will tell her the truth- that Kyle and I have…time,” she admits. “Because it seems like King Rowland loves his son and truly wants what’s best for him,” she smiles. “Which makes him a good man in my book.”

“Ours, too,” her mom smiles, holding her dad’s hand. “Alright, that’s all we wanted to talk about sweetie. Unless you want to talk about something?”

“I’m alright.”

“I can send your dad out,” she offers.

“There’s nothing more to tell you,” Skylar smiles. “I said everything that happened.”

“Good.” Her mom kisses her forehead. “You can go back now.”

“Thanks, mom. Thanks, dad,” she smiles. She leaves and texts Kyle.

‘Done. Where are you?’

She walks towards the center of the castle. ‘I’m in the sunroom,’ Kyle replies. ‘The East one, anyway.’

‘Got it. Be right there.’

Skylar walks there. Kyle is sitting on the couch, his back straight. She sits next to him and relaxes, putting one leg under herself but keeping her shoe off of the cushion. “What do you want to see first,” she asks. “And don’t say the library,” she jokes.

Kyle chuckles. It’s the first time she’s heard him laugh, and it’s a nice one. “Just a basic tour, then.”

Skylar nods and stands up. She leads him around, showing him the various rooms- the five studies, the two rec rooms, the bathrooms in case he needs one, on and on. It takes her two hours to show him everything. “Well, that’s it,” Skylar says. “Sorry it took so long. You’ll make your way around fine soon, I promise,” she smiles. “And if you ever get lost, either send me a picture or ask a staff member, they’ll be more than happy to help.”

“I will. Thank you.”

It’s lunch and they go eat.

#original story #my fics #modern royalty au #alpha beta omega dynamics #a/b/o dynamics #werewolves

0 notes

anitachristinita · 2 years ago

Text

Alright so I was watching hunting palismem again for the millionth time lol, but noticed something in this scene.

“Our family is gone because of wild magic, I can’t let the same happen to you”

I find this scene very interesting due to what we now know the real reason why Belos says this.

We now know that this is a reference to Caleb leaving Philip to be with Evelyn. And that eventually Philip ended up killing Caleb due to his hatred for wild witches and because Caleb was in a relationship with one.

In this line Belos is telling his point of view of the situation. He sees Caleb leaving him and his death as their family being “destroyed”.

And it’s clear he blames Evelyn (a wild witch) for everything as he sees her being the reason why Caleb abandoned him and his death by using wild magic (the type of magic Evelyn practiced) as the thing that killed his and Hunter’s family.

Belos also says he can’t let the same thing happen to Hunter, and I interrupt this line in two ways.

1. After hollow mind this line now seems as Belos warning Hunter to not betray him like the other grimwalkers (by discovering the truth of wild magic and/or finding out Belos’ true intentions) because he’s been trying for years to make a perfect new version of his brother and doesn’t want to kill another grimwalker and start over again. Especially since Hunter was the one who looked most like Caleb and Belos considered it a shame to kill him because of that.

2. Belos sees Hunter as Caleb and doesn’t want history to repeat and for Hunter to “destroy” their family by having him run off with wild witch again.

But ironically enough in Belos efforts in trying not to repeat the past, he accidentally forces Hunter in the same position that Caleb was in.

Both were guys who grew up in a environment filled with indoctrination that is strongly against and Villainizes witchcraft/ a specific type of witchcraft, and were given a job to hunt witches-

… and then they end up meeting a wild witch and discover that wild magic isn’t evil through the very same red cardinal. And all of this happens within the same episode where flapjack (a symbol for Caleb and Evelyn’s love btw, more on that another day) is introduced.

#toh analysis #lunter #caleb x evelyn #luz x hunter #huntceda #belos toh #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #hunter toh #hunter wittebane #evelyn clawthorne #luz noceda #flapjack toh

633 notes · View notes

ellemfaoh · 2 years ago

Text

Pinball, Hair, and Detention Pt. 3 | Vance Hopper X Reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (here) | Part 4

Word Count: 4.4k

Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Rivalry, Angst, Fluff

Content Warnings: Kidnapping, Swearing, Female Reader Implied/Mentioned, Descriptors of character deaths, Blood, Beatings

Summary: Reader and Vance have some sort of ongoing rivalry. You accidentally spilled your drink on his hair and he in turn gave you a “fresh cut.” You one day get detention together due to fighting. On the walk home one day— where you both live merely a block away, he barely misses your abduction and watches as you helplessly get carried away in a black van.

A/N: As an apology for taking so much longer to post this, I made it a little extra long <3

A/N 2.0: Also we are so close to actually seeing action, I’m just a sucker for slow burns 💔

——————————————

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” You shouted at the masked man, backing up on the old mattress he placed you on, rusty springs creaking under your weight.

The Grabber gave a heavy sigh. “I really don’t like repeating myself. I’m sure that spray doesn’t affect your memory.”

This was a sick joke. You must’ve angered whatever god was out there because for the past two months your life was nothing but a roller coaster of hell. Your encounters with Vance, your hair, your reputation being ruined, and now your kidnapping. Did you do something in a past life to deserve this? You were an average middle school student: average grades, average friend group, average life. You never did anything risky or illegal and you helped out when you could—which is what got you into this mess. Maybe this was a lesson to be learned.

“Now, how about I get you some soda to calm you down? You like sprite?” His voice seemed a little singsongy—which really creeped you out, especially when he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “You stay here and don’t try anything. This room is soundproof anyways, so no one will hear you.”

When The Grabber left, closing the heavy metal door with a slam, a loud click of the handle locking echoing around the room just a moment later. That’s when the dread fully sunk in. You were stuck in a creepy man’s basement with absolutely no way out. The floor was linoleum tile, the walls were solid concrete (with a weird orange strip stain all over them), and the window was probably around 8 feet high. Maybe that explained why he didn’t bother to put bars there yet considering everyone he’s kidnapped so far were pretty short. Billy was probably an average height, but Griffin was pretty short. He was also eleven years old—the youngest out of the victims so far.

You walked around the space you’d be occupying until your probable death, looking at the weird little hallway area with the toilet and a few rugs. Nothing of interest. How the hell are you supposed to use rugs to escape. When you walked back to the bed you noticed the black phone hanging on the wall, quickly running over to it and attempting to dial a number. When you held the receiver to your ear and heard nothing, not even a static fuzz, you realized it wouldn’t work. Suspicions confirmed when you looked at the snipped phone line.

“Damn it!” You yelled, slamming the phone back on the dialer. You slid down to the floor with stinging eyes and a tight throat. “I’m gonna die here. I didn’t even get to see my parents last night or this morning.” Sniffling, you curled your head into your knees. “And the last person I hung out with was Vance.”

Then the phone rang.

——————

“I didn’t do anything, I swear!” Vance shouted at the cops in front of him. “I watched the mother fucker shove her in that fucking black van and drive off! I have her backpack right here! If I did anything do you think I’d keep her shit?!”

“Hopper, please relax. No one is saying you’re lying. We were just asking if you got the events correct.”

“Of course I did! It happened barely an hour ago.” He said, taking in a deep breath and exhaling angrily. “I don’t hang with that fuckface, but I’m not about to let a kidnapping go!”

The room was quiet, police officers of the small Denver town looking at Vance and then each other. They all knew the boy well—he’d never come to the cops of his own free will. Usually people were coming to them about him. One of the secretaries was on the phone with the (Y/L/N) family already, informing them of the grave news and telling them to come to the station as soon as possible.

One of the officers, an older guy who frequently dealt with Vance, placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile. “We know you’re worried, boy. We’ll find her.”

Vance grumbled and stood up, face flushed. Embarrassment and anger most likely. “Whatever, I’m leaving.”

As he walked out of the station, Vance made his way back over to where you were abducted. Maybe he’d be able to find you without the cops, he was the one that watched you get taken after all. When he walked up to the curb where he found your bag, he looked for any hints. The black balloons in the tree were the only thing so far that was solid and concise evidence. The van had quickly pulled out and driven to the left, going straight for a little while—or at least until he lost sight of it.

He decided to walk down the street and through the neighborhoods he passed occasionally. The kidnapper would be stupid to leave his van outside in broad daylight, especially since he knew Vance saw it just as clearly as you. He mostly scanned the houses, looking at the exterior and trying to feel the vibes. Some houses looked really gross and rickety, then there were the others that definitely housed a nice, big, happy family. Maybe that house he just passed was the Yamada’s. Vance had no idea how Bruce would react to your disappearance. For as long as anyone amongst your graduating class knew, you and Bruce had known each other for as long as possible.

How the hell was he supposed to find you like this? There are definitely a few thousand people in this buttfuck nowhere Denver town, he thought. He’d have to scour the streets for clues, look at people and analyze them. He’d figure this out. He knew the cops were doing a half-assed job with this case so far. You were person three, so that made this serial, but he’d been in the station while they mentioned a few things about the cases, some of them being brushed off. He really only trusted that old guy. Day 0, and he was determined to find you before the week was over.

——————————————

How many hours have you been down here? It felt like it’d been weeks, but you knew by the dead darkness outside and inside the room that the day ended. You had nothing down here; just the mattress you were on, the toilet, and yourself. You never thought you’d miss laying and doing nothing in your room more than now. Oh, you also had the ghost phone. You almost didn’t believe it when the phone rang, but you picked it up immediately. Even if it would’ve been a fluke, you’d hope and pray for anything you could get.

“Hello?! Hello?! Can anyone help me?!”

It was silent for a little while and you lost hope, leaning against the wall and covering your teary eyes while taking deep breaths to calm yourself down before you broke down. Your hand had drifted from your head to your hip, the phone knocking against the wall. When you opened your eyes and saw the image of a bloody and dead Griffin, you screamed, letting the phone go out of shock. You were in disbelief. You were scared. You were probably hallucinating too. The boy’s mouth was bobbing up and down. Was he talking? You grabbed the phone and pressed it to your ears, listening for any sort of noise.

“D…n’t cr…”

The words through the receiver were crackled and sounded like a whispered gargle. You could barely stand to look over at Griffin, his throat slit and body riddled with welts and blood. Now though, he seemed to be standing closer to you, not contorted in whatever hellish position you had first seen him in.

“What?” You sniffled, wiping your nose and eyes. “You…what do you mean?”

“Don’t cry.” The boy said, pausing for a moment. “Don’t let him see you like this. He loves it.” Silence again.

“You…you’re Griffin. You were the first to go missing. How am I talking to you?”

“I don’t know. Your name is the first thing you forget—All I know is that you should stop crying before he comes back. He loves seeing kids cry.” Griffin looked around at the room. “I had something to tell you, but I can’t remember. It had something to do with a door.”

“You know how to get out of here?!”

“No. The front door. There’s a padlock there, it’s the code used for my bike lock.” You waited for him to continue, give you the code or something. “I think the code is-”

“Put the phone down.” You jumped, Billy’s voice and any static the receiver had going dead. “That stupid thing doesn’t work anyways. Hasn’t worked since I was a kid.”

You placed the phone back on the wall slowly, glaring at the man as he stood in the doorway watching you. Why he came down here you wouldn't know. He squatted down and looked up at you. You felt a chill go up your spine, his beady eyes staring up at you gave you the heebie-jeebies. Why did he sit lower? Was this some way to play a mind trick on you? Make you feel empowered when he could actually take you out immediately?

“Why me?” You asked, taking the opportunity. You had a feeling you’d probably end up dying. You just wanted to know why. “Why do you do this to me? Why’d you grab me?”

He stood up, standing for a moment before walking over to you. Your heart dropped into your feet, your legs paralyzed in fear. Was he gonna beat you for asking? Maybe he’d stab you and teach you a lesson. His hand lifted up to tilt your head to look up at him, tucking a stray piece of hair back. His hands were cold, his demeanor threatening, but his voice sounded light and cheery. It was sick.

“I guess I’m aiming for someone else by taking you first. I don’t usually kidnap girls.” He stepped back, looking at you whole again. “Maybe after this though, I’ll consider it a little more.”

You nearly puked. Aiming for someone else? Did he mean Vance? Or Bruce? Was he stalking you guys? You hung out with them often—though Vance was less of a choice. He would consider kidnapping more girls ‘after this?’ Did that mean after he killed you he’d go for more? Your thoughts drifted over to kids you knew. Gwen, the girl who could see things in her dreams. You knew her from Amy, Bruce’s little sister. They hung out at the Yamada’s place together sometimes too. You couldn’t imagine either of them getting kidnapped.

“Don’t you even think about touching anyone else you sick fuck.” You cursed at him, an angry glare on your face.

“Wow, but of a potty mouth here.” He chuckled, eyes cold as he grabbed your hair and squeezed. “I suggest you behave well, you don’t want to act like the last few ‘naughty boys’ I’ve had recently. They didn’t have a very fun time.”

You cried out in pain, the added motion of him shaking your head causing tears to prick your eyes. He really was sick—talking about the previous victims like it was a normal occurrence. You hated everything. You wanted to go home. You wanted to talk with Bruce about stupid things like Mr. Roeder’s bad cover-up for his bald spot or something. You wanted to be sitting in detention ruefully staring at the board as you waited to go home. If only you waited a little longer, or went the longer route that day. You kept talking about yourself in the past-tense and honestly? It helped you prepare to be murdered later as the man let go of your hair and walked out of the room, the heavy lock sliding into place.

“Get me out of here.” You sniffed, sliding down the wall and deciding to let yourself cry. Forget the ghosts of the past boys telling you what to do, you’d cry as hard as he wanted if it meant you could even say goodbye to the people you loved just one last time.

——————————————

Day 3 of the search for you. By now people were desperate. There was a pattern with The Grabber. He wouldn’t kill immediately. No, he preferred to take his time with people. Mind games, physical violence—nobody knew what, but it was something. Vance and everyone else looking for you never would’ve guessed you were just blocks away, about twelve feet under in some dingy basement of a sick man. You lost track of time, all the sleeping and staring into space and random walking around made the minutes seem like hours and the hours seem like days. You hadn’t gotten any other calls recently, so it must’ve been your imagination. Maybe whatever gas you were sprayed with made you loopy.

“How do I get out of here?” You asked yourself, pacing around the room, feet dragging against the linoleum tile. You felt icky too. You hadn’t showered recently, you were dirty from the residue of the room in the air and on the bed. “What the fuck am I supposed to use?”

Suddenly the lights in the room blinked on and you hurriedly dove for the bed, pretending to sleep. You wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction of seeing or hearing your weakness. When the door creaked open and the light behind him poured in the room everything was still. Your breathing was kept even and slow even though your heart was pounding. He never gave any hints towards his intentions to you.

“I know you aren’t asleep.”

Silence.

“Tsk, naughty girl.” He said angrily, any singsong tone he had previously was gone.

You slowly sat up, turning your head to face him with an angry look. He held a tray with a plate of shitty looking eggs and an open bottle of soda. You didn’t even realize how hungry and thirsty you were until you saw the food. Stomach growling, your hand slid over your stomach. You couldn’t see The Grabber’s face—he was wearing a full mask today—but you could see the crinkle of his eyes as he (probably) smirked at you. Weakening you physically and mentally by hunger, what a fucking piece of shit.

“Why would I eat that? God knows what you put in it.”

“Eat it, don’t eat it, I don’t care.” He said, placing the tray down and looking up at you. You could almost see the sick and twisted smile of his mask blend in with his face. “I don’t need to drug you. I already have you right where I want you.”

Your heart dropped. Sure you knew your fate was probably already sealed, but it never hurt to have hope. Now though you might as well rip them up and throw them around like doomsday confetti. When the Grabber didn’t leave immediately and kept standing by the door you made a face. Why was he still here? Just leave. You wanted your peace and alone time. You had already cried what felt like all your tears the first day, so you just wanted the silence and stillness of an empty room.

“Why are you still here? Just get out already.”

“Give me a minute, I’m just looking at you.”

Eventually he opened the door and you figured that maybe there’s someone else in the house. There had to be. You took a deep breath and started screaming. Your throat burned and your head hurt, but you made sure to scream as loud as possible before you were stopped. A rough and calloused hand gripped your throat, fingers digging into the flesh and your windpipe slowly being squeezed. You clawed at the hands around your throat, struggling to breathe.

“Naughty. Very naughty girl.” He growled out angrily, pushing you to the floor and he quickly slid off his belt. “Very smart but very stupid girl.”

Your eyes widened as he folded the belt, raising the tough leather over his head. You started pleading even while knowing it was a fruitless effort. You tried to escape in some way, and now he’d punish you for disobeying. When the first strike of the belt hit your stomach, your eyes welled up with tears and you yelped. It didn’t last long—maybe a minute or two at best, but it was some of the worst pain you’ve felt. He left you a sniveling mess on the floor, red welts appearing slowly and blood springing from where your skin had split.

“Next time I suggest you be a little smarter. I should slit your throat for the ruckus you made.” The Grabber said to you, looping the belt around his waist again and muttering something under his breath. “Now I have to talk to him about it.”

“Him?” You hiccuped through tears, looking up at the man who glared at you. He left wordlessly, slamming the door behind him, save for the click of the door lock.

He didn’t lock the door? Not even after this attempt of yours? Did he forget in his rage? You slowly got up, your nerves screaming as your skin stretched as you stood—your stomach and left forearm probably hurt the most. He got you good. As you slowly made your way to the door, your foot knocked into the tray on the floor. Oh right, the food.

You got down on your knees and grabbed a handful of shitty scrambled eggs, stuffing them into your mouth. They weren’t great, hell, these were some of the worst eggs you’ve ever had, but it was better than the taste of hunger. You felt like an animal with how you were eating, and chugging the soda bottle didn’t help your case, but not everyone was perfect. As you wiped your face and kicked the tray off to the side while getting up to get out of this fucking basement the phone rang again. Maybe you died in the beating and this was a dream, but as it kept ringing you were more convinced it wasn’t a dream at all.

“Hello?”

“Don’t go up those stairs.”

“What the fuck? You aren’t Griffin. Why the fuck wouldn’t I try to get out of here?” You sounded bitchy, but you took a moment to think. Who was the other kid that was grabbed before you? “Wait…Billy Showalter?”

“Don’t call me that, and don’t go up the stairs. He’ll beat you with that fucking belt again.”

“If he doesn’t want me to escape then why would he leave the door unlocked?”

“He’s playing ‘Naughty Boy’ with you. I guess it’d be ‘Naughty Girl’ with you but still. You pissed him off just now and he wants to see if you really are as stupid as he thinks.”

“Hey–”

“Listen to me.” His voice was stern and heavy. He was taking no shit. “You already got hit a few times. That’s only a fraction of what his beatings actually feel like. He beats you to death and it hurts real fucking bad”

“What…” You started, choking slightly on your words. What could you do? How could this dead kid help you at all? “What am I supposed to do?”

“Play his sick game differently than he expects. Don’t be naughty. Don’t let him see you doing anything like scratching stuff on the walls or trying to get out of here. He won’t kill you unless he feels like he’s won his little game. You have time. He got me after two weeks, and he got the other one after his first. Poor kid almost got out of here too.”

Griffin almost made it out? He mentioned a lock on the door. It was his lock right? You couldn't help but shudder at the thought of poor Griffin dying violently to such a sick man at such a young age.

“Oh yeah, and there’s a cable hidden under the crack in the walls by the hallway. Use that somehow—don’t let my work be put to waste.”

“You got it, Paperboy.”

——————————————

Day 5 and Vance was still looking for you. He’d cut school to scour the streets for the black van or any sign of that fucker’s face. He’d threaten anyone that muttered a slight insult of your or Griffin’s or Billy’s names. He might’ve been an asshole, but he met the sick fucker that kidnapped you guys. He knows how it was out of your guys’ control. Your kindness was your weakness, but he figured the other two probably got tricked the same way. Helping out a stranger that needed help.

“Hey!” Vance heard his dad shout from his car, making the blonde jump. Shit, he’d get in trouble for skipping again. “Come here, Vance!”

Vance slowly trudged over to the family car; a beat up and dark blue 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. While Vance might’ve had his tough-guy persona on display constantly he didn’t exactly enjoy being chewed out by his dad, especially not in public. The boy kept his head down, refusing to look up for fear that he’d see the angry look the older man was giving him.

“If you’re gonna skip school to look for your friend, then can you swing by some of the shops and pick up our orders? Your mom would really appreciate it.”

Vance looked up in surprise. He wasn’t going to be yelled at? No anger? Just understanding? He almost didn’t believe it, just nodding in dumbfounded shock. His dad told him the shops needed, gave the blonde a pat on the shoulder, then drove off. After all of this, Vance finally snapped out of it.

“What the fuck?”

——————

One one last shop to stop by for the day. The utility store. His dad ordered some rope and chain for work, and his mom ordered cleaners for the house. Basic shit he could drag home and then keep looking. That’s how most of Vance’s days went now. Search for you for a while, hit the Grab N Go for pinball then rinse and repeat. Walking into the store, he started talking to one of the cashiers, giving the family’s last name and waiting for the guy to get the bag for him.

As he leaned against the counter and looked around while waiting, some other guy came up to the counter with a shop basket of things. Rope, tape, locks, and a bunch of other what seemed like miscellaneous things. Vance turned his head and looked up at the man, instantly seeming to forget how to breathe. Holy shit. The Grabber was right next to him.

He looked just a little different: he didn’t have his hat or sunglasses on, but the blonde could tell it was definitely him. It was in his face. He’d been looking for days to find this man or any sign of you and it just so happened that the little shopping trip his father sent him on led him directly to what he was looking for.

Vance quickly grabbed the bag of his family’s items and walked out. He needed to make sure he wasn’t easily recognizable as the boy who was with you that day. Lucky for him he wasn’t in his usual denim outfit, going with some black jeans, a wife beater, and an old red-and-tan letterman jacket his dad probably used in high school. Vance rummaged around in his pockets, pulling out a hair tie and pulling his hair back into a messy ponytail-bun kind of thing. He was very rushed, prepared to follow the man secretly.

“I should be a cop at this point.” He scoffed to himself.

The moment the Grabber left the store, Vance was on the hunt. With his hair tied up and his outfit styled in a less messy and more proper way he didn’t look super familiar—hopefully. He almost cussed out loud when the man started walking towards a car parked on the street. Fuck, this just got a lot more difficult. The man threw his bag into the trunk roughly and walked to the driver’s door. Wait—what did he buy again? It was something like rope and tape right? Did he see a hunter’s knife in there too? Fuck. Was he going to kill you today?

Vance moved with urgency, acting like he was also walking to a car close by and acting like he was fumbling with his keys as he waited for the Grabber to leave. He’d follow the car by running after it…or something. Damn, he really didn’t think this through huh? Looking around in urgency, he spotted Bruce Yamada not too far away and lucky for the blonde, he was biking. Taking a glance at the creep not too far away it seemed he was moving shit around in his trunk. Okay, he had time.

“Yamada!”

Bruce braked and looked over at Vance, a mixture of emotions swimming on his face. How else was he gonna react when the kid he could blame for your kidnapping showed up, not to mention looking nothing like himself. What was he doing?

“What do you want, Hopper?”

“Your bike.”

“Excuse me?”

“Give me your bike, Bruce—I’m not gonna steal it, I’ll return it to you, but I need to follow someone?”

Bruce turned away from the blonde, an incredulous look on his face. “What the fuck are you on? You don’t talk to anyone for days, skip school ever since Y/N went missing, and now you randomly start pestering me for my bike? You have a lot of fucking nerve V—“

“I need to follow the fucker that kidnapped your best friend, dipshit!” Vance raised his voice, making sure to keep it low so as to not alert The Grabber.

“What?!”

“Give it. I’ll explain later.” Vance yanked the bike from the raven-haired boy and started off after the car that had just left. Shit, what had he gotten himself into?

Taglist

(If your name isn’t actually tagged, you are unsearchable here on tumblr, sorry :/ )

@finneysbaseball @bxtchboy69 @marcspector4ever @lanadelraystan @slutsforsturniolos @riddlersh0e @onyxzombie @annoying-anna @crustlover @andreeasancheez @tmd-narnia14 @boogieman20 @mandy-bo-bandy @drownedskelly @marimarvelfan @urgworl @hvnatahyugasblog @killualover7 @fran-xes @choptopssonnybono @edenthebean @cookierooki @hebrokeimup @foodpills @tw-inkl-e-tit-s @parker-natasha @graywrites20 @retirement-home @starfleshwherew0lf @pl4net-neptune @reblogged-fandoms @ureleesian @annamonstersstuff @nayasshits @veronalie @otrausuariamas @ynbutbetter @frogtits1 @kpopslur @ahmya-4

772 notes · View notes

sabo-valcoran · 1 year ago

Text

"He WHAT?"

The angel looked at the demon with a befuddled expression I'd hardly have expected from someone in their position. I'd seen him deal smoothly with every single person ahead of me in the Recently Deceased line, which was almost a mile long. The Department of Afterlife and Deed Claims was a hoppin' place these days, and today was no different. Thousands upon thousands of human souls on their way to whatever shit-sack afterlife they earned, or didn't.

I'd been standing here for about 2 hours at this point and was entertaining myself by mentally commenting on the manner of death and/or deeds of the people ahead of me. The last guy had died in a motorcycle accident after swerving the wrong way down a one-way street and smashing through the window of an orphanage. He'd gotten a good yelling-at from the angel before being ungloriously escorted to a ratty bus with "Layer 5" spray-painted on the side.

He turned back to me. "You what?" I could see a vein in his neck twitching. It was full of some weird golden substance, probably angel blood, or moonlight, or the Light of God, et fucking cetera. To his right, the demon also glared expectantly at me, though I thought he might be a little more amused than his comrade-in-tedium.

I sighed, repeating myself for the fifth time. "I knocked over a ladder trying to get a kid out from under it. There was a guy on it holding an anvil, we both fell over, the anvil bounced off him and killed both of us. Don't know what happened to the kid." I shrugged, turning around to face the guy behind me. "Right?"

"I HAD A CHARITY EVENT LATER THAT DAY! THERE'S ABOUT 50 KIDS WHO ARE GONNA GO HUNGRY BECAUSE OF YOU BEING STUPID!"

My ears rang with the sudden volume. John C. Thurman, the guy I'd knocked over on the ladder and inadvertently prevented from feeding starving kids, had quite an impressive shout. He'd have been great at theater.

The angel took a deep breath. I glanced down at his hand and saw he was counting to calm himself down. "Okay," he said, after a long pause. "We're going to look at your score and determine where you're going. I had a quick glance at the paperwork before you walked up and the... wait, what?" His eyes went wide as he read the score, as did his enraged grimace. I'd never expected angels to have poor anger management. I could very clearly see him shaking as he showed the demon the paper, who reacted with a raucous ear-splitting guffaw. I winced and shrank back a little.

"ZERO?!"

The angel punched the stone pillar behind him with a roar. His shoulders rose and fell, and his neatly-braided hair immediately came loose. He stood there for about ten seconds before turning around again.

"Why, " he said in a strained, quiet voice, "is your entire life neutral events? How the FUCK did that happen?" He started thumbing through the folder. "Oh, let's see here, 'Accidentally knocked a cinderblock off a building and killed a man while giving birth to a baby on an apartment rooftop?' 'Stole a corporate fortune and immediately spent it all on groceries from the exact same company?' 'Accidentally left uranium in a restaurant kitchen in a hurry to save an entire family of people choking?' How?! Are you a fucking sitcom character?"

He slammed his hand on the desk, which I noticed was full of similarly fist-sized dents. "Theodorus, calm your tits. Lemme get this one," the demon chuckled at her apoplectic co-worker. Theodorus continued to huff and twitch. He looked like he was going to strangle someone. "I'm searchin' the records to see what to do for a zero score... huh? There ain't nothin' here. No fuckin' clue, man." He turned back to me. "I ain't got any idea what I'm supposed to do with ya. Theodorus, you know anything about zero scores?" The demon's head rocketed off her body with a sickening crack as the angel punched it clean off.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A ZERO, OTHECAS? THERE'S NO PROTOCOL I CAN THINK OF FOR THIS FUCKING ASSCLOWN." The angel was barely containing himself. The demon's body shrugged, stood up, and walked over to pick her head off the floor before reattaching it. "Well, Theo-bore-us, it's not like we have an agency to contact. We're the ones who're supposed to work this job. Maybe we could write a clause for-"

Theodorus interrupted her. "WHERE THE FUCK IS THIS SHITHEEL GONNA GO? HUH? He can't go to heaven because he wasn't good enough, but he can't go to hell because he wasn't bad enough, and there aren't OTHER PLACES. That's it. We can't send him back to Earth either. So tell me, Othec-ass, where oh where is this guy going?"

"We could just send him to the back of the line until we think of something."

"Othecas, forcing someone to stand in line forever is a punishment." Theodorus was beginning to compose himself, albeit slowly. He had stopped shaking, at least. The demon raised one of her four hands. "I've got an idea," she said with the telltale enthusiasm of someone with a plan to do something very stupid, "what if we just let him work with us and make us coffee and file our shit and all that? Would save us some effort. Besides, it's not like we gotta tell anybody. We've also got the spare room, too." She turned to me next. "How does that sound?"

"Othecas, we are NOT adopting a pet." Theodore grumbled. He had one hand on his head and one pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What do I get out of it?" I asked, speaking for the first time in a while. I'd just been standing back and entertaining myself with Theodorus' antics, but I was thinking now, and the thought of working with these two for eternity was nauseating.

"When our shift eventually ends at the end of a cycle, you can come live with us. We've got a spare room and nobody'll bother you. Beats eternal punishment or being enslaved to worship Big Daddy forever." The demon smirked at the latter comment. "So, Theodorus? You want a third or what?"

"Fine." The angel had very obviously burned through all of his anger and was running out of adrenaline. "Fine. But you can't fuck with our work, okay? You gotta remember our coffee orders. And you have to know how to pull files. Don't fuck this up."

The third afterlife ultimately did exist, after all. Neither heaven, nor hell, but something with elements of both, and to me, that's the truest eternal life you can have.

In the afterlife, people will be measured by how good or evil they are in their lifetime. You scored a perfect zero, without a single decimal points. According to the regulations, it’s illegal to send you to heaven or hell so nobody knows what to do now.

#writing #writing prompt #creative writing

5K notes · View notes