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saintaemond · 2 years ago

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Hi, since you seem to be quite the Alys/Aemond fan, I want to share with you some hints in the show that I feel I have discovered in regards to Alys and Aemond’s relationship.

Aemond may have been fond of Helaena, a dreamer. So, I’m not a shipper towards these two, though I don’t have anything against it, so hopefully nobody comes after me, but lemme just say something. I think Aemond did admire/love his sister at one point as a child and wanted to be the one betrothed to her. I think this because of that casting call leak that was shared on Reddit where it accurately described Aemond, but also mentioned that he loved his sister as a child. It’s odd, but in a house where your own mother betroths your two older siblings, I wouldn’t completely put it past little Aemond. He clearly defends Helaena against Aegon and seems to watch her with curiosity, even as she speaks prophecies. She also seems a bit connected to him, knowing he’s gonna lose an eye, and seemingly relaxing in her body language when he’s around. She even stands way nearer to him during the coronation, and he watches her carefully when Jace dances with her. Now, I think this could also just be sibling love and trust, which would still work anyway. Even if little Aemond liked little Helaena, but abandoned such feelings for the sake of duty later on, he is still linked to her regardless. A key element to all of this is Helaena being a dreamer…seeing “much and more.” Many shippers take this detail and often say that it could mean Alys will be cut and Helaena will take her place as Aemond’s love interest. I disagree. I think it’s quite the opposite. They are hinting that Aemond is drawn to dreamers, ones who are considered odd or strange. That’s Alys. If little Aemond was intrigued by Helaena and liked her, even in spite of her unusual gifts and behavior, then I imagine when he meets Alys, we will not share the same disdain and suspicion that the historians clearly held for the “evil witch” Alys Rivers. Aemond will understand her, and perhaps even be drawn in. End of hint one.

Hint two is that strangely placed brothel scene in episode 9. I’m going to be honest, that scene feels so unnecessary in the grand scheme of things based on how Aegon is eventually found. Aemond and Criston make no progress. Aemond tries looking for Aegon at one brothel and then basically gives up mentally, gets lost in the city, and finds Aegon by chance after wandering for who knows how long. So, what was the point of that brothel scene if not to develop Aemond in some way? Or hint at an issue he has? Because that’s what it did. We learned that he’s basically repulsed by sexual promiscuity in complete contrast to his brother, who started that distaste when he took Aemond to a brothel on his thirteenth birthday. It’s clear that this was a nasty, uncomfortable experience for Aemond, who thought as a child that his big brother just wanted him to learn about something important and necessary for the sake of education. It humanizes Aemond further and adds to his story, but I think there’s also a hint here about Alys. The woman he is implied to have had…a bad experience with, is clearly a much older lady. Literally a motherly-type. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, and I think they have set up a particularly vulnerability in Aemond’s character that would potentially balance out the power difference between him and Alys. He may be the one that descends on her home with the dragon, but on a more intimate level, she would possibly have the upper hand because of her age. Now, it could be creepy or it could be good. It depends on where the writers go. If they want Alys to manipulate Aemond, then they’ll utilize his childhood sexual trauma, but if they develop the relationship in a more romantic way, they’ll have Alys help him heal in his weak area. It just depends, but I don’t think that brothel scene with the older woman was there for no reason. I also think Criston being there was important because it might be Criston who is suspicious and weary of Alys later on, because of what Aemond revealed to him during that scene. The tension between them on the subject could be what makes the historians think that they were rivals for Alys’s attention. However, I think Cole will simply be concerned for his younger son figure falling for an older woman that could potentially be manipulating him. That would be a fascinating dynamic.

Finally, I think the last hint is Aemond’s casting. I personally don’t think he looks that old, but a lot of people do. They say he looks like the eldest of the three siblings that we’ve seen, and I have to wonder if that was intentional. He’s supposedly 19 as of right now, but if they cast an older actress for Alys…they may want the two to look closer in age, or rather…they don’t want an uncomfortable difference in age between two actors that may have intimate scenes together. They didn’t bother with this for Aegon or Helaena because those two are just already together and we don’t see much of their marriage. Aemond and Alys may end up being a big on-screen relationship, so the actor for Aemond had to have been over 18 at least. I mean, Milly Alcock and Matt Smith were 22 and 40 during their scenes, but Milly looks her age. She looks young, so it looks kinda wrong and weird when they started getting close, like how it looks wrong when Viserys and Alicent have an intimate scene. With Daemon and younger Rhaenyra, it never went anywhere because it still had to be a relevant relationship that fans could enjoy watching at times. Hence why with Emma and Matt? 30 and 40 years of age? They went right for the intimate scenes. If they have an actress closer to 40 for Alys, it’s going to be a bit odd, but if Ewan Mitchell is really 25, while looking older than his siblings, it won’t be as uncomfortable. It’s definitely kinda iffy, but that’s nothing new on this show. Age gaps are a thing, and Aemond/Alys are pretty tame compared to some. But hey, it’s still got some messy elements and honestly, that’s not a bad thing. The more complex it is, the more interesting it will be.

Ok, that’s all I got for now. Sorry for the essay, but lemme know what you think!

HI HELLOO

i do love them! but i know as much as you do.

I just see the potential the pairing have as these two people who are dark, broken and damaged when they meet and in a twist of events, find a mirrored soul in each other, someone that takes them as they are, scars, bad reputation and all 1. I personally don't know if it adds more to the story to include the love triangle theory with Helaena. I would appreciate (1) platonic sibling bond here, for ME personally! But if they do go with this, it still works, I agree. Because once he's on the war path and he meets Alys Rivers, and falls for her, it implies he's finally growing out of those childhood feelings of inadequacy.

When he chooses to be with Alys Rivers it means he's moving on from that Second Son syndrome of wanting what Aegon has always had, and finally chooses a partner that challenges everything he once thought he needed (titles, targ traditions, etc) to prove himself as worthy or better than.

2. Yeah, the brothel scene says a lot about how he did have a bad experience and it just breaks my heart but idk how to guess what it's meant to set up, because they could go in so many different ways.

(This scene also kind of makes the theory that Aegon's children are his seem kind of preposterous to me.) But anyway, I can't know for sure where they're going with it so we'll just have to see.

I think Criston will be wary of her no matter what (love potions theory is so lame i cant) and he'll just want to protect his son from being naive like he was once with Rhaenyra 3. I'm not sure what else to add about the ages for casting but I'm just glad they chose Ewan and whoever is going to be his love interest will have to match that intense energy, so I'm pretty excited to see who it is, holding a prayer vigil every night for that insane chemistry istg

#aemond x alys #alys rivers #alysmond #aemond targaryen

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wrenhyperfixates · 3 years ago

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Loki Series Thoughts—Glorious Purpose

Ok, I’m always nervous about posting my thoughts, but here we go. Spoilers ahead of course!!! (Disclaimer: Any gifs or images are not mine.)

Let’s start out with the episode’s name: Glorious Purpose. I know some people were a bit miffed about the emphasis put on the line, but I actually thought it worked well. It’s not so much that Loki actually believes in this “purpose,” but rather he is clinging to what he’s been told his purpose is. And by the end of the episode, he’s finally working through some of the things he’s been hurt by, abandoning what he’s been forced into and ready to be who he wants. Granted, it’s still going to take some time for him to come to grips with all that has happened, but I’m excited to see the journey.

The TVA. They undeniably suck. Whether or not it will be addressed directly, they are the (or one of the) antagonists in the show. What they are doing is, frankly, tyrannical. Three “time keepers” have taken it upon themselves to force countless versions of time and people into one single stream. And you know what? They can’t control that timeline. Not like they want to. As much as Loki’s line about “the weak” applies to himself, it applies to the TVA, too. It’s a facade of control that they cling to; if they truly had the right, the ability, to control time, everyone would follow their path. There would be no variants. Now, I could write a whole separate analysis on the MCU’s explanation of time travel. It’s convoluted and in a large way doesn’t make sense.

I’d like to talk about Loki’s characterization. I am, in a word, relieved. From the trailers, Tom seemed to be over-acting, something rather strange for someone so good at conveying deep emotions through nuanced actions. Now I believe any exaggerated lines from the trailers are just Loki trying to separate himself from who he’s been told he is, and trying to reinvent himself. I don’t think that’s a bad thing either; they’re not rewriting Loki, he’s just growing in a new way. And though this way is “new” I think it will be similar to what we’ve seen before. From what we’ve seen so far, there is good continuity, and they are addressing things about Loki that should be addressed in canon.

Loki projects. Most notably in the Avengers, but also a bit in Thor 1 and The Dark World, a lot of Loki’s lines can be applied to himself, though he is talking generally or towards another group. What comes to mind is actually something he touches upon again in the series. The illusion of freedom. And though it is not said that line in particular is him thinking of himself, it can be inferred based on his admission that the line in the gifs above apply to him. Also that little gesture when he says “weak” breaks me. He’s hurting so much.

Loki is not a villain. He may think he’s one because everyone else is telling him that, yet we’re already seeing it brought up that it’s not true. I can only hope that we’ll see Loki state this himself later in the series. He was largely forced to do what he did. It is not his fault, so how can he be a villain?

Loki cares. Tom’s acting is just *chef’s kiss* Seeing his mother’s death hurts so much. I love that his first response is denial. Loki is thrown into something he’s never known about before, being shown things that, to his knowledge, have never happened. But then when he’s had a few seconds to wander around the TVA on his own terms, he’s more come to grips with all that’s going on. So, when he’s by himself and see’s Frigga lying there, dead, it gets to him. Then seeing Odin still call him his son, he feels the slightest glimmer of hope, but also regret; he already knows in the back of his mind that he’s not actually going to get that. Loki’s living from second to second, trying to hold on. He probably thinks this ends with his death. (I do have issues with that Odin scene in context of Ragnarok but that’s more a tangential aside, so I’ll gloss over it for now.) Then seeing Thor and himself acting like brothers again is heartwarming. So just when he’s feeling uplifted, Thanos comes into the picture. He realizes how much control the titan still had over his life; he never really escaped. And in the end, Thanos made good on his promise. And that is terrifying! And he laughs at it. It’s a sad sort of laugh, one that’s slightly crazed. Loki feels that no matter what he does, it ends in pain. By the end of seeing all that, he is a man broken. Rather, more broken than he already was.

Loki is struggling. That’s nothing profound; it’s obvious. But where it really stands out to me is actually in a part I originally thought to be out of character. I am referring to “What if I was a robot and I didn’t know it.” Upon closer inspection, I realize it’s actually that his perception of himself has been so thrown that he really isn’t sure about his own chemical makeup anymore. Odin and Frigga keeping from him that he’s a frost giant made him so unsure of himself, he thought he might not even be a living being.

Nervous tics. Was I the only one noticing his leg bouncing when he talked to Mobius? And what about that scene when he’s sitting on the steps? He begins to pick at his hands. Note, that’s something he did in T1 after finding out he was a frost giant and while confessing to the Warriors Four about how he was the one who told the guard of their trip to Jotunheim. Just a little detail I really appreciated. (If anyone has gifs of any of these things, feel free to share :)

Mobius. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit undecided. I’m hesitant to say he’s evil. After all, we haven’t seen that much of him yet. However, I will say he is unscrupulous and manipulative. His questions weren’t to help Loki work through his trauma. Mobius was trying to goad him into helping, and likely was trying to gauge how much this Loki is like the variant he’s tracking. When Loki makes any admission of his feelings, it’s something he already knew, not a conclusion Mobius helped him reach. Mobius mocks him a bit and pushes his buttons because he sees Loki as a means to an end, and wants to know how easily he can get him to work with him. And what strikes me is how similar Mobius’s deal is to Thor’s deal in TDW. Thor doesn’t offer Loki freedom, he offers revenge. Mobius’s deal is just another variation of this. He can’t offer “salvation” but he can offer something “better”. Working for the TVA really isn’t better, though. So what does he mean? Well, I think he means a chance for Loki to prove he’s a hero. I hope as the show progresses it’s addressed that Loki doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone. That’s what he’s been doing his whole life, but I want Loki to see for himself that he doesn’t have to.

Miss Minutes. Propaganda. Plain and simple, it’s propaganda. Besides the way it praises the “time keepers” as amazing saviors, necessary to keep the world in order, it’s essentially saying “don’t think for yourself.” The whole point of the video is “the time keepers are great. The TVA is flawless. Trust us to decide everything. You have no autonomy in the world we want, so surrender your free will. Submit to the system we’ve decided is perfect and everything will be just fine.” Of course, by “just fine” they mean the variant will be pruned and the timeline will keep going as the time keepers see fit. The animation style was great though! It really fit.

The infinity stones. I think their inclusion makes sense. If you remember from Endgame, the stones being in the right place in the right time keeps the timeline from branching, and thus prevents the multiverse from being created. Likely, the time keepers used the stones to make their “sacred timeline.” Naturally, any variant time stones would cause a problem. That’s why they have so many extras. But think about how pointless so much of what happened seems. Nat, Gamora, Vision, Tony, everyone who was snapped, everyone who was left. So, literally the entire universe was flipped upside down for paperweights. It really puts Thanos’s pursuit of the stones into perspective, doesn’t it?

The cloaked figure. I think there’s some misdirection going on here in one way or another. Mobius says he’s chasing a Loki variant, then immediately it cuts to a scene with the cloaked figure. Our minds are likely to assume that is the variant then. But they don’t actually say it’s Loki, so I’m inclined to believe it’s not. Though, I don’t have enough information to say who I do think it is, I could make a couple of educated guesses and say Mephisto (he certainly interacted with Loki in the comics, plus there’s the stained glass window) or Sylvie. Well, whoever Sophia Di Martino’s character is. I know she was previously listed as Sylvie on sources such as IMDb, but that has since disappeared. But why would you have a “young Sylvie” (Cailey Fleming) without an older version? There is speculation Di Martino’s character will be Lady Loki, but I hope this won’t happen. If they make Lady Loki her own character, I doubt we’ll see Variant Loki get to be fluid. Even if it’s confirmed on the record, it’d be nice to see actually happen beyond a piece of paper. And with twist villains being such a prominent force in modern media, I’m interested to see who our cloaked friend really is.

Time travel. Like I said earlier, this is a lot. But I can’t talk about the episode and not mention this aspect in at least a little more depth. I don’t like how the MCU deals with time travel. I think it’s an unnecessarily complicated mix of a number of different, already complicated theories. However, I think Loki will ultimately escape from the TVA and create a multiverse too difficult to prune (and maybe he’ll actually get to burn the place down too!) This will then tie directly into Doctor Strange 2. Do you guys know what that’s called? The Multiverse of Madness. Actually, in the Miss Minutes propaganda, they almost exactly say “will throw the multiverse into madness.” Will we get to (finally!) see a certain raven-haired god meeting Dr. Strange? And maybe even the Scarlet Witch herself? Well, I’m not sure, but right now I think it’s looking pretty good!

And some random things that didn’t really anywhere else:

Peggy is in the background?! My thought here is that Steve wasn’t supposed to stay with her. This made not only a Variant Steve, but also a Variant Peggy. We may not see Steve, but I bet he’s been taken care of too!! And who knows? Maybe there will be a cameo later. Otherwise, it might be something that was cut from the show, or just a fun easter egg of sorts.

The score was so good! It sets the mood perfectly.

Loki is a good fighter. Even if he’s overpowered, he finds a way.

Some of the humor didn’t land, but that might just be a personal thing.

So now my final thoughts. It’s their strongest pilot yet. So much emotion crammed into less than an hour. A lot of exposition, too, yet it didn’t feel tedious (Endgame I’m looking at you). And then we get to delve into Loki’s psyche, something that really appeals to me! Overall, 9/10. I hope the rest of the series is as good!

Did I miss anything? Was there something you were hoping I’d mention and didn’t? Or do you have something to add or (politely!) disagree with? I’d love to hear it all! Remember, fandom is a safe space to talk about, analyze, and debate about things you enjoy. My ask box is always open with anon on. Reblogs and comments are great too. Thanks!

Me after watching the episode:

#the loki show #the loki show spoilers #the loki series #loki series #loki analysis #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki friggason #the loki series spoilers #I know there’s nothing particularly profound here but here you go #*throws thoughts into the void*

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androgynousblackbox · 3 years ago

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Thoughts about the fifth season (spoilers)

Okay, so normally I would make these posts as neutral as possible because I want them to reach anyone who enjoys the show. Even if you are someone that really fucking hates incest ships you can read them and still have an idea of what I liked, what didn’t, etc, without me bringing up that element. You can disagree or agree without being reminded “oh, yeah, he is one of THOSE fans I don’t like” and that is totally fine by me. Curate your own online experience and all that. But this is season is quite literally about the relationship between Rick and Morty, so as a rickmorty shipper I just can’t separate that from what I enjoyed about it and thus I am going to be talking from that position during all of this. If that makes you uncomfortable, that is cool, I get it. You can skip this one if you want. Also, this is going to be a general big mess of thoughts and whatever because I have lots of them so, bear with me. -Some of the shippers I was with on a server will know this already, but from the very first episode I was sure we were going to have two major themes: 1. Rick is a flawed human being, not a god, not a ultra genius who is always destined to be on top of everything and knows how to get out of any situation. Just a man. And that is why he needs other people, which is somethig he had to accept and understand about himself, especially after the fourth season was all about dethroning him as the patriarch of the family and break away the illusions that Beth had about her own father. We have standed too long having Rick win on everything and coming out like a badass, so it’s time to kick him down a bit and let him lose. 2. Morty’s heart is always going to get fucked over, which is something that gets even more explored on the Planetina episode: he wants a place to belong with a person who doesn’t make him feel like the odd one out. Combine the two and my idea was: they want to assure us about their relationship on some kind of way, this is about them and what they feel regarding each other. Probably about why or how Rick became so jaded because why else include Rick freaking out about Mr Nimbus just mentioning Diane’s name and how much he changed, on a first episode no less, if this isn’t something we are setting up to see later. They explicitely brought someone from Rick’s past to talk about that past and make a point to tell us that changed Rick. -So, we have the two major player set up like this: on one hand, Morty aspires for that companionship but he is not willing to compromise his own moral for it, whatever he has left after starting to take on some Rick’s traits. He is desperate for that connection and if that means leaving Rick behind, so be it. Rick will still be there anyway. On othe other hand, Rick also wants that connection and companionship but it’s too disfunctional and can’t make it quite work because there is always a part of him that wants to keep distance. With the alien lady, evne with the crows, it’s all about escapism and pretend like everything is fine, it’s just fun and he doesn’t have to care because they are just having a good time together. He tried to do that too with BP by keeping away the info about his daughter, but he called his bluff because BP knew Rick too much to not see that comic. It’s rebound after rebound because he is missing the one person that can keep him in check, that truly knows what a piece of fucking shit he is and somehow still comes back to him. BP saw that, knew what was happening, and prefered to get the fuck away because he didn’t want to compromise his own values like that either. But Rick doesn’t have that problem with Morty. It truly is Rick and Morty one hundread years because, no matter how fucking bad it gets, they still choose one another. -Now, the way they keep building up this relationship, these connection, even regarding the rest of the family, to me is brilliant in restrospect because it perfectly illustrate how much they have changed from what they were before and what that means. Morty is more independent and less afraid, right, but that doesn’t make him more happier because he is still lonely and Rick is being reminded, over and over again, that he can’t be alone either. -Regarding the way Morty have behaved, I have seen some people being concerned about how Morty is becoming more independent and therefore not relying on Rick as much for anything, so it’s like what is the point of their relationship anymore. And like, to me it makes sense they show because they have already told us on past seasons that Morty has stopped viewing Rick with that wide eyed expression for a long time. He is learning from him and can defend himself, so why does he need Rick at al? The answer is because he loves him. You can read that as platonic or romantic or whatever, but for better or for worse Morty just loves Rick. You shouldn’t love people because you need them, or at least that is not a healthy basis for any relationship. I said this on another post: you cannot make anyone to be your center for your mental health like that, and I feel like they aware of this point, which I really fucking love because it would have been easy as fuck to write any pairing like that. -If you stay for the “Behind of scenes” scenes, the writers talk about how this season is about building trust between Rick and Morty. So it starts with Morty going around cleaning up some of the messes Rick left behind without telling Rick and then fucking the portal gun because he doesn’t trust Rick to not “kill him” to finding out he did that, just like Rick in fact doesn’t trust Morty to not be doing unnecesary bullshit. So Morty, hurt because his suspicions were right, puts an ultimatum and Rick, being the petty fuck we all know him to be, takes it kind because of course he would. -What does Morty does immediately after this? Latch onto another sketchy as fuck older man whose name ends with Ick and hope that is the connection he craves, because after all “we are like brothers now.” So rebound for him, rebound for Rick, rebounds for the crows, rebounds for everyone. Yay. -I know it has been however many years have passed since this show started, and it was obvious for fucking everyone who watched it, but I do really like that they use the exact words for how their dynamic has been: unhealthy, toxic, abusive. Lack of trust, lack of boundaries, secrets. Just straight up calling it as it is. So they have both of them confronting that fact, being aware of it, and to top it all off, make Morty the only being now on their universe that knows everything about Rick, every single thing he has kept even from BP, like the true reason he joined to their guerilla group, and still makes the conscious choice to go after Rick even when, as far he was aware of at least, there was another option. -So, okay, now what, might someone ask. We have put everything out there and we have talked about what is wrong about their relationship, does this mean we are doing the boring healthy bullshit now? Well, nope. Considering that Morty did went out of his way to guilt trip Rick into getting back and Rick admits point blank admits he get it, Morty refusing to demand things be different because he is just desperate... they are still and probably always going to be a condependent mess, but hey, a condependent mess that at least is kinda self aware about it and won’t pull the “I am going to break up with you on a whim” move again, hopefully. I do think and expect some things to change, but only as far their dynamic during adventures goes and regarding the rest of the family, with everyone being on the know that those two are an item neither of them can get in between. Rick is probably still going to want to keep some things in control, he is still not going to express his feelings to Morty directly and Morty is still going to be a little shit that will want for validation that won’t come his way. It’s a shithole house, but at leat it’s their home kind of thing, and personally, that is how I like it. -The “adventures as a metaphor for a relationship so this is not like a real break up” is real funny when you hear the writers literally calling it a break up and a relatonship. Also, the amount of times that they say “my partner”. Like, I am sorry, but how the fuck I am supposed to believe this wasn’t for the shippers, fucking how? Like even if you aren’t one, and you go “it’s a metaphor!! it’s not like an actual relationship, they are not saying they are together as a couple”, that is flimsy as fuck because we have determined already that Rick uses adventures as an extension for all his relationships. There is a intentional paralel between BP and Morty and how Rick treats the both of them, like he would do anything for them but still be kind of a lying piece of shit too, so it’s definitely canon on the sense -Omg, we had miniature cute Mortys who like crayons and also big hot adult Morty, fucking finally. I cannot fucking believe they wouldn’t know the blessing they were throwing to fandom with that one, they know what they are doing. -Rick as a boy dressing on the same colors of Morty could have been a cute little detail, like aww, they are family, so they pass down those colors from one generation to another because family, but fuck all of that, let’s make it creepy and fucked up because why not. But it’s also interesting because if Ricks breeded Mortys and put those colors on them, isn’t that another way of saying “you are connected to us just as much as we are connected to you”? Because they didn’t had to chose those colors, but they did it because it meant something for them. On a very fucked up way, I think they might even feel themselves more fathers to Morty than even Beth, because many of them didn’t cared manipulating her in order to gain more Mortys even if they could just clone them easily. -”You all really are bred for forgiveness”... Not really, or else “Evil Morty” wouldn’t exist and Cop Rick, the good one, would have never been attacked by using the attachment of Ricks against him. But Morty had made his choice and that choice was Rick, and even then Rick cannot fucking believe it so he has to reduce it to his breeding. -So, the finite curve has been destroyed and almost all Ricks were killed, the ones that weren’t coincidentally fucking off to another place just when that happened. That means that now there is true infinite universe where Rick is not the smartest man on the universe, where Rick doesn’t even exist at all, so we may have adventures where other people where the smartest people on their universe and Rick could finally meet his equal or someone even worse. -The final speech of Mr Poppybutthole is kinda the perfect ending to everything, because he is talking avoid being afraid of the people he loves finding the “true” self of him and not loving him anymore, but Morty did that and he still loves Rick and, listen, I have FEELINGS about it, okay. -After exploring this, which was the true only canonical mistery of the whole series, while also dumping off the backstory of Rick so nobody has to theorize about it anymore, it feels like they going two routes: either we are dumping anything about serialized anything, at least for a while, and we are back to just silly adventures with asshole grandpa and traumatized kid, or... we are introducing another big baddie that we are going to drag to hell and back. Maybe Evil Jerry? That could be fun to explore on the show. My bet is on the second option because I think that is the kind of thing that Justin really enjoys doing and that is why it appears on Solar Opposites as well, with the whole Wall as a central points behind all the shenanigans of the aliens. -The only misteries left are: the weird Rick that killed his family, if he wasn’t killed already on the Citadel, and Birdperson reunion with his daughter, for which he might ask Rick’s help in the future when he cools down or maybe Rick gets his daughter back for him on a ridiculous plan to make him return his calls, because that is something he is going to pull. The Jessica thing and her quest for becoming an actual character with her own thing going on. -This finale made rickmorty canon on all the ways it could without having them literally making out willingly, and after Naruto, I don’t think that is a line they are not willing to cross at some point in the future, even if it’s just a joke. They already did with the parasites. I honestly don’t even know how you can watch the show and think “fuck yeah, they hate those ships just as much as I do!”, because with the way the writers talk about it and literally this entire season being nothing but a building up for their relationship, I would have been turned if I didn’t ship it already.

#rickmorty #incest implied #andro is talking

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unmaskedagain · 5 years ago

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Marinette: Crazy Rich

So in this fic,. If you’ve seen Crazy Rich Asians, you’ll know why as the fic goes on. Also, I totally ripped a few lines from Girl Meets World; fans of the show will recognize them instantly!!!

They met when they were young; younger than either of them remember. The first time, Marinette and Ali had both in babes in their cribs when their grandmothers’ introduced them. The second time, they just learn to walk and or run, and seemed love making a mess of everything; again not something they could remember but had plenty of pictures of.

The third time, and the one they both remembered, Marinette had been just six-years-old. Ali had been seven. They each were the apple of their grandmother’s eyes. Their grandmothers were best friends having known each other since they were little girls.

It had been a playdate at one of the Young family homes. Ali had worn a dapper grey suit that would look ridiculously expensive on an adult man, let alone a child that just barely learned to tie his shoes. Marinette had worn a darling silvery purple dress that was closer to a ball gown than any dress any other four-year-old girl would wear to a playdate.

Both kids shyly hid their faces behind their grandmother’s skirts and had to be coaxed softly to greet each other.

Prince Ali bowed regally as he had been taught, “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Young.” He was a handsome boy with dark-skin, olive-green eyes, and black hair. Ali always wore a charming smile on his face as expected of him. He was a Prince, and while it wasn’t easy, he did what of expected of him.

“It is an honor, Prince Ali,” Marinette curtseyed gracefully. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair and bluebell eyes. She was the essence of a perfect little lady. “We have a wonderful playroom that I would like to show you if you able?”

Prince Ali looked to his grandmother for an answered. She nodded silently, an amused smile on his face. The young prince grinned, “Yes, please.” He held his arm out for Marinette. She took it, a pink blush on her face, and they walked side by side out of the foyer, their perspective bodyguards trailing after them, while their grandmothers’ cooed in the background before departing to have tea.

The playroom was larger than three apartments combined; it had specific areas dedicated to art, sports, video games, tea parties, a jungle gym built to look like a castle, and even an area just for snacks. In order to get around, there were trampoline paths.

Prince Ali blinked in awe.

“You get used to it,” Marinette giggled. “Come on!” She grabbed his hand and ran across the trampoline path to the jungle gym. They jumped the entire way, their bodyguard watching from the distance ready to act if something went wrong.

“Call me Marinette,” Marinette said when they made it to the top. She pulled out two foams swords and handed him one. “Or Mari.

“Ali,” He said as he took the sword.

“I’m Pirate Captain Sparkle,” She yelled and pointed her sword. “And you my dreaded rival have come to steal my treasure… Captain.”

“Tiger Eye,” Ali nodded seriously. “Captain Tiger Eye. Engarde!”

The two pirate captains dueled all over the jungle gym before teaming up to defeat the evil space monsters that came to steal all the ice cream and candy in the world.

Ali laughed as he jumped into the foam ball pit after a giggling Marinette. They both laid there for a moment trying to catch their breaths as they stared at the ceiling painted to look like the night, each constellation connected.

“You’re not how I imagined,” Ali said.

Marinette hummed, “Spoiled rotten, uptight, crazy rich brat who only like tea parties and princess things; who’d cry the second I don’t get what I want?”

“Well… yes.”

She shrugged, “I get that a lot. I don’t know why. If I so much as considered for a moment of throwing a tantrum in public, my grandmother would have me shipped boarding school in Sweden. No matter what my parents said.”

Ali nodded, “Same. Though, mine would be in Scotland. My mother has a strong fascination with Harry Potter.”

“You’re not what I imagined either.”

“Stuffy prince, that always had his nose in the air,” Prince Ali started, “So he can look down on everyone; that expects everyone to bow and cater to his every whim?”

“That about covers it.”

He snorted, “My grandmother would have me scrubbing bedpans at one her hospitals the moment I ever said was better than anyone.”

Both laughed.

“Do you ever get tired of it?” Ali suddenly asked. “Always been told to do this, or that you can’t do that. Always being on your best behavior because of what people would think. I never get to do anything I want.”

Ali was the first grandchild and took after his grandmother Queen Aishwarya with his kind, fun-loving nature, as well as his ability to recognize authenticity in people. Like Aishwarya, Ali would later become a philanthropist who dedicated his time to volunteering at and donating money to child hospitals and leading the go-green initiative in his country. He wasn’t allowed to behave like most kids; never allow himself to be as free as them.

“Shoulders back and stand up straight,” Marinette recited. “Mind your manners, smile for the cameras. Always be clean and orderly. It’s like I’m a trophy. Don’t make a mess. Watch what you say but never let anyone think you can’t say it. Sometimes it sucks. But what I can I do. Can I really cry about it? I’m a rich, only child that gets everything I want… as long as I behave. There are expectations of me, and if I stay, I get shut down.” Hard.

Marinette spent her childhood split between France and Singapore. In Paris, she was able to relax as Marinette Dupain-Cheng the daughter of a pair of rather well-known bakers. In Singapore, she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young or just Marinette Young for short; the granddaughter of Eleanor and Phillip Young, an heir of the wealthiest family in all of Singapore and most of the world. And people, her family mostly, and the paparazzi had expectations of Marinette Young.

Marinette Young was a Singaporean child socialite. The media referred to her as “The Princess” for her beauty and the impeccable fashion sense she distributed from a young age. She followed her older cousin Astrid to all the fashions, taking her cues from her.

“Yeah…”

Marinette lift her head to look at Ali, “What do you like to do?”

“I like to help people,” Ali murmured. “I like helping my grandmother at the hospitals and making sick kids feel better. Maybe be a doctor!”

“I like fashion, my cousin Astrid likes it too,” Marinette said. “So let’s make a deal. You help kids. I’ll work in fashion. That’s what we want to do so we’re going to do it. Okay?”

“Deal,” Ali nodded firmly and then looked thoughtful. “Are we friends?”

Marinette smiled, “Best friends.”

And so there were. Over the next few years, the two would meet up for playdates frequently. Eventually, Prince Ali would come to know Marinette Dupain-Cheng well too.

When the playdate ended, Marinette waved goodbye sadly as her new friend left.

That night, while her grandmother brushed her hair before bed, she asked. “Did you like Prince Ali?”

Marinette nodded, “Yes. He was very polite and played pretend really well.” She left off the part where he was a dreaded pirate captain because of details.

“Aishwarya and I thought you would like each other,” Eleanor nodded. “I’m glad to see you get along well. Hopefully, you will grow closer as you get older.”

“Why?” Marinette asked curiously. Her grandmother had never cared about whether she would still be friends with her playdates in the future. Normally, the playdates were a way to have a business meeting with it being obvious to the outside world that it was, in fact, a business meeting.

Eleanor smiled softly down at Marinette, looking less like the elegant scary Dragon-lady the media claimed she was, and more like any loving grandmother.

Eleanor knew she always favored Marinette, her first grandchild; even if she had severely frowned on her oldest daughter Sabine marrying a baker. Though she had frowned less once their bakery became a successful international chain, akin to Gordon Ramsey restaurants. Their headquarters in Singapore. In Eleanor’s defense, they came from a rather wealthy family and with roots of nobility. Who wouldn’t be a little upset if their heir and beloved daughter running off to marry a baker she met in France? Sabine had even gotten Nick and Astrid to help with her elopement.

It would be years before Eleanor manages to quell the snickers and rumors that persisted after Sabine’s departure, and just as long until she was willing to speak with her oldest child again. However, that was mostly because she learned Sabine was pregnant.

Eleanor was in France for the duration of the pregnancy and had loved Marinette instantly the second she was born. Her beautiful granddaughter with hair so black it looks blue in the right light, and bright blue eyes bluer than anyone could even imagine. It’s a wonder, Eleanor, ever let go of her. (But apparently, Tom had the right to hold his child too, or some nonsense like that.)

Because of her grandmother, Marinette’s childhood was… odder than most. While her parents preferred a more modest lifestyle despite their wealth, her mother’s side of the family… did not.

“Do you know how your grandfather and I met?” The older woman asked. Marinette shook her head no. “We met when we were really young, about you and Prince Ali’s age. Our parents were business partners who believed marriage was the best solidify the partnership, and bring up both of our families statuses. So we were betrothed.”

Marinette blinked, slowly understanding hit her. “It means engaged right?”

“In a way,” Eleanor nodded. “It meant we were promised to each other and that one day we would marry; uniting our families as one. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

“The playdate,” Marinette said. “It was a test to see if Ali and could get along. We are to be promised to each other.”

Eleanor put the hairbrush down. “No. You are promised to each other. We finalized the arrangement today. The official betrothal will be announced after your thirteenth birthday. One day, you will marry Prince Ali. Prince Ali is the oldest child of Queen Aishwarya’s oldest son. Do you know what that means when you marry him?”

Marinette nodded, not fully understand what being married meant. Or what being betrothed meant but knew it was important. She thought of Snow White and Cinderella, and what marry a prince meant for them. “If I marry Ali, it means one day, I’ll be Queen.”

“You’ll be a princess,” Eleanor correct gently. “Queen Aishwarya’s steps down, which will not be for quite some time, her son and heir will take her place, and then one day Prince Ali will take his father’s place. Then you will be Queen.”

Marinette grew up dealing with the fact that she would one day be Queen the best way she could; she put it of mind. It wasn’t like her life changed all that much; she just attended more lessons than usual. Heck, her life changed more when she became Ladybug. So she was engaged to be engaged, so what? All that meant was that she couldn’t date anyone seriously. She could date though, which was what counted.

She and Prince Ali were still best friends and what girl didn’t want to marry her best friend?

When Marinette was thirteen, Prince Ali had a surprise visit to Paris under the guise of visiting the local children’s hospital. It was the first time he came to visit without his grandmother with him. And it was the first time Marinette met him without her grandmother there.

They met at a secluded rooftop restaurant. Prince Ali wore a dark suit. Marinette wore a stylish, elegant red dress, that coincidently matched Prince Ali’s tie. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. When they sat down for dinner and a violin started to play, it took Marinette all but five seconds to realize what was going down.

“This is quite romantic. You could’ve had just asked me on a date, you know?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “I might’ve said yes.”

Ali gave her a devilish smirk, “As if there was ever a chance you’d say no.”

His bodyguard huffed a laugh, “He was too chicken to ask.”

“Really, Kalil! Really!” Prince Ali face-palmed in the face of Marinette’s giggles. “It’s not funny,” He told her.

“Yes, it is.”

Ali sighed but gave a low chuckle, “It’s a little funny.”

It went silent as each tried to think of what to say.

“I just wanted to-” Ali started.

“I know that this-” Marinette said at the same time.

They both gave small laughs. Marinette nodded, “Please, go ahead.”

“We’re older now,” Ali swallowed hard. “You’re thirteen now. And I just wanted to… I wanted to know if it was still alright. If you were still open to marrying me? If not, we should be mature about it. We should let our grandparents know before the announcement. Then we’ll go our separate ways and never talk or see each other again if you want.”

“Save yourselves and our families the embarrassment,” She nodded. Marinette fought now to glance down; to not show weakness, as her grandmother taught her, as her mother taught her like Astrid taught her. She was a Young. Youngs’ were not weak. “Do you want to marry me?”

“I asked you first!” Ali whined, making his bodyguard snort.

“How old are you? Six?”

He stuck his tongue out, “Six and a half for your information.” Ali shook his head. “When we were little we made a deal. You’d go into fashion, and I’d help sick kids, help people all over the world because it’s what we wanted to do; not what anyone wants us to do. You’re a fashion designer. I’m a philanthropist. Pretty brave of us considering if Nick ever decides to run for the hills, you’d be shipped off to Harvard business school before you managed to make a protest. And if something, gods forbid, ever happen to my father; my grandmother would have me sworn in as the next king before I even buried him. Medical school or not. So let’s be brave again. Let’s only marry each other if that’s what we want. Deal.”

“Deal!” Marinette nodded. “So do you want to marry me?”

“Mari!” Ali groaned. “I asked first!”

“What point being?” Marinette said innocently. “Fine, let’s start with an easier question. Do you like me… like that?”

“Do you like me?”

Marinette’s bodyguard, Torivana, snickered in the background. Marinette glared. “I… like you, Ali.” Other than Ali, she had only ever had a crush on two other guys; both crushes were short-lived. Adrien, who was regulated to being the brother she always wanted after she learned he was Chat Noir and her parents all but adopted him. And Luka, she realized quickly, with his dyed hair, rock band, and future tattoos was the type of guy her grandmother would have assassinated before she’d let Marinette seen in a romantic relationship with. Plus, it didn’t help that Luka asked her if Adrien was single.

Ali was different though. Marinette had set out in the very beginning to not like Ali romantically, figuring she could break off the promise between the families if it was seen that there was no romantic feeling between the two. However, the more she fought not to like-like her best friend, the more she did.

“It’s you I like, Ali,” Marinette admitted, her heart beating wildly.

Ali looked at her for a moment, just really staring at her. “I like you too.” And he did. He fell for the blue-eyed badass that was his best friend. He’d known he liked her for the longest of times but was too afraid to tell her. “And I’d never want you to not be a part of my life. If you don’t know if you want to marry me, that’s fine. We can wait. I can wait. If you want to play the long game and see what happens. Okay. I’ll play the long game. Live your life, I'll live my life, I know you're out there... and I'm out there, too.

“That's your deal?”

“That's my deal.”

“Someday?”

“Someday.”

Marinette leaned forward, “I have a counteroffer.”

“You are definitely Eleanor Young’s granddaughter.”

“That’s a compliment,” Marinette shrugged. She took a deep breath and said, “I want to marry you; not just because of our families but because of our friendship. I think we’d be good together. We are good together. Maybe, I’m not in love with you now but maybe after some dates, whenever you buck up and ask me on a real one, and being girlfriend and boyfriend for a while, maybe I will be. If sometime in the future, when we get older, we change our minds, we’ll figure it out then. You fight my grandma, I’ll take on yours.”

“I want to marry you too,” Ali admitted, a small smile on his face. “You know you can ask me out too, right?”

“I could,” She stressed the second word.

They laughed and just looked at each other, olive-green eyes getting lost in blue and vice versa.

It was the sound of a throat clearing that made them jump out of it. Each blushed red as the waiter looked at them expectantly with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face.

“We should order,” Marinette said, opening up her menu quickly.

“Totally!”

They ignored their bodyguards chuckling in the background.

Outside of the Marinette Young universe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng found it a lot harder to be nice and amicable all the time. For starters, Lila had come back to school. She didn’t mind most of the lies she told. They were annoying, however, after years of dealing with faux-faced people, she could ignore most of them. She could even ignore that al her so-called friends believed them.

However, Marinette hated, absolutely hated when Lila lied about Prince Ali. The lies were utterly ridiculous but Marinette was overprotective and had half a mind to use every resource to have the Italian Embassy look into all of Lila’s travel claims. But she was better than that. She would not stoop to Lila’s level.

…

It took three months for Marinette to lose all her friends in class. They had simpered after Lila and her lies and believed Marinette to be a bully. They stopped hanging out with her, stopped inviting her places, and sent mean texts to her phone causing her to change her number. They openly declared they weren’t her friends anymore.

Again, this wasn’t something Marinette batted a lie at. She didn’t care what they did. Or said. As they long as they didn’t go too far, Marinette was fine with ignoring their existence. Should they step the line, Marinette would use everything in her power to destroy them.

It was a good thing after all. Her mother, Grandmother, Nick, Astrid, and everyone else in her family always taught her to be wary of fame-seekers and gold diggers.

It was clear that the class wasn’t really interested in what Lila did but the promises of what she could do for them. And if they had to toss aside a childhood friend to get into her good graces then so be it.

The class was getting ready to depart for winter break.

“Prince Ali and I are going to winter in Switzerland, you know.” Lila lied, causing Marinette’s eyes to narrow. “Every year since we were children. It snows all the time in Zurich. And he just loves it.”

First of all, Ali hated the cold. It was why Marinette insisted one of their playdates be in the Alps after he broke her favorite china doll; spite, pure spite. Second of all, it didn’t snow all the time in Zurich; barely at all.

Anyone could fact check the second one. But no one bothers. Not even the journalist of the class, Alya.

“We go with the Young family,” Lila continued. “One of the richest families in the world. I am friends with Lady Eleanor’s granddaughter.”

Marinette nearly fell down laughing right then and there.

At the end of class, her ex-best friend and the class’s new class president, stood up, “Don’t forget everyone, class party at my house,” Alya cast a quick glare at Marinette and Chloe who sat in the back. “At least for those of you invited.” Their other classmates snickered and threw vicious smiles at the girls.

“As if we’d want to go,” Chloe said. “We have plans for Winter break that doesn’t involve going to a last-minute, obviously poor planed party. That never happened in the last class president’s watch.”

Marinette smirked. “She’s right. We have plans. Chloe’s coming with me to visit my grandmother in Singapore. My family can’t wait to meet my best friend. Luka and Adrien will be attending as well.

Alya huffed at not getting the reaction she wanted. Also because she never got invited to go to Singapore with Marinette before, and they had been best friends for the longest time. Shows what kind of friend Marinette was! Lila would never do that to her.

Chloe, Adrien, Luka, Kagami, Ondine, Aurore, Claude, Mirielle, Nathanial, and Marc would all join Marinette for Winter Break. They were surprised when Marinette had offered to pay. Even more so when it was on a private plane.

Trust Chloe to be the first to say something.

“So you’re rich,” The blond asked.

Marinette hummed as she reads her magazine, “We’re comfortable.”

“That is exactly what a super-rich person would say,” Claude laughed.

When they got to Marinette’s home, that was less of a home and more of a palace, they realized just how right they were. Particularly when they saw the dolphins.

“So you’re crazy rich,” Claude correct.

During Winter break, once they got to Singapore, Marinette officially introduced her best friend, Prince Ali, to her other friends. They got along well, though he was a bit wary of Chloe at first.

At the Young Family New Years’ Eve celebration; which was closer to a giant festival, it was announced that Prince Ali and Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young, the only grandchild of Phillip and Eleanor Young, would marry after Marinette’s 21st birthday. The new article was released shortly after; it was filled with pictures of them as children growing up together, depicting their friendship, each family’s wealth, and it told the agreed-upon lie that Prince Ali asked for her hand, as traditional in his country. The media went wild.

Marinette knew the moment it was announced and her picture was released that things would change. She wouldn’t just be Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of bakers. At least she couldn’t pretend anymore. Marinette would be a princess; people talking about her, Ali, and the future royal wedding for years to come.

Once the celebrations had died down, her friends ganged up on her.

“A prince!” Chloe shrieked. “You’re marrying Prince Ali. How could you not tell me! I get to be the maid of honor to a Princess!”

Adrien glared, “Why are you the maid of honor. I’m practically her brother.”

“Exactly!” Chloe hissed. “Maid of Honor!”

“Oh, this is not over!”

That night Marinette, with her grandmother’s blessing, gave Aurore the exclusive scoop on the engagement via an interview and an article. Overnight, her blog became internally famous. Magazines and newspapers citing her as a source.

Returning to Paris had been wild. The moment they stepped off the plane, they were met with the flashes of cameras from the paparazzi; each one screaming her name.

“Marinette! How does it feel to be marrying Prince Ali?”

“DO you think you’re too young?”

“Are you ready to be a princess?”

Marinette ignored them all as she got into the limousine with her friends. “So that was pleasant.”

“That was insane!” Aurore laughed. “Is it always this bad?”

“No, Singaporean paparazzi are a bit tamer.”

The limo didn’t head to the bakery. Marinette nor her parents would be living there from then on. Instead, they bought the empty mansion across the street from Adrien’s home. They purchased it when her grandmother let them know the announcement would happen soon; giving them plenty of time to decorate. The gates were heavily lined with security.

“Oh we are so having our next sleepover here,” Mirielle said brightly when they got into the house.

“Are you going to miss living at the bakery?”

“Yes,” Both Marinette and Adrien said, causing Marinette to glare at her friend, “We talked about this; just because I had a bunk bed, did not make it your room too!”

Adrien huffed but clearly looked like he disagreed.

Luka chuckled and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Aww, babe. Did the mean girl hurt your feelings?”

“You were my friend first,” Marinette pinched her nose. “Where’s the loyalty?”

When school started back up again, Marinette’s limo literally went straight across the street to pick up Adrien.

Gabriel opened the door before Marinette even had the chance to knock. “Miss Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young, an honor.”

Marinette eyed the man. He, while always polite, seemed nicer than she’d ever seen him before. Normally Marinette would fill the urge to fix her casual outfit. But today Marinette didn’t do casual. She wore a tan Cashmere sweater dress, stockings, with black Burberry heals, and a look of boredom on her face. Gone were the pigtails, instead Marinette’s hair flowed down her back. “Is Adrien ready for school, Mr. Agreste?”

“He will be down in one moment,” Gabriel answered. “Congratulations on your engagement. You and Prince Ali make a lovely couple.”

“Thank you.”

“I was unaware there was a Young in Paris,” Gabriel chimed. “I would have loved to arrange a few playdates between you and Adrien.”

Marinette smiled coldly, “Adrien is one of my dearest friends now. And while an official date hasn’t been set, I do hope I can count your attendance at my wedding. Despite recent… difficulties.”

Gabriel stiffened, “Difficulties? With Adrien?”

“With Lila Rossi,” Marinette corrected. “A model of yours. She has made several outlandish claims both towards the Young family, Prince Ali, as well as several celebrities. I fear the actions that would need to be taken to… rectify this. I sincerely hope the Agreste brand isn’t hurt in the process.”

Despite the subtly of her words, the threat was loud and clear. Fix Lila, ditch Lila, or we’ll destroy you.

Adrien came down the stairs in a rush, not noticing his father’s pale face. He and Marinette, and Gorilla left the older man still standing stunned.

Gabriel called for Nathalie, “Fire Miss Rossi immediately. Sever all connections, now!”

After Adrien, they picked up Kagami, whose mother was an old friend of Sabine’s as they had grown up together. Kagami had always known that Marinette was actually Marinette Young.

The next stop was Chloe who seemed more at home in Marinette’s limo that Marinette did.

When the got to school the paparazzi were still waiting. The bodyguards Gorilla and Torivana held guarded the children as they entered the school. Damocles was waiting at the door, a simpering smile on his face, and a greedy look in his eyes at the potential donations he could get from Marinette and her family.

Marinette cut him off before he could even open his mouth, “You expelled me without a proper investigation. Or going through the proper channel because of an ambassador’s daughter threw a hissy fit. You’ll be hearing my lawyers.”

The man paled so white Marinette thought he had died right then and there. Until she saw him shaking.

The bodyguards escorted the kids through the halls, where students stopped to watch the future princess pass.

When they got to class, they saw most of the students waiting.

The four ignored them and joined Nathaniel in back where they had been sentenced for not believing Lila.

“Girl!” Alya yelled with a grin on her face. “I can’t believe you’re marrying a prince! You should’ve invited me to your family’s party. I’d have loved to come.”

The others in class nodded. Though Rose did look a bit teary-eyed. That was when Marinette remembered her ex-friends crush on Ali.

“That party was dope, dudette!” Nino added. “How’d you get Beyonce to perform?”

Marinette smiled, “Shouldn’t you be hanging of Lila’s coattails somewhere. Where is Miss Rossi anyway?”

Alya shrugged, “She’s a liar, you were right. Best friends with the Young Heir, yeah right. You should’ve just told me you and Prince Ali were a thing, and I’d have believed you.”

“You should’ve fact-checked,” Chloe glared. “It was obvious she was a liar.”

“No one’s talking to you,” Alya glared from where she sat in her seat. “I’m talking to my bestie.”

“Again, Lila isn’t here,” Marinette said. “And last I checked we are not friends.”

Alya rolled over what Marinette said, “How could you give Aurore the inside scoop? I totally needed that. Ladybug had been ignoring me for months.”

“Aurore’s my friend,” Marinette said easily. “Which is more than I can say for most of you. How was the class party by the way?”

A few of the students had the grace to blush and look away. Alya wasn’t one of them, “I’m sorry, okay. I shouldn’t have believed Lila.” Alya shrugged. “You don’t have to sit back there anymore. Me and Nino can make room.”

Marinette blinked. How could she not be getting this? “I wouldn’t sit with you if that seat was only one in school not on fire.”

It was at that moment Bustier and Lila walked into class. Bustier seemed oblivious to the tension that seemed the classroom; though she did know all about Marinette being engaged to a prince.

To Lila’s credit, she didn’t blink at the few glares she received. Her eyes on Marinette, half full of greed, half full of jealously. She knew all about the Young family; insanely rich socialites who were the It family in all of Asia. She cursed herself for not researching into Marinette more before declaring the girl her enemy and doing her best to maker her life hell. And now Marinette was marrying a prince.

Lila frowned. No wonder the bluenette always glared at me, She thought, she knew first hand that I was lying.

“Marinette,” Lila said sweetly. “I was so happy and that you and Ali finally revealed your betrothal. I wish you would’ve told me.”

Most of the class looked at the girl like she was crazy.

“I don’ t like you,” Marinette stated easily. “You do not know Ali. You were not childhood friends. You do not know the Young family. Astrid did not ever come to you for fashion advice. She does not know you exist. As Eleanor’s only grandchild, I can happily say that we are not friends. Leave alone.” She cast a cold look to the rest of the room. “That goes for the rest of you. You happily declared we weren’t friends anymore. Well, we’re not friends anymore.”

Her declaration rang through the classroom.

No one said anything to her for the rest of the morning, apart from her friends in class.

When lunch came, just before the bell rang, there was a knock on the door. Prince Ali stood there, looking as regal and as handsome as ever. “It seemed, I am a bit too early.” He said with a polite smile, though he had been long aware of the inhabitants bullying way.

The bell rang.

Marinette smiled, “Just in time actually.” She got up and walked to the front of the class, most of the students too stunned to move.

Lila jumped at her chance to actually meet the prince, “Oh Prince Ali; it’s wonderful to see you again. My mother spent some time in your country. She worked was an ambassador.”

“And you are?” Ali asked, causing Lila to flush red as another of her lies were exposed.

She knew she could’ve easily spun to the class that Marinette was just jealous of her. They’d believe anything. It was a lot harder with the prince there to deny everything.

Neither him nor Marinette waited for a response.

They long since vowed to only ever wait for each other.

#ml fic #ml salt #marinette dupen chang #Marinette deserves better #class salt #alya salt

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officialleehadan · 4 years ago

Text

Kiss to Save

Hello darlings and happy Tuesday! I hope you're all having a wonderful day wherever you are!

Today's story was brought to you by Brandon! Darling, thank you so much for all your support. I love seeing your comments!

Prompt: Stone Kisses

+++

“Well, it’s certainly not a statue.”

“She.”

“What?”

“She. Not ‘it’. We don’t know her name, but she isn’t an ‘it’.”

A few hours of spellwork had turned into a project that consumed most of a week, but Alivir wasn’t complaining. The woman, his statue, had spent her only words asking him to save her, and he was going to do exactly that, one way or another. Eikh was both amused at Alivir’s sudden dedication to the more scholarly aspects of magework, and somewhat annoyed. So far, Alivir’s Stone Lady had remained utterly immune to nearly everything they had tried.

Today’s spell was an old one, and rooted in the lowest of the Low Magics. The School generally didn’t bother with Low Magic. It wasn’t precise, controllable, or reliable except for very specific uses. One of those uses was discovering, and sometimes picking through, the fine details of High Magic.

And it was High Magic that was on his statue. Whatever, whoever, she had been, someone spent a lot of magic making sure she would be a statue permanently. They also spent a lot of magic on making sure no one else would ever figure out she was anything more than a simple statue. It wasn’t until Eikh dug out a manuscript older than the school itself that they managed to get through the spells preventing the detection of spells.

Alivir was just glad that Eikh knew how to detect that those spells were in place, or he would have had a much harder time convincing the mastermage to keep helping him.

“Alright,” Eikh said with a faint smile that suggested he thought Alivir was being unreasonable. “She certainly is not a statue. With the blockers removed, I can sense…. Something from her. You say you’ve been kissing her twice a day for most of a year?”

“Yes.” Alivir was mostly done being embarrassed about that, although he was already planning his apology for kissing a woman without her permission. It was one thing when he thought she was a statue. Now that he knew otherwise, it was a violation he wasn’t proud of. “I come here whenever… whenever I needed a friend. I don’t even remember why I kissed her the first time, but it just became habit after that.”

Eikh considered the Stone Lady thoughtfully, and spun more magic over his hands with the easy skill of one who had been casting their whole life. The magic caught on the statue’s gown, and for a moment it looked like she was clothed in starlight. Moments later, the spell was gone as if it had never been, and Eikh muttered something that sounded like a curse.

“Whoever cursed her did a professional job,” he said after two more failed attempts that ended just like the first one. “Every time I try to work a spell into the magic already on her, it gets eaten up and pulled into the curse.”

It wasn’t the news that Alivir was hoping for. Like Eikh, he had tried his own magic, limited though it was, and even risked turning to his crystal to try and scry back through history for his Stone Lady’s origins. He had hoped that if he could figure out how she was cursed, undoing it would be easier.

Unfortunately, she seemed as immune to his scrying as she was to nearly everything else they had tried.

“I hesitate to encourage this,” Eikh said after a while and two more spells, neither of which had any effect on the statue before them. “And I particularly hate relying upon Low Magic yet again, but High Magic has a particular weakness to Low, and that may be our key to this spell, as it was to the ones preventing her detection.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Kiss her again.”

“What?” Alivir looked up at the mastermage from where he knelt at his Stone Lady’s feet, her hands clasped in his. “I can’t do that! Not without her permission!”

“She asked you to save her, didn’t she?” Eikh said impatiently, never one to come at a topic delicately. “Given how long she’s been here, I would imagine that request is permission to do whatever you have to. Wouldn’t you agree?”

That made a certain amount of sense, Alivir admitted to himself, still reluctant. “Why should I kiss her? I’ve been kissing her all year, and she only spoke the once.”

“I think, and this is a guess, mind you,” Eikh grumbled, offended at the insult of having to guess at anything magic-related. “That you may have been transferring magic to her. Not much, but if you passed a spark through her spell every time you kissed her, it might have built up enough for her to muster speech. Low Magic is often tied to the emotions of the caster, and you felt when you kissed her.”

“You think that would be enough to slip through the cracks of the curse?”

“I think I’m nearly out of ideas. Like I said, it’s a professional job. As good as anything I could do. Better, probably, since I can’t undo it without doing something that might kill her.”

The admission of failure pressed on Eikh’s temper, and Alivir decided that it would be better if he stayed away from that particularly sore spot for a while.

“Alright,” he said slowly, and looked up at his Stone Lady. “How do I pass more than a spark?? The thought of trying for another year now that I know she’s trapped…”

“That’s the easy part. Easier for you particularly, since your Sight is so strong,” Eikh explained, voice in the easy cadence of a teacher. “You already feel things strongly, and you have an affinity to Low Magic because it’s closely tied to the Sight. That’s why the Sight is so difficult to learn, for those with the skill, and so difficult to control for those born with it. So kiss her, boy, and think of everything you’ve ever shared. Think of the secrets you’ve told her, and how she made you feel just a little bit less alone in the world.”

“True Love’s Kiss? You think it will work?”

“I think it’s her best chance.”

Alivir hesitated and looked up at his lady, the stone lady who had listened to him, and heard him weep for the evils his magic threw in his face. Who had heard him complain bitterly about his fellow students, and wish desperately for someone, anyone, in the world to care for him and not his Sight.

“Forgive me this one last trespass,” he whispered to her, and raised himself on his knees so he could cradle her cool cheek in his palm, his other hand light against the marble waves of her hair where it tumbled over her shoulder in lose curls. “I swear, I will find a way to save you.”

With that, he pressed his lips to hers as he had a thousand times before, and hoped.

+++

Stone Kisses:

He always kissed her, the statue who sat beside his favorite pond. He never thought that she might kiss him back.

Save Me

Spell to See (Free on Patreon!)

Kiss to Save

Dust-Streaked (Free on Patreon!)

+++

MASTERLIST

+++

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nightrosebud · 4 years ago

Text

So my @toa-secret-santa was for @arcadia-trash who just asked for “Barbara and Strickler,” so I went with a whole bunch of fluff. I hope you enjoy and Happy Holiday!

"It was the night before Christmas, and all through the ward, not a patient was stirring; seriously, I'm so bored."

Barbara felt her lips twitch, but she tried not to smile as she finished the chart in front of her. When done, she closed the folder and glared at the nurse leaning on the counter next to her. "Stop that," she growled. "Talk like that will summon a ten-car pile-up, and I would like to get home before midnight, thank you very much."

Nurse Choen sighed and readjusted his headband. He had lamented that he couldn't wear his ugly sweater with a lit dreidel on it, so he had snuck in a cheap headband with a light-up menorah instead. The little blubs on it twinkled on and off, like each one was being lit separately. When Barbara pointed out that the headband was not allowed because of the dress code, he had just grinned bigger and started singing Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel at the top of his lungs. "Sorry, Doc," he said with a bashful grin. "I guess when I signed up for this shift, I figured we would be busy with the holidays." He gestured at the empty hallway. "I didn't think we would only have two patients and no emergencies. I like staying busy."

"Well, have you stocked the rooms?"

"Yep."

"Put away patient files?"

"Done."

"Made sure the medicine is in order?"

"Oh yeah, and stole some good stuff for me," he joked. Barbara glared at him, and he put up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "I kid, I kid. So why did you sign up for tonight, doc? Trying to get away from all the kiddos at home?"

"Actually, no," she confessed. She leaned on the counter and looked down the hallway. They only had one patient who had drunk too much at the office Christmas party and came in complaining that he couldn't stop throwing up and one man who had a heart attack two days ago while shoveling some surprise snow from his driveway. Both were asleep and quiet at this late hour.

"We had a lot of back-to-back adoptions in the last few weeks, so Walt and I decided to wait until after the holidays to bring out more babies from the cradle stone." Most of the people working at the hospital knew about the babies she and Walt were taking care of, so Cohen just nodded in understanding. "Since Jim is older and was spending the night at a friend's house anyway, I figured I would come in and give someone else a chance to spend the night with their families."

"Well, we only have an hour, then we both will be free at midnight," he said. Barbara smacked his arm, and he jumped. "Ow! What was that for? I hope you know that I can go to HR for assault."

"Stop saying stuff like that!" Barbara hissed but then laughed. "You're going to cause an accident. Or the end of the world."

"Oh yeah, don't want evil trolls coming out of the ground and wrecking downtown. Or giant aliens walking around and wrecking downtown. Or evil magic users flying around and wrecking downtown. Or Titans rising up and wrecking downtown." Cohen paused and cocked his head to the side. "What do the bad guys have against the buildings downtown?"

Barbara smirked. "I think Jim has asked that question himself a few times over the last year."

"You know," Choen said with a grin, "When I left New York, I thought I had left the magical creatures behind."

"What do you mean?" Barbara asked.

"Haven't you heard? There are gargoyles in New York."

"Ah," Barbara said, wondering if she should force the nurse in front of her to take a drug test. "How about you recheck the supplies?"

One hour later, the next shift of one doctor and two nurses showed up to relieve them, finding Doctor Lake and Nurse Choen having the quietest race of rolling office chairs they could manage.

"Good to see that the hospital was left in good hands," Doctor Roberts joked as the two of them crossed the finish line made of gauze, Barbara in the lead.

They handed off the patient charts, all two of them, and they said their goodnights and goodbyes. Choen escorted Barbara outside, and they paused at the doors, watching some snow drift down. "Ah, now this," Choen said with a smile, adjusting his coat and blinking headband, "this I missed."

Barbara hummed in agreement, and they spent some time just enjoying the quiet. Suddenly Barbara heard a sound, the sound of bells, and she swore they were coming closer. Before she could ask Choen if he heard it too, something rounded the corner and rapidly came towards them down the deserted street.

It was a sleigh, the kind of sleigh you found on vintage Christmas cards, red with gold details and golden bells. Only, instead of a horse or reindeer pulling it, Aaarrrgghh!! was in front, running as fast as he could on all fours, mad grin on his face. Behind him, Barbara could make out two figures in the sleigh, but in the dark and snow, she couldn't tell who it was. They were laughing, though, as Aaarrrgghh!! turned into the parking lot and skidded to a halt in front of Barbara.

One of the figures stood up and placed a foot on the front of the sleigh. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" it cried, and Barbara could finally make out Toby, smile stretching from ear to ear. "Happy Chanukah! Wait! No! Kleb! That's not what I should say. Meeerrryyy Christmas!" Darci was next to him, and she put a hand over to her mouth and giggled.

"Toby?!" Barbara asked. "What are you doing here?" The smile on her face died when she had a terrible thought. "Where's Jim? Is he alright?"

"Oh, he's fine, Doctor L," Tody said as he hopped down from the sleigh. He walked over to the other side, giving Aaarrrgghh!! a pat on the arm as he passed the troll. Toby had had some growth spurts in the last year and a half since Jim found the amulet, and he was finally taller than Darci, who was still his girlfriend. He bowed and reached out a hand. "My lady," he said in a slightly deeper voice, and Darci took his hand and jumped down from the sleigh, smile on her face. "We're here to take your car home while Aaarrrgghh!! is taking you to your Christmas gift."

"My car?" Barbara asked perplexed. "What about a Christmas gift? Is it from Jim?"

"Not Jim," Darci explained but didn't elaborate on who else would send a troll-drawn sleigh to pick up Barbara.

"Come on, Doc," said a voice from the sleigh, "we need to get a move on before it gets too late." And NotEnrique stood up in the sleigh's seat so Barbara could see him. He was wearing a suit, and a fat cigar hung from his leering mouth.

Barbara felt her stomach drop, but she was being pushed into the sleigh by Toby and Darci. "Um, I don't know about this," she said as she sat down. Everyone else was smiling at her, though, as Darci made sure a blanket covered her legs.

"No sweat, Doctor L, you are in good hands with Aaarrrgghh!!," Toby said, and Aaarrrgghh!! looked over his shoulder to give her a grin, but Barbara didn't know how to explain that it wasn't the hulking troll that gave her pause.

"Well, you have to make sure you tell me what this is all about next time I see you, Doc," Choen said. He lifted a hand and waved. "Happy Chanukah, everybody!"

"Chag Urim Sameach, dude!" Toby said with a grin. "Love the headband!"

As Choen walked to his car, and NotEnrique grabbed the reins attached to Aaarrrgghh!!, Barbara reluctantly gave her keys to the teens. "You two be safe in the snow," she said. Toby tossed the keys into the air, and Darci grabbed them before he could catch them. He gave her a hurt look.

"Don't worry, Doctor Lake, we will be careful," she said, stepping back.

"Have a nice night!" she said as the couple waved.

"Okay, hang on Doc, Aaarrrgghh!! here is a little fast on the corners," NotEnrique told her, chewing on the cigar.

"And why do you have that?" she asked.

"My payment for my work this evening," he explained, taking the cigar out and wiggling it. "The big guy here is working for socks, I believe."

"Mmmm, socks," Aaarrrgghh!! rumbled.

"Well, just don't light it while I'm behind you, please," Barbara asked.

"Light it? Doc, I plan on eating it," he said with a grin, and with that, he snapped the reins and Aaarrrgghh!! was pulling them away from the hospital.

-----

They flew down the dark, deserted streets, Barbara's face starting to hurt from the cold. The lights wrapped around streetlights and trees twinkled, and the giant Christmas tree in the town's square lit up the whole block. Aaarrrgghh!! kept his pace, but suddenly NotEnrique yelled. "Oi! You missed our turn!"

"Oops," Aaarrrgghh!! rumbled, and he made a u-turn in the middle of the street, making Barbara and NotEnrique cry out as they were almost tossed out of the sleigh. Aaarrrgghh!! straightened himself out and started running towards the museum.

Two figures waited outside for them, and as they got closer, Barbara recognized Claire and Zoe. The two young women gave her large grins as Aaarrrgghh!! slid to a stop in front of them. "Merry Christmas, Barbara!" Claire cried.

"Merry Christmas!" Barbara answered back. NotEnrique helped her out of the sleigh, and she rubbed her hands to warm them. "Are you the one who set this up?"

"Nope," Claire said with a grin. "We are your glam squad!"

"Glam squad?" Barbara asked, but the two girls just smiled.

"Have fun, Doc!" NotEnrique cried out, and he grabbed the reins. "Come on, big guy, let's go get some eggnog spiked with glug." And the others waved to them as Aaarrrgghh!! galloped off.

Claire and Zoe guided Barbara into the museum and then into the bathroom. Claire handed Barbara a garment bag. "Tonight's affair has a dress code that doesn't include scrubs, I'm afraid."

Barbara gave the bag a look, but she went into a stall without comment. A few moments later, she laughed. "What's up?" Claire asked her.

"Oh, nothing," Barbara said with a giggle. "I just realized who planned this whole thing."

"How so?" asked Zoe.

Barbara stepped out a minute later. She was wearing a flowing, floor-length sapphire-blue dress, the empire-style waist accenting her bare shoulders. It was covered in crystals that twinkled as she took a turn. "Only Walt would pick something like this for me." Claire clapped as both girls laughed.

Zoe made a motion with her hand, and a pillow started to float in the air. Barbara hesitated but then sat down and put her full weight on the pillow, happy when she didn't fall to the floor. The girls began to tug her hair out of its bun and helped her to style it. "What do you say, Doctor L?" Zoe said with a grin, gesturing to her own pink hair. "Want to try a new color?"

"No thanks," Barbara said with a grin. "I think I'm too old for the bright colors."

"Aw, no, you're not," Claire said as she pinned crystal hairpins onto Barbara's hair.

When finished, the girls escorted Barbara deeper into the museum and to the large room in the middle of the building. Jim messed with three table settings on a small table set up with a white tablecloth. Douixe was nearby, his hands glowing blue as candles floated and lit up around the room. Walt himself was in the middle of the room, supervising. He was wearing a green suit, tailored to fit his slim frame. Barbara slowly walked up to him and hugged him from behind. He turned his head to give her a tusk-filled smile. "Hello, darling," he said.

"Hello," she said back. "What in the world do you have planned?"

"Your Christmas gift," he replied with a grin.

"Dinner in the museum? Benoit's would have been easier."

"But Benoit's wouldn't have the rest of your gift for you."

Jim looked up from the table and grinned. "Hey, mom. How was the sleigh ride?"

"Terrifying," she confessed as Walt pulled out a chair and she sat down. "Did I throw everything off schedule by going in for a shift?"

"It pushed the evening's plans back, but all parties were able to adjust," Walt said as he also took a seat.

Jim grabbed the silver dome in front of Barbara, and with a flourish, he uncovered her plate. "Steak au Poivre with mashed garlic potatoes." He grabbed the silver dome in front of Walter and revealed a dish for him. "Raw steak with motor oil," Jim said, in a flatter tone. "Let it be known once again: I'm happy to have human taste buds."

Barbara pointed to the final setting. "Who else is joining us?"

"Me," said a voice behind her, and Barbara turned to see Nomura walking into the room. She also wore a suit, but unlike Walt's, it was jet black.

"You're late," Walt growled.

"Fashionably late," Nomura said with a grin, uncovering her plate. "Believe me, I wouldn't miss one of Little Gynt's meals."

Jim smiled and then leaned down to kiss Barbara on the forehead. "Have fun, mom. I hope you like your gift."

"You're not staying?" she asked.

"We are going back to Toby's and watching Christmas movies until we pass out," Douxie explained. "And don't worry, Doctor, Zoe and I are acting as chaperones."

"Strickler. Good luck," Jim said cryptically.

"Thank you, Young Atlas," Walt said while sipping on water.

Jim and Claire linked arms while Douxie threw his arm around Zoe's shoulder. The young adults waved as they left. "Merry Christmas!" Claire and Jim cried while Zoe and Doxie bellowed, "Happy Yule!"

"So," Barbara asked while she cut into her steak, "what exactly do you two have planned for tonight?"

"Well, Strickler and I have been talking, and we think you need a partner who would appreciate you more," Nomura said. She took a bite of her own raw steak and hummed at the taste. She used the fork to point at herself. "Mainly, me."

Walt rumbled at the other changeling. "Nomura, as curator of the Arcadia museum, was essential in setting up tonight's event." He glared at Nomura as she grinned at him. "Otherwise, she wouldn't be here."

Barbara laughed. "Let me guess, Jim's cooking was your payment for this evening?"

"Yep," Nomura confirmed as she took another bite. "Being turned into a half-troll really helped that boy to be a better cook, for both humans and trolls."

"Well, dig in then," Barbara said with a smile. "I wanna see what you two have planned for me."

-----

When done with their meal, Walt helped Barbara out of her seat, and they wandered to another part of the museum, Walt and Barbara linking arms while Nomura followed behind them. Before they turned a corner, Walt stopped her and looked at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I do," she said with a little trepidation, but she laughed when Walt gently covered her eyes and started to guide her around the corner. "Don't want to ruin your surprise, just yet," he explained.

They walked for a few moments, Barbara holding onto Walt's cold hands as they slowly moved forward, and then Walt had her stop.

"I hope you like it," he whispered in her ear, and then he lifted his hands, and Barbara gasped.

Barbara had heard about the exhibition coming to Arcadia, centered on the works of Impressionism artists. She had pointed it out to Walt, proclaiming her excitement at such an extensive collection coming to their small town. Usually, she would have to travel to San Francisco to see a show like this in person. But now, Barbara looked around, and she recognized the works of Monet, Manet, Cézanne, and Degas. All the artists she idolized but had never had the chance to see in person. She held her hands to her mouth and wandered around, both changelings watching her with small smiles on their faces.

"Oh, this is..." she started but stop as she felt overwhelmed by emotion. "This is beautiful." She looked at Walt. "But we could have come here later. Why the secrecy?"

"Well, then you would have to suffer as small children and uneducated heathens roaming around and obstructing the view," Walt said with a smile. "This way, you can enjoy everything without interruption."

Barbara looked around, identifying as many as the works as she could. "La Japonaise. Monet's first wife Camille Doncieux modeling a red kimono." She rushed over to another piece. "Manet's Gare Saint-Lazare. Oh, I didn't know how small this was; I thought it was huge." She slowly made her way to another painting, eyes lingering on the young woman with the sleeping dog in her lap. She gasped when she recognized the third piece. "Degas' La Classe de Danse, featuring Degas' friend Jules Perrot, a ballet master of the Paris Opera." She rushed up to the next piece. "Cézanne's Pyramid of Skulls, one of his last pieces. Oh, look at the detail."

Barbara spent the next 30 minutes wandering around, looking at the paintings and studying each one. Sometimes she would give the changelings a detail or fact about the works, even if she thought they already knew it. They followed her around, smiles on their faces as they watched her enthusiasm at seeing the art in the flesh.

"Oh, thank you, Walt, Nomura," she said after she finished looking around. "This is a really wonderful Christmas gift."

"We aren't done yet," Walt said. He took her arm and started to lead her to another wing. "You see, the museum wanted to feature a local artist with the exhibit. And Nomura and I felt we knew the right person who would fit the bill."

"Who?" Babara asked but gasped as they rounded a corner.

There, on display, was the majority of her work. Goodbye, Walt, Eye of the Storm, her piece figuring goblins, Vendel staring out at the viewer, Jim in his Daylight armor, Blinky in his cubic glory, Walt holding one of the babies. Even the painting that featured the kids after their fight with the Titans: aliens, wizards, and humans all together passed out in a large pile in her living room. Something that she had made to celebrate their victory while also showing them at their most vulnerable. She looked around in wonder at all her work hanging on the museum walls, like she was a proper artist.

"I can't think of anyone who would be more deserving to be featured in the show," Nomura said as Barbara gaped at the walls.

"Oh," Barbara breathed. "Oh, I don't know, guys. There has to be someone else more worthy than me. I'm not an artist."

"A better artist than most," Walt said with a growl. He gestured to Goodbye, Walt. "I wouldn't want anyone else capturing my likeness."

She laughed but then wandered from one painting to the next, trying to see them with new eyes. Were they as good as the others in the next room? She couldn't say. But seeing them on the walls on full display made her heart soar in a way she couldn't recall feeling before.

She paused in front of Goodbye, Walt, studying the piece with a smile on her face. She felt Walt next to her, and she turned to smile at him. "Do you like it?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes," she said, grinning so hard her face hurt. "It is an excellent surprise, Walt."

"Well, there is one last thing," he said, and he cleared his throat and sent a pointed glare at Nomura. She grinned but then left the room with no comment. Walt turned back to Barbara and gave her a shy smile. "Barbara, I have a question for you."

"What is it?" she asked.

"This last year and a half, well... I mean to say, I have lived a long time..." he started to say.

"I will figure out how old you are, Walt," she said with a grin.

"What I'm trying to say is," he growled but paused again and pulled at his collar. "Bloody hell, I didn't imagine it would be this difficult."

"Walt," she said, taking his hands. "It's okay. What are you trying to say?"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gently taking his hands back. "This last year and a half has been the best period of my life. And I can say that with no irony. You are teaching me to be a better person, and I know it is not easy for you or myself, but you make it worthwhile."

He fidgeted with his lapels and then reached into his jacket. "I would like to continue, growing, learning, with you, as long as you would have me. What I'm trying to say is Barbara, is that I want to be with you, officially." He paused and cleared his throat. "And now I made it sound like a business transaction."

She laughed but stopped when he brought a small item out of his jacket. It was a black jewelry box, and he opened it, revealing a gold ring with a green stone. She gasped and covered her mouth as he dropped to one knee. "Doctor Barbara Lake," he asked, barely above a whisper, "marry me?"

She suddenly hugged him so quickly that he almost toppled over. But he caught himself and returned the hug. "Yes," she whispered, trying to answer around the lump in her throat. She leaned back so he could see her face. "Yes, Waltolomew Stricklander, I will marry you."

He stood up and kissed her, crushing her until she couldn't breathe. When they broke the kiss, he reached into the box and put the ring on her finger. She moved it around, trying to identify the stone. "What is this made of?" she asked.

"A piece of my living stone," he explained. He placed a hand over his heart. "Nomura craved it out, so you will always have a part of me."

"Oh Walt, that is.... so weird," she said with a laugh. "But it's so beautiful, thank you." She started to tug on Walt's suit. "Can you show me where?"

"Hey now, no funny business in the museum," Nomura joked as she walked around the corner.

Barbara laughed and felt her cheeks warm in a blush. "Thank you Nomura, for helping with tonight."

Nomura shrugged. "You do deserve to be part of the exhibit, Barbara. We are pleased to feature your work." She crossed her arms and gestured at Goodbye, Walt. "Too bad your best work will inflate this one's ego."

Walt grumbled, but it didn't seem threatening because he was grinning ear to ear. "Well, darling," he said, turning to look at Barbara, "it's late. Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, I think I am," she said, linking her arm with his.

They headed to the front of the museum, where Walt's car was waiting for them. Nomura handed the keys back to Walt but didn't let go of them. "Just remember Barbara," she purred with a grin. "You are always welcomed to kick this one out, and we could elope."

"To Las Vegas?"

"Of course," Nomura said as Walt finally tugged the keys out of her hand.

"I think I will be happy being Mrs. Strickler but thank you."

Walt looked shocked. "You would take my last name?"

"Nope, still going to be Doctor Lake."

"Figures," he sighed as Barbara laughed at him. She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The couple waved and said goodnight, and Walt rushed Barbara to the waiting car. Walt got in and started their ride home. Barbara carefully threaded her fingers with his free hand as she watched the snow coming down outside her window.

"Merry Christmas, Walter Strickler."

"Merry Christmas, Doctor Lake."

#Stricklake #Happy Holidays everyone #here is some fluff #as a treat #ToA Secret Santa 2020 #toasecretsanta2020

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chaoticevilbean · 4 years ago

Text

Spirit Touched Sokka AU

Sokka was two when the first vision came. He was asleep, because it was easier for him to be reached in his dreams than when he was awake. At least, that's what the Spirits said. The first Spirits he met were the two he knew so well from his Tribe's stories. Tui and La.

La was as passionate as one would expect the Ocean to be, changing on a whim. Tui was steady, calm and collected and predictable, as the Moon is with its phases. They spoke to Sokka in simple terms, simple enough that he understood them. Even if some words escaped the boy's knowledge, the emotions didn't. Tui and La spoke of how Sokka's sister would need him, the little sister he had only just gotten. They spoke of his strength, of how it wasn't the strength of muscles but mind. They spoke of many things, though Sokka only remembered some.

His next vision came a week later, this time with Agni. The Sun Spirit was yet to be of any significance to Sokka other than simply that: the Sun. The Sun was different than the Moon and Ocean. Lively and filled with energy but also calm and warm.

The visions kept coming. Sokka grew up with weekly visits from different Spirits. He learned all the words he could, listening to stories from his parents and asking about words he didn't know. His parents and the elders of the village were more than happy to tell about the Spirits and explain words he didn't understand, although they did wonder where he had heard the words in the first place, since they were quite advanced.

By the time Sokka was seven, Hakoda and Kya were very proud of both him and his sister. Katara's waterbending was going far better than any of them could've hoped considering the circumstances and Sokka was incredibly intelligent for his age, or any age. Often the two siblings could be found training side by side, one trying to mimic the weapon techniques of older warriors and one trying to learn the ways of bending with only stories.

Kya once asked Sokka why he didn't hold the same stock in the Spirits and bending as others yet still wanted to know so much about them.

"They're normal, Mommy," he had said.

"What do you mean, sweetie? What's normal?" Kya knew the Spirits were anything but normal.

"They talk and walk like everyone else and sometimes they make mistakes. None of the stories say that but I know."

"And how do you know?"

"Cuz they talk to me. When I sleep, they like to visit. Only when I'm sleeping cuz that's easy for them and they're busy." Kya asked a few more questions before sending her child off to play with his sister. Then she quickly went to gather the elders for a meeting.

"What is it, Kya?" Kanna spoke with urgency the moment she entered the hut.

"It is Sokka. He is alright, but he told me something." Kya was in distress, but it was more of a confused distress, as if she didn't know if she should be upset or worried or neither. The elders paid full attention to her words, especially when her eldest was mentioned.

"Kya, speak your mind," one spoke, his voice as solid as he could make it in such an uncertain situation.

"Sokka has always wanted to know about the Spirits. This we know. Yet he seems to dismiss their hand in many things, and does the same with Katara's bending. This we know. I questioned him and finally found the connection between the two. According to Sokka, once a week, since he was too young to truly remember, he has received visions of various Spirits. They speak to him, teach him, show him many things. He has even mentioned them playing games with him. He views them as he views us, instead of the Great Beings we see them as. He only truly described one vision, where he was visited by Agni. He told that he asked Agni where his sister had come from because she hasn't always been around. Apparently, Agni turned 'as red as a cold nose' and couldn't speak properly, something he always seemed to do."

"Haha, good for him. If anyone were to fluster a Great Spirit, it would definitely be your little boy," Kanna cackled. The other elders looked at her in surprise at her reaction, but were also amused at the thought that the Sun was asked to explain where babies come from and couldn't speak.

"And, really Kya, this might be good," the grandmother continued. "It's obvious that the Spirits have great things in store for Sokka, and if they are teaching him, it will be to help him. He knows their powers from the stories he hears from us, he simply also knows the sides the stories don't tell. If we continue to teach him as much as we can on our side, the Spirits will help on their side. La watches over our people always, and Tui does as much as they can for the polar night and our waterbenders, more so then than now. If Agni is also watching over your boy, he will be safe on all sides."

And so the topic was discussed, then pushed to the back of their existences. Maybe they paid a little more attention to Sokka, and answered his questions with a bit more detail, but they were busy. Especially after the final raid they had. The one where they lost Kya.

At nine, Sokka had to learn to deal with grief. When he slept the night after his mother wouldn't wake up, the Spirit there to greet him was the Dark Water Spirit. There was no speaking that night, no conversation or lesson or game. Instead, the Spirit held the young mortal, watching as he broke down. He never did this in the mortal world. Warriors weren't supposed to cry in their village, so he didn't, but he could in the Spirit World. And the Dark Water Spirit never said a word about it after.

When his father left, Sokka struggled to make ends meet as the only man left and therefore the acting chief of the tribe. During his weekly Spirit encounter, he asked the Painted Lady what he should do.

"You may be the only man, but there are many women."

That morning, Sokka immediately set to work. He went straight to his Gran-Gran, who he knew would always listen.

"Gran-Gran, I have a plan to help us."

"With what, Sokka?"

"I can't support us alone. But if I can help teach the rest of you how to hunt and fight and you teach me to cook and clean, we can all work together to keep things going." She agreed.

And so the remaining residents of the South Pole learned to be warriors and homekeepers. Katara taught Sokka to sew and cook and clean and even braid her hair. Sokka taught lessons to all of the adults, who picked up quickly, before moving onto the future of their tribe. The children would never be able to focus, he knew that. So he found new ways to train them.

He told them that they needed to build a snow wall with Katara's help so that they could protect the village. Only, he said it like he would tell them a story. So the children built a strong, sturdy wall of snow and ice around the village to protect themselves from evil soldiers and prove themselves mighty like the architects of Ba Sing Se.

He had them lift baskets of increasing weights to "help everyone out. Gran-Gran's back hurts and we need to be as kind as Tui and La are to us." He had them run around for hours to build stamina, and had them play games of badgerfrog and cartwheels to be agile. It worked for the most part.

It was on a day like any other when things changed. The children were to do chores and then play tag and hide'n'seek and snowball war until Sokka and Katara returned from fishing. Instead of fish, however, the siblings brought back the Avatar.

#atla #avatar #sokka #katara #aang #kanna #kya #gran-gran #sokka is chief #waterbender #hakoda #southern water tribe

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officialinuyasha · 4 years ago

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Yashahime Episode 2 "The Three Princesses"

The episode starts with young Towa and Setsuna in the Forest of Ages. I want to note that the music that is playing during this scene is Towa's theme song in a more calm emotion played slow. Fun fact, that Towa's theme song does have Rin's theme song in it, for those who don't know. I have a video I made on that. Towa says that they have lived in the forest for a long time. Setsuna appears to not have her fur, either she gets it by puberty or hers was decorative from another animal. As we know the fur from Sesshoumaru is apart of his body, this was confirmed by Rumiko Takahashi in the InuYasha Profiles book under Sesshoumaru's profile. Again, the comparison to Sesshoumaru's belt is made here like I noted in my trailer breakdown. River (Kawa) or winding stream represents continuity and the future. Based from their color palettes given to us in the first artwork we were given, Towa is blue and Setsuna is purple. While in this scene it appears that Setsuna is wearing blue and Towa is wearing purple. When Setsuna is older, she is wearing blue with a purple belt. While Towa is wearing a yellow belt like Sesshoumaru and Setsuna seems to be wearing the faded red belt that Rin wore from the Final Act.

- Towa's memories have began to fade when she's an adult. The thing she remembers the most is Setsuna - So anything else we see in this flashback may be missing details. - The animals shown in her memories might be the other characters. There were two deer coupled together, and a fawn that could be InuYasha, Kagome and Moroha. With another deer running after. The boar had two twin babies Almost like K'inu and Gyokuto. My friend https://twitter.com/Mokomoko_fluff made even more comparisons and she describes more into the past theory with the animals, as well as the Young Twins clothing comparison to the parents. So please follow her. Towa begins to run too fast, and let's go of Setsuna's hand. When recalling this memory she even questions why she let go of her hand... Setsuna pushes Towa out of the way. I know some people were confused, but as I played it slowly frame by frame. Especially when Setsuna says "Look out!" Setsuna pushes Towa out of danger. Towa can't track Setsuna's sent because of the fire. In this moment, I want you to take account of the Japanese terms used. In English we have words like scent, odor, aroma, and so one. Sesshoumaru in the Japanese manga uses the term aroma (sweet smelling) for Rin, while for others he used regular smell. In this moment Towa is using the same scent term that Sesshoumaru uses for Rin - A Sweet smelling Aroma. Towa's pearl activates when next to roothead. Probably because she's in danger, or many other reasons as to why it could activate. We hear Ne no Kubi - or it's English name Roothead talking about Towa's pearl. Towa is holding onto a vine until it tears and sucks in Towa. Towa goes through what is officially called the "Tunnel of the Tree of Ages" also known as the "rainbow corridor" as to what Moroha calls it later on in the episode! So this could imply that the pearls have to do with this. Towa wakes up from Buyou, and Souta finds her. Souta notices that she's from the Feudal Era - "It looks like you've come from place far, far away, huh?" Towa wasn't sure why, but she knew she could trust Souta. When they go looking for Setsuna, another version of Towa's theme plays. They never found Setsuna, it had been ten years since Papa Souta adopted Towa. In this moment it's further into Towa's song in this slow version, and we can clearly hear Rin's theme song in it. I got chills. They're living into a condominuim, and she goes by Towa Higurashi now. She says her memories have faded and lately she had been thinking it may have all just been a dream. It shows her weapons, including Kikujuumonji at the top. She has a lot of workout equipment and a punching bag. She's got trophies. Towa says Setsuna definitely was not a dream. She says it's such nice weather, then she goes to brush her teeth to get her day started. Her younger sister Mei is on her way to go to school, tells Towa Good-Morning and mentions that it's Towa's first day at a new school. She tells Towa to not get into any fights. Then she leaves to go to school. Towa tells her to be safe. Towa then says that Mei is "Papa Souta's true daughter". "She's a bit shy and naive, but she's also cute, smart, honest and quite talented." She's Towa's precious little sister. But she feels that maybe she cherishes Mei so much because she's a substitute for Setsuna, whom she was never able to find. The flower on her bag - Plum Blossom (Ume) is the first flower to bloom in the spring and is known as the ‘Flower of Peace’. A protective charm against evil, it also represents longevity, renewal and perseverance. Identified by rounded petals. We also see Towa wearing a robe that has yellow Plum Blossoms on it. Towa says she dresses the way she does because it's easier for her to fight. Souta is worried about Towa being dressed like a boy because it's an all-girls school this time. Because he doesn't want her to get into fights anymore. She walks to school and says that no one seems to get it - That transferring to an all-girls school won't stop the fighting. The ones she takes down always come back for more. The bullies show up thinking Towa is trying to run away from them. The bullies are actually a cameo appearance of Lum's Stormtroopers or also known as Lum's Guards from Urusei Yatsura. She answers "Who said I was running?" In the next scene is shows her beating them up. At one part one of them says "Stop it! Itll break! Help!" in this moment she pauses and stops. She says that the fighting hasn't stopped ever since she stopped a bully in elementary school. And there'd be more each time she changed schools. As she picks up her bag, we see the flower upclose again. She says that they are all weak and "Why can't they just keep their heads down?" The bullies say "That ain't no woman." "Why doesn't she finish us off?" "She's too soft." "But at this rate..." "We'll have to ask Bro for help." That part made me laugh. BRO Towa reaches her school, Saint Gabriel Academy - It's her first day and she's late already. "St. Gabriel Academy" is the name of the school where the main characters went to in the series NEW MOBILE REPORT GUNDAM WING. Which was made in 1995 by Sunrise! She's making sure no one is looking, then she hops over the gate. We see the Feudal Era - Moroha is sitting by a waterfall, picking her ear. She can tell that there's Demon Slayers behind the trees. She says that she wouldn't be slain, not even in a 1000 years. She says that she will turn them all into lunch for her Kurikaramaru. This could be a reference to the swords possible absorption ability like Tessaiga, or even Dragon Scaled Tessaiga. I can't get enough of Moroha, I loved it when she laughed.

Hisui shows up and calls her "Moroha the Demon Killer" this also refers to her being a Bounty Hunter. Hisui's theme song sounds like it uses notes from Miroku's theme, of course that being his father. I'll have to wait until the songs are released for me to make a proper comparison. He says on behalf of the local villagers, that they've come to punish her. "In the name of the Moon I will punish you!" He throws Hiraikotsu and she jumps out of the way. Moroha says that they've got the wrong target. She hasn't left the mountains, she was just waiting for her bounty to show up. Hisui says "A demon /and/ a bounty hunter? All the more reason then!" He was charging at her while Kohaku tells him to stand down. Kohaku calls Moroha, "Lady Moroha" - and asks if another demon is responsible for the attacking the village. She says thats right but that it's too late - they've made her mad. Now she pulls out her rouge that contains the red pearl. You can use rouge as lipstick as well. It looks like a nipple. MOON PRISM POWER! - MAKE UP. Okay, these Sailor Moon references are killing me. She says "With this rouge, I become Beniyasha, Destroyer of Lands. Tremble before the bloodthirsty dawn." Setsuna interrupts Moroha with her Naginata. Moroha says "Hey, you Demon Slayers work with an interesting companion." "You're a half-demon, right? I'm also a..." Setsuna immediately says "Silence! You're dead." Moroha pulls out her sword and the fight starts. It seems that Moroha knows about the weapon Setsuna is using the Kanemitsu no Tomoe. Moroha asks if she wins the match if she could have it. Hisui wants to back her up Setsuna but she says thats theres no need. Moroha says "So your name's Setsuna, huh?" Moroha licks her lips giving her a nickname "All right! Sorry "Setsu," but I'll be taking your weapon!" The battle animation here was beautiful. In this moment Setsuna's pearl starts to glow in her eye. By many reasons this could be happening, Setsuna's life being endangered, or because Moroha's red pearl is nearby, it could be telling her that Moroha is not an enemy. Moroha says "You have a rainbow pearl too?" It seems that Moroha knows about the Rainbow pearls, but that Setsuna doesn't know what they are. As this happens Mistress Three Eyes senses the pearls powers and comes out. The zoom in animation of her eye, that's really detailed. Mistress Three Eyes was the demon that was attacking the village. From the Yashahime Keyword, we also know that Mistress Three Eyes is the Granddaughter of Mistress Centipede from the first InuYasha Episode. She lunges at Setsuna Hisui picks up Setsuna quickly, avoiding Mistress Three Eyes. In this moment Setsuna could be having visions because of her pearl activating. Hisui asks if she's okay and she snaps out of it. Moroha knew that Mistress Three Eyes would show up since she has the red pearl with her. Moroha has been after her from the start. She says "Time to claim my bounty!" as she jumps to attack Mistress Three Eyes, but she's tougher than Moroha though. Instead she pulls out her bow, prepares an arrow for firing and says "Hey Demon Slayers! Get lost, unless you want to get caught in the crossfire!" "Take this! Heavenly Arrow Barrage!" She shoots an arrow, and it cuts Mistress Three Eyes hair, passing her head. Mistress Three Eyes thinks she missed but she was very wrong. The first arrow vanished and then Loads of arrows appear, raining down onto Mistress Three Eyes. Kohaku says "Are those Sacred Arrows? No, those are the Arrows of Sealing. How could Beniyasha have such spiritual power?" Moroha says she did it! In this moment Mistress Three Eyes shouldn't be moving. But here's where things get interesting, Mistress Three Eyes begins to move, however in this moment a purple aura appears. This is the same purple aura we see from Episode 1 when Roothead swallows bandits. Could it be that some arrow shafts are made from the fallen branches of sacred trees? However this isn't true for all arrows as we know powerful priestess such as Kagome and Kikyou have been able to channel their spiritual powers from regular arrows. Could it have been that these arrows were made from Rootheads fallen branches at some point? She was able to take Moroha's shell that containted the Red Pearl out of thin air. Could it be that Roothead took it from Moroha to give to Mistress Three eyes on purpose to lure the pearls to him? Or Mistress three eyes has a different power than her grandmother. It's possible that even having a pearl nearby she could get stronger, similiar how Mistress Centipede got stronger with the Shikon Jewel nearby. The thing is that Mistress Three eyes was only able to move her head up when this happens, so something tells me Roothead has something to do with it.

MIstress Three Eyes swallows Moroha's pearl and becomes stronger, slightly transforming. So she goes after Setsuna, who has the Gold Pearl while they try to divert her to Lady Kaede.

Towa is at school, with her homeroom teacher Osamu Kirin who seems to be a cameo of Mousse or Dr Tofu from Ranma 1/2. He tells her a British Proverb with an Engrish accent "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." So he overlooked her being late for the day. Which she seemed surprised that he didn't call her parents and let her off the hook so easily. Three of the bullies seemed to be stalking Mei. Then we see Towa jumping onto the roof to look at her sword. She says that this is the moment when she feels at peace. She says "The celebrated sword Kikujuumonji, a national treasure." Towa says that "she was told" that her sword once belonged to the shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga - Although it might not be true though, you know what Gramps said about So'unga. If he was the one that gave her the sword, I wonder how she got it. I also want to note that Kiku is also a Chrysanthemum flower. Yet another flower symbolism of Towa. It is the symbol of regal beauty, rejuvenation and longevity. Used as the Imperial Seal of Japan, it also represents autumn. The guard on her sword seems to be a flower shape as well. Towa sniffs the air, and she can tell that Mei is crying at Grampa's shrine. The bullies tied up Mei, Grammy and Grampa Higurashi. Bro seems to be Kuno Tatewaki from Ranma 1/2 Towa says "This world is full of the weak. And because they're weak, they band together and pick on people weaker than them. I'm really sick of it."

I like it when Towa says "I can show you a crying face. But it won't be mine. It'll be yours!" Towa fights them with her fists. One of the things I mentioned in my trailer breakdown was the symbol on Towa's sword bag. That appeared to be one of the Kagome symbols. But we'll see what it really is or actually means down the line, I'm sure. One of the guys take out a knife and threatens them. So Towa takes out her sword and drops the bag, we get to see the symbol once again and it appears to be ten pointed. A decagram, based on this frame.

A different version of Towa's theme plays. Towa takes hits because she remembers her promise to Papa Souta, to never use her powers in front of other people. Of course in this moment, she is sorry that she can't keep her promise. She throws the other dude, saves the day. Mei doesn't want her to fight, and says "I know you want to be more girly and cute, don't you?" Towa says "Um, I guess there's a part of me that can't answer immediately." Mei was like "You're supposed to say 'yes' even if you don't mean it!" Okay little girl.

All is well the bad guys leave as they think the police were coming, but Gramps says that they just so happened to be passing by. Mei and Towa have a sweet moment. Towa says she's sorry. Towa says Living in this world is hard. If you don't follow set rules, you're treated as an outcast. Girls must be feminine, and boys must be masculine." And that she has been sick of that. The whole gender roles, and having to follow those rules. I really love that she talks about stuff like that. This is what I've been really wanting to see more of especially coming from the Feudal Fairytale universe. The story of InuYasha was the internal struggles of having to follow what society wants, being an outcast. She said that but she thinks it's time to stop being stubborn. There's nothing that could ever justify making Mei cry that much. Towa is so sweet and loving, she cares so much. Like the voice actors said in Animage, she represents her mom's personality. Another cute part where Towa's smelling something that she's smelled before, something nostalgic as the breeze passes through the Sacred Tree. She questions why it was coming from the Tree. Then we see Lady Kaede coming out of her hut. She's like "What the Hell?" seeing Mistress Three Eyes chasing Setsuna and Hisui on Kirara. So Setsuna says she was going to use to her advantage that Mistress Three Eyes wants the pearl in her eye. Which is funny to me because that was Moroha's idea first. So, here are some things to note from Moroha with her baiting as a Bounty Hunter. Setsuna drops down and uses her Senpujin, or Cyclone Burst. This sounds a lot different from the trailer. I preferred how it sounded in the trailer - But I'm sure that we'll be hearing it a lot more. As not all announcing of special attacks are going to sound the same each time. "My name is Setsuna. Those are my only words for you. That is why you will die tonight." Moroha interrupts with her Crimson Dragon Wave. Atta girl. That's my daughter. You tell her! That was your bounty first. Setsuna said a famous Sesshoumaru line "Ridiculous". Setsuna can't seem to move at all, and Mistress Three Eyes takes her Gold Pearl. Swallows it and does the same transformation we see that her grandmother Mistress Centipede - becomes in the first InuYasha episode. Moroha seemed to be more excited that she was becoming stronger, like it would be more fun of a fight that way. I really like that about her. "Hold on. I've got you, Setsu!" And Setsuna's like "Don't call me that!" Roothead inside of the Sacred Tree/Or known as the Tree of Ages begins to glow blue, and talks. He says "I sense the Rainbow Pearl for the first time in over ten years! And two at that! By the power of the Tree of Ages, I now return to this world!" By hearing this, I know from the first movie the Tree of Ages are linked to all different times. So it could be that Roothead can also travel between ages as well. "Could this smell be..." All three of them get sucked in. Sent to the Modern era. One thing to note is that Moroha is being thrown and landing the same way that Kagome did from the first episode of InuYasha. Towa is amazed to see her sister Setsuna back, her silver pearl begins to glow in her eye. Calling out Setsuna's name. Moroha says "Damn it. I feel so weak. It is because I crossed through the rainbow corridor?" I'm really curious as to what she means by that. So I'm sure we'll figure out more of what the Tunnel of the Tree of Ages does. She could be exhausted from time traveling. Which would be something that's new, but heck she was thrown as well. Mistress Three eyes gettin' all excited about getting a pearl for each of her three eyes.

"Setsuna! I'll save you!" and her sword breaks. So this is what leads to Towa creating a blade from her demonic energy that we will see in the next episode -

The animation in this episode was beautiful especially down to the water effects when Towa and Setsuna were drinking water, even when Towa was walking to school you could see the water effects there as well. Kaoru Wada's music does not dissappoint me, ever.

#yashahime #hanyou no yashahime #yashahime princess half demon #anime #manga #inuyasha

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avidmoviecritic · 4 years ago

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Worst Wednesday

Is Beautiful Creatures(2013) really that bad of a movie?

Movie review in thoughts...

Are these sounthern accents real? They don't seem real. Super fake already and it is the intro to the film. Yay. Not.

He already loves her after dreaming about her. . .uh okay. . .

Already this movie is so dark, I can't see a damn thing. It might be hiding it's bad, I dont know yet. I am trying to understand why they made some scenes so dark. They could have lightened it a little bit for the audience.

Wait is he related to this woman or what. I am confused already and it is only 4 minutes within the film. Where are his parents? Did they die? I have all the questions. We find out later he lives with his father and his mother died. Where is his father? He is nonexistent the entire film. It kinda irks me.

Another crazy christian lady. Here we go again with the negative stereotypes of those who are religious. And of course she is the main antagonist of the movie. Being stereotype sucks for all groups and honestly I think it is stupid to assume both religious and southerns act this way in the movie.

Wait...the teacher has an eye patch. That is random, but okay. We never find out what happened to his eye. He had this patch before the windows were broken so that can not be it. It is still a mystery.

Haha this guy is actually funny. I laughed like once so that is cool, I guess. I laughed at the main guy character some of the time in this movie. He has a good personality within the movie. I just wished he had more time to express that humor on screen.

I thought this was supposed to be a romance, not a horror film. Okay Beetlejuice decor vibes in the creepy house works, I guess. So the house looks pretty desolute outside but modern inside. I wonder if it is to keep people out. Well definitely not this guy cause he walked in without asking. Seemed way too easy if I was honest.

Okay, okay the old guy has a fascination with Google. I wonder how much google paid to be put in this movie. Huh

Wait, what. What powers does this old man have. Showing people their future, sounds good. I am doubtful they will go in more detail about this power though. And...I am right...wow I can see the future. They do not explain anything about his powers, it is just seen briefly in one film scene.

Wait he jumped from one place to another in a blink of an eye. Okay makes no sense but okay. Found out later that he past out and was took to his bed. It just didn't make sense that he went from one place to another so quickly.

Okay, now I am even more confused. What is happening? Is this guy on drugs? No some evil try to take him um okay. That was weird.

Also me:

When she says her family is different I am like "no shit shirlock" I think we figured that a long time ago.

We are not witches but we are casters. Okay let's give it another name but it is the same thing.

I could see the hormones from there first kiss. Seriously though. It was kinda gross. Ew.

"Can you make anything grow?" I hope this is not a challenge if he has a small penis 😂 Sorry could not help that.

So women cannot choose if they are good or bad but. . .men can? What the hell is this. This makes no sense. What does makes sense is saying witches are both bad and good just like humans. Makes more sense to me.

Another google reference from the old man. I wish I was kidding. His fascination with google worries me. It is as bad as when Edward says google it in twilight. 🙄

So this Saphrine or whatever her name is took over a body and now is controling it. Where is her body at? Why does she need to use other bodies? Confusing. I like that they don't even really explain it.

The table going in circles is ridiculous. And we get a cat fight with powers, wow.

So let's not talk about the woman having sex with an underage boy. I mean he may be in his 20s in real life but in the movie he is a teenager.

She makes him forget her cause she doesnt want to have to kill him to break the curse. Smells like true love to me.

What's up with the grandma's purple hair. It is cool though but I feel like they are trying a little too hard to be different.

Okay what's up with the witches looking super weird. A guy looked blue with clouds painted on him. Um...okay.

So wait...she didn't claim the light or dark? Now I have no idea what the whole point of the show was now. Oh okay she is both dark and light thanks for telling us through her eyes.

He remembers her after he sees the burnt sign not when he actually sees her. Doesn't not make sense but okay.

Then that is the end

So in all seriousness the movie is not all bad. Actually I remember it being more cringey the first time I watched it. I ship the couple but I do think they rushed into a relationship. He barely finds out she is a caster and starts dating her right off. I know a movie has not that much time to build the relationship. Because it is based on a book series, it may have benefited from being a TV show just cause there would have been more time to connect to the characters. He is technically already in love with her before he meets her which is odd. He just sees a dark figure in his dreams. It is not like he talks to her and sees her in the light. I think it was stupid to wipe his memory clean but I guess it helped him not die. He remembers her when he looks at the burnt sign, it is not seeing her that does it which makes no sense to me. Some scenes are so stupid including the dinner scene where the two girls fight and the table spins, ugh. Also, what the hell is an older woman doing having sex with a teenager. Ew. That is definitely crazy and wrong. After all that. I guess it is an okay show. It is not as bad as Twilight as people have commented on IMDB but it also is not the best movie ever.

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batterycityghoul · 4 years ago

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My Paranormal Activity 👻

So, let me preface this by saying I likely wouldn't believe in the paranormal without the the things I experienced at my sister's old apartment and my grandparent's house/property (which is now my parent's house/property). I have experienced so many things I can't explain away. There have been odd noises, mysteriously working appliances, growls, creepy vibes, etc. So, here's some of the creepiest things that have happened to me...

Warnings for death, murder, creepy things, etc. Also, this turned out a lot longer than I thought it would be...

My grandparents used to live on a piece of land that was shared with someone else. My grandparents lived on a trailer on one side of the property while the man lived in a house on the other. According to my family, the man was murdered in the house and his body was stashed in the woods near the house. I won't get into the gritty details, but it was a very graphic murder.

My grandparents then moved into the house he previously lived in and took ownership of the whole property.

My grandparents were very no nonsense. My grandpa was in the army and my grandma was one of the scariest ladies I ever met. If either of them noticed the weird shit happening in their house, they never mentioned it to me or my sister.

My sister used to spend more time with them than I did. She would go spend weekends at their house all the time. She told me there was one night she was sleeping on the couch in the living room when she got scared. She felt like she wasn't alone out in the living room. She asked my grandparents if she could sleep in their bed with them, they agreed, and went back to sleep. But my sister couldn't sleep. She was sleeping in the middle of their bed, which gave her a perfect view of the living room, because their door was kept open.

She still felt like something was watching her. She told me that when she looked out into the living room, she could see a face staring at her. She thought maybe it would go away if she blinked or it was just her imagination. But she swears that no matter how many times she blinked or tried to shake the image off, it didn't go away. And then, after minutes of seeing the image, it faded away.

Now, I know this could be chalked up to simply being a story an older sister tells her younger sister to scare her. It would work. But I experienced so much creepy shit at that house that I 100% believe her.

My sister and I realized years later, after we both moved out of the house/away from the property, that we were both irrationally terrified of the back bedroom of my grandparent's house and the back hallway. We never told each other this until we were adults. I would not spend the night in that back bedroom. I don't know why, but I was fucking terrified of it. It just felt wrong.

I helpfully drew a picture of the floor plan of the house (I can’t draw to save my life and I usually have way better handwriting, so sorry about this). The little ghosts denotes where these spooky feelings occurred. The back hallway was filled with random junk. I think it used to be a porch? And they just kind of added on to the house. Not really sure, but I do know that it was separated from the dining room by a screen door and I used to feel like someone was watching me from the hallway just on the other side of that screen door whenever I was in the dining room alone. I hated it.

Also, my sister and I dream about that house. A lot. Like, as frequently as once or twice a week sometimes. It's so weird. And 95% of the time those dreams are actually nightmares. Especially about the kitchen/dining room/back of the house.

My grandma passed away when I was six and then my grandpa when I was nine. My mom inherited the property (she's an only child) so we moved into the house when I was ten. (We had a trailer, but they had to wait to move it up onto the property and deal with all that, so we lived in that house for close to a year.)

(Also, this house is out in the country, so extra spookiness for the woods that bordered half the property.)

Some of the things that happened while we lived in that house:

I never understood what people meant when they said that they felt like someone was watching them until I lived in that house. I didn't get how you could feel that. I learned pretty quickly living there. One day, while my sister, dad, and mom were all outside (across the huge acre-long yard), I was alone in the house. I had just taken a bath and walked out of the bathroom (next to the spooky back bedroom) carrying my towel and bottle of shampoo. The second I stepped out of the room, I just immediately felt like something was wrong. It was like that spidey sense/'danger Will Robinson' feeling. I felt like someone was watching me from the dining room and it gave me an immediate sense of terror. I felt like I was in danger. I can't explain how strong that feeling was and it freaked me out because I was alone in the house. I just remember freezing for a few moments, before instinctively dropping the towel/shampoo on the floor, and sprinting out of the house. I didn't stop running until I was with my parents and sister.

There was a walkway between the dining room bar and the back of the couch in the living room. Sometimes, while I was sitting alone in the house and on that couch, I would hear footsteps walking behind the couch. They always traveled from one end to the other and sometimes it was like someone was pacing. It happened often enough to me and my sister that we hated sitting on that couch while we were alone. Although, sometimes it happened while we were both sitting on the couch, so that was fun. :/

One Saturday afternoon, my parents left me and my sister alone in the house. There was a clock in the kitchen that belonged to my grandma. It hadn't worked in years. It wasn't plugged in or anything like that. It didn't have batteries. My mom purely kept it because of sentimental value. It hadn't chimed or done anything for years. So, my sister and I were sitting on the couch, waiting for my parents to get home, when suddenly the clock started chiming from the kitchen. It creeped us both out so much and I can still remember the little song it played. I never heard it make another noise after that.

My mom, sister, and I all shared my grandparent's old bed while my dad slept in the living room. My sister took the middle of the bed, leaving me to sleep on the edge, feeling terrified out of my mind when I would wake up in the middle of the night. Some nights, I would hear footsteps just outside the bedroom door. I had a good view of the living room, and I always saw that my dad was still asleep and there was no one out there.

That house just gave off such an evil/heavy vibe. I was so happy when we moved out of that house and into the trailer when my parents brought it up from where we used to live. Of course, I didn't realize the weird shit would just follow us. (Also, it’s kind of sad, but my grandpa did pass away in that trailer in my parent’s bedroom.)

Some of the things that happened while we lived in our trailer:

One day, I was walking down the hallway from my sister's bedroom to the living room. This meant that I passed my bedroom on the way there. As I passed by my bedroom, I saw a woman lying on my bed. It was someone I didn't recognize and I was so freaked out that I immediately ran to my parent's room. I never saw her again.

I had this little frog figurine I made in bible study class. I kept it up on a shelf in my room on the wall opposite my bed. One day, while I was leaving my room, I saw something fly across my room out of the corner of my eye. My first thought was BUG (I'm terrified) and when I glanced back, it was to see the frog figurine sitting on my bed. It somehow flew from my shelf to land on my bed on the opposite side of the room. I got freaked out and ran to sit on the couch in the living room, because I was home alone.

The TV in my sister's room used to turn on by itself randomly. The radio would turn on by itself too. Other times, her door would just slowly start to open or close by itself. After a while, the TV in my room would start to randomly turn on by itself as well.

After my sister moved out, I spent a lot of time home alone. My parents worked pretty far away and I was left by myself there a lot of the time. So, sometimes creepy things would happen. I was sitting in the living room when I heard a woman call my middle name. (We lived away from the street and the neighbors were either across the street or over an acre of property away.) It was LOUD and sounded like it was right in the room with me. I don't go by my middle name. I hate my middle name. So, it was weird as fuck. Another time, I was walking from the kitchen to the living room when I felt something tug on my the hood of my jacket. It was hard enough that I actually stumbled back. (And no, there was nothing for me to get it snagged on.) And another day, a creepy doll my mother has in the living room kept getting knocked over. I would have to get up, put it back (away from the edge and making sure each time it was right on its feet) and by the time I sat down, it would get knocked over and fall on the floor. This happened a few times and I finally got frustrated enough that I yelled STOP IT. And weirdly enough, it did stop.

The bathroom between my room and my sister's room weirdly freaked people and guests out. My brother-in-law, best friend, and other friends have all said that they were just weirdly creeped out by that room for no real reason. One time, my best friend came over to spend the weekend. She went to use that bathroom and then came into my room kind of weirded out by something. She asked me if I had a doll or something in the bathroom, and I told her no. She said she was about to wash her hands when she heard laughing coming from the bathtub. She said it sounded like a doll or like a little kid laughing and it creeped her out enough that she hated using that bathroom ever since.

One time I was lying in bed when I heard a growl right in my ear. It was loud enough that I jumped. At that time, we only had one dog and she was a tiny little chihuahua and she wasn't even in the room with me.

Because of that chihuahua, my parents had little gates that were up separating their room from the rest of the house, because she had a weird habit of going into their bedroom and peeing under the bed. So, in order to get into their room, you had to step over the gate. I always used my parent's bathroom, so I had to go through their bedroom to get to their bathroom. I made that trip hundreds of times in the dark without ever feeling the need to flip on the lights until I got to the bathroom. I never felt like I was in danger or unsafe until one time when I brought my foot up to step over that little gate. The lights in my parent's bedroom were off, so I couldn't see anything. But I suddenly had such a strong feeling that told me not to step foot into that room. It felt like there was something in there I just couldn't see and I couldn't explain why I was so randomly freaked out, but it felt like there was something watching me from my parent's closet. I turned around so fast and booked it out of there.

Sometimes, when I was home alone, I'd be sitting on my bed and something would randomly knock on my door. It was always three times. Which I found odd. It was just be a quick 'tap tap tap.' But it was unmistakably coming from my bedroom door.

Sometimes things would move by themselves. Or sometimes I would see weird shadows or things moving out of the corner of my eye. Those were just tiny little occurrences and probably don’t mean as much, though.

Arguably, two of the creepiest experiences I ever had in that house:

I was nineteen at the time and it was nearing Halloween. Nickelodeon had taken to airing Are You Afraid of the Dark? at like, one in the fucking morning or something ridiculous like that. And being the 90s baby that I am, I had to stay up to watch it. My dad was sleeping on the couch and I was chilling on the loveseat. The back of the loveseat was resting against a shared wall with my old bedroom. That's where the frog figurine event happened and some other weird shit like a baseball hitting me on the head. So, I was sitting there in my Halloween pajamas waiting for my show when I heard this weird sound coming from the room behind me. It sounded like something scraping along the wall. I was like 'okay, weird,' but my first weird fear was that an animal had gotten into the house or that it was rats. Our little chihuahua was like, nestled safely up against my dad at that moment, so it wasn't her. I woke my dad up and was like 'hey, there's a weird noise in there. what if it's a rat or something?' So, by that point the noises stopped, but he humored me and went to check. He didn't find anything. He went back to sleep, I went back to waiting for my show, and then there were more noises. This time, they were louder. Not just scraping on the wall, but like something was fucking dragging furniture around in there. My old bedroom became a storage room after my sister moved out and I moved into her (bigger, nicer) bedroom. So, there were two old dressers, a bed, a bookcase, and some other odds and ends. It sounded a lot like something was trying to move one of those pieces of furniture. So, I woke up my dad again. He was less than pleased, but he went to go check, even though the noises seemed to have stopped. Nothing. He comes back, goes back to sleep, I'm a little wary but just kind of feeling like 'whatever, fuck it, I'm here to watch my show.' So, it happens AGAIN. And this time, it's so fucking loud it wakes up my dad. And I was like 'see? SEE? I'm not crazy! What is that?' And he just kind of gives me a look before he goes to check the bedroom again. Again, he sees nothing, but the noises stopped. He comes back, tells me not to worry about it, and then goes back to sleep. The noises stopped after that and I never heard them again. (And believe me, it wasn't anything stuck under the house. We regularly got raccoons/possums/cats under the house, and it was nothing like that. It was definitely coming from inside that room.) At one point, I heard what sounded like something dragging along the wall and it was so weird.

When I was eighteen and a senior in high school, my dad had to be rushed to the hospital because of appendicitis. So, my mom took him to the hospital while I stayed at our house. My sister was going to come by, pick me up, pick up food for us and our mom, and then take us to the hospital to see my dad. So, to explain a bit about the situation, our property has two gates. One near my grandparent's house and one near the house we had moved up to that property. My sister called me, let me know she was almost there, and that she really had to pee. So, I went outside, because I had to make sure that the gate was unlocked and open for her, and let her in. She like, rushes by me, up the front porch stairs, and into the house. I took my time to close the gate, lock it, and like walk across the yard. It took me maybe a minute to get back to the house after she was already inside. So, I walk into the house and I hear her talking and I assumed she was just loudly talking to herself. And I'm standing near the front door looking down the hallway towards the bathroom like 'uh....???' So, she walks out of the bathroom and I ask her 'why were you talking to yourself?' and she gives me a weird look and goes 'I was talking to you. Didn't you follow me?' and I told her 'no, I literally just walked in the door and heard you talking right now.' And I saw her get kind of freaked out and she goes 'I thought you were right behind me! I ran to the bathroom and as soon as I closed the door, I heard footsteps running down the hallway after me. They stopped outside the bathroom door and I thought I was talking to you!' (As a side-note, that was also the bathroom most people get too creeped out to use.)

A lot of other weird shit went on in that house/on that property. I lived there for about twelve years. And my parents still live there. So, weird things still happen, but I'm thankfully not there as often to have to deal with it.

So, the second creepy location I ever had to live in/deal with was my sister's old apartment. That was another place with just a wrong feeling. It just felt really heavy and malevolent, which is weird trying to explain. It just didn't feel like a good place. I'm glad she only lived there for like, three years.

Some of the weird shit we experienced:

There was this tiny hallway in the apartment. You could seriously walk down it in just a couple of steps. It was between the kitchen and the bathroom and it played host to the washer and dryer. For some reason, we all just got the worst feeling from that tiny little hallway. Like, I remember doing laundry and standing at the washer and just having that overwhelming feeling that there was something behind me (even though I was alone in the apartment). My brother-in-law was also creeped out by it (and he's not someone who would easily admit when he's scared by something like that.) My best friend also hated standing in that hallway, which I always thought was so odd, because I never told her we all hated it until after my sister moved out.

One time, while I was in the apartment by myself, I decided to take a shower. So, I get in the shower, do my thing, and step out. And I noticed that the water in the sink was running for some reason. And I was so confused, because I know I didn't turn it on, but I also had that moment of doubt when I wondered if I did and just forgot about it? So, I just brushed it off. However, months later, my sister and I were talking in the kitchen while my mom, dad, and brother-in-law were all in the living room. Suddenly, my sister and I heard a noise coming from the bathroom. It didn't take us long to figure out that the water for the sink had somehow turned on. By itself. With absolutely no one else in the room. The lights were out in that room and my sister and I just kind of looked at each other and were like 'you turn it off!' 'no, you turn it off!' So, we eventually both just went to turn it off. Lol.

I spent a lot of time at my sister's apartment. Especially after I graduated high school. I only took online classes for college, so I would go spend a week with her every once in a while. It was only a one bedroom apartment, so I slept on the couch while I was there. I usually kept the TV on and set a timer, hoping I would be asleep by the time it turned off. I can't sleep when it's just total darkness. I hate it so much. So, one night I woke up, and the TV was already turned off. So, I couldn't see a thing. But I did hear what sounded like something heavy being dragged in my direction. It sounded like someone was trying to pull something heavy from the kitchen in the direction of the living room. The sound got to just before the ottoman near where my feet were before I scrambled for the remote to turn the TV back on. There was nothing there and I was too freaked out to sleep well that night.

My sister used to have a pitbull. So, when my sister and her husband would go out of town or on vacation, my sister would ask me to take care of her pitbull for her. I usually loved it, because it meant I got her apartment to myself for a week. I usually didn't get spooked being by myself, because I had a pitbull with me and even though she was the sweetest, dumbest dog, she was also fiercely protective. I would also sleep with the kitchen light on at night, so I didn't get too freaked out by the dark. But one time (I think I did this for her at least three times while she lived in that apartment), I was sitting in the living room when the power went out. It was late at night, probably closing in on midnight, and it was nearly completely silent outside. (I live in a major city, so my first thought was obviously zombie apocalypse.) All I could hear was the faint sound of sirens. So, I only had my phone with me and my tablet. I didn't know where my sister kept her flashlight and the pitbull was sitting right beside me, so I wasn't too spooked. I thought I'd be okay. But then as I was sitting there, I kept hearing a weird noise from the kitchen. It sounded like something was shuffling along or like, moving something around. I also heard what sounded like a glass being moved across the counter. And I tried to ignore it, but my sister's pitbull (who had been asleep) abruptly raised her head, looked towards the kitchen, and gave something that sounded a lot like a warning growl. Like she was about to snap or bark. So, I hurriedly called my sister and was just like 'hey the power is out, I'm scared, talk to me.' And she did until it came back on.

I was spending the weekend with my sister and her husband and they were babysitting my brother-in-law's niece. She was probably like, 2-ish at the time? Maybe younger, because she was babbling, but she couldn't really talk yet. So, it was late at night and all of us were sitting in the living room and watching a show. His niece randomly gets off the couch, stumbles over towards that tiny hallway I mentioned earlier, and just stands there staring into it. The lights were off, so we couldn't see anything except for her. She randomly started babbling and that was weird enough that we all just kind of looked at each other in confusion. Her back was to us, so she was clearly not talking to us. And my sister's dog was lying on the couch as well, so it wasn't because of her. And then his niece abruptly burst into tears, started shaking and crying, but would not move. It was like she was just stuck there or frozen. Like, my brother-in-law kept calling her name and trying to get her to come back over, but she would not move. It freaked all of us out, but my brother-in-law went to go pick her up and she eventually calmed down.

So this one isn't really paranormal or creepy, but it's kind of funny. So, my sister used to have an issue with sleep walking, but I have always had an issue with sleep talking. My mom has had full conversations with me while I'm asleep and I just don't remember them at all. So, I was yet again spending a week with my sister and her husband. My sister's husband had to leave for work at like, five in the morning, so it was still early enough that it was dark outside. And as he's moving towards the door to leave one morning, he hears me start talking on the couch. Now, I'm completely asleep, but I was apparently saying 'come on in! come on in!' And it spooked him enough that he immediately went to check to see if there was someone standing outside. But what I found so weird is that I vividly remembered my dream from that night and I was dreaming about my grandparent's old house (the first one I talked about). In the dream, my sister and I were throwing a party for the ghosts and I remember in the dream I was standing at the door and saying 'hey! come on in!' So, again, not paranormal, but more just something funny to end this post.

This isn't everything, but it's definitely some of the weirdest/craziest things that have happened to me. The house I live in now with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew is blessedly creepy-vibe-free. Sometimes, weird things happen, but I try to ignore it. And it's never felt so heavy/dark/downright evil as it did at my grandparent's/sister's old apartment. The only other place I've experienced that feeling is a hotel room in San Antonio, but we were only there for a night, and nothing super terrible happened. Just tiny little things.

And I know there are people who are going to be like 'this is total bullshit.' I mean, it's not. It is all 100% true and happened. It's the only reason I believe in the paranormal, really. I think without these experiences, I would want to believe, but I'd need some kind of solid proof. I do have a picture I need to track down, because it looks like there's a figure in it, and I used to show it to people and freak them out. But I have no idea where it is now...

So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed this if you read it! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Halloween week. Stay safe and spooky! 👻

#paranormal experiences #my paranormal activity #personal #this is a long fucking post #and i didn't even mention everything #i'm so sorry #my personal ghost stories

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bambigoose · 5 years ago

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Puppy Love - Tyler Seguin

The iron gates look like something straight out of the medieval ages, the intricate detailing never fails to take Mia’s breath away during the day despite their imposing stature. She’d moved into this community by per chance a little over a month ago and the judgmental stare of Mrs. Fredrick glaring at her currently stopped being intimidating on day one. That miserable old women had no problem letting Mia know she didn’t belong, not like she needed to be told, her older Chevy Equinox stuck out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood of range rovers, Cadillacs, and even a few Ferraris. Mia however knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Her mother was an angel and let her live with her until she was twenty six while she was working the nurse supervisor third shift at the hospital, paying off her student loans, and saving every cent she could with hopes of being able to buy a condo. Mia paid rent of course but it was about half of what she would have paid anywhere else.

Five months ago while searching on Zillow, in bed trying to fall asleep after her shift, her house popped up. It had been posted eight minutes ago and she immediately requested a showing saying she could do it that day while shouting for her mom to call out sick and come with her.

Four hours later, Mia was in love. It was a perfect little two bedroom house with an extra room in the basement that could make it three. Her mom had turned the house upside down searching for a reason it was on the market so cheap besides the fact it was about four times smaller than the average house on the street. Finding nothing despite checking every crack and crevice throughout the entire house, both Mia and her mom had their excitement grow. While having a discussion with the relator about the previous owner who passed suddenly at their summer home in Minnesota and their children were just trying to close everything quickly. Mia immediately put in the offer.

She met Mrs. Fredrick three weeks later while the woman continually walked her fancy poodle with her nose in the air around the entire street. Clearly she had less of a problem with the people moving in a little further down the street on the same day. Clearly they had money, based on the two moving trucks and friends luxury cars helping them move in. Of course according to Mrs. Fredrick his ugly dogs would be a problem in the neighborhood, but that was minimal crime compared to Mia moving in with only her three best friend’s and mother’s older cars. Her nose went even higher seeing them unload a lawn mower, “You’re lawn will never meet the standards of the neighborhood.” The evil witch of the west finally disappeared after Mia just shrugged and stared her down.

Now she just took satisfaction watching her face scrunch up every time she pulled through and waved at her. She could only imagine the rumors she spreads about her being gone all night long most times. Pulling into her driveway, with her decently up kept lawn, Mia placed her head on the steering wheel and sighed. It was a long shift last night and in typical fashion she put off grocery shopping until the very last minute, forcing herself to have to go this morning in order to eat at some point today.

Stepping out of her car, Mia mentally debated whether to just lie down on the couch in her scrubs or expend the energy to walk upstairs to her bed and change into sweats. Opening her trunk, sleeping on the couch was looking even more appealing staring at all her bags. Resigning herself to making multiple trips, she headed in with the first one full of frozen foods, a habit ingrained in her by her mom. ‘Don’t let the frozen go bad in all this heat.’

On her return to the car she thought she could hear jingling as she past the driver’s door but she wrote it off. Turning around the tail end she was greeted by a chocolate lab whitening around his nose and tail wagging a mile a minute in her trunk laying on the cool spot where the frozen food was had just been.

Mia melted on the spot. “Hi baby! Where’d you come from?” She asked leaning down accepting the slobbering kisses all over her face. Her Golden Retriever used to do the same thing before he pasted, if someone opened a car door while he was outside he’d jump right on in. “Where’s your family buddy?” Pushing down a little hard while rubbing his ears, she got an even more enthusiastic tail wag and a tongue rolling out of his mouth.

“CASH! Where are you buddy?”

She heard shouted out from up the street, as his ears perked up. “Cash, is that your name buddy?” Getting one last lick he took up off the street, “Bye bud!” Mia laughed grabbing the last of her groceries before slamming her trunk door shut.

Daylight savings was the ban of Mia’s existence. All she saw was darkness during the winter months; she might as well as move to Alaska with their twenty-one hours of darkness. A surprising winter blast had hit Dallas the past few days in October so she took a deep breath bundled up in a sweatshirt and scarf. All her winter clothes were still in the attic and she couldn’t convince herself to pull them down just for a few days.

Closing and locking her door she headed out into her usually abandoned street. Tonight though she could hear whispering toward the end of her driveway, “Gerry you gotta calm down bud, how are you still this hyper.” Looking up she could spot a man in what looked like a suit with a dog walking across the street from her house. The dog appeared to be dragging him along popping from flower bed to flower bed smelling everything. Mia giggled quietly to herself, unlocking her car. The click and lights turning on brought their attention to her.

The dog was clearly an excitable yellow lab, Gerry she believed it was called. The tail was wagging so hard she wouldn’t be surprised if his handsome suited owner would have a bruise on his knee tomorrow morning. “Gerry no.” The command was useless, Gerry had already taken off across the street at her legs, his poor owner practically running in order to not end up face planting on the ground.

Mia dropped to her knees and readily accepted the puppy loving. The lab was so excited he was bouncing in place, weaving in between her legs before settling on her feet, head leaned back against her knee with the puppy dog eyes. She continually waved off the apologizes his owner was giving. “Hello love! Aren’t you just the most adorable puppy ever?” Scratching up and down his sides the lab start talking to her. Little yelps and excited yips coming out of him each time she rubbed him down. “Shh… gotta be quiet buddy. Mrs. Fredrick will come out and yell at me and your dad. She already hates me enough as it is.”

“Ahh… you’ve met the wicked witch too”came from the suited man, mischief shining in his eyes eliminated by the street light. Sharing a laugh he reached out with his hand extended, “I’m Tyler.”

“Mia. Would it be offend you to know I prepare to refer to you as the puppy father?”

Surprised laughter left Tyler, his eyes crinkling while his face scrunched up. Mia dropped his hand, not realizing how long she had been holding on. Last thing she ever wanted to do was make someone uncomfortable like that, her anxiety was rising just thinking about it. “Well I’ll just have to refer to you as the beautiful nurse.” He says pointing to her ID badge.

“Your daddy is a flirt Gerry.” She says leaning back down to his level getting a slobbering lick all up her face. “Your dogs clearly enjoy slobbering all over me.” She laughed.

“Dogs?” Tyler questioned, trying to think back if he had meet the cute neighbor before. The boys commented on her every time they saw her. The yard work in the yoga shorts and tank top was a particular favorite of the team, especially when working on her flower beds.

She looked up at him locking eyes, “Yes, Cash visited the trunk of my car just last week.”

Tyler went white, he was sure Cash had only taken off into the woods a bit, not all the way down the street and into someone else’s car. “I am so sorry. I can’t believe he…”

Mia cut him off, “Oh he was a love. Not to worry, my last name isn’t Fredrick, your cute dogs and their puppy loving kept you out of trouble.”

Tyler smirked, “Will the cute dogs and puppy loving be enough to get me a date with the pretty nurse?”

Mia looked down towards Gerry, “I don’t know buddy, should I go on a date with your daddy?” Unbeknownst to Mia, Tyler was actively regretting not listening to Jamie and teaching his dogs silent commands. He was banking on Gerry’s excitement and mentally promising him treats should he get him this date. His hopping paid off, Gerry licked her in the face. “I think that means yes.” Mia laughed. “Well puppy father, my next day off is Thursday, but you have a game the next night. Would it work if we do something before your curfew?”

Tyler’s eyes widened like saucers. “You know who I am?”

“If by that you mean know you’re the man with a ton of puppies that lives up the street and happens to be particularly skilled in hockey, then yes but I mean everyone has to be good at something right?”

Tyler release a breath, “And what are you particularly good at?” he joked.

“Loving on puppies, napping, and walking out on conversations so I’m not late for work.” She counted off on her fingers. “I’ll see you Friday?” she questioned.

Tyler smiled, “Come up around five? I’ll order us in something, that way you’ll stay for the entire time. Can’t disappoint the dogs by walking out on them.”

Mia beamed, “So what you really mean is I get to eat and go on a date with the puppies. You clearly know that way to a ladies heart sir.” She scratched behind Gerry’s ears “I’ll see you and your brothers on Friday for our date buddy and I guess we’ll let your dad tag along.” She waved goodbye, hopping into her car and reversing out of the driveway. Tyler watched her go until the tail lights disappeared.

Mia was finishing up her yard work Friday afternoon, she checked the clock sighing, there was about fifteen minutes before she needed to head in and shower for her date with Tyler tonight. She ran into him the next day and numbers were exchanged. They had been talking all week, him sending her different pictures of the dogs every day with reminders not to disappoint them and Mia was excited for tonight.

She grabbed her water and sat down on her steps with her eyes closed and face turned to the sun basking in the warmth. After a moment she felt something wet against her knee. Eyes opening she laughed seeing Marshall, the only Seguin dog she had yet to meet at her feet. “Did your dad send you down here to remind me about tonight huh?” She leaned forward and scratched behind his ears. Marshall galloped up the stairs and leaned against her side, “You’re just a cuddle bug, those young ones trying you out buddy.”

Throwing her arm around Marshall she pulled out her phone, muting the music and opening the camera. She flipped the camera around and snapped a quick shot of them. Sending it to Tyler Lost dog?

Jesus, I’ll come down and get him.

Petting his side Mia looked at Marshall, “You wanna go home buddy or should I tell your dad I’m stealing you?” Marshall shook out his body and leaned heavily against her. Mia chuckled, “Staying with me then I guess.”

Nope. He’s mine now. He’ll escort me to yours later :P

You’re trying to steal my children.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Come on buddy. Let’s get cool inside the house yeah?” Mia called standing up, Marshall following behind her closely. He was practically attached to her hip. She almost tripped over him heading up the stairs. Sitting down on the edge of her bed she tapped the side next to her. Needing no further invitation Marshall hopped up and curled up almost in her lap. “You keep doing this I’m going to call you cuddle bug.”

Slipping out from underneath Marshall she gave him another ear scratch before heading into her bathroom. She made sure the doors to both rooms stayed open in case Marshall changed his mind and wanted to get her attention to leave. She showered quickly, debating what to wear throughout the duration. It was a first date but it was also only at his house. Her anxiety was spiking slightly in worry. Taking a deep breath she told herself he thought you were cute in baggy ugly scrubs everything else you own is better than those.

Rubbing a towel through her hair, Mia throw it up into a messy bun before brushing her teeth. Deciding just to do light makeup she was finished in just a few minutes. Returning to her room in order to check in her friend she paused in the doorway smiling. People say depressed people tend to have more blankets and pillows on their bed, in which place she must be denying the truth but Marshall does not seem to mind at all. He had all but tucked himself under her fluffy blanket, leaning up against her pillows with the ceiling fan circling slowly above him. He raised his head to look at her with a tiny tail wag when she headed to her dresser. "What should I wear cuddle bug?" Marshall was zero help, he just continued to sit there staring at her.

"So jeans and a tshirt with a pullover sweater sounds good then." Slipping into her clothes she nudged Marshall off the bed. "Let's go cuddle bug. Time to see daddy and your brothers." Mia would swear she saw Marshall sigh the same way older siblings do when resigning themselves to watching their little siblings for the evening. The duo walked up the street together never further than three feet apart. That would continue throughout the rest of the night. Tyler had to fight the dogs in order to weasel his way next to Mia on the couch.

…..

Mia sighed pulling into her boyfriend's driveway. Tyler and her had seen even less of each other lately. The hospital had been all hands on deck as the flu ripped through the area leading to a higher than normal admit rate and the Stars were in the middle of the season. Tyler's coach had harshly called out him and Jamie not to long ago so they were practically killing themselves at the practice rink.

Tyler had tonight off and Mia felt awful cancelling their plans to go out at the last minute but truthfully Tyler was relieved. Both of them could use a night on the couch with the dogs and food brought to them.

Turning off the engine, Mia waved to Mrs. Fredrick who of course was even more disgusted with her and Tyler now that the were dating and committing sins staying at each other's houses most nights. As per usual Mrs. Fredrick stuck her nose back up in the air huffing away with her miserable poodle.

Unlocking the door Mia laughed hearing thuds through the hallway. Pulling her phone out from the back pocket of her scrubs she started recording. The post on Instagram was the most liked of the year. Tyler and the dogs rushing down the hallway all but tripping over each other was one of the most hilarious things she had seen in a long time. The best response to her caption which puppy missed me more was Jamie's posted seconds after it went up.

The one with two legs.

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